Home Blog Page 1781

Buhari links rising subsidy payment to cross-border PMS smuggling

Harrison EDEH
-
0
Buhari links rising subsidy payment to cross-border PMS smuggling

 

IN what appeared to be an indictment on various agencies that are stationed at Nigeria’s borders, President Buhari, on Thursday, linked the country’s rising subsidy payment to cross-border smuggling of the country’s Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

Buhari spoke during an interview on Arise Television.

Responding to a question from the Chairman of ThisDay, Nduka Obaigbena, Buhari, who doubles as Minister of Petroleum Resources, noted that cross-border smuggling of PMS had contributed to the hike in the amount of money spent on subsidy.

“Even when we close the border, they ride on machines through the bush to smuggle the product. We see Nigerian petrol in some West African countries,” Buhari said.

The president noted that the Nigerian government was working assiduously to get the cooperation of the Nigerian Customs Service, the Nigerian Immigration Service and other border agencies to halt cross-border smuggling of PMS.

According to him, the Customs and immigrations services would help to reduce oil theft and smuggling.

“Customs are doing quite well in confiscating tankers of stolen petroleum products. The people that are dispossessed of these products don’t normally complain. They don’t talk to anybody, and they don’t say it.”

The ICIR had earlier reported that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pays N120 billion on subsidy monthly. The corporation had expressed concerns over the development, which had reduced the funds the states get from the Federation Account.

Many stakeholders, including the Nigerian Governors Forum, have kicked against subsidy payment.

Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi had expressed concerns that his administration’s pro-poor policies had been undermined by subsidy payment.

In Africa’s largest economy with the highest number of poor people in the world, N120 billion will pay the N30,000 minimum wages of at least four million citizens.

The amount could also build up to 2,400 houses for thousands of homeless Nigerians.

Available statistics has shown that Nigeria has spent N10 trillion on fuel subsidy in 12 years. The huge amount spent on subsidy could have been used to finance infrastructural projects.

Currently the Nigerian government is struggling to close the infrastructure gap by borrowing.

In the first quarter of 2020, the Nigerian government said it was no longer paying for subsidy and announced that it had commenced a ‘price modulation’ regime.

But reports later emerged that the government was spending at least N120 billion monthly on subsidy.

Stakeholders say the subsidy regime is characterised by opaqueness.

“Why is the NNPC the sole importer? Who checks them? There is so much opaqueness in their direct sales, direct purchase agreement and we can’t decipher how much actual consumption we make to attract the rising subsidy,” a former board member of the Nigerian Extractive Transparency Initiative (NEITI) Faith Nwadishi told THE ICIR.

President of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) Adetunji Oyebanji told The ICIR that the government must find a way to urgently deregulate the petroleum downstream sector to do away with subsidy.

“We may be eating up our future with the way we are going. For some of us, we can’t say this enough. We cannot keep politicising economic decisions all the time. You can see the way we are struggling to pull this through,” Oyebanji added.

The major objective of the subsidy payments is to keep the prices of fuel low so as to reduce the cost of living in the country, but the illegal exportation of subsidised fuel conversely increases the cost of the subsidy on the economy.

 

Northern elders are playing politics with insecurity in South-East – Ekweremadu

Vincent Ufuoma
-
0
Northern elders are playing politics with insecurity in South-East – Ekweremadu

FORMER Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu has accused the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) of playing dangerous politics with insecurity in the South-East part of the country.

Ekweremadu stated this on Wednesday while responding to a statement by the NEF that socio-political leaders from the South-East were not doing anything to stem the escalating violence in the region.

The NEF further appealed to leaders from the region to prevail on Biafran agitators to sheathe their swords in order to prevent another civil war in the country.

Responding, Ekweremadu stated that NEF’s calls were ‘well-choreographed attack’ to destroy the opposition in the South-East ahead of the 2023 general elections.

READ ALSO: 

I have first cousins in Niger: Buhari explains infrastructure expansion to Maradi

Youths should secure Nigeria if they want jobs – Buhari

Buhari links rising subsidy payment to cross-border PMS smuggling

“I have noted with concern the growing and well-choreographed attack on the Southeast opposition leaders for allegedly not condemning the rising insecurity and agitations in the Southeast and the activities of non-state actors.

“I believed initially that those were genuine concern about the security situation in the Southeast. However, I have come to the realisation that those making and inducing the statements are only playing politics.

“The objective is to lay the foundation for the harassment and possible destruction of the opposition in the South East ahead of the 2023 elections.”

He said leaders from the region had consistently reiterated their opposition to the use of violence to resolve problems. While listing several efforts leaders from the region had taken to guarantee peace in the region, Ekweremadu said several of his secret and open calls to President Muhammadu Buhari to diplomatically restore peace to the region fell on deaf ears.

