Evil, but make it federal
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Let’s get into it
In this edition
HOR fighting over money
New presidential hospital
Drs are on strike
Criminals in Anambra attack US officials
Want to test your knowledge of the news? Check out the That New News quiz segment on Grey Continent.
This newsletter is 2,100 words (approx. 7 min read)
Bribes and more
House of reps members to Femi Gbajabiamila
Leadership reports that members of the House of Reps are fighting with the house speaker Femi Gbajabiamila because he unfairly distributed $15 million Buhari and crew gave to him to… soften their hearts.
The annoyed members of the house alleged that Buhari gave the money to persuade them to make a different decision about turning the Ways and Means the FG borrowed from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) into securities.
Recall that the Senate initially rejected Buhari’s request to repackage the N22.7trn loan, but changed their mind weeks later.
The gist is that Gbajabiamila gave each speaker $10,000 of the… “gift” (total $3.6mill) and no one knows what he has done with the rest of the $11.4mill. Maybe check under his bed
The brewing crisis, it was learned, had forced Gbajabiamila to postpone the resumption of the plenary, which was supposed to be this week, to buy more time and pacify the aggrieved members. The official reason for the postponement is that the date was announced in error.
Leadership says that they spoke to at least two anon speakers and their staff, who confirmed the story. However, The member representing Makurdi/Guma Federal Constituency of Benue State, Benjamin Mzondu denied knowledge of the transaction. Mzomdu said, “I am not aware of this, I am hearing it from you for the first time. I am a lawmaker and I didn’t get any money”. (sir, join the WhatsApp group. They’re “owing” you money).
Meanwhile
A large group of government employees in Zamfara gathered at the Eid praying ground to offer a special prayer against suffering.
These civil servants were specifically praying because they hadn't been paid their salaries for three months.
The workers expressed their desperation, explaining that they were struggling to provide basic necessities for their families and pay for their children's education.
The prayer session was conducted to seek divine intervention and request compassion from the governor, the Head of Service, members of the House of Assembly, and others involved in resolving their salary payment issue.
Debts, our favourite problem
In January 2023, the Nigerian government spent $112.35 million to pay off its debts to other countries - Punch
This amount was 146.17% higher than the $45.64 million spent in December 2022.
In 2022, Nigeria spent $2.4 billion on servicing its external debt, slightly more than the $2.11 billion spent in 2021.
The Federation Account Allocation Committee, which distributes money among the government's different levels, shared N750.17 billion in January 2023, which was less than the N990.19 billion shared in December 2022. They deducted over N78 billion from the money allocated to the states for external debt servicing.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Nigeria's external debt is expected to rise to $121.6 billion, and its external reserves are projected to reach $37.5 billion.
The IMF also predicts that the government's share of revenue used for interest payments would improve, falling from 96.3% in 2022 to 82% in 2023. In 2020 and 2021, interest payments accounted for 86.1% and 87.8% of the Federal Government's revenue, respectively.
However, despite the FG’s attempts to increase revenue, the task is not going very well.
For instance, the FG committed N170bn to boost self-sufficiency in sugar production, Nigeria’s sugar industry is still highly dependent on imports.
“Hardship allowance” for the president and others
In the last eight years, President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, state governors, and their deputies received a total of N651 million as hardship allowance, according to a document from the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMAFC).
According to the RMAFC, President Buhari is entitled to N1.76 million annually as “hardship allowance”, meaning he would have earned N14.08 million in eight years. Vice President Osinbajo receives N1.52 million annually, so he would have been paid N12.16 million in eight years.
State governors receive N1.11 million per year as hardship allowance, while deputy state governors receive N1.06 million annually.
The total hardship allowance for the 36 state governors over eight years is estimated at N319.68 million, and their deputies received a cumulative sum of N305.28 million.
The RMAFC document also mentions that judges in the country also receive this hardship allowance, which is 50% of their annual basic salary.
This is the same package the government has received since 2008, according to the summary of the report.
