The Central Bank of Nigeria has announced its decision to sell foreign exchange worth $20,000 to each eligible Bureau De Change operator across the country.

This is coming more than two years after the suspended former CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, stopped the sales of foreign exchange to BDC operators in that segment of the forex market.

The apex bank disclosed this in a new circular issued and signed by the Director, Trade and Exchange Department, Hassan Mahmud, on Tuesday.

The circular titled, “Sale of Foreign Exchange to Bureau de Change Operators to meet retail demand for eligible invisible transactions” said the move aimed at rectifying the persisting distortions in the retail segment of Nigeria’s foreign exchange market and bridging the widening gap in the exchange rate.

The circular read, “Following the ongoing reforms in the foreign exchange market, aimed at achieving an appropriate market-determined exchange rate for the Naira, the Central Bank of Nigeria has observed the continued price distortions at the retail end of the market, which is feeding into the parallel market and further widening the exchange rate premium.

It further directed eligible BDCs to make Naira payments to the designated CBN Foreign Currency Deposit Naira Accounts and submit confirmation of payment, with other necessary documentation.

“All eligible BDCs are directed to make the Naira payment to the designated CBN Foreign Currency Deposit Naira Accounts and submit confirmation of payment, with other necessary documentation, for disbursement at the appropriate CBN Branches ABUJA, AWKA, LAGOS and KANO,” it added.

The CBN in frantic efforts to save the free fall of the naira has made a number of significant reforms towards addressing Naira depreciation, such as probing and clearing FX backlog, limiting forex for foreign education and medical tourism, increasing BDCs’ minimum share capital, and curbing FX speculators, among others.

Details later…

[Punch]

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP), two significant opposition groups, have endorsed the ongoing two-day protest of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

This endorsement comes just as the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) expressed worries about possible protest hijacking.

Punch Newspaper reports that the opposition parties on Monday argued that the hardships faced by the people on the economic front are sufficient to motivate them to join labor unions in protest of the Federal Government’s insensitivity.

Naija News recalls that NLC president Joe Ajaero had threatened a total economic shutdown if any of the protesting members were attacked at Tuesday’s demonstration.

His threat also comes only a few days after the Department of State Services urged labor to put the protest on hold due to concerns that it would be hijacked by fifth columnists and used to wreak havoc across the nation.

However, the PDP’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Abdullahi Ibrahim, told newsmen that the populace is always prepared to oppose any policies that are against the interests of the people.

Ibrahim said, “Labour has always been consistent in terms of expressing their misgivings because they are the ones interfacing with the workers. So it is not going to be the first time. I doubt if there is any government since Independence that has not contended with the protest or expression of agitation by labour.

“So the NLC is justified. The PDP agrees with labour. The reality on the ground defies human comprehension. You cannot expect Nigerians to fold their hands because it is an APC government that is in place. The NLC stormed the streets when it was the PDP. They did the same during the military regime. I don’t see any rationale for anybody to think the NLC is out to frustrate this government.

“The people have never been worse off as we are seeing it today. Purchasing power in the country has declined to an all-time worse. The inflation rate is also high. “Everybody should come out for this protest, including labour, civil society organisations and traders. The PDP is absolutely in support of this protest.”

A spokesman for the Labour Party Campaign Organisation, Yunusa Tanko, emphasized that people have the right to express their dissatisfaction with anti-people policies.

Tanko said, “Obviously, some policies of this government are anti-people. We are talking about a government that promised people palliatives and failed to provide them. Is it not this same government that promised civil servant increment of salary? The people are yet to see it.

“The question is how long will this government continue to use the instrumentality of law to stifle the voices of the masses? For us in LP, the protest is justifiable. In fact, the NLC needs to take it further by demanding Constitutional review including that of the Electoral Act reform that is not giving us the right kind of leadership we want.

“Because of this, INEC is still under the whims and caprices of the Federal Government hence they cannot independently conduct elections. The people are tired and definitely have the right to speak up.”

However, the ruling APC voiced fear that the demonstration could derail if it is hijacked.

