Sola Faleye, Personal Assistant to the late Herbert Wigwe, former Group Managing Director and CEO of Access Holdings Plc, has narrated his last encounter with the deceased.

Wigwe, Chizoba, his wife, Chizzi, his first son, Abimbola Ogunbajo, former Chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group, all died in the ill-fated crash alongside two pilots.

Speaking at Eko Hotel, Lagos, where a night of tribute was held for Wigwe, Faleye narrated how he missed the flight.

“It was a sweet journey. 11 Hours we flew from London. I remember in the middle of the air. I walked up to him. I said, “Sir, how comfortable are you at night flying choppers? I’ve never done it before. And he said, ‘This is America, they have a navigation system for flying choppers at night’; and I went back to my seat. And we landed. Everybody was filled with joy that we were finally almost there.

“We sat, waiting to be cleared by immigration, So coming out, we had two vans waiting, One was taking us to go aboard the chopper. The other took our luggage because they cannot go on the chopper. Throughout my years of working with him, I’ve always told myself that flying that way is not a luxury for me. I am on duty. And as they were loading the luggages. And this thought came to mind. That’s OK, you fly chopper one. One hour you are there.

“The next three and half hours, the luggage is not going to come. Will I go to bed? No. I still have to sit down and wait for those luggage to come. I’m like, so why not just go with the luggagge then, get there and deliver it to him and others in the room. Like I said, I always reason in the line of duty.

“And I walked up to him. I said, Sir, I think it’s safer and secure for me to just ride and bring the luggage to you.” He said it was a brilliant idea. And I said, safe flight.”

The PA hence drove to Vegas with the bags, while Wigwe, his wife, son, and Ogunbajo took the helicopter to the same location.

[DailyPost]

Itsekiri leaders, under the aegis of Ugbarajo Iwere Leaders Foundation (UILF), have charged the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to fish out suspects who attacked Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, at Okere community in Warri south local government area of Delta State last Saturday.

While condemning the act, they said the attack by a group of youths on the monarch was uncalled for.

At an emergency meeting of the UILF in Warri, Delta State on Wednesday, the foundation threw their weight behind the monarch.

A member of the publicity committee of the foundation, Hon Emmanuel Orugbo, who made the position known while addressing journalists on Wednesday, after the meeting, called on young people of Warri kingdom to get engaged in fruitful ventures with a view to reducing the temptation of being susceptible to restiveness and usage by disgruntled elements in the society.

“This group of people have for the past one year been terrorizing the Okere community with the idea of advancing their ideology of rejecting the successful succession of the 21st Olu of Warri to the throne.

“While we agree that minorities, and in the extant case, most micro-minorities can have their say, their say has to be within the ambit of the law.

“These old men, who present themselves as youths, cannot be allowed to continue to run riot the way they have been doing for the past two years.

“We recall that this group of ‘youths’ has, on multiple occasions in the past, attacked, injured and damaged the properties of persons they perceive to hold any contrary views to theirs.

“The attacks, which have resulted in a couple of lawsuits that are still pending in court, have successfully established a regime of fear in the Okere people who cannot, for this reason now, sleep well at night; their economic lives having gone down the drain.

“We find it bizarre that this group of people could develop the boldness to attempt to disrupt the visit to the community of His Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse III, CFR, the Olu of Warri kingdom.

“Even though their attempt was unsuccessful, as a foundation, we shall work with all well-meaning sons and daughters of Warri kingdom to identify and encourage that every possible sanction within the law be meted to the culprits to ensure that such deviant behaviours are completely discouraged in the future,” he vowed.

He stated further that: “We remain unflinchingly supportive of His Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse III CFR, the Olu of Warri, who remains a pride not just to Warri kingdom but to Delta State and Nigeria in general. We call for respect for the rule of law and the traditional institution.”

Meanwhile, four suspects have been arrested and arraigned in court over the attack on the Olu of Warri.

The suspects were arraigned in charge No: FHC/WR/18c/2024 before the Federal High Court sitting in Warri on four-count charges of terrorism, cybercrime, conspiracy to wit: attempted murder.

The case has, however, been adjourned to 2nd April, 2024, while the four defendants have been remanded at the Warri Correctional Facility.

[DailyPost]

Insecurity, lack of forex and low domestic production are said to have pushed prices of food up across the country leading to protests by youths and workers. Some state governors have been reported to have stormed Abuja headquarters of Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to push for increased crop production to ensure food security in Nigeria. Those governors especially those from the southwest have failed their people. They have a template set for them since the First Republic. But rather than do the hard work, they seem to be more interested in building bridges over land in their state capitals or airports even when there are no roads to the airports. This piece below first published on September 6, 2017 captures the embarrassing position of governors of the Yoruba nation.

