There are concerns over the incessant attacks and humiliation of Nigerians in foreign lands.

This is as citizens continue to move out of the country in droves amid the prevailing hardship in the country.

In the last few months, there have been reports of maltreatment of many Nigerians abroad, even by fellow African countries.

However, despite the cries for justice from their loved ones, they hardly get one.

Reports show that over the past seven years, more than 350 Nigerians have been murdered extrajudicially in foreign countries.

Most of them fell victim to non-state actors with no justifiable reason for their deaths.

Most recently, precisely on June 26, 2024, a wave of protests broke out outside the Republic of Benin Embassy in Abuja, as Nigerians, particularly youths, rallied to demand the release of Pastor Benjamin Egbaji.

The Nigerian cleric, who is a native of Cross River State, has been detained in Benin for over a year.

Pastor Egbaji, who heads a church, Église De Miracle Et Action Du Saint Esprit in Benin, was accused of rape by Pede Victoire, a citizen of Benin.

Egbaji has remained in detention without trial. He is said to be subjected to harsh conditions, including being chained in a hospital.

The protesters decried the prolonged detention of Pastor Egbaji without due process and the lack of a fair trial.

Recall that in response to these injustices, the previous administration under President Muhammadu Buhari established the Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), tasked with addressing the mistreatment and welfare of Nigerians abroad, with a particular focus on those unjustly imprisoned.

Chronicles of Nigerians killed in foreign lands

NiDCOM’s chairman, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, in 2022 revealed the alarming rate of killing of Nigerian students in Northern Cyprus.

According to her, over a span of six years, 13 Nigerians had been slain.

In July 2022, the murder of 39-year-old Nigerian, Alika Ogorchukwu, by an Italian man shocked the nation.

Ogorchukwu was beaten to death on a busy street, in full view of onlookers.

In the same month, two Nigerian security guards, Tosin Amos-Arowoshegbe and Chibueze Momah, were gunned down while on duty in Vaughan, Canada.

Another citizen, Chizoba Favour Eze died in an Ethiopian prison after being brutally beaten by prison officials. Chizoba was left untreated for days, eventually succumbing to her injuries.

Nigerians in South Africa have faced relentless xenophobic attacks. Since 2016, over 200 Nigerians have been killed extrajudicially.

Others remain in jail without trial

Sadly, many Nigerians have continued to languish in various prisons abroad due to minor offenses or no offence at all.

In 2021, data published by Patriotic Citizens Initiatives, a civil society group, indicated that 170,000 Nigerians were serving terms for drugs/human trafficking and other minor offences across the world.

This reflected a sharp rise from the 16,300 recorded in 2012, out of which 6,500 were on death row.

PCI also said that as many as 8,000 Nigerians were incarcerated in Chinese prisons, 3,719 in Canadian prisons, while British jail houses were home to some 750 Nigerian inmates.

India also held about 1,000 Nigerian prisoners. Indonesia imprisoned 200 Nigerians, with 40 of the inmates on death row.5 Oct 2023.

Even in neighbouring Benin Republic, over 3,000 Nigerians are being held behind bars.

Ayobamidele Kehinde, the International Director for Dynamic Ambassadors For Social Transformation and Orientation Initiative, told DAILY POST that the story of Benjamin Egbaji is one of many among the attacks on Nigerians in the neigbbouring West African nation.

He said, “I want the Nigerian people, the good people in Benin Republic and indeed the people of the world to rise up; this thing I am telling you is not just about Benjamin Egbaji, but Benjamin Egbaji’s case is just like a case that is opening up a can of worms that we have.

“There are thousands of Nigerians in Benin Republic prisons who have not committed any offence or committed minor offences and they are sentenced to prison just because they are Nigerians.

“I want to give you an instance; when this whole thing started, I called a prominent businessman in Benin Republic and said please one of our prominent brothers is having a case, how can you help.

“The man pleaded with me, he said ‘here, don’t just by mistake get into any trouble, they will finish you and every of your investment they will go with it’”.

Also speaking with DAILY POST, Mr Abdur-Rahman Balogun of the Media and Public Relations Unit of the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission, attributed most of the cases to what he described as “communication gap” and lack of respect for rules to foreign lands.

According to him, “Whenever we hear of any case, we link up with our embassy’s interesting countries.

“And then to do a total investigation. Because in most cases, like I said, we discover that some of our nationals are at fault. In some cases we discover that it is a communication gap.

“Look at the case in Dubai. There was a law that says you should not be taking pictures of the airport.

“A lady got there and saw a scene and started recording. They got her arrested and sentenced her to prison.

“They have their own law and if you get there, you have to obey.”

In the case of Pastor Benjamin Egbaji, Balogun said the Nigerian government was interested in the case and was making necessary efforts to make sure his rights were not trampled upon.

“Yes, we received a letter dated March 5, 2024, from his lawyer over the issue. We reached out to our ambassador in Benin Republic, who is also on the matter.

“The matter is already in court. But notwithstanding, we sent some lawyers there to make sure they didn’t trample on his fundamental human rights,” he revealed.

When informed that the pastor is currently being chained to bed and his health is failing, Balogun said he was just hearing that for the first time

“Well, I am just hearing that for the first time. He has a lawyer. It is when you don’t have a lawyer that you will panic.

“Apart from his lawyer, we also supported him with two lawyers,” he added.

