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FG, private sector plan $50m funding to combat TB

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FG, private sector plan $50m funding to combat TB

As part of efforts to scale up Tuberculosis case finding and placing patients on treatment, the Federal Government has struck a $50m (N78.3bn) joint contribution deal with the private sector to address the huge funding gap in TB services in Nigeria.

For Nigeria to achieve the goal of eliminating TB by 2030, the Federal Government said it was crucial to collaborate with the private sector to provide direct funding to the national TB programme and also deliver financial and non-financial incentives.

The private sector is also expected to bring its expertise and advocate political commitment and investment in TB treatment and control.

Tuberculosis popularly known as TB is an infectious disease that usually affects the lungs. Symptoms include coughing, phlegm, and more.

Nigeria ranks top in TB burden in Africa and number six in the world.

Despite Nigeria accounting for the high burden of the disease, the country still has a 70 per cent funding gap in TB with only six per cent of the National TB budget coming from domestic sources.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate disclosed this during the launch of the Private Sector Strategy to End Tuberculosis in Nigeria, held in Lagos recently.

It was organised by the Stop TB Nigeria Partnership.

Pate said the Federal Government would contribute $25 million (N39.1bn) to match the $25 million financial commitment made by the private sector towards the goal.

The minister said, “Nigeria faces a huge funding gap of USD 273 million for TB control efforts, which is 70 per cent of the total TB budget of USD 388 million for 2023. Domestic contributions make up 15 per cent (USD 6 million), while contributions from external donors account for 23 per cent (USD 92 million).

“We must work together and explore all avenues to bridge the substantial gaps in resources, innovations, and interventions required to effectively control and eradicate TB in Nigeria.

“In this regard, private sector organisations have crucial roles, especially by leveraging their resources, technology, and influence to amplify the efforts of the government and other partners in TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and palliative care.”

Pate stated that the joint contribution deal by the Federal Government with the private sector is aimed at ending tuberculosis by 2030.

He explained, “What we’ve offered to the private sector and captains of industry, to the millionaires and billionaires that are Nigerians, is that if they step up to $25 million, we would work to match them with $25 million between what the Federal Government and development partners would put in, in terms of domestic resources and also mobilising other philanthropic sources to invest.

“The Federal Government has struck this deal with the private sector towards ending tuberculosis by 2030.  Together, we can ensure that our resources are used efficiently, effectively, and transparently, with a plan to monitor our progress over time.”

The Sustainable Development Goal 3.3, targets for 2030 are a 90 per cent reduction in the number of TB deaths and an 80 per cent reduction in new TB cases per 100,000, population per year.

A new report by the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme noted that Nigeria alone accounted for 23 per cent of deaths resulting from TB in Africa.

The report states that undetected TB carriers in the country are capable of infecting between 12 per cent and 15 per cent of the country’s population annually.

In his opening remarks, the Director of Public Health, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Chukwuma Anyaike, urged all stakeholders to embrace this strategy and collaborate in a coordinated and sustained effort to end TB in Nigeria.

He said the private sector’s involvement was crucial in this drive, “The strategy we are launching today represents a comprehensive and collaborative approach to leveraging the private sector’s resources, expertise, and reach to enhance our TB control efforts.

“By engaging private healthcare providers, businesses, and other stakeholders, we aim to mobilise resources to improve TB case detection and treatment adherence and, ultimately, reduce the TB burden in Nigeria.

“Therefore, this is a call to action for private sector organisations to leverage their resources, expertise, and innovative ideas to significantly improve the fight against tuberculosis.”

The director said though Nigeria had made significant progress in the fight against TB, the huge funding gaps had become a threat to patients living with the disease due to a shortage of diagnostic cartridges and TB medicines.

“The TB Program Nigeria increased her efforts and ambition, scaled up her interventions and coverage, performed very well, and surpassed her targets; the first ever in the history of TB response in Nigeria.

“Unfortunately, we are facing a dire shortage of diagnostic cartridges and TB medicines. Besides the risk of rolling back all achievements, we are at the risk of the interruption of essential programming by September 2024. This meeting is therefore apt as the private sector is expected to play a crucial role in achieving a robust health system in Nigeria.