Insecurity, lack of forex and low domestic production are said to have pushed prices of food up across the country leading to protests by youths and workers. Some state governors have been reported to have stormed Abuja headquarters of Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to push for increased crop production to ensure food security in Nigeria. Those governors especially those from the southwest have failed their people. They have a template set for them since the First Republic. But rather than do the hard work, they seem to be more interested in building bridges over land in their state capitals or airports even when there are no roads to the airports. This piece below first published on September 6, 2017 captures the embarrassing position of governors of the Yoruba nation.

Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be servant of all” – Jesus Christ (Mark 10:43)

Last week, tomatoes and vegetables disappeared from Lagos markets. This was attributed to disruption in the regular flow of some food items from the north to the south by the Sallah holiday. Our inability to feed ourselves 17 years into the fourth republic is perhaps a clear manifestation of deficit of Christ’s defined attributes of servant-leadership among some of our clowning Southwest ‘activists’, the ‘constituted authority and ‘Oshokomole – Ebora tin je jollof’ governors who behave and act as if they are beyond reproach or that leadership is about being hailed by sycophants, thugs and Okada commercial motorcyclists.

But it has not always been like this. We were once blessed with selfless leaders and role models with templates for developmental strategies that did not only guarantee self-sufficiency in food production but promises of a more just, egalitarian society. We remember with nostalgia the selfless services of leaders like Obafemi Awolowo, S. L. Akintola, Anthony Enahoro, Oduola Osuntokun Abraham Adesanya, and their other colleagues who left a lasting legacy in education, health, housing and agriculture with judicious management of the little resources available to them. Their second republic successors such as Olabisi Victor Onabanjo, Lateef Jakande, Bola Ige, Ambrose Alli and Adekunle Ajasin who as governor, refused to spend N50, 000 to fix a leaking government house claiming Ondo State could not afford the luxury at the time, followed the footsteps of their illustrious predecessors by providing quality service to their people. The fourth republic threw up Ahmed Bola Tinubu, Niyi Adebayo, Segun Osoba and Pa Bisi Akande who, like Jakande used his personal car as official car until the state forced him to abandon it. Like their predecessors, they selflessly served the people and we today remember them with melancholy.

The crisis of leadership in the West started in 2003 when Obasanjo under his dubious mainstreaming policy decided to impose leaders on the West. He was to become a godfather to the likes of Lucky Igbinedion, Segun Agagu, Ayo Fayose, Segun Oni, Gbenga Daniel and Olagunsoye Oyinlola as well as other ambitious individuals such as journalists, academics and other professionals who, following their losses in the primary elections of their parties, were seduced by Obasanjo federal government’s offer of funds, security and vehicles to destabilize southwest.

Obasanjo’s hand-picked leaders as it turned out, unlike their predecessors, served none but themselves. Igbinedion left Benin City after eight years in office like a war-torn city. Fayose traded a College of Medicine for a fraudulent poultry farm during his first coming; Oni took Ekiti through three years of nightmare while fighting to keep a mandate the courts finally ruled he never won. His major legacy includes foisting three universities, including the one sited in his village on Ekiti that had no resources to effectively run one. Olagunsoye Oyinlola who admitted to a judicial commission of inquiry of awarding and paying in advance contractors to build stadia around some towns in Osun State and Gbenga Daniel who went around Ogun State with ex-President Jonathan commissioning uncompleted and yet to take off projects.

With Obasanjo’s humiliating defeat by Tinubu, some of the immediate and current leadership which represents the mainstream southwest political orientation were expected to have taken after their first and second and republic forbearers. Unfortunately they seem to have found their shoes too big.

Let us start with Ekiti, the land of honour. Fayemi no doubt made some impact in education and social welfare. But with Ekiti State as the 35th out of 36th on the nation’s revenue ladder, diverting N2.7b of the N25 billion bond his administration secured from the capital market to build a grandiose government house because the then ‘Osuntokun Lodge lacked many facilities befitting of the residence of a governor and therefore very inferior’ to other government houses in the country was indefensible when his government could have rehabilitated the run-down Ikun Dairy farm established by Ajasin in the second republic as part of solution to a geographical region that depends on other geographical zones for the 10,000 heads of cow it consumes daily.

Rauf Aregbesola, after retrieving his stolen mandate through the courts had enjoyed tremendous support and goodwill of the people, all of which he seems to have frittered away because of his leadership style. Although he swears by Awo’s name, he appears to be his own role model. His rather insensitive comment about the state of mind of Ademola Adeleke who recently defeated his APC candidate in the Osun South Senatorial District by-election after rightly reminding Ede people that the senatorial seat was not hereditary seem to confirm the fears of those who argue Aregbesola has been wearing a shoe bigger than his leg.