APC’s spokesperson, Bala Ibrahim stated that President Bola Tinubu directly addressed the suffering of the people in several of his broadcasts, demonstrating his awareness of their plight.

Ibrahim said, “The beauty of democracy is that it allows people to register their dismay or dislike where they feel the government is not doing well. But there is a proviso. In doing that, they must know that the right to protest is theirs. But that right stops where other people’s own begins.

“In a situation like this, the government has been honest enough to admit that indeed there is hardship in the land and people are going through distress. But circumstances necessitate the introduction of certain reforms with a view to getting certain solutions. It is like someone who has a fracture or dislocation. When he comes to fix it, there will be pain everywhere.

“I agree the country is in a state of unease. But the government is not insensitive to the feelings of the people just as the president admitted. Tinubu has made a broadcast where he said he felt the pains of the people from Lagos to Kano and every nook and cranny of the country. We don’t want this protest to be hijacked.

“The NLC should have a rethink. Let’s not do something that will be injurious simply because we want to play to the gallery. This protest is ill-timed. We implore them to give the FG a benefit of doubt and see what is being done. But certainly, things are being done that are in line with the yearning of the people.”

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said the two-day nationwide protest by its members is about hunger and the economic hardship in the nation.

The National President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, made this known while speaking with reporters on Tuesday in Abuja.

He said contrary to the claim made by the Presidency that the ongoing protest is needless and about the minimum wage review, the union is not protesting only about the review of the country’s minimum wage.

Ajaero also accused the Federal Government of failing to meet the demands of the union since the removal of fuel subsidy, which has led to a rise in the cost of living.

He said, “You have to understand it. This protest is about hunger. What of those who are not working? The minimum wage, when will it be completed? When will it be implemented? What will be the minimum wage that will remove hunger?

“The UN said that every the poorest man should be fed on $2 per day. That’s the poorest. And if you have a family of six people, $2 per day by six is $12,” he said while addressing the press in Abuja.

“In a month, you have $360 which translates to about N700,000. Is that the minimum wage you’re talking about? Is that what will feed you? That’s feeding alone. I’m not talking about transportation and accommodation. So what are we saying? What about medical? What are we saying?

“Well, you know, we don’t, we don’t tell them what to do. We will tell them how we feel. There was hunger in the land, but it wasn’t this bad until deregulation. And then after the regulation, we proposed all that we needed to. If they had solved the problem of transportation immediately, they would have solved almost 50% of the problem.

“Because even when you process garri in the village, you need to transport it to town. The expenses you incurred on transportation, you add it to the cost of garri.

“So the moment they touch PMS, you can’t fill your tank with N30,000, N40,000. So the moment they touched it. We said, ‘OK, bring CNG buses. This is 7-8 months, no one bus is on the street.

“So we have provided all those solutions, even the cash transfer. They are still telling us now that they will start the cash transfer and they were playing politics with it that they were diverting it to their accounts. After today, we review our situation.”

A yet-to-be-ascertained number of persons have been trapped following the collapse of a building under construction in the Ochanja market in Onitsha, Anambra state.

The cause of the collapse, which happened on Monday evening, is yet to be determined.

Chukwuma Soludo, governor of the state, who visited the site on Tuesday, said five casualties have been recorded so far.

Soludo described the incident as tragic and one “that was not supposed to happen”. He disclosed that 26 individuals had been rescued and hospitalised, with rescue efforts ongoing to locate those still trapped under the rubble.

“The contractor at his own cost will come and put down the illegal buildings he erected here,” the governor said.

“They are all going to come down. My government did not approve of this building. We will redesign this area and build it properly.”

He added that other buildings constructed without proper approval will be demolished, including structures currently under construction at other markets.

“A comprehensive inventory of buildings in Anambra markets and public places will be conducted,” Soludo said.

“Markets will undergo integrity tests to identify and remove potentially unsafe structures, and individuals found responsible for illegal construction will face legal consequences.”

The governor also assured that the hospital bills of those receiving treatment will be offset by the government, and expressed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives.

