🍽️ Nigeria-made indomie, the only safe option
No time for pleasantries. I’m hungry.
In this edition:
Nigeria’s latest viruses
Nigerians in Sudan are getting out
Buhari finally launches Agenda 2050
Buhari’s plan to replay loans
There might be more blackouts than you’re used to
Drs threaten strike
Want to test your knowledge of the news? Check out the That New News quiz segment on Grey Continent.
This newsletter is 1,943 words (approx. 6 min read)
Notice:
Firstly, NAFDAC says the harmful ethylene oxide found in Indomie noodles produced outside Nigeria is not in the version produced in the country, so don’t worry about it. All you need to do is buy “made in Nigeria”...convenient- Leadership
Health scares
Lassa fever
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control says they have confirmed 894 cases of Lassa fever in Nigeria this year, resulting in 168 deaths.
Lassa fever is a serious illness caused by a virus that can be transmitted from animals to humans.
The latest report shows that the infection is present in 101 local government areas in 25 states across Nigeria, with Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi states being the most affected. No healthcare workers were affected in this reporting week.
Diphtheria
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported an outbreak of diphtheria in Nigeria.
Diphtheria is a bacterial infection that can lead to difficulty breathing, heart rhythm problems, and death, if not treated early.
The reports show that from May 2022 to April 2023, 1,439 suspected cases have been reported, of which 557 have been confirmed, including 73 deaths.
Most of the cases were reported in Kano, Yobe, Katsina, Lagos, Sokoto and Zamfara states.
WHO recommends that Nigeria, Vietnam, Venezuela, Haiti, South Africa, and other countries experiencing the outbreak should improve surveillance to detect outbreaks early, have access to reliable laboratory facilities for identifying the bacteria, and prioritize vaccination of high-risk populations, including children under five years, school children, close contacts of diphtheria cases, and healthcare workers.
More on Sudan
The Nigerian government says they’ve spent $1.2 million to rent buses to evacuate Nigerians from Sudan. They said it was expensive because there was competition for the same bus services by other countries also trying to evacuate their citizens.
The first group of 376 people have arrived in Abuja from an emergency port in Sudan, and the second group is expected to arrive soon.
However, as of Friday the 6th of May, about 200 Nigerian students are stuck on the road to the border with Egypt because they cannot afford the high cost of transportation, despite the 27 buses the Nigerian government hired.
Some other Nigerians have arrived at the border, and their papers are being processed for evacuation.
The government was working to process visas for the Nigerians evacuated to Egypt, but after the Nigerian President spoke with the Egyptian President, the border has now been opened with certain strict conditions.
Although the specific conditions required have not been revealed, the Nigerian Embassy in Egypt has begun the process of evacuating the students.
Governance
Buhari has launched a plan called Nigeria Agenda 2050, which aims to increase the country's economic growth by 7% and create 165 million new jobs by the year 2050.
The plan also aims to increase the average income of Nigerians to be among the world's top economies by 2050.
Buhari first introduced the agenda in 2020, but is finally ready to share it a few months to the end of his 8-year term.
The launch which comes 7 weeks after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the policy document on March 15, was conducted by the President before the commencement of the weekly FEC meeting on Wednesday.
Buhari’s exit loans
The Senate has approved Buhari’s request to restructure the cumulative N22.7tn loan from the Central Bank extended to the Federal Government since 2020, under its Ways and Means provision. Now, instead of paying back cash, the FG will pay the CBN in securities rather than cash - Punch
The Ways and Means provision allows the government to borrow from the CBN if it needs short-term or emergency finance when they’re experiencing a cash shortfall. For example, if the government is expecting to receive tax revenues but they are delayed, it may use this provision to borrow from the CBN to cover its immediate expenses and pay back when the tax is paid.
The Nigerian government has been relying heavily on loans from the Central Bank of Nigeria to fund its budget deficit due to a significant shortfall in revenue caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and low oil prices.
Last year, Buhari asked the Senate to let him restructure and securitize the loan, but it was disapproved (Securitization is when an institution pools together a group of loans, such as treasury bills and bonds issuance and packages them into a security that can be sold to investors in the financial markets).
The Senate rejected the request last year, but has now approved it after “critical analysis and review of submissions made by the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, and the CBN”.
The Senate has also set guidelines to ensure that future requests for Ways and Means Advances are approved by the National Assembly and that loans to state governments are repaid promptly.
FG vs the people
Doctors vs the government
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has given the Nigerian government two weeks to start implementing all pending agreements.
The agreements:
A 15% annual budgetary allocation for the health sector (its currently 5.7%), to address the current infrastructure decay, the recruitment of clinical staff to bridge the gap created by the current brain in the sector.
An immediate increase in the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) salary structure to 200% of the current gross salary of doctors
They also demanded that the Senate immediately cancel the in-progress bill that aims to keep doctors in the country for 5 years after studying before they can leave the country (read more here). The NARD described the bill as an “enslavement of young doctors”
The ultimatum was issued on the 29th of April, so the FG has one week to get it together,
Speaking of CONMESS
The Nigerian government has announced that lecturers, doctors, and other civil servants who fall under specific salary structures of Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure, and Consolidated Medical Salary Scale, will receive a pay raise, although the exact percentage has not been disclosed. - Punch
They will also receive arrears from January 2023. FG says the National Salaries, Wages and Income Commission is finalizing the increase.