Abiola Ajimobi during his first term, keyed into Buhari’s green alternative initiative which focuses on commercial agriculture development programme, by allocating tractors, planters and harvesters to each of the 33 local government areas. Most of those equipment are however said to have either been sold off or mismanaged by past caretaker chairmen while he as ‘the constituted authority’ battles those who put him in power especially students of Oyo State tertiary institutions who have been out of schools for the greater part of the year and their civil servants and pensioners parents who have not been paid for several months.

Ajimobi who started well is also today enmeshed in Ibadan traditional chieftaincy controversy as he apes ill-informed military men who unilaterally made kings out of ‘Baales’ as he creates, by fiat, kings with crowns and sceptres without kingdoms.

While Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State on his part is striving to turn his state to number one industrial hub in Nigeria with plans to build airport before 2019, two years to the end of his second four years term, his plan towards agriculture that will lead to industrialisation remains a plan. In any case, since people have to eat before the transformation of agriculture from commercialization to industrialization, keying into the Buhari agriculture initiatives designed to achieve food security, alleviate rural poverty and end hunger ought to be the starting point.

If leadership, as Sun Tzu, (Chinese General, and 544–496BC) has said “is a matter of intelligence, trustworthiness, humaneness, courage, and discipline”, a well-focused Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos who operates as a servant rather than a ‘constituted authority’ better appropriates the virtues of his forbearers. After insisting “there is no alternative to achieving food security other than tilling the land and embrace best practices that will improve efficiency in the agricultural value chain”, he has in practical terms sealed a landmark partnership with Kebbi State government for the development of agricultural commodities such as rice, wheat, groundnut, onion, maize and beef value chain. His government has also acquired 500 hectares of farm land for rice cultivation in Eggua, Ogun State, 84.7 hectares at Okinni in Osogbo for oil palm processing

 No fewer than 50 persons, including a family of seven, were feared dead on Tuesday, following the invasion of the Gbagir community in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State, by suspected armed Fulani militia, supported by local Tiv bandits in a battle to oust another Tiv militia gang in the area.

It was gathered that most of the dead were members of the rival militia gangs, while about 12 innocent farmers were caught in the crossfire which also left over 30 persons injured and many others declared missing.

His words: “After kidnapping them, he asked for N100 million ransom but was given N5 million. After collecting the money he killed the hostages.

“The murder of the hostages sparked outrage among his gang members in Taraba State. This happened over the weekend.

“What followed was that another militia gang leader in Ukum now went and joined forces with the Fulani militia gang in Taraba to help them eliminate the rival gang in Ukum that killed their leader, Alhaji Gana.

“The essence was to enable him to become the head of militias in Ukum. The combined forces of Fulani and Tiv militia gangs started moving into the bushes of Gbagir in their hundreds on Sunday to sack the gang that killed Alhaji Gana. On Tuesday morning, a bloody fight ensued.

“From what we gathered, over 45 persons, mainly bandits have been killed, though we have records of over 12 farmers who were caught in the crossfire. Over 30 others were injured, while some are also missing. We learned that the gangs are also evacuating some of their dead members.

“Sadly caught in the crossfire was a family of seven in Tse Adzandeh Mbasaa, Mbajiga, Ityuluv, Torov. They were all members of the Adzandeh family.

“The armed men have also spread to the bushes of Gbeji, Chito and Afia in their numbers but cannot move into the residential areas because of the timely intervention of troops of Operation Whirl Stroke, OPWS.

“In fact, when people noticed the movement of armed Fulani militia into Benue communities, the chiefs informed political leaders, who immediately briefed Governor Hyacinth Alia, who equally alerted the military for swift action.

“It was this timely response of the governor to the intel and the intervention of the OPWS that saved the people of Ukum LGA because we gathered that they planned to kill hundreds of people in Ukum as revenge for the murdered Fulani militia leader but it is their gang war, innocent residents have nothing to do with that.

“Over 1,000 of them have laid siege to Ukum LGA as we speak. That is why we are appealing to the military to save us before they wipe out our innocent families.

“We need more security posts in and around the area and we also appeal to the governors of Benue and Taraba states to team up and put an end to the activities of these cross-border criminals. They should support the military with logistics also.

“As we speak, these people are still in the bushes in Ukum, they have not moved back to Taraba. The Fulani militia are being supported by a Tiv militia group to eliminate another Tiv militia gang and as they fight, the innocent locals will be killed.

“There is an urgent need to protect the other three villages because we are hearing that the first phase of the attack is in Gbagir, while Chito, Gbeji and Afia might be next. We are also appealing for fortified military presence in all the Benue and Taraba border communities.”

20 corpses recovered – Lawmaker

Confirming the killings, the lawmaker representing Ukum state constituency, Ezra Nyiyongo, said 20 corpses had been recovered.

Efforts to reach the Force Commander of OPWS, Major General Sunday Igbinomwanhia, was unsuccessful but a military source confirmed the development.

