🗞️ Everybody wants local government money
This edition is being published way past my bedtime.
This edition was written by Rosemary Ita, and edited by Muhammed Bello. That News News is an independent self-funded project by me (Adetomiwa). Thank you for reading, sharing and donating. I love you like I birthed you 😘
In this edition:
Emirates Airline resumes operation
NIDCOM advises Nigerians in Lebanon
State Governments’ hold on Local Govt money
Floods everywhere
This edition is 1,800 words (approx 6 min read)
The latest on cruising
Emirates has resumed operations in Nigeria
Emirates Airlines has resumed its Dubai-Lagos daily flights after a two-year hiatus. The flight touched down at Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos on October 1.
Emirate Airlines suspended its Dubai-Lagos flights in November 2022 because it could not get its money back from Nigeria due to a disagreement between the two countries.
This led to visa restrictions as the disagreement intensified.
Earlier this year, the airline announced it would resume operations. Two months later, the FG reached an agreement with the UAE to allow Nigerian passport holders to obtain visas for travel to the Arab nation.
VIO can’t harass you anymore
The Federal High Court in Abuja has instructed the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO), to stop impounding or confiscating vehicles on the road.
The judge said the VIO did not have the power to fine, collect, or stop drivers for any kind of offence.
That doing so is wrong, unfair, and illegal because it goes against basic human rights.
Meanwhile, the Abuja court asked 10 people who were arrested at the End Bad Governance protests in August to each bring N10 million as bail. 3 of the 10 paid and have been released from Kuje Prison.
Speaking of human rights violations
Police teargas protesters in Abuja
Protesters hit the streets of Abuja on the 1st of October, for the “Fearless in October” protest against bad governance.
Protesters gathered on Independence day at the Utako area in Abuja, waving the Nigerian flag.
The police responded with tear gas dismissing the protesters from moving forward with their protest.
“Fearless in October” in Lagos
Protesters gathered in Lagos on Independence Day to protest bad governance and the cost of living crisis, despite security threats.
The Protesters gathered at the Ikeja under bridge for the protests.
This is the second time this year that people are gathering in the street to demand that the government resolve the worsening cost of living crisis.
No Independence celebration in south-east
The Indigenous People of Biafra stopped the celebration of Nigeria’s 64th Independence Day in the South-East.
The separatist group threatened to brand anyone caught celebrating independence as an enemy of the land.
Businesses went on as usual with no holiday observed.
Government Doings
Private sector 💕CNG
The Minister of Information and Orientation, Mohammed Idris, says the presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (CNG) has attracted $175 million in private-sector investments for critical infrastructure in the past year. The minister says the country has also seen a significant increase in CNG conversion centres, rising from 7 to 125 within a year.
The minister says the fuel is cleaner and better for the environment.
It will also reduce the cost of transportation within the country because it is less expensive than diesel and petrol.
The minister advised Nigerians to exercise patience, as it would take some time for the improvements to become obvious.
Meanwhile, the NNPCL has missed its 7th self-imposed deadline to get the Port Harcourt refinery up and running.
But those petrol queues are going nowhere
The NNPC has shut down its portal, preventing oil marketers from purchasing petrol.
This has caused delays in petrol supply and has affected over 90 million litres of petrol valued at N79 billion.
NNPC spokesperson Olufemi Soneye said the shutdown is due to backlogs, and the company wants to avoid holding marketers' money for too long.
According to him, marketers have over 2,000 pending tickets, each for 45,000 liters of petrol.
The NNPC has stated that the portal will reopen once the backlog is cleared.
Oil marketers accused the NNPC of consistently delaying petrol supply after payments had been made months in advance.
This delay has forced marketers to buy petrol from private depot owners at higher prices.
Currently, oil marketers are demanding the ability to purchase petrol directly from Dangote's refinery.
Tax Reform Bills
While on his annual leave, the president stays working. Tinubu took a moment from his vacation to send four tax reform bills to the House of Assembly for consideration. The proposed bills are:
Nigeria Tax Bill 2024: designed to ensure the revenue generation through taxation in Nigeria is efficient and effective.
Tax Administration Bill: intended to provide a clear and precise legal foundation for the administration of all taxes within the country. This bill is also expected to minimize tax-related disputes by clarifying the legal framework. This is meant to enhance the overall tax system's certainty and fairness.
Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Bill, which will replace the Federal Inland Revenue Service Act with the Nigeria Revenue Service
Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill, which speaks to the creation of a tax tribunal.
NECO asks for more money
As if students in Nigeria are not struggling enough, NECO now wants to charge students N50,000 to have their certificate reprinted, but the students have rejected it.