[DailyPost]

The joint committee of the House of Representatives investigating arbitrary rise of cement price in the country, has asked major producers in the industry to tender documents on cost production to justify the price of cement in the market.

The committee resolved to visit production plants of the companies after going though their books to ascertain the cost of production with a view to determine a fair price of cement for all Nigerians.

The Chairman of the joint committee, Jonathan Gaza (APC-Nasarawa) made the demand on Friday at a public hearing while quizzing Dangote Cement Company and Lafarge Africa Plc in Abuja.

He said that the committee is interested in the cost of production from 2020 to date that justified the current price of cement which is over N10,000 in most parts of the country.

He said that the companies should give its average daily consumption of coal, gas, gypsum, limestone, clay, laterite and the average daily production of cement from 2020 to date.

Gaza said that the companies should provide details of all imported components for the production of cement and their prices from
2020 to date.

The lawmaker said that the companies should also provide details of local components for the production of cement and their prices in naira and dollars if any in the period under review.

He said that the companies should provide a summary of the monthly prices and guantity of cement produced from 2019 to date as well as their audited accounts of the company, bills of ladan and duties paid to customs within the period under review.

Gaza also said that the companies should provide details of tax waivers and other incentives enjoyed plus gas and explosives contract details.

Dabo Ismail (APC-Bauchi state) a member of the committee said that Dangote Cement Company had continued to make increasing profits in the country despite being able to source most of its raw materials locally.

He said that in 2022, the company declared a profit of N524 billion, N553 billion in 2023 and have so far made N166.4 billion in 2024.

The lawmaker said that there is no reason why the price of cement will keep rising in the market to the detriment of Nigerians while producers are smiling to he banks.

Earlier, the Group Managing Director, Dangote Cement Company, Arvind Pathack, said that 95 per cent of production cost are either imported or linked to forex.

He explained that there had been between 100 to 333 per cent increase in the price of major cement input materials like gas, AGO, gypsum, imported coal, spare parts, new trucks, tyres, petrol among others.

Pathack said that company is made to pay in dollars some of its contracts to access gas and explosives saying that the provision made by the Central Bank of Nigeria was not enough to meet demand so the engage in international sales also sauce from the parallel market.

According to him, logistics issues such as deplorable state of key roads, creates several issues including longer time to deliver, increase in truck maintenance and delivery cost.

The GMD explained that lack of sufficient forex to settle trade obligations had resulted to huge forex losses to a tone of N150 billion a per annum while paying 30 per cent interest rate on loans.

He said between May 2023 and June 2024, there has been over 220 per cent devaluation of the Naira among many other challenges like insecurity and public power supply.

Pathack said that the cost building materials like reinforcement, granite and aluminum window had increased by 177 per cent to 283 per cent while cement had increase by 166 per cent between 2023 and 2024.

He said that cement was being sold at average cost of 7,200 saying that any price over N10,000 was the handwork of retailers which the company had no control over.

According to him, when converted to dollars a bag of cement is said at $7.8 dollars in Benin, $6.6 in Togo, $7.8 in Ghana, $4.4 in India while that of Nigeria is $4.43, making it one of the cheapest in Africa.

The committee admonished the companies to look into their policy and operations with a view to reduce the price of cement in the country.

In an interview with newsmen, the chairman of the committee expressed hope that the engagement will lead to a reduction in the price of cement.

He blamed high price of the commodity on the inaction of Federal Competition Consumer Protection Commission.

Gaza said that as an agency responsible for the protection of consumers, they failed to protect Nigerians against middlemen who sold the commodity for as high as N14,000 after purchasing it for N6,000 at the factory.

“We are extremely hopeful that this engagement will lead to a reduction in the price of cement.

“FCCPC has slept on their functions so far, their inactivity and none responsiveness to price is what has put Nigeria where we are today,” he said.

[NAN]

A federal high court in Abuja has restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the national voter register for Rivers to the state electoral body.

Peter Lifu, the presiding judge, gave the order on Friday after a motion ex parte filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The INEC, Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), attorney-general of the federation (AGF), inspector-general of police (IGP), and Department of State Service (DSS) are 1st to 5th defendants, respectively.

In the application, the APC asked the court to restrain INEC from releasing the national voter register to RSIEC for the conduct of the Rivers LGA election.

The APC said releasing the register to RSIEC will contravene “Items 11 and 12 on the concurrent legislative list in Part II of the Second Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, sections 28, 29, and 103(3) of the Electoral Act, 2022”.

The party also asked the court to restrain the IGP and DSS from providing security cover or participating in the Rivers LGA elections that would be conducted by RSIEC.

“AN ORDER directing the 1st to 5th Defendants to maintain the status quo ante bellum and not to do any act or take any further steps in furtherance of the conduct of the Local Government Elections in Rivers State that are, by virtue of Sections 13 and 20 of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission Law of No. 2 of 2018, in contravention, breach or violation of items 11 and 12 on the Concurrent Legislative List, Part II of the Second Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended and Section 28, 29 and 103(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, pending the hearing and determination of the Plaintiffs’ Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction,” part of the application reads.

The judge granted the prayers of the APC and restrained INEC from releasing the voter register pending the determination of the suit on August 2.

In the same vein, the judge also ordered that the defendants in the suit be served with court orders and processes via substituted means.

He directed that the service of the court process should be published in two national dailies.

In June, RSIEC fixed October 5 for the LGA election in Rivers.

