☕️ There's everything to worry about
Hi,
This week I am physically ill and mentally exhausted. Feel free to send me a care package (make it expensive).
Speaking of mental exhaustion, here's how the Naira is doing in parallel markets:
On Friday, 21st of August = 520/$
On Friday, 27th of August = 524/$
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source
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In this week’s issue
Nigerian authorities threaten Channels TV and ex-Navy Commodore
UN confirms the FG's terrorist rehabilitation program
National GDP is up, so are food prices
More borrowing
FG threatens to stop paying doctors who have refused to end the strike to protest unpaid salaries
There’s everything to worry about
Terrorist attack on NDA
On Tuesday, terrorists attacked the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Afaka in Kaduna, killed two officers, injured one and kidnapped another.
The attack happened on Tuesday and the kidnapped major, Stephen Datong is still missing.
Leadership newspaper reports that an anonymous tip confirmed that this isn't the first time. The source said the NDA has previously paid ransom to rescue a cadet who was kidnapped in Kaduna.
Shortly after the attack, Channels TV's morning show, Sunrise Daily, interviewed Former Navy Commodore, Kunle Olawunmi (Rtd) to discuss the gravity of the incident. In it the officer confirmed that some of Boko Haram's sponsors are in Government and affirmed that the FG is purposely keeping Boko Haram active.
Punch Newspaper reports that The Federal Government has since declared Olawunmi wanted and several intelligence agencies including the Department of State Services and the Defence Intelligence Agency have since launched a manhunt for him.
No official confirmation yet but Punch reached out to DIA spokesperson, Major Afolashade Ojolowo, for confirmation but he said he can’t validate anything because be has been on leave.
A spokesperson for Nigerian Defence Headquarters however told The International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) that Olawunmi was only “invited” by authorities. He was declared wanted.
Excerpts from Olawunmi’s Sunrise Daily interview:
On safety within security agency premises: On Fridays, Nigeria military formations take their security down and open the mosque to the public. So it's fairly easy for terrorists to survey the Academy whenever.
On fighting insecurity and terrorism: He believes that the centre of Boko Haram is the sponsors, some of whom are he says are "in the Senate, some are Governors, leaders in Aso Rock”. He claims that it is common knowledge in his team. His belief is that this is why tackling insurgency beyond the Military.
On terrorist sponsors: References the 400 Boko Haram sponsors the Attorney General Abubakar Malami, claimed to have arrested, (some of whom the news admitted are affluent Nigerians). There have been no follow ups and they’ve refused to identify them.
He says some of the Boko Haram terrorists apprehended while he was in office at the military name dropped and the people above them seem to have chosen to keep it quiet.
Interviewer: but there are laws in place. What is stopping the military from enforcing the law? Rtd Commodore Oluwunmi: Nigeria runs like a religion, the head (The President) has to give the order.
One thing that President Buhari and Commodore Oluwunmi agree on: the military will handle it. Oluwunmi says so far the military has been acting on orders despite knowing what to do to end (or at least significantly obliterate terrorism in Nigeria), but this incident- officers dying from terrorist bullets in their own base, he believes will motivate them to do what is needed.
Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma agrees. At a different event, Governor Uzodinma said the killings in the country persist because those perpetuating it receive encouragement from others, mostly the political leaders.
You can watch the video here
Also on Channels TV, post FG's decision to revive open grazing
The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has queried Channels Television over a Sunrise Daily interview where Benue State governor Samuel Ortom expresses displeasure in the presidency's revival of open grazing.
Open grazing: Despite the governors' and community recommendations, Buhari recently approved the revival of open grazing in 25 States, including Benue.
The governor said this (and much of Buhari’s governance) is bad governance driven by nepotism.
He reaffirmed that Benue wouldn’t allow grazing routes and reserves unless the FG first killed him and the entire population of Benue (aka over his dead body).
A letter from NBC’s director-general sent on the same day (August 24th) threatened to sanction Channels TV, claiming the interview violated six of its codes. NBC said Ortom’s interview “negates the provisions of the Nigeria broadcasting code". Channels Television is “required to explain why appropriate sanctions should not be applied for these infractions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code".
Shortly after the interview aired, rumours surfaced that the Department of State Service (DSS) "invited" the Channels anchors to their office in Abuja. Channels TV says that this is false, however the National Broadcasting Commission did invite them for a meeting.
UN confirms the FG's terrorist rehabilitation program
The UN has confirmed that the FG have for sure been rehabilitating "repentant terrorists" and integrating them into the civil society.
The FG have implied this in the past but never outrightly admitted it.
According to the report by a United Nations’ publication, The New Humanitarian, the secret programme (called Suhlu) reaches out to senior jihadist fighters in the bush to encourage them to abandon terrorism, murder of citizens and kidnapping. When they do, the FG provides them with a means of livelihood.
The report sites the 2015 Baga massacre as an example. Hundreds of civilians were killed, but one of the commanders involved is now living free on the government’s payroll.
The program is believed to have been created during the government's attempt to rescue the students abducted in Chibok in 2014.
Meanwhile, the Zamfara state Governments thinks there's nothing wrong with negotiating with terrorists and that declaring a "State of emergency" on banditry is excessive. It's only a few thousand displaced and a thousand more dead or kidnapped, after all.
