💩 The "Democracy Day" edition
Passport Update: Immigration has reopened the passport application portal. Get your passports
The President’s Democracy Day Speech
As is customary, the President gave a speech yesterday. Some highlights (+ commentary):
"In the last two years, we have witnessed and overcome testy challenges that would have destroyed other nations especially relating to our collective security" (So if you were worried, stop. we're not destroyed).
"I extend the same condolence to the families and friends of our countrymen, women and children who were victims of arson, kidnappings and murders". (Murders by police and political affiliates not mentioned).
"When you elected me as your President in 2015, you did so knowing that I will end the growing insecurity, especially in the North East. The unintended consequence of our efforts in the North pushed them further in-country, which is what we’re now dealing with."
"We are, at the same time addressing the underlying drivers of insecurity namely poverty and youth unemployment" (Both significantly higher now)
"My vision of pulling 100 million poor Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years has been put into action and can be seen in the National Social Investment Programme, a first in Africa and one of the largest in the world where over 32.6m beneficiaries are taking part”.
Achievements: Rail transport, Agriculture loan program, COVID-19 relief and more! Read here
How not to be a democracy: Nigeria's reality edition
Image by KHALID OZAVOGU ABDUL for Life & Thyme
The FG banned Twitter because they didn't like your tone: since the ban, the FG has commanded news platforms to take down their accounts, alleged that Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey funded the #EndSARS protests and more. To keep this relatively short, we outlined the Twitter ban so far here
Constant restrictions on telecom services in Nigeria have driven the Private Telecommunications and Communications Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PTECSSAN) to call a strike that will begin on the 16th of June.
The Nigerian Communications Commission reports that over 15 million Nigerians have lost access to telecom services (and telcos have lost their revenue potential mostly) due to Isa Pantami's ban on new SIM cards activation/replacement of damaged SIM.
June 12 Protests: Nigeria's "Crack Down" on free speech
After telling two journalists that they're "playing with their lives", the Police in Lagos arrested Adeola Oladipupo, a Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) journalist covering the protests in Ojota. While arresting protesters, the police tear-gassed and shot in the direction of protesters, dispersing all of them and making random arrests.
Protesters were deemed unpatriotic by many state leaders
In Gani Fawehinmi Park, Lagos, protesters were teargassed, beaten and arrested by the police.
On the 11th, The Ondo State Police said they’ll have police officers across the state to manage the situation: “We will not fold our arms and watch any protest, under whatever guise, to escalate to the level of the last #EndSARS protest. We will arrest and prosecute anyone found culpable.”
Delta Police and Niger government outrightly banned protesting
Security and Insurgency
Buhari declared during his exclusive interview with Arise TV that the order was given to police and military to "shoot-" anyone they see illegally holding an AK 47 "-on-sight" is still on.
He said they even got new equipment to "boost morale" of officers
Some of this equipment was presented to the Lagos State Police on Thursday.
At the inauguration (because in the Nigerian Government, everything requires fanfare), Sanwo-Olu revealed that Lagos State is partnering with neighbour state Ogun to manage the rising crime rates.
Keeping your windows up in Lagos Traffic is a short term solution, maybe
On people in Kaduna (and Zamfara and Lagos and Abuja and so on) getting killed and kidnapped daily, Kaduna State First Lady (Aisa El-Rufai) gave her opinion at a peace and security training organised for Kaduna women by Equal Access International:
She supports the legislation against paying ransoms. If she is kidnapped, she said, she’d appreciate it if her family do not pay a ransom.
Meanwhile: Husband El-Rufai said that insurgency is leading to a food crisis (supply and prices). He met with the Directorate of State Security, where they gathered to "re-strategise against banditry".
El-Rufai still intends to increase tuition for university students in Kaduna.
Oyo- Aftermath of the Igangan attack
At 11 pm on Saturday 5th of June, "bandits", who witnesses suspected were herders, attacked Igangan, a community in Oyo, killing at least 11 people. They also set homes and a petrol station on fire.
Days after, suspected herders killed 4 farmers in Kwara
State Governor, Seyi Makinde, said his government had begun immediate adjustment of security architecture to respond to the current security challenges of the state.