One of the responses I got to last week’s column repeated a historically and sociolinguistically suspect claim about the supposed contempt Hausa people have for Ilorin people to justify why Kano State NNPP chairman Hashim Dungurawa’s sly disparagement of the Ilorin blood in Emir Aminu Ado Bayero was unsurprising. 

Hausa people supposedly called the people of Ilorin “masu zamba,” which translates as fraudsters or swindlers, and that “mesu jamba,” the slur Southwest Yoruba people habitually hurl at Ilorin people in moments of inflamed passions, derives from it.

I reproduce below a column I wrote in November 2018 to question the accuracy of this claim. Enjoy:

For those who are not clued in on Yoruba cultural politics, “mesu jamba” is a term of insult that Yoruba people deploy to demean Ilorin people. Its usage spiked exponentially in the last three years with the ascension of Bukola Saraki to the Nigerian Senate presidency. 

Yoruba people loyal to Bola Tinubu routinely slur Saraki as “mesu jamba” because of his Ilorin origins, which, incidentally, some reactionary, intellectually impoverished Ilorin nativists are now calling into question.

Interestingly, too, in a September 2018 tweet, former culture minister Femi Fani-Kayode extended the insult to Lai Mohammed, who is not from Ilorin but from Oro, a town in the Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State where people speak a dialect of Yoruba called Igbomina. Fani-Kayode taunted Mohammed as an ''ugly little mesu jamba parrot.''

I don’t know if this extension of the “mesu jamba” (sometimes spelled as “mesujamba”) insult to all Yoruba-speaking Kwarans is widespread among the Yoruba of southwest Nigeria. Nevertheless, “mesu jamba” is often said to be a Hausa loan in Yoruba to mean “fraudulent people.” (Since it is sometimes used even for a person, it can denote a “fraudulent person”). But this is a linguistic fraud, and here is why.

If the expression were to be written in Hausa, it would be rendered as “masu zamba,” which would mean the people of fraud—or simply scammers. “Masu” is the plural form of “mai,” which functions as what linguists call a “relater” or a particle. It is used in Hausa to introduce nominal (and sometimes verbal) phrases and to indicate possession of or close association with the noun (or verbal phrase) mentioned. So, a person who sells water is called a “mai ruwa.” Groups of people who sell water would be “masu ruwa.” Zamba means fraud in Hausa. So, one fraudulent person would be “mai zamba” and multiple fraudulent people would be “masu zamba.”

The expression “masu zamba” (which was supposedly corrupted to “mesu jamba” in Yoruba) reputedly stems from Hausa people’s experience with the widespread fraud among Ilorin people. The problem is that, historically, Hausa people have never had any untoward relationship with Ilorin people to warrant characterizing them as scammers. If anything, as I pointed out in my two-part series titled, “Ilorinis an Ethnogenesis: Response to Kawu’s Anti-Saraki Ilorin Purism,” Hausa people are integral to the founding of Ilorin in its current form.

“The Ilorin identity is the product of the fusion of Yoruba, Fulani, Hausa, Baatonu (Bariba), Kanuri, Nupe, Gwari, and Gobir ethnicities and influences,” I wrote. It is a relatively new ethnogeny that was birthed in the full light of history. As I pointed out in my article, a Hausa man by the name of Bako nearly became the first emir of Ilorin and, as I’ll show shortly, ex-Hausa slaves from Oyo were part of Afonja’s foot soldiers.

Phonological fraud

It is phonologically implausible that “masu zamba” would be rendered as “mesu jamba” in Yoruba. Yoruba does not have a “z” sound, and whenever it borrows a word from another language that has a “z” sound, it almost always substitutes “z” with “s.” That is why Aziz becomes Lasisi, why Zubair becomes Suberu, why Zakari becomes Sakari (and later Saka), why Zamfara is pronounced Samfara, etc. For more on the phonological and morphological domestication processes of Yoruba, read my July 13, 2014, column titled “Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names” and my May 13, 2012, column titled, “The Arabic Origins of Common Yoruba Words.”

There is no instantiation I can find of a “z” sound from a donor language being substituted with a “j” sound when borrowed in the Yoruba language. I see no reason why “zamba” would defy the enduring phonological logic of the Yoruba language and become “jamba.” I welcome any Yoruba speaker with contrary information to challenge or educate me.

Interestingly, in my native Baatonu language, (which Yoruba people call Baruba, Bariba, or Ibariba), the Hausa “zamba” is domesticated as “samba,” and it means not just fraud but guileful fraud. Baatonu, like Yoruba, has no “z” sound and always substitutes “z” with “s.” So, what is true origin of the expression “mesu jamba”?

Etymology of “mesu jamba”

As I pointed out earlier, Ilorin is an ethnogeny that is synthesized from a multiplicity of disparate ethnic identities, among which are Hausa or Hausa-speaking people. When Afonja rebelled against the Alaafin of Oyo in the early 1800s, he assembled a multi-ethnic army he called “jama” (sometimes spelled as “jema” in the historical literature). Jama is the corruption of the Arabic jama’ah, which translates as “congregation” or “community” in English.

Professor Abdullahi Smith’s book titled A Little New Light, which I cited liberally in my “Ilorin is an Ethnogenesis” series, clearly shows that Afonja’s “jama” had in it Yoruba, Hausa, and Fulani foot soldiers who were notorious for their unfeeling ruthlessness. Afonja invited Alimi, the forebear of Ilorin’s contemporary traditional ruling family, to permanently settle in Ilorin and to become his spiritual guardian. Afonja later told Alimi to relocate his entire family from Sokoto to Ilorin.