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has rejected NECO's decision.
The association's representative said the high fee cannot be justified, and it demands an immediate reversal.
NECO said this fee is necessary for the maintenance and upgrade of facilities.
Many students already struggle to afford basic education, and now NECO is asking them to bear the brunt of the council's financial struggles.
Everybody wants local government money
Nigeria's state governors are trying to postpone the implementation of financial independence for local governments, despite a Supreme Court ruling granting them autonomy.
Before the Supreme Court ruling, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit banned joint state and local government accounts in 2019 and directed funds to be sent directly to local government accounts.
However, state governors opposed the decision, and the NFIU eventually backed down.
In July 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that governors can no longer control local government funds. Instead, allocations should be paid directly into local government accounts.
Despite the ruling, state governors continue to resist, lobbying against the verdict.
In response to the State Governor’s tantrums, The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria has threatened legal action against state finance commissioners if they disregard the Supreme Court's order.
You can now track food prices?
The Bank of Industry has launched an app to help Nigerians track food prices across eight states.
The app, Price Sense NG tracks food prices in Borno, Plateau, Rivers, Oyo, FCT, Lagos, Enugu, and Kano and provides Nigerians with information on the wholesale and retail prices of essential food items like rice, beans, tomatoes, and maize.
To use the app, visit the web pricesenseng.ng, select your state, and view the current prices.
This is part of the government's plan to monitor traders taking advantage of the severe food crisis by unfairly increasing prices.
The current version of the app does not do much, it simply shows an average price within a state, with no specific locations. In addition, it is unclear how the prices on the app were collected.
I see how this could work from a seller’s perspective, not really from a buyer’s.
Latest Former Governor embezzlement
Justice Sylvanus Oriji of a high court in Abuja granted former Governor of Taraba State, Darius Ishaku, and a former Permanent Secretary, Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in the state, Bello Yero, bail in the sum of N 150 million. The EFCC had earlier charged the former governor and the Permanent Secretary with 15 counts of criminal breach of trust, conspiracy, and conversion of public funds.
Insecurity
Policeman attack
A Police Inspector in Yobe State, Mohammed Bulama was arrested after killing a 39-year-old Abdulmalik Dauda.
He was reported to have stabbed his victim in the chest after a bitter argument over “uncleared transactions” between both men.
An immediate investigation was ordered by the Commissioner of Police, CP Garba Ahmed into the homicide incident.
Rescue Mission
The Imo State Police raided an alleged ESN/IPOB camp in Imo State. - Channels
During the operation, several kidnap victims were rescued.
Henry Okoye, the Command Public Relations Officer said the kidnap kingpin whose group has been terrorising the state in recent times was also been killed.
Israel attacks Lebanon
As Israel shifts its genocide focus from Gaza to Lebanon, NIDCOM has advised Nigerians who live in Lebanon to consider moving out of the country now that commercial flights are still in operation.
In October, Lebanon was faced with 7 attacks by Iran-backed Hamas, in securing its northern border with Lebanon.
More than 1,000 people have died since last week, in fighting that has included Israeli strikes on.
At least 1,400 people, including civilians in and around Beirut have been killed by bombs from Isreal, and over 1 million driven from their homes in less than two weeks.
The land is flooded
Lagos and Ogun Flood
Floods in Lagos and Ogun state have forced residents have to seek shelter elsewhere.
The Lagos and Ogun state governments have told its residents living in riverine areas, to relocate to somewhere else pending the potential flood.
Warning comes ahead of planned water release from Oyan dam.
Ogun-Oshun River Basin Development Authority, OORBDA is part of an annual process to manage dam levels.
Integrity Test on Dams
In response to the increasing threat of flooding within the country, the Nigerian government has declared that it will start performing comprehensive integrity tests on dams.
Note: The government ignored comprehensive integrity tests that were done on the Alau dam in Maiduguri.
Despite multiple warnings of the dam’s crumbling structure, the Borno government claimed that they checked the dam and found no issues, even though they spent ₦309 million on fixing it.
Hopefully, this new integrity strategy isn’t just another money vortex.
Other news
At least 60 bodies have been recovered following a boat accident in Niger State – BBC
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has left Abuja for the United Kingdom to begin a two-week vacation as part of his annual leave – Nairametrics
Pensioners will now receive an increment of N32,000 in their monthly pensions – Punch
Ogun Nurses Protest Doctor’s Alleged Assault Of Female Student Nurse – Channels
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has said it would no longer allow data modification activity at any of its National Identification Number (NIN) enrollment centres across the country – Nairametrics