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Ekiti disburses N35m to fire disaster victims

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Ekiti disburses N35m to fire disaster victims

The Ekiti State Government has disbursed N35m to over 50 victims of fire accidents in the state to provide respite for them and restore their losses.

The Deputy Governor, Mrs Monisade Afuye, on Thursday, supervised the disbursement to victims of fire incidents between September 2023 and March 2024.

This was disclosed in a statement by her Special Assistant on Media, Victor Ogunje.

The Deputy Governor urged the beneficiaries not to despair despite their situations, saying, “The government decided to offer you emotional and financial support to stabilise you to regain their losses.”

Afuye said, “Governor Biodun Oyebanji has approved N47m for victims of the rainstorm, while N12.3m will soon be disbursed to another round of victims of fire disaster across the state. These show how committed the government is to liberate the distressed.”

She said the government would organise training across the state to enlighten the people on how to curb fire incidences, to mitigate the alarming increase in fire accidents in the state.

She said that though the funds disbursed might not be enough to rebuild their property engulfed by the inferno, it would, however, offer succour.

The Deputy Governor warned those in the habit of blocking the waterways with debris and refuse, asking them to desist from the acts.

“We must take precautions at all times. While going out, we must switch off our electrical appliances and avoid bush burning during the dry season and storage of petrol in residential buildings during scarcity,” she advised.

The deputy governor lauded the National Emergency Management Agency for collaborating to boost emergency management in the state.

The General Manager of the State Emergency Management Agency, Oludare Asaolu, advised residents to always take precautionary measures such as putting off all electrical appliances and gas cylinders before leaving their residences for their respective offices or farms.

The Head of Operations, Ekiti and Ondo States, NEMA, Mr Kofoworola Soleye, saluted the state government for collaborating with NEMA to give succour to victims of emergency in the state.

One of the beneficiaries, Elder Michael Ajayi, who spoke on behalf of other victims, said the gesture would help in boosting their morale and help regain their losses.

Senate rejects bill seeking to review forex market regulations

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Senate rejects bill seeking to review forex market regulations

The Senate on Thursday rejected a bill seeking to review foreign exchange market regulations in the country.

The piece of legislation sponsored by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa, (APC Niger East), also seeks to make provisions for the control, monitoring and supervision of transactions conducted in the foreign exchange market.

The proposed law is titled, “The Foreign Exchange (Control And Monitoring) Bill, 2024 (SB. 353)”. It was read for the first time on Tuesday, February 20, 2024.

In his Lead debate, Musa described the bill as an important legislation that seeks to repeal the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provision) Act, Cap. F34, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

Musa said the proposed law would provide for the regulation, monitoring, and supervision of the transactions conducted in the market and for related matters.

He said it would also contribute to the sound development of the National economy by striving to facilitate foreign transactions and maintain an equilibrium of balance of International payments

He said, “The Bill seeks to stabilize the value of the currency by ensuring the liberalization of foreign exchange transactions to maintain an equilibrium of balance of International payments.

“It will also stabilise the value of the currency by ensuring the liberalization of foreign exchange transactions and of other foreign transactions by revitalizing market functionality.

“The Bill attempts to expand Section (1) of the existing Act to incorporate three new provisions to clarify and to empower the Central Bank of Nigeria to administer, control and manage all dealings and transactions in relation to foreign exchange matters.”

He added, “The newly introduced clauses will enable the CBN to determine the basic exchange rate of purchase and sale of foreign exchange.

“Clause 6 of the Bill introduces New Sub-clauses (2), (4) and (5) which require authorised dealers to render returns to the CBN on sources of foreign exchange over $10,000 and utilisation of same.

“It also requires authorised dealers to obtain prior approval of the CBN when seeking to import foreign currency notes.”

He further stated, “Part Ill of the Bill makes elaborate provisions for the grant of a licence to carry on business dealings in foreign exchange. In this part, provisions were made for refusal of licence, suspension or revocation of licence, review and appeal.

“Clause 18 (1) (a) and (b) were added to expand the scope of dealers in the market and where funds are purchased from the Bank. The market rate may be subject to rules and regulations prescribed by the Bank.”

Musa added that with the bill, the operation of domiciliary accounts shall be as prescribed by the bank and that the powers of the CBN have been widened to prescribe how foreign exchange may be accepted for the payment of goods and services in Nigeria.

The bill when passed into law, according to Musa, will contribute to the sound development of the national economy, facilitate foreign transactions, and most importantly, and stabilize the value of the currency by ensuring the liberalization of foreign transactions and revitalizing market functionality.