But Alimi brought more than his immediate family. Several Hausa-speaking Muslims from Sokoto, who were not his blood relatives, came along as well. And since, according to historical records, Afonja’s jama was still active even after Alimi’s death, the newly arrived Hausa-speaking Muslims from Sokoto referred to Afonja and his foot soldiers as “masu jama’a,” which denotatively means people of the community, but which connotatively meant members of Afonja’s jama army. The singular form of “masu jama” would be “mai jama.”

These expressions—“mai jama’a” and “masu jama’a” are still active in the Hausa language. The nickname for Hon. Zakari Mohammed, the House of Representatives member from Kwara State representing Baruten and Kaiama local governments, is “Mai Jama’a,” which connotes “man of the people.”

But the “jama’a” in the original “masu jama’a” referred only to Afonja’s army, which, as I’ve pointed out, was literally called “jama” (or “jema” in the writings of Yoruba historians). Over time, “masu jama’a” came to mean the Ilorin people who were loyal to Afonja, who died in a battle with Alimi’s descendants in the 1830s. That’s the historical basis for the pejorative undertone of “masu jama’a.”

In the course of time, however, Yoruba speakers domesticated “masu jama’a” to “mesu jama” (and later “mesu jamba”). Phonological intrusion isn’t uncommon when languages borrow from another language, so the intrusive “b” in “jamba” isn’t unusual. The fact that members of Afonja’s jama were war-mongering mercenaries and bandits, not to mention non-Muslims, redounded to the semantic derogation of the term. Since the jama was disbanded and most Ilorin people pledged allegiance to the emir, “masu jama” went into disuse in Ilorin.

Nevertheless, the term was picked up by Yoruba people in the southwest, who have no awareness of the etymology of the term. They now use it indiscriminately as a catch-all slur for all Ilorin people. It’s a linguistic fraud that should get to the end of its shelf life now.

Isn’t it a supreme irony that a fraud is deployed to characterize people as frauds?

It was a gathering of who is who in the academic and educational sector in Nigeria as the maiden conference on Climate Justice and Just Energy Transition in Developing countries in honour of Prof. Chinedum Uzoma Nwajiuba at 60 took the centre stage at Coal City University, Enugu. The two days conference was organised by the former students and associates of Nwajiuba in collaboration with the Centre for Climate Change and Development, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu Alike, Ebonyi State and Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences of Coal City University, (CCU) Enugu, Nigeria. Dubbed the birthday with a difference, it was an honour due to an academic, erudite Professor of Agricultural Economics, climate resilience and advocacy of climate justice and former Vice Chancellor, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi, State, Nigeria as he hits the milestone of 60. The event which took place at the state-of-the-art auditorium, Coal City University, Enugu witnessed a gathering of high profile academics from the National Universities Commission and many other universities across Nigeria as a mark of honour and respect for the foremost climate change ambassador and an icon. The chancellor, Coal City University, Sir (Dr.) Chinedu Ani was on hand to lend unflinching support to the man of the moment.

The highly rated academic event commenced with a courtesy visit to the Vice Chancellor, Coal City University, Prof Afam Ichia-Ituma, who doubled as the host of the maiden Nwajiuba conference at 60. The management, staff, students and indeed the entire university community were on hand to receive and identify with the celebrant. In company of Nwajiuba was his lovely wife Dr. Chinyere Nwajiuba, mni and other high profile academics from various universities across the country. The Deputy Vice Chancellor, Coal City University, Professor Sylvester Emeka Igwe, stood in for the Vice Chancellor, Afam Icha-Ituma who was unavoidably absent. He led other senior management staff of CCU to receive the celebrant and his entourage. 

The Deputy Executive Secretary Academics, Nigerian Universities Commission, Dr. Noel Saliu who represented the Executive Secretary, Ambassador Chris Maiyaki brought good tidings. He thanked CCU for her warm reception and for blazing the trail in university education in Nigeria. He added that, “we are here to celebrate an icon at 60 who has contributed to the body of knowledge and a national colossus in climate change. Prof. Nwajiuba thanked the Vice Chancellor and the university community for providing a fertile ground and support for the conference. He was elated and appreciated the University for encouraging a high number of students to participate in the conference. This conference is about the young ones and the university has the "temperament and emerging character for me to host the event." 

Responding, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sylvester Emeka Igwe, welcomed Prof. Nwajiuba and his team to Coal City University and thanked him for finding the university worthy of hosting the maiden edition of his conference. He noted that Prof. Nwajiuba is a mentor to many renowned scholars including the Vice Chancellor of the university. Adding that, the university is proud to be associated with the indefatigable spirit and character of the celebrant. 