“This is in tandem with the SDG 17 which harps on strong partnership without which it will be difficult to achieve the remaining 16 SDGs.”

The Country Representative of the World Health Organisation Nigeria, Dr Walter Molumbo, said finding and treating TB cases is key to universal health coverage, stressing that without the private sector, the county cannot achieve TB coverage.

He explained, “The private sector must be comprehensively engaged in the provision of TB and other care to Nigeria. Over the years the consistent cuts in the TB budget will currently stand at 70 per cent. For example wide-scale implementation of innovative quality and indigenous-based intervention across the country with a significant number of people yet to be reached.

“We see mostly treatment and prevention services. The value created in accessing TB services must be addressed for the country to reach the end TB target by 2030. We expect that the private sector engagement and plan being launched will help governance and public health resources required to end the epidemic in the country.”

The National Programme Officer for TB, WHO, Dr Amos Omoniyi, in a presentation on what is required to end TB in Nigeria, said the country is among the 30 highest TB burden countries in the world.

He noted, “Nigeria has the highest TB burden in Africa with an estimated 479,000 cases in 2022 (19 per cent of the African burden. One person develops TB every minute and one person dies from TB every five minutes in Nigeria, even as 97,900 died from TB, this represents 23 per cent of TB deaths in Africa

“We expect the private sector to mobilise domestic resources to address the current gap in TB budget, procure additional molecular WHO Rapid diagnostic tools to ensure 100 per cent coverage of the LGAs/universal coverage with TB diagnostic tools.”

Earlier in her welcome address, the Acting Board Chair of Stop TB Partnership Nigeria, Dr Queen Ogbuji-Ladipo, said they would engage with the private sector as a powerful force that could drive innovation, and expand access to services that would reach the underserved populations most affected by TB.

She noted that a multi-sectoral approach was crucial to eradicating TB in Nigeria.

Ogbuji-Ladipo urged organisations in the private sector to remain steadfast in their commitment to the cause as StopTB Partnership Nigeria continues to advocate, innovate, collaborate, and invest resources in TB, knowing that every step will bring Nigeria closer to a TB-free nation.

Coastguards seek support to check waterway accidents

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Coastguards seek support to check waterway accidents

The Nigeria Marine Coastguard Volunteer Service, a seaborne para-military humanitarian lifesaving organisation, has called for a partnership with the Lagos State Government to tackle the issues of water accidents, especially drowning.

The group, in a statement on Sunday, said the partnership would help equip them with the necessary tools and logistics to effectively curb drowning in Nigeria.

The Chief Commanding Officer of the NMCGVS, Isaac Adamolekun, explained that the lack of essential equipment and logistical support was hindering their ability to perform their life-saving duties.

“NMCGVS personnel have dedicated themselves to a rigorous six-month professional training programme in conjunction with the Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Technology, Victoria Island, Lagos.

“This training includes regimented seaborne rescue swimming, preparing them to undertake national assignments aimed at preventing and responding to drowning incidents across Nigeria. However, despite their commitment and ongoing training, the lack of essential equipment and logistical support is severely hindering their ability to perform their life-saving duties,” he said.

He noted that Lagos and some other states in Nigeria were experiencing significant flooding,

Adamolekun added that the escalating situation heightened the risk of drowning incidents, making it imperative that immediate action be taken to support the NMCGVS in its critical mission.

“The rainy season is upon us, and as witnessed recently, Lagos State and numerous other states in Nigeria are experiencing significant flooding. Historically, 33 out of the 36 states, including the Federal Capital Territory, face severe flooding during the peak of the rainy season,” he said.

Adamolekun appealed to the World Health Organisation, the Economic Community of West African States, and the Lagos State Government to lead by example and partner with them in the cause.

“Together, we can ensure that the risk of drowning, especially during this rainy season, is significantly reduced and that our communities are better protected,” he said.

Unfinished business! PSG back in Osimhen negotiations

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Unfinished business! PSG back in Osimhen negotiations

•PSG back in Osimhen negotiations

French giants PSG are reportedly back on the negotiation table for the signature of Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen, a few days after seeing their offer for the striker turned down by Napoli, According Sports Extra reports.

Napoli are prepared to part ways with the 25-year-old, who has a €130m release clause, which has been a clog in his transfer since the start of the summer window.

