🤷♀️ Nigeria owes a lot, but it's not that deep
It is now the 29th of April so I hope that the Minister of Works and Housing is getting ready to pack up the trucks along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway and free the roads as promised. please, that traffic is exhausting.
In this edition:
Nigerians are stranded in Sudan
The government is reconsidering fuel subsidy plans
Nigeria is owing a lot but it could be worse
A community in Ondo submerged in the Atlantic Ocean
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This newsletter is 1,804 words (approx. 6 min read)
Sudan
The Nigerian government has been working to evacuate over 7,000 citizens from Sudan as it has become increasingly unsafe in the last few weeks.
What is happening in Sudan?
Sudan's two most powerful generals, Abdel-Fattah Burhan and Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, who jointly orchestrated a military coup 18 months ago to derail the country's transition to democracy, have been in a conflict for weeks.
This conflict erupted into a battle for control of Sudan last weekend, with both generals refusing to negotiate or cease-fire.
They started fighting because they could not agree on how the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group would be integrated into the military, and who would control the fighters and weapons.
Since the disagreement became a gunfight, dozens of people have been killed and hundreds wounded, and the clashes have spread to other areas of the country.
In the midst of the chaos, the Nigerian government started working to bring citizens in Sudan to the “safety” of Nigeria, but the government seems to have botched it.
After the clash, the government said that they started working to ensure that Nigerians willing to leave the crisis-ridden country are brought to safety.
However, when the buses arrived, getting to safety became chaotic. A group of Nigerian citizens, including 2,400 students, became stranded in Sudan on their way to Egypt due to a lack of fuel in the buses transporting them.
The drivers claimed that the Nigerian Federal Government had not paid them for the service, which has caused delays in the repatriation process. Other drivers said they didn’t have any petrol, leaving passengers stranded in the desert.
Embassy officials have not been present to explain the situation, leaving the stranded citizens without information, food, or water since Thursday.
The students fear that they may face harm as the Sudanese armed forces' ceasefire expires soon, and they may not have transportation available to evacuate.
Nigeria’s Insecurity
Abuja
On the night of April 26th, gunmen kidnapped 29 people from the Kwali Area Council in Abuja. The villagers were taken from their homes and led into the bush.
Two women managed to escape, but the rest were taken hostage.
The last vice chairman of the Kwali Area Council confirmed the incident and said that his relatives were among the victims. The identities of the gunmen and their motives are not yet known.
Benue
In Benue State, terrorists suspected to be herders attacked Opaha Community in the middle of the night, killing 15 people including a soldier.
Government (not) spending
Fuel subsidy removal
This week, it was reported that the Nigerian Government has agreed to suspend the fuel subsidy removal that was scheduled for June 2023 and that a new budget was being prepped to reflect this switch. However, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning in Nigeria, Zainab Ahmed, explained that this is a misunderstanding.
Ms Ahmed said the government did not suspend plans to remove fuel subsidies. Instead, they expanded the subsidy removal committee to include teams from the incoming administration and state governors.
She said the subsidy must be removed as it is not sustainable, and it has been added to the 2023 Fiscal Framework and Appropriation Act as well as the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) that the government should exit fuel subsidies by June 2023, (so it has to be done, otherwise they’ve wasted all that paper).
She said all they’ve done is expanded the committee to allow input from the incoming administration and representatives of state governments.
She said the committee will work out a roadmap for the removal of the subsidy, and alternative measures will be put in place to ensure there is a sufficient supply of petroleum products in the country.
Nigeria’s oil loss
The Chairman of Shell Companies in Nigeria, Osagie Okubor, said at an energy summit that Nigeria has lost a significant amount of money in oil revenue due to pipeline vandalism and oil theft.
One pipeline has been shut down for over a year, resulting in a loss of approximately 65,700,000 barrels of oil, which is equal to around $5.45 billion or N2.3 trillion in revenue.
The loss has affected Nigeria's oil production quota and gas supply to Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas. Okubor stressed the need for the government to prioritize the security of oil infrastructure to prevent future losses.
The Managing Director of Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Limited also stated that 40% of the capacity of global gas firms has been affected by theft.
Despite various frameworks and documents, better implementation is needed to tackle the challenges in the oil sector.
Salary withholding in Cross River
A group of women who work as street sweepers in Calabar Municipality and Calabar South Local Government Areas of Cross River State in Nigeria protested because they have not been paid their salaries for four months - Premium Times
The women held up signs asking for their money and said that they were tired of working without pay.
They explained that they are paid different amounts, with some receiving N5,000 per month and others receiving up to N15,000.
The women work very early in the morning and have faced risks such as accidents, robbery, and rape.
The Commissioner for Information responded to their situation but said that they should contact the Commissioner for Environment for more help.
The FG is ready to pay your salary
The Nigerian government has started paying civil servants the arrears for a 40% pay increase, which was proposed to help cushion the effects of the planned removal of fuel subsidy.
