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This newsletter is listening to 49-99 by Tiwa Savage. Everybody came through on the songwriters, producer, beatmakers, videographers except Tiwa.
Adetomiwa does not want to start a church with me and I’m upset [YES! I’M DRAGGING YOU. NO, NOBODY WILL EDIT THIS OUT OF THE NEWSLETTER]
Buckle up.
This week has been rough.
Sexy time for a university degree.
Our friend Kiki Mordi went undercover to the University of Lagos and was sexually harassed by a lecturer from the Department of Economics. It was a part of a much larger story about sexual harassment in universities in Nigeria and West Africa. In the wake of the #MeToo conversations around the COZA church, this was a severe blow to the university and even the church - the major culprit was a Pastor Boniface of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria.
Unlike COZA, the church came forward with a statement and took up steps for an internal audit to deal with the problems of sexual impropriety inside the church.
But the conversation on the internet has been extremely messy. The BBC Africa Eye reporters were accused of entrapment. A popular Nigerian blogger in the press with hits such as “Pastor Biodun is being framed, I worked at CNN for 25 years and I’m a pharmacist made several claims about the story and how it was a terrible take" has made this project her personal project.
Bottom line: Please don’t manipulate your power and rape anybody.
Disgrace at home, disgrace abroad.
The UN might start November “without enough cash to cover payrolls,” Guterres warned. “Our work and our reforms are at risk.”
The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has called on member states to pay their outstanding contributions, as the organisation faces such a “severe financial crisis” that staff salaries risk not being paid next month.
Buhari sent a multitude of delegates to this year’s UN General Assembly sessions, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Godfrey Onyeama, in September. At least three governors and six ministers were on the trip accompanied by a retinue of aides and carry-ons racking up thousands of dollars in estacodes. Already, two Nigerians - Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed and current President of the UN General Assembly, Tijjani Bande – are also currently among the UN’s most high-ranking officials.
Nigeria had in 2017 resolved to withdraw from 90 out of the 310 international organisations to which it has financial commitments. Nigeria is owing international debts unlike Syria and Zimbabwe - these countries are in severe problems.
Verdict: We are that person wearing fine clothes, but torn panties.
Nigeria could be heading towards its second recession in three years
Most political analysts expected the re-election of Buhari in 2019 to signify stability and re-ignite business in the country. But nearly eight months after the election, economic growth has drastically slowed to 1.94% in the second quarter of 2019, which is the second straight quarter of declining growth numbers for the country.
Many are fearing a repeat of the recession that followed Buhari’s first term of office. Nigeria remains heavily dependent on oil, with crude accounting for 90% of foreign currency earnings and nearly 70% of the government’s income. Consistently low oil prices and falling output in 2016 underwrote Nigeria’s economic recession in 2016. These prices remain low at sub-$60. The recent bombing in Saudi Arabia showed that prices can be disrupted for only short periods with oil producers, with markets ready to respond to shocks (and consequently keep prices low).
Conclusion: In the words of the great *insert inspirational Nigerian*, get your money and get out.
Here are some things we didn’t get into
IMF numbers are valid until they do the Nigerian government dirty and then, they are horrible.
The Lagos international swimming pool season is back.
There is a brilliant thread of Sanwo-Olu pointing. To be honest, I get the point.
Remember to not try to diminish the work of women - from Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti to Karo Omu.
Recommended reads
The Tyranny of Long and Unpredictable Work Weeks
To make laziness work for you, put some effort into it
Slow walking at 45 is a sign of bad ageing.
Neuroscience Shows That Our Gut Instincts About Only Children Are Right
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