The source said: “These are militia men killing each other. Yes, we acknowledge that some people may have been caught in the crossfire but the majority of the people that were killed were members of the militia gangs in the area.

“But be that as it may, our troops are in Ukum to ensure that the attack does not affect innocent people.”

Police deploy more personnel to area Contacted, Benue State Police Commissioner, Mr. Emmanuel Adesina, who also confirmed the development, said more officers were deployed to the area, adding that five corpses had also been recovered from the scene.

NASS leadership to meet Tinubu reiterates call for review of security architecture

Disturbed by the Benue killings and security issues across the country, the leadership of the National Assembly yesterday resolved to urgently meet President Bola Tinubu to find lasting solutions to the problems.

The National Assembly, particularly the Senate, also declared very disturbing, unfortunate and sad, the killing of over 50 people in fresh attacks on some communities in Benue State

It also urged the service chiefs and heads of other security agencies to, as a matter of urgency, deploy security personnel to address the continuing and ongoing attacks by armed terrorists parading as herdsmen on communities in Kwande, Ukum, Logo and Katsina-Ala LGAs of Benue State to flush them out and restore normalcy to the affected communities.

The Senate called for a review of the security architecture in affected areas and investment in surveillance technology and equipment to detect and prevent future attacks.

It also urged the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, to immediately mobilize relief materials for people displaced by these attacks in Kwande, Ukum, Logo and Katsina-Ala LGAs.

Resolutions of the Senate yesterday were sequel to a motion brought under matters of urgent public importance under Orders 41 and 51 of the Senate Standing Orders 2023 (as amended) by Senator Emmanuel Udende (APC, Benue North-East), following the fresh attacks.

Moves to have an urgent meeting with President Tinubu by the leadership of the National Assembly on the unending security problems bedevilling the country came after exhaustive debate on fresh killings in Benue State.
According to the National Assembly, the planned meeting is to find lasting solutions to the mindless carnage in the land.

The proposed meeting with the President, and other resolutions which are coming after an earlier one by the Red Chamber, is to intimate him with reports of security summits in the 8th and 9th Assemblies as well as the far-reaching resolutions of its recent engagements with security chiefs.

He said: “The residents of the villages and communities now find themselves targeted daily by heavily armed terrorist herdsmen, and the toll continues to be staggering as they bear the brunt, with reports of marauders butchering several villagers, leaving many homes completely burnt down and numerous residents still missing, while the perpetrators, however, remain elusive and have not been apprehended.”

Senator Udende, who further lamented that the situation, in addition to the loss of lives and property, has already impacted negatively on the economic lives of the people and led to the shortage of farm produce, said despite public outcry and previous resolutions of the National Assembly as regards the criminal activities of these terrorists parading as herdsmen, there seemed to be no visible action on the part of the government to curtail, abate or stop their criminal activities.

Udende said: “The purpose of government is the security and safety of lives and properties in line with Section 14 (2) b of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and there is a need to act urgently .“

In his contribution, Senator Osita Ngwu, Enugu West, advised the Federal Government to seek what he referred to as political or cultural solutions to solve the security problem, just as Senator Adamu Aliero (PDP, Kebbi Central) expressed disappointment that despite huge budgetary allocations to security, there seemed to be little or nothing to show for it, blaming it squarely on poor oversight by relevant Senate committees.

In his contribution, Senator Sadiq Umar (APC, Kwara North), shared the thoughts of Aliero and said what Nigeria needs is a return to the basics, strengthen local communities and trust them enough to address the issues.

Former President of the Senate and Chairman, Senate Committee on Defence, Senator Ahmad Lawan (APC, Yobe North), advised the Senate leadership to meet with President Tinubu, pointing out that huge budgetary allocations had always been made to the security agencies and they should ensure efficient service delivery.

Stop bandits’ attacks in 17 Katsina LGAs, Reps tell Tinubu

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has called on President Bola Tinubu to direct security agencies to sustain pressure on criminals perpetrating violence and criminal activities in Katsina State and the country in general.

The call was a sequel to a motion of urgent national importance moved by Sada Soli at a plenary in Abuja yesterday
Moving the motion, Soli expressed concern about the devastating impact of banditry on the lives and livelihoods of the people of Katsina State, adding that escalating banditry attacks in the state had led to the loss of lives, destruction of properties and kidnapping of innocent men, women, and children daily.

He said security agencies are yet to take immediate and decisive action to address the security challenges in Katsina.

The lawmaker called for an increase in the deployment of security personnel to the affected communities to combat banditry and restore peace and order.

He further explained that some gangs of armed bandits from neighbouring Kaduna and Zamfara states are making efforts to gain control over some communities in Katsina State.

