THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has called on capital market operators (CMOs) in Nigeria to review the disposition towards issuance of debt instruments by both state and local government agencies.
The executive commissioner of operations, Bola Ajomale, made the call at the 2024 International Credit Rating Webinar organised by DataPro Limited, according to a statement the organiser shared with The ICIR on Friday, October 18.
According to the statement titled, ‘time to review proclivity of debt issuance by subnationals,’ Ajomale, represented the director general of SEC, Emomotimi Agama, at the virtual event said, “Irrevocable Standing Payment Orders (ISPOs) from the state government cannot be the only measure of assurance and risk mitigation.
“CRAs (credit rating agencies) must alter their measurement metrics to accommodate rising risk levels and increasing requirements for sustainability for any instrument raised by a State or quasi government body.”
Another looming situation emphasised by the SEC commissioner is the tendency for some state governments to issue private bonds guaranteed by the state government.
“Not only do these not have any proof of secondary market value they need to be assessed for delivery of the stated project objectives,” Ajomale stressed.
He also urged stakeholders to explore ways to leverage the role of credit rating agencies in driving sustainable economic development in Nigeria.
In a welcome address, DataPro’s founder, Abimbola Adeseyoju, said apart from the established role of providing an opinion on the quality of assets and capital, credit rating agencies serve as a complement to risk management procedures.
He maintained that rating agencies should serve the common goal of catalysing the economy, promoting the real sector and creating wealth for a sustainable society.
In a keynote presentation, an international banking entrepreneur, Christian Ruehmer, urged banks to support businesses in the real economy.
Ruehmer believes rating agencies and banks share a common goal in ensuring that businesses succeed.
“Rating Agencies embody the need for robust financial expertise and a deep understanding of a company’s financial standing. At the same time, they provide a product that is trusted and reliable. Banks rely on CRAs to facilitate their work and collaborating with the wider financial sector to offer credible insights into a company’s long-term potential.
“A developing country like Nigeria can only grow if it finds a better way to finance domestic companies. And to do this, banks and investors must become more comfortable assessing these companies and that is when Credit Rating Agencies come in,” he said.
The ICIR had earlier reported the panellists argued that domestic borrowing in local currency limits default risks as against external borrowing and better positions economies like Nigeria to avoid over-reliance on institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
This year’s webinar is the fourth in the series and was attended by participants drawn from Nigeria, USA, Canada, South Africa, Ghana, Gambia, Namibia, Kenya and Rwanda.
THREE police officers recently dismissed from the Kwara State Police Command have been remanded in prison custody after being charged for alleged involvement in the death of Qoyum Abdulyekeen Ishola, a 21-year-old student of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin.
The officers, Abiodun Kayode, James Emmanuel, and Oni Philip, appeared in court on October 16, 2024, and were charged with criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide following their arrest and subsequent dismissal from the force.
According to a statement released on Friday, October 18, by the spokesperson of the Kwara State Police Command, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the charges were brought against the accused after a thorough investigation linked them to the death.
Ejire-Adeyemi confirmed that the former officers have been remanded in prison custody pending further court proceedings.
The ICIR reported that the state police command on October 15 announced the dismissal of the three officers after they were found guilty of corrupt practices, leaving their beat and unlawful exercise of authority.
The officers were dismissed after an internal disciplinary trial, with their dismissal effective from October 4, 2024.
The ICIR reports that this move followed a wave of public outrage and demands for justice from students and deceased family members.
The incident, which was said to have occurred during a student-led protest over the rising cost of fuel, resulted in the death of Qoyum, a National Diploma student of Electrical/Electronics Engineering.
His death sparked widespread anger, leading students to march to the police command headquarters, demanding justice for their slain colleague.
Following Qoyum’s death, the Kwara State Polytechnic Students’ Union, alongside the National Association of Kwara State Students, engaged in extensive talks with police officials to demand justice.
