No time for pleasantries, my laptop battery is at 6%. Let’s get into it.
In this edition
Lagos government responds to mismanagement callout
Niger Delta calls out NUPRC for taking advantage of them
Godwin Emefiele’s time in Kuje prison
Government attempts prison reform
This edition has 1,980 words (approx. 7-minute read)
Lagos State is mismanaging funds?
This week, Funso Doherty, the governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC) in Lagos has published an open letter questioning the government’s spending. Attached to this letter were some of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Lagos State Government’s questionable budget items.
The Tweet included a series of photos “exposing” the government at best, inflated, budget. Some of the items include Rechargeable fans for N2 billion+, diffusers for N2million +, N195million to the Lagos State Gaming Authority to conduct a feasibility study on the Lekki-Epe International Airport (what the hell do they have to do with airports? 😭 ). See others here:
In response, the Lagos State Deputy governor corrected some of the budget’s claims. According to him, the administration did not receive N2 billion for fans, they only got N2 million - Premium Times
The Governor’s response is that “we all make mistakes”. He said “no one is above mistakes”, and that he is “appreciative of the criticism”
The Governor thanked Funso Doherty for bringing this to light “So we don’t have a problem with the originator of an open letter. In fact, we like it and we want to thank him, and that’s to say that indeed, to be a government that’s firm and responsible, we should not shy away from criticism”
Way to deflect
More on fund mismanagement: Godwin Emefiele
Last week, a court in Abuja ordered that a previous head of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, be held in Kuje Correctional Centre - Leadership
This happened because the EFCC charged Emefiele with six counts of fraud
Emefiele was initially charged with 20 counts of fraud that totalled N6.5 billion, but the charges were later reduced to six that came to N1.6 billion.
Emefiele’s lawyers tried to get him out on bail, but the court asked them to come back in a week to discuss it, so he spent 5 days in Kuje prison.
This week, Emefiele was released on N300 million bail and his hearing is scheduled for the 28th of November.
Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court adjourned the case till November 22 for ruling on the bail application of Emefiele and November 28 for the commencement of trial.
Recall that in June, the Federal Government via the DSS arrested Emefiele, the DSS released him in October and shortly after, he was rearrested by the EFCC.
Meanwhile, Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has commenced payment of eight years arrears to judiciary workers, and the Ogun Government has approved the commencement of the second phase of the distribution of the N1 billion grant to micro and small enterprises (MSEs) across the state.
Oil woes
Oil communities in the Niger Delta region are threatening to shut down oil operations over disputes regarding how much control Nigeria’s regulatory bodies want to have over the Niger Delta’s cut of the country’s oil revenue. - Guardian ng
In 2021, the Petroleum Industry Act was passed. In it, it states that oil companies must allocate 3% of their annual operating expenditure to their host communities (communities in the Niger Delta that petrol companies set up shop in). The host communities were not happy about this, they had asked for 10%.
Then in October of 2023, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) wrote a letter in which they essentially said they want to be involved in choosing the people who manage these funds for the Niger Delta communities.
The communities are not having this. This new proposal, they said, is too much control for the 3% to fund.
The community and their lawyers told the NUPRC that if they want to be involved, they should start by reversing actions negatively impacting host communities, and work to give the communities greater inclusion in decision-making processes.
If the NUPRC is keen on controlling everything, the communities have warned, they’ll shut down the factories.
They emphasized their readiness to take decisive actions if their concerns remain unaddressed, highlighting the adverse impact mishandling host community issues could have on Nigeria's oil production and economy.
One of the issues: pipeline leakages
In Omoku, Rivers State, a gas pipeline that belonged to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) had a leak. The pipeline, which was quite old and installed in the 1960s, had a problem due to equipment failure - Vanguard
The local community leaders asked NAOC and Oando Plc (which operate in the community) to fix the leak urgently to avoid any explosion that could harm people living nearby.
They mentioned that these gas leaks happen often around the Agip pipelines (Agip was acquired by Oando) because the equipment is old.
Election verdicts
Two weeks ago, INEC conducted special gubernatorial elections in Imo. Bayelsa and Kogi. Let’s run through the results
In the Bayelsa State governorship election, Senator Douye Diri from the PDP won. Diri secured a big win with 65,088 more votes than the APC candidate.
The current governor of Imo, Hope Uzodimma (APC), won a second term. PDP and LP demanded the cancellation of the election, claiming it was rigged, but Uzodimma was ultimately announced as the winner.
They will be sworn in to take office in January 2024
Kogi’s isn’t so straightforward
Usman Ododo from the APC was declared the winner in Kogi’s elections, but calls for cancellations, and petitions from stakeholders have prompted the election tribunal to look into this victory.
This week, the tribunal ordered the election commission (INEC) to give certain election materials to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), within 48 hours. These materials include documents and result sheets from several areas in the state. The SDP and its candidate are questioning the victory of the candidate from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the election.
The tribunal also instructed INEC to let the SDP's experts examine some of the election materials.
Whatever is discovered from these investigations, along with the tribunal’s verdict, will determine if Ododo will be sworn in in January.
