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Tinubu cannot speaking on hardship, hunger because Buhari, APC caused our problems – Gbenga Daniel
AdminThe Senator representing Ogun East senatorial district, Gbenga Daniel, has said the myriad of problems Nigeria is grappling with today are caused by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the administration of former president, Muhammadu Buhari.
He said Tinubu can’t speak on these challenges, especially the hunger and hardship ravaging the nation, because his political party is the one responsible for the country’s woes.
He said he wished President Bola Tinubu could tell Nigerians about the already failed economy that was bequeathed to him and what he’s doing and has done to salvage the situation.
Speaking during his tour of Ijebu Ode Local Government Area of Ogun state on Monday, the senator appealed to Nigerians to be patient and preserve, expressing confidence that this administration would turn things around.
Daniel, who admitted hardship in the country, hinted that the menace was caused by the past government but hoped for better days.
“Our president Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done a lot. I wish he could talk now but he can’t talk because this is the same party he stood for, so he can’t, but from what I know we just have to praise his courage. We know things are very difficult but we need to encourage Mr President, we urge our people to be patient, by the special grace of God everything will be alright.”
Nigerian singer, Flavour, has issued a public advisory regarding people using his name and photos to defraud unsuspecting victims.
He disclosed via his official X account that fraudsters are still impersonating him online and noted that he will never ask fans for money.
The ‘Nwa Baby’ crooner said anybody who has come in contact with such impersonators should report them to the appropriate authorities.
Flavour wrote;
“Scammers are still in the business of impersonating me online. Please be aware that I will NEVER ask fans for money or any personal information.
If you’re contacted by someone claiming to be me, DO NOT engage with them and please report the account to the appropriate authorities.”
In a similar post in 2023, a scammer impersonating popular actor, IK Ogbonna was arrested and charged to court after defrauding unsuspecting victims.
Also actor Frederick Leonard reacted to the arrest of a scammer who impersonated him and scammed a woman of N104m.
The imposter identified as Kelvin Aisosa Orhue was arrested by the EFCC and arraigned before the FCT High Court in Kuje.
Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has declared his administration’s dedication to establishing tuition-free schools across the three senatorial zones, with a focus on providing skills currently lacking in the state.
Prince Okey Kanu, the Commissioner for Information and Culture, revealed this after the state executive council meeting in Umuahia on Monday.
The one-year residential program will encompass skills like solar power assembly, POP designing, painting, masonry, tiling, and more. Graduates of the program will receive financial empowerment to kickstart their businesses, aligning with the government’s emphasis on self-sufficiency.
Kanu also announced the suspension of the monthly sanitation exercise due to the commissioning of a geometric power plant on February 24, urging residents to clean their immediate surroundings on that day.
Furthermore, the information boss also disclosed that the government has banned “One way traffic” across the state, warning that driving against traffic would now be considered a serious offense, aligning with efforts to enhance road safety and discourage reckless driving practices.
“A special task force would be established to enforce traffic regulations and crackdown on traffic violations in the state
“This is in keeping with the culture of doing things right as being preached by this government.
“We don’t like people who engage in unwholesome acts, people who revel in impunity and drive against traffic causing accidents and all kinds of confusion on the roads.
“Going forward, driving against traffic will be a very serious offence in the state, and like I informed you not too long ago, some special taskforce is being set up.
“It’s a one-stop task force that will handle every form of enforcement in the state.
“So in the days and weeks ahead, those of us who are in the habit of driving against traffic should be prepared to face the full wrath of the law,” the Commissioner noted.
[PRESS RELEASE] IREP Documentary Film Festival 2024: Righting the Future March 21-24 | Lagos: Freedom Park & Alliance Francaise & Virtual
AdminThe 2024 edition of the iREPRESENT International Documentary Film Festival will hold March 21st – 24th at its primary home, Lagos. The prime project of the Foundation for Promotion of Documentary Film Festival in Africa (FPDFA), the leading platform for documentary film promotion in Nigeria and West Africa, will also be hosted in virtual format.