PSG have had a €200m offer for Osimhen, and Georgia international Khvicha Kvaratskhelia rejected it a few days ago, but the Ligue 1 giants are ready to reignite the pursuit of the Nigerian, while Chelsea are also considering him.

According to a report by L’Équipe, PSG will not activate Osimhen’s release clause of €130m million, which the French champions see as excessive, but will instead try and convince Napoli to lower their price.

The site reports that while PSG’s negotiations have stalled with Napoli over a potential deal for Kvaratskhelia, the French side are keen to ramp up talks with the Serie A side over Osimhen, who is seen as the club’s desired target for the number nine position.

However, PSG need to sell first to be able to afford Osimhen’s transfer fee. Randal Kolo Muani and Gonçalo Ramos are available for potential suitors this summer, and PSG are willing to listen to offers for the duo.

PSG had previously been linked with Osimhen in 2023 when they tried to persuade Napoli to part ways with him. However, Les Parisiens eventually gave up on their pursuit after two bids over €100 million were rejected by Napoli.

It remains to be seen if Osimhen will fancy a return to France, as he is reportedly interested in joining a Premier League team.

Napoli had also expected offers from English clubs (such as Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea), but that has not happened, meaning PSG could relaunch negotiations.

Meanwhile, Osimhen has worked separately in Napoli’s pre-season training for the second day in a row due to muscle fatigue, according to multiple sources in Italy, including Il Corriere dello Sport.

According to reports, Osimhen didn’t join his teammates on the pitch but worked separately in the gym instead.

Osimhen was signed from Lille in 2020 for a fee of around €75m and he has gone on to establish himself as one of the most exciting strikers in world football.

In the 2022/23 season, the current African Player of the Year scored 25 league goals to lead Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years and also emerged as the league’s highest goal scorer.

He has scored 76 goals plus 18 assists in 133 appearances across all competitions for Napoli.

Oshoala teases England after Euro final loss

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Oshoala teases England after Euro final loss

Super Falcons striker Asisat Oshoala taunted England following their 2-1 defeat to Spain in the UEFA Euro Championships final on Sunday night, According Sports Extra reports.

England’s hopes of joining Sir Alf Ramsey’s 1966 World Cup winners in English football immortality ended in the same way as the nation’s first appearance in a men’s continental final against Italy three years ago.

The Three Lions were losing 1-0 heading into the closing stages before substitute Cole Palmer scored a 73rd-minute equaliser to cancel out Nico Williams’s opener just 69 seconds into the second half.

Immediately after the Chelsea man had drawn level, there was the feeling that the men in white could end their 58-year wait for a trophy.

However, Gareth Southgate’s men could not hold on and conceded four minutes from time, when Mikel Oyarzabal slotted a close-range finish past Jordan Pickford to clinch an unprecedented fourth European Championship title for La Roja.

After falling behind for the second time, the Three Lions went on a late onslaught, but Spain held on strong to see out the win.

Adding salt to injury, Oshoala, who was in favour of the Spanish side winning the championship due to her affinity with FC Barcelona, took to her X handle to troll England, “It’s not coming home.”

Her comment on the English football anthem, ‘It’s Coming Home’, was in response to Southgate’s second European Championship final defeat.

‘It’s Coming Home’, the officially made Three Lions anthem, was first penned for the Euro ‘96 competition by comedians Frank Skinner, David Baddiel, and a band called the Lightning Seeds. England was hosting its first major tournament since the 1966 World Cup when the song first came out.

Provide solar grid for hospitals, physicians urge FG

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Provide solar grid for hospitals, physicians urge FG

In response to the persistent challenges faced by hospitals in Nigeria due to unreliable electricity supply, stakeholders in the health sector have called on the Federal Government to urgently implement solar grid systems in healthcare facilities across the country.

They lamented that hospitals often struggle with inadequate power supply, which jeopardises the functioning of essential medical equipment and disrupts critical services.

While advising the government to recognise hospitals as essential infrastructure deserving of reliable and subsidised electricity supply, the experts said there is a need for proactive measures to implement both immediate relief and sustainable energy solutions to safeguard healthcare delivery nationwide.

A former chairman of Nigeran Medical Association, Dr Adewunmi Alayaki, emphasised the necessity of sustainable energy solutions, noting that erratic power supply poses a significant threat to patient safety and healthcare delivery.