Most senators in their various contributions expressed the fears that a fresh legislation seeking to monitor or control the activities of the foreign exchange market apart from what the CBN was doing, could be counter-productive.

Some of the senators, who expressed serious reservations over the proposed law, are Solomon Adeola (Appropriation Committee Chairman); Tokunbo Abiru (Chairman, Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions panel; and Aliyu Wadada (Chairman, Senate Public Account Committee), among other.

For instance, a former Accountant General of the Federation who is now the senator representing Gombe North, Ibrahim Dankwambo, noted that the law, if passed would confuse Nigerians.

He was of the opinion that any further law aimed at regulating the foreign exchange market should come from the executive arm of government to avoid crisis in the sector.

Also contributing, the Senator Adams Oshiomhole, said, “We have to be careful because we cannot speculate. Nigerians will take anything done in the house very seriously, because we have the power to make laws.

“The senators, who have spoken, have summarised and amplified meticulously, the contradictions and negative implications of passing the law.

“I believe that the bill should not attract further hearing because we are trying to take over the monetary policy regulations of the CBN of we go ahead with it.

“If the executive arm of government likes, let them bring a Bill to further strengthen the regulatory powers of the CBN. It is not our work.”

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, who presided over the session, urged Musa to withdraw the proposed law for further consultations but the senator refused to do so.

Akpabio subsequently called for a voice vote to determine whether it should be approved or rejected for second reading. However, the majority of the federal lawmakers voted against it.

Stakeholders urge Livestock Development Ministry to address food insecurity

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Stakeholders urge Livestock Development Ministry to address food insecurity

Agribusiness stakeholders, including the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Commercial Dairy Ranchers Association of Nigeria, have demanded that the newly created Ministry of Livestock Development address food insecurity.

President Bola Tinubu approved the creation of the Livestock Development Ministry on July 9, 2024, as he inaugurated the Presidential Committee on Livestock Reforms at the State House, Abuja.

The Chairman of the Agro-allied group, LCCI, Kola Aderibigbe told The According that creating a Ministry of Livestock Development by President Bola Tinubu was a welcome idea, however, farmers wanted to see a plan of how the ministry would address the food insecurity in the country.

Aderibigbe said, “It is a welcome development. It will add to the dairy farm industry and create more opportunities. But we need to see what is in the pipeline for the ministry.”

He noted that farmers still suffered from insecurity and that their desire was for the ministry’s creation to provide a means to allow farmers to go back to their farms and begin to produce food.

However, the LCCI Agro-allied group chairman expressed concern about the heightened cost of dealing with the Livestock Development Ministry and the Ministry of Agriculture by integrated farmers.

“What about integrated farming? Some people integrate their crop farms with livestock. That means you will have to deal with two agencies, which will cause confusion and certifications will become costly,” he said.

Aderibigbe was worried about the specifics of the solution the Ministry of Livestock Development would bring to the farmer-herders clashes that have prevented many farmers from optimally using their farmlands.

The farmer noted his disappointment with how no headway was made with the ranching option for the open-grazing debate.

He hoped the new government initiative would not be politicised or lead to the conversion of private land property for grazing.

He stated that the country’s multi-billion dollar dairy farming industry could be properly harnessed with modern ranching practices.

Aderibigbe told The According that the LCCI agro-allied group would want to work with the presidential committee as private sector stakeholders.

The President of CODARAN, Alhaji Muhammadu Abubakar, who is also the CEO of L&Z Integrated Farms, said it would take more than a department in the Ministry of Agriculture to realise the potential of dairy farming alongside other outputs of livestock farming.

He stated that the vision of the Dairy Ranchers Association was to meet national demand for dairy products, thus cutting down on the country’s reliance on imports, which in 2023, amounted to $1.5bn annually, according to the National Biotechnology Development Agency.

He said, “Meeting the national demand (for dairy products) and stopping imports would take years before the excess would be imported. There is a real need for a ministry to drive this.”

Abubakar, a member of the Presidential Committee on Livestock Reforms, assured that the interests of poultry farmers were represented in the deliberations that led to the Livestock Development Ministry.

Earlier, the Poultry Association of Nigeria said over 30 per cent of poultry farms in Nigeria shut down in the last six months due to a high cost of operation that had contributed to the sharp increase in prices of eggs in the market.

Public officials received N721bn bribe in 2023 – NBS report

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Public officials received N721bn bribe in 2023 – NBS report

No fewer than N721bn was received as bribe by Nigerian public officials in 2023, a new report by the National Bureau of Statistics has stated.