He noted that his personal position was well laid-out in an address entitled ‘Biafra: The Political, Economic, and Social Questions’ presented at the meeting of South-East leaders which included governors, National Assembly members, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and leaders of thought on political developments in the region and state of the nation on July 1, 2017.

According to him, he equally made his position known in a letter entitled ‘Rising Tension in the Southeast: Re: Appeal to Call Off Operation Egwu Eke’ and dated Thursday, 14th September 2017, wherein he gave compelling reasons for dialogue and volunteered to rally Igbo leadership and activists to a roundtable with the President.

“The position of the Southeast on Nigeria is well encapsulated in the Awka Declaration of 2018, and I am not aware that it has changed. Ohanaeze Ndigbo has also consistently reiterated this.

“I have personally reached out to President Muhammadu Buhari both privately and publicly to advise on the treatment of the Southeast, restiveness in the region and the need to address their concerns.

“As Deputy President of the 8th Senate, I recall leading a delegation of Southeast Senate Caucus alongside our Caucus Leader at the time, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, to meet with Mr. President as early as November 9, 2016, to discuss the rising insecurity, growing agitations, and germane concerns of the people of the Southeast.

“With benefit of hindsight, we recalled to the President that such steps as we proffered proved very productive in resolving the agitations and the detention of Chief Ralph Uwazuruike during the tenure of the late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua.

“Unfortunately, all these efforts came to naught, as they were neither given appropriate attention nor operationalised.”

Each Nigerian owes N157,906 as debt stock rises to N33.1trn

Damilola OJETUNDE
-
0
Each Nigerian owes N157,906 as debt stock rises to N33.1trn

EVERY Nigerian currently owes about N157,906.30 in terms of debt per capita as the country’s total public debt hits N33.1 trillion at the end of March 2021, analysis of Nigeria’s latest total public debt stock has shown.

Debt per capita is calculated as the total public debt of a country divided by the country’s population. Nigeria’s population is estimated to be 209 million, according to the World Poverty Clock.

Data from the Debt Management Office (DMO) on Wednesday, June 9, showed that Africa biggest economy’s debt increased to N33.1 trillion in March 2021, from N32.91 trillion in December 2020. This means Nigeria grew its debt burden by N191 billion in the first three months of the year.

The DMO said in its press release that the country’s external debt, however, reduced due to the redemption by Nigeria of the $500 million Eurobond in January 2021.

READ ALSO:

CBN expresses worry over rising public debt, describes 0.51% GDP growth as fragile

FACT CHECK: Claim that Anambra’s debt profile is over N200bn is FALSE

Every social media platform must obtain license, pay tax – Lai Mohammed

“External Debt Stock declined from $33.348 billion as at December 31, 2020, to $32.86 billion due to the redemption by Nigeria of the $500 million Eurobond in January 2021,” it said.

The DMO said, “Total public debt stock, which comprises the debt stock of the Federal Government of Nigeria, 36 state governments and the Federal Capital Territory, stood at N33.107tn or USD87.239 billion.

“The debt stock also includes promissory notes in the sum of N940.22 billion issued to settle the inherited arrears of the FGN to state governments, oil marketing companies, exporters, and local contractors.

Nigeria's Total Debt Stock (2015 - 2021)
Nigeria’s Total Debt Stock (2015 – 2021)

“Compared to the total public debt stock of N32.92 trillion as at December 31, 2020, the increase in the debt stock was marginal at 0.58 percent.”

Further analysis of the public debt stock shows that the domestic debt stock grew by 2.11 per cent, from N20.21 trillion in December 2020 to N20.637 trillion as at the end of March 31, 2021.

The Federal Government’s share of the domestic debt included: FGN bonds, Sukuk and green bonds used to finance infrastructure and other capital projects, and the N940.22bn promissory notes, according to the DMO.

In January, the DMO said that the 6.75 per cent $500 million 2021 Eurobond was Nigeria’s first foray into the international capital market.

It said the Eurobond issuance enabled Nigeria to diversify its sources of funding as it successfully raised a total of $10.67 billion from the market thereafter to finance the implementation of the federal budgets.

The debt office said this also contributed to the country’s external reserves.

The ICIR, in a series to mark the six years of President Muhammadu Buhari in office, reported that the present administration had increased the country’s debt burden from N12.6 trillion in December 2015 to N32.92 trillion in December 2020, indicating an increase of 161.16 per cent. With the latest total public debt of N33.1 trillion, Nigeria’s debt burden has increased by 162.68 per cent since the president took over in 2015.

