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FG will no longer tolerate Emirates’ discriminatory bahaviour – Aviation ministry

Lukman ABOLADE
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FG will no longer tolerate Emirates’ discriminatory bahaviour – Aviation ministry

THE Ministry of Aviation has said that the ban on Emirates airline, the official carrier of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was due to its discriminatory policy on the COVID-19 test for Nigerians.

James Odaudu, spokesperson for the Ministry of Aviation, explained this during a telephone interview with The ICIR on Tuesday.

Odaudu explained that the insistence of Emirates airline on bringing passengers into the country and refusing to take them to the UAE was discriminatory and the federal government would not continue to allow that.

Earlier on Monday, Aviation minister Hadi Sirika had disclosed that the federal government placed a ban on Emirates until further notice.

Odaudu told The ICIR that other international airlines had agreed to the guidelines set up by Nigerian regulatory bodies except Emirates airline.

“Emirate has insisted on subjecting Nigerians to extra test other than the one agreed on with other airlines and the guidelines set up by the regulatory bodies.

“Now they agree to fly passengers into Nigeria but refused to fly passengers out of Nigeria, which we consider discriminatory and insensitive,” Odaudu said.

For over one month, there have been continuous bans on flights from and to Nigeria by Emirates and the federal government.

On Thursday, February 11, Emirates announced the suspension of outbound flights from Nigeria to Dubai, stating that inbound flights to Nigeria would still be in operation.

The Emirates  is insisting that for passengers to be airlifted from Nigeria into UAE, they are to conduct an RDT test in addition to the PCR test after arrival.

However, the Nigerian government had said Emirates was demanding an RDT test conducted in unapproved laboratories from Nigerians after the PCR had been done against the stipulated directive.

When asked if this could be in connection with reports of alleged fake PCR tests in Nigeria, Odaudu said there were recognised laboratories in Nigeria where authentic tests could be done.

Sirika had also argued that it made no ‘scientific sense’ for Emirates to require a PCR test for passengers within 72 hours of their flight and then subject them to an antigens rapid test at the airport and another PCR test on arrival in their countries.

Checks by The ICIR also show that it takes a flight about seven hours to fly from Lagos to Dubai.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), it takes at least five days for COVID-19 virus to incubate and sometimes up to 14 days. Therefore, a passenger that tests negative within 72 hours cannot test otherwise between the time of flight from Nigeria to the time of landing in Dubai, the UAE capital.

Despite growing discontent, CBN introduces N7 charge for each USSD transaction

Niyi OYEDEJI
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Despite growing discontent, CBN introduces N7 charge for each USSD transaction

THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has ignored economic slump and growing discontent in the country to introduce a flat fee of N6.98 per transaction every time a customer uses the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) service.

The apex bank, in a statement released on Tuesday and jointly signed by the apex bank’s acting director of corporate communications Osita Nwanisobi and director of public affairs at the Nigerian Communications Commission Ikechukwu Adinde, said the charges were effective from Tuesday (today).

The CBN said that it was part of the agreement reached when banks and telecommunication operators met on Monday to discuss the N42 billion debt owed by the banks to mobile operators.

“Effective March 16, 2021, USSD services for financial transactions conducted at DMBs and all CBN – licensed institutions will be charged at a flat fee of N6.98 per transaction. This replaces the current per session billing structure, ensuring a much cheaper average cost for customers to enhance financial inclusion. This approach is transparent and will ensure the amount remains the same, regardless of the number of sessions per transaction.”

CBN added that the new development was targeted at ensuring transparency in its administration, adding that  the new USSD charges would be collected on behalf of mobile network operators (MNOs) directly from customers’ bank accounts.

“A settlement plan for outstanding payments incurred for USSD services, previously rendered by the MNOs, is being worked out by all parties in a bid to ensure that the matter is fully resolved.”

It also stated that the MNOs and DMBs would discuss and agree on the operational modalities for the implementation of the new USSD pricing framework, including sharing of Application Programme Interface (API) to enable seamless, direct and transparent customer billing.