Alayaki, a former national secretary of NMA, stressed the need for robust measures such as solar grids to ensure continuous and reliable electricity.

While maintaining that the proposal aligns with the global trends towards renewable energy adoption in healthcare settings, the physician said this would mitigate the impact of power outages and reduce operational costs and adverse environmental footprint.

The physician highlighted the potential long-term benefits of integrating solar energy into healthcare infrastructure, citing improved emergency response capabilities and enhanced resilience during crises.

He urged the government to prioritise funding and policy support for the installation of solar grids in hospitals nationwide.

This proactive approach, he said, would not only strengthen the healthcare sector but also contribute to sustainable development goals by promoting clean energy usage.

Alayaki noted, “Investing in solar grids not only guarantees continuous power supply but also aligns with global trends towards renewable energy adoption, benefiting both healthcare outcomes and operational efficiency

“The erratic power supply poses a significant threat to patient safety and healthcare delivery. Implementing solar grids in hospitals would ensure uninterrupted power, critical for operating life-saving equipment and maintaining patient care standards.”

Corroborating him, the President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, Dr Dele Abdullahi said the federal government should prioritise the provision of solar grids for healthcare facilities.

He highlighted the critical nature of uninterrupted electricity in hospitals, stressing that power outages can directly jeopardise patient care, affect the operation of essential medical equipment, and compromise emergency response capabilities.

He expressed concern that current electricity providers often prioritise commercial interests over the needs of hospitals, which are crucial for public health and community well-being.

“The hospital is not just another government business; it is a critical infrastructure that serves the entire community. Ensuring hospitals have uninterrupted power is not just a government responsibility but a humanitarian necessity,” he stated

Listing potential solutions, Abdullahi proposed both short-term interventions and long-term strategies.

In the short term, he advocated for government subsidies to ensure hospitals receive continuous and affordable electricity supply.

While for the long term, he endorsed the idea of implementing solar grids as a sustainable solution to mitigate dependency on erratic grid power supply and the high cost of using fuel-powered generating sets.

He added, “While solar grids present a promising the long-term solution, we must also consider the logistical challenges.

“Hospitals require substantial power to operate critical equipment such as CT scanners, MRI machines, and laboratory facilities. It will take time and careful planning to scale up solar capacity across all hospitals effectively.”

Meanwhile, the call by the experts to provide solar grids for hospitals aligns closely with the recent resolution by the House of Representatives call on the government to address the electricity challenges faced by teaching hospitals, medical centres, and universities across Nigeria.

Recently at a plenary, the House adopted a motion on urgent public importance moved by the member representing Ede North/Ede South/ Egbedero Federal Constituency in Osun State, Mr Bamidele Salam.

Titled, “Matter of urgent public importance on the need for the Federal Government to devise means to support teaching hospitals, medical centres and universities with mini solar grids and other alternative power sources to prevent loss of lives and disruptions in their services, “ the federal lawmaker said if urgent measures are not put in place to remove the burden of the new electricity tariff on teaching hospitals, medical centres and universities in Nigeria, the entire health and education sectors may collapse, thus endangering the lives of Nigerians.

According to him, “Teaching hospitals, medical centres and universities are all in Band A due to the peculiar need to constantly power medical equipment, and undertake procedures, among others that may be required to keep patients alive and deliver critical services.

“The House is worried that this increment is huge and unaffordable by these tertiary health institutions in Nigeria, hence the need to provide an affordable and sustainable alternative.

“According to an investigation, the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (pays N75m monthly, which translates to N2.5 million per day; the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (operated by Bayero University, Kano) pays N119m per month (approximately N4 million daily).

“Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital pays N50m monthly (N1.66 million each day), Jos University Teaching Hospital pays N31m or N1.03m daily, and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka Teaching Hospital parts with N50m monthly or N1.66m daily.”

Following the adoption of the motion, the House urged the Federal Government to devise means to support teaching hospitals, medical centres and universities with mini solar grids given the huge and unaffordable electricity bills occasioned by new electricity tariffs.