The unions also vowed to collaborate with the institution’s management and other key stakeholders to ensure that the truth surrounding the student’s death is uncovered.
PRESIDENTIAL candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in 2023 election, Peter Obi, has expressed concern over the absence of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima from Nigeria at a time when the country is grappling with severe economic challenges.
Obi’s reaction followed Tinubu’s extended two-week leave in the United Kingdom and Shettima’s recent trip to Sweden.
In a statement on Friday, October 18, Obi questioned the rationale behind both leaders being away from the country simultaneously, given the magnitude of domestic problems facing Nigeria.
“While it is arguable that with the President and Vice President absence from the Villa, there is no vacancy in the presidency, in a situation where both the President and Vice President are out of the country, as reported in the media yesterday, it’s concerning for a country with such myriads of domestic problems,” Obi said.
The ICIR reported that the presidency announced that Tinubu would depart Abuja on Wednesday, October 2, for the United Kingdom to begin a two-week vacation, expected to end on October 16.
However, two days after his expected resumption to office, the President has yet to return to the country.
Obi noted that the President’s absence had extended beyond the promised duration, raising questions about his commitment to addressing the country’s crises.
“The President had told us he would only be gone for 14 days. The 14 days have passed now, and we are waiting to see him in the country.
“One would have expected him to return earlier than expected, considering the volume of work that needs to be done in a troubled nation like ours,” Obi added.
This was as the former Anambra governor challenged the President’s decision to send Shettima to Sweden for a two-day bilateral engagement while the President travelled to France while vacationing in the UK.
Obi argued that Tinubu could have easily attended the two-day working visit in Sweden on his way back from France, considering the distance between the two European cities.
“He could simply have done it on his way back from France with his new powerful jet, which would have taken him a little over two hours. This would have saved time and the very scarce national resources we need critically at this time.
“Instead, he delegated the Vice President, who needed to travel 3,055 nautical miles, over nine hours, and (about four times the travel time from Paris) Abuja, Nigeria, to Stockholm, Sweden, to represent him at the event. It would take about four times the time and distance it takes to travel from Paris to Stockholm to travel from Abuja to Stockholm,” Obi argued.
While calling on the country’s leadership to demonstrate fiscal responsibility and prioritise the well-being of the citizens, he stressed the implications of these travels, especially given the current economic hardships facing Nigerians due to some of the administration’s policies.
“This is the time to show true and committed leadership to the people by making decisions that prioritise the well-being of the people and effective management of the nation’s scarce resources in alleviating the sufferings of the people,” Obi said.
Obi’s comments come amid growing discontent among Nigerians who are feeling the impact of economic policies of the Tinubu’s government.
The ICIR reported that Tinubu stopped fuel subsidies on the day he took over power on May 29, 2023, and subsequently devalued the local currency – the naira – thus causing a spiral hike in food and commodity prices.
While the President admitted the economic hardship his policies and reforms had caused, he recently noted that the reforms were beginning to yield positive results.
In his October 1, Independence Day address, Tinubu said his administration had secured over $30 billion in foreign direct investments into the nation since he took over power.
However, The ICIR reports that his claims conflict with the rising inflation and a hike in the cost of living that have pushed many citizens into despair.
Many Nigerians have also claimed that these strides have not translated into a visible improvement in their lives, adding that the hardships had worsened.
THE proverbial suffering of the grass when two elephants fight on it is currently the fate of Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, over which the former River State governor, Nyesom Wike, is a minister.
President Bola Tinubu appointedWike the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister on August 16, 2023, nearly three months after assuming office.
Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers State, was expected to work with the minister of State for the FCT, Mahmoud Mariya, to ensure infrastructural lift for the FCT, guarantee security and improve residents’ well-being.
Traditionally, the two ministers should work with the senator representing the FCT, Ireti Kingibe, and relevant federal government officials, to promote the good of the nation’s capital.