CBN, however, said that the USSD channel was optional, adding that several alternative channels such as mobile apps, internet banking and ATMs might be used for financial transactions.

Nigeria spent $770m on oil imports in first half of 2020 – CBN

There is a growing discontent in Nigeria as unemployment rate reached 33.3 percent  in the fourth quarter of  2020,  from 27.1 percent in the second quarter of the same year. Inflation hit a four-year high of 17.78 percent in February 2020, with food inflation hitting 21.79 percent. Nigeria is world’s poverty capital, with 87 million living in extreme poverty. Prices of staples from bread to biscuits have risen sporadically in the last six years when President Muhammadu Buhari came in power.

#ENDSARS: Police officers frustrate proceedings, refuse to appear before panels

Lukman ABOLADE
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#ENDSARS: Police officers frustrate proceedings, refuse to appear before panels

SINCE the constitution of special judicial panels across 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to look into cases of police brutality, some police officers have refused to appear before the panels, frustrating victims’ hope of getting justice. Reports say that the attitude is commonest in Abuja.

Garba Tetengi, member of the Independent Investigative Panel on Defunct SARS and other Units of the Nigerian Police Force, representing chairman of the panel, said the police were trying to frustrate quest for justice for victims of brutality.

According to him, the trend had become ‘worrying,’ making it difficult for the force to execute directives of the panel with regard to appearances in answering allegations levelled against them.

The panel had ordered for the appearance of two police officers Raymond Eku (aka ‘Death’) serving in the Lagos State Police Command and IPO Sylvester in Nassarawa State police command who were both of the defunct SARS.

Asaph Aristole, liaison officer between the Nigeria Police and the IIP-SARS, told the panel that the notice for appearance was sent to the concerned police commands, but the officers chose not to appear on their own personal volition.

Eku  and Sylvester were summoned by the panel to answer questions on allegations of unlawful arrest, detention, torture, inhuman and degrading treatment of one Richard Augustine.

Apart from the refusal of the officers to appear before the panels, the representative and counsel of the police in the Abuja panel has also been accused of negligence by the panel.

During the Monday sitting, counsel to the police respondents Malik Taiwo told the panel that the other counsel assigned to a petition was absent at the proceedings, thereby stalling the cross-examination of a petitioner.

Reacting to the counsel’s statement, Tetengi rejected what he deemed as an ‘unserious excuse’ by the police.

He argued that the police was one entity and ordered that it should “either cross-examine petitioner or forego that right and get ready for defence.”

Many police officers refuse to appear before panel

The ICIR gathered that apart from Eku and Sylvester, there have been several other police officers that have refused to appear before the panel.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had, in November, ordered the appearance of James Nwafor, a former commander of the Akwuzu SARS unit in Anambra unit, who was accused of supervising killings of more than five persons. The said Nwafor has since failed to appear before it.

Also, three police officers from Delta State police command have refused to honour the invitation of the panel in the state, thereby stalling the hearing of an alleged case of police brutality.

#ENDSARS: Osun State Panel on police brutality begins with five petitions

The police officers include one Sergeant Musa Sunday, Lucky Kehinde and Lucky Okuku who the police had earlier testified were sitting in the same vehicle the day a victim allegedly jumped off a moving van and got injured in the process. However, the panel has ordered the arrest and appearance of the three officers.

The ICIR contacted Frank Mba, spokesperson for the Nigeria police through phone calls and text messages, but he did not reply as of the time of filing this report.

After $1bn valuation, Flutterwave partners Paypal to boost Africa’s online payment

Vincent Ufuoma
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After $1bn valuation, Flutterwave partners Paypal to boost Africa’s online payment

AFTER hitting $1 billion valuation, Flutterwave, a leading fintech firm, has announced a strategic partnership with PayPal, an online global payment platform. The partnership is geared towards facilitating online payments in Africa.

With the partnership, Nigerians and other Africans can now receive payments with their PayPal account through Flutterwave.

In a series of tweets on Twitter, Flutterwave said the partnership would enable over 377 million customers to bridge infrastructural weakness in doing business within Africans and the world.

