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What Nigeria government is doing to realize Okonjo-Iweala’s WTO bid – Foreign Affairs

Vincent Ufuoma
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What Nigeria government is doing to realize Okonjo-Iweala’s WTO bid – Foreign Affairs

THE Nigeria government has said it will continue to work with relevant stakeholders in the World Trade Organization to realize Nigeria’s dream of leading the international trade body.  

Ferdinand Nwonye, Nigeria Foreign Affairs ministry’s spokesperson, in a statement on Thursday, said  Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s candidate in the race for the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), has secured cross-regional backing with only the United States opposing the consensus.

“The ministry of foreign affairs wishes to inform that the third and final round of the selection process of the director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO) was concluded On Tuesday, 27th October 2020 and the result was formally announced on Wednesday, 28th October 2020,” the statement read.

“The candidate from Nigeria, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has secured the support of the majority of the member countries but is yet to be declared and returned the winner.

“This is because apart from winning the election, all 164 member states of WTO were expected to adopt the winner by consensus; in accordance with the rule of procedure of the WTO.

“It is important to highlight that Dr Okonjo-lweala has secured cross-regional backing with only the United States opposing the consensus.

“Nigeria will continue to engage relevant stakeholders to ensure that the lofty aspiration of her candidate to lead the World Trade Organisation is realised,” it said.

The ICIR had reported yesterday, how the United States said it is supporting Okonjo-Iweala’s rival candidate, Yoo Myung-hee, Korean Trade Minister as the next WTO Director-General because she is “a bona fide trade expert who has distinguished herself during a 25-year career as a successful trade negotiator and trade policymaker.”

The US also stated that Yoo Myung-hee has all the skills necessary to be an effective leader of the organization.

While stating that the WTO is facing a very difficult time because of the challenges confronting it, the US said it needs to be led by someone with trade experience to drive the reforms it needs.

“This is a very difficult time for the WTO and international trade.  There have been no multilateral tariff negotiations in 25 years, the dispute settlement system has gotten out of control, and too few members fulfill basic transparency obligations.  The WTO is badly in need of major reform.  It must be led by someone with real, hands-on experience in the field,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, Okonjo-Iweala, despite the opposition from the US, has remained positive.

In a tweet yesterday, she expressed joy for the progress her WTO bid has made as she moves to the next step on October 9 .

“Happy for the success & continued progress of our @wto DG bid. Very humbled to be declared the candidate with the largest, broadest support among members & most likely to attract consensus. We move on to the next step on Nov 9, despite hiccups. We’re keeping the positivity going!” She said.

Food Security: Ghana, Rwanda beat Nigeria to gain AU recognition on Malabo Declaration

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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Food Security: Ghana, Rwanda beat Nigeria to gain AU recognition on Malabo Declaration

A REPORT highlighting the performances of African Union (AU) member nations on the implementation of the Malabo Declaration has recognised Ghana, Rwanda, Morocco and Mali among countries that surpassed the benchmark set out for member countries to realise food security and agricultural development target.

Nigeria did not meet up with the benchmark.

Key findings from the report show that Rwanda, Morocco and Mali have remained committed to the AU agreement on agricultural productivity since 2017 when the review was inaugurated; Ghana satisfied the requirement in the last performance evaluation.

Speaking during BR strategy engagements and dissemination meeting held in Abuja, Constance Okeke, International Project Manager, Public Finance for Agriculture, ActionAid International disclosed that the meeting was to ensure non-state actors are able to understand the report in order to hold their respective governments more accountable, particularly in driving promises made by the respective governments.

Notable among the targets is for member countries to set aside 10 percent budgetary allocation to the agricultural sector.

To rank their performances, signatories to the agreement were expected to attain the 6.66 benchmarks. Rwanda (7.24), Morocco (6.97), Mali (6.82) and Ghana (6.67)

“Overall, only three member countries Rwanda, Morocco and Mali have stayed on-track in both the inaugural and second biennial review reporting cycle. The majority of member states scored below the benchmarks in both rounds, while 17 countries that were on track in 2017 were unable to maintain it in 2019,” she said in her presentation.