Money
The Governor of the CBN, Godwin Emefiele, announced that electronic transactions in Nigeria increased by 836% between 2017 and 2021.
The use of cash and cheques is decreasing, and electronic payment methods such as PoS, NIP, ATM, MMO, and web-based transactions are increasing.
Emefiele said the CBN is committed to implementing programs that promote innovation, financial inclusion, and a robust payment architecture.
He added that the use of cash and cheques continued to diminish, as web-based transactions such as PoS, NIP, ATM and MMO have increased substantially.
The eNaira alsp has become compatible with all mobile devices, and over 1.4 million transactions have passed through the platform.
Blackouts coming
The Nigerian government is disconnecting some electricity distribution companies (Discos) from the national grid because they have not paid their bills.
This means that millions of electricity consumers may experience power outages in the coming weeks.
The Discos and generating companies listed among the defaulters include Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, Benin Electricity Distribution Company, Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, Ikeja Electric, Jos Electricity Distribution Company, Kaduna Electric, Kano Electricity Distribution Company, Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, APL Electric Company Aba, Ajaokuta Steel Company, Niger Delta Power Holding Company plants, and Paras Energy.
But Punch says the specific areas/areas to be affected are Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Kwara, and parts of Niger, Ekiti, and Kogi states.
The IBEDC Managing Director/CEO has also confirmed that there will be a mass disconnection from the national grid because of poor remittances by customers.
Insecurity
Kidnapping haven
Despite security measures put in place by the Nigerian government, 792 abductions were recorded between January and March 2023.
Nigeria is considered a high-risk country for kidnapping incidents, which involve various groups of people, such as militants, terrorists, and insurgents who use it as a fundraising tactic
This week, two Catholic priests named Reverend Fathers Chochos Kunav and Raphael Ogigba were kidnapped in the Agbaro-Otor area near Warri, Delta State.
Kaduna attacks
The Atyap Community Development Association (ACDA) in Kaduna State, Nigeria, reported that over 518 people have been killed and over 20 villages have been attacked by terrorists from 2017 to date.
Thousands of residents have been forced to flee their homes, and 18 villages have been completely burnt down.
The president of ACDA blames the persistent attacks on criminal elements within their community and collaboration with armed militias.
The ACDA has called on their people to exercise their natural, fundamental and constitutional right of self-defence against further unprovoked attacks.
They are also seeking support from the government and the international community to help the displaced persons and rebuild their communities.
Military rescue
Troops in Nigeria's Operation Hadin Kai have rescued 122 civilians, including 2 Chibok schoolgirls, in the north-eastern region of the country. Now there are approx. 94 girls from the Chibok abduction are still in captivity.
The rescued individuals include 72 children and 49 females.
The troops also killed 40 terrorists, arrested 25 individuals, and took in 510 surrenderers from Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists and their families.
Bomb control
The Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, Mines, Steel Development, and Metallurgy presented a report which highlighted the problem of illegal use and possession of explosives - Vanguard
The Senate has passed a bill stating that anyone who illegally manufactures explosives will face life imprisonment without the option of a fine.
The Senate noted that criminals are becoming more creative with their use of explosives to commit crimes
Security enforcement brutality
A man named Opeyemi Olaleye might lose an eye due to unwarranted assault by some naval officers attached to the Nigerian Navy School of Music, Ota, Ogun State, over a parking space. - Punch
Olaleye had parked his car at a space where he felt it was safe and not blocking other cars.
Later, he heard a man shouting from the parking space and went to check to be sure that he was not the offender.
By the time he got there, he realised that it was his car the aggrieved man was complaining about.
When an argument ensued, he walked away but was attacked from behind by the naval rating who was cursing and insulting him.
Olaleye apologized but the naval officer called 20 of his colleagues who, upon arrival, beat up Olaleye with all sorts of weapons until he passed out.
The victim reported the case at the Sango Police Division and the navy confirmed the incident, adding that all those involved had been arrested and detained.
Ekweremade case update
Last year, and in a number of newsletters since, That New News reported that Former deputy president of the Senate Ike Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice were arrested in England for suspected organ trafficking.
The Ekweremadu’s, along with medical “middleman” Dr Obinna Obeta, were said to have deceptively transported a boy believed, to be 15 years old to the UK. Ekweremadu’s 25-year-old daughter needed a kidney and the boy was brought to provide it.
The boy fled in fear of his life and reported what had happened to the police.
In March, after a trial, the couple and the middleman were found guilty of modern slavery.
Nigerian government officials, former president Segun Obasanjo and ECOWAS tried to plead with the UK government to let them go (or at least give lenient sentences), but it’s not happening.
The victim is asking for asylum because he fears for his safety in Nigeria.
Other news
Lagos government publishes list of sex offenders - Channels
About 16 people were said to have been burnt to death in a road accident that occurred in Odeomu, Osun State- Punch
The regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Monday, claimed that a total of 1.6 million poor households benefit from a bi-monthly payment of N10,000 each as part of the regime’s plan to mitigate suffering among the citizens - Punch
A joint panel comprising officers of the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Security, and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission has invited the suspended Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, over his conduct in the April 15 supplementary elections in the state - Punch
The Presidential Election Petitions Court has fixed Monday for the hearing of the petitions challenging the declaration of the All Progressives Congress standard bearer, Bola Tinubu as the president-elect - The Cable
Oversupply of eggs - Nairametrics
The Federal Government has refunded N859.7bn to various state governments as reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenditures incurred in constructing federal roads over eight years - News Digest