Sometime in September, 2019 some officers of the Nigerian Custom Service in their characteristic manner invaded and sealed several car shops all over the country citing the reason that those cars were either smuggled or under- assessed during clearance at the ports.

The Registered Trustees of Auto Dealers in Lagos felt that they have had enough of Custom's harassment, illegality, extortion, and therefore briefed the law firm of Dr Monday Ubani to seek legal redress on their behalf.

In a letter to the Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, the group through the law firm of Ubani & Co, condemned the September 30, 2019 raid and sealing of their shops by Custom operatives, describing the action as " demonstration of gross irresponsibility, unprecedented impunity and abuse of power"

The Dealers claimed that all the cars in their business premises were duly cleared and with appropriate duties paid. The law firm also forwarded copies of the letter to the Senate President, Speaker, House of Representatives and the Attorney General of the Federation.

Part of the letter which also served as a pre-action notice read:
"We must state here with all sense of responsibility and patriotism that the action of Nigeria Custom officers in this regard is a demonstration of gross irresponsibility, unprecedented impunity and abuse of power.

"Though the Nigeria Customs and Excise Management Act gives you the power to examine, mark, seal and take account of any goods contravening your regulations. In this case, you did not examine, mark, seal, and take account of the particular vehicles identified as not being properly cleared, but rather sealed up the entire premises without any form of examination or inspection of papers. "This very act of yours, has no protection under the Act, but smacks of impunity, illegality and flagrant abuse of executive power.

"The moment when Nigerian Government agencies elevate the pursuit of revenue above the right and welfare of the citizens, Nigeria is doomed. Take notice therefore that you have 14 days from the day you receive this letter to unseal all our client's members' business premises to enable them carry out their lawful businesses as Nigerian citizens.

"Take further notice that you have a period of 30days from the date you receive this letter to pay a compensation of 10 billion to our clients for the severe hardship, suffering, embarrassment, loss of business, physical, mental and psychological torture and trauma your arbitrary, lawless and inconsiderate action has caused our clients and their families, failing which our client shall be left with no other option than to seek redress through a competent court of law".

When the warnings and requests were flagrantly ignored, the law firm instituted an action at the Federal High Court, Lagos against NIGERIAN CUSTOMS SERVICE BOARD, CHAIRMAN NIGERIAN CUSTOMS SERVICE BOARD, and the COMPTROLLER GENERAL NIGERIAN CUSTOMS (as Defendants) in SUIT NO: FHC/L/CS/665/2021, asking the Court to determine the following Questions:

Whether the Defendants have any power, authority or justification to invade and seal off the Plaintiff’s members respective business premises, on the ground that the Plaintiff’s members vehicles were smuggled, which allegation they later abandoned for another allegation - that the vehicles were not properly assessed and cleared by the designated Defendants’ officers at the Port, and demanding the Plaintiff’s members to come to the Defendants office with their vehicle Custom clearance documents, which documents were issued to the Plaintiff’s members by officials of the Defendants after duly inspecting, assessing and clearing their vehicles at the port?

Whether the Defendants, after their officials had inspected, assessed and cleared the Plaintiff’s members vehicles at the Port, have any right, justification, power or semblance of power to intercept the same vehicles on the road (in transit), or at the car shop and detain same for a re-assessment known as Debit Note (DN) on the ground that they were not properly assessed and cleared by their officers, and thereby demanding payment of additional duty from the Plaintiff members.

The Plaintiff then sought the following reliefs against the Defendants:

A DECLARATION that having duly inspected, cleared and issued the required Customs clearance papers to members of the plaintiff at the Port, and the plaintiff members having paid the fee (Custom Duty) as duly assessed and demanded by officers of the Defendants, the Defendants have no power, authority or justification to thereafter invade and seal off the same Plaintiff members business premises, on the ground that the Plaintiff members vehicle were (smuggled or) not properly assessed and cleared by the designated officers of the Defendant.

A DECLARATION that the Defendants’ directive to the Plaintiff members to come to the Defendants office with their vehicle Customs clearance documents for re-assessment and re-clearance, and directing their officers to raise a Debit Note (DN) to that effect is unwarranted, unjustified and unlawful.

A DECLARATION that the Defendants, after their officials had inspected and cleared the Plaintiff members’ vehicles at the Port, have no right, justification, power or semblance of power to intercept the same vehicles on the road (in transit) and detain them on the ground that they were not properly cleared, and thereby demanding payment of additional money from the Plaintiffs or their Customers.

 A DECLARATION that the invasion and sealing off of the Plaintiff members’ respective business premises since the 30th day of September, 2019 on the ground that the Plaintiff members vehicles were not properly cleared, and demanding the Plaintiff members to come to the Defendants’ office with their Vehicle Customs clearance documents for inspection and re-assessment (which documents were issued to the Plaintiff’s members by the officials of the Defendants after duly inspecting and clearing the said vehicles at the port) is unlawful and unjustified.