However, rather than focus on governance, Wike has devoted much of his time fighting Kingibe, his successor in Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, and a faction of his party – the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP)
The ICIR reports that Wike is the only publicly known card-carrying PDP cabinet member in the All Progressives Congress (APC) government headed by President Bola Tinubu.
Some PDP members see him as a mole and have called for his suspension. But he has severally dared anyone in the PDP to sack him.
Many Nigerians have seen his rift with the PDP group led by Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, also a former FCT minister, as worrying.
Conflict with Abuja Senator, Ireti Kingibe
In July, The ICIR reported how Wike’s political career survived his collisions with other national leaders, including his predecessor in Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, and the 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
The report focused on Wike’s veiled threat to Kingibe after he vowed that the Labour Party (LP) senator would not return to the Senate in 2027.
Wike who issued the threat in Abuja on Monday, June 1, at the flag-off ceremony of the construction of the Mabushi bus terminal, said, “If we have done well, we have done well. If we haven’t done well, we haven’t done well. I am proud to say that in the short time that President Tinubu has appointed us, we have done well.
In a veiled reference to Ireti Kingibe, Wike said, “You said there are no schools and hospitals. You, as a legislator, what have you done? How many bills have you sponsored for us to improve our education and health sectors? I challenge that legislator. If you are very popular, in 2027, come and run under Abuja; we will fail you.
“You think that what happened last time will happen again? It will not happen again. If you are popular, come and run. Luckily for me, I am the FCT minister now. So, here is my territory, and I am not afraid.
Reacting to the minister’s boasting, Kingibe said she would only work with Wike if he publicly apologised to her, adding that she was older than the minister.
There hasn’t been any report indicating the minister tendered the apology, and the FCT continues to suffer from the hostility.
Rancour with Fubara
Fubara has vehemently resisted Wike’s insistence on controlling the PDP’s structure in Rivers State. In addition to declaring the seats of 27 House of Assembly members loyal to the minister vacant, Fubara sacked all 23 local government chairmen elected under Wike and declared that their tenure had expired.
He followed his action with the conduct of a local government election on October 5, affirming his authority on the state’s politics.
The ICIR reported how Fubara won the election for the African Peoples Party (APP) even though he has yet to dump the PDP.
Tinubu’s efforts to end the enmity between the two leaders have failed.
FCT pays for crises
Many street lights, including those on the Airport and Kubwa highways hardly work at night, unlike what the minister met before assuming office.
Cattle are all over the nation’s capital, often making the city an eyesore. On Saturday, October 12, the Daily Trust reported how the city was taken over by beggars under Wike’s watch.
There is no effective public transport system in Abuja, as commuters, mostly workers, are stranded along highways every morning and during the close of work.
In 2021, The ICIRreported how poor planning led to the failure of the Abuja urban mass transport scheme, with scores of high-capacity buses rotting away at the office of the Abuja Mass Transport Company Ltd along the Kubwa expressway.
Upon assumption of office, Wike pledged to revive the buses, but only a fraction of them are on the city’s roads one year after.
Commercial motorcyclists, whose activities were drastically checkmated by the previous administration, have returned to the city, plying roads where they had previously been banned, including Kubwa highway, Airport Road, AYA Roundabout, and Area One, among others.
Street trading is commonplace in the nation’s capital, and such an activity is seen as constituting a nuisance to the city.
Even though his leadership, backed by the FCT Police command has degraded kidnappers that had terrorised the city, especially in the Kuje and Bwari area councils, cases of burglary, armed robbery, and other criminal activities are still rife in Abuja.
Similarly, while residents in Kubwa, Gwarimpa and parts of the city linked with water from the FCT Water Board told The ICIR that they enjoyed improved water supply, the experience is different for residents in terms of power supply. Many residents on Band A of electricity never enjoy the expected 20 hours of power supply they should get.
Gaps in good governance are more visible in the health sector. The ICIR visited the Kuje, Maitama and Wuse General Hospitals. While there have been significant improvements in infrastructural developments at the facilities, the perennial challenge – staff’s lack-lustre attitudes to patients and their relations, shortage of workforce, and epileptic power supply – remained.
