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In this edition
Nigeria is happy to collect aid from Ukraine
New IELTS price
Mysterious ailment in Gombe
More drs in the land
Latest and recap: Oransaye report
This edition is approx. 7 min read
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Nigeria vs foreigners
Nigeria 💗Ukraine
Last week, war-torn Ukraine donated 25,000 tonnes of wheat as emergency food assistance to 1.3 million vulnerable, crisis-affected people in northeast Nigeria. Sorry for the laugh
At the time, Peter Obi expressed deep concern, labelling it a “national disgrace” that Ukraine, in its current state, is donating food to Nigeria. I mean…
Obi said Nigeria “must aggressively reorder our priorities by investing resources in productive sectors like agriculture”. At this point, the bar is begging to be raised.
But you cannot disgrace the shameless, amen. Nigeria's Minister of Information Mohammed Idris defended Nigeria accepting the aid, saying it does not make Nigeria a failed or weak state.
He noted that Egypt gets 60% of its grains from Ukraine and that doesn't make Egypt a failed state either. Idris said it is normal for countries to depend on one another. Reader, note that Egypt buys their wheat.
The minister acknowledged Nigeria is currently facing challenges, but said President Bola Tinubu is taking steps like removing fuel subsidies (🙄) and addressing foreign exchange issues (🙄🙄) to address them.
He stated Nigeria's economic growth is still on track despite the challenges, and that fuel importation was reduced by 50% after subsidy removal based on statistics (🙄🙄)
Idris claimed Tinubu has already attracted over $30 billion in foreign investments since taking office and is actively seeking more investment from places like Qatar, even after Qatar asked him not to come.
The minister expressed optimism that Nigeria's current difficulties will soon be overcome under Tinubu's leadership.
Nigeria ❌💗 Binance
The Nigerian government says it has demanded almost $10 billion in compensation from the cryptocurrency firm Binance.
Nigeria alleges that Binance manipulated foreign exchange rates through currency speculation and rate-fixing, contributing to the naira losing nearly 70% of its value recently.
Two Binance executives were arrested in Nigeria earlier this week and soon after, the cryptocurrency firm announced they were ending operations in Nigeria.
Nigeria's central bank governor claimed Binance Nigeria moved $26 billion worth of untraceable funds.
Cryptocurrencies are not illegal in Nigeria but firms must register to operate there, the government says. A special adviser to Nigeria's president said that Binance had failed to do this.
The naira's collapse has exacerbated the cost-of-living crisis in Nigeria, leading to recent protests over high food and commodity prices and the Nigerian government claims they’re doing this to save the Naira from further slipping.
In the last week, the CBN revoked the licenses of 4,173 Bureau De Change forex operators over their “failure to meet regulatory guidelines”.
The government also accuses cryptocurrency of enabling money laundering and terror financing due to the anonymity it provides.
IELTS price hike
The British Council in Nigeria has again increased the fee for the English Language Testing System (IELTS) examinations by 29%. IELTS is mandatory for many Nigerians seeking to move to countries like the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
From February 1, 2024, Nigerians will pay N139,000 for the Computer-based Academic and General Training Modules of IELTS, up from N107,500 previously. This is the second fee hike in just 5 months
The British Council cited the rise in costs of delivering the exams in Nigeria as the reason for the latest increment.
The new fees are: N139,000 for Computer IELTS Academic/General, N134,000 for Paper IELTS Academic/General, N149,000 for UK Visas and Immigration, N130,000 for Life Skills, and N87,570 for One Skill Retake.
Shea butter business is booming
The United States government, in conjunction with the Global Shea Alliance (GSA), convened the annual Shea conference in Abuja this year. The U.S. Chargé d'Affaires expressed pride in supporting the GSA through USAID, which recently invested over $8 million in its Sustainable Shea Initiative across seven West African countries including Nigeria - Vanguard
Nigeria, with the largest population of shea trees and collectors, is positioning itself as a central hub for shea production, processing and innovation in food and cosmetics across West Africa.
As the shea sector undergoes substantial growth, the conference provides a platform to address challenges around market expansion, supply stability, resource management, climate adaptation, financing, and women's economic empowerment.