A DECLARATION that the practice of intercepting the Plaintiffs members vehicles by officials of the Defendants on the road (in transit) and detained on the ground that they were not properly assessed and cleared, and thereby demanding payment of additional money from the Plaintiff’s members or directing them to raise Debit Note (DN) to that effect is unwarranted, unjustified, and unlawful.

AN ORDER of mandatory injunction directing the Defendants to, with immediate effect, unseal the business premises of all members of the Plaintiff which was unlawfully and arbitrarily sealed off by officials of the Defendants since 30th day of September, 2019.

AN ORDER of Perpetual Injunction restraining the Defendants from further invading and sealing the business premises of the members of the Plaintiff on the ground that the vehicles in their Car Shops which had earlier been inspected, assessed and cleared at the Port by officers of the Defendant were not properly inspected, assessed and cleared.

AN ORDER Directing the Defendants to pay to the Plaintiff the sum of N5,000,000,000.00 (Five Billion Naira) as general and aggravated damages for the arbitrary and unlawful invasion and sealing off of the Plaintiff’s members business premises since the 30th day of September, 2019, and for the huge economic loss and depreciation in business fortunes of members of the plaintiff on account of the unlawful sealing off of their business premises since 30th day of September, 2019.

Interest on the judgment sum at the prevailing monetary policy rate (Central Bank of Nigeria Rate) from the date of judgment until judgment sum is fully liquidated.

The Cost of action as assessed by the Court.

The Defendants in their defence first alleged that the Plaintiff’s Vehicles were smuggled, and the Plaintiff denied it and stated that there were no smuggled vehicles found in the car shops of any of its members visited and sealed by the Defendants’ officers. Moreover, following the Defendants’ request, the Plaintiff’s members submitted their import and clearing documents for their vehicles, and after two weeks of check in the Defendants’ system, the Plaintiffs were informed by the Defendants’ officers that the issue was no longer smuggling, but false declaration and underpayment.

The Plaintiff further informed the Court that there couldn’t have been underpayment/undervalue when the Plaintiff’s members’ vehicles were duly and physically inspected by the Senior Customs Officers (some of them at the level of Deputy Comptroller) who signed and authorized the release order, and that no Importer/Dealer sees the imported vehicles until the clearing process has been concluded by the Customs, and by which time all the necessary charges have been taken care of by the Importer/Dealer. Besides, all payments made by its members were in accordance with the Defendants’ valuation and directive which precedes the signing of the release order. The Plaintiff informed the Court that what its members pay was what they were asked to pay which is programmed in the Defendants’ system. The amount given to the Plaintiff members to pay is what the Defendants’ system accepts, which is called Automated Assessment. The Plaintiff further informed the Court that the Defendants’ officers are in the habit of stopping, checking, harassing and extorting money from its members’ customers after they drive out into town with their purchased vehicles, and this negatively affects their business, and that when its members’ customers call them to inform them of the harassment by the Defendants’ officers on the road, they usually intervene and inform the harassing officers that the necessary Duties on such vehicles have been paid, but the harassing Defendants’ officers would usually respond with the slogan “Senior Officer Release, Junior Officer seize”.

The Defendant admitted sealing 434 Car marts/Shops of the Plaintiff’s members in Lagos on suspicion of non-compliance with Customs Procedure, and informed the Court that some of the Plainiff’s members have complied with their directive by making undertaking to make the additional payment, and the car mart of those members have been unsealed, but the Plaintiff said those members were coerced/induced by the Defendant into executing undertakings for additional Duty payment under duress in the office of the Defendants.

The Defendant having seen how weak its case was, at a point abandoned the susbstance and began to chase shadow by challenging the jurisdiction of the Court on the ground that the Plaintiff is not a registered entity, and has no power to institute the suit, and also that there was no cause of action against the Defendants. The Plaintiff in a bid to rebut the assertion tendered its Certificate of incorporation to show it was a legal entity. Having seen that the plaintiff is a legal entity, the defendant like a drowning man seeking to catch a straw to survive, argued that the Plaintiff instituted the suit as Registered Trustees of Auto-Mobile Dealers Friends Association which is not recognized in law, as what the law recognizes is Incorporated Trustees of a body and not Registered Trustees of a body.

Hon. Justice A. O. Awogboro in her judgment delivered on the 27th day of December, 2023, first dealt with the issue of jurisdiction, and held that the only way of proving that an entity is registered is by providing a copy of the Certificate of Incorporation, which the Plaintiff has provided, and the argument of whether it sued as a Registered Trustees instead of an incorporated trustee is of no consequence.

Going into the substance of the case, the Honourable Judge, held that the sealing up of the car marts of the plaintiff’s members was unlawful and arbitrary, as there was no justification for the unlawful act. She held that the argument that some members of the Plaintiff have complied by undertaking to make the additional payment as a result of which their car marts were unsealed is not tenable and does not in any way support or justify the arbitrary action of the Defendants because those members did not agree to do so willingly but out of coercion and duress, so that they could be able to carry on with their business. The allegation of coercion and duress were not denied by the Defendants.