Founded in 2010, the iREP Festival has the founding generic theme Africa in Self-Conversation, which encourages cross-exchanges of ideas and developmental aspirations among the diverse peoples of Africa and the global black family.
iREP 2024, the 14th edition of the annual ritual, will feature conversations, screenings, workshops, networking sessions, and other related activities.
Over 45 films are expected to be screened at the two venues hosting the festival this year vis: Freedom Park, 1 Hospital Road, Lagos Island, and Alliance Francaise, Mike Adenuga Centre, Ikoyi. The films – short are long features -- have been drawn from largely Nigerian filmmakers and their counterparts from 25 countries in four continents, who submitted their entries via Filmfreeway. However, there are alsosome specially curated films selected for the festival, some of which have made the round of international festival circuits and have won awards around the world.
Theme
The 2024 edition’s theme, RIGHTING THE FUTURE, is deliberately chosen to instigate conversation between the present and the future of the continent, as well as encourage deeper dialogue between the young people and their elders. The provocative theme is set in the context of happenings in this season of political anomalies and leadership failures in many countries of the continent.
The SOYINKA Edition
IREP 2024 is designated as “The SOYIKA edition” to commemorate the 90th birthday anniversary of the distinguished global cultural icon, poet, playwright, essayist, polemicist and Africa’s first Nobel laureate for literature, Professor Oluwole Akinwande Soyinka. He embodies the virtues of the quintessential ‘citizen activist’ with the clarity of vision and passion for the betterment of our collective humanity needed to hold power accountable to the people. Over the past six decades and more, he has consistently deployed his intellectual acumen and personal resources to defend human values and the fundamentality of the freedom of the individual to resist oppression. He is renowned for having also displayed a high degree of patriotic zeal to clamour for good governance and participatory democracy by citizens of the country, even at grave risks to his personal comfort and career. For his tenacious hold to his convictions, he has sometimes run into problems with consecutive state authorities and certain sections of the society. But he remains steadfast in his self-imposed battles to always right the wrongs he perceives in his social, cultural and political environments. These are the values and virtues, iREP hopes to spotlight and celebrate at the 2024 festival with the intention to assure members of the social milleu that they can hold on to their beliefs and convictions without being herded by the mob.
The Soyinka section will cover two days of the festival and will be staged at the Alliance Francaise, Mike Adenuga Centre, the day one keynote on RIGHTING the FUTURE: Soyinka & His Engagements will be delivered Prof Manthia Diawara, writer, filmmaker, cultural theorist, scholar, art historian, and distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature and Film at the New York University. He is the writer and director of “Negritude: A Dialogue between Wole Soyinka and Leopold Senghor.” The second day keynote on the humanistic ideals of Soyinka as reflected in his works will be delivered by Professor Awam Amkpa, Dean of Arts and Humanities, & Vice Provost at the New York University, NYUAD, and Global Network Professor of Drama, Social and Cultural Analysis, NYU New York. Each keynote will be followed by a panel discussion and screenings of films related to Soyinka’s career.
About iREP:
The iREP International Documentary Film Festival serves as an educational and cultural platform, harnessing the influence of film and related industries to encourage public engagement in the developments of their sociocultural and political environments. The overarching objective of the iREP aims to raise awareness about the documentary format's potential to deepen and share social and cultural education, while also fostering participatory democracy in our societies.
Femi Odugbemi, fta
Executive Director, iREP
+234 803 425 1963
NIGERIA’S foreign exchange and inflation have combined to push the prices of prepaid meters year-on-year, YoY by 80 percent to N147, 610.43 (Single phase) in February 2024, from N81, 975 in the corresponding period of 2023. Similarly, the price of the double phase meter also surged YoY by 80 per cent to N259, 002.43 in February 2024, from N143, 836.10 in the corresponding period of 2023.
This is even as the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC, has issued a notice of disconnection of power supply to the Presidential Villa, also referred to as Aso Rock and Federal Government’s Ministries, Department and Agencies over a N47 billion their indebtedness.