The firm, in a tweet, said: “As we build the largest payment infrastructure in Africa @theflutterwave, we also know that Africa does not exist in isolation.

“We need to connect Africa to the world when it comes to payments and we took a closer step to that today.

“All Paypal users can now pay African businesses from anywhere in the world, on our gateway. We’re excited to be opening up a world of opportunities for businesses in Africa!”

This latest announcement is another big step in the fintech industry after Paystack was acquired last year.

Flutterwave secured $170 million from investors last week to expand its customer base. The fintech firm hit $1 billion valuation last week, putting it in the class of unicorn start-ups.

“We are thrilled to share news of our 170 million dollar #SeriesC funding which will be crucial in improving our technology, product, customer support, and expansion drive,” Flutterwave said on its Twitter handle last Wednesday.

#EndSARS: Why I ordered suspension of Flutterwave’s payment platform- Tunde Lemo

“The company’s valuation is now more than 1 billion dollars. The fundraise brings the total investment in Flutterwave to $225 million,” the company said in a separate statement seen by The ICIR.

NIPOST in charge of adhesive stamps, not stamp duties ― FIRS

Niyi OYEDEJI
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NIPOST in charge of adhesive stamps, not stamp duties ― FIRS

THE Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has said that the Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST) has not been licensed for the collection of stamp duty charges.

FIRS, in a statement signed by its executive chairman Muhammad Nami, on Tuesday, said communications minister Isa Patanmi was earlier misquoted on the subject.

“The Honourable Minister was misquoted as saying that administration of Stamp Duty was granted to NIPOST by the Finance Act 2020. The speech attributed to the Honourable Minister was definitely quoted out-of-context,” Nami said in a post on FIRS Twitter handle on Tuesday.

He stated that what the minister meant was that NIPOST would produce adhesive stamps required by FIRS to denote stamp duties, adding that the statement was in line with “S.2 of the Stamp Duties Act (as amended by Section 46 of the Finance Act 2020).”

Nami, however, urged taxpayers, tax practitioners and the general public to ignore the earlier information in circulation, saying it was an unfortunate attempt to cause confusion.

“FIRS therefore urges Taxpayers, Tax practitioners and the general public to ignore this unfortunate attempt to cause confusion by twisting the Honourable Minister’s speech.

NIPOST reclaims collection of stamp duty charges from FIRS

“The Honourable Minister for Communications and Digital Economy is a patriot whose passion for the rule of law and Nigeria is never in doubt,” he said.

Why IPOB split into Kanu, Dokubo factions

Lukman ABOLADE
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Why IPOB split into Kanu, Dokubo factions

IN the South-Eastern part of Nigeria, several groups are seeking the actualisation of a nation called Biafra. The frontrunner of these groups is the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), led by Nnamdi Kanu.

IPOB has emerged as a powerful force, founding an online radio and winning the hearts of many Igbo-speaking people in Nigeria and abroad. However, there are cracks in IPOB’s wall as a splinter group has emerged.

The splinter group, called Biafra Customary Government, is led by Asari Dokuba, an activist for the Niger Delta and Uche Mefor, a former deputy leader of IPOB. But why did IPOB split?

SB Morgan, an organisation focused on geopolitical research and strategic communications consulting firm focused around Africa, explains the reasons in a report titled ‘Discord at Sunrise: What does Split in IPOB mean?’

During the inauguration of Dokubo, Ralph Uwazuruike, founder of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), another prominent group agitating for a Biafran state, was present at the venue. However, as expected, Kanu was absent, the report says.

Before the resignation of Mefor from IPOB, a faction in the United Kingdom had demanded a financial account of the funds raised for the organisation, an action that did not go well with Kanu, SB Morgan notes.

Nnamdi Kanu
Nnamdi Kanu

In response to the demand, Kanu abolished the position of deputy leader being held by Mefor and subsequently scrapped the UK IPOB faction, which was loyal to the latter.

Apart from the conflict that arose from lack of  financial accountability, Mefor and his loyalists were reported to be against the ‘violent approach’ of the Kanu- led IPOB, which had led to a various crisis between the Nigerian military and Eastern Security Network (a subsection of IPOB in Eastern Nigeria), the report further says.