The Honourable Judge granted the major reliefs sought by the plaintiff and then Ordered as follows:

AN ORDER OF MANDATORY INJUNCTION directing the Defendants to, with immediate effect, unseal the business premises of all members of the Plaintiff which was unlawfully and arbitrarily sealed off by officials of the Defendants since 30th day of September, 2019.

AN ORDER of Perpetual Injunction restraining the Defendants from further invading and sealing the business premises of the members of the Plaintiff on the ground that the vehicles in their Car Shops which had earlier been inspected, assessed and cleared at the Port by officers of the Defendant were not properly inspected, assessed and cleared.

AN ORDER directing the Defendants to pay to the Plaintiff the sum of N500,000,000.00 (Five Hundred Million Naira) as general and aggravated damages for the arbitrary and unlawful invasion and sealing off of the Plaintiff’s members business premises since the 30th day of September, 2019, and for the huge economic loss and depreciation in business fortunes of members of the plaintiff on account of the unlawful sealing off of their business premises since 30th day of September, 2019.
Interest on the judgment sum at the prevailing monetary policy rate (Central Bank of Nigeria Rate) from the date of judgment until judgment sum is fully liquidated.

Dr Ubani and his client were full of appreciation for the erudite judgement delivered by the learned judge and recommend such boldness and uprightness to be exhibited by judges of various courts in the land in order to end impunity in the system.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr Akindele Egbuwalo as the acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the National Coordinator of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA).

Naija News reports that until his appointment, Egbuwalo was the National N-Power Programme manager.

Recall that the president had directed the suspension of Halima Shehu as the NSIPA boss over allegations of corruption and financial malfeasance.

According to Channels Television, Egbuwalo will be in an acting capacity as the NSIPA NC/CEO pending the conclusion of the investigation into Shehu.

Recall that Shehu was appointed by President Tinubu in October 2023, and her appointment was confirmed by the Senate on October 18, 2023.

Shehu worked as the National Coordinator of the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, where she used her banking and career expertise to see to the digitalisation of the programme.

The former banker worked at the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, from 2017 to 2022.

[NaijaNews]

A report by market intelligence firm, TrendForce, has revealed that prices of storage drive laptops and computers will go up by 50% in 2024.

According to the report, the price increment is predicated on the need for suppliers to reach the breakeven point after a rebound from the decline in NAND flash memory prices.

This would make computer SSD drives more expensive this year and ultimately lead to higher prices for laptops and computers.

Industry analysts noted that SSD price increases have already become noticeable, ending the era of exceptionally affordable storage. However, TrendForce expects an additional sharp increase in prices as manufacturers cannot recoup their expenses and inventories are running out.

What TrendForce is saying

The market intelligence firm in the report stated:

• “Major domestic players in the NAND Flash industry indicate that NAND Flash suppliers, driven by the goal of profitability, will continue to aggressively raise prices. It is anticipated that prices will need to increase by over 40% once again for major manufacturers to break even. To achieve profitability, future price hikes are expected to be at least 50% or even higher.”

Looking at the global NAND Flash market share in 3Q23, TrendForce noted that Samsung holds the leading position with a market share of 31.4%. The second position is held by the SK group, with a market share of 20.2%, followed by the U.S.-based Western Digital in third place with a market share of 16.9%. The Japanese company, Kioxia ranks fourth with a market share of approximately 14.5%.

NAND flash production reduction

According to TrendForce, the industry indicates that due to the lower profitability of NAND Flash compared to DRAM, international giants are actively reducing NAND Flash production.

• “Taking Samsung as an example, since September of this year, the reduction in NAND chip production has expanded to 50% of total capacity, focusing on products with stacked layers up to 128 layers. The goal is to accelerate destocking and stabilize prices, with plans to gradually increase prices in 2024”
• “TrendForce has indicated that following Samsung’s expansion of the production reduction to 50%, other suppliers are also maintaining a restrained wafer allocation strategy. After more than half a year of production reduction in some processes and capacities, there is a structural supply shortage, providing an advantage for chip manufacturers in price control.
• “Observing the market in the fourth quarter, there are almost no low-priced sources available for purchase. However, buyers still tend to maintain high inventory levels and continue purchasing,” it added.

The year 2023 was tumultuous for Nigeria’s federal parliament. It witnessed the end and the beginning of the ninth and tenth assemblies respectively.

While the previous legislative session drew to a close peacefully, the current one began on a rancorous note with a keenly contested leadership race that birthed acrimony that has refused to fizzle out. Here are some of the highlights of issues that defined the country’s highest law making body in 2023: 

High legislative turnover

The 10th Assembly is populated by mostly first time lawmakers – about 70 per cent – many of whom lack a deep knowledge of legislative proceedings, which often reflect in their contributions to motions and debates.

Many of the old and experienced legislators lost out to not only rivals in their political parties who got the tickets, but also to greenhorns from other parties during the general elections.

Experts had spoken severally on the implications of high attrition of experienced lawmakers on the performance of the National Assembly.

“The continuous replacement of the significant members of the legislature after each general election cycle has serious implications for its ability to perform its role effectively. 