Manufacturers, suppliers stop importation
However, checks by Vanguard, weekend, indicated Meter Service Providers (MSP) and Meter Asset Providers (MAP) have not been able to produce or import to replenish depleted stocks. It indicated that many customers, who paid for meters have not been supplied and installed, thus increasing the population of those under estimated billing in Nigeria. In apparent response to the situation, the federal government has liberalised the metering market, meaning that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, would no longer peg or fix meter prices in Nigeria.
Rather, prices of meters would be determined by market forces, including foreign exchange and inflation, targeted at ensuring that commercial stocks are produced, supplied and installed for consumers.
NERC working on modalities
A source in the Federal Ministry of Power, who confirmed the Liberalization of Metering Services, weekend, said: “NERC is currently working on the modalities, targeted at efficient operations.
This involves removing price controls while maintaining regulatory guidelines to safeguard consumer interests and ensure fair competition. By eliminating metering price control, a competitive meter market can be fostered, attracting private sector investments, stimulating innovation, and creating job opportunities.”
According to him, the measure was proposed by the MSP and MAP and endorsed by NERC, after proper consideration, adding that before now, the meter manufacturers had called for the upward review of meter prices to reflect current forex and inflation rates within seven days to prevent market shutdown.
He said: “The manufacturers also called for establishment of a joint committee comprising NERC, Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency, NEMSA, Electricity Distribution Companies, DisCos and MSP and MAP to review recommendations and develop robust framework for a transition to a liberalized metering services market within 30 days.”
He also noted that the transitioning to a liberalized metering services market provides a sustainable pathway for Nigeria’s Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) to serve customers efficiently while achieving financial viability. According to him, “By eliminating metering price control, the selling price would be determined by input costs and market dynamics. This shift creates incentives for a competitive meter market, attracting much-needed private sector investments into the sector.
“Moreover, it alleviates the burden on Distribution Companies’ (DisCos) balance sheets, stimulates innovation, and fosters local manufacturing, thereby generating employment opportunities. “The objectives of Liberalization of Metering Services with Light Regulation aim at eliminating estimated billing by accelerating meter deployment in the NESI. Support a coordinated metering strategy to enhance collections and reduce Aggregate Technical, Commercial, and Collection (ATC&C) losses swiftly.
“Minimize the financial impact on DisCos’ balance sheets while advancing the goals of accelerated meter deployment, improved collections, and reduced ATC&C losses. Ensure price transparency and cost reflectivity, while ensuring a reasonable rate of return for metering service providers. Stimulate innovation and foster fair competition in metering services provision within NESI.” He noted that the transition to a liberalized metering services market in NESI represents a strategic policy initiative, stressing that it offers a viable and sustainable pathway to achieving stated objectives while addressing the needs of industry stakeholders and customers.
The source explained that the Liberalisation aims at eradicating the uncertainty and financial burden associated with estimated billing, providing them with transparent and fair billing practices while fostering trust and confidence in the electricity supply system, ultimately enhancing customer satisfaction. He said the liberalized market will also promote efficiency and innovation in metering technologies and services, capable of leading to the development of tailored solutions that meet the diverse needs of consumers and utilities alike, driving overall sector performance and reliability.
The source said the liberalized market creates opportunities for local businesses to thrive, particularly in the manufacturing, assembly, and ongoing management of meters while supporting economic growth and job creation, contributing to broader socioeconomic development objectives. However, the Chairman/CEO of NERC, Chairman/CEO, Sanusi Garba, could not be reached for comments, yesterday. But the Ministry of Power source said, “I can confirm that NERC is currently working on the details of the liberalisation before making it public.
The Nigerian Navy has uncovered 14 crude oil processing sites in Ataba Creeks in Andoni Local Government Area, where oil thieves use as a processing point for stolen crude oil that is transformed into various petroleum products.
Also found at the sites within a 500-meter radius at Ataba Creek, were plastic drums, and canoes, among other equipment that were abandoned by the oil thieves when the quick response force comprising the components from JTF, stormed the area.
The JTF operatives got wind of the location after being tipped- off by officials of Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Ltd PINL, the Surveillance contractor covering the area.
The Operation Delta Safe OPDS, Commander, Real Admiral, John Okeke who led the team of officers told journalists that the task force team kept vigil in the area for three days, but noted that no arrest was made.