Soli warned that Katsina State is on the verge of being overrun by criminal elements and urged urgent and decisive action to curb the activities of the bandits and restore peace to about 18 LGAs.

The House commended troops for the ferocious operations they conducted on March 4, 2024, in Kurfi and Safana LGAs of Katsina State, which resulted in the killing of two notorious bandits, while others fled with gunshot wounds.

[Vanguard]

Macky Sall, President of Senegal, has announced March 24 as the new date for the presidential election.

Sall announced the date on Wednesday during a meeting with the council of ministers at the presidential palace.

The president also dissolved all members of his cabinet as his tenure will come to an end on April 2.

The presidential election was earlier scheduled to be held on February 25 but was indefinitely postponed by Sall 15 days before the commencement of political campaigns in the country.

The postponement received rejection from members of the opposition and several protests were staged to oppose the decision.

The opposition party viewed the postponement as “an institutional coup”, adding that it would extend Sall’s mandate beyond the constitutional stipulation.

This also led to the disconnection of internet service across the country.

In February, the Senegalese constitutional council, a body responsible for screening candidates for the presidency, declared the election postponement as “illegal”.

In a communique by the council of ministers, they stressed the need to ensure Sall’s mandate is not “reduced or lengthened according to political circumstances, whatever or the objective pursued”.

“After the transmission on the same day to the constitutional council of a referral, for opinion, on the conclusions, recommendations and proposals of the national dialogue relating to: (i) the setting of the date of the presidential election; (ii) the possible examination of candidacies for the presidential election; (iii) the arrangements to be taken upon the expiry of the mandate of the president of the Republic, on April 2, 2024,” the statement reads.

Sall removed Amadou Ba who is currently contesting the presidential position under the ruling coalition as prime minister.

He appointed Sidiki Kaba, former minister of home affairs, as the new prime minister of Senegal.

[TheCable]

Here is what happens every single time a Nigerian “big man” and the common man enter a contest of wills: the ethically bereft Nigerian police is more than likely to fight the battles of the rich and powerful than to side with justice or even common sense. We saw that happen in the case of Mrs Aisha Buhari, who was enraged when a random guy on Twitter body-shamed her. We have also seen instances when Christian and Muslim clerics (this column has addressed several cases) use their almighty influence with the police to arrest and detain people over what should have been treated as mere civil cases.

Recently, the police arrested 25 women who were protesting hardship and hunger in Niger State. You wonder, do the issues against which these women are publicly demonstrating not affect even those officers? The police officers are suffering along with millions of Nigerians, yet their response to the protesters of a joint cause was aggression.

Yes, their stated reason for arresting those women was that they attacked the police. Now, it is not only unbelievable that women ranging between 30 and late 50s would “turn violent” against the police, I also find it quite laughable that the police’s report of the “dangerous weapons” on these women—and this is quoting directly from the police statement—are “a bench and a stick used as barricade, three knives, one scissors, one cutlass, one saw blade, one iron pipe, four other sticks, two wraps of Indian hemp, charms, etc.”

Reading that, you question whether those women were truly arrested because they threatened the officers with “dangerous weapons,” or that their public demonstration exploded the political establishment’s insistence that all is well within the country.

The singer Davido frequently shares a disturbing story about his billionaire father using the police to arrest his people to dissuade him from taking up a singing career. It is telling that we live in a jungle when a father uses supposed instruments of justice to oppress people going about their way just to discipline his own son. When a society gets to the point where accounts of outright power abuse like that are narrated without moral compunction, and the media too reports it as entertainment, then you know how much the people lack a sense of justice.

The same impunity is playing out in the ongoing case of Chioma Egodi who wrote a review of a tomato, and the CEO of the company producing the item Eric Umeofia who was slighted by her temerity enough to use the police to hound her. The high-handedness of the police makes you wonder what exactly is in it for them that they turned themselves into the villains in this story. Had the case not involved a big man, would they have deployed so many resources over it?

If the Nigerian police had a sense of justice or even proportion, they would simply have encouraged Umeofia to pursue a civil case. By running the big man’s errands against a fellow Nigerian, they leave you no doubt which God they truly serve. The way they arrested Egodi, transferred her to the FCT, detained her, and later maintained a standoff at her apartment for over 10 hours, you would think they were dealing with a case of terrorism. Our police (including other security agencies like the DSS) can be unethical. Their professional instincts are too raw; their uncultured self constantly grates the refined surface of democracy.

First, given our kind of society, we must always be mindful that certain resolutions create precedents. Ours is a country where inept politicians, forever seeking to distract attention from their serial failures, blame social media for all the vices in the land. If you make the mistake of justifying someone’s oppression because of their social media posts, you may be loading the very weapon that the likes of Femi Gbajabiamila—one of those seeking means to launch a malicious social media agenda regulation—will one day put to your head. A case like this will be their reference point on how far they can go to beat down anyone who ruffles their small feathers. And please, do not think anyone is immune from such oppressiveness. Who would have imagined that the police would one day go crazy over a tomato review?