Government priority spending
Starting from January 1, 2024, the Federal Government of Nigeria will no longer provide food for state inmates in custodial centres across the country. - Punch
The government stated that state governments should include the feeding of their inmates in federal facilities in their budgets until they can build their own facilities.
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, emphasised that over 90% of inmates in custodial facilities are state offenders, and it is the responsibility of state governments to take care of them.
The government also encouraged state governments to make use of a recent constitutional amendment to improve the conditions of inmates in custodial facilities.
The Minister highlighted the need for a review of the criminal justice system, as a significant number of inmates are awaiting trial and unable to undergo reformation processes.
The government is constructing new custodial centres to address the issue of congestion in urban centres.
The President’s hospital
In an act that mirrors his usual wickedness and blatant disregard for us as people, the President of Nigeria and his clan have built a specialist hospital for them and only them.
While Nigerians suffer every day and struggle to pay hospital bills, while doctors complain about the unfavourable working hours and lack of equipment to do their jobs, and people die because basic equipment are lacking, the Nigerian government has been building a new wing of the presidential hospital centre. Here, the president and his “VIPs” can get better medical attention.
The is set to open a new presidential wing of the State House Medical Centre. The new wing is an extension of the existing medical centre located in the presidential villa in Abuja. It is reported to have cost N21 billion.
The new building has everything from a healing garden to an organ transplant room (recall that ex-deputy senate president Ike Ekweremadu and his wife are now in prison in the UK for organ-related human trafficking charges in a trial that started last year).
Doctors on strike
Meanwhile, Nigerian federal hospital doctors and members of the National Association of Resident Doctors are now on day four of a five-day warning strike to get the FG to take their concerns seriously.
Some good news: The Federal Government rejected the bill that aims to stop doctors trained in Nigeria from seeking employment outside the country within 5 years after studying. - Leadership
Politicking and elections
As Nigeria's election tribunal begins hearing presidential petitions, others have handed down verdicts.
Labour Party in fighting I. Kano, Abia
A court in Kano, Nigeria, has declared the candidacy of Dr. Alex Otti, the Abia State Governor-elect, and all candidates from the Labour Party in Abia and Kano States as null and void.
The court ruled that their selection did not follow the rules outlined in the 2022 Electoral Act. The Labour Party(LP) failed to submit its selected candidates to INEC within the required timeframe, making the selection process invalid.
As a result, the votes credited to the LP candidate are considered wasted.
The Labour Party was petitioned by a breakaway group within the party that, according to LP, was seeking to invalidate their recent electoral victories by approaching the court in Kano. It be your own guys fr.
The petition also asked the court to declare the runner-ups in the elections the winners (WHAT?!!!!!) but the court says they can’t do that because that wasn't part of the case that was brought to them.
Attack on US officials
The United States is taking action to impose restrictions on “certain individuals in Nigeria who undermined the democratic process” during Nigeria's 2023 elections.
These restrictions will affect their ability to obtain visas to the United States.
The actions are targeted at individuals involved in activities such as voter intimidation, manipulation of vote results, and other actions that undermine Nigeria's democratic process.
These restrictions, they said, are not directed at the Nigerian people or the entire Nigerian government, but rather at specific individuals.
Insecurity
Nasarawa mass attack
In Nasarawa State, Gwanja, Angwan Bege, Angwan Madaki, and Gidan Allah communities have been in constant attack from terrorists.
The state government recently conducted the mass burial of 38 victims, mostly women and children, who were killed during the attacks.
The deputy governor of the state expressed condemnation of the senseless killings and destruction and pledged government support to restore peace.
The attackers are suspected to be herders and The Tribune says the conflict started as a result of disagreement over the use of farmland, with farmers accusing herders of damaging their crops.
The police have started an investigation into the murders, deploying additional personnel to the affected area.
Plateau attack
Last week, terrorists attacked the villages of Kubwat and Fungzai in Plateau State and killed at least 20 people.
According to a witness, the gunmen arrived in large numbers and started shooting.
Some villagers tried to run away, but other gunmen were waiting to ambush them. In Fungzai village alone, the terrorists killed 15 people
A total of 29 corpses have been recovered so far. The police have been deployed to the affected villages.