Twitter ban undermines fight against corruption – Stakeholders

Ijeoma OPARA
-
0
Twitter ban undermines fight against corruption – Stakeholders

STAKEHOLDERS at the Radio Town Hall Meeting on Whistleblowing and Whistleblower Protection have called for the restoration of Twitter operations in Nigeria.

The stakeholders said the ban was undermining the whistleblowing policy and the fight against corruption in the country.

The town hall meeting was organised by African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) in collaboration with the Progressive Impact Organisation for Community Development (PRIMORG) in Abuja on Wednesday.

In a statement released by PRIMORG, Director of Programs at YIAGA Africa Cynthia Mbamalu noted that the ban on Twitter was breeding distrust and would negatively affect whistle-blowing in Nigeria.

Mbamalu stated that the ban was misplaced, noting that the benefits associated with the platform were not properly considered by the government.

“Twitter was one platform where people were revealing and reporting incidents, it was one platform where people beyond the young entrepreneurs who conduct businesses earn a living. There were critical reports of violation, corruption and demands for accountability, and they were all done on the Twitter platform,” she said

The Community Engagement Officer at Connected Development (CODE) Mukhtar Modibbo also condemned the ban and urged the government to be more responsible and accountable to the citizens.

The Team Lead of Tap Initiative Martin Obono urged the government to examine the role of the social media in the fight against corruption.

“There are a plethora of areas to use social media to fight corruption but in the absence of whistleblowing law, the creation of an App to expose corruption and protection of whistleblower’s identity is needed,” he said.

Special Assistant to the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disability Musa Mu’azu Musa also urged the government to reverse the Twitter ban immediately.

“I am advising the government, apart from the economic benefits there are social rights around it, we owe it to our government to get feedback on their policies and the only way we can give them that feedback is through those platforms (Twitter). So we want them to lift the Twitter ban and also encourage people to speak using the platform,” he said.

The statement noted that the Town Hall meeting series would run for eight weeks initially, then alternate weekly between Ray Power 100.5 FM Abuja and Kiss 99.9 FM Abuja.

“It is a collaborative effort between AFRICMIL and PRIMORG aimed at increasing citizens’ active participation and involvement and encouraging the government to institutionalise the whistleblowing policy,” the statement added.

 

Every social media platform must obtain license, pay tax – Lai Mohammed

Lukman ABOLADE
-
0
Every social media platform must obtain license, pay tax – Lai Mohammed

MINISTER of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed has said that each social media platform in Nigeria must obtain license and pay tax to the Nigerian government.

Mohammed said this on Wednesday in Abuja while addressing journalists after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

He said the social media platforms were making billions of naira in Nigeria without remitting tax to the government.

“Whether it is Netflix, Iroko or Facebook…they are all doing business in Nigeria, making money and they are not paying taxes. This is in addition to being able to regulate them. They are making billions of naira out of this country and they are not paying tax. That cannot be allowed to go on,” Mohammed said.

Also, Mohammed said after obtaining the license, the social media outfits should also “refrain from using their platforms for activities that are inimical to the growth of Nigeria.”

This is coming six days after the Nigerian government banned Twitter operations in Nigeria shortly after the platform deleted a controversial tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Although Nigerians have continued to use Twitter through Virtual Private Networks (VPN), the government has threatened to prosecute anyone found using the platform.

The government’s action has been heavily criticised by some Nigerians, including state governors, and members of the international community, who described  the suspension as an attempt to stifle freedom of expression in the country.

We will organise police, military to pursue IPOB – Buhari

Odinaka ANUDU
-
0
We will organise police, military to pursue IPOB – Buhari

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has said that his administration will organise the police and the military to pursue the  Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Buhari said this in an interview with Arise TV on Thursday, noting that IPOB did not know what it was doing.

READ ALSO:

Northern elders are playing politics with insecurity in South-East -Ekweremadu

Buhari’s IPOB tweet was statement of fact, not threat – Garba Shehu

Review IPOB ban, ex-SSS director tells Buhari

“The way they are spread across Nigeria, having properties and business, IPOB does not know what they are doing,” he said. He noted that he was encouraged by the comments of two elderly people and youths in the South-South regarding IPOB.

Buhari’s comments, however, did not douse the tension in the South-East as he tended to regard anybody from the region as a member of IPOB, analysts say.

He said he was fair on his appointments, and the South-East region was not being marginalised.

“Are South-East not in civil service? You have to go through the civil service and see if there are no South-East persons in civil service,” he said.

People of North-West are one, yet killing each other – Buhari

Odinaka ANUDU
-
0
People of North-West are one, yet killing each other – Buhari

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has said that the people of the North-West are one, yet they are killing each other.