A yet-to-be-ascertained number of persons have been trapped following the collapse of a building under construction in the Ochanja market in Onitsha, Anambra state.

The cause of the collapse, which happened on Monday evening, is yet to be determined.

Chukwuma Soludo, governor of the state, who visited the site on Tuesday, said five casualties have been recorded so far.

Soludo described the incident as tragic and one “that was not supposed to happen”. He disclosed that 26 individuals had been rescued and hospitalised, with rescue efforts ongoing to locate those still trapped under the rubble.

“The contractor at his own cost will come and put down the illegal buildings he erected here,” the governor said.

“They are all going to come down. My government did not approve of this building. We will redesign this area and build it properly.”

He added that other buildings constructed without proper approval will be demolished, including structures currently under construction at other markets.

“A comprehensive inventory of buildings in Anambra markets and public places will be conducted,” Soludo said.

“Markets will undergo integrity tests to identify and remove potentially unsafe structures, and individuals found responsible for illegal construction will face legal consequences.”

The governor also assured that the hospital bills of those receiving treatment will be offset by the government, and expressed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives.

Pro-democracy activists and scholars are concerned about the global decline of freedom, erosion of the rule of law, and the growing threats to Western-style liberal democracy, and rightly so.

In a lecture he delivered recently, Dr Larry Diamond, America’s renowned political scientist and a leading scholar on democracy studies, observed that “democracy globally has been in a prolonged recession since about 2007.

In the inaugural Distinguished Guests Lecture Series jointly organized by the Fixpolitics Movement, established by former Nigerian Education Minister and World Bank Africa Vice President, Dr Oby Ezekwesili and its affiliate, School of Politics, Policy, and Governance (SPPG), Senegal, Dr Diamond noted that there might be “many new (third wave) and old democracies (that) have been resilient, but many others (are) deteriorating.”

There are as many definitions of democracy as there are classifications by hardliners and followers of the liberal school of thought, but the definition credited to former British Prime Minister Winston Leonard Churchill finds accommodation even among anti-democracy advocates.

“Many forms of Government have been tried and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…,” declared Churchill in 1947.

Experience has shown that other systems of government, such as oligarchy or autocracy, often lead to oppression and tyranny, and despite its flaws or imperfections, democracy has demonstrated a resilience for collective decision-making and efforts at striking a balance between freedom and responsibility.

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo is among those who believe that Western-style liberal democracy has failed in Africa and does not suit the continent's culture and traditions.  At a recent forum on rethinking democracy in Nigeria, held in Abeokuta, Western Nigeria, he therefore, advocated for the development of what he calls "Afro democracy," and charged a gathering of academics and politicians to clinically analyze the flaws of liberal democracy and proffer systems that are more effective and beneficial to Africa.

Whether it is liberal democracy that has failed, or the operators/practitioners (political actors) that have failed the people and the system is open to debate.

But from evidence-based analysis, the erosion of freedom, deterioration of the state of the rule of law, and threats to liberal democracy, though gradual, started around 2007, after the euphoria and celebrations that greeted the wave of multiparty democracy of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

There was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings, and armed rebellions, across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s, known as the first Arab Spring, which began in Tunisia in response to corruption, followed by political upheavals in the region called the second Arab Spring coupled with “people power” incidences against liberal democracy.

By 2022, virtually all parts of the World including Eurasia, Asia Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas, had witnessed one form of decline of freedom, or worrisome threats to the rule of law and democracy. Not even America, the “mother of democracy” was spared.

What is considered a retreat from liberal democracy and growing instability in West Africa and the wider African continent today is within the context and dynamic of the global landscape characterized by an unprecedented convergence of multiple threats and opportunistic vectors, such as geopolitical and strategic shifts, economic downturns, currency fluctuations, climate and environmental ecosystem changes, sociocultural dynamics, and digital advancements, especially the “invasion” of social media.

Welcoming Diamond, Ezekwesili emphasized the necessity for Africa to create a conducive political climate in her search of solutions to its governance challenges.