While the Wuse and Maitama General Hospitals have more wards for maternal and child health, Kuje, given its small landmass, has maintained its age-long tradition of discharging women shortly after they were delivered of their babies because of a lack of bed space.
A high population of patients to a few attendants has also been disturbing in the facilities.
The ICIR visited the District Hospital, Wuse Zone 3 in September and noticed the premises were rowdy. Many patients filed on the walkway that led to different wards for regular checkups and other services.
Bad toilets at the Wuse General Hospital
Most of them complained of delays by the hospital staff and the nonchalant attitudes of the medics towards them.
A patient, Destiny Igbokwe, who spoke with our team, complained of how long he had been waiting to get his ailing mother checked.
“I came for lab and scan for my mother. I came yesterday and everything went well by the grace of God but the doctors are not serious.
“They don’t take patients seriously in aspects of attending to people when they’re supposed to. Like yesterday, people complained of being here since morning and were not attended to. Even today, the same thing, I have been waiting for the doctor. I came here around 9 am and this is 1:20 pm, the doctor has not attended to us.
“In terms of the medical equipment, it is okay, and the environment is fine but the medical staff and doctors are not concerned about the patients. They just toss people around. Like yesterday when I came, I saw a young girl who came with her mum. She had a swollen leg and was crying but nobody attended to her. The doctors and other staff do not care about the patients at all.”
One of the dirty toilets at the Maitama General Hospital
Another patient, who gave her name as Faustina, said as a patient about to undergo surgery, the process had been rough and the hospital barely had good facilities to handle surgeries.
“I’m about to undergo surgery. So far, they are trying here but because it is a public hospital, you know how public servants behave, they are unserious about some things.
“Parts of the laboratories are not functional. Their radiography laboratory, if you go to do an x-ray, their machines are not working. Either the machines are not working or they don’t have paper, or they cannot print, they always have an excuse. In fact, the x-ray unit is not working. They will tell you to go out and do an x-ray. Then I ask myself, is it that the government is not providing enough for them? Why would the government not provide adequate machines for these people to operate?”
She added that most of the hospital’s staff were very lousy, and weren’t attending to patients. According to her, they could ask patients to wait for hours when they were not doing anything.
“Because it is a government hospital, they are nonchalant, most of them do not give it their best, but they have good doctors. All of them, both the medical and non-medical personnel should take the facility like it’s their own. If you see these doctors in their private hospitals, they attend to patients very well but the reverse is the case here.
“A case that should be up to two weeks, you will see them shifting it. They will always tell you to come tomorrow and it can linger for a month. I think the doctors and nurses can do better. They should take this place as their own and also make it less rowdy for a hospital,” she added.
A nursing mother who pleaded anonymity shared a similar experience with The ICIR.
“This has been the hospital I’ve been using since I had my first baby. The doctors are very impatient and they can delay. I have been here since 7 am and till now, this is almost 3 pm, they have not attended to me.”
Our team moved around the hospital and observed that the environment was clean, although rowdy. The toilet doors were bad. The toilets did not look good enough for a health facility. Some offices at the facility also looked dilapidated.
Speaking with The ICIR, a health worker who pleaded anonymity said there was often a lack of collaboration among the workers and that it took the hospital much time to restock drugs for patients.
The ICIR’s recent report on the Mpape community, one of the FCT suburbs, captures what scores of communities and other mushrooming settlements in the city face.
Some of the things working under Wike
The ICIR observed there have been improvements to intra-city roads in Abuja. Upon assuming office in August 2023, Wike approved and or followed up on exisiting contracts for the rehabilitation of roads in the city centre, but some residents claimed many of the roads repaired were not poor enough and that funds expended on them would have been used to build roads in communities without access roads.