“This has led to several capacity gaps in our legislative practice and procedures at both the state and national levels,” said Professor Abubakar O. Suleiman, the Director General of the National Institute For Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS).

“Legislators hardly develop an understanding of the legislative practice and procedures before they are changed. This negatively affects the legislators’ capacity in discharging their duties as some of the most experienced legislators are not often returned.

Rancorous leadership tussle

The race for senate presidency and speakership of the 10th National Assembly was said to be the most intense, crowded, and rancorous in recent history.

While the contest for the leadership of both chambers had always been dogged by high-wired politicking, drama, and executive interference, that of the current National Assembly assumed an unprecedented dimension.

It was shaped by intense lobbying, horse trading, alliances and vote buying as aspirants struggled to outspend one another in a bid to get the support of their colleagues.

Despite presidency interference and pressure which forced many aspirants to drop out, daring lawmakers contested against the favoured candidates.

Abdulaziz Yari gave Godswill Akpabio a run for his money in the Senate presidency race, which ended 46–63 in favour of the latter.

In the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas faced a calibre of candidates, who had almost equal chance of clinching the speaker’s seat. 

But a few days before the election, all the other candidates except two, the former Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Idris Wase and Sani Jaji, stepped down and declared support for Abbas, who later got 353 votes. The two others had three votes each.

The jostle for principal offices also raised dust among senators and leadership of political parties. 

The then chairmen of both APC and PDP, the two parties, with the highest lawmakers in the Red Chamber, rejected the names announced by Akpabio. Again, after presidential intervention, normalcy was restored to the parliament and the defeated candidates resigned to fate.

Akpabio’s holiday ‘enjoyment’ statement

The Senate President drew the ire of Nigerians after his August 7 “holiday enjoyment allowance” remark shortly before adjourning plenary for a long recess made the rounds on social media.

“To enable all of us to enjoy our holiday, a token has been sent to our various bank accounts by the Clerk of the National Assembly,’’ Akpabio told his colleagues, apparently forgetting that the proceeding was being live streamed. 

The “holiday bonus” comment came weeks after the lawmakers were allocated N70 billion to support their “working conditions” in an amended 2022 supplementary appropriation act.

Nigerians lampooned the Senate President, saying it was very unfortunate that such a statement could be made by Akpabio at a time when Nigerians were feeling the heat of high living cost following fuel subsidy removal.

Impeachment rumour

During a long recess in August, there were reports of moves by some disgruntled lawmakers to remove Akpabio as Senate President.

Akpabio had dismissed the impeachment move, describing it as complete imaginations and sometimes laced with malice, saying the Senate under his leadership was stable.

But the anti-Akpabio senators were said to have accused the Senate President of orchestrating what they called an imaginary impeachment plot targeted at pitching lawmakers against President Tinubu.

‘Empty’ budget box  

 The 2024 budget generated controversies few days after it was presented to the parliament by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Unlike his predecessors, sectoral allocations of the budget were not captured in the president’s budget speech, raising insinuation in some quarters that Tinubu submitted empty boxes to the parliament.

A member of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Galambi (NNPP, Jigawa) had, during an interview with BBC Hausa Service, accused Tinubu of presenting “empty boxes”, suggesting that, the president was not ready for budget defence but only came out to deceive the populace.

The speculation became rife when lawmakers, during debate on the proposals, complained that they were not provided the budget details, which they said would limit their comments.

In a move to douse the controversy, the Senate Appropriations Committee hurriedly released few details, including sectoral allocations while the budget ministry a few days later released the full budget breakdown.

The first appropriation bill in the life of the 10th National Assembly was passed in record 31 days after presentation on November 29 and was signed into law yesterday by the president.

Tribunal verdicts

The Court of Appeal nullified the elections of some lawmakers, including ranking ones, following petitions by their opponents challenging their elections. New ones, mostly first timers, were inaugurated after the court ruled in their favour.

Those sacked from the Red Chamber were Elisha Abbo (Adamawa), Simon Davou Mwadkwon (Plateau), Napoleon Bali (Plateau), Abubakar Sadiku Ohere (Kogi) and Darlington Nwokocha (Abia).

About 15 members of the House were affected by the court rulings.

Plateau state has the highest number of lawmakers sacked by the court, all of them PDP members. They were Dachung Bagos, Beni Lar, Isaac Kwalu, Peter Gyendeng Ibrahim and Musa Agha. They were replaced by members of LP and APC.

SUV controversy

The purchase of 109 Toyota land cruisers for senators and 360 Prado for members of the House of Representatives raised dust as it always does in the previous assemblies.

Nigerians expressed their anger at the purchase of the vehicles costing billions of Naira at a time when many citizens are finding it hard to meet their basic needs.

Over the years, the purchase of new vehicles for the lawmakers after every four years had been controversial, which drew condemnations and portrays them as self-serving.

However, the criticism and condemnations did not stop the purchase of the luxury vehicles for the lawmakers.