“Ghana is recognised as the only member state that has moved from not-on-track in the 2017 inaugural BR to on-track in 2019.”

The biennial initiative report is an idea of the AU Heads of State. It is done every two years basically to review the implementation progress of African countries in terms of achieving the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Target.

It could be recalled that in 2003, the African Head of State agreed on the Maputo Declaration on CAADP among which is for member states to earmark 10 percent of their annual budgets to the agricultural sector.

They also agreed to increase by six percent annual growth in the agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

By June 2014, the Heads of State met in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea to renew their commitment to the earlier Maputo declaration.

As such, seven development targets were adopted and these formed the basics for the biennial review performance report used to measure performances of member countries in alignment with set targets.

Some of the targets include recommitment to the CAADP principles and values, enhancing investment finance in agriculture, ending hunger by 2025 and boosting intra-Africa trade in agricultural commodities among others.

In 2017, the first BR was developed and presented to the African Heads of State in 2018 while the current BR was prepared in 2019 but presented to the African presidents in February 2020.

To ascertain performances of the member countries, the initial benchmark was 3.94 but it was reviewed upward to 6.66.

Though she recognised some level of progress among some of the member countries as reflected in the report, only the four nations met with the set target.

Okeke also identified poor data collection as a major problem in Nigeria. She assumed the same factor could have affected other nations from meeting up with the agreed target.

Poor financing of agricultural projects was also highlighted in the report.

“If you look at the role of agriculture in the lives of Africans, you begin to question why governments would not increase investments in agriculture,” she said stressing that “After all, the commitment to setting aside 10 percent of the annual budget as stated by the Maputo Declaration was not made by the citizens but by the governments.”

She called for joint efforts to advocate for government to improve investments in agriculture.

This, she noted, would help ensure food security, reduce conflicts and foster the overall development of the member countries.

Nigeria’s economy too fragile for fresh lockdown, says Buhari

Abeeb ALAWIYE
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Nigeria’s economy too fragile for fresh lockdown, says Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that Nigeria’s economy is too fragile to bear another round of fresh COVID-19 lockdown.

The President disclosed this via his verified Twitter handle on Thursday.

Buhari said, compliance with COVID-19 protocols by all Nigerians is crucial to avert a second wave of the pandemic in the country.

“Looking at the trends in other countries, we must do all we can to avert a second wave of Covid-19 in Nigeria. We must make sure that our cases, which have gone down, do not rise again. Our economy is too fragile to bear another round of lockdown,” he tweeted.

He, therefore, urged Nigerians to obey all protocols recommended by health authorities to curtail the spread of the lethal coronavirus.

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It will be recalled that Buhari had in March imposed a total lockdown on parts of the country including Lagos, Abuja and Ogun which lasted for over five weeks.

Nigeria, on Wednesday, recorded 147 new cases of COVID-19 bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 62,371.

According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), with Wednesday’s figure, the total tally of infected people in the country rose to 62,371, from 62,111 reported on Tuesday evening.

To date, 62,371 cases have been confirmed, 58,095 cases have been discharged and 1,139 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Soldiers are trained to kill but they did not take life during protest at Lekki, says former military spokesperson, Sani Kukasheka

Lukman ABOLADE
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Soldiers are trained to kill but they did not take life during protest at Lekki, says former military spokesperson, Sani Kukasheka

KUKASHEKA Usman Sani, the former military spokesperson, has said that military personnel present at the Lekki shooting in Lagos state were armed soldiers trained to kill, but they did not take any life, despite the reports of protesters dying of gunshots.

Sani said this during an interview on Arise News on Thursday while addressing the controversy over the shooting that took place in Lekki, Tuesday, October 20.

“Remember, the military is armed, and by the nature of their training they are trained to kill, they are supposed to come at a point in time and exit.

“There are procedures for taking over and handing over. But over time, we have neglected the time tested mechanism of conflict resolution. So the military in their wisdom decided to use blank armour which is meant for training to fire blank and not live ammunition.”

He reiterated that blank armours don’t kill.