He added that the area was discovered based on the information provided by the “intelligence cell, which of course comprises, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, other components like the police, DIA, Civil Defence and of course, our big collaborator in the name of Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Ltd, PINL”.
Rear Admiral Okeke said that with the operation the country could sustain its oil production output, noting that the evidence at the sites shows that the oil thieves had been operating for quite some time but that the weekly overflight surveillance by Shell could not detect the sites because of the remoteness of the area and the thick vegetation.
He added: “What we discovered was shocking, a whopping number of 14 cooking sites. On arrival of our quick response force, we met one still very hot, which suggests that they just pulled out on their arrival.
“The task force quick response team has been on ground for 3 days keeping vigil here. And I want to commend them and the quick response team comprises the components from JTF, so it’s not a one-man show”.
He also said that the operation has aided in the removal of “a major illegal refining site, which of course has reduced the quantity (crude oil) that would have been pilfered from our pipeline and what it portends for the task force is that we are sustaining what my predecessor did and I want to thank God Almighty for at least not up to 24-hours and we are able to achieve this feat.
“If not for the intelligence provided through the stakeholders and the naval intelligence and force cell we wouldn’t have discovered this place because the vegetation is thick. It’s an island beside Bonny Island. When you transit through the main channel you will not notice that there is something here”.
Okeke added: “I want to say again, the criminals that are here, I think it’s better they, those hibernating here can relocate for now or I will advise that they can decide to do legit.
“When you do legitimate business you don’t have any business coming to the bush. And the Nigerian Navy will continue to support your business. But in so far that you continue to hide inside the bush, tearing our pipelines we will not allow you to see peace”.
The strike action embarked by members of the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, NARTO, has continued into the second following the failure of the Federal Government, oil marketers to reach agreement with the transporters.
A meeting conveyed by the Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri with NARTO, oil marketers and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, in Abuja ended with an agreement.
Senator Lokpobiri told journalists that the meeting will continue as the government seeks to find a solution to issues raised by the transporters.
According to the Minister, “We have been having engagement with different stakeholders in the downstream petroleum industry based on some concerns which were raised. The engagements are still continuing and we hope that we will be able to find solutions to those concerns as soon as possible. Engagement will continue tonight till tomorrow.
“But it should be pointed out very clearly that they have demonstrated utmost good faith and patriotism. It should also be known that the issues have nothing to do with the government. It is basically commercial. But as a government we have decided to intervene so that Nigerians will not suffer unduly”, he added.
NARTO had threatened to stop the lifting of petrol over high cost of operation.
NARTO National President, Alhaji Yusuf Lawal Othman explained that the tanker owners have been recording huge losses due to high cost of operation which is no longer sustainable.
He explained that members would park their trucks from Monday “because what we spend on operation is more than what we get in total: both in local and bridging”.
He said: “We will have to suspend operations between now and Monday. We cannot continue to operate at a loss. Most people have parked. A lot more are going to park.
“But from the point of view of the association itself, we are going to suspend operations on Monday.”
Othman disclosed that NARTO’s efforts at soliciting the intervention of all the key stakeholders in the Federal Government and industry have not yielded positive results.
“We have written letters up to the level of the Chief of Staff. We have written to the Honourable Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Oil).
We have written to DG SSS. We have written to the GCEO. We have written to the Authority Chief Executive. We have written to the Major Marketers, yet no response.”
He noted that the N32 Lagos to Abuja freight rate that was implemented while the dollar was N650 is still retained now that dollar is N1,615.
“Everybody is aware that all our consumables in terms of operation are not produced in the country. So, by virtue of the rate of dollars, every consumable has increased. But the freight they are paying us has been the same even during Buhari’s time.So how is that feasible?
He explained further: “What I mean by local is if you load Lagos, you discharge in Lagos. And bridging is if you load from Lagos, you come to Abuja. Lagos to Lagos, we are paid N120,000.
“AGO alone to distribute fuel within Lagos is N140,000 because it is N1,400 per litre. So, they give you N120,000 and you spend N140,000. How do you want to operate? We are not talking about cost of vehicles, cost of loading, driver’s allowance. That is for local. For bridging Lagos to Abuja, they gave us N32.
