Hi!
This is a little late because I spent my morning doing dumb things. I hope you did too.
In this edition:
Petrol ups and downs
Floods looming
NBS’ unemployment…confusion
This episode is 2,100 words (appx. 7 min read)
Let’s start with a PSA.
If you’ve travelled across the Third Mainland Bridge or Eko Bridge in Lagos recently, you’ve most likely guessed that the bridge is a wreck. You’re not wrong
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, is concerned about Eko, Carter, and Third Mainland bridges and their conditions.
David Umahi says due to their unstable conditions, Third Mainland Bridge will close for heavy trucks and Carter Bridge needs to be repaired ASAP.
Umahi plans to seek N6 billion for Third Mainland Bridge repair and enhance security with CCTV cameras and police stations.
Outside Lagos: In Igede-Ekiti and Delta State, residents protested neglected roads which they say have been a danger for 20 years.
Petrol
Latest Refinery news
The FG has announced that the Port Harcourt refinery, which stopped functioning in 2019 for repairs, is expected to be operational again by December.- Premium Times 🥳
The refinery was shut down for repairs, and the government had approved $1.5 billion for the project. Despite previous delays in restarting the refinery, the government is now expressing commitment to end fuel imports by restoring local refining capacity.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources visited the refinery and stated that once it's back up, along with other refineries, Nigeria can stop importing fuel, which will benefit the economy.
The government aims to achieve this by 2024.
Other petrol problems
A team (consisting of government officials and representatives from the oil and gas sector) that the Nigerian government sent to the Niger Delta region to investigate oil theft shared their report:
They found an illegal oil connection in Abia State, which, according to them, is causing Nigeria to lose about $7.2 million every month. This week, some of the thieves killed two people guarding oil pipelines.
Despite investments of about $490 billion is being invested this year to boost crude oil production there are signs that supply shortages may persist. Nigeria's production is falling as a result of the theft - it is also affecting Nigeria's ability to meet its OPEC production quota.
Other illegal activities like clandestine refineries and environmental damage are also causing significant economic losses for the country.
Similarly, long queues for petrol have been popping up in various parts of the South West due to illegal petrol activities.
The team reported that some arrests have been made, but they’re still doing their best to find more culprits (What about the calls coming from inside the room 🤔)
The race to less petrol use is awn
The National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP) in Nigeria wants to make most of the country's filling stations able to sell different types of fuel. - Guardian NG
Right now, there are about 10,000 filling stations in Nigeria.
After checking them, NGEP found that 9,000 of them can be changed so they can sell different kinds of fuel, like petrol, natural gas, and even electric cars.
This is in line with Tinubu’s plan to introduce natural gas-powered cars to commercial transportation and encourage less dependence on petrol to help reduce the burden of fuel prices
The Ogun State government is also on it. The government of Ogun State says they’ll introduce 15 buses that run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in September.
Flooding
Nasarawa
The Nasarawa State Government plans to demolish buildings constructed near waterways to prevent flooding. - Guardian NG
This decision is in response to a warning from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) about possible floods in Nasarawa State.
Residents in flood-prone areas have been advised to move. The government has also asked the public to participate in monthly clean-up exercises to keep waterways and drainage systems clear.
Cameroon dam drainage = flood in Nigeria
Cameroon authorities have opened The Lagdo Dam due to heavy rain. They might have to fully release the water if rain continues, which could cause flooding in many states in Nigeria.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other agencies are getting ready to respond to this situation.
They said they don't have a fixed budget yet because they need to assess the damage after the floods. There has been a dam-caused flood twice since about 2012
NEMA says the responsibility of setting up camps for people affected by the floods lies with the state governments, but NEMA will provide temporary shelter if needed.
The states that have previously been affected: Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Bauchi, Gombe, Plateau and Kano, Adamawa, Taraba, Katsina, Jigawa, Lagos, Oyo, Rivers, Cross River, Kaduna.
The United Nations will also help Nigeria deal with the flood's impact. Recently, the release of water from the Lagdo Dam has been stopped to reduce the risk of flooding in Nigeria.