The GSA president stated discussions will target parkland management, resource conservation, women's empowerment, youth involvement, digitalization strategies, and effective trade policies.
More foreigner billings
Nigeria has suspended its new Expatriates Employment Levy (EEL) policy.
The EEL is a financial contribution imposed on employers hiring foreign workers, mostly based on the offshore earnings of expatriates working in Nigeria. The goal, according to the government, is to reduce the wage gap between expats and Nigerians
According to the handbook, companies are expected to pay $15,000 for rach expatriate employed as a director, and $10,000 for other categories
Companies that breach the new EEL policy by offences such as not submitting the EEL, not registering an expatriate employee, not renewing the EEL within 30 days, or providing false information will pay a penalty of N3 million (around $6,600) per offence.
Tinubu launched the policy on February 28, 2024, stating it would close wage gaps between expatriates and Nigerians while increasing employment opportunities for qualified Nigerians.
The Ministry of Interior stated the EEL card is mandatory like a passport and will be required for expatriates to leave and enter Nigeria.
FG vs foreign airlines
The Federal Government has directed foreign airlines to release low inventory tickets to make air travel more affordable for the Nigerian middle class.
Failure to comply with this directive may result in sanctions. Despite some airlines initiating the release of these tickets, not all have fully complied, prompting the government to set a deadline for compliance.
Meanwhile, there was no light at the international airport last week. Some say there was a fire, but FAAN says it was “just a wire spark”
Too hot for words
February was the hottest February on record globally, marking the 9th consecutive month of historically high temperatures driven by climate change and the El Niño weather pattern.
Europe's Copernicus Climate Change Service reported February was 1.77°C warmer than pre-industrial levels, continuing 12 months of temperatures exceeding the 1.5°C Paris Agreement limit.
In February, sea surface temperatures were the highest ever recorded for any month. Warming oceans contribute to the intense winds and unpredictable rainfall we’ve been experiencing.
Scientists warn the world is headed into "uncharted territory" as climate change pushes temperatures to likely the hottest in over 100,000 years.
What can you do? SustyVibes has some suggestions
Insecurity
Armed bandits stormed LGEA Primary School in Kuriga (1), Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Thursday morning and abducted pupils and teachers. A former Kaduna senator, Shehu Sani, stated that 232 students were kidnapped, though this figure has not been officially confirmed by authorities yet. The primary school had relocated its building inside Kuriga town a few years ago due to insecurity concerns outside the town - DailyPost
The Police Command in Abuja has arrested Samaila Wakili Fafa, one of two wanted kidnappers on whom the FCT Minister had placed a N20 million bounty. He was arrested during a raid in the Sardauna Forest in Nasarawa State - Punch
Operatives of Amotekun Corps in Osun State have arrested a suspected inter-state child trafficker - Punch
50 people including a family of seven, were feared dead on Tuesday, following the invasion of the Gbagir community in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State, by suspected armed militia - Vanguard
Medical
Diseases
The spread of this unidentified fatal disease has raised alarm. The House of Reps has asked the FG and the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) to act quickly to contain the spread of an unknown disease in Gombe State.
The disease has been spreading around Nafada Local Government Area but healthcare providers have not been able to identify the nature of the disease yet.
Symptoms include severe headache, stomach pain, vomiting, smelly stool, leg pain, and overall body pain before death.
About 30 fatalities, mostly young adults and children, have been recorded as of February 26 due to the unknown disease.
The Gombe State government has sent more staff to support the Nafada General Hospital in attending to patients and preventing spread.
The House wants the Federal Ministry of Health to investigate and determine the nature of the disease.
New doctors in the land
The Federal Government has recruited 2,497 doctors, midwives, nurses, and community health extension workers in the last six months to replace all the doctors who have left for other countries like the UK and the US, driven by factors like poor payment, insecurity, poor working conditions, etc. - Punch
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Alli Pate, says they have prioritized revitalising primary healthcare facilities to expand access to essential services, especially in rural and underserved areas.
He says efforts have led to an increase in the proportion of women attending antenatal care visits, with over 550,000 women getting proper pregnancy information and care.