As famine looms

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As famine looms

The trauma of a faltering economy on many, resulting in suicides and dramatic protests, finally indicates our current crisis is an existential one. Can politics now give way to truth and let thinking take the front row in how we face up to our major policy challenge of the moment?

The desperation of removing duties on some food imports and turning to imports to feed the people is an approach-avoidance conflict that needs to be managed carefully lest it spell doom for the future. Right now things are as bad as we have been pointing to and bad enough for a rush to food imports which may be an imperative of reality but is quite capable of damaging future capacity to produce and grow the economy.

Think of this. What killed the cocoa, palm produce and groundnut exports in which Nigeria led the world at Independence? Poor trade policy manifested in exchange rates made naira income for cash crop farmers in the early 1980s unappealing. So the people left the farms to become construction workers and messengers in the then Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. When oil price volatility meant the construction companies could not be paid on time or paid at all, they retrenched workers. These labourers who were former farmers could not return to the farms. That’s how we became a monoculture economy.  An academic analysis of that would say Dutch disease came with those farmers moving to the then more attractive non-tradable goods sector like construction. Other sectors suffered atrophy and we became dependent on just oil revenues. By the way, Indonesia managed similar circumstances differently back then and benefitted from being more sensible.

For several years the fear of herdsmen has kept many from going to farm. Even as they are losing their farming skills as a result of this long lay-off, we begin to consume the drug of food importation when we lack the foreign currency to pay for the imports. We will borrow to buy imported food. So we not only risk unsustainable food provision strategy but the further compounding of our looming debt crisis. As the current account deficit grows with our importing more and not earning foreign currency, we become more vulnerable to currency speculators and the naira will go the way of the Zimbabwe dollar. You can ask Zimbabwe or recollect when George Soros went after the Malaysian ringgit in 1997. So do we let our people starve because the famine we predicted is now real?

I do not write as a theorist or armchair critic but as an actual player. I have lost whole farm output three times over the last decade to herders in Delta State. On one occasion the farm which bloomed such that the Emmanuel Uduaghan government PR documentary to showcase agriculture by Lola Alakija filmed it, was burnt by the herders after feeding their cattle fat. I took my losses with no insurance and moved from where Obasanjo farms now got allocated to a location around my hometown. Last year I sold tomatoes and other vegetables as I will this year. Many who suffered loss as I did then did not try again.

I followed the politics of the strategic grains reserve and knew they were a joke and shared the same with Prof. Murtala Sagagi who was assisting the then Minister of Agriculture, Sabo Nanono. The bright economist was so frustrated that he quit the advisor job. I tried a market response to what was a beckoning food, agricultural export and value chain development from our factor endowments crises by designing an integrated produce city.

The concept was to create an aggregation point where produce from several states could arrive at this commodities exchange with a preservation park that can be an alternative strategic reserve of the type they call licensed warehouses in Turkey. The central market point there is the wholesale produce market that aggregates the produce from these farmers, saving them much of the 60 per cent post-harvest loss of their effort. Added to the concept was an industrial park where some added value to the produce could take place. That rounded up the IPC value intervention. But corruption meant we were proceeding from our savings as reckless disbursement of monies to grow the sector went to cronies. Millions of naira in business plans failed to produce the loans or development support agency grants.

I knew this day of food shortages was coming and hoped my commercial response could add social value but alas the day had come before our efforts got the needed traction. I can either live in the selfish mode that I can at least feed myself from my farm or be a citizen and broach the truth of the challenge I saw from afar. So how do we solve the famine crisis that confronts us now without damaging the future?

In January I had suggested we create local armies, forest rangers to police fertile areas where legumes that are harvested in three months would be grown as a national emergency. The rangers would provide assurance of safety to farmers who will receive inputs as loans with incentives so that by now harvesting would be taking place. In addition to this support to local farmers, I proposed an Operation Feed the Nation type scheme where young graduate farmers would get one hectare each with input loans and a farm management company to provide extension support with training in new farm methods. Had good judgment moved us in this direction, we could have averted the emerging emergency. If we throw our gates wide open to imports now, it will take our Asian friends little time to dump produce in a way that we may never recover.

Now that our hardness of hearing has brought us here, the option may be to have a controlled opening up to ease the pressure and move rapidly to sensible industrial policy to stimulate agriculture for food security and the value-added exports in value chains in which we aim to be dominant players. But in all this the biggest problem is corruption.