The report released on Thursday titled, “Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and Trends”, said the N721bn paid in bribes amounts to about 0.35 per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product.

The result was based on a survey conducted with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

According to the survey, the average cash bribe was N8,284, an increase from an average of N5,754 in 2019.

The report read in part, “According to the 2023 survey, the average cash bribe paid was 8,284 Nigerian Naira. While the nominal average cash bribe size increased since 2019 (from NGN 5,754), this does not account for inflation. The inflation-adjusted average cash bribe in 2023 was 29 per cent smaller than in 2019 in terms of what could be bought with the money.

“Overall, it is estimated that a total of roughly NGN 721 billion (US$1.26 billion) was paid in cash bribes to public officials in Nigeria in 2023, corresponding to 0.35 per cent of the entire Gross Domestic Product of Nigeria.”

The report stated that corruption was ranked fourth among the most important problems affecting the country in 2023, after the cost of living, insecurity and unemployment.

It added, “This suggests relatively stable and high levels of concerns about corruption over time and compared to other concerns such as education or housing.

“Nigerians confidence in the government’s anti-corruption effort has been declining over time and across regions. While in 2019, more than half of all citizens thought that the government was effective in fighting corruption, in 2023, the share declined to lessons than a third of all citizens. The downward trend in the citizen’s confidence is observable across the entire country, with all six zones recording reductions of more than 10 percentage points between 2019 and 2023 in terms of the share of citizens who thought the government was effective in fighting corruption.”

The report indicates that 56 per cent of Nigerians interacted with a public official in 2023, down from 63 per cent in 2019.

Despite this reduction, bribery remains widespread, with an average of 5.1 bribes paid per bribe payer, totalling approximately 87 million bribes nationwide. This is a decrease from the 117 million bribes estimated in 2019.

It was also disclosed that bribery is more common in rural areas, with rural residents paying an average of 5.8 bribes compared to 4.5 bribes in urban areas.

On payment mode, the report noted that over 95 per cent of bribes were paid in monetary form (cash or money transfer) in 2023.

It said public officials were more likely to demand bribes while private sector actors included doctors in private hospitals, which increased from 6 per cent in 2019 to 14 per cent in 2023.

Despite this rise, bribery in the public sector remains about twice as high, with public sector contact rates also being twice as high as those in the private sector.

In 2023, 27 per cent of Nigerians who interacted with a public official paid a bribe, a slight decrease from 29 per cent in 2019. Including instances where bribes were requested but refused, over one-third of interactions between citizens and public officials involved bribery.

Similarly, the report shows a growing trend of Nigerians refusing to pay bribes. In 2023, 70 per cent of those asked to pay a bribe refused at least once, with the highest refusal rates in the North-West zone at 76 per cent. All regions recorded refusal rates above 60 per cent. This indicates that Nigerians are increasingly standing against corruption.

According to the report, bribery is becoming less accepted in Nigeria. The percentage of citizens who view bribery requests as acceptable to expedite administrative procedures decreased from 29 per cent in 2019 to 23 per cent in 2023.

Fewer citizens reported suffering negative consequences after refusing bribe requests in 2023 compared to 2019. This suggests a growing empowerment among Nigerians to confront corrupt officials without fear of repercussions.

In 2023, 21 per cent of bribe refusers indicated they refused because they had other options. Normative concerns (42 per cent) and cost of living pressures (23 per cent) also played significant roles in their refusal to pay bribes.

Furthermore, not less than 60 per cent of public sector workers were hired due to nepotism, bribery or both between 2020 and 2023.

The report noted that six out of 10 successful candidates admitted to using either nepotism, bribery, or both to improve their chances of being recruited.

 Specifically, 27 per cent of these candidates admitted to using only bribery, 13 per cent to only nepotism, and 19 per cent to both bribery and nepotism. On the other hand, 40 per cent of the candidates claimed to have secured their positions without resorting to any such means, based on data collected between November 2020 and October 2023.

The report read, “The selection process used to recruit public officials plays a crucial role in shaping the culture of integrity that should drive the civil service as well as ensure that recruits have the highest standards of professionalism and merit.

However, the 2023 survey findings indicate that the public sector recruitment process requires closer monitoring, as almost half (46 per cent) of people who secured a job in the public sector in the last three years before the survey admitted that they paid a bribe to facilitate their recruitment – about 1.5 times the share found in the 2019 survey (31 per cent).

