Hi!
Sorry this is late. I took sleeping medicine last night that has in no way worn off. I have been struggling to finish this since 10 a.m. (Youâre welcome)
This issue is 1,500 words (approx. 5 min read)
OperationsÂ
PetrolÂ
Petrol scarcity has gotten worse so I guess hussle or stay home.Â
But donât worry, Nigeriaâs oil minister Timipre Sylva says the FG is working hard to get refineries up and running. Sylva said the refurbished refinery in Port Harcort is expected to start delivering 60,000 barrels of oil per day this month. Also Dangoteâs refinery is expected to start producing oil by the latest August next year.Â
And the oil theyâll use to produce the fuel is apparently bountiful. The FG says they have found some in the northern part of the country. A win for all, they said.
So just hold your kegs and hope for the best.Â
Railroads
Remember the Abuja-Kaduna train? The train that was attacked by terrorists on the 28th of March 2022 with over 900 people aboard? The train where terrorists kidnapped over 200 people and killed many others, (including Megafu Chinelo who live Tweeted the incident)?
Itâs back in operation from Monday. However, according to the Minister of Transportation, Muâazu Sambo, the FG has tightened the security.Â
For instance, now you canât enter the train if you donât have your NIN and phone number, which are to be shown when youâre buying your ticket. âSo, at any point in time when a train moves from one station to another we know who and who are on boardâ
Minors must have an adult purchase the ticket for them, but an adult will pay for you and will register for you and an adult can only register for not more than four minors.Â
Recall that even with NIN registered phone numbers being the only ones that can make phone calls in Nigeria, the kidnappers â who constantly called people to demand ransoms â were never apprehended.Â
(No) Free speechÂ
Over a week ago (possibly 2 weeks), Nigeria's state security service arrested Aminu Amadu a final year student in the Federal University, Dutse Jigawa, over a Tweet calling the first lady fat.
In June, Aminu Tweeted: âSu mama Anchi Kudin Talakawa an koshiâ, meaning, âMama has fed fat on poor peopleâs moneyâ.Â
Adamu is said to have been picked up from his school and taken straight to the Presidential Villa where he was allegedly brutalised, beaten, maltreated and humiliated by the police suspected to be men belonging to the Department of State Services.
According to the reports, Aisha Buhari also participated in the beat down and while she was kicking the student, she sprained her foot.Â
No one knew where Adamu was for almost a week- not family or friends. An uncle who spoke to Punch said Mohammad called his parents 6 days after he was arrested, using a phone one of the âallegedâ DSS agents gave to him.
The start Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Lawan Shiisu, said he was not aware of the arrest. However, the DSS has remained mute.Â
So far, Mohammedâs family have had no luck getting him released.
The case was however taken to the federal capital high court and Ms. Buhariâs team argued that Adamu was âcyberstalkingâ Ms. Buhari.Â
Judge Halilu Yusuf denied Adamu bail even though Adamu pleaded not guilty.Â
Adamuâs lawyer says he has been trying to get Adamu out on bail since the 25th of November, but no luck.Â
Yusuf ordered Adamu to be remanded in Suleja Prison in Niger pending the hearing and determination of his bail application.
SecurityÂ
Assasination
According to a statement from the LP's publicity secretary for the Southern Kaduna Senatorial Zone, Edward Buju, the assailants broke into her Kaura home and killed her. There are no reports of theft or other killings.Â
Her spouse was reportedly shot as well and is undergoing treatment at a hospital.
In the statement, the party expressed sympathy to the deceased's family and gave them its assurance that it will support them.
The Kaduna State Police Command's spokesman, did not respond to requests for a statement.
Niger Delta: Group seeks end to N65,000 payment to ex-agitatorsÂ
The Niger Delta Integrity Group has demanded an end to the N65,000 monthly stipends given to former agitators, claiming that these payments have the potential to undermine the goals of the Presidential Amnesty Program (PAP).
The committee was also concerned that the enormous monthly payment might deter the FG from implementing the amnesty program.
PAP was created to âsupport the aspirations of hall be responsive to the hopes and aspirations of the ex-agitators and the entire people of Niger Delta Regionâ
In order to accomplish this, the group encouraged Niger Delta stakeholders to work with Maj. Gen. Barry Ndiomu, the PAP's interim administrator, to delist all individuals who have received training and empowerment but have continued to receive the N65,000 monthly stipends.
World terrorism update:
Global terrorism: ISIS leader killed in battle? - Washington Post
MoneyÂ
According to the governor of the CBN, Godwin Emefiele, simulations using internal models show that by the end of 2023, Nigeriaâs inflation rate will have steadily decreased to less than 15%.