The Vice Chancellor Prof. Afam Icha-Ituma whose address was streamed live welcomed in a special way, the Ag. Executive Secretary of National University Commission, Ambassador Chris Maiyaki, who chaired the opening ceremony of the conference. The Executive Secretary was ably represented the Deputy Executive Secretary of NUC (Academics), Dr. Noel Biodun Saliu, and the high profile team from NUC. The Vice Chancellor in his remarks commended, "the Executive Secretary of NUC for taking keen interest in every aspect of this Coal City University. I applaud him  for the giant strides being recorded by the Nigerian University System under his dynamic leadership. Our work in the development of Coal City University has been tremendously enriched by the unflinching support from NUC and we are profoundly grateful, he said"

Continuing the  elated VC said, "I am very delighted that our visionary Chancellor and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Sir Chinedu Ani is present at today’s event. We are honoured by his esteemed presence and I thank him so much for all his contributions to ensure the success of this conference. It is with great joy that I heartily welcome our distinguished honouree, Professor Chinedum Uzoma Nwajiuba and his amiable wife Prof Chinyere Nwajiuba, mni and members of the Nwajiuba dynasty and so many colleagues,  friends from AE-FUNAI and other universities who have gathered to celebrate Professor Nwajiuba’s 60th birthday anniversary. Special appreciation to Professor Ikenna Uzuegbunam, from Howard University, US. Your presence at Coal City University today, and your contributions to what promises to be a highly engaging and impactful conversation on climate change, demonstrate the level of regard in which Prof Chinedum Nwajiuba is held, and the admiration and respect we all have for him."

Furthermore, "I most especially thank you all for coming to Coal City University to celebrate a remarkable milestone in the life of Professor Nwajiuba, an intellectual giant, and a globally recognised champion of climate justice. Professor Nwajiuba has done the academic community and broader society several admirable services through his institutional leadership, thought leadership, and numerous public services. I had the pleasure of serving in various capacities including as a Dean of Faculty under his dynamic leadership as the Vice-Chancellor of AE-FUNAI. There are different types of institutional leaders. Some cast long shadows in an institution, while others shine sunlight that helps the rest of us find our way and find the paths to make our contributions. My gratitude to Professor Nwajiuba lies here, and I know that many others can report similar experiences. His exceptional and special leadership abilities and charismatic personality were readily apparent in AE-FUNAI and beyond. As we converge on this auspicious occasion, we honour not only Professor Nwajiuba's 60 years of remarkable life but also his tireless dedication to the pursuit of a more sustainable and equitable world. His contributions to the field of climate justice and just energy transition have inspired generations, and his legacy continues to shape our understanding of the critical issues that face our planet. It is, indeed, befitting to host a conference in his honour."

"Indeed, the theme of this conference “Climate Justice and Just Energy Transition in Developing Countries” is very timely and apposite. There is a growing scholarship investigating the ways climate change has uneven impacts throughout the world. Research in the field of climate justice and political ecology addresses how we understand the structural forces shaping human and nonhuman responses to the climate emergency. It is not merely intellectually rewarding to discuss climate justice and related issues in developing countries, but a matter of profound policy relevance. And thanks to the network of Professor Nwajiuba, we are privileged to have many prominent speakers to offer their insights. I am delighted that distinguished experts, thought leaders and policymakers will be sharing their knowledge and experience at this conference. We look forward to hearing what the erudite keynote speaker and panelists have to say on the theme of the conference. I am fully confident that the speakers will go some way to equip us with the capacity to ideate, articulate and implement nature-preserving sustainable practices that will inspire positive change in developing countries, particularly Nigeria. As I end this opening remark, I applaud Professor Nwajiuba’s former students and members of the Local Organising Committee headed by Dr. Robert Onyeneke for having the presence of mind to organise this conference and for working conscientiously to ensure its success. Nwajiuba, an outstanding scholar, educational administrator, institutional builder, former Vice-Chancellor and former pro-chancellor of two universities. Humanity is Professor Nwajiuba’s dominant feature, and that is why beyond esteem, what we all have for him is affection."

In his welcome address, the Chairman, Conference Organising Committee, Dr. Robert Onyeneke said, “today we gathered not only to deliberate on pressing issues but to celebrate a remarkable individual whose work has significantly shaped our understanding of climate justice and energy transition.” Prof. Nwajiuba’s contribution have been both timely and impactful. From his rigorous academic research to his dynamics policy engagements, he has been a vanguard in the environmental discourse. His work with the Building Nigeria’s Response to Climate Change and Africa Adaptation Projects, Nigerian Environmental Study Action Team (NEST), and his pivotal role in delivering the national Adaptation Strategy and Plan of Action on Climate Change for Nigeria (NASPA-CCN) have laid foundational strategies for national resilience.”

The conference witnesses an array of renowned academic presentations and well researched topics on climate change. The keynote lecture entitled “Climate Act: Implication for Climate action in Nigeria.” was delivered by Hon. Sam Onuigbo, a former member, House of Representatives, who represented Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal constituency. Hon. Sam is regarded as the father of Nigeria’s Climate Change Act, 2021, for sponsoring the bill which was assented to by President Buhari on November 17, 2021. The Act led to the establishment of the National Council on Climate Change. His lecture dwelt on the role of legislation in climate change, comparative review of some climate change laws, key provisions of the climate change act and government action in line with the provisions among others. 

Dr. Noel Saliu, the Deputy Executive Secretary Academics, Nigerian Universities Commission, who represented the Executive Secretary, delivered an outstanding piece entitled, “The Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards: The Role of NUC in Mainstreaming Climate Change Migration and Justice in University education in Nigeria.” His lecture focused on the effects of climate change, the need for climate justice, climate change mitigation in the university education, climate change mitigation education among others. 