“The 2023 survey also found evidence that a considerable number of people recruited into the public sector secured their posts with the help of a friend or relative, many in addition to paying a bribe: of all successful applicants in the last three years before the 2023 survey, 32 per cent were helped by friends or relatives. Overall, in the three years before the 2023 survey, around 60 per cent of public sector applicants in Nigeria were hired as a result of nepotism, bribery or both – about 1.2 times the share found in the 2019 survey.”

The report also noted that the use of bribery is notably lower when the recruitment process includes formal assessments.

Specifically, 51 per cent of candidates were not formally assessed, and of these, a significant 53 per cent admitted to using bribery or nepotism to secure their positions.

Conversely, among the 49 per cent of candidates who underwent a written test or oral interview, the use of unethical means such as bribery or nepotism dropped to 41 per cent.

The report read: “The 2023 survey data show that approximately half (49 per cent) of those who secured a position in the public sector in the three years before the survey passed a written test and/or oral interview during the recruitment selection process. Importantly, the data suggest that the means of selection had a role in facilitating or preventing the use of illegal practices during recruitment. Among those who underwent an assessment procedure (written test / oral interview), 41 per cent made use of bribery, while the share was as much as 53 per cent among those who were not formally assessed.”

It was also disclosed that bribery is more common in rural areas, with rural residents paying an average of 5.8 bribes compared to 4.5 bribes in urban areas.

FG, IOCs agree on crude supply to Dangote, local refineries

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FG, IOCs agree on crude supply to Dangote, local refineries

The Federal Government and crude oil producers in Nigeria have committed to working towards a sustainable supply of crude oil to local refineries under a market-determined pricing system.

Both parties said the aim of the commitment was to ensure that while the operators (crude oil producers) do business optimally, the refineries are not starved of feedstock.

Accordingly, the industry regulator, the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission has directed oil refiners in the country to provide monthly price quote on crude supply.

This came as the $20bn Dangote Petroleum Refinery is reportedly ramping up the importation of crude from the United States, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, Nigeria’s upstream regulator stated that oil producers under the umbrella of the Oil Producers Trade Section of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, at a meeting called by NUPRC, agreed to concede to a framework that would be mutually beneficial with the aim of ensuring that local refineries are not strangulated due to off-the-curve prices.

“The focus of the meeting held at the instance of the Commission Chief Executive, Gbenga Komolafe, was on the status review of the Framework for Seamless Operationalisation of Domestic Crude Oil Supply Obligation Template.

“It was part of efforts to effectively implement key sections of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, especially the issue of pricing and crude supply to the domestic refineries,” the commission stated.

In the statement, Komolafe said President Bola Tinubu is fully committed to providing a level playing ground for producers and refiners to do business in the industry.

He expressed the need for a rule of engagement to ensure that the pricing model from the oil producers does not hinder the domestic refineries.

He directed producers and refiners to provide the NUPRC with cargo price quotes on crude supply and delivery for effective monitoring and regulation of transactions among parties. “We need to have the price quotes monthly,” he directed.

The NUPRC boss pointed out a convergence between the Domestic Crude Oil Supply Obligation and the nation’s energy security, indicating that his team is re-engineering its regulatory processes to address the challenges.

“We allow all our processes to be transparent. While the Federal Government targets the implementation of the regulation, all parties must submit to the rules of engagement as a guide for operation,” Komolafe stated.

He said NUPRC is committed to driving the willing buyer/willing seller provision.

“We have to discuss pricing, especially as parties have committed to respecting their domestic crude oil obligation. As the regulator, we don’t want the upstream sector to be operated sub-optimally through cost under-recovery.

“So, the regulator is very alive to that. In crude pricing we will never allow price strangulation to disincentivise our domestic refining capacity optimisation. The regulator does not support cost under-recovery in the upstream sector, and we will continue to work to ensure that crude supply profiteering as a negative factor that can strangulate our domestic refining capacity optimisation is disallowed,” Komolafe declared.

Dangote raises alarm

Last month, the Vice President of Oil and Gas at Dangote Industries Limited, Devakumar Edwin, had accused International Oil Companies in Nigeria of plans to frustrate the survival of the new Dangote Petroleum Refinery.

Edwin had said the IOCs were deliberately and willfully frustrating the refinery’s efforts to buy local crude by hiking the cost above the market price, thereby forcing the refinery to import crude from countries as far as the United States, with its attendant high costs.