In the same vein, the Dean of SPPG, Senegal, Professor Emeritus Alioune Badara Fall, of the University of Bordeaux explained that the democratic project in Africa was complex and vulnerable to several influences. 

As the Convener of Fixpolitics, Senegal, Adama Gaye, a seasoned Senegalese journalist and former Director of Communications of ECOWAS underscored the need “to build a disruptive massive class of African leaders with character, capacity and competence.”.

In the online lecture entitled “Power, Performance, and Legitimacy: Renewing Global Democratic Momentum,” attended by more than 300 participants, Diamond, a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, U.K., warned that: “We (the World) remain in a volatile and uncertain period - democracy globally could sharply gain or contrast.”

The key trends identified in his thesis include “horizontal accountability… growing polarization, intolerance magnified by social media, authoritarian resurgence, and power projection, and decay of democratic quality in the U.S. and parts of Europe… with declining trust and satisfaction, high-profile movements for democracy, as well as illiberal populism, still spreading but can be reversed.”

The lecture examined “the global trends in democracy and freedom, the minimum standard for electoral democracy as well as free and fair competition for power - a level playing field.”

Using data from various peer-reviewed sources such as the Freedom House and the Economist Intelligence Unit, Diamond tested the practice of democracy by regions - between 2006 and 2022 with Europe topping the ranking, while Sub-Saharan Africa, some countries in the former Soviet Union, and the Middle East and North Africa bringing up the rear in that order. He also examined the Global Expansion of Democracy from 1974 to 2022 within countries and the Rate of Democratic breakdowns as a percentage of democracies over the same period, with the percentage of democratic expansion at 16% against breakdowns of 40%.

Also analyzed were the ratio of Democratic Transition to Breakdowns, and Gains to Declines in Freedom, with the “causes of Democratic Recession from 2006 traced to the “Backlash Against Iraq intervention by the US and its allies - perception of failed democracy promotion, and the 2008 Financial Crisis.”

Others were the “Rise of Social Media, the Technology boom, the growing concentration of wealth and income within countries, the Global Power shift, the Decline of US/European power and prestige, the Resurgence of Russia, and the Rise of China as a major power.”

On the chart for Democratic Gainers and Losers between 2006 and 2022, countries listed under “declining democracies” included Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Thailand, Türkiye, and the US. Nations under “Improving Democracies” were Columbia and Taiwan, for “Oscillating States,” were Argentina, South Korea, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Vietnam, while China, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Myanmar, Russia, were listed as “Worsening Autocracies.”

Under the trends in Political Rights, Rule of Law, and Civil Liberties between 2006 and 2022 across the regions, Sub-Saharan recorded the lowest scores of -18%, -11%, and -3% respectively, while listed under “Failed Democratic Transitions” were Venezuela 2019, Zimbabwe 2016-17, Iran 2009, Arab Spring: Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Tunisia; Sudan 2018, Ethiopia 2015, 2018, Myanmar 2011, Malaysia 2018, Algeria 2019, and Lebanon 2019-20.

The lecture also examined Norms versus Institutions that support liberal democracy, with factors that loomed large, including “shallow, eroding normative commitment to democracy (by elites), Eroding public trust in democratic institutions, and declining legitimacy, the demise of civic education, the impact of social media and the coarsening of civic life and Authoritarian propaganda, sharp power, and flooding of the information zone.”

The factors driving “Poor economic and political performance” were listed as “Weak economic growth, inadequate jobs and social safety net, Poor education (long-term deficits of human capital), Corruption, crony capitalism, kleptocracy, Extreme and rising inequality, Declining public order: crime, gangs … and very weak governance.”

The lecture further examined “Attitudes Towards Democracy, Satisfaction with Democracy, Rejection of One-Party State, Rejection of Military Rule, and Rejection of all three Authoritarian Alternatives across regions with selected countries.

In Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and South Africa, the four countries covered by the study in Sub-Saharan Africa, there were notable preferences for Democracy against the three Authoritarian alternatives.