He has completed some of the roads started by his predecessor and those he approved their contracts such as the Wuye Interchange and Guzape Lot II District, Southern Parkway from the Christian Centre to Ring Road 1, the Outer Southern Expressway, from Villa Roundabout to Ring Road 1, and the site of the Vice President’s official residence.
Others are the B6 and B12 Independence and Constitution Avenue Road, the Arterial Road N20 from Northern Parkway, and the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Expressway, to Outer Northern Expressway.
His administration expanded and or carried on with the dualisation of Kuje Road and also awarded the contract for the reconstruction of the internal road in the fast-growing town. However, many residents said the internal road is too narrow and would always witness traffic logjams when completed.
The reconstructed Kuje internal road by the FCT Administration
Wike has twice intervened in the strike by the FCT primary school teachers under the aegis of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT).
In September 2023, the teachers were on a 20-day strike before the minister intervened. Wike agreed to pay 60 per cent of the 25 months’ arrears owed to the teachers, leaving the remaining 40 per cent for the chairmen of the City’s six area councils. The teachers confirmed that he fulfilled his promise.
Other demands by the teachers include minimum wage arrears, peculiar allowance, and non-implementation of upward salary review.
Meanwhile, in September 2024, when the schools were resuming for a new session, the teachers again downed tools over the failure of the LGA chairmen to clear the 40 per cent backlog left for them by Wike.
Wike again waded in and threatened to use the 10 per cent of internally generated revenue (IGR) meant for the Area Councils to pay the teachers.
The teacher eventually suspended the second strike, which started on September 18 after three weeks.
The ICIR also noted that cases of kidnapping have declined in Abuja under Wike’s leadership, though the city has yet to be free from insecurity given the rampant activities of robbers, burglars, and ‘one-chance‘, among others.
THE Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) has issued a flood warning to communities along the River Niger and Benue, urging residents of the areas to vacate.
According to the agency’s director general, Umar Mohammed, in a statement on Thursday, October 17, the areas have recorded a significant rise in water levels due to continuous rainfalls.
He added that the water gauge data from key stations including, Lokoja, Umaisha, Makurdi, and Ibbi consistently showed high levels, exceeding nine meters between October 9 and October 15.
“The map shows critical flood-prone zones across Nigeria, particularly around stations along the River Benue and River Niger.
“Makurdi, in particular, has recorded dangerously high water levels, with Lokoja and other stations also nearing flood thresholds,” he noted.
In a bid to mitigate the risk, Muhammed stated that the management of the Kainji and Jebba dams was closely monitoring and controlling water releases to prevent downstream flooding along the Niger.
He then called for full cooperation with emergency response agencies, advising residents to move to safer areas to avoid worsening flood effects.
A report by The ICIRexplained that NIHSA’s report on the 2024 annual flood outlook revealed that 33 out of 36 states in Nigeria were predicted to experience a high risk of devastating flooding between July and September 2024.
The NIHSA said that at least 135 local government areas (LGAs) were mapped out as vulnerable to flooding this year.
Affected states include Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba and Yobe.
The ICIRreported how flood ravaged Maiduguri and Jere Local Government Areas of Borno State in September.
Similarly, on October 4, the Ondo State government ordered residents of flood-prone areas to evacuate after a flood hit some parts of Ondo town.
The flood, which destroyed property worth millions of naira, came after a heavy rainfall that lasted for several hours hit the ancient town.
A week after the flood incident in Ondo, a devastating flood submerged over 60 communities in Ibaji LGA of Kogi State.
The Ibaji Flood Plains Multipurpose Cooperative Society (IFPMPCS) which spoke on the incident urged the Kogi State government to take immediate action to support the victims.
POPULAR Nigerian Crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, known as Bobrisky, has asked human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, and his son, Folarin, fondly known as Falz, to hold Martin Otse accountable for the defamatory remarks against them.
Bobrisky said he never gave Falana or his son any money to obtain a presidential pardon while he was in prison.