“If you have a truck of 40,000 litres, you are talking of N1,280,000-N1,216,000. Less 5% of the amount of N1,280,000 Withholding Tax N64,000. Less 55,000 loading expenses and 15,000 driver allowance. Total expenses N134,000 while balance is N1,146,000. AGO is N1400 for 900 litres, totalling N1,260,000. There is a total loss of N114,000. The diesel that you use from Lagos to Abuja is 900 litres”, he added.
A former presidential aspirant and legal practitioner, Chief Reuben Famuyibo, has cautioned northern leaders against plunging Nigeria into chaos by making statements capable of inciting Nigerians against the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
Famuyibo, speaking with The Nation on Monday, February 19, emphasized the potential for such statements to precipitate nationwide turmoil that would affect everyone.
He criticized the ongoing attacks on the Tinubu administration, highlighting the inconsistency of political, traditional, and religious leaders who remained silent during the tumultuous eight-year tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari but now seem vocal in what he perceives as playing identity politics with governance.
The Ekiti-born politician stated that he had engaged in extensive consultations with Yoruba leaders both domestically and internationally, revealing their growing discomfort with the implicit threats, subversive rhetoric, unfair criticisms, and insinuations directed at President Tinubu, based solely on the notion that Nigerian leaders warrant reproach only when they hail from a specific region of the country.
Famuyibo said: “My consultations across the length and breadth of the Southwest and with leaders in the Diaspora shows that while many of our leaders see nothing wrong in President Bola Tinubu receiving criticism over the pains Nigerians are going through following the policy reforms embarked upon by his administration, they are, however, surprised that certain elements in the North have been hiding under the issue of the policy reforms to openly make politically charged, ethnically insensitive, and provocative statements aimed at inciting the Nigerian public against the Tinubu administration and plunging Nigeria into civil strife.
“These leaders ascribe ethnic and religious sentiments to even the purely administrative actions of the Tinubu administration, including the relocation of key departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to their natural habitat in Lagos.
“We learnt authoritatively that even Julius Berger, the construction company behind the CBN Abuja office, said that the overpopulation of the Abuja CBN office with 11,000 plus workers when it was designed for 4,000 workers could cause the structure to experience strain, yet these so-called northern leaders act like nothing was amiss.
“We want to remind those threatening fire and brimstone against President Tinubu over the problems created by the Muhammadu Buhari administration, which ran the economy aground and made Nigeria the poverty capital of the world, that neither Nigeria nor Abuja is the exclusive preserve of anyone but all Nigerians.
“They must stop the politics of provocation and incitement influenced by a born-to-rule mentality and years of patient endurance by other sections of the country.
“The self-serving, perfidious, insidious, provocative, and inciting utterances must be denounced by all right-thinking Nigerians.”
Some northern leaders had last week decried the economic hardship in the country, saying they could no longer prevail on the youths to be patient.
The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has given 86 government agencies, including the presidential villa, ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) 10 days’ notice to pay up over N47 billion debt due as of December 2023 or risk having their establishments disconnected from grid power.
Among the list of debtors is the Chief of Defence Staff Barracks and Military Formations with over N12 billion debt, followed by the Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory with a N7.5 billion debt, Ministry of Finance with over N5.4 billion debt, and Niger State Governor-Abuja Liaison Office with N3.4 billion.
Others include: Ministry of State for Petroleum, Presidential Villa, Ministry of Education, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, and Nigeria Police Force, among others.
In an advertorial seen by LEADERSHIP, the management of the company said: “The Abuja Electricity Distribution Plc (AEDC) is constrained to do this publication with the details of government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) with long outstanding unpaid bills for services rendered to them through the provision of electricity supply, in that our previous attempts to make them honour their obligations have not achieved the desired result.
“The relevant MDAs are hereby given notice that AEDC shall, after the expiration of 10 days from the date of this publication, that is, after Wednesday, 28th February 2024, embark on disconnection of our services to them until they discharge their obligations to us by paying their debts.”