In a soon-to-be published state-of-the-motherland report, the new tribe collating work of its policy cohort, health care, infrastructure, public accountability and Ubuntu cohorts, deepens the conversation on how to deal with the grandmother of cripplers of progress in Nigeria, corruption. Prescriptions there may include how to dismantle and rework our most corrupt institutions, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, and the police. It will contain insights into how corruption compounds the food crisis.

Consider how many food and produce export companies are filing for bankruptcy because of Customs activities at the ports; or how much is lost in a trailer bringing food from Manila to Lagos because of police checkpoints and you see how values punish us as a people. Until we admit that values shape human progress and that we are in a collapse of culture, we may journey from one panic policy to another as we increase poverty and deepen misery.

  • Prof. Utomi is a political economist and lectures at the Lagos Business School

Nigeria can earn $100bn annually from coconut production-LASCODA

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Nigeria can earn $100bn annually from coconut production-LASCODA

The General Manager, Lagos State Coconut Development Authority, Dapo Olakulehin, has stated that Nigeria has the potential to earn over $100 billion annually from coconut production.

The General Manager on Monday, stated this on the sidelines of the 2024/2025 Rotary tree planting coastal restoration initiative aimed at planting 1000 coconut seedlings in Lagos and Ogun states.

According to him, Nigeria is currently producing close to 300,000 metric tonnes of coconut per annum representing about $10 billion worth of business transactions.

He went on to say that Nigeria has the potential of operating at $100 billion per annum in coconut production.

“Nigeria is currently operating close to 300,000 metric tonnes of coconut per annum representing a $10 billion worth of business transactions in terms of what we are producing now, but ultimately, coconut has the potential of operating at $100 billion per annum.

“Lagos State government has done a lot and is doing a lot to boost coconut production, processing, commercialisation and utilisation in the state and the country at large. Lagos is the coconut hub in the whole of West Africa due to the interventions of the state government.

“Just recently, the governor approved the release of 50,000 coconut seedlings to Lagos farmers, so a lot of support has been given to coconut growers, processors and stakeholders. We are also giving certification to some of these processors to export their coconuts across the country,” he noted.

Also speaking, the District Governor, Rotary International, District 9112, Femi Adenekan, said the initiative to plant 1000 coconut trees along the coastal shores of the Atlantic Ocean, is an initiative it has taken up to protect the environment.

“We are here to prepare members of the public ahead of our event on Sunday, the 21st of July where we plan to plant 1000 coconut trees along the coastal shores of the Atlantic Ocean.

“This is an initiative we have taken up to protect us, because we often think it is to protect the environment, but we all know the environment will remain the way it is, but we are the ones changing the environment and if care is not taken, the environment would revolt against us.

“So we need to prepare ourselves against the calamity before humanity and this is why we are planting the 1000 trees along the coastal shores. We expect all members of the public to join us in this effort, but our target is to plant 10,000 trees throughout the year,” Adenekan noted.

On his part, the District Chair, Public Image Committee of Rotary International, District 9112, M.r Ehi Braimah, said the event was to discuss how to protect the environment, stating the urgent need to save the environment against the devastating impact of climate change

“What we are doing is to focus on one of the seven areas of focus for Rotary International which is protecting the environment. We are planning to plant 10,000 seedlings of coconut, mango or any other seed all over the state, public institutions, coastal areas, private estates, schools and everywhere,” he averred.

The Chair, Tree Planting Committee, District 9112 Rotarian, Rotary International, Gboyega Bada, said the District is determined to be strongly involved in helping to combat the challenges of climate change to have a safer and cleaner environment.

He added that the vision of the Rotary District on the tree planting for this year is achieving a safer and cleaner environment by planting 10000 seedlings of coconut, mango and other related crops that have economic, health and environmental benefits.

Supreme Court got it wrong on LG autonomy

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Supreme Court got it wrong on LG autonomy

FEDERALISM is the imaginary bedrock of Nigeria’s constitutional democracy, designed to balance power between the centre and the sub-nationals. However, the recent judgement by the Supreme Court concerning local government autonomy has raised critical questions about the integrity of this federalist structure. The judiciary should interpret the Constitution to reinforce decentralisation.