“I think they should be commended for that otherwise, there could have been serious collateral damage but they were reasonable and professional enough to have done that,” Sani said.

When asked why did hospitals report that they have protesters with gunshot wounds if the military had fired blank armours, Sani failed to give a definite answer but instead said that some of the celebrities at the scene of the shooting had armed bodyguards.

“There were a lot of key actors at the scene which includes well-known celebrities and so-called big boys and we know that some of them had bodyguards that are well armed and a lot of things happen and I believe there are lots of recording that would be reviewed by the inquiry commission,” Sani stated.

Sani also did not answer clearly if protesters holding a flag and singing the national anthem is protected from being attacked.

“The National Flag is very sacred and symbolic to the fact that whenever they are having their parade they have the colour party and tradition, has it for whatever reason, if you allow the flag to fall not just the national flag or even the unit flag, definitely you will be court-martialled,” he said.

He added that the National Anthem is also symbolic for the military, that wherever it is being sung, a military officer or security operative is supposed to salute or come to attention.

“But the issue now is and I would like to even ask you this question, let’s assume that Reuben Abati sitting with you there and you saw someone carrying the national flag and definitely he was aiming to kill Reuben Abati, and you are also armed, what are you supposed to do,” Sani asked.

The ICIR checked the video footages several times but did not see any protesters shooting or aiming to kill the soldiers.

On the allegations of the military mopping up bodies of ENDSARS protesters who were shot, Sani said there are standard principles and procedures of which accountability is cardinal.

“Accountability means they are conscious of the fact that whenever the military is called upon, definitely there would be an investigation, and it has happened several times over especially in the early 2000s where we had an internal crisis, especially in Kaduna.

“Therefore, you must be accountable and the military is not the public health agency of the government that they will have to clear scene or they have to tamper with evidence, no, they don’t but they must be accountable, take a record of everything that transpired because they know definitely they would be asked questions,” Sani stated.

When asked if soldiers could mop up corpses in order to give account, Sani stonewalled. “No, don’t put words in my mouth, I already said they are not public health agencies”.

#EndSARS: Femi Adesina launches tirade at angry youths who invaded food warehouses, but ignores data on poverty

Seun DUROJAIYE
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#EndSARS: Femi Adesina launches tirade at angry youths who invaded food warehouses, but ignores data on poverty

FEMI Adesina, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the looting and destruction of properties that have followed the #EndSARS protests, characterizing it as unjustifiable criminality.

But the president’s spokesman appears to ignore data on poverty in Nigeria.

Speaking on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, on Thursday, Adesina said being poor isn’t a justification for anyone to take to armed robbery, referring to the series of looting recorded in different states across the country.

“Criminality is criminality. Would it justify armed robbery because the man was poor? Would you justify armed robbery because the man didn’t have money?

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“Just as you cannot justify armed robbery because a man was poor and took a gun to rob another person, you can’t also justify the lootings going on because it is pure criminality. My view is that it is not everybody that is hungry that engaged in that looting. This is the truth, it is greed and pure criminality,” Adesina said.

Following the discovery of government storehouses for COVID-19 palliatives, several states across Nigeria have recorded incidents of looting by Nigerians believed to be the most vulnerable.

The palliatives which the Federal Government announced it was distributing to lower class Nigerians at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, were found to be stored in warehouses, yet to be shared with those it was meant for.

Follow The Money, a Civil Society Organisation said during the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a total of 57 Freedom of Information (FOI) request letters were received by 27 State Government agencies, requesting details of COVID-19 funds and the distribution of palliatives— only six responded.

The group said the six states that responded assured that the palliatives were distributed accordingly, even though they refused to provide details of distribution and evidence of the same.

However, evidence now shows that most states in fact never shared the government-provided palliatives.

In Abuja, a crowd stormed a government-owned warehouse, suspected to be filled with COVID-19 palliatives. Several media have reported that many angry youths could not access the palliatives until they forcefully retrieved it from various warehouses where the food items were stored.

“We need our palliatives. It is our right. My neighbor almost died of hunger because of COVID-19,” David Ojo told VOA. He said his neigbour used to work as a security guard at a government institution, but he was sacked. “What do you want him to do? I gave him beans and rice, he almost died of hunger,” Ojo said.

