🗞️ Taxes = family money
This edition was written by Rosemary Ita, and edited by Adetomiwa. That News News is an independent self-funded project by me (Adetomiwa). Thank you for reading, sharing and donating. I love you like I birthed you 😘
In this edition
FG punishing protesters
Nigerian soldiers resign in droves
Abuja and Eko Electric are thieves
Flooding in Borno
Petrol situation looking good and bad at the same time
This edition is 1,700 words (approx 6 min read)
Free Speech?
Bad Governance fr
A federal high court in Abuja has asked 10 people arrested for participating in the #EndBadGovernance in August to pay N10m each for their bail.
Protesters are also asked to bring property owners in Abuja as sureties. The sureties must deposit documents of the properties to the court in addition to swearing an affidavit of means.
The protesters were charged with “attempting to overthrow” President Bola Tinubu. Literally, all they did was protest the current shitshow state of the country.
DSS arrested NLC president
The Department of State for Security (DSS), has arrested Joe Ajaero, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President at Abuja airport as he was about to travel to the UK.
The NLC president was on his way to attend the Trade Union Congress conference in London, which started on Tuesday and was arrested on Monday at the airport
The DSS said they took Ajaero into interrogation over alleged terrorism financing suspicion
Ajaero’s lawyers said the DSS invited Ajaero for questioning and he informed them that he would come when he returned from his official trip to the UK
In response, the council demanded that Ajaero should be released by midnight on Tuesday or they’d go on a nationwide strike.
At 11 pm on Monday, after detaining him for about 15 hours, the DSS released Ajaero, but they have his passport
Government doings
FG’s CNG project
The new price of petrol has been successfully shoved down our throats, but the government is trying to make it better with rice and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
Starting with Lagos: The FG announced that Lagos State vehicle owners can now convert their cars to CNG for free
The FG has identified six locations in Lagos where you can have your cars converted to run on CNG. See them here if you’re into that sort of thing
This initiative is part of the Presidential CNG Initiative, aimed at reducing fuel costs for Nigerians.
FG will also conduct free CNG conversions in Abeokuta, Ogun State, and Ibadan, Oyo State, on Friday, September 13, and in Abuja and Kaduna on Saturday, September 14, between 3 pm and 6 pm.
The Nigeria-Chineses Business Plan
Nigeria has signed a $1 billion MoU with Chinese firms for the Iron Ore-to-Steel Project in Kogi State.
The Chinese companies, CCECC and Sinomach-He will turn Kogi’s iron ore into steel. The partnership is part of why Tinubu went to Beijing.
According to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, this project is expected to create jobs, facilitate skill transfer to the youth, and improve Nigeria’s trade balance by exporting value-added products.
Dr. Dele Alake, also noted that new mining licenses will mandate companies to include local processing plans, ensuring that more value is added to minerals within Nigeria, instead of shipping them out raw.
Nigeria’s $900M Bond
The FG said it raised $900 million from Nigeria’s first-ever Domestic Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) US Dollar Bond issuance smashing the $500M target with a 180% subscription rate.
According to the Minister for Finance and coordinating minister for Economy, Mr Wale Edun, proceeds from the bond will be directed towards critical sectors of the economy as approved by President Tinubu.
The Minister noted that the successful issuance underscores the government’s commitment to diversifying its sources of funding and bolstering economic growth despite current economic challenges.
Investors from home and abroad invested in this 5-year, 9.75% coupon bond, showcasing faith in Nigeria’s economic advancement
Abuja Electric is STEALING
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has hit the Abuja and Eko Electricity Distribution Companies (AEDC and EKEDC) with hefty fines of ₦1.69 billion and ₦1.41 billion, respectively, for overbilling customers.
This comes after an investigation into billing practices between January and September 2023.
Other power distribution companies also faced fines, signaling NERC's crackdown on inflated charges.
Consumers can only hope this marks the dawn of more accurate electricity bills.
So next time they try to make you feel guilty about illegally connecting your light, remember this story
More stealing:
Governors’ $50bn Spending Spree
The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) accused state governors of misusing the Excess Crude Account (ECA) savings. This fund, meant to buffer economic shocks, vanished after a 2010 court ruling, leaving the country with subsidy woes.
Family money
Nigeria’s first lady, Remi Tinubu has spent approximately N701 million on foreign trips, allegedly on the country’s dime. These trips, which occurred between November 2023 and March 2024, saw Mrs Remi Tinubu visiting five countries. Breakdown of the trips:
United States -November 17, 2023, N77,659,888.
France -January 4, 2024, N149,794,284
Mozambique -March 2024, N202,386,198
Ethiopia -February 9, 2024, N144,571,785
London -March 2024, N126,295,377
Also, in 2023, the Federal Government allocated N1.5 billion to buy vehicles for the Office of the First Lady. However, the former Chief Whip of the Senate, Ali Ndume, denied this and said the allocation was for the Presidency, not specifically for the First Lady's office.
++ The Lagos State Government has increased the boarding fees for students in public schools from N35,000 to N100,000 per term.
Petrol drama
After calling each other names for weeks, NNPC & Dangote have come to an agreement.
Dangote Refinery has agreed to sell petrol in Naira, aligning with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation's (NNPC) request. The refinery will sell to NNPC at 766/litre
The refinery also agreed to the NNPC’s request for a monitoring team to be deployed to its refinery to ensure compliance with local pricing and quality standards.