Diamond explained that electoral democracy or the conduct of regular elections cannot equate to liberal democracy, which should be measurable not by government or individual performance, but by the aggregation of collective satisfaction of the aspiration of the majority.

His prescriptions for the strengthening of liberal democracy include promoting “cross-national learning, countering incipient democratic backsliding, defeating illiberal populism at the polls, effective policies for equitable and inclusive growth, and countering authoritarian sharp power.”

Other measures are “defeating populism, mobilizing cross-cutting civil society alliances, leading with bread-and-butter issues of the people’s needs and the populist government failure, exposing the corruption of populists' leaders and government, the fraud in its claim to represent the people, identifying reforms to improve democracy, but do not make those the centerpiece of the campaign.”

Diamond said, “Civic nationalism” should be embraced, with democracy and personal freedom made an integral part of what makes the nation great, adding that priority attention should also be given to Legitimacy and Performance in determining policy implications to encourage economic support and investment to promote growth and opportunity.

There should be vigilance against diplomatic pressure and Aid conditionality that could drive democratic backsliding, the lecturer warned, adding that there should also be training for “democratic policing, reviving of civic education in schools and efforts to counter authoritarian propaganda and disinformation.”

He also advocated for a Global Campaign for democracy that should include Project “Democratic Soft Power to promote democratic values, ideas, examples, and institutional designs, in multiple languages and forms.” This is to “counter and expose Authoritarian Sharp Power efforts to penetrate and sway democratic institutions (Universities, Thinktanks, Businesses, Parties, Communities, and Substantial Governments.”

On the influence of money on politics, Diamond suggested the strengthening of laws against foreign influence, including campaign funding, review of inbound Foreign Investment, and support for democratic media.”

To strengthen democratic legitimacy, he called for “improving the performance of democracies, economic and political, strengthening of Global Power Democracies, increasing support for New and Weak Democracies, waging the Global Normative Battle for Democracy, and training Coalitions for anti-corruption and rule of law reforms.”

There should also be “increased assistance to independent media, investigative journalism, and NGOs, to fight corruption and promote good governance reforms, while at the same time using diplomacy to defend civic space, denouncing human rights violations and defending democratic principles.”

Diamond also suggested “investment in public-private partnerships for new tools to defend internet freedom and security, coupled with defense and strengthening of electoral security and integrity with electoral reform (of majoritarian rules), regulation, monitoring, and reform of social media.

There should also be “reforms to combat kleptocracy and money laundering with bridging rather than polarizing campaign strategies with effective policy responses on immigration, jobs, and inequality,” he concluded.

*Ejime, is an Author, Global Affairs Analyst, and Consultant on Peace & Security and Governance Communications

The deepening economic challenges in Nigeria and many other African countries have sent leaders and policy makers scampering frantically looking for solutions in foreign lands. President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Shettima have made over 20 foreign trips in just 8 months, looking for the elusive foreign investors to help Nigeria. They have appeared at the G20, G8, WEF and other global platforms to position the country as a suitable investment destination. It is the same road travelled by all our previous leaders. But why do Africans always fail to seek for solutions to their problems from within Africa? Can’t Africa help itself? Why are we so eager to run to the very people who contributed to the perils we are in?

These are the core questions that Pan Africanism has sought to answer for over 50 years now; they are the reasons that some university professors from Nigeria, Africa and other parts of the world have come together to establish The Pan African Dialogue Institute (TPADI), a civil society think tank for the study and propagation of Pan-Africanism. Pan-Africanism emerged as a response to the long history of the indignities of colonization, enslavement, and systemic oppression and exploitation faced by African people across the globe. TPADI, according to its President, Associate Prof. Effiong Udo of the University of Uyo, is a network of African academics, professionals and civil leaders within Africa and the diaspora, coming together to contribute to the building of developmental policies and practice in Africa. “As a civil society think tank, we take active interest in analyzing policy and practice frameworks of national governments as well as continental and global institutions with a view to advocating for all that which must genuinely benefit Africa and Africans. So, our work revolves around social, economic, political, religious and cultural issues, as well as scientific, environmental, educational, legal, gender and business domains’’, he told this writer.