Dust over job racketeering probe

One of the high points in the House of Representatives in the course of the year was the dust raised over the probe into job racketeering and mismanagement of the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System (IPPIS) in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

Daily Trust reports that the committee in the course of its investigations unearthed mind-blowing revelations of large scale jobs’ racketeering involving key officials of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), including its chairperson, Muheeba Farida Dankaka and her special assistant, Haruna Kolo.

10th House Legislative Agenda

On November 14, 2023, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen unveiled the 8-point Legislative Agenda of the 10th House, with a pledge to partner with President Tinubu on the successful implementation of the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ of the current administration.

The agenda include, strengthening good governance, improving national security, law reform, economic growth and development, social sector reform and development, inclusion and open parliament, influencing/directing Nigeria’s foreign policy, and climate change and environmental sustainability.

LP senators’ protest over minority leadership

Another dramatic turn in the course of the year was the protest over minority leadership in the Senate.

The Red Chamber witnessed a rancorous session when Akpabio announced Abba Moro (PDP, Benue) as minority leader and Osita Ngwu (PDP, Enugu) as minority whip to replace Simon Mwadkwon (PDP, Plateau) and Darlington Nwokocha (LP, Abia), whose elections were nullified by the appellate court.

The announcement did not sit well with LP senators, who described the arrangement as injustice against other minority parties.

[DailyTrust]

Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah has revealed that his country’s national team will be fine without him during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, in Ivory Coast.

The Liverpool ace spoke after leading Jurgen Klopp’s side to beat Newcastle United 4-2 on Monday night.

Recall that Salah scored a brace for the Reds against Newcastle to give his side all three points at Anfield.

The match was Salah’s last game for Liverpool as he prepared to join the Egypt squad for the 2023 AFCON.

Speaking after Liverpool defeated Newcastle, Salah told Sky Sports: “We believe too much. We have top talents. They just need to work hard.

“Going to AFCON? I want to win it! I love playing for my country. Without me they will be fine. We have fantastic players.”

Egypt are in Group B at the AFCON alongside Ghana, Mozambique and Cape Verde.

[DailyPost]

WAYNE Rooney has been fired by Birmingham City after just three months in charge of the Championship club.

The former England, Everton and Manchester United forward was relieved of his duties after a dismal run of just two victories in 15 matches, which took Birmingham City from sixth to 20th in the English second tier.

“Birmingham City has today parted company with Manager, Wayne Rooney, and First Team Coach, Carl Robinson.
Despite their best efforts, results have not met the expectations that were made clear at the outset. Therefore, the Board feels that a change in management is in the best interests of the Football Club,” the club announced on their official website today.

“The Club’s Board and management are fully aligned and will continue to drive transformation and take bold steps to rebuild Birmingham City into the organisation its fans and community deserve.

“The Board would like to place on record their sincere thanks to Wayne and Carl for all of their efforts.”

Chief Executive Officer, Garry Cook, noted: “We are committed to doing what is necessary to bring success to St. Andrew’s.

“Unfortunately, Wayne’s time with us did not go as planned and we have decided to move in a different direction.

“The search for a successor begins with immediate effect and we will update supporters when we have further news.”

Birmingham confirmed that Professional Development Coach, Steve Spooner, will take temporary charge of the first team to be assisted by the remaining coaching staff that were not sacked along with Rooney.

Legendary as a player, with scoring records at both England and Manchester United, Rooney has struggled as a coach, having previously handled Derby County and DC United in the American Major League Soccer.

Rooney, 38, was appointed 82 days ago to replace John Eustace but Birmingham City have gone backwards since then, winning two, drawing four and losing a whopping nine of their games.

[NaijaTimes]

The Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Education on Tuesday announced the suspension of accreditation of degree certificates from Benin Republic and Togo.

According to a statement on Tuesday signed by Augustina Obilor-Duru on behalf of the Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, the government lamented that “some Nigerians deploy nefarious means and unconscionable methods to get a Degree with the end objective of getting graduate job opportunities for which they are not qualified”.

It followed an investigative report by Daily Nigerian Newspaper titled “How Daily Nigerian reporter bagged Cotonou varsity degree in 6 weeks”.

According to the government, the suspension persists pending the outcome of an investigation involving the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Education of Nigeria and the two countries as well as the Department of State Security Services and the National Youths Service Corps.
The statement reads, “ The Federal Ministry of Education vehemently decries such acts and with effect from 2nd January 2024 is suspending evaluation and accreditation of degree certificates from Benin and Togo Republics pending the outcome of an investigation that would involve the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria and the two countries, the ministries responsible for Education in the two countries as well the Department of State Security Services and the National Youths Service Corps.

“The Ministry therefore wish to call on the General Public to support its efforts, show understanding and provide useful information that will assist the Committee in finding lasting solutions in order to prevent further occurrence.

“The Ministry has also commenced internal administrative processes to determine the culpability or otherwise of her staff for which applicable Public Service Rules would be applied.