The arrears came in alongside the April 2023 salary, and the pay rise is applicable to all workers from level 1 to 17.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, had disclosed in March that the pay rise had been included in the 2023 budget and would take effect from January 1, 2023.
The pay raise is meant to help government workers cope with rising inflation and the increasing cost of living.
But doctors, nurses, midwives and lecturers have not been included in this list of people to receive the salary boost.
The National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Federal Health Institution sector, criticized the exclusion and described it as an attempt to cause problems in the system.
Nurses in Nigeria have been calling for salary adjustment since 2016, and the last time Consolidated Health Salary Scale was adjusted was in 2010. The association believes that the government has no justification to exclude some sections of civil servants, especially in the health sector, from the pay rise.
Salary backlog
The Federal Government of Nigeria has started paying the salaries of teachers whose payments were withheld from 2021 to March 2023. - Punch
These teachers were beneficiaries of an elongated service tenure and new salary scale announced by President Buhari in 2020.
The payment of their salaries has commenced and all arrears will be paid in full.
Some of the benefiting teachers have confirmed receiving their salary for April 2023.
Nigeria owes a lot of money, but it's not that deep?
The Debt Management Office (DMO) of Nigeria says Nigeria’s loans from the world bank are issued at concessionary rates with long-term repayment plans, which allow for low charges and are for very long tenors, so it’s not that bad.
DMO boss said Nigeria’s debt stock is growing due to running a budget deficit for many decades as well as several loans contracted in the past from multilateral and bilaterals.
It also grew as a result of the continuous issuance of promissory notes by the Federal Government to settle obligations.
Nigeria’s debt stock is N46.25 trillion, with the Federal Government responsible for 84% to 85% of this, while the state governments account for the rest.
The DMO says, however, that it's not that bad. They argued that borrowing from the International Development Association (IDA) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) is necessary to fund development in the country and reduce debt service costs. They said the world bank is the best lender so things are fine.
However, the World Bank is concerned. They reported that Nigeria spent 96.3% of its 2022 revenue on servicing its debts, with the cost of the petrol subsidy increasing and the debt service to revenue ratio rising from 83.2% in 2021 to 96.3% in 2022. So even with the best payment plan, things are still in the pit
Buildings and communities falling
There have been about 5 major building collapses in Lagos this year, and the government has decided finally to do something about it.
The government in Lagos, Nigeria is removing illegal buildings in the Banana Island area of Ikoyi to ensure public safety and prevent another building collapse.
This is in response to a seven-storey building collapse that occurred recently. The governor has ordered the removal of all structures without valid building approvals, especially those that violate building regulations and plans.
The demolition exercise is being carried out by the Lagos State Building Control Agency, the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority, and the Lagos State Task Force.
A committee has also been set up to investigate and report back to the government within two weeks.
Ondo community affected by climate change
The Ayetoro Community in Ondo State is sinking into the Atlantic Ocean.
The Ocean has taken over more than half of the land, rendering many residents homeless as their houses were swept away by the ocean.
The Ondo State House of Assembly has appealed to the Federal Government, United Nations, World Bank and Niger Delta Development Commission to deploy modern technology to save the community and other communities facing a similar problem.
The Assembly has also urged the National Emergency Management Agency to distribute relief materials to the victims.
The Speaker of the Assembly stated that the Ondo State Government alone could no longer manage the situation, hence the need for the intervention of stakeholders.
Terrorists in Burkina Faso
About 60 people were killed by men wearing military uniforms in a village in Burkina Faso.
The country is in West Africa's Sahel region and is facing an insurgency that spilt over from neighbouring Mali.
Attacks by suspected jihadists are increasing in the country.
The village of Karma, where the latest attack occurred, is near the Malian border and attracts illegal gold miners. The military junta declared a "general mobilization" to combat the attacks.
The violence has led to more than 10,000 deaths and displaced two million people. The goal is to recapture the 40% of the country's territory controlled by jihadists. The junta plans to hold elections for a civilian government by 2024.
Other news
After 34 days of rest overseas, Tinubu affirms readiness for the task ahead - Guardia NG
The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has criticised Nigeria’s President-elect, Bola Tinubu, for not including Igbo people in his transition committee - Premium Times
The Chief Judge of Niger State, Justice Halima Abdulmalik, criticized an Upper Shariah Court Judge, Abbas Mohammed, for keeping a suspect in detention without trial. She said that this behaviour was unprofessional and made the judiciary look bad - Guardia NG
SERAP has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to set up a presidential panel of enquiry to probe allegations that over 149 million barrels of crude oil are missing - Guardian NG
Nigeria is apparently spending about ₦2.04 trillion on malaria yearly. A vaccine is supposed to be distributed in Nigeria by April 2024 - The Cable
Seven passengers were burnt to death on Sunday in an auto crash that occurred at Kara Bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway - The Cable
Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), said some distribution companies are on the verge of being disconnected over failure to comply with market rules- The Cable
A plank market at Bodija in Ibadan has been gutted by fire on Tuesday, with several shops affected - Guardian