HIV is still wreaking havoc in Nigeria
+ Oppression Olympics, You might be on your way to antibiotics resistance (it can be fatal), A human rights lawyer’s sketchy arrest
Friend! You’re the first to learn this: On the 27th of December That New News is having an end-of-the-year event in VI, Lagos. This year has been a mess, Invite you to slow it down with a night of connecting with our past. There will be a historical film documentary screening, trivia and getting into Nigeria’s history through music.
Tickets are N5,000. Half the proceeds will go to Hope Behind Bars, a nonprofit that fights to get wrongfully incarcerated Nigerians out of prison.
I have created a payment link for this newsletter readers, before officially announcing this week. You (and only you and your friends/trivia teammates 👀) can get your tickets here. I hope to see you there!
In this edition
Petrol is still a problem
A human rights lawyer’s sketchy arrest
Nigeria is not safe
You might be on your way to antibiotics resistance (it can be fatal)
HIV still wrecking havoc in Nigeria
This edition was written by Muhammed and edited by Adetomiwa
Season's greetings giveaway
In the spirit of the season, Aero Contractors airlines has cut the cost of domestic flights. One-way Economy class tickets are now N80,000 throughout the festive season.
This is coming after airfares have been very high due to the rising cost of fuel and necessary maintenance.
The slash in prices will run from December till mid-February next year.
Weird moves
The Ebonyi Governor isn’t feeling your right to protest
Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State on Monday threatened to sack, replace and withhold the salary of any worker who does not go to work within 72 hours.
This was in response to workers in the state joining the NLC’s warning strike over the refusal of the state government to implement the new minimum wage.
The governor said they have no right to go on strike since he has always put the workers' well-being first and the implementation of the minimum wage has commenced.
He made it clear that he would not talk to the NLC leader in the state NLC does not work for the state government.
NAPTIP denies any restrictions
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) denied barring investigative journalist, ‘Fisayo Soyombo, from seeing a baby he had rescued from an orphanage home suspected of illicit baby trafficking.
Last week Soyombo said in an article that he had taken a baby girl to NAPTIP a while back. He had he and an associate had been visiting the child and bringing presents and suddenly the agency stopped them from seeing the baby.
Mrs. Comfort Agboko, who is in charge of the Lagos zone of the NAPTIP, says that they didn't stop Soyombo from seeing the baby; they just told him to write to them to make things easier.
Soyombo said that NAPTIP was keeping him out, which is why he can't explain where the baby he left in their care is.
Agboko explained that the home is only for adults and to care for babies, they partner with the state agencies like the Ministry of Youth and Development.
She claimed the baby was in their shelter for 8 months and her one year birthday was celebrated last February at the shelter.
According to her, the baby was sent to the Lagos state Ministry of Youth and Social Development on April 11, 2024, and added that Lagos state government has since locked the orphanage.
So what she’s saying is that she does not know where the baby is
Local Petrol, Foreign Pumps
Despite the commencement of petrol production by two major refineries in Nigeria in the last three months, oil marketers have continued to import and distribute the product nationwide.
The two local refineries are the Port Harcourt Refining Company in Rivers State, which can process 210,000 barrels per day, and the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos, which can process 650,000 barrels per day.
Although some marketers claimed they have stopped importing petrol and focusing on local supply, between September 11th - December 5th, marketers imported 2.3 billion liters of petrol
In just 3 days, dealers imported 68.74 million liters of petroleum.
Tax reform bill update
Someone claimed that the senate suspended further action on President Bola Tinubu’s controversial Tax Reform Bills.
Last edition, we reported that the bill has passed its second reading (we also outlined some key aspects of the bill.
The Northern Senate members put are still on defense. They believe it will “crumble the North’s economy”.
A report said that the Senate heard their demand for a suspension in the bill-to-law process, and decided to stop the process after speaking to the presedency.
But the Senate says it’s not true. The Senate reps said they have not stopped process and that they “can't be intimidated”. Senator Opeyemi Bamidele said the bills were executive bills sent through the office of the president and only the executive arm of the government can withdraw them.
[In]Security
Nothing like free speech
A human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi was apprehended by Ekiti State police officers, who travelled all the way to Lagos to arrest him, allegedly without notifying the Lagos police.
Farotimi was arrested because a lawyer and businessman, Afe Babalola, filed a petition claiming that Farotimi defamed him in his latest book: “Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System”
Adegoke Fayoade, Assistant Inspector General of Police explained that his office is unaware of the arrest and that Farotimi was first invited to Lagos quarters 2 two weeks ago in response to a petition from Tony Elumelu, but was subsequently released.
Many people condemned Farotimi's detention, citing increased restrictions on free speech and a breach of interstate arrest procedures. People have said protests will hold in Ekiti, Lagos and Abuja if Farotimi isn’t released before the 10th of December.
Nigeria's safety report is as bad as you think
SBM Intelligence, a market/security intelligence gathering and consulting firm, has ranked Nigeria and four other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa as the biggest losers in its Africa Country Instability Risk Report.
The findings looked at how social, political, and economic factors can lead to political unrest.
A framework to predict potential coups was also developed using things like ethnic tension, past coups, dominant groups, economic issues, and aging leaders.