Civil demands
Doctor strike in Cross River
The Cross River chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) stopped working because one of its members, a doctor named Ekanem Ephraim, was kidnapped on the 14th of July.
Soon after, doctors in the state went on strike and demanded the government to rescue her.
Now, after an emergency meeting, the doctors have paused the strike and NMA has given the government two weeks to rescue the doctor.
The governor has offered a reward for information about the kidnappers.
Nnamdi Kanu
House of Reps member. Amobi Ogah has asked President Tinubu to release Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the separatist group, IPOB, as a “gesture of goodwill” to the people in the South Eastern region of Nigeria.
Ogah believes that the ongoing security issues in the area are partly because of Kanu's imprisonment. He thinks that releasing Kanu would help uncover criminal activities by other groups in the South East.
The government has no legal hold against Nnamdi Kanu. All holdable charges were dropped last year.
Protests against police brutality & murder
A group called the Imo State Amalgamated Markets and Traders Association (ISAMATA) is protesting because they believe the police shot a trader unprovoked.
The police allegedly shot a trader, Ebere Chibuike, after he asked why the arrest was happening.
The president of ISAMATA says the police have been bothering and arresting traders at the market for no reason, and he wants the government and the police to take action against the officers responsible for the killing.
The police deny that they were involved in the trader's death and are investigating the incident.
Economy
NBS says the unemployment rate dropped but no one believes them
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in Nigeria recently reported a significant drop in the country's unemployment rate, from 33.3% to 4.1%. However, this drastic reduction has sparked suspicion.
Dr Oyeyemi Kale, the former CEO of NBS, criticised the new methodology used to calculate unemployment (which now counts people working at least one hour a week as employed), arguing that it doesn't align with the country's local needs.
Others questioned the validity, as it doesn't seem consistent with Nigeria's economic growth of 1.9%.
Also, various other reports, including one from KPMG and the Nigeria Economic Summit Group, projected much higher unemployment rates, suggesting that the NBS figures may not reflect the true state of employment in the country.
Naira tumbling
Since Nigeria floated the Naira on June 14, the country's external reserves have dropped by $915 million to $33.74 billion as of August 24 - Punch
The naira has fallen from N471 to over N700 per dollar at the Investor & Exporter forex window. It is now trading around N900-N915 per dollar at the parallel market.
The CBN has vowed to clamp down on illegal currency operators to save the naira from further decline.
Meanwhile, the NNPC is taking a $3 billion loan to temporarily improve Nigeria’s dollar supply.
Kano cuts school fees
The Kano State Government has announced a 50% reduction in registration fees for indigenes studying in all state-owned tertiary institutions. This is aimed at easing the burden on parents following the removal of the fuel subsidy.
According to the state's Commissioner for Higher Education, Dr. Yusuf Ibrahim Kofarmata, the gesture is to alleviate the financial hardships caused by fuel subsidy removal and economic challenges.
The reduction applies to Kano indigenes studying at institutions like Aliko Dangote University, Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Sa'adatu Rimi University of Education, Aminu Kano College of Legal and Islamic Studies, Kano State Polytechnic, and others.
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf hopes the fee slash will cushion the impact of inflation and economic adversity. He urged beneficiaries to reciprocate by being more committed to their studies for the development of the state and humanity.
Secret minister switcheroo
Two weeks ago, The President announced Bunmi Tunji as the new Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, however, for some secret insider reason, Bunmi Tunji was bumped for Adegboyega Oyetola former governor of Osun State (I know it’s not because Adegboyega Oyetola was a great governor).
But they didn’t “fire” Bunmi Tunji, he is now been redeployed to Minister of Interior
Sa’Idu A. Alkali (initially announced as Minister of Interior) was reassigned to Oyetola’s previous post - Minister of Transportation
Meanwhile, Tinubu brought back the Niger Delta Development and redeployed Abubakar Momoh, who was initially assigned to the Ministry of Youth, to the Ministry of Niger Delta Development.