Reacting to the presentations, Prof. Nwajiuba noted that the lectures though technical simply  points to the direction the world is going and drums up support for active involvement of government and the people of Nigeria on energy transition from the fossil fuel to renewable energy.  He emphasised that Nigeria cannot be left behind as the school is the right place to begin the plantation of the idea. The right place to begin with is Coal City University for it has the right spirit and culture of educational excellence. Goodwill messages poured in from Delta State University, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, Ebonyi State, Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe University, Imo State, University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Umuagwo, Imo State. Major highlights of the event featured cutting of birthday cake by the celebrant and entertainment of the guests by Coal City University Cultural troupe.

Sunday Onyemaechi Eze, Lecturer Department of Mass Communication, Coal City University, Enugu

President Bola Tinubu on Friday in Abuja commended international energy company, ENI, for its proposed new investment in Nigeria, reiterating his vision of making the nation more globally competitive and an investment destination.

The President said that by exploring the possibilities of innovative thinking, strategic planning, new technology, and research into best practices, his administration's reforms will reposition the nation’s economy.

Receiving a delegation from ENI led by the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Claudio Descalzi, at the Presidential Villa, President Tinubu said the vision of his administration remains to turn the country into an investment destination, with strategic thinking, planning, and implementation.

“ENI, we welcome your team again. Claudio, it is an honour for me to welcome you back to your second home, Nigeria. 

“Welcome back after many years. Nigeria has improved, and I am glad that you noted that we are making changes, not because of anything else but because of a very long-term vision on our investment strategy.

“Gone are the days when we feel like the captain in several ships. We have seen conflicting strategies around the world, and we are determined to champion these changes or take ourselves ahead of those changes and make reforms a priority. 

“We cannot grow today’s seed with yesterday’s belief system. We have to continuously be intellectually inquisitive and reform ourselves and our way of doing things. We count on your efforts. 

“And we see the effect of your belief in our partnership, not for exploitation, but for investable development. Africa is not in a begging mode but in an accelerated mode to compete and take its place with the rest of the world,’’ the President stated.

President Tinubu also said the reforms will be sustained for the mutual benefit of investors and Nigerians. 

“I have seen the need for us to continue to be leaders in this reform and create opportunities for attracting investments because the basket is getting bigger, and the participants are getting larger and more resilient. The fossil fuel problem is there; science and technology is taking over.

“We will still continue to assure you that we are going to be the global investment destination and I will encourage you, as one of the progressive leaders in the industry, on what our reforms have achieved. 

“Please, put a timeline on that investment strategy. It will be a stimulant for the rest of the world when you put a timeline on it,’’ the President added. 

President Tinubu commended ENI's confidence in the country for many years and for diversifying into other areas like agriculture.

“We are open; we are ready. We are working hard on infrastructural development and to make arable land available for planting, and we are ready to partner you in every aspect of that and in innovative research,’’ the President stated. 

In his remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of ENI said the energy company will invest more in the country, particularly in the agricultural sector. 

"First of all, there are lots of reasons to thank you. The first is that after 9 years, you allowed me to come back to my country. It is quite emotional. Secondly, not only because you found time to stay with us, but especially because you promoted a new era for Nigeria.

“You want us to attract investment, and I think that you are following the right track with your leadership. We want to come back and demonstrate that what somebody in Europe says about Nigeria, that everybody is leaving, is not true. We want to be the champion of this new era. 

"We want to stay close to you; to learn and to help you in your endeavour and renew our efforts to create again a new Nigeria for everybody and I think that we trust you, and we want everybody in Europe and in different countries and everywhere to trust you and your leadership. You know that we work everywhere. And we can be a good ambassador of Nigeria, not just in Europe, but in other countries,’’ Mr. Descalzi said

Chief Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President 

(Media & Publicity) 

President Bola Tinubu will on Saturday, July 20, depart Abuja for Accra, Ghana to participate in the Sixth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union (AU), the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), the Regional Mechanisms (RMs), and the African Union Member States.

In his capacity as the Chairman of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Tinubu will address the meeting on the status of regional integration across various areas in Africa, highlighting the achievements and challenges encountered in West Africa since the last meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, in July 2023. 

The President and Chairman of ECOWAS will present the '2024 Report on the State of the Community', focusing on peace, regional security, governance, economic integration, humanitarian and social development, energy, mines and agriculture. 

The meeting will be convened under the AU theme of the year 2024: 'Educate and Skill Africa for the 21st Century.'

The Mid-Year Coordination Meeting was conceptualized in 2017 as the principal forum for the AU and the RECs to align their work and coordinate the implementation of the continental integration agenda, replacing the June/July summits. 

In July 2023, President Tinubu, who was then elected as the Chairman of ECOWAS, delivered his maiden speech at the AU Fifth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, where he affirmed Africa's strength and the need for unity. 

In Accra, the items on the agenda will include evaluating the AU's early warning and conflict prevention mechanisms and promoting cooperation among regional economic communities to accelerate integration.

A declaration will be adopted at the end of the meeting. 

President Tinubu, who will be accompanied by senior government officials, will return to the country at the conclusion of the meeting.