“The issue of degree mills institutions, i.e institutions that exist on paper or operate in clandestine manner outside the control of regulators is a global problem that all countries grapple with. FME has been contending with the problem including illegal institutions located abroad or at home preying on unsuspecting, innocent Nigerians and some desperate Nigerians who deliberately patronize such outlets. Periodically, warnings have been issued by the Ministry and NUC against the resort to such institutions and in some instances, reports made to security agencies to clamp down on the perpetrators. The ministry will continue to review its strategy to plug any loopholes, processes and procedures and deal decisively with any conniving officials.”

The PUNCH reports that in 2020, the NYSC said it would commence the prosecution of Nigerian graduates with fake credentials, especially from West African countries.

A former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed also in 2020 noted that certain Nigerians were purchasing fake degrees from degree mills in and out of Nigeria.

In September 2023, a newspaper exposed a certain London Graduate School selling fake honorary degrees to Nigerians.

[Punch]

President Bola Tinubu has suspended Mrs Halima Shehu, the National Coordinator and chief executive of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA).

President Tinubu, according to Channels Television, approved Shehu’s suspension with immediate effect and ordered her replacement.

This comes merely three months after her confirmation for the appointment by the Senate.

Recall that Shehu worked as the National Coordinator of the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, where she used her banking and career expertise to see to the digitalisation of the programme.

The former banker worked at the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, from 2017 to 2022.

[Vanguard]

Preparations are in top gear for the commencement of production in Dangote Refinery, as the petrochemical company has received the fourth crude shipment of, one million barrels of bonny light crude supplied by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), and expecting the fifth crude shipment, anytime from now.

The fresh one million barrels of crude was the fourth consignment to be delivered to the Dangote facility out of the six million barrels of crude being expected by the world's largest single-train refinery.

It would be recalled that Dangote Refinery had earlier, received three million barrels of crude.

Managing Director of Dangote Ports Operations, Mr. Akin Omole, had then told newsmen at the Dangote Quay, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos that the Refinery will receive about four million crude shpment before the end of 2023 and the remaining two by the early of January 2024. He said the crudes supply would put the Refinery in good stead to commence operation.

Once the 6 million barrels are fully delivered, it will facilitate the initial run of the refinery as well as kick-start the production of diesel, aviation fuel, and LPG before subsequently progressing to the production of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

This latest development will play a pivotal role in alleviating the fuel supply challenges faced by Nigeria as well as the West African countries.

Designed for 100% Nigerian crude with the flexibility to process other crudes, the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Petroleum Refinery can process most African crude grades as well as Middle Eastern Arab Light and even US Light tight oil as well as crude from other countries.

Dangote Petroleum Refinery can meet 100% of Nigeria’s requirement of all refined products, gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and aviation jet, and also has a surplus of each of these products for export.

The refinery was built to take crude through its two SPMs located 25 kilometres from the shore and to discharge petroleum products through three separate SPMs. In addition, the refinery can load 2,900 trucks a day at its truck-loading gantries.

Dangote Refinery has a self-sufficient marine facility with the ability to handle the largest vessel globally available. In addition, all products from the refinery will conform to Euro V specifications.

The refinery is designed to comply with US EPA, European emission norms, and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) emission/effluent norms as well as African Refiners and Distribution Association (ARDA) standards.

While receiving the first consignment, President of Dangote Group, Mr. Aliko Dangote stated: “We are delighted to have reached this significant milestone. This is an important achievement for our country as it demonstrates our ability to develop and deliver large capital projects. Our focus over the coming months is to ramp up the refinery to its full capacity. I look forward to the next significant milestone when we deliver the first batch of products to the Nigerian market.”

It is a new year, a new month, a new day, and fittingly, this is the right moment to look backwards and to the future. One of the major planks of received wisdom is that the past is linked to the present and both offer indications about the future and that is precisely where we are at this moment, that Janus moment of transition, the very significance of the new month. January is named after the Roman God, Janus, who has two faces, and a set of four eyes looking in two different directions. And so, let us begin by looking back at the year 2023 with domestic lenses.

For me, four things stood out in Nigeria in 2023. The first is the fact that it was the year of Nigeria’s seventh general elections since the return to democracy in 1999, and thus represented a major test for the democratic process in the country. It was a test for the electoral framework, and the institutions in charge of the management of the electoral process; the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), political parties, the security agencies, the judiciary, and the civil society, including the media. Expectations were particularly high among Nigerians in the lead up to the elections, especially with much hope invested in the review of the Electoral Act 2010, which birthed the Electoral Act 2022.

The new Act was different in many significant parts, such as Section 3(3) which requires that electoral funds should be released at least a year before the next election date, Section 29(1) which provides that party primaries and submission of candidates be done at least 180 days before the election date; Sections 47 and 50 which provide legal backing for the use of technology for voter accreditation and electronic transmission of results; Section 54(2) on the rights of persons with disability in need of special care to vote and be voted for; Section 62 which gives legal backing for INEC to maintain an electronic register of votes, Section 65 which says INEC can review results declared by any returning officer under duress within seven days. Other new aspects of Electoral Act 2022 can be found in Sections 8(5), 27, 29(5), 34, 84(12), 88 (2-7) and 94. These amendments generated so much excitement that at least one retired Resident Electoral Commissioner made media rounds proclaiming with prophetic candour that the new Act would be a “a game changer”, and that the introduction of the Bi-Modal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Report Viewing Portal (IREV) were technological measures that would prove to be stronger than the Titanic, that is “unsinkable.” Elections were held on February 25 (Presidential and National Assembly), March 11 (gubernatorial and state Houses of Assembly) and November 11, viz the off-cycle Gubernatorial elections in three states- Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa. Long before the November 11 elections, our enthusiastic promoter of the new Electoral Act had quietly vanished from the media space. He wisely removed himself, because Electoral Act 2022 did not change the game, and the introduction of technology failed in a manner worse than the Titanic.