In its latest judicial intervention on the suit filed by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), challenging the state governors’ control of LGs, the Court declared that the government is portioned into three tiers – federal, state, and local. This is a blatant assault on the tenets of federalism.

The judgement barred the governors from receiving, retaining, or spending the LG allocations. The Court held that states receiving LG funds violate Section 162 of the 1999 Constitution. It asserted that the Constitution states that any money leaving the Federation Account must be distributed to the three tiers of government. This is erroneous: in federalism, there are only two units of government – the centre and the federating units.

The Supreme Court erred in its judgement as the LGs have no place in a federal constitution. Therefore, one of the fundamental flaws of the 1999 Constitution is to list the 774 LGs in it. This must be corrected.

In federal jurisdictions, such as the United States, India, and Brazil, the constitution recognises only the centre and province/region/state governments. States fund the LGs as the councils are under them. Thus, the Supreme Court judgement is a conspiracy against federalism.

The Court ruled that state governors do not have the power to dissolve elected LG councils and replace them with caretaker committees. This violates Section 7(1) of the Constitution. While we agree with the justices that the councils should be run only by democratically elected officials, the question of financial autonomy for LGs has no place in a federal constitution.

The State and Local Government Joint Account was created because council bosses were looting funds and not paying primary school teachers. Since that account was created, primary school teachers are no longer owed salaries. Sadly, paying the monthly allocation directly to the councils would not stop the diversion of council funds.

Rather than chasing shadows at the Supreme Court, the Bola Tinubu Administration should focus on the political and economic restructuring of the country along the lines of true federalism. Federalism, as envisioned by the founding fathers, was intended to balance power between the central government and the constituent units, ensuring efficient governance, fostering development, and accommodating the country’s vast ethnic, cultural, and regional diversity.

The journey towards federalism has been fraught with challenges, inconsistencies, and deviations from its core principles. Nigeria’s federal structure was designed to prevent the concentration of power at the centre and promote regional autonomy.

The principle of federalism was meant to allow each region to govern itself while contributing to the collective unity and progress of the country. This was seen as essential for a country as diverse as Nigeria, with over 250 ethnic groups and many cultural identities.

Despite having the constitutional framework for federalism, Nigeria operates more as a centralised system. The Federal Government wields significant legislative and executive powers, often encroaching on areas that should fall under state jurisdiction. With 68 items, the Exclusive Legislative List entrenches the impunity of the Federal Government.

States should stop the illegal practice of dissolving elected councils and appointing caretaker committees. Local elections should be free, fair, and credible to ensure accountability.

The journey to true federalism in Nigeria requires a collective commitment to restructuring the current political and administrative framework. By bridging the gap between the theoretical foundations of federalism and the practical realities, Nigeria can harness its diversity, foster development, and build a more united and prosperous country.

Police ban Shi’ite procession in Abuja, vow to arrest violators

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Police ban Shi’ite procession in Abuja, vow to arrest violators

The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has banned the procession of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria to commemorate the 2024 Islamic calendar day of Ashura in the nation’s capital, Abuja.

The police said from past experiences, the group’s processions or protests ended violently, urging members of the sect to shelve their planned demonstrations across the FCT.

In a statement on Monday, the FCT police command spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, stated that the command would deploy every legal means to stop violators of the directive.

She said, “The FCT Police Command hereby issues a stern warning against any form of intended protest or procession by the Islamic Movement of Nigeria in the Federal Capital Territory, as intelligence has It that the proscribed organisation also known as Shi’ite are planning a procession to mark the 2024 Islamic calendar day of Ashura.

“Antecedents have shown that such activities, carried out by the IMN members often result in significant disturbances, leading to anarchy and chaos within the capital territory.

“The command therefore urges any individual or member of the proscribed organisation to refrain from or shun any intended form of protest or procession in the Nation’s Capital, as the command will not hesitate to use every legal means necessary to to halt or incapacitate anyone that dares violate the ban by the police.”

Adeh stated that the command would stop at nothing to ensure that law and order are maintained in the FCT.

She said, “The command is committed to maintaining law and order and will take all necessary measures to prevent any activities that threaten the safety and well-being of the populace.