Nigerians have condemned the hoarding of palliatives meant to minimize the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“…it is a product of government’s ineptitude, greediness and wickedness,” Francisco August, a Nigerian said, reacting to the discovery of palliatives hidden in warehouses.

Another Nigerian identified as Mafeg Pam expressed frustration that agents of the government were intentionally starving people during the pandemic.

“So during the lockdown, they were just hiding the food. I wonder about the kind of government we have. Many people have died of hunger,” Pam, who lives in Jos told TheJakartaPost.

According to a 2019 United Nations Human Development Report, Nigeria’s Human Development Index value for 2018 is 0.534— which put the country in the low human development category—positioning it at 158 out of 189 countries and territories, This indicates that the majority of Nigeria’s estimated 200 million population live below the poverty line and at the peak of the pandemic, had a tougher reality than people in other countries.

Adesina however believes that the #EndSARS protests led to the looting that ensued. According to him, the protests birthed anarchy that then led to criminality.

“I don’t agree that it is all about poverty. Yes in any country, you will have people that are poor, hungry…that is one of the reasons you have a government to ensure that the number of the poor reduces progressively.

“So this crowd of people you see going to loot are not necessarily hungry or angry; they are taking advantage of the collapse of law and order that came as a result of the protest,” Adesina said.

Adesina’s view appears to ignore the statistics of poverty in Nigeria.  According to Action Against Hunger, a global humanitarian organization, Nigeria continues to suffer a rising level of food insecurity. The World Poverty Clock estimates the number of  Nigerians living in extreme poverty at over 105 million as of 2020. Out of this number, over 53 million men and 52 million women live in extreme poverty.

This photo of road being destroyed is from South Africa and not related to #EndSARS protest

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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This photo of road being destroyed is from South Africa and not related to #EndSARS protest

SEVERAL fake and misleading information has circulated online following the EndSARS protest that rocked Nigeria.

One of such claims is a post shared with The FactCheckHub on October 24, 2020. It shows two images of a tarred road being destroyed by a group of persons destroying Nigerian roads.

One of the images shows an individual holding what looked like a digger, while others stood by watching.

The photograph was attributed to the EndSARS protest, claiming that the protesters were destroying the rods to express their grievances against police brutality and bad governance.

The photo is captioned, “#ENDSARS against the roads. FG, State roads being destroyed. Me: What concerns roads again?”

This image is unrelated to the EndSARS protest in Nigeria.

THE CLAIM:

That the #EndDSARS protesters destroy a section of a highway to protest police brutality, bad governance in Nigeria.

THE FINDINGS:

The ENDSARS protests erupted in Nigeria in early October across major cities in the country to push for the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a controversial unit in the Nigerian Police Force. The protest was largely championed by young persons.

The SARS unit which focuses on cases of kidnapping, robbery and high profile crimes was repeatedly accused of extortions, extrajudicial killings, corruption and abuse of people’s rights. As a result, the protesters sought a complete overhaul of the force among other demands for a better nation.

Image traced to South Africa

The FactCheckHub check on the image using the Google Reverse Image Search shows that the viral image did not originate from Nigeria but South Africa.

Protesters in South Africa destroy an access road over service delivery. Image via: uMzinyathi District Municipality from The South African.

The image surfaced on the internet last month- September and the incident was reported by several South African media organisations.

The road being damaged was part of a protest exercise that occurred along the R33 road on September 22.

The R33 road is a major highway in South Africa that stretches through three provinces Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. It links Pietermaritzburg with Greytown, Paulpietersrburg, Carolina, Belfast and Vaalwater.

The aggrieved demonstrators had protested against poor government performances in providing basic infrastructure such as electricity, water.

Some of the protesters particularly from uMzinyathi District Municipality and Msinga Local Municipality had decried poor access to water.

Nomonde Nzimakwe, Head of Communications for uMzinyathi District confirmed the incident to local newspapers.