Buhari said this in an interview with Arise TV on Thursday, noting that the situation was giving him concern. He further said the people of the North-West were suffering a lot of casualties.

He said the Federal Government would treat those stealing and killing each other in the language they would understand.

READ ALSO:

Buhari links rising subsidy payment to cross-border PMS smuggling

Northern elders are playing politics with insecurity in South-East -Ekweremadu

Each Nigerian owes N157,906 as debt stock rises to N33.1trn

He also promised to treat  bandits, hoodlums and killers ruthlessly, noting that he had given a directive to the security agencies, especially the Police, to be ruthless with anyone or group causing unrest in the country.

“We have given the Police the directive to be ruthless with people stealing another other people’s belongings and destroying others’ property. You will see that there will be a difference in coming weeks.”

He said two South-West governors approached him saying that some farmers were killed by herders, but he asked them to go back and re-arrange their security networks.

He said in the First Republic, herders had the grazing routes and those whose animals grazed on people’s farms were arrested.

“I asked people to go back to the First Republic and dig out the gazette. There were grazing routes and grazing areas. When they were moving North to South or South to North, they moved through grazing areas. If they moved through people’s farms, they were arrested,” he said, noting that grazing areas in those days had facilities and even veterinaries.

Six Nigerians make Forbes Africa U-30 2021 list, 44 since 2015

Oghenekevwe UCHECHUKWU
-
0
Six Nigerians make Forbes Africa U-30 2021 list, 44 since 2015

SIX Nigerians have claimed spots on the much-coveted FORBES AFRICA 30 Under 30 2021 list released in the June/July edition of the publication’s 7th annual report card on the continent’s talent pipeline.

Nigerians who graced the list were: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Founder of Media Panache Timilehin Bello; Founder of Space in Africa Temidayo Oniosun; self-taught visual artist, storyteller, and CEO of Melanin Unscripted Amarachi Nwosu; Musician Divine Ikubor (also known as Rema); creative artist and filmmaker Ifan Ifeanyi Michael, as well as Editor-in-Chief of The Republic Wale Lawal.

Each year, FORBES AFRICA looks for resilient self-starters, innovators, entrepreneurs and disruptors who have the acumen to stay the course in their chosen field. So far, 44 Nigerians have made the list since its inauguration in 2015.

“What makes this compilation even more compelling is the fighting spirit of the candidates that made it through a challenging year. They need to be honored even more for their tenacity and resilience as leaders charting a non-linear trajectory to success,” Managing Editor of FORBES AFRICA Renuka Methil said.

The 2021 list will go down in history as a selection of Africa’s brightest achievers under the age of 30 spanning the business, technology, creatives, and sports categories, who survived and thrived during one of the most turbulent times recorded and contributed to the growth story of the African continent.

READ ALSO: Forbes to prison: US court sentences Invictus Obi to 10 years imprisonment

Other Nigerians who have made the list in previous years included: DJ Cuppy, Mr Eazi, Patoranking, Tracy Batta, Olajumoke Oduwole, Swanky Jerry, Davies Okeowo, Maryam Gwadabe, Asisat Oshoala, Adeniyi Omotayo, Ogechukwu Anugo-Obah, Ijeoma Balogun, Bright Jaja, Henrich Akomolafe, Oginni Tolulope, Barbara Okereke, Charles Edosomwan and Adetola Nola.

Others were: Nasir Yammama, Shakeela Tolasade Williams, Muktar Onifade, Edikan Udiong, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Obinwanne Okeke, Uneku Atawodi, Affiong Williams, Emeka Akano, Ola Orekunrin, Abiola Olaniran, Bankole Cardoso, Temitope Ogunsemo, Oluwatobi Ajayi, Abubakar Sadiq Mohammed Falalu, Etop Ikpe, Obinna Okwodu, Gossy Ukanwoke, Ronke Bamisedun, and Harold Okwa.

PDP calls on US, UK, Canada to impose visa ban on Buhari, Malami, Mohammed

Amos ABBA
-
0
PDP calls on US, UK, Canada to impose visa ban on Buhari, Malami, Mohammed

THE People’s Democratic Party (PDP), on Wednesday, called on the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Saudi Arabia and the international community to impose visa ban on President Muhammadu Buhari for restricting free speech in Nigeria.

The party also urged the countries to ban Attorney-General Abubakar Malami and Minister of Information Lai Mohammed.

This was disclosed in a statement by the party’s National Publicity Secretary Kola Ologbondiyan, who described the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria as “stifling free speech in Nigeria.”