At least two violent disputes have occurred between the Nigerian military and the ESN in 2021 that left people dead in Orlu  Local Government Area of Imo State.

While the military claimed four soldiers were killed, the ESN said that several of its members were killed, leading to the closure of some schools and markets in Imo State.

Can Mefor-Dokubo synergy work?

Having crippled an organised loyalty to Mefor, Kanu sought the support of Dokubo, who is from the South-South region of the country, where some have reportedly distanced themselves from collaborating with the Igbo who they say are in the majority.

Asari Dokubo
File Photo

“Kanu, uncharacteristically, has not mentioned Mr Mefor’s name since the fallout between them happened last year but constantly attacks Asari Dokubo and Mr Uwazuruike during his broadcasts. It remains to be seen how he will respond to this new movement headed by people he considers enemies,” the SB Morgan report says.

“IPOB at the moment is seriously fractured, with many erstwhile key members now either with Mr Mefor or charting their own course. Mr Kanu is presently believed to be operating out of the United States, where a new bank account was recently unveiled, ostensibly to collect contributions for ESN,” it adds.

DSS says IPOB killed two of its personnel in an unprovoked attack

SB Morgan report concludes that the major challenge of the Dokubo – Mefor alliance will be to work out a mutually beneficial narrative that could suit both the South-East and South-South, following the injustices allegedly suffered by the people of South-South in the hands of Biafran soldiers some 50 years ago.

Amid rising unemployment, Nigeria’s inflation rate jumps to 17.33% in February

Damilola OJETUNDE
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Amid rising unemployment, Nigeria’s inflation rate jumps to 17.33% in February

AS Nigeria’s unemployment rate continues to rise, its inflation rate has jumped to 17.33 percent (year-on-year) in February 2021, indicating the highest level in four years, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) of February 2021 has shown.

Inflation in Nigeria has consistently been on the increase for 12 months, rising from 12.2 percent in February 2020 to 17.33 percent in February 2021, the report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Tuesday shows.

Food for the increasing number of poor Nigerians is not getting cheaper. The report revealed that food inflation increased to 21.79 percent, the highest point since the 2009 data series.

“This rise in the food index was caused by increases in prices of bread and cereals, potatoes, yam and other tubers, meat, food products, fruits, vegetable, fish and oils and fats,” NBS explains.

Inflation Rate from February 2020 to February 2021

According to the report, increases were recorded in all 12 Classification of Individual Consumption According by Purpose (COICOP) divisions that yielded the headline index.

The COICOP includes food and non-alcoholic beverages, alcoholic, and beverages, tobacco, and kola, clothing and footwear, housing, water, electricity, and gas; furnishings and household equipment.

Others are health, transport, communication, recreation and culture, education, restaurants and hotels, miscellaneous goods and services.

The NBS reported yesterday in its ‘Labour Force Statistics: Unemployment and Underemployment Report’ that about 23.18 million Nigerians were currently unemployed.

The report indicated that the country’s unemployment rate rose to 33 percent in the fourth quarter of 2020, from 27.1 percent recorded in the second quarter of 2020.

Inflation in states

According to the NBS, all-items inflation on year-on-year basis was highest in Kogi at 24.73 percent; Bauchi at 22.92 percent; and Ebonyi at 20.45 percent. In comparison, Enugu at 14.73 percent rate; Kwara, 14.25 percent; and Cross River, 12.97 percent,  recorded the slowest rises in year-on-year headline  Inflation.

Year-on-year, food inflation  was highest in Kogi which reported 30.47 percent inflation rate; Ebonyi, 25.73 percent; and Sokoto, 25.68 percent. In comparison, Gombe (19.32 percent), Bauchi (18.74 percent), and Akwa Ibom (18.70 percent) recorded the slowest rises of year-on-year inflation.

Why Inflation is on the rise

In an earlier report by The ICIR, experts said  inflation was on the rise for several reasons. According to Nonso Ihuoma, a finance expert, COVID-19 had dislocated businesses and supply chains while driving up production costs.