The usual factors that had always abbreviated the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process proved resilient: there was violence across the states, the exploitation of religion and ethnicity, attempts at voter manipulation, suppression, vote buying by political actors, the rhetoric of hate, open disregard for the peace accords midwifed by General Abdusalam Abubakar’s National Peace Committee, late arrival of voting materials, poor co-ordination between INEC and other agencies involved in election management. INEC mismanaged the technology that it promised, swelling controversies about integrity and accountability. INEC’s excuse was “technological glitches. The people regarded this as an excuse for manipulation. Voter apathy was rife - for the Presidential election, voter turnout was 27%, about the lowest since 1999. The declared winner of the Presidential election, Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won with 8.8 million votes, representing less than 10% of the record 93 million Nigerians who registered to vote. In terms of outcome, women representation in elective office was also poor. Many Nigerians however would further remember four things in the 2023 electoral process: Tinubu’s campaign slogan – “Emilokan” (it is my turn), the Obidient Movement which proved to be resilient, the dis-embowelling of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and what turned out to be the much-criticised, controversial role of the judiciary. Nigerians are entering a new year with the hangover of the electoral experience of 2023.

The second stand-out issue of 2023 was the poor state of the economy. The statistics as collated and published by the National Bureau of Statistics and other agencies, including The World Bank largely confirmed how Nigeria in 2023 was a victim of stagflation, and multidimensional poverty. In the first half of 2023, GDP growth was 2.4%, rising to about 2.8% by the end of the second half. In June 2023, inflation rate was 22.79%, by November 2023, it was already 28.22% compared to 21,34% in December 2022. Food inflation was a major problem: 32.84% as of November 2023, following an increasing trend year on year. The heterodox policies adopted by the Federal Government did not help the people. The Central Bank of Nigeria’s wrong-headed introduction of new Naira notes of N200, N500, and N1, 000 resulted in cash scarcity, the scarcity of everything else and hardship. The government complained about poor revenue, the people groaned. Fuel price was N191 per litre in December 2022. On May 29, 2023, President Tinubu on the day of his inauguration as President announced that “fuel subsidy has been removed… it is gone”. This spontaneous declaration further compounded the people’s woes, driving the cost of petrol per litre to N626. Salaries have not been increased. More jobs have not been created.

The government says its plan is to obey the law, the Petroleum Industry Act (2021) which the Buhari administration failed to implement in full as the law requires. The Tinubu administration also argues that the removal of fuel subsidy will curb inefficiency and corruption and generate more revenue for the government. Many economists attest to the fact more money has been saved as a result of subsidy removal, hence the sharp increase in federal allocations to the states. But how has this impacted on the people? What the people see is the conspicuous consumption by their elected representatives at both national and sub-national levels, while the people wallow in abject poverty. The Tinubu administration also harmonized the foreign exchange rate, but the naira has continued on a downward spiral against the dollar, even when the dollar is in a weak state. Budget 2024 has been pegged at N800/$1 whereas on December 17, 2023, the CBN announced a new exchange rate of N951/$1, and by December 2023, the parallel market rate was N1,233/$1. Capital importation in 2023 was low, with 27 states of the Federation getting zero FDI. Many companies have left Nigeria – GSK, P&G, Sanofi, Unilever, Bolt Food, Sanofi, Jumia due to a poor operating environment.

The irony is that since the assumption of office, President Tinubu has been very active wooing investors from all over the world to come to the Nigerian market. His key economic managers – Minister of Finance, Wale Edun and CBN Governor, Yemi Cardoso have been most emphatic in reminding Nigerians that the Buhari administration left Nigeria in a miserable economic state. The country’s public debt stock for example was N49, 85 trillion in Q1 2023, by the end of Q2, it had risen to N87.38 trillion indicating a growth rate 75.27% on a quarter-on-quarter basis. Yet, in the 2024 budget, Nigeria is planning to borrow more! The economic crisis that Nigeria faces was driven home on Friday, December 29, when as President Tinubu’s long and conspicuous convoy made its way to the Lagos Central Mosque, the hapless people of Lagos kept shouting: “Ebi n pa wa oh” (We are hungry!). It was a telling moment, underscoring the rich-poor social gap in Nigeria.