“The PDP urges the countries to bar President Buhari, Lai Mohammed, Abubakar Malami, and their family members from entering their territories for any private purposes whatsoever,” a section of the statement read.

The leading opposition party said the suspension of Twitter was a clear violation of Article 19 of the UN Charter as well as Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which guaranteed freedom of expression to all Nigerians.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Article 19 of the UN Charter on Human Rights provides that ‘Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinion without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers,’” the statement read.

The party submitted that “the trio of President Buhari, Lai Mohammed and Abubakar Malami and their agents cannot continue to enjoy diplomatic privileges and rights extended by virtue of their offices in Nigeria, while at the same time blatantly flouting the UN Charter, which Nigeria is a signatory to, as well as the 1999 Constitution (as amended) upon which provisions they hold office. ”

The PDP called on the international community to hold Buhari, Mohammed and Malami responsible for the escalated abuse of human rights and constitutional violations, as well as for emboldening terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and vandals in the country.

Mohammed had announced Twitter ban in Nigeria last Friday. On the other hand, Malami had threatened to prosecute Nigerians accessing Twitter via the  Virtual Private Network (VPN).

Joe Igbokwe deceives Nigerians, alleges Greenfield University students’ abductors arrested with ransom

Marcus FATUNMOLE
-
0
Joe Igbokwe deceives Nigerians, alleges Greenfield University students’ abductors arrested with ransom

Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage & Water Resources Joe Igbokwe, on Wednesday, deceived Nigerians, claiming security operatives might have arrested the abductors of students of Greenfield University, Kaduna State.

Joe Igbokwe
Joe Igbokwe

Igbokwe shared two pictures containing a large cache of arms, about a dozen suspected criminals, and wads of N1,000 notes on his Facebook page.

The pictures attracted scores of shares within an hour.

READ ALSO:

Fact Check: Did Bishop Kukah praise separatist leader, Kanu, as man of truth?

Fact Check: Did Late COAS say over his dead body would there be Biafran and Oduduwa nations?

FACT CHECK: Claim that Anambra’s debt profile is over N200bn is FALSE

But no sooner had he made the post than Nigerians flooded his page with the same pictures taken by security agencies when they arrested suspected kidnappers of one Alhaji Tuku Zubairu, a wealthy businessman from Sokoto State, in 2019.

Igbokwe, who allows only his Facebook friends to comment on his posts, received bashing on the post
Igbokwe, who allows only his Facebook friends to comment on his posts, received bashing on the post

About N10.1 million was reportedly recovered from the suspects.

The story was published on October 22, 2019.

However, Igbokwe refused to pull down the post two hours after many people had exposed and countered him.

A former spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Igbokwe frequently uses his social media platforms to promote ideals of former Governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the APC Bola Tinubu, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC.

Of late, he has been very critical of his South-East people, following arsons, killings, attacks on security formations and destruction of electoral institutions allegedly perpetrated by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its security arm, the Eastern Security Network.

 

Our reporter contacted Igbokwe to know the source of his pictures yesterday evening. He did not pick the calls put through to him around 5:25 pm.

Rather than call back or respond to a text message sent to him, he deleted the post at about 5:30 pm.

Our reporter could not identify any other prominent Nigerian who shared Igbokwe’s pictures when this report was being filed

At least 20 students were whisked away from Greenfield University by gunmen on April 20.

Five of the students were killed by their abductors, while others were released in batches.

Parents of 14 of the abductees claimed they paid N180 million to secure the release of their children from the abductors’ den.

President Buhari and Kaduna Governor Nasir el-Rufai commended the release of the students.

Fake pictures posted by Joe Igbokwe
Fake pictures of ‘arrested kidnappers of Greenfield University students’ posted by Joe Igbokwe on his Facebook page on Wednesday June 9, 2021.
Credit: Marcus Fatunmole/TheICIR

Kaduna state has faced the worst insecurity in Nigeria in recent times. In March, The ICIR reported how deaths from insecurity in the state were three times higher than those of North-East states in 2020.

Meanwhile, Kaduna State Government said it could not confirm the authenticity of the pictures published by Joe Igbokwe.

Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs in the state Samuel Aruwan said he had been inundated with calls and text messages over the pictures.

More 'friends' attacked Igbokwe
More ‘friends’ countered Igbokwe

Aruwan said in a message he posted on his Facebook page, “I have been inundated with calls, messages and emails to confirm if the bandits responsible for the kidnapping of the Greenfield University’s students have been arrested.

“While it is our desire to see this happen by the grace of God, I cannot confirm the story making the rounds, and I have not received any information related to this from security agencies.”

1...1,7801,7811,782...3,440Page 1,781 of 3,440