Chief Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity) 

I am not surprised that Gov. Umo Eno’s plans to invest in property development in Lagos and a hotel in Abuja has generated some controversy among his people. Few trust their governments in Nigeria; so, every action is taken with a high dose of cynicism. Akwa Ibom government is erecting an 18-storey building for commercial use on Bishop Abayode Cole Street, Victoria Island, while the state’s liaison office in Abuja would be converted to a four-floor hotel. The VI building, to be known as Ibom Towers, will consist of one- and two-bedroom flats (31 of them) and some business suites, that would be sold to investing public. Conservative estimates indicate that the government may generate up to N100 billion from this transaction. The VI property is a small bungalow sitting on a large parcel of land acquired over 30 years ago. It served as the governor’s office annex in Lagos, providing the chief executive with ample space for meetings and official business in the nation’s most industrialized city. I actually met Governor Godswill Akpabio there sometime around 2009. He is the last chief executive of the state to use the place.

In 2017, Gov. Udom Emmanuel acquired a more modern property on Coopers Road in Ikoyi for use as official residence and office. The VI property had long remained largely unused. Similarly, the Abuja property, located in the Central Business District, has also been abandoned for many years now. Converting it to a hotel and handing it over to a successful hotel manager to operate makes business sense. In addition to these two, investments, Eno is also building a low-density residential estate in the heart of Uyo. He hopes to sell the residential units to the public. But it is the Lagos development that is kicking off the most storm. Many a commentator believes that the Akwa Ibom people will benefit more if the funds to be used in developing the property were invested in some economic activities in the state. They have a point, but the government’s decision also has some merit. A commercial property development in VI, Lagos is not a bad venture.

The reason the governor is being criticized is because of our recent experience in property investment. In 2021, Gov. Emmanuel completed a 21-storey building in Uyo. When he mooted the idea, he was trenchantly criticized for wasting resources on such a white elephant project. But the governor claimed that ExxonMobil was soon relocating its corporate headquarters to the state and would occupy several floors in the building. I doubted the claim and said so publicly, having spoken to many Mobil executives then. It turned out that the oil company was at that time exiting its onshore operations, which were based in the state, and were actually selling off the business to Seplat Energy, an indigenous oil-producing company. Udom Emmanuel was actually lying to the people, and till today the 21-storey building has remained unoccupied, apart from two floors donated by the government to the Bank of Industry. Many other investments made by the former governor and located in his hometown, like the coconut factory; the syringe manufacturing plant; the electric meter manufacturing plant and the flour mills factory, have all floundered. In May, the former governor announced at a public function in Uyo that the 21-storey building is still vacant because of COVID-19. Such a barefaced falsehood!

This why our people are so distrustful of their leaders. They do not want to be deceived the second time in this property business, and that is why they are kicking against the 18-storey development. I understand their position; however, I should emphasize that the government is not always wrong in its investment decisions. In 2019, it launched an airline, Ibom Air, and I was one of those who expressed reservations about its viability. Airline business, I reasoned, is risky, largely unprofitable and difficult to run successfully. Five years on, Ibom Air has become the nation’s favorite domestic carrier and a major source of employment for young people. I understand that the airline has since broken even and is not relying on government to meet its operational expenses. But the government continues to support it in in capital investments like aircraft acquisitions and training of young Akwa Ibom people in aviation careers.

A residential development in Victoria Island should be a huge commercial success, and in this particular case, an abandoned, non-earning asset would be converted into a profitable business transaction. I support it, but it is, however, important to emphasize that if the expected N100 billion proceeds are not well managed, the raging criticisms would have been justified. For one, the proceeds should not be used to pay salaries, wages, pensions or gratuities. The money should be invested in sustainable income-generating and jobs-creating businesses. For instance, Ibom Power plants should be upgraded and made to adequate power to the state. regular supply of electricity will trigger untold multiplier effects. Parts of the proceeds should also be invested in a wealth fund, established by law, for future generations of Akwa Ibom State.

 I enjoin the governor to handle the Lagos investment, and indeed, all others, with utmost transparency and openness; and reject any urge for him and government’s officials to profit from them personally.

For several years now, especially since May, 2023, when it was commissioned by (then) President Muhammadu Buhari, the Dangote Refinery, located in Lekki, Lagos, has remained Nigeria’s only hope for substantial local supply of petrol (Premium Motor Spirit, PMS). This hope became even more desperate from May 29, 2023, when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in his inaugural address, announced fuel subsidy removal which was anchored on almost 100 per cent imported PMS.

Sequel to the subsidy removal and kindred economic policies of the Tinubu administration, prices of goods and services in the country hit the rooftop, driving inflation rate to unprecedented levels. From slightly over 22 per cent in May 2023, inflation rate (measured by Consumer Price Index, CPI) has skyrocketed to 34.20 per cent at end-June 2024. PMS which price per liter rose from below N200 in May 2023, to above N700 soon after the subsidy removal, has remained scarce, with the price now ranging between N800 and N1000 per liter in various parts of the country. Fuel scarcity has remained unabated!

In the face of all this, with the economy practically pushed into the doldrums, the hope of PMS from the Dangote Refinery has come to appear forlorn; or, indeed, lost. Since the commissioning of the facility in May 2023, almost every month in the past one year has been proposed/promised as the time the ‘essential commodity’ would start gushing out from taps at the refinery. But rather than the hope being realized, PMS importation has remained the order of the day, with so much scarce foreign exchange (FX) being dissipated by the importers.

On the other hand, in the course of the past one year, the Dangote Refinery itself seem to have been unwittingly enmeshed in twists and turns beyond its control. The critical raw material for the Refinery, namely, crude oil, could no longer be sourced from within Nigeria. The reputed largest producer/exporter of crude oil in Africa, Nigeria, suddenly found itself incapable of supplying crude oil to the local refinery. This bizarre situation got so bad that the management of Dangote Refinery had to accuse the multinationals (international oil companies, IOCs) in the country of ‘organized sabotage.’