This is as electricity distribution companies (DisCos) continue to grapple with poor revenue collections.
For example, according to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s report, the total revenue collected by all DisCos in the third quarter of 2023 was N267.61 billion out of N349.55 billion billed customers.
[Leadership]
A digital expert, Caroline Lucas British, who is a director with a UK renowned leadership development firm, has urged Nigerian leaders to utilise strategic benefits of effective remote leadership in the digital world.
Caroline, who spoke with newsmen in Abuja, said in the fast-paced world of the global operating ecosystem, adaptability was not just an advantage, but a necessity.
She noted that as leaders found themselves at the dawn of a new era defined by remote work and distributed teams, the demand for effective leadership had never been more pressing.
[[DailyTrust]
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The officers of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, raided and arrested over 50 illegal Bureau De Change operators in Wuse Zone 4 Abuja, the continued free fall of the Naira in the Foreign Exchange Market, DAILY POST reports.
Dayyabu Mistila, a Bureau De Change operator in Wuse Zone 4, disclosed this to DAILY POST on Monday.
According to Mistila, the operatives said the raid was because of the rising exchange rate of the US dollar and other currencies against the Naira at the forex market.
“Around 3 pm on Monday, officers of EFCC raided Wuse Zone 4 and arrested over 50 of our members. They were complaining that BDC operators are responsible for the rising exchange rate of the Dollar, the parallel exchange market”.
When asked the rate of Dollar to Naira on Monday, he told our Correspondent that it traded for N1,660 per Dollar.
Similarly, official FMDQ data showed that Naira dropped to N1574.62 per US dollar on Monday.
Efforts to speak with the spokesperson, Dele Olyewale, were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
DAILY POST recalls that the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso and the Chairman of EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, met on February 3 2024, in an effort to curb the continued fall of the Naira in FX market.
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Abuja after attending the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government.
NAF 001 pulled up at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Int’l Airport at about 04:00 pm local time, concluding his 15th foreign trip since assuming the Presidency nine months ago, and logging 73 days abroad.
Tinubu was received by top government officials including his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu and the Minister of State for Defense, Bello Matawalle.
Also on the receiving line were the Imo Governor, Hope Uzodinma; the Director-General of the Department of State Service, Yusuf Bichi, among others.
During his three-day stay, the Nigerian leader discussed thematic issues such as climate change and modalities of the AU’s participation and priorities in the G20.
At the Ministerial Executive Leadership Programme on Saturday, February 17, Tinubu argued that addressing Africa’s health sector challenges would require states to forge partnerships that transcend borders and sectors, leveraging collective expertise, knowledge, resources, and the private sector.
Tinubu, who spoke in his capacity as the newly-appointed AU Health Champion, said Africa’s effective collaboration with the rest of the world to tackle existential health challenges is not merely a strategic choice, but a moral imperative.
Addressing a plenary session attended by several of his counterparts, he affirmed Nigeria’s readiness to host the African Central Bank according to the vision of the Abuja Treaty.
On Sunday, he held talks with Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, with both countries now planning to establish direct flight operations between their respective financial capitals of Lagos and São Paulo.
Nigeria and Brazil also reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral relations mainly to increase the volume of trade and cooperation across solid mineral exploration, healthcare, and agriculture.
Tinubu has so far visited Paris, France (thrice); London, the United Kingdom; Bissau, Guinea-Bissau (twice); Nairobi, Kenya; Porto Norvo, Benin Republic; New Delhi, India; Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates; New York, the United States of America, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Berlin, Germany.
His return coincides with protests in Oyo State over the rising cost of living.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) is calling on President Bola Tinubu’s government to provide an account of the savings resulting from the fuel subsidy removal in the initial nine months of his administration.
The bishops raised concerns about the absence of functional refineries despite substantial expenditures on turnaround maintenance, resulting in a persistent dependence on fuel imports.
The bishops described the government’s efforts to address the mountainous issues, as “counterproductive” and a “therapy worse than the disease.”
Speaking through the president of CBCN, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, during the opening session of the 2024 First Plenary Assembly of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria in Abuja on Sunday, the bishops described the current situation in the country, as the “worst of times” in its history.