“Recall that the NUPRC recently met with crude oil producers as well as refineries’ owners in Nigeria, in a bid to ensure full adherence to Domestic Crude Oil Supply Obligations as enunciated under section 109(2) of the Petroleum Industry Act. It seems that the IOCs’ objective is to ensure that our petroleum refinery fails. It is either they are deliberately asking for a ridiculous/humongous premium or they simply state that crude is not available.

“At some point, we paid $6 over and above the market price. This has forced us to reduce our output as well as import crude from countries as far as the US, increasing our cost of production. It appears that the objective of the IOCs is to ensure that Nigeria remains a country which exports crude oil and imports refined petroleum products.

“They (IOCs) are keen on exporting the raw materials to their home countries, creating employment and wealth for their countries, adding to their Gross Domestic Product, and dumping the expensive refined products into Nigeria – thus making us to be dependent on imported products. It is the same strategy the multinationals have been adopting in every commodity, making Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa to be facing unemployment and poverty, while they create wealth for themselves at our expense,” Edwin had stated.

But on Thursday NUPRC emphasised the imperative for appropriate pricing to drive willing buyer willing seller referencing guided Fiscal Oil Price published by the commission in line with the provisions of the PIA.

“NUPRC is committed to attracting the needed investments to boost upstream development and optimisation of our hydrocarbon resources just as we want sustainability of domestic energy supply in the midstream and downstream sector.”

Crude importation

Also on Thursday Bloomberg reported that Nigeria’s Dangote mega-refinery was ramping up the importation of crude oil from the United States, stating that the Lagos-based refinery had created a new flow of long-haul crude from the US, as inflows of American feedstock could be about to rise further.

The report stated that the Dangote mega-refinery was lapping up ever more US crude, bringing the barrels thousands of miles across the Atlantic ocean.

It stated that Dangote bought more than 16 million barrels of West Texas Intermediate crude oil so far this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

In August and September, the proportion it will take from the US — as opposed to Nigerian barrels — may be set to rise, based on tenders for new supply seen by Bloomberg.

Rivers coalition warns against Fubara’s impeachment

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Rivers coalition warns against Fubara’s impeachment

A group, the Coalition of Rivers State Leaders of Thought, has called on the Martin Amaewhule-led House of Assembly to drop its plan to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara to avoid anarchy in the state.

The coalition said the recent actions of the 27 lawmakers loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, were capable of plunging the state into an unimaginable crisis.

The Appeal Court, on July 4, ruled that Amaewhule and 24 other lawmakers in his faction remained members of the state House of Assembly, voiding the earlier High Court order which restrained the lawmakers.

Following the judgment, Amaewhule, while presiding over plenary on Monday, gave Fubara a seven-day ultimatum to re-present the 2024 Appropriation Bill before the House.

Responding on Wednesday, Fubara, while receiving on a solidarity visit, the leadership structure, critical stakeholders, opinion leaders, women and youths of Etche and Omuma Local Government Areas, said Amaewhule and others were no longer members of the state Assembly.

He told his visitors that he would not present the 2024 budget again, adding that he had already initiated the 2025 budget which would focus on healthcare, education and agriculture.

The Convener of the Coalition, High Chief Sunnie Chukumele, however, warned the Amaewhule-led Assembly on Thursday, against inviting anarchy to the state.

While addressing a press conference in Port Harcourt on Thursday, Chukumele expressed worry that the political crisis in the state, rather than improving, had nose-dived to what it was before the intervention of President Bola Tinubu.

“We call on Martin Amaewhule and his colleagues to jettison the idea of impeaching the governor of the state.

“We advise them that the impacts of the consequences of their threats should only be imagined. Let Amaewhule and his colleagues not ignite a fire that they can never have the capacity to contain. They are inviting anarchy,” the group said.

He called on Tinubu to prevail on Wike, whom the leaders alleged was contributing to the tension in the state.

“Our son, the FCT Minister, can be said to be sufficiently linked to the unabating political crisis in his home state, Rivers State. The situation created in our dear state is unacceptable, and regrettable and has consequences of throwing the state into an irredeemable crisis of unimaginable proportions.

“We call on our son, the FCT Minister, once more to rein in his henchmen and foot soldiers in the political crisis in the state, particularly the recalcitrant wing of the state legislature loyal to him, and as well the immediate-past local government chairmen whose activities in the state are becoming felonious.

“On behalf of the entire people of Rivers State, home and abroad, we sternly call on the President, who our son, Nyesom Wike, is serving under in Abuja, to call him to order henceforth, and that we say enough is enough,” Chukumele said.