“It was easier to get input supplies before COVID-19 struck, but it is becoming a bit difficult now due to COVID-19 measures put in place by many countries. If you were getting your raw materials from the UK or the USA, imagine what happens to you now that they are on lockdowns. That situation will either make you seek expensive alternatives or stop production,” he explained.

Another reason was the preponderance of floods, which hit farmers hard, leading to lower food production and higher prices. Experts also say that Nigeria is also hit by imported inflation, resulting from naira devaluation and exchange rate risks.

In its 2021 economic outlook released recently, the LCCI predicted increases in the inflation rate this year.

“Looking forward into year 2021, we expect headline inflation to remain elevated as the combination of food supply shocks, foreign exchange (FX) policies, higher energy costs, FX illiquidity, heightened insecurity in major food-producing states, will continue to mount pressure on domestic consumer prices,” Muda Yusuf, director-general of the LCCI, noted.

“We believe a broad-based harmonisation of fiscal and monetary policies towards addressing the identified structural constraints will significantly help to moderate inflationary pressure in the medium term,” Yusuf further said.

Amidst rising unemployment, Nigeria’s inflation rate jumps to 12.82 per cent in July

According to the World Poverty Clock, Nigeria has the highest number of poor people globally, with 89.8 million living in extreme poverty. Also, the country is home to one of the largest unemployment rates globally, with 33.3 percent of its working population out of jobs. An increase in the inflation rate means that  cost of living is high and most poor Nigerians lack the purchasing power  to feed themselves and their families.

Viral photo of cattle eating tomatoes is from India, not Nigeria

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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Viral photo of cattle eating tomatoes is from India, not Nigeria

ON March 4, 2021, an image posted by a blog showed cattle eating from a heap of tomatoes by the roadside.

The blog noted that these tomatoes were losses incurred by farmers in the northern part of Nigeria.

The blog wrote:

“As the blockade of food items from the north to the south continued some traders from the north have continued to count their loses.”

In  a poorly constructed sentence, the blog noted:

“Here are photo of spoil Tomatoes throw away along the road after been intercepted for days without able to move to the south.”

This image, with implied and explicit captions, was also posted by different persons; here and here.

The Claim

That the image shows cattle eating tomatoes from farmers in the North who could not supply to the southern part of Nigeria.

farmers tomatoes cattle
The claim that cattle eat tomatoes owned by farmers in the north as it appears on a blog.

The Findings

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.

CONTEXT: Following an ethnic crisis between the Hausa and Yoruba in Shasha, Oyo State, which also resulted in the loss of lives and properties, some northern traders under the Amalgamated Union of Food Stuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria resolved to suspend the transportation of farm produce to southern parts of Nigeria.

Trailers loaded with cattle, onions, tomatoes, and other farm produce were stopped from entering Jebba, a border town between Kwara and Niger states of the country.

In a report, the union said it embarked on the action as a form of protest against the alleged killings of its members residing in other parts of Nigeria.

“There is a task force that we set up to enforce the directive by the union that there would be no transportation of cattle and foodstuffs to the South with effect from Thursday. So, the union set up the task force to prevent sabotage,” Kabiru Salisu, the union’s financial secretary, stated.

The incident generated reactions on the internet with people in support and against the move.

Does the image depict cattle eating tomatoes owned by farmers from northern Nigeria?

A search conducted by The FactCheckHub using the reverse image search traced the image to  2013  where it was published by a Hindi newspaper.

It was traced to Barwani District, in Madhya Pradesh, India.

According to the report, “a campaign to make agriculture a profitable business is going on in Madhya Pradesh, but tomato farming is proving to be the biggest loss-making business to the farmers of Barwani. The situation is that farmers are not even getting the cost price of tomatoes. They eventually threw tomatoes on the streets.”

After then, the image appeared on the internet in July 2017.

Therefore, this cannot be an image of an incident that happened in Nigeria in the year 2021.

The Verdict

The claim that the image shows cattle eating tomatoes from farmers in the North who could not supply to the southern part of Nigeria is FALSE. The image has been online since 2013 and it is from India.