I could not find anything about who he was replaced with, but maybe they’ll go back to merging Youth and Sport and John Enoh becomes the minister of both. Or maybe nothing for “Youth”, whoever that is.
Ministers settling into their jobs
Minister of Aviation
New Minister of Aviation (who the HOR attempted to question for mismanaged funds in his former ministry but was uncooperative), Festus Keyamo, has suspended plans for the national carrier Nigeria Air until he briefs the president, following concerns over the handling and transparency of the project by the previous administration.
Keyamo also ordered all international airlines to vacate the old terminal at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos by October 1, 2023.
He plans to temporarily shut down the (honestly disgusting) old terminal for renovation and move operations to the underutilised new Terminal 2
Recall that Terminal 2 has a major design flaw: It can’t contain wide-body aircrafts typically used for international flights 💀
To manage the limitations of Terminal 2, the government will buy buses to transport passengers “like they do in some other countries” to planes while they fix Terminal 1.
Private hangars like Dominion and EAN will also be relocated to make room for expansion.
More minster moves
The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has said that the Federal Government (FG) will complete the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway by the middle of September. (I’ll believe it when I see it)
Meanwhile, commissioners in Lagos
The Lagos State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, has decided not to approve some of the people Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu wanted to appoint as commissioners. - Guardian ng
They confirmed 22 nominees but rejected 17 without explaining why.
Speaker Obasa said they won't change their minds even if people pressure them.
He said the House may release details of why they rejected the nominees, but they won't be forced to explain right now.
Human Rights Watch
The police in Nigeria said they detained 67 people attending a gay wedding in the southern Delta state on Monday. This is one of the largest mass arrests targeting homosexuality in Nigeria.
Police spokesman Bright Edafe said the "gay suspects" were arrested during the ceremony.
Police raided a hotel where the gay wedding was occurring, initially arresting 200 people. Later, 67 were detained.
At a press conference, police paraded the people and showed a video of two men exchanging vows. Edafe said police cannot tolerate open displays of homosexuality, which goes against Nigerian culture.
Those arrested will be charged in court at the end of the “investigation”.
More than 30 African countries currently ban same-sex relationships. Mass arrests of gay people are common in Nigeria.
Coup in Gabon
On January 4, 2023, the military in Gabon announced that they had seized power in a coup, overthrowing President Ali Bongo who had just been declared winner of the August 2022 election.
The coup was led by a group called the CTRI (Committee of Transition and Restoration of Institutions) made up of military officers. They cited a political crisis and poor governance under Bongo as justification.
The Bongo family has ruled Gabon for over 50 years but has been accused of election fraud, corruption, and overseeing stark inequality. Previous election results under Ali Bongo, who has been president since 2009, faced major protests. He succeeded his father Omar Bongo, who ruled Gabon for 42 years.
According to the CTRI, they have dissolved government institutions including parliament, the electoral commission, and the presidency. Bongo is under house arrest.
The military imposed a night curfew, closed borders, and plans to swear in Oligui on Monday. But the path forward remains uncertain.
There has been a recent surge of coups in former French colonies across Africa, including Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger, Tunisia, and now Gabon.
Read more here
Other news
The Lagos State Government announced that the Blue Line Rail will start commercial operations on Monday, September 4, 2023- Punch
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, yesterday, began the distribution of palliative packages, comprising 40,000 bags of grains and vegetable oil to 200,000 households under the Sustainable Action for Economic Recovery (SAfER) initiative - Seyimakinde.com
The Federal Government is seeking top researchers of Nigerian descent from all over the world to join in co-creating a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy - Guardian ng
EFCC and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) are probing Muhyi Rimingado over alleged corruption- Punch
The Presidential Elections Petition Court (PEPC) has debunked reports that it fixed September 16 to deliver judgment on petitions challenging the election of President Bola Tinubu- Guardian ng
The Court of Appeal granted the Labour Party gubernatorial candidate, Ken Pela, approval to return to the Delta State Election Tribunal to continue his petition challenging the election of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of the Peoples Democratic Party- Guardian ng