The coalition also called on the judiciary to apply wisdom on matters concerning Rivers brought before them, noting that public opinions on their management of matters emanating from the state were negative.

“We also once again call out the judiciary to employ and apply extreme wisdom on matters concerning Rivers State brought before them. The public opinion on their management of matters emanating from Rivers State is negative.

“The National Judicial Council should, as a matter of urgency, save the image of the judiciary by also taking cognisance of impact assessment on matters the courts are handling concerning burning issues in Rivers State,” Chukumele said.

The coalition reiterated its support for the Fubara-led administration and urged the governor not to lose focus in the discharge of his constitutional mandate of delivering good governance for Rivers people.

Ex-power minister collapses before trial, remanded in prison

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Ex-power minister collapses before trial, remanded in prison

A former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, collapsed on Thursday at the Federal High Court in Abuja where he was arraigned for alleged N33bn fraud.

Mamman, who served as a N33bn fraud: Ex-power minister collapses before trial, remanded in prisonminister under ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, was led into the dock in drenched clothes, prompting his lawyer to explain to Justice James Omotosho that he collapsed on the court premises and had to be revived by medical personnel just before the case was called for hearing.

The defence lawyer, Femi Ate (SAN), said his client was only served with the charges by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission after he was resuscitated.

Ate prayed the judge to adjourn the arraignment till Monday, given the ex-minister’s condition.

Justice Omotoso, however, declined the adjournment prayer, noting that his docket was already full for Monday.

Instead of an adjournment, Justice Omotoso granted a one-hour stand-down of the case for Mamman to feel better, though the ex-minister maintained that he was fine enough for the case to proceed.

He was later arraigned on 12 counts, in which he was accused of money laundering to the tune of N22bn.

After Mamman pleaded not guilty to the charges, the EFCC prosecutor, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), asked the judge to fix a date for trial.

But the defence counsel said he had filed an application for his client’s bail.

The judge, however, said the application was not before the court, holding that the bail application would be adjourned till today (Friday) for hearing.

Meanwhile, he ordered that Mamman be sent to the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his bail application today. for an hour.

Mamman, who served as minister under Buhari between 2019 and 2021, was accused of conspiring with staff of the ministry in charge of the accounts of the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects to divert about N33bn.

Police probe Yobe cleric for allegedly impregnating friend’s wife

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Police probe Yobe cleric for allegedly impregnating friend’s wife

The Yobe State Police Command has begun the probe into the case of a self-proclaimed marabout, Auwalu Haruna, arrested for allegedly abducting and impregnating his wife’s friend.

According Metro gathered that the 20-year-old girl, after days of disappearance, was found pregnant at Haruna’s custody in Anguwan Arewa, in the Gaya Local Government Area of Kano State.

In a telephone interview with According Metro on Thursday, Dungus Abdulkarim, the spokesperson for the state police command, revealed to our correspondent that Haruna was accused of hypnotising the victim with a concoction that rendered her unconscious.

Abdulkarim said the case was transferred to the state Criminal Investigation Department, and a discreet investigation was ongoing.

“The suspect is just like a marabout, he does rituals for people. So, he allegedly forced her to drink a certain medical concoction that made her fall in love with him, then he eloped with her to Anguwan at Kano.

“The abduction case was reported to the Tarmuwa Divisional Police Headquarters by her father, who alleged it was Mallam Haruna who perpetrated it. After thorough research, the command operatives arrested him in Kano with the girl, whom he had already impregnated. It was medically confirmed that she was two months pregnant.

“The case is still under investigation at the Yobe SCID, and you know there are processes. After we are done, we still have to transfer his file to the Yobe State Ministry of Justice. The ministry, which is our counterpart, will now go through the file and vet it.”

If satisfied with the investigation, they can now provide legal assistance to the police, and he will be arraigned in court,” Abdulkarim concluded.

According Metro reported in June that a 71-year-old landlord, identified simply as Adesina, for allegedly defiling and impregnating his tenant’s 14-year-old girl at Akegbeyale Street in Ifesowapo Akute, Ifo Local Government Area of the state.

Our correspondent gathered that the residents and other tenants were thrown into a state of shock when the septuagenarian suspect was found on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, having sexual intercourse with the minor at about 10:15 pm in the bathroom.

Reps plan public hearing on bill seeking new S’East state

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Reps plan public hearing on bill seeking new S’East state

A bill seeking the creation of Etiti State in the South-East passed the second reading on Thursday in the House of Representatives.

