If the world is going low, Nigeria will definitely go lower[Issue 10. S3]
In this issue, we talk about Sanusi Lamido, Nigerian oil and Nigerian poverty.
This newsletter is learning how to take things slow and experience everything.
Nigeria is coronavirus free. WHOOP(?) There is a suspected case in Enugu.
A pipeline exploded at the Festac area of Lagos this morning around 9 am.
When do we catch a break? Also, what new policies around land use will come forward to keep the lives of Nigerians?
Oluwatosin is discovering the music of Fela Kuti through bands like Newen Afrobeat and Antibalas.
Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II has been deposed [and apparently disgraced out of office for a second time]
In 2014, he was suspended by President Jonathan after exposing $20bn oil fraud in the NNPC. To be fair, till today, the $20bn has still not been accounted for or recovered by the “anti-corruption” crusade of Daddy Bubu.
Very recently and publicly, SLS clashed with the government of Kano State on several issues. But according to Alhaji Usman Alhaji, Secretary to Kano State Government, “The Emir of Kano is in total disrespect to lawful instructions from the office of the state Governor and other lawful authorities, including his persistent refusal to attend official meetings and programmes organised by the Government without any lawful justification which amount to total insubordination.”
SLS in a recent video, however, argued that in a court case against the government of Kano, he would win because there exists no evidence to the claim of the government.
Locally and internationally, Lamido Sanusi II remains a popular figure. For several Nigerians, he represents a new breed of Northern leaders that are moving on from the north’s conservative ideals. While this makes him very unpopular with clerics and northern leadership, he still
maintains a young and growing base of supporters. He has been vocal about insurgency, polygamy and out of school children.
For other northern leaders and particularly the governor of Kano state, he has been sending veiled attacks to him.
Is SLS the progressive leader he is being advertised as?
When you are poor and the universe gives you a way out, if you are Nigerian, you MUST run back into the poverty.
In a war between Saudi, Russia and the US, countries like Nigeria are the unfortunate ones. Nigeria’s N10.59trn budget already threatens to strain the already weak economy. But according to experts, it is about to reach one of the first serious tests for a long time. The 2020 Nigerian budget proposal assumes the price of oil will be at $57 per barrel with oil production at 2.18 million barrels per day.
BUT, the price of oil is currently $30 per barrel. This means that the government will need to borrow to fund the budget. Already, Nigeria is in a shit tonne of debt and has depleted the once over $20billion strong Excess Crude Account [that is billion with a B. Like Jeff Bezos billion. Like Bill Gates billion.] Today, the ECA stands at $70 million [million with an M.]
The World Bank already warned that Nigeria’s economy is more vulnerable to shocks as a result of the depletion of the ECA.
In 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the withdrawal $462 million from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) to the United States for the procurement of 12 Super Tucano aircraft, without any prior approval of the National Assembly. Mostly because it is his father that owns the money and nobody can tell him anything.
But inside all of the problems Nigeria has right now, the current oil price debacle presents an opportunity for Nigeria to press a reset. The country can decide to take away oil subsidies; especially as there is no way to fund the oil subsidies right now.
But will we do that?
NO!
In Nigeria, idiocy is at a very high level. The government is proposing a policy to further reduce the pump price of PMS. And this will take idiocy to a whole new level.
According to the US government, the Army & DSS were used to intimidate voters and INEC staff
Is the President really our president?
According to a US government report, ”there was evidence that military and security services intimidated voters, electoral officials, and election observers. In addition, violence in several states contributed to lower voter participation and added to the sentiment that the army is a tool of the ruling party in many parts of the country, particularly in the South.
For example, widespread violence and military involvement in electoral processes, including during the vote collation process, significantly scarred the governorship election in Rivers State.”
Several of INEC’s resident electoral commissioners reported DSS operatives intimidated them when they attempted to protect voting materials. Some reported security service personnel visited them multiple times prior to the elections. The press also reported certain resident electoral commissioners claimed the DSS was surveilling them and that they had been brought to DSS offices for questioning.
The U.S government also said there was a widespread perception that the judiciary is corrupt and intimidated by the executive and legislative branches, making it difficult for it to function independently.
“There was a widespread public perception that judges were easily bribed and litigants could not rely on the courts to render impartial judgments.”
The European Union Election Observation Mission in June last year had identified the suspension of the former Chief Justice Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, by President Muhammadu Buhari days to the election ”as seen to lack due process and reportedly undermined judicial independence.”
Recommended Reads
How Nigeria defeated Ebola: Africa Is a Country explores how Nigeria and Africa defeated Ebola- and that’s how you know the Nigerian government is intentionally senseless
For The Atlantic, Adam Harris tells us why it sucks to be poor and it pays to be rich in an epidemic