Petros Mthandeni Ngubane, Umzinyathi Mayor criticised the actions of the protesters, while noting that “it’s not the mayor’s fault,” that community lacks electricity.

The South African citizens through the South African Citizen Satisfaction Index (SA-CSI) monitor deliverables of government authorities in comparison with public expectations and executed projects.

THE VERDICT:

The claim that the photo shows #EndDSARS protesters destroying a section of a highway to protest police brutality, bad governance in Nigeria is FALSE. This is because the image is from an unrelated protest in South Africa.

This report was originally published by FactCheckHub

COVID-19: Ogun directs full reopening of religious centers, hotels

Vincent Ufuoma
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COVID-19: Ogun directs full reopening of religious centers, hotels

THE Ogun State government has directed that religious houses, hotels and other entertainment centres can now fully reopen after months of COVID-19 partial lockdown in the state.

Kunle Somorin, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Dapo Abiodun, who revealed this in a statement said the decision was necessitated by a sharp decrease in the numbers of COVLD-19 new cases in recent times in the state

“Government is aware of the excruciating implications of COVID-19 lockdown but we have emplaced measures and improved on testing to stem the tide,” he said.

“Empirical field research indicates that we have managed to stem community spread and treatment of the virus very well.

“We are convinced that the opening of schools and entertainment centres would not harm our people. We would continue to monitor the development.”

It, however, warned that the hospitality establishments are to scrupulously adhere to a set of guidelines before reopening and in order to keep up with the protocols aimed at further flattening the curve of the pandemic.

The conditions set for the reopening are: Observance of temperature checks at all entry points; compulsory use of face masks within the premises/facilities; maintenance of two-metre social distancing by marking the floor to guide their customers on physical distancing; owners of business premises are required to offer only 50% of their space capacity to guests.

Others are: maintenance of physical distancing with a maximum of four persons per table, while Buffet services are not allowed; prior to holding any event, licence and safety clearance must be obtained from the Government; and the operation of all cinemas must not exceed 10 pm.

In addition, all centres are to provide noise-proof equipment in the various facilities to ensure that they do not disturb the serenity of the neighbourhoods where they operate.

While calling on owners of these facilities to cooperate with the State Government, Governor Abiodun warned that facilities that defy these guidelines would be sanctioned.

“Let me say that our Task Force is already on the ground and is moving about to ensure compliance.

“And, if perchance we discover that any of our centres is not complying or adhering to the laid down protocols, we will not hesitate to close down the centre,” he warned.

Violation of these conditions, the statement concluded, would attract severe sanctions including, but not limited to fine and closure of premises.

The governor had in March ordered the closure of the businesses over the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

ENDSARS: Sanwo-Olu orders reopening of all public, private school in Lagos

Lukman ABOLADE
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ENDSARS: Sanwo-Olu orders reopening of all public, private school in Lagos

BABAJIDE Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos state has ordered the re-opening of schools for all classes in public and private schools following the restoration of peace in the state.

Folasade Adefisayo, the Lagos state commissioner for Education, made this known in a statement on Thursday.

According to Adefisayo, all schools in the state are to resume from Monday, November 2, 2020, while boarders in public schools are to resume on Sunday, November 1.

She added that following the closures occasioned by COVID-19 and the ENDSARS protests, the government hopes that there would not be further disruption of the academic calendar.

“We pray and hope that there will be no more disruptions in the academic calendar. However, the State Government will always regard the safety of pupils/students, parents and all staff as a matter of priority, we recommend that when schools resume on Monday, teaching and learning should continue unhindered till the end of the term,” said Adefisayo.

The ICIR had reported that the Lagos State Government ordered the suspension of activities in all public and private schools in the state due to the ENDSARS protests.

The State government had said the action was necessary for the safety of the pupils and students, parents, and all staff working in in the school.

In Lagos and some other part of the state, the ENDSARS protest escalated into violence as some residents of the states resorted into violence and invasion of private and public properties while discovering and taking possession of COVID-19 palliative.