The third issue is the insecurity in the land. Nigerians had voted for General Muhammadu Buhari with the firm belief that he being a military general and a war hero would be able to take the war to the bandits, insurgents and terrorists making life impossible in many parts of the country: terrorism in the North East, insurgency in the North Central, crude oil theft in the Niger Delta, illegal mining in the North West, kidnapping and agitations in the South East and South West. Buhari’s spokespersons including those who went about with the specious title of Buharists kept selling the lie that the government had decimated terrorists. The truth is that the Buhari administration left the country in a worse state security-wise than it met it. As events unfolded, the year came to an end with attacks on over 50 communities in Plateau state Local Government Areas of Bokkos, Mangu and Barkin Ladi on Christmas eve and on Christmas Day and after. It was reported that about 200 people were killed, over 300 were injured, over 10, 000 were displaced, becoming refugees in their own country. There have also been reports of attacks in Zamfara and Taraba states. For more than two decades, Nigerians have not been able to enjoy the full benefits of Section 14 (2b) of the 1999 Constitution which says that “the purpose of government shall be the security and welfare of the people”. The sad thing is that for decades, the Nigerians government set up so many judicial commissions of inquiry on the crisis on the Plateau beginning with Justice Fiberesima Commission, 1994, Justice Niki Tobi 2001, Justice Bola Ajibola, 2009, the Justice Disu Commission and the Sankey Commission. There have also been similar interventions such as the Presidential Peace Initiative Committee on Plateau State, 2004, the Plateau Peace Conference 2004, the Plateau Peace Conference, 2004 and the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Jos Crisis. What happened to the findings and recommendations? Why has nothing changed? Why is the situation deteriorating? The Jos Council of Traditional rulers had to cancel the celebration of Christmas 2023 in Plateau. State. The people entered the new year on a note of grief and sadness.

Their grief was compounded by the strange explanation by the Defence Headquarters that it indeed received over 30 distress calls before and during the carnage, but the troops could not intervene because the terrain was difficult. The same terrain where criminals operated freely for hours and days? The Inspector General of Police has since deployed a team led by a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) to investigate what happened. Medicine after death! The strangest of all was the Commander of Operation Safe Haven, having the temerity to tell the grieving people of Plateau state that it was the devil’s handiwork, and that the situation could have been worse, the military was overwhelmed. Thus, “Operation Safe Haven” has not been able to provide any safety in Plateau state, and to see that a military General would be so dumb as to blame the Devil points to the height of insensitivity.

The fourth major issue in 2023 is the lack of trust and confidence in the government by the people of Nigeria. The people are alienated from those who govern them and the reason is not far to seek. At a time, the government of the day has been calling on the people as “heirs of the commonwealth” to make sacrifices and work together with government to move the country forward, people are miffed to see people in government not willing to make any sacrifice. President Tinubu has promised the people “Renewed Hope” but he is running the most bloated government since 1999. The National Assembly has increased Budget 2024 with N1.2 trillion bringing the new total to N28.7 trillion. The lawmakers are obviously more interested in their own perks and privileges. Two per cent of the budget is ear-marked for education in a country where there are over 20.1 million children out of school. The allocation for sports development is a paltry N31.24 billion – 0.11% of the Budget. Meanwhile, the lawmakers have earmarked N12.12 billion as take-off grant for the National Assembly library complex, and N3 billion for library books – a library that they have no intention of visiting; books that they may never read! They also want to build a car park with N3 billion. Nigerians have every reason to be angry. Leadership should be about service not self-interest, pursued with unbridled greed.

It is just as well that the President has acknowledged the people’s pains. In his New Year broadcast, he said inter alia: “I am well aware that for some time now the conversations and debates have centred on the rising cost of living, high inflation which is now above 28% and the unacceptable high under-employment rate. From the board rooms at Broad Street in Lagos to the main streets of Kano and Nembe creeks in Bayelsa, I hear the groans of Nigerians who work hard every day to provide for themselves and their families. I am not oblivious to the expressed and sometimes unexpressed frustrations of my fellow citizens. I know for a fact that some of our compatriots are even asking if this is how our administration wants to renew their hope.” It is good to know that the President knows what the people are going through. It is important for him to know that as they enter a new year, the people also have high expectations, meeting those expectations should be the government’s priority in 2024 to bridge the gap of alienation and rebuild trust and confidence.

The people want the high cost of living reduced. The President must remember the people’s chorus on his way to the Central Mosque in Lagos (“Ebi n pa wa”). Governments at all levels must address the scourge of food inflation. Every step must be taken to create an enabling environment for businesses to flourish, and for the economy to become productive. The government must also tackle high corruption, not by harassing people but by setting up processes and mechanisms to check it. The report of the CBN independent investigator must not be swept under the carpet. The investigator may have gone beyond his brief by making specific recommendations- that task should have been left to the office of the Attorney General of the Federation or a committee set up for that purpose. Nonetheless, government must take a look at the findings. The conversation about electoral reform, constitutional amendments is already on-going. The National Assembly must be encouraged to embark on that task very early, far ahead of the next round of general elections. The professional political class and civil society must act as opposition and play their part as true “heirs of the commonwealth”. Government must step up the war against insecurity. The New Year has started. Time waits for no one.