++ According to the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), 123 people were attacked, and four people died during these special elections.
In Kogi, security forces shot two individuals for trying to take ballot boxes, and a corps member working as part of the election team was fatally shot.
Another death occurred during the result collation in Bayelsa
Ongoing battles from past elections
Zamfara
The Court of Appeal in Abuja said the Zamfara State governorship election from March 18, 2023, was inconclusive.
Initially, Dauda Lawal (PDP) was declared the winner, defeating the incumbent governor Bello Matawalle (APC). Matawalle disagreed with the election outcome and went to the tribunal, but his petition was dismissed. He then appealed to the Court of Appeal.
The Court of Appeal stated that Matawalle successfully proved that Dauda Lawal wasn't properly elected. They found issues with how the tribunal reviewed evidence and used the election results.
The Court ordered a fresh election in three local government areas where polls hadn't happened or where results weren't counted.
So INEC will hold fresh elections in Birnin Magaji, Bukun Yum LGA, and Maradun, where elections were not held (or votes weren’t counted) in the March 18 elections.
Plateau
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has ruled to remove Caleb Mutfwang, the governor of Plateau State, from his position.
This decision came after a dispute from Nentawe Goshwe (APC), who claimed that Mutfwang was not properly chosen by his party and that there were election irregularities.
The Court found that Mutfwang's party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), didn't follow a court order to hold a valid meeting in different areas of the state before nominating their candidates.
Because of this, the Court ruled that Mutfwang wasn't lawfully sponsored by his party for the election. The Court ordered the electoral commission to give a new certificate to Goshwe.
Additionally, the Court confirmed the removal of Rimvjat Nanbol, who represented Langtang Central State Constituency in Plateau. Nanbol was removed earlier by a tribunal that found irregularities regarding the qualification and sponsorship by the party. The Court supported this decision.
Atiku’s plan to defeat “the enemy” ✊
Atiku Abubakar, the PDP candidate in the Presidential elections held earlier this year, is urging all parties in Nigeria to unite to take down APC - The Cable
Atiku believes that if there's no strong opposition, the country could become a one-party system, threatening democracy.
He criticised the conduct of recent elections by the Electoral Commission (INEC), claiming it favoured the ruling party and undermined democracy.
He emphasises the need for transparency in elections through electronic voting to ensure credibility.
Hotboxing insecurity
Female Genital Mutilation
A woman in Imo state, Lucia Chinwe Ezevbigie and her children went into hiding with her children after her family and her husband’s family tried to force her daughters to get circumcised (genital mutilation). Female Genital Mutilation is illegal in Nigeria.
Her sudden disappearance has left her family and in-laws “worried”. They, the perpetrators, went to report her to the police.
According to an elder from her husband's family, circumcision, for both males and females, is a crucial rite in their community. Lucia vehemently opposed this practice
This conflict led the elder to speculate that Lucia might have relocated, possibly even out of the country, to protect her daughters from undergoing this practice.
The families are hoping for the “safe” return of Lucia and her children while grappling with conflicting views on cultural traditions and modern beliefs regarding circumcision.
ISWAP
Soldiers from the Nigerian Army reportedly fought and defeated six ISWAP terrorists in Gamborun Ngala in Borno State. The soldiers said they seized weapons and rescued 78 individuals, 30 women and 48 children. - Guardian Ng
Prison reform
The Federal Government of Nigeria has started paying the fines of inmates who are in prisons across the country because they can’t afford fines. Nigeria intends to pay N585 million to release 4,068 inmates from prisons across the country. - ICIR
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, launched this initiative at Kuje prison in Abuja. These inmates had been serving sentences with the option of paying a fine, but couldn't afford it.
The money for their release was raised by companies as part of their social responsibility.
This effort aims to reduce overcrowding in prisons and allow proper rehabilitation for the released individuals.
The initiative benefits inmates with fines below N1 million and also provides them with some money to help them reintegrate into their communities.
Tunji-Ojo highlighted that overcrowding in custodial facilities led to this initiative and aims to mitigate extended detention due to lack of bail funds.
Other news
The Africa Investment Forum (AIF), a joint vehicle of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and other seven partners, has secured a fresh $34.8 billion in investment interest for the continent. - Guardian NG
the Nigerian Navy has issued a warning about a fake supplementary list of candidates for the Nigerian Navy Basic Training School (NNBTS) Batch 35 - Guardian NG
Two female officials of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) were on Monday knocked down and killed by a vehicle - Guardian NG
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting at Gudu, has fixed November 13, to hear a fundamental right enforcement suit brought against the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, and others for unlawful detention of a student since September 7 - Punch
The African Export-Import Bank and United Bank for Africa (UBA) signed a $150 million trade finance facility agreement, under the Ukraine Crisis Adjustment Trade Financing Programme for Africa. The agreement was crafted to cushion the effects of the Russia-Ukraine crisis on Nigeria’s economy (food, petrol, etc), and to support UBA’s clients to increase their financing for businesses across various sectors in the Nigerian economy - Punch
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Fidet Okhiria, has said that staff of the agency involved in ticket racketeering have been sacked and others demoted. - Channels