The House at this stage is set to hold a public hearing on the bill, before returning it for a third and final reading ahead of passage and concurrence of the Senate.

The proposed legislation titled “A bill for an Act to alter the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to provide for the creation of Etiti State out of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Enugu and Imo States and for Related Matters” was sponsored by the member representing Isuikwato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency, Abia State, Amobi Ogah, and four others.

Introducing the bill, a member of the Labour Party said it was aimed at addressing a longstanding issue of regional parity and administrative efficiency within the South-East geo-political zone of Nigeria.

 “It proposes an alteration to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to accommodate the creation of Etiti State, thereby increasing the number of states in the South-East geo-political zone to six,” Ogah said.

 He said the proposed establishment of Etiti State was not just a matter of administrative convenience but a step towards ensuring balanced regional development and effective governance.

“It responds to the aspirations of the people of a very important region in this country and aligns with the principles of equity and inclusivity enshrined in our democratic ideals,” he said.

Justifying the creation of another state in the South-East region, Amobi said, “It is not news that the current structure of the South-East region with just five states—Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo—as against other regions of the country which have no fewer than six states, has been a subject of debate and advocacy for reconfiguration.

 “The creation of Etiti State is a proactive step towards aligning the region with the structural realities of its other five sister regions in the country.  Suffice it to say that is a long overdue step in the right direction to foster equitable representation, enhance governance efficiency, and promote socio-economic development within the region.

Let us bear in mind that the South-East, with its rich cultural heritage and strategic economic potential, deserves a governance framework that optimally serves its diverse communities.

 “The creation of Etiti State will facilitate more targeted development initiatives, better resource allocation, and improved service delivery to the people.”

 The bill is seeking an amendment to Section 3(1) of the 1999 Constitution to increase the number of states from thirty-six to thirty-seven by inserting “Etiti” immediately after “Enugu”.

Consequential alterations in the First Schedule, Part I, include “Carving out Isuikwuato and Umunneochi LGAs from Abia; Orumba North and Orumba South LGAs from Anambra; Ivo and Ohaozara LGAs from Ebonyi; Aninri, Awgu and Oji River LGAs from Enugu; and Okigwe and Onuimo LGAs from Imo States to form the new Etiti State; and designation of Lokpanta as the capital city of Etiti State.”

 Lobbying for support from his colleagues, the lawmaker urged them to be guided by the imperative of fairness, efficiency, and progress, stressing that “The creation of Etiti State represents a unique opportunity to strengthen our federal structure, empower our communities, and foster national unity.  I urge all honourable members to support this bill, which promises to reshape the socio-political landscape of the Southeast for the betterment of all.

“I therefore urge us all to thoughtfully consider and swiftly pass this important constitution alteration bill.  Let us seize this moment to make history and fulfil our mandate to serve the best interests of the Nigerian people.”

Currently, there are two other bills at the National Assembly seeking the creation of more states in the South-East.

Edun’s ‘ways and means’ audit

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Edun’s ‘ways and means’ audit

Recently, the finance minister, Mr Wale Edun, appeared before the Senate and commented on Ways and Means, a temporary loan the Central Bank of Nigeria gave governments. He said the current administration was “interrogating the N22.7 trillion that we met on the ground. We had instituted forensic audit to see the impact.” For anyone who has followed closely matters relating to Ways and Means as reported in a section of the media in the past few months, the minister’s comment cannot but draw attention. One reason is that there’s now an expectation that by the time the forensic audit is concluded, there’ll be closure to some of the issues public discussions regarding Ways and Means have raised.  

For any Nigerian who has high expectations of the current government to bring some changes to public administration, one benefit this audit will have is that a link between public expenditure and outcomes will be established. In other words, and if this is what the minister has in mind, a trail of how the fund is expended and how it has impacted the targets will be established.  One then expects that subsequently a culture of such assessments will be institutionalised and continued. If the current government has a clear view of the impact of Ways and Means taken before it, this will give it an idea of the impact of its own expenditure in a certain direction. Why is this important?

This is a nation where it’s well documented that there’s hardly a good official understanding of the impact of every naira expended on services, people, civil servants, or other entities. Proper assessment before spending is lacking so we often say, “Governments throw money at problems.” No one checks the exact amount needed or the results achieved. In the event, there’s a lot of room for the kind of graft cases that anti-graft agencies have established and prosecuted of late. One reason is that there’s hardly a pre-spending assessment, and definitely little thorough post-spending assessment or what is generally referred to as Expenditure Assessment. Wastage is inevitable in this situation, and it indirectly contributes to the financial crunch that has compelled, since 2014, different administrations to resort to taking CBN loans in order to finance basic activities.