He stated this after Falana and Falz issued a 12-hour ultimatum to him, demanding a retraction of what they describe as defamatory statements made in viral audio recordings against them.
The ICIR reported how Martin Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, released a viral audio, allegedly claiming that some operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), accepted ₦15 million from him to dismiss money laundering charges against him.
In another audio recording, Bobrisky allegedly asked Falz to persuade his father to help secure a presidential pardon, supposedly costing N10 million.
Bobrisky also claimed to have requested N3 million from Falz for special treatment at Kirikiri Correctional Centre, while also allegedly claiming that he had paid N5 million upfront to seek a Federal Government pardon over charges by the EFCC.
Bobrisky denied the allegations, noting that the audio was AI-generated. However, a legal notice by Falana’s legal representatives, Olorunfemi Akinyemi and Taiwo E. Olawanle described Bobrisky’s claims in the audio recording as entirely slanderous.
Responding, Bobrisky insisted that he never gave money to Falana or his son to get a presidential pardon, arguing that VeryDarkMan should be held responsible for publishing “defamatory content”.
“In reply to the two letters in circulation from the law firm of the Falanas. I like to state for the records and pending the official reply from my counsel, state for the avoidance of doubt that I Okuneye Idris Olarewaju aka Bobrisky did not publish any defamatory statement or statements concerning the learned SAN and his son Falz and that in the public domain pursuant to my solicitor’s letter dated the 27th day of September 2024 that I have denied any knowledge of what VDM (VeryDarkMan) published.
“I stand to express denial and put the matter to strict proof and advise that whoever has been defamed should hold the publisher of defamatory content and my fundamental rights to privacy of my communications should be respected and protected,” he stated.
NIGERIAN Billionaire, Adedeji Adeleke who is also the father of popular music artiste, Davido said he is building a 1,250-megawatt thermal power plant which will also become the biggest thermal power plant in Nigeria.
He said it during the Seventh Day Adventist General Conference Annual Council in Maryland, United States of America, on Tuesday, October 15.
“I am a businessman in Nigeria. I’m into the electricity business. I own a power plant, I generate about 15 per cent of the electricity needs for Nigeria.
“I am building and almost completed in January by the grace of God my new power plant, to be the biggest thermal plant in Nigeria. It is a 1,250MW power plant to become operational in January,” he said.
CLAIM
Adeleke said he is building the biggest thermal power plant in Nigeria which is 1,250MW
FINDINGS
Findings by The ICIR show that the claim is FALSE.
Nigeria’s power sector has ranked poorly on the global scale. According to the World Bank 2020 business report, Nigeria ranks 171 out of 190 countries in getting electricity and electricity access is seen as one of the major constraints for development.
The country has been grappling with persistent power supply challenges for decades. Its generation capacity has consistently fallen short of demand, leading to frequent blackouts and load shedding. The country generates most of its power through hydro, gas and thermal.
Between 2010 and 2022, reports showed the country recorded 222 partial and total power collapses.
On Monday, October 14, Nigerians were plunged into a nationwide blackout following the collapse of the national grid system. The incident showed that the DisCos were not receiving power from the grid, leaving their feeders without electricity.
Checks by The ICIR indicates that the national grid has collapsed at various times this year. The challenges Nigerians faced over fluctuating power supply in 2023 remain as 2024 races to an end.
Nigeria has two main types of power plants. They are hydro-electric and thermal/fossil fuel power plants.
The ICIRgathered that Egbin Thermal Power Station located in Lagos has an installed capacity of 1,320 MWwhich is bigger than the proposed 1,250 MW thermal power plant by Adeleke.
However, Adeleke is the group chairman of Pacific Energy Company Limited which owns Olorunsogo Power Plant, Omotosho Power Plant, and Ajebamdele Power Plant.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Adeleke’s about to be launched thermal power plant will be the biggest in Nigeria is FALSE. Publicly available data have shown that Egbin power station is the biggest thermal power plant in Nigeria at 1,320MW, this therefore means a 1,250MW power plant cannot be said to be the biggest.