Second, Umeofia does not seem like the kind of person with whom anyone can reason. In his interview with Arise TV, he swore he would rather die than be persuaded to give up his pursuit of Egodi. One cannot but wonder how bored a CEO must be when he has time and ego to commit to such a trivial matter. A more discreet response to Egodi and the matter would have been long dissolved in one of the endless chatters that flow through social media every moment. In any case, my earnest plea to Umeofia is for him not to die. We need him to live so his intransigence can become a metaphor. His fly that listens to no adviser will end up as a social media meme.

As for the ‘both-sideists’ waiting for me to chide Egodi, please know I do not think she did anything wrong. Yeah, this is merely a needless literalisation of an everyday expression. Even if she had used the word “killing” as the man inferred from her Facebook post, taking it as murdering people is merely an overinterpretation. We frequently use the word “kill” in contexts that have little or nothing to do with literal deaths. When we say, “Lagos traffic is killing people,” does that mean they are dropping dead on the highway? Some of us grew up with parents who, in moments of exasperation, shout, “You this child will kuku not kill me!” Were they talking about actual deaths? The famous Fugees song, “Killing me softly,” was it about murder?

Listening to the people overstretching the meaning of Egodi’s Facebook post just to defend police abuse, you wonder if this is a matter of half-education or just another instance of the Nigerian habit of siding with power. The average Nigerian fetishises power so much that our people will argue against their own best interests. Our police, I admit, is a reflection of our social orientation.

For the rest of us, the proper course of action is to donate money toward Ms Egodi’s legal funds. If you believe in justice and democracy, then please support her case through the courts. No one contests that Umeofia has the right to pursue his case even all the way through to the Supreme Court. Let the courts be the ones to determine that we no longer have rights, not the police playing a villainous role in the whole matter. They should stand down all the muscular displays and treat this as if the two people involved in the case are social equals.

We do not need to like Ms Egodi or her opinions but supporting her right to free speech is a moral duty. When Nigeria gets to the point that we can no longer express ourselves because some high-on-power police officers are going to come barging through our doors, then we might as well have returned to living under military rule. No, this is democracy; we should be free to explore the bounds of our freedom. Nigeria’s democracy might not have done much for us in terms of citizenship, but we still have free speech. The messengers of darkness cannot degenerate our economy, politics, and values and still deny us rights. On this, we must maintain our stand on the resolute ground of principle.

[Punch]

At least 24 states of the federation will not be able to pay workers salaries this year without having to wait for federal allocations from the central government, findings by The PUNCH have revealed.

Only 11 out of the 36 state governments of the federation can independently pay their workers’ salaries without depending on federal allocations, according to an analysis of the state governments’ approved budgets for the 2024 fiscal year.

The states with robust internal revenue are Lagos, Kano, Anambra, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Kaduna, Kwara, Osun, Ogun and Zamfara.

The approved budgets are also contained in Open States, a BudgIT-backed website that serves as a repository of government budget data.

While the budgets of 35 states have been made public, Rivers State budget could not be accessed neither has it also been uploaded the platform.

According to the analysis the budgets data, 24 states cannot fund salaries payments from their Internally-Generated Revenue and, as such, may have to rely on the Federal Government allocations or borrowing from banks and related institutions.

The development also means that the respective wage bills of the affected states surpassed their various IGRs, raising concerns about workers productivity and state governments’ efficiency in internal revenue generation.

The 24 states are Bayelsa, Ondo, Yobe, Sokoto, Taraba, Plateau, Oyo, Niger, Nasarawa, Kogi, Kebbi, Katsina, Jigawa, Gombe, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Borno, Benue, Bauchi, Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, Abia, and Delta.

The development is coming amidst clamour for wage increase by labour unions at both the federal and state levels, following the rising cost of living on the aftermath of fuel subsidy removal and unification of the foreign exchange markets by the current administration.

The Nigerian Labour Congress has consistently maintained that if inflation continues to rise, the organised labour may have no choice but to insist on a new minimum wage of N1m for Nigerian workers. The government however has rejected the demand.

In the first half of 2023, state governments borrowed about N46.17bn from three banks to pay salaries between January and June 2023. The findings were based on an analysis of the half-year 2023 financial statements of Access Bank Plc, Fidelity Bank, and Zenith Bank Plc

The PUNCH observed that the states borrowed the most from Access Bank in six months, with a record of N42.97bn loan.

This was followed by Zenith Bank (N1.78bn borrowed) and Fidelity Bank (N1.42bn borrowed) within the six-month period.