Southwest Governors, after the attack, instructed the West Security Network (known as Amotekun) to commence security operations in the Southwest immediately.
In 2020, the Nigerian Attorney General was believed to have declared that Amotekun Corps will be arrested because they are untrained and illegal, but apparently, he was misquoted. In January 2020, the Southwest Governors met with the VP of Nigeria, Osibanjo, to discuss legalising their operations, but that was the last we heard of it.
In Rivers, Governor Nyesom Wike has ordered the destruction of alleged criminal hideouts in the state to prevent any attempts to undermine the state's security.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen, inaugurated the rehabilitated Government Secondary School in Chibok, where over 200 school girls (many of whom weren't found) were abducted in 2014 by Boko Haram.
What’s up with the Army?
A few weeks after the Nigerian Chief of Army Staff Ibrahim Attahiru died in a plane crash, Buhari appointed Farouk Yahaya to replace him.
Yahaya was 30th in command. His appointment ahead of his the 29 others lead to rumours that they’d be retired.
The FG initially denied said rumours, but they were confirmed this week when the Nigerian army commenced retiring 29 senior generals.
The army then redeployed 11 other Generals
On to money
The Transmission Company of Nigeria, Sule Abdulaziz, says it will soon sell "excess" electricity to neighbouring countries.
They'll be selling two Togo, Burkina Faso, Benin and Niger, through the $570 million North Core Power Transmission Line currently being built, Abdulaziz says
The power line is expected to be done in 2 years.
The House Of Reps has threatened to sanction the heads of some Nigerian government agencies for continuously ignoring their invitation to parliament.
The Chairman of the committee, Adejoro Adeogun, said the: CBN Governor, Inspector General of Police, National Security Adviser and Director-General of NIMASA must appear before the committee by Thursday the 17th or risk sanction.
The House is also investigating the CBN's Agricultural loans. The decision followed concerns by member Chike John Okafor, who said that many of the farmers allocated the loans between 2009 and now had not been given the money.
Meanwhile, CBN is launching Nigeria's digital currency this year, according to their Director of IT.
House of Reps on bank employees
The HOR is looking to amend The Bank Employees Act to include a clause that Bank Staff cannot have a foreign bank account.
The amendment, which has passed its second reading, is supposed to be "aid monitoring the activities of bank employees to ensure that their lifestyle reflects their earnings, and to discourage corruption”.
Unpaid Salaries: Strikes and protests
Ondo state medical practitioners are on strike again for underpayment, owed salaries and under-staffing in government hospitals. The Nation also reports that over 100 doctors in Ondo State government hospitals resigned over unpaid wages.
+ People's Gazette reports that in Imo, Anambra, Zamfara, Benue, Kogi and Kano, Civil Servants accuse governments of refusing to raise the State's minimum wage to N30,000 as instructed by the Presidency.
+ National Assembly workers hired in 2018 (and then ghosted on?) protested at the National Assembly to demand immediate enrollment and payment for the 3 years they've been made redundant.
Elections are coming (2023)!
Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Senate has started screening Buhari's presidential aide and active party member, Lauretta Onochie, as one of the commissioners for the Independent National Electoral Commission.
When Buhari nominated Onochie for INEC, Premium Times reported how her appointment violates the amended 1999 Constitution, which states that “a member of the commission shall be non-partisan and a person of unquestionable integrity.”
In the Arise TV interview, Buhari claimed to have "eased out corrupt politicians without any noise", so Onochie must be the squeakiest.
INEC announced that PVC registration would commence on the 28th of June. They said they’re starting early this year because they are working on digitising elections.
We'll do our best to cover INEC updates moving forward (maybe in a mid-week update segment?)
Things We didn't get into
Nigeria now owes about N33 trillion (Nairametrics)
Bala Mohammed, Bauchi governor, dissolves his cabinet (The Cable)
Onion sellers are still contemplating strike (Guardian)
2 new aides for the first lady who barely even lives in the country (The National)
Inspector-General of Police Usman Baba says the ban on tinted glass permits doesn't apply if you already have it (The Cable)
Buhari approves infrastructural developments in Kano (The Nation)
Recommended Read
Now that the Nigerian government can tax the likes of Google and Facebook, what’s next? (Techpoint)