NNPC is supposed to be the sole buyer but decided they’d rather not, so Dangote is able to sell to anyone locally or internationally
And The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria wants to buy directly from Dangote
National President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Association of Nigeria, Billy Gillis-Harry, raised concerns over the risks of creating a new domestic monopoly in the oil and gas sector - if NNPC is the sole buyer and distributor, them they determine the market price which according to Gillis-Harry is a risk for them because there has been no transparency in the process “We have been asking Dangote or anybody that is in charge of this transaction to be transparent, but somehow, we have not got any of that information, he said.
“We are about to leave NNPC monopoly from importation and now we are also going to have that in a domestic environment, that portends danger for the industry.”
Anyway, according to the news, NNPC has started collecting petrol from Dangote Refinery this weekend and might distribute across the country this week. There are also rumors that the pump price might be around N760
Meanwhile, the present fuel price hike has made Uber increase fares across the country by 13%. This development is to help Uber drivers, but many drivers are saying its not enough considering that fuel prices have gone up by over 40%.
In Edo State, the government has announced an indefinite postponement of school resumption due to the recent surge in petrol prices. Chris Nehikhare, Edo’s commissioner for information, said the state had also gotten intel about unrest looming. So to keep the students safe, school is closed indefinitely - The Cable
Is NNPC playing a fast one?
Case in point: Dangote refinery says 95% of the local petroleum marketers are not buying diesel from them because the price is too low.
Marketers are saying Dangote Diesel price is too good to be true, they don't believe in the quality because it is “too cheap”
They refinery says they struggle to sell 29 tankers of diesel per day.
As a result of this poor local patronage, Dangote refinery exports most of its diesel and aviation fuel.
If that’s anything to go by, NNPC might be trying to play us.
Disasters
Flood in Borno State
With the flood that happened in Borno in the past month, the worst in 30 years, major roads and schools are gone, businesses are nonexistent, 80% of animals from the Zoo are dead and some of its animals run off into the city.
The flood has submerged 40 percent of the entire city
According to the Nigeria Emergency Management Agency, over 400,000 households are currently displaced and over 30 people have died.
The floods also broke a prison wall. Some inmates drowned, while over 200 inmates escaped
Apart from the large volume rainfall experienced this year in Borno, the flood, according to multiple sources, is a result of leakage of the bank of Alo Dam, a major source of water supply to Maiduguri which draws its source from River Ngadda in Cameroon and Lake Chad.
The President ordered NEMA to assist the flood victims.
According to the State Governor, Prof Zulum also confirmed receipt of a flood intervention fund of ₦3bn from the Federal Government which will be used in addressing the challenges of the flood.
President Bola Tinubu has approved N108 billion for 36 other states to tackle flooding and other natural disasters.
Nigerian soldiers resign in droves
Reports indicate that 1,008 soldiers have resigned from the Nigerian Army in the last four years due primarily to corruption, low morale and Nigeria’s deteriorating security conditions
The resignation letters are coming from junior ranks, who submitted their applications for voluntary retirement, with some reportedly expressing interest in joining the military forces of other nations, including the British Army, Ukrainian forces, and various Commonwealth nations.
In August this year, 196 soldiers resigned from the Nigerian Army; in 2022, 261 soldiers resigned; in 2021, 127 resigned, and 365 resigned in 2020.
Health
Mpox Vaccine is on its way to shelves
The World Health Organization (WHO) has for the first time prequalified an Mpox vaccine.
After rigorous testing, this new vaccine is now poised to revolutionize how we combat mpox, adding another tool to our public health toolkit.
Health officials are celebrating this milestone as a major victory in the ongoing battle against infectious diseases.
The prequalification approval is expected to facilitate timely and increased access to this vital product in communities with urgent need, to reduce transmission and help contain the outbreak
Lassa Fever is Back
NCDC confirms 982 Lassa fever cases, 168 deaths.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday announced that suspected Lassa fever cases in the country have risen to 7,973, with 982 confirmed cases.
The cases were recorded across 127 Local Government Areas in 28 states between January and August 25, 2024.
Data also showed that 168 deaths (including 17 probable) were recorded, with a case fatality rate of 17.1%
Blood Centers in 774 LGA
The FG plans to establish blood collection centres in all 774 local government areas to improve access to safe blood for transfusions.
This ambitious project aims to address the critical need for safe blood in healthcare facilities, ensuring that patients in need of blood transfusions have timely access to this life-saving resource.
These centres are expected to significantly improve healthcare outcomes by reducing the prevalence of blood-borne diseases and enhancing the overall efficiency of blood collection, storage, and distribution processes.
Other news
Nigeria's telecom sector is on the brink of a shutdown as workers from the Private Telecommunications and Communications Senior Staff Association of Nigeria have decided to go on a nationwide strike. - Punch
The Central Bank of Nigeria has directed payment service providers to begin tracking all point-of-sale (PoS) transactions. - Punch
Despite hardships, Nigeria spends at least N131 billion annually on salaries for police officers designated as escorts for VIPs - Development Dairies
ASUU declares indefinite strike at Gombe Varsity - Daily Trust.
Lagos announces 8-week traffic diversion for Eko Bridge repairs starting Monday -Nairametrics
NAFDAC has ordered the immediate withdrawal of Dove Beauty Cream Bar Soap from the Nigerian market. - Punch
Bauchi State Governor has dismissed Dr. Adamu Sambo from his role as Commissioner for Health. The governor also appointed new commissioners: Dr. Sani Dambam (Health), Mrs. Zainab Babbatanka (Women Affairs), and Engineer Mohammed Abdulkadir (Commerce) - Channels
The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria has reopened its verification portal. The portal was reopened because the House of Representatives instructed the council to resume verification using its previous guidelines. The portal was closed in February, and as a result, many nurses working abroad have been forced to return to Nigeria due to verification issues - Punch
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