The African Union defines Pan-Africanism as: “… an ideology and movement that encouraged the solidarity of Africans worldwide. It is based on the belief that unity is vital to economic, social and political progress and aims to 'unify and uplift' people of African descent. The ideology asserts that the fates of all African peoples and countries are intertwined. At its core, Pan-Africanism is “a belief that African peoples both on the continent and in the diaspora, share not merely a common history, but a common destiny.” According to Udo, from the early days of Pan Africanism till today, the advocacy for the unity, solidarity, and empowerment of people of African descent worldwide continues to be a potent force driving discussions on identity, liberation, and socio-political progress of the continent and its people.

The Pan African Dialogue Institute is therefore established to pursue the decolonization of the mind through policy analysis, policy building and advocacy around multi-faceted issues within the threshold of Pan-African principles.
“Our job is to inspire excellence and best practices in Pan Africanism, promote African values of community, hospitality, respect for human and environmental dignity, unity in diversity, love and solidarity with all, as encapsulated in the Ubuntu philosophy’’. We are seeking to reverse the mentality that Africans are not capable of helping themselves and solving their problems. We are seeking to celebrate the unity, resilience and collective identity of people of African descent around the world. And, we want to achieve all that by fostering dialogue and cooperation among individuals, communities, institutions and nations”, said Prof Udo, the Institute’s President.

He laments the seeming lukewarm attitude of African leaders towards Pan Africanism, and wonders why, for example, many African countries, including Nigeria, do not even remember to mark International Africa Day. It is on record that on May 25, 1963, leaders of the then 32 independent African States signed a founding charter in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which brought the Organization of African Unity into existence. In 2002, the OAU established its own successor, the African Union, and adopted May 25 every year as a day to celebrate Africa and highlight the continents continued struggle against neocolonialism, exploitation and adversity.

‘’Surprisingly, ever since the day was declared, only nine African countries (The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Lesotho, Mali, Mauritania, Zambia and Zimbabwe) are known to observe May 25 as public holiday with celebrations. The other 46 countries, including Nigeria are less aware of this very important day’’, laments Prof Udo in a wide-ranging discussion in his office at the University of Uyo. For the 2024 Africa Day, The Pan African Dialogue Institute (TPADI) is taking the lead to mark the day in a grand ceremony. The institute would be formally launched on that day at the sidelines of the first international conference on “Dialogue and Pan Africanism’’ holding between May 23 and 26 at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The conference is held in collaboration with Centre for Deep Dialogue and Critical Thinking, Directorate of International Programmes and Faculties of Arts, Law, Social Sciences, and Communication and Media Studies of the University of Uyo.

Already, Professor P.L.O Lumumba has confirmed his participation as the keynote speaker at the conference, while plenary speakers will include Prof. Mutombo Nkulu-N’Sengha (DR Congo/USA), Prof. Mary Nyangweso (Kenya/USA), Prof. Emmanuel Akpabio (Nigeria), Amb. Daniel Guttierez (Rep. of Belize), Prof. Joseph Ushie (Nigeria), Dr. Donatus Ukpong (Nigeria), Prof. Chris Ekong (Nigeria), Prof. Peter Esu (Nigeria), Dr. Jean-Louis Ikambana (USA), Prof. Aniekan Brown (Nigeria), Prof. Mojisola Iseyin (Nigeria), Prof. Gabriel Umoh (Nigeria), Dr. Ubong Essien Umoh (Nigeria), among others.

The conference seeks to provide informed Pan-Africanist perspectives on a wide range of issues affecting Africa and its people everywhere in the world. Presenters are invited to explore the trajectories of development in the continent from the lens of Pan-Africanism. It will be interesting to probe the different approaches, theories, philosophies or ideologies that have been adopted at community, national and continental levels by key players to drive developmental efforts. How much have the indigenous knowledge systems and practices been embraced or discarded in propelling the continent towards genuine freedom and development? The transformation of the lingering social, political and economic impasse in the continent requires the critical evaluation of African scholars and professionals toward the achievement of stability, peace, and freedom as envisioned in the 2063 Agenda of the African Union.