According to the minister, 1,400 additional health facilities now have skilled birth attendants, increasing the number of facility-based deliveries to 230,000 per month.
The minister also announced that N50 billion has been allocated to the Basic Healthcare Fund, (from N25 billion in 2022).
Money?
Nigerian students studying in countries like Russia, Morocco, Algeria, China, and Hungary under the Bilateral Educational Agreement (BEA) Scholarship scheme have not received their stipends for 8 months.
The BEA scholarship is for educational exchange between Nigeria and partner countries, supervised by the Federal Scholarship Board under the Ministry of Education.
The students' union president said besides the 6-8 months of non-payment, there was a shortfall of around 2.5 months in the last payment received (March-August 2023).
Some students in China have not received any stipends since arriving in April/May 2023.
This has led to dire consequences like evictions due to non-payment of rent, hunger, and illnesses requiring medical attention, especially in countries without university hostels
The terms of the program do not allow students to take up jobs to support themselves financially.
The students have appealed to Tinubu to intervene and send them their money. There have been no reports of a response of acknowledgement from the presidency or the Ministry of Education.
Meanwhile, The Lagos State Government has increased the scholarship and bursary amounts for students of the state’s tertiary institutions.
Governance
Oransaye report - key facts in ABC
The Oronsaye Report is the popular name given to the report of the Presidential Committee on Restructuring and Rationalization of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies. This committee was set up in 2011 by former President Goodluck Jonathan and was headed by former Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Steve Oronsaye.
The key recommendations of the Oronsaye Report included:
Reducing the number of statutory agencies from 263 to 161
Abolishing 38 agencies
Reverting 14 agencies to departments in ministries
Merging several agencies with overlapping functions
Management audit of 89 agencies
Discontinuing government funding of professional bodies/councils
The overall aim was to restructure and rationalize federal government agencies to promote efficiency and cut down on costs and duplication of functions. However, the report faced resistance from stakeholders.
The new Tinubu administration has now revived the Report. They have decided to implement its core recommendations of merging, scrapping and subsuming agencies to cut governance costs. See agencies to be scrapped, merged, subsumed, or relocated here
Now, the House of Representatives has reservations. Members of the house described the 2012 Oronsaye report as outdated and called for President Tinubu to thoroughly review it before implementing it.
The house set up at 23-member committee to recommend mitigation measures
State woes
Only 11 out of 36 states can independently pay their workers' salaries from their internally generated revenues (IGRs) without relying on federal allocations. These states are Lagos, Kano, Anambra, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Kaduna, Kwara, Osun, Ogun and Zamfara. - Punch
The remaining 24 states cannot fund salary payments from their IGRs alone and depend on federal allocations or borrowing. These states are Bayelsa, Ondo, Yobe, Sokoto, Taraba, Plateau, Oyo, Niger, Nasarawa, Kogi, Kebbi, Katsina, Jigawa, Gombe, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Borno, Benue, Bauchi, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Abia and Delta.
The 24 states will spend N1.48 trillion on salaries in 2024 but can only generate N914 billion IGR, leaving a deficit of N566 billion to be covered by federal allocations or borrowing.
In the first half of 2023, states borrowed about N46.17 billion from banks to pay salaries, with the most borrowed from Access Bank (N42.97 billion).
Despite increased federal allocations to states after fuel subsidy removal, 32 states plan to borrow N2.78 trillion domestically and externally to fund their 2024 budgets.
Experts expressed concerns about state over-reliance on federal funds, unsustainable recurrent spending, and the need to boost IGR through investments, restructuring, and rationalizing the workforce. The findings highlight challenges many states face in meeting recurrent expenditures like salaries.
Other news
Three persons have been confirmed drowned after a boat ferrying fourteen passengers capsized along the Ibeshe-Ikorodu channel of Lagos State - Punch
The Federal Government says train services on the Port Harcourt to Aba route would commence operations by the end of March - The cable.
Senate okays bill extending service years of National Assembly workers from 60 to 65 - Punch
President Bola Tinubu has indefinitely suspended the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Electrification Agency, Ahmad Salihijo, alongside three executive directors of the agency - Premium Times