A Federal High Court (FHC) in Abuja has adjourned N2 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit filed against the chief of defence staff (CDS), Christopher Musa, and the chief of army staff (COAS), Taoreed Lagbaja, till November 28.
Former caretaker chairman of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Lucky Okodeh, filed the suit.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/590/2024, filed on May 3 by Femi Falana, a senior advocate, Okodeh sued Musa and Lagbaja as the 1st and 2nd respondents.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in the lawsuit, Okodeh accused the defendants of publicising his picture among those wanted in connection with the murder of 17 soldiers in Okuama, Delta.
The Judge, Binta Nyako, while taking the matter on Thursday, October 17, adjourned the case following an oral application by Okodeh’s counsel, Asmau Yunusa.
The matter was adjourned to enable the lawyer to respond to a counter affidavit filed by a lawyer to the CDS, Mimi Ayua.
Consequently, he asked the court to grant N2 billion in damages to the respondents for allegedly violating his rights to dignity and personal liberty.
Okodeh claimed in the affidavit supporting the lawsuit that the defendants’ actions had harmed his political career and forced him into hiding.
Okodeh also asked the court to force the respondents to submit an apology that would be publicised in print and electronic media.
Yunusa, who represented the applicant at the reopened hearing on Thursday, informed the court that the case was scheduledformention.
She stated that the first respondent (CDS) had sent her a counter-affidavit on Wednesday and that she would require time to respond.
According to her, the COAS, Lagbaja, who is the second respondent, was not represented in court.
However, the judge, Nyako, informed Yunusa and Ayua, the CDS attorneys, that the matter was one that the parties could discuss and settle amicably.
The judge stated that the matter was not something they should waste taxpayer money on.
Nyako ordered that the second respondent be served with the hearing notice and postponed the case until November 28.
The ICIR reported that the Nigerian Defence Headquarters declared eight persons wanted in connection with the killing of four officers and 13 soldiers in Okuama, Delta State on March 14, 2024, .
The director of defence media operations, Edward Buba, during a press conference in Abuja urged Nigerians, particularly those living in Delta and neighbouring states, to provide the military with reliable information to aid in the arrest of the eight people who were allegedly responsible for the soldiers’ death.
The list was made public a few hours after President Bola Tinubu and other dignitaries witnessed the late soldiers’ funeral at the National Military Cemetery on Wednesday, March 27.
The ICIR reported that Tinubu awarded scholarships and houses to the slain soldiers’ children and families.
The soldiers were said to be on a peace mission to the warring towns of Okuama and Okoloba when they were attacked and killed.
Although Okodeh’s name was not listed among the wanted persons, his picture was uploaded under a false name that he said no one in his immediate or extended family had.
NIGERIAN businessman Aliko Dangote has more than doubled his net worth to $27.8 billion among the world’s wealthiest individuals.
The billionaire became wealthier on account of his long-awaited “monster” oil refinery project which has been up and running.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Dangote is now ranked in the 65th position.
Elon Musk leads the pack with a net worth of $242 billion. He is followed by Jeff Bezos with $210 billion.
Mark Zuckerberg takes the third position with $204 billion, Larry Ellison with $185 billion, and Bernard Arnault with $175 billion net worth come in the fourth and fifth positions respectively.
Dangote, who maintained his top position as the Africa’s richest man, has reportedly said he would not wish the experience he has had with the refinery on his worst enemy.
“I didn’t know what we were building was a monster,” Dangote said during a recent visit to New York, Bloomberg reported.
“The pressure was coming from different directions, people confusing us, disturbing us every day with different media stories that it will never work,” the 67-year-old billionaire added.
The 650,000-capacity Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals, financed with $20 billion, is located in Nigeria’s commercial city, Lagos State.
The refinery has been described as the biggest single-train oil refinery in the world and one of the most complex, capable of processing most global crude types.