Archbishop Ugorji accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government of mortgaging the future of Nigerians yet unborn with unmitigated borrowing without showing what they are used for.
He said, “In withdrawing the fuel subsidy, the government assured Nigerians it would save a lot of money to be injected into other national development sectors.
“Rather than give evidence of money so far saved from the withdrawal of subsidies for which Nigerians are being afflicted with untold hardship, all we hear is the government’s accumulation of more and more foreign debt to balance its budgetary deficit, thereby mortgaging the future of our nation and generations yet unborn.
“This has led many Nigerians to conclude that all the extensive talks on fuel subsidies may be mere fairy tales.
“Nigeria owns four refineries, two in Port Harcourt, one in Warri and one in Kaduna. How can we explain that these four refineries have remained moribund for years, despite turn-around-maintenance efforts, which have continued to gulp huge sums of money?”
The Archbishop drew attention to the stark realities facing Nigerians, emphasizing the persistent insecurity and economic turmoil, despite substantial security votes.
“If we cast a cursory glance at the present state of our nation, we are inclined to conclude that this seems to be the worst of times for our country in the areas of security and the economy,” he said.
According to him, kidnappings for ransom, senseless killings, and the rise of banditry have left communities across Nigeria in the grip of fear and paralysis.
“Unarmed citizens are brutally slaughtered on our highways, in their homes and even in the sacred precincts of places of worship. Killer herdsmen, bandits and unknown gunmen seem to be on rampage.
‘’Many communities across the nation have been taken over completely by criminals. Families have lost their ancestral lands to armed invaders and land-grabbers,” the Archbishop lamented.
The Mandate Secretary of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Women Affairs Secretariat, Mrs Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, has sealed off an orphanage, known as the Priesthood Orphanage in Karonmajigi.
The move followed the rescue of 23 children, aged between 1 and 14 years, who were trafficked from Plateau state and found within the premises of the orphanage.
Addressing reporters on Monday, Benjamins-Laniyi stated that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, had granted authorization to the Secretariat to conduct a thorough profiling and recertification of orphanages operating within the nation’s capital.
She said: “There is no question, yesterday, with immediate effect, that ‘home’ was sealed, shut down. We have the name of the proprietor of the orphanage home, but we are not naming names now for obvious reasons. When the entire material investigation is concluded, there will be an official gazetted presentation of the facts, the findings and the delivery of this intervention we’ve started here today.
“NAPTIP, as we speak is already on it. Using this as an example, one of the first things I have done is to get approval for the recertification of orphanage homes in Abuja. The Minister has approved that there will be a full thorough re-profiling of anything that has to do with orphanage and recertification status of all orphanages in Abuja.”
She noted that the Women’s Secretariat was already working with the office of the Commissioner of Women Affairs of Plateau State, to reunite the children with their families, some of whom she said had been at the uncertified orphanage for five years, since 2019.
She said: “We are working with the Plateau state government to reunite the children that I had earlier mentioned by name and by age, with their families in Plateau state. This is a transition arrangement.”
The Plateau State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Caroline Dafur, narrated that the Proprietors of the orphanage home abandoned the children at the orphanage, under the care of one Pastor Abraham, in a terrible condition of hunger.
She noted: “Three of the children had then escaped and were discovered by officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps, who reported the case to the NAPTIP and took the children to the Human Rights Radio, who then notified the Plateau State government and the FCT Women’s Secretariat.
“We came in yesterday and on reaching here, we were told that they went to church. We kept going from one church to another, looking for them until we found them in a Deeper Life Church, where we were able to pick them up, and we went to the home. And we saw the place it is not supposed to be called a home.
“The place is just so unkempt. I wonder how the children were sleeping in the small room. Nine girls were sleeping in a very small room with just two mattresses. And then for the boys, they were in a small room too, with two mattresses just on the floor. And I mean, it’s so pathetic the way human beings treat human beings in this country.”
She stated the displeasure of the Plateau state government while appreciating the Mandate Secretary for the assistance in evacuating the children, and relocating them to the Karu Children’s Home.