Economy ups and downs
Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP) has increased by 5.01% in the second quarter of 2021, the highest economic growth recorded in the last 6 years.
For context: the National Bureau of Statistics reported a growth rate of -6.1% in Q2 2020 and 0.51% in Q1 2021.
More borrowing
The FG announced plans to once again borrow N5.62 trillion from both domestic and foreign sources to finance deficit in the 2022 budget
Members of the House of Representatives are unhappy with this plan. According to the Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, James Faleke there are government agencies that conceal their revenue and don't pay their remittances to FG, whose revenue can cover some of the deficit.
Plus, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr. Zainab Ahmed says the Federal Government raised N669 billion from the Nigerian capital market through Sukuk bonds (aka Sharia compliant bonds) between 2018 and 2020. The revenue will be used to construct and rehabilitate federal roads across the six geo-political zones of the country.
There was no mention of whether or not this revenue supplements some of what they intend to borrow.
However the International Monetary Fund is giving Nigeria $3.35 billion (Approx. N1.30 trillion) as its share of the IMF's $650 billion special drawing rights (SDR) (which is shared according to country's GDP and is not a loan so does not add to the public debt burden).
“The SDR allocation will provide additional liquidity to the global economic system – supplementing countries’ foreign exchange reserves and reducing their reliance on more expensive domestic or external debt. Countries can use the space provided by the SDR allocation to support their economies and step up their fight against the crisis".
Food
In May 2021, Nigeria’s food inflation reached 22.28%, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, carrying on this year’s streak of highest inflation in over a decade.
A report by Premium Times found that price for items like beans, rice and maize have risen exponentially. Sold at N27,000 in 2020, 100 kg bag of beans now costs N70,000 in Jigawa State.
According to a report by Leadership Newspaper, there are strong indications that the current soaring prices of food will linger till next year.
The report highlights that insurgency has forced farmers to consider farms in safer areas, some of which aren't as naturally fertile, which, combined with the increasing cost and scarcity of fertilisers, has messed up food prices.
FG throwing threats at doctors
2 weeks ago the FG subpoenaed the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) for disobeying their orders to call off the Doctor's strike.
The FG, who have not paid the doctors their salaries for months at a time (hence the strike) have decided to withhold their salaries if they don't call of the strike.
Last week, the National Industrial Court ordered the doctors and FG to suspend their disagreement (the strike) and postponed the case. Essentially, doctors should go back to work until the hearing set for the 15th off September. The FG also offered another memorandum of understanding (MoU).
NARD rejected both.
According to their statement. the members of the executive council of the NARD were put off by the The FG's nonchalance towards the long suffering. More so by their refusal to acknowledge the past MoUs
The statement read: “After critical appraisal of the actions of both federal and state governments on all the issues affecting the welfare of our members [...] and the perpetual insincerity from government [...] and the ambiguity in the interpretation of the ruling of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, the NEC unanimously agreed via vote to sustain the ongoing industrial action until demands are met as contained in the MOA signed more than 140 days ago and the recent MOU signed between the government and NMA".
While Nigeria refuses to pay doctors, reps from the Saudi Arabia ministry of health held recruitment programs for Nigerian doctors, in Lagos and Abuja
It was rumoured that the DSS raided the event, fired their guns into the air and arrested some journalists. But the DSS denied them.
A spokesperson for the security agency said “It is obvious that the news is only designed to embarrass the organisation".
COVID-19 Vaccine updates
People who have received the first dose of the AstraZeneca Vaccine, you can now get your second! The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) announced that primary healthcare centres now have Mordena and AstraZeneca versions of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Nigeria has also approved China's COVID-19 vaccine, Sinopharm for use, though no details on when or if Sinopharm will be available in Nigeria.
Other news
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against President Buhari “over his failure to probe allegations that N106 billion of public funds are missing from 149 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), and to ensure the prosecution of those suspected to be responsible, and the recovery of any missing public funds" (Premium Times)
With Afghanistan in the hands of the Taliban, which had banned young women from formal education, the country's only girls boarding school's 250 students have temporarily relocated to Rwanda for a "study abroad" session, along with faculty, staff and family members (All Africa)
The Senator representing Anambra North, Stella Oduah, has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) a month after being charged for laundering N5 billion alongside Chinese construction company, CCECC (Premium Times)
Latifat Tijani has won Nigeria’s first gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics after out lifting her opponents in the weightlifting finals (The Cable)
After a meeting with the president, Imo's Governor Hope Uzodimma is officially the first Southern governor to side with the FG and denounce the unanimous anti-open grazing plan set by Southern governors. Uzodinma said there is presently no anti-grazing law in the state, but his government was trying to regulate grazing activities through collaboration between the farmers and herders. (Arise News)
Kidnappers have released 136 students of Salihu Tanko Islamiyya, Tegina, Niger State who were abducted 89 days ago, but 65 of 80 students who were abducted from Bethel Baptist High School, Kaduna are still missing. No arresters have been made (Leadership)
Recommended read
State of Emergency: The Doctors’ Strike and the Brain Drain of the Health Care Workforce (Nigeria Health Watch)