It is believed to have the potential to transform the Nigerian economy by making the country self-reliant on fuel.
By producing refined petroleum products domestically, the facility could eliminate the country’s dependence on fuel imports, a reliance that has hamstrung its economy despite Nigeria being Africa’s largest crude oil producer.
Since the refinery started running in January this year, Dangote has faced disagreements with the Nigerian government and state-owned oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
Notable issues were crude oil supply to the refinery, substandard products from the refinery, intention to monopolise the market, constraint to sell only to the NNPCL, reduction of government’s stake in the refinery, and a lot more.
NIGERIA has received a fresh supply of R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine as part of efforts to curb the deadly disease that continues to claim thousands of lives across the country yearly.
The donation made by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is part of an initiative by the global health organisations and the Nigerian government to expand access to life-saving vaccines and reduce malaria burden nationwide.
The hand-over ceremony took place on Thursday, October 17, in Abuja with a million dose donated to the Nigerian government, according to Punch.
Caused by parasites transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, malaria is a preventable and curable major public health issue affecting millions of Nigerians.
The disease, mostly found in tropical countries, can be life-threatening, with nearly half of the world and 97 per cent of Nigeria’s population at risk of the disease.
Nigeria (26.6 per cent), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.3 per cent), Uganda (5.1 per cent), Mozambique (4.1 per cent) and Angola (3.4 per cent) collectively represented half of the total malaria cases worldwide.
Also, Nigeria (31.3 per cent), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.6 per cent), Tanzania (4.1 per cent), and Niger (3.9 per cent) together account for slightly more than half of all malaria-related deaths worldwide.
During the handover ceremony in Abuja, the Executive Director and chief executive officer of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Muyi Aina, noted that children under five and pregnant women were the most affected with the disease.
“Nigeria is among the top ten contributors to the global burden of malaria, accounting for approximately 27 per cent of the global burden and 31 per cent of malaria deaths worldwide. In 2022, nearly 200,000 deaths from malaria occurred in Nigeria. Children under five years of age, and pregnant women are the most affected, with a national malaria prevalence rate of 22 per cent in children aged six to 59 months as of 2021.
“The vaccine would quicken our malaria control and elimination efforts, as we expect about 13 per cent reduction in all-case mortality in children under five and a 22 per cent reduction in hospitalised severe malaria cases. WHO recommends prioritisation of the vaccine in areas of high to moderate transmission and this is guiding our phased introduction strategy,” he said.
According to him, the first phase of the vaccination will commence in Kebbi and Bayelsa states in November, explaining further that Kebbi has the highest prevalence rate in the country (52 per cent).
“Bayelsa is selected due its target population of 69,935, and that of Kebbi’s 162,014, aligns with the one million doses available for this phase, thereby ensuring that the vaccine supply is effectively utilised.
“The vaccine will be administered to children aged five months to 15 months as part of routine immunisation. Each child requires four doses, given at 5, 6, 7, and 15 months of age, to be fully protected. The introduction will be expanded to other states and integrated into our national routine immunisation schedule, as we receive additional doses,” he said.
Aina further stated that the second phase of the administration would target 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), while the third phase would target the remaining 15 states.
According to him, both phases are scheduled for 2025.
“To ensure a successful roll-out, we have established an elaborate cross-programme coordinating mechanism that brings together key stakeholders and expertise in the malaria and immunisation space at the national, and subnational levels.
“The team has developed a robust and responsive demand generation strategy that is citizen-centred and recognises the needs and expectations of stakeholders at all levels, including caregivers, community gatekeepers and front-line health workers,” Aina said.
In October 2023, the World Health Organisation recommended widespread use of the R21 malaria vaccine among children in sub-Saharan Africa and in other regions with moderate to high P. falciparum malaria transmission.
The R21 malaria vaccine was pre qualified by WHO in December 2023. The vaccine is said to target the plasmodium ‘sporozoites’, which is the first form of the malaria parasite entering the human body.