In 2023, state governors got the most FAAC allocations in at least seven years. The rise in FAAC allocations to the three tiers of government especially states followed the petrol subsidy removal and currency reforms of the current administration. The reforms have reportedly led to a 40 per cent boost in income.

Experts believe the projected revenue increase should have reduced state governments’ appetite for more borrowings.

In an interview recently, Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, claimed that state governments were borrowing to salaries in the past but the removal of fuel subsidies had put an end to such borrowing.

“Every governor in Nigeria is getting more money than we used to get. Before President Bola Tinubu removed the fuel subsidy, in Kaduna State, precisely in May 2023, we were borrowing to pay salaries but immediately after the subsidy removal, after paying salaries without borrowing, we had a surplus of money.”

However, despite the improved funding, no fewer than 32 states indicated plans to borrow N2.78tn from domestic and external institutions to fund their 2024 budget.

According to further analysis of the states budgets, the affected 24 states will spend N1.48tn on salaries in 2024, while they plan to make N914bn IGR. This means the states will need N566bn from either federal allocations or borrowing to complete the payment of salaries.

The breakdown of data shows that Bayelsa State with projected IGR of N23.9bn will need money to pay its workers N69.12bn this year. Ondo State with projected internal revenue of N33.6bn will also need extra money to fund its N56.76bn annual wage bill, while Yobe State will fund its N42.86bn wage bill from its projected IGR of N14.55bn and federal allocation or borrowing.

Sokoto is expected to pay N46.9bn salaries from its anticipated internal revenue of N37.1bn and partial funding from allocation/loan, while Taraba will obtain extra funding to pay its workers N54.47bn from its internal revenue of N27.8bn. Plateau with a projected revenue of N38.89bn must get federal government allocation o clear its wage bill of N52.25bn.

Also, the Oyo State will pay N132.67bn to workers after generating N92.79bn in its coffers. The state will need additional funding to complete this. Niger State with projected revenue of N61.87bn will need help to pay its civil servants N70.24bn while Nasarawa will pay its workers N54.45bn from its projected revenue of N43.3bn and another source.

Further analysis of the budget showed that states such as Kogi will pay its workers N65.07bn from its revenue of N30.23bn and federal allocation, while Kebbi will pay N37.3bn as salaries from its N17.8bn internal revenue and partial federal allocation. Katsina will spend N56.3bn on salaries from its N40bn internal revenue and federal allocation, while Jigawa will pay its workers N64.84bn from its revenue of N50.64bn and federal allocation.

 Gombe must pay salaries worth N35.27bn from its anticipated revenue of N22.32bn and federal allocation. Ekiti will spend N2.78bn on salaries from its N1.5bn revenue and federal allocation. Ebonyi’s N28.16bn wage bill surpasses its revenue of N25.1bn, while Borno will pay its workers N50.28bn from its revenue of N27.5bn and federal allocation.

Furthermore, Benue State with revenue of N23.9bn will pay N56.9bn as salaries, while Bauchi must pay salaries worth N46.9bn from its anticipated revenue of N37.1bn and federal allocation; Adamawa will spend N52bn on salaries from its N26.9bn revenue and allocation; Akwa-Ibom will spend N127.8bn on salaries from its N60bn revenue and allocation while Delta with projected revenue of N110.3bn must seek assistance to pay its workers N164.3bn.

Also, Abia with a revenue of N32.14bn will pay N47.83bn as salaries while Cross Rivers with projected revenue of N34.7bn must seek assistance to pay its workers N67.75bn.

According to the budget data, the 11 states which have higher IGR will conveniently fund their combined 980.68bn wage will their internal revenue of N2.34trn

Experts speak

In different forums, financial experts have raised concerns about states’ spending on recurrent expenditure highlighting the need to embrace financial innovations.

A development economist, Aliyu Ilias, said many states had yet to fully develop themselves as industrialised and marketable to attract investors.

Ilias urged governors to develop an area of strength they could leverage to attract foreign investments.

He said, “Going forward, what they could do is to identify one area of strength. For instance, Bayelsa has oil and should be able to attract investments. I think it is about policy. They should give the policy a chance that would allow people to come and invest. They should also create an attraction and develop an economic summit that will make sure they showcase and attract investors.”

An economist and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Uyo, Prof Akpan Ekpo, also stressed that, “states have to think of new ways of increasing their IGRs. If they continue borrowing to pay salaries, it is not good for the economy.”

He urged the states to increase their revenue by increasing service delivery, which will attract more revenue.

Also reacting, the Managing Director of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, Muda Yusuf, said that the report indicated that a majority of states were not financially sustainable and were at risk of insolvency if there was no boost in investment.

“Even as we speak, many of them are also in debt and by the time they pay salaries and service their debts, there is not much left to improve on infrastructure. It’s in the interest of the sustainability of the states for them to be more creative in generating more revenue and attracting more investment to their states so that they can generate more revenue.