President Effiong Udo is full of gratitude to the Vice Chancellor of University of Uyo, Professor Nyaudoh Ndaeyo and his Management team for embracing the study of Pan-Africanism, and supporting the hosting of the conference.
“We are expecting a host of dignitaries from across Nigeria and the globe, including the former President of Nigeria, His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to serve as Chairman of the Africa Day events, and the Vice President of Colombia, Her Excellency, Francia Marguez, who had since indicated interest in attending. In this regard, we are working with the Federal Government of Nigeria to actualize the coming of Her Excellency, the Colombian Vice President. We are also hopeful that the Akwa Ibom State Government ably led by His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno will be happy to help facilitate the hosting of this global event in Uyo because of the attendance of so many international dignitaries’’, said Prof Udo. His expectation is that with the launch of the institute and the hosting of the international conference, “Nigeria will not only join to keep alive the intellectual dimension of Pan Africanism, but also become a major player in championing the struggle for unity, human and environmental dignity, self-determination and cultural renaissance that are needed for the lasting peace and prosperity of the African people’’.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Ebun-olu Adegboruwa, has asked President Bola Tinubu to begin the implementation of the Orosanye report by reducing the size of his cabinet.

Naija News reports that the decision to implement the Oronsaye report was taken on Monday at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, which was chaired by President Tinubu.

The Orosanya report recommended, among other things, discontinuing government funding of professional bodies and councils to free funds for capital projects.

It established that there are 541 Federal Government parastatals, commissions and agencies (statutory and non-statutory) and recommended that 263 of the statutory agencies should be reduced to 161, while 38 agencies should be abolished and 52 should be merged.

The panel also recommended that 14 of the agencies should revert to departments in ministries to pave the way for a leaner government.

Speaking with TheCable on Monday, Adegboruwa said the cabinet size was too large, calling on the President to begin the full implementation of the report with the presidency.

Adegboruwa said there is too much wastage within the bureaucracy, which requires urgent curtailing, especially in this era of technological advancement.

The senior lawyer, however, hailed the President for directing the full implementation of the Oronsaye report to reduce the cost of governance.

He said: “I must commend him for the courage to implement that report. There is too much wastage within the bureaucracy especially now in the deployment of technology.

“There is a lot that can be achieved through such harmonisation. But the president must start the implementation from his cabinet. Charity should begin at home.

“The size of the present cabinet is unwieldy. For him to embark on the implementation of the Oronsaye report concerning other agencies and leave the presidency in the bloated manner it is will not achieve the desired purpose.

“The president should set a good example by merging all those ministries that have no impact.

“The president should also cut the number of aides that follow him on official trips. That is the right message to send to the people of Nigeria.”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has announced that it would present a Certificate of Return to its Edo State governorship candidate, Asuerinme Ighodalo, today (Tuesday).

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

The statement said the party also commended all leaders, critical stakeholders, and members in Edo State for the peaceful and successful conduct of the governorship primary election.

The statement read, “Following the successful completion of the Edo State governorship primary election and the ratification of the exercise by the appeal panel, the National Working Committee of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party, hereby announces the presentation of the Certificate of Return to Dr Asuerinme Ighodalo, the elected candidate of our party for the September 21, 2024 governorship election in Edo State.

“The Certificate Presentation ceremony is scheduled as follows: Date: Tuesday, February 27, 2024; Venue: National Executive Committee (NEC) Hall, Wadata Plaza, PDP National Secretariat, Abuja; Time: 12 noon.

“The national leadership of the PDP commends all leaders, critical stakeholders, and members of our party in Edo State for the peaceful and successful conduct of our governorship primary election in the state.

“The NWC charges all members to be guided by the above-stated date and time and continue to work together to ensure victory for our party and candidate in the forthcoming election.”

The party was, however, silent about the fate of the state deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, who emerged as the candidate in a parallel primary held on the same day.