“The Commissioner of Police FCT, Benneth C. Igweh, reaffirms the command’s unwavering commitment to protecting the rights of all citizens while ensuring public safety.”

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Rwanda election: Kagame cruising to victory

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Rwanda election: Kagame cruising to victory

Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame scored a crushing election victory that will extend his tight grip on power by another five years, according to partial results issued Monday.

De facto leader since the end of the 1994 genocide and president since 2000, Kagame scored 99.15 per cent of the vote, the National Election Commission announced after 79 per cent of ballots had been counted.

It tops the 98.79 per cent Kagame won in the last election in 2017 and is streets ahead of Democratic Green Party candidate Frank Habineza with 0.53 per cent and independent Philippe Mpayimana with 0.32 per cent.

Democratic Green Party candidate Frank Habineza was given 0.53 per cent of the vote and independent Philippe Mpayimana 0.32 per cent.

The outcome of Monday’s poll was never in doubt, with Kagame accused of muzzling the opposition and several prominent critics barred from the race.

With 65 per cent of the population aged under 30, Kagame — who has secured a fourth term — is the only leader most Rwandans have ever known.

The 66-year-old is credited with rebuilding a traumatised nation after the genocide but he is also accused of ruling in a climate of fear at home, and fomenting instability in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

– Reset the clock –

Over nine million Rwandans — about two million first-time voters — were registered to cast their ballot, with the presidential race being held at the same time as legislative elections for the first time.

“(Kagame) gives us everything we ask him, such as health insurance. This is why he wins by a big margin,” said 34-year-old mechanic Francois Rwabakina.

Kagame won with more than 93 per cent of the vote in 2003, 2010 and 2017, when he again easily defeated the same challengers.

He has overseen controversial constitutional amendments that shortened presidential terms from seven to five years and reset the clock for the Rwandan leader, allowing him to potentially rule until 2034.

Rwandan courts had rejected appeals from prominent opposition figures Bernard Ntaganda and Victoire Ingabire to remove previous convictions that effectively disqualified them from Monday’s vote.

The election commission also barred high-profile Kagame critic Diane Rwigara, citing issues with her paperwork — the second time she was excluded from running.

Wearing a green shirt and sunglasses, Kagame cast his vote in Kigali around midday.

– Well-oiled PR machine –

The imbalance between the candidates was evident during the three-week campaign, as the well-oiled PR machine of the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front swung into high gear.

The red, white and blue colours of the RPF and its slogans “Tora Kagame Paul” (“Vote Paul Kagame”) and “PK24” “Paul Kagame 2024”) were everywhere.

His rivals struggled to make their voices heard, with barely 100 people showing up to some events.

Despite the lacklustre turnout at his rallies, Habineza hailed the “free and fair atmosphere”.

“This is a very good show of the level of growth in democracy in our country. We have been able to campaign (across) the whole country,” he told AFP Monday.

Kagame’s RPF militia is lauded for ending the 1994 genocide when it marched on Kigali — ousting the Hutu extremists who had unleashed 100 days of bloodletting targeting the Tutsi minority.

The perpetrators killed around 800,000 people, mainly Tutsis but also Hutu moderates.

Since then, Kagame has overseen a remarkable economic recovery with GDP growing by an average of 7.2 percent per year between 2012 and 2022, although the World Bank says almost half the population lives on less than $2.15 a day.

Ahead of the vote, Amnesty International said Rwanda’s political opposition faced “severe restrictions… as well as threats, arbitrary detention, prosecution, trumped-up charges, killings and enforced disappearances.”

Abroad, the Kigali regime faces allegations of meddling in the troubled eastern DRC, where a UN report says Rwandan troops are fighting alongside M23 rebels.

Kigali was also accused of killing tens of thousands of Hutus in the DRC during its pursuit of fleeing genocide perpetrators.

Discussion of these alleged massacres remains taboo and is considered genocide “revisionism” in Rwanda.

In the parliamentary election, 589 candidates were chasing 80 seats in the Chamber of Deputies.

Of those, 53 are elected by universal suffrage. The RPF currently holds 40 seats and its allies 11, while Habineza’s party has two.

Another 24 spots are reserved for women, two for youths and one for people with disabilities. All candidates for these seats must be independent, and indirect elections will be held on Tuesday.

AFP

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