Now, an expenditure assessment is a process of estimating how much a specific programme will cost and how much it will produce in terms of benefits. There are different types of expenditure assessments. One is the financial aspects of a particular activity, and the others are on the environmental or social impacts of the activity. I focus on the first. An expenditure assessment is basically used by governments, businesses, and other organisations to make informed decisions about how to spend money. As FasterCapital, a financial expert entity explains, there are several steps involved in undertaking an expenditure assessment. The first is to develop a budget which is a detailed estimate of how much money is available to be spent on a programme, as well as an estimate of the costs associated with the programme. The budget should be based on information about the programme such as its objectives and desired outcomes. Is this always empirically done using all necessary details in Nigeria’s public administration? It hardly happens to even the national Appropriation Bill, as it is alleged that what is mostly done is an estimate and approximate cost year after year.

After developing a budget, the second step is to develop estimates of how much money will be spent on a programme and how many benefits will be generated. This is an expenditure profile, and it includes information about the costs of goods and services purchased, wages paid, and other expenses incurred by participants in the programme. The third step in undertaking an expenditure assessment is to compare the costs and benefits of the programme against each other. This helps make informed decisions about which programmes to invest in and which to discontinue. In Nigeria’s public administration the last, especially, hardly happens. So, one is inclined to hope the current administration will establish it starting with the outcome of its forensic audit into the utilisation of Ways and Means.

Meanwhile, the finance minister cited Ways and Means taken by the immediate-past administration for audit. But public records showed that taking Ways and Means began with the President Goodluck Jonathan administration (which was of a different political party, and now in the opposition). In fact, the reason for taking the CBN loans was announced by the then Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, now the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation. One would think this forensic audit should cover that pre-2015 administration too in order to have a holistic outcome that puts all doubts to rest regarding the utilisation of Ways and Means. Yet there is another doubt the audit can help clear. In utilising Ways and Means, was a single naira looted? This is an important question to find answers to for two reasons.

One, there is a general situation among Nigerians that whenever an official audit is embarked upon regarding the utilisation of public funds, it is believed funds have been looted. This happens because the nation’s public service is such that hardly does anyone see what doesn’t belong to them and fail to loot. Scandal after scandal has lent credence to this. So, it is difficult for citizens to believe that a Nigerian can be in an office, or have access to funds and yet be transparent and honest, adhering to best global practices. Nonetheless, this nation has such individuals who are unsung for their probity.

These are people who know they have a reputation to protect, people known to have left behind a record of transparency wherever they have served. Under the Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari administrations, did the CBN loan find its way into private pockets? The audit Edun mentions will help answer this question and many Nigerians are eager to know the outcome. The second point regarding the need for this audit was the impression created after a report of the special investigator appointed by the current government was said to have been leaked. There were new reports online (not by any serious media platforms in Nigeria) making insinuations about government officials which the so-called leaked report itself didn’t make in any way. With the outcome of the forensic audit such insinuations too will either be established or dismissed.

It’s interesting to hear another observation the minister made in the course of his interaction with lawmakers. He said the government was also interrogating the revenues due to it from everybody in view of the fact “that Ways and Means is going down rather than up” and that the government “is servicing all the debts.” What stands out here is that the current government is servicing all debts, including the Ways and Means taken under the Buhari administration and for which a forensic audit is being conducted. The inference can thus be drawn that the current government, because it has all the records of what was done under previous administrations, has a fair idea of where the CBN loans ended up since it has decided to service all debts. Those debts include the CBN loans the current administration also has taken, and one therefore wants to believe that it has an impression of what financial pressures previous administrations too were under which made them take the loans.

I stated it on this page in the past (which is what the finance minister is now saying) what we should focus on as a nation, even as efforts were being made to ascertain how Ways and Means was utilised. Now that the CBN loans have been taken, how to stop taking more by growing our revenue should be the focus. That Ways and Means is going down is therefore good news. As this happens, the point that the government strives to bring in every revenue due to it is also important. The humongous amount retained in bank accounts by MDAs is staggering. The amount looted is shocking going by what the head of an anti-graft agency publicly said lately. So bringing all revenues in is one way to get us off loans as well as reduce the financial pressure. And following the outcome of the audit, one expects the minister to bring closure to every controversy Ways and Means has generated. Official silence shouldn’t end it.

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