4 killed in US convoy attack in Anambra
A group of people from the United States embassy was attacked in Anambra while the US convoy was travelling ahead of a planned visit to a US-funded flood response project.
Two embassy employees and two police officers were killed, and three other people, including two police officers and a driver, were kidnapped.
The attackers set fire to the bodies and vehicles of the victims.
It is not clear why the US embassy staff was in that area or how many people were in the convoy.
Though no No US citizens were involved or harmed in the incident, the US government says it is working with Nigerian authorities to locate and ensure the safety of those who are missing.
The Nigerian police say they regret that the convoy did not seek their assistance before entering the state. There’s an ongoing investigation, but the police say they suspect the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) for this attack.
IPOB reps say they didn’t do it.
Army discovers terrorist hideout
Troops from the 21 Armoured Brigade in Bama, as part of Operation Hadin Kai, found an underground storage place where the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) kept weapons and ammunition in Sambisa Forest, Borno State.
They discovered this during their operation in Ukuba camp near Bama. The troops have been conducting counter-insurgency operations called Desert Sanity II.
Over the past two weeks, they have raided the camp multiple times and recovered various weapons, including anti-aircraft guns, rifles, and materials for making bombs. They also found hidden pits containing magazines and a vehicle equipped with an anti-aircraft gun.
The troops cleared several other hideouts in the area, boosting their morale and fighting spirit.
Money mess
Nigeria’s government:
In Nigeria, the inflation rate has been increasing for the past four months - Business Day
In April 2023, the annual inflation rate reached 22.22%, compared to 22.04% in the previous month.
The inflation rate for food also went up from 24.46% to 24.61% during the same period. This means that prices for goods and services are rising at a faster rate.
The main contributors to this increase were food, housing, clothing, transportation, and education.
Sudan evacuation update
The Federal Government on Sunday said that it had concluded the evacuation of Nigerians from war-torn Sudan but there were 160 others that were yet to be profiled.
Seun Kuti in prison
Last week, a video of musician, Seun Kuti, slapping a police officer surfaced.
According to various accounts, the police car scratched Kuti’s car on the road and in annoyance, he slapped the officer.
The police caught wind of the video and have been taking it more seriously than they do most mission persons cases. They’ve raided Seun Kuti’s home (for whatever reason), paraded him as a criminal, and claimed that the officer that was slapped is now in a coma (lmao) and detain Seun in prison
Seun Kuti is currently in prison and set to face trial soon.
Another video surfaced hours later of three police officers brutalising an unarmed man. One hit the unarmed man with a baton while the other pushed him aggressively, the third police officer took his bike and drove it away.
The police Force spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi claims that the officers in the video have been arrested. But they haven't shown any evidence: no home raids, no public parade.
Other news
Zamfara State governor Bello Matawalle has claimed that the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, allegedly requested $2 million bribe from him - Guardian NG
The Director, the Legal Department, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Nelson Orji, has said that the judgement of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which stopped the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation from imposing fines on erring broadcast stations “is ill-conceived and dead on arrival because of legal encumbrances”- punch
Lamidi Apapa defiantly went to the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja on Friday, barely two days after supporters of the LP mobbed him on court premises and warned him to stay away from the hearing of the party’s case - Premium Times
The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, on Friday, declared that human rights violations allegations levelled against the Nigerian military by Reuters, were not only shocking but also spurious - This Day
A retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr Simeon Ajisafe, has appealed to the Inspector General of Police, Alkali Baba, to expedite action on the payment of his entitlements, saying that he now begs to feed his family - Punch
EFCC said social media celebrity Ismaila Mustapha (alias Mompha), charged with N6 billion in money laundering, has been re-arrested Premium Times
In spite of ongoing litigations and protests, the inauguration of the President-elect and his deputy, Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima, would hold as scheduled on May 29. - Sun News
Four members of staff of ZEFA Microfinance Bank have been arrested after one of them allegedly pushed 50-year-old Vivian Omo, the wife of their debtor, which led to her death - Punch