Viral online reports on Okonjo-Iweala’s emergence as WTO’s boss are FALSE

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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Viral online reports on Okonjo-Iweala’s emergence as WTO’s boss are FALSE

SEVERAL Nigerian publications on Wednesday, October 28, 2020, reported that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has emerged as the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Okonjo-Iweala was a former Minister of Finance as well as  Coordinating Minister of the Economy in Nigeria.

She, alongside Yoo Myung-Hee, from South Korea are in competition for the top job.

THE CLAIM:

That Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has emerged as the Director-General for the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

THE FINDINGS:

Checks by the FactCheckHub indicates that this is false.

The information that Okonjo-Iweala has emerged the WTO’s boss was reported by  Vanguard Newspaper, which has an online following totaling several millions across platforms.

Peoples Gazette, a newly launched publication also published a similar story about Okonjo-Iweala clinching the WTO’s job.

Within a short period, the report tweeted on the verified handle of the publication @GazetteNGR garnered over 1,800 retweets, more than 2, 600 likes on Twitter, with several reactions and congratulatory messages.

Peoples Gazette, particularly made reference to Arise Television News which had earlier broadcasted the news at about 12:31 pm on Wednesday (October 28).

Newswire also followed suit, but later updated the report after diverse reactions questioning why the publications chose to report the news without official disclosure from the WTO authorities.

Meanwhile, as at press time, no such information about Okonjo-Iweala emerging the WTO’s boss has been officially made available on the website of the WTO as well as its verified social media handles.

None of the publications attributed their reports to any official information from the WTO.

The story so far…

On Wednesday, October 28, 2020, the WTO panel recommended Okonjo-Iweala for the WTO top position, but this was rejected by the United States.

Bloomberg report noted that but for the United States’ position, the WTO would have announced Nigeria’s former finance minister as the new Director-General of the global body.

Although, Okonjo-Iweala is a Nigerian-American, the US government declared its support for the South Korean candidate, Yoo Myung-Hee. The US government had insisted Washington would not recognise the Nigerian as the consensus candidate, despite the WTO’s recommendation.

As of the time of this verification, the WTO is yet to officially announce Okonjo-Iweala as the new WTO DG. No such information on its verified Twitter handle, @wto, or its website.

As a result of the US position, the general counsel in charge of election process has postponed the announcement for November 9, 2020.

This will not be the first time that misinformation around this job will flood the cybersphere. The FactCheckHub had on two occasions; in July here and early October here debunked such misinformation.

THE VERDICT:

Based on the available information, there is no official record to validate the claim that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has emerged the WTO’s Director-General. Therefore, the claim is FALSE.

Okonjo-Iweala was only endorsed by the WTO panel.

This report was originally published by FactCheckHub

US explains why it opposes Okonjo-Iweala’s WTO bid

Vincent Ufuoma
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US explains why it opposes Okonjo-Iweala’s WTO bid

THE office of the United States trade representative has issued a statement to explain why the United States is opposed to the candidacy of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria nominee for the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO, job.

The US said it supported  Okonjo-Iweala’s counterpart and opponent, Yoo Myung-hee, Korean Trade Minister as the next WTO Director-General because she is “a bona fide trade expert who has distinguished herself during a 25-year career as a successful trade negotiator and trade policy maker.”

It further stated that Yoo Myung-hee has all the skills necessary to be an effective leader of the organization.

While stating that the WTO is facing a very difficult time because of the challenges confronting it, the US said it needs to be led by someone with trade experience to drive the reforms it needs.

“This is a very difficult time for the WTO and international trade.  There have been no multilateral tariff negotiations in 25 years, the dispute settlement system has gotten out of control, and too few members fulfill basic transparency obligations.  The WTO is badly in need of major reform.  It must be led by someone with real, hands-on experience in the field,” the statement said.

The ICIR reported on Wednesday how Okonjo-Iweala was poised to become the first woman and African to head the WTO after securing the overwhelming support of 164 members of the international trade body.

But the US has insisted that the South Korean candidate remains in the race for the DG job, as it could not build a consensus around Okonjo-Iweala’s candidacy.

A spokesperson for the WTO on Wednesday said Okonjo-Iweala’s candidacy would be put to a meeting of the body’s governing general council on November 9.

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