“Secondly, we also need to address the issue of fiscal federalism because some of the states don’t have power over some resources in their domain and can’t bring investors into it. For instance, mining is controlled mainly by the federal government, you get permission from them and revenue is remitted to them. So we need to revisit the issue of restructuring to help states have more control over resources within their domain.

Continuing, the economist stated that the state governors should take a cue from the Federal Government to reduce its bloated staff and political appointees.

“Most of these states have heavy overhead and they have very bloated bureaucracy, political appointees and they are putting a lot of pressure on their resources, so they have to do some rationalisation on their staff, many of them don’t need more than 50 per cent of their workforce but for political reasons, they put all manner of characters on their payroll including the local government. They have to look at that and take a cue from the Federal Government on the Oronsaye report.”

[Punch]

In keeping with his dedicated efforts to remove obstacles to investments in Nigeria, harness the nation’s resources and diversify the economy for the benefit of all Nigerians, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has executed Policy Directives to improve the investment climate and position Nigeria as the preferred investment destination for the oil & gas sector in Africa.

Following extensive engagements, analyses, and benchmarking with other jurisdictions, the President has initiated the amendment of primary legislation to introduce fiscal incentives for oil & gas projects, reduce contracting costs and timelines, and promote cost efficiency in local content requirements. Recognizing the urgency to accelerate investments, the President has directed as follows:

(1) ⁠Introduction of fiscal incentives for non-associated gas, midstream and deepwater developments.

(2) ⁠Streamlining of contracting process to compress the contracting cycle to six months.

(3) ⁠The application of the local content requirements without hindering investments or the cost competitiveness.

The details of these Policy Directives will be gazetted and communicated by the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation.

These incentives were developed in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Justice, Federal Ministry of Finance, Federal Ministry of Petroleum, Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Federal Inland Revenue Service, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board.

The Special Adviser to the President on Energy has been directed to continue coordinating the aforementioned stakeholders to ensure the implementation of these directives within a stipulated timeframe.

Chief Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

March 6, 2024

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, on Wednesday, said the insecurity in the country is not in any way connected to President Bola Tinubu.

He insisted that insecurity has drastically decreased since Tinubu took over office.

Akpabio argued that the present attacks are an aberration and no longer on the scale they used to be.

He stated this while contributing to the debate on a motion on the killing of 50 persons by suspected terrorists masquerading as herdsmen and increasing insecurity in Kwande, Ukum, Logo, and Katsina-Ala local government areas of the Benue State.

The motion was sponsored by Senator Emmanuel Udende (APC-Benue North East).

Akpabio said: “The primary responsibility of the state government is to use the security vote to ensure that the security of lives and properties in Benue state is protected.

“The first line of thought is the government of Benue as Senator Udende brought, we have not heard any comments from the government of Benue.

“If 50 people have been killed and communities have been attacked, we will expect that the state government will marshal out plans with the immediate security operatives within the affected state and see what they can do before bringing it to the President.

“And I want to assure you that President Bola Tinubu, though he has not stayed long in office, is supportive of the activities of the Armed Forces, and by the time the Senate meets with him in conjunction with the House of Representatives, I believe that the resolutions that we come out will benefit the entire country.

“It is a fact that since his assumption of duties, insecurity has abated, and major attacks are no longer taking place, but this one is just an aberration, and it will be brought to an end.

“I assure the good people of the areas affected that this matter is now on the floor of the Senate, and we are taking serious actions with the presidency to ensure that normalcy is restored to the areas and the victims are also taken care of.”

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has executed Policy Directives to improve the investment climate and position Nigeria as the preferred investment destination for the oil and gas sector in Africa.

Naija News reports that this was made known in a statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.

The statement adds: “Following extensive engagements, analyses, and benchmarking with other jurisdictions, the President has initiated the amendment of primary legislation to introduce fiscal incentives for oil & gas projects, reduce contracting costs and timelines, and promote cost efficiency in local content requirements.

“Recognizing the urgency to accelerate investments, the President has directed as follows:

(1) ⁠Introduction of fiscal incentives for non-associated gas, midstream and deepwater developments.

(2) ⁠Streamlining of contracting process to compress the contracting cycle to six months.

(3) ⁠The application of the local content requirements without hindering investments or the cost competitiveness.

“The details of these Policy Directives will be gazetted and communicated by the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation.

“These incentives were developed in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Justice, Federal Ministry of Finance, Federal Ministry of Petroleum, Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Federal Inland Revenue Service, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board.”

Ngelale disclosed that the Special Adviser to the President on Energy has been directed to continue coordinating the aforementioned stakeholders to ensure the implementation of these directives within a stipulated timeframe.

[NaijaNews]