Specifically, Devakumar Edwin, Vive-President, oil and gas, at Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) reportedly accused the IOCs in Nigeria of “doing everything to frustrate the survival of Dangote Oil Refinery and Petrochemicals.” Edwin said the IOCs were deliberately frustrating the refinery’s efforts to buy local crude by jerking up crude oil prices above the market price, thereby forcing it (the refinery) to import crude from countries as far as the United States, with attendant huge costs.

In addition to this, Edwin also lamented the activity of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), which he accused of “granting licenses indiscriminately to marketers to import dirty refined products into the country.” He further lamented that “the Federal Government issued 25 licenses to build refineries and we are the only one that delivered on promise,” saying “in effect, we deserve every support from the Government.”

The DIL chief said: “the IOCs are keen on exporting the raw materials (crude oil) to their home countries, creating employment and wealth for their countries, adding to their GDP, and dumping the expensive refined products into Nigeria, thus making us depend on imported products.” He regretted this scenario, saying that “unfortunately, Nigeria also plays into the hands of the IOCs by continuing to issue import licenses at the expense of our economy.”

Surprisingly, and in spite of these lamentations and serious allegations by the DIL chief, Dangote Refinery had to resort to importing crude oil from very far-flung places like the US and Brazil. Specifically, early in 2024, the 650,000 barrels per day refinery took delivery of about 10 million barrels of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude from the US “to offset unreliable domestic supply.” The Refinery has also issued a tender for additional 11 million barrels of US crude oil over the next six months. This new tender, closing on July 21, aims to procure two million barrels per month of WTI Midland crude for the refinery, reputed to be the world’s largest single-train facility, for the next six months, starting from August.

In a tender reported by Bloomberg, Dangote Refinery purchased five million barrels of WTI Midland crude for delivery in the coming months of August and September. Additionally, the company initiated a tender process to acquire an additional six million barrels of US crude for October. Bloomberg has also reported that the Refinery is set to import a cargo of Brazilian crude, to “add to the large number of overseas barrels of crude feedstock that the Nigerian firm imports.”

Obviously, this importation of crude oil by the Dangote Refinery is a vivid pointer to the beleaguered state of the Nigerian hydrocarbon industry. It looks ridiculous, even incredulous, that with Nigeria’s ranking among African crude producers and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), it is yet unable to meet the crude input need of just a few local refineries in the country. And Dangote Refinery is the only one of notable capacity; others are small modular refineries.

Dangote Refinery resorting to importing crude from abroad is portentous for Nigeria. First, it puts a huge question mark on the country’s long-hyped crude oil production/exporting capacity, which gave it high ranking in the hydrocarbon business world. Secondly, the lack of capacity to meet the crude input needs of local refineries exposes the precarious state of the oil sector in Nigeria. In recent times, the oil exploration and production (E & P) business has been buffeted by a myriad of challenges, including the menace of massive oil theft.

Militancy and youth restiveness, coupled with outright sabotage and assets vandalism, have adversely affected E & P over the years in the oil-producing Niger Delta region of the country. Ageing equipment and lack of fresh capital investments have also been the lot of the industry. Also, the long delay in enacting the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) made most operators to either withhold or divert their investments elsewhere. All these have obviously led to very low production and export volume of crude from Nigeria.

In point of fact, for several years now, Nigeria has been producing and exporting crude far below its allocated OPEC quota. While the oil cartel expects Nigeria to bring about two million barrels per day crude to the global market, the country has hardly been able to produce/supply anything more than 1.3 million barrels per day. The recent exit of most of the IOCs from Nigeria (especially from onshore operations) has also caused some hiccups in the E & P arm of the oil and gas business.

The upshot of all these, perhaps, is manifesting in the dire situation of Dangote Refinery having to depend on crude oil importation for its operations. What may not also have been obvious is the fact that other much smaller refineries (modular) have also not been having reliable/adequate crude supply from within Nigeria. Indeed, it has become quite revealing that much of crude oil produced in Nigeria has been mortgaged in the past couple of years as ‘collateral’ for the Federal Government loans.

Even as the Dangote Refinery’s embarrassing situation of importing crude oil from abroad became public knowledge just recently, the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited was reportedly processing another US$2.5 billion oil-backed credit facility for funding its operations. This implies that a large chunk of current oil production has been ‘given out’ to secure loans from multilateral financial institutions.

The import of all these is that Dangote Refinery’s crude oil importation will drive up its cost of operations; and this will ultimately be factored into its pricing of PMS from its plants. Worthy of note also is the fact that the Refinery is located in a free-trade zone, which automatically empowers it (if it chooses) to stick to exporting its products, rather than serving the local market.

The Dangote Refinery is first and foremost a business; and might not choose to serve the Nigerian market with cheap PMS at huge losses. Not after going through the harrowing experience of crude oil importation and scaling willful but insidious hurdles by government and non-government agents in Nigeria. So, cheap fuel from Dangote Refinery might end up a mere wishful thinking. Let’s wait and see!

The author, Okeke, a practising Economist, Business Strategist, Sustainability expert and ex-Chief Economist of Zenith Bank Plc, lives in Lekki, Lagos. He can be reached via: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (08033075697 SMS only)