FACTCHECK: Vacancy advert circulating online for Umaru Musa Yar’adua University is FALSE

Niyi OYEDEJI
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FACTCHECK: Vacancy advert circulating online for Umaru Musa Yar’adua University is FALSE

A post circulated on WhatsApp claiming that Umaru Musa Yar’adua University was recruiting to fill various vacant positions.

The post retrieved on February 28, 2021, said management of the institution, on behalf of the governing council, was  requesting applications from suitable candidates for various positions.

The post was also published on deroundtable.com blog.

The post read: “Vacancy at Umaru Musa Yar’adua University. The Management of Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina on behalf of the Governing Council, is hereby soliciting for applications from suitably qualified candidates to fill the position below…”

The Claim

Umaru Musa Yar’adua University is recruiting to fill various vacant positions.

The post as forwarded to a WhatsApp group.
The post as forwarded to a WhatsApp group.

The Findings

Findings by the FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.

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

The FactCheckHub’s check shows that the university has already debunked the vacancies on its official website.

The university stated that the purported academic and non-academic vacancies were false, urging the general public to ignore. The post read:

“This is to inform the general public that the purported Academic & Non-Academic vacancies emanating from the University is untrue. By this all are kindly advised to ignore. The Management does not declare nor approve such adverts. All are therefore kindly advised to ignore. Signed Management.”

Similarly,  Abdulhamid Danjuma, the school spokesperson, debunked the claim.

“It is untrue,” Danjuma said in a telephone conversation with the FactCheckHub.

The Verdict

The claim circulating online that Umaru Musa Yar’adua University is recruiting to fill various vacant positions is FALSE. The university has debunked it.

Poverty escalates in Nigeria as unemployment rate hits record 33%

Lukman ABOLADE
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Poverty escalates in Nigeria as unemployment rate hits record 33%

A REPORT published by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that one in three Nigerians is now without a job.

This is contained in the latest report by the NBS released on Monday titled ‘Labour Force Statistics, Unemployment and Under Employment – Q4 2020’ which states that 33.3 percent of the current population of Nigeria is unemployed.

This shows that poverty is escalating in Africa’s most populous nation with 98 million out of 200 million in multidimensional poverty.  Unemployment has risen by nearly 400 percent since 2015, spiking from 6.75 percent in the third quarter of 2015 to 33.3 percent in the last quarter in 2020.  Multidimensional poverty encapsulates deprivations in many dimensions, including lack of education and job, poor quality of work and threat of violence, according to Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative.

According to the NBS, the 33.3 percent is a 23 percent increase from the 27.1 percent rate recorded in the second quarter  of 2020 (Q2) 2020. 

Underemployment rate declined from 28.6 percent in Q2 2020 to 22. 8 percent in Q4 2020.

Labour statistics for Quarter 4, 2020
Labour statistics for Quarter 4, 2020
Source: NBS

Although Nigeria has a huge population of young people between the age of 15-34 years, the data revealed that the unemployment rate within this age group rose to 42.5 percent in Q4 of 2020, from 34.9 percent in Q2 2020.

Underemployment for young Nigerians declined to 21.0 percent in Q4 of 2020, from 28.2 percent recorded in Q2 of 2020.

The NBS data also disclosed that the number of Nigerians with jobs during Q4 of 2020 was 46.49 million while 30. 57 million were fully employed. About 15. 915 million were under-employed.

The under-employed Nigerians are those who work between 20-29 hours per week while the fully employed work more than 40 hours in a week.

For Q4 2020, the rate of unemployment among rural dwellers increased to 34.5 percent, from 28.2 percent recorded in Q2 2020. Among urban dwellers, the rate of unemployment also increased from 26.4 percent recorded in Q2 2020 to 31.3 percent in Q4 2020.

The federal government has promised to create about 20 million new jobs within the next four years in four sectors of the economy.

Insecurity, unemployment: CAN says jobless youth are easily recruited by terrorists

Okechukwu Enelamah, former industry minister disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on May 27, 2019. But the economy has lost more jobs since then.

President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to lift 100 million out of poverty, but this is turning out in the opposite direction.

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