In the report, Nigeria, Botswana, Seychelles, Namibia and Zimbabwe are listed big losers while Angola, Burundi, Chad, Togo and Madagascar saw an improvement with some noticeable score changes.
Case in point: IPOB troubles
The Joint Security Taskforce in Imo State, Operation Udoka, has arrested over twenty suspected members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its security outfit, Eastern Security Network (ESN), in a joint clearance operation.
During the operation, the agents found shallow graves in the Aku community, which has long been suffering from terrorist attacks from IPOB.
Several stolen vehicles and ammunition were also recovered.
According to Joseph Ogbonna, Special Adviser to the Imo State Governor on Security, the clearance operation was part of an effort to put a stop to IPOB's activities and restore peace and stability to the area.
Money money money
Nigeria keeps withholding pensions
Military retirees across Nigeria have expressed their frustration over the persistent delay in the payment of their entitlements, despite securing approval for the funds.
The retirees have been waiting for their dues for 11 months.
To demand action from the Federal Ministry of Finance, they have planned a protest in Abuja on Thursday, 12th December.
Col. Innocent Azubuike, one of the leaders of the group, noted that their underpaid entitlements had created hardship.
He mentioned that they were previously assured that their entitlements would be paid in November but were later told it wouldn’t be possible anymore due to cash-backing, the same reason they’ve held other group’s pensions. Over money they worked for. Nawa
Meanwhile, Nigeria is rolling in new cash
Nigeria has successfully raised $2.2 billion through its recent Eurobond auction. This is Nigeria's second Eurobond issuance this year.
The amount will theoretically help address and possibly boost the country’s fiscal deficit
The funds will be shared amongst infrastructure projects and social programs like roads, bridged and hospitals. Maybe they should also pay pensioners from it 🤷
This development might mean that investors are confident in the future of Nigeria's economy, which could be a good thing.
NSIPA funds
The House of Representatives asked Tinubu to direct the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, to unfreeze the accounts of the National Social Investment Programmes Agency (NSIPA) within 72 hours.
The presidency was forced to suspend the agency's finances due to allegations of corruption and dubious transactions in order to completely restructure its programs.
Emphasizing that NSIPA is in charge of important social intervention programs like Grant for Vulnerable Groups, N-Power, and others, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu and twenty other lawmakers have called for a resolution for the federal government to order Wale Edun to unfreeze the account.
He added that following the suspension of the account, it has affected over 300,000 beneficiaries.
Borno State’s free education plan
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has approved N730 million in scholarships for 26,888 students from the state who are studying in tertiary institutions across the country.
After The approval by the Education commissioner Lawan Wakilbe, the 730 million naira Scholarship cheque has been handed to the state Scholarship Board to distribute to students.
He added that the scholarships are only meant for students in Nigeria and outside the country and stated that the Zulum administration has spent over 8 billion in scholarships just this year alone for students.
But Nigerian governments have a habit of starting scholarship programs and leaving scholarship beneficiaries stranded in foreign countries so fingers crossed
Sanwo is working
The Lagos State Government paid over ₦1.5 billion as compensation to over 150 beneficiaries whose properties were acquired by the state government for public interest.
The compensation was paid to people and organisations affected by various construction projects in the state. This includes those affected by Pen Cinema flyover in Agege, Bus terminals at Abule Egba and Oyingbo, and road works in Orile Badagry.
The governor, Sanwo-Olu said the compensation is in the spirit of fairness his administration is always preaching.
Health
HIV awareness
According to Dr Temitope Ilori, the Director General of National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Nigeria records around 42,700 HIV/AIDS-related deaths, including 14,400 children and 14,500 women, yearly.
Ilori said the agency is working on campaigns to champion awareness about HIV transmission from mothers to babies, as this would solidify efforts to end AIDS
Ilori also reminded people to stop the stigma against HIV. Less stigma = more awareness = willingness to seek medical support
Antibiotics are destroying your body?
Abuse of antibiotic drugs has caused a resistance to the medication that is fatal. Reports say every year, at least 64,500 Nigerians die from prolonged illness due to antibiotics resistance.
Stakeholders think pushing for the declaration of emergency and stiffer regulations on the misuse and overuse of antibiotics nationwide will prevent further damage.
Experts further stressed the need to establish clear rules for prescribing antibiotics at the hospitals. This would help doctors make calculated decisions on the prescriptions.
Boaz Adegboro estimated that the misuse of Antibiotics has caused medication resistance in about 1.3 million Nigerians every year (20% of cases are fatal).
This growing resistance makes it difficult to treat diseases like malaria and TB.
So when a doctor prescribes antibiotics to you, have a list of questions ready to make sure you really need it, and try not to take any prescription meds without first getting relevant tests (yes, even malaria medicine)
Other news
UK Visas & Immigration has announced that eligible non-European nationals will be required to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to visit the United Kingdom from 8 January 2025- Guardian NG
Mrs. Rosemary Oromoni, mother of late Sylvester Oromoni, the Dowen College student who was murdered by bullies in the school in 2021, has reportedly passed away on November 25, 2024- Punch
The House of Representatives has discovered that the newly established Federal Polytechnic, Ugep, Cross River State, has just 142 students with about 154 academic and non-academic staff.The new Polytechnic is also spending quite a bit too much—N38m just on local trips, and close to N600m on staff pay and running costs - The Nation