Nigeria's inflation rate is anticipated to stay above the 12.5% growth-assist threshold for the remainder of 2022 and the middle of 2023, according to Emefiele.
The CBN governor stated that he is confident that a sustained period of deflation will follow the bank's Monetary Policy Committee's cumulative 500 basis point increase of the Monetary Policy Rate in 2022.
Emefiele stated that although Nigeria's inflation rate increased from 15.60% in January to 21.09% in October, it was consistent with global trends and that worse-hit countries like Turkey, Argentina, Ghana, and Ethiopia were affected more severely.
He also blamed the Russian/Ukraine war for the oil part of Nigeriaâs money problems because Nigeria usually imports refined petrol from Russia, which was impossible because Russia was busy doing an invasion. Â
While inflation is being a mess, FG blames state govs for rising poverty
 Federal Government said state governors were partly responsible for the rising rate of poverty nationwide.Â
It blamed the state chief executives for prioritising the construction of heavy pieces of infrastructure such as bridges and airports in cities rather than improving the lives of the rural poor.Â
Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clement Agba said Sokoto state ranked the highest on the poverty scale, followed by the oil-rich state of Bayelsa. Agba lamented that despite the FGâs intervention to alleviate poverty, the results did not reflect the amount of investment made in the area.
Agba said farm products were affordable at the point of harvest but became expensive due to poor rural-urban roads, causing supply chain disruptions. He urged state governors to channel their resources into providing âfood, nutrition, housing and clothing for our peopleâ.
Hmm: Last week, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar, admitted that the cost of fertilizers and farming equipments has caused a rise in the cost of food production.
Three weeks ago, farmers told Vanguard that due to the recent floods, Nigeria will likely experience serious food scarcity in 2023, as huge farmlands across the country have been washed away and many farmers lost their lives. There are also long bouts of no cultivation because farmers keep getting abducted by terrorists. đ¤Â
ASUU salary woes Â
The Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has called on the Federal Government to release the seven monthsâ unpaid salaries of its members - Pulse
In the University of Nigeria, Nsukka ASUU has asked its members to withhold studentâs results until owed salaries are paid- Guardian NG.
Crime and susÂ
Suspicious N206 billion no longer suspect
Last week, we reported that the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, when summoned by the Senate, said she had no idea what the N206 billion added to her departmentâs budget part of the 2023 proposed budget was for.Â
She said the department had requested funds for a few projects but none were approved, so the money was definitely not for those. She said sheâll speak to the Ministry of finance to get to the bottom of it.Â
This week, the Minister has come back with an explanation: the N206 billion inserted into her ministryâs 2023 proposed budget was meant for the purchase of military equipment. She gave the explanation when she appeared before the Senate Committee on Special Duties.
Doesnât the military have its own budget? đ¤Â
Road to 2023
INEC says you need your PVC to voteÂ
Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of INEC, has dismissed reports that Nigerians registered with the organization can vote in the 2023 elections without presenting Permanent Voter Cards (PVC).
The reports, which started to go viral last week, according to INEC Chairman, are inaccurate.
His said this in response to arguments that Nigerians should be permitted to cast ballots without PVCs because the recently implemented Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) can verify voters without the actual presence of cards at polling places. In addition, many people probably lost their PVC during the most recent floods.
No one may cast a ballot without a PVC, he made clear.Â
Other newsÂ
New Osun Governor, Adeleke orders accounts to be frozen to audit accounts after they found out former governor, Oyetola, approved officials to take official vehicles as personal property - Vanguard
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) asked Buhari to free the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, âas a Christmas gift to the South Eastâ - Guardian NGÂ
The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria has assured Nigerians that electronic transmission of results of the 2023 election is possible with the quality of telecoms architecture available in the country - Punch
Federal High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday sentenced the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba to three months in prison for disobeying a court order - Vanguard
The Federal Government announced the commencement of 14 working-day paternity leave for civil servants.⣠- VanguardÂ
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has said that Nigeria needs to spend $410 billion above usual to deliver its energy transition plan by 2060, more than N10 billion yearly - Guardian NG
The house of reps are questioning the legitimacy of the sales of impounded cars by Nigeria Customs Service (NCS)Â - Guardian NG
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has filed a lawsuit against the government of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), over âthe failure to probe the operations of illegal oil pipelines between 2001 and 2022, to name and prosecute those suspected to be involved, and to recover proceeds of crimeâ - Punch NG
The Court of Appeal, Ibadan Division, yesterday, set aside a judgment of the Federal High Court, Abeokuta, which ordered the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP to conduct a fresh primary election - Guardian NG