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Media coalition condemns police assault, detention of Kaduna journalist, demands sanction

Ijeoma OPARA
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Media coalition condemns police assault, detention of Kaduna journalist, demands sanction

THE Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF) has condemned the assault and detention of a journalist, Gabriel Idibia, in Kaduna State by some officers of the state’s police command.

The group demanded that those involved in his brutalisation and detention must be sanctioned.

This was contained in a statement by the coalition on Saturday, June 22.

Idibia was arrested by some police officers while taking pictures of a herd of cattle being led by police officers along the Kachia Expressway in Kaduna, resulting in traffic gridlock.

According to the statement, the journalist confirmed that he was detained at the Criminal Investigations Department of the Gbasawa Police Station in Kaduna, despite identifying himself as a journalist by showing the officers his identity card.

His mobile phone was seized along with his identity card after which he was taken into custody where he was detained from morning till late evening, and badly beaten up.

“Mr Idibia insists that the physical torture severely affected his eyes forcing him to access eye treatment. His allegations have been corroborated by media reports and an eye witness that was arrested along with him,” the statement read.

The ICIR reported that Idibia was forced to write a statement by the policemen, even though he struggled to see with one of his eyes after being beaten up by the officers. The images he took were also deleted from his phone by the police.

The coalition called on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to probe the conduct of the officers involved and sanction them appropriately.

“We find it rather disturbing that men of the Nigeria Police Force not only arrested Mr. Idibia unlawfully but also resorted to assaulting him for simply performing his constitutionally guaranteed duties as a journalist. This is certainly not a practice welcomed in a democratic state like Nigeria and it stands condemned in strong terms,” the statement read.

in 2023 alone, at least 39 journalists were harassed in the line of duty by both state and non-state actors.

Idibia is one of the journalists who were incarcerated and arraigned by the police in Kaduna following his report on the harsh living conditions within the Hajj Camp in the state.

The report also revealed a lack of basic amenities such as potable water and a proper waste management system at the camp, among other challenges.

Mongabay offers conservation reporting fellowship

Blessing OTOIBHI
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Mongabay offers conservation reporting fellowship

MONGABAY is inviting aspiring environmental journalists from tropical countries to apply for the Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship.

The programme aims to provide opportunities for journalists to report on critical environmental issues, gaining valuable training, experience, and credibility that will help them advance their careers in journalism and communications.

During the six-month fellowship, fellows will work directly with the fellowship editor to produce six stories.

The organisers say “With the effects of environmental degradation becoming more apparent, high-quality environmental journalism is more important than ever. But like the journalism sector as a whole, environmental reporting has been affected by shifting business models that have reduced the availability of resources for reporting, shrinking press freedoms in many countries and a lack of early-stage career opportunities”.

“These issues are especially acute in places that bear the brunt of climate change, biodiversity loss, the destruction of nature and threats against indigenous peoples and local communities they added”.

The programme will support up to 18 fellows per year – six at Mongabay’s global English bureau, six at its Spanish-language bureau, Mongabay-Latam, and six at its French-language bureau, Mongabay-Africa. Work is remote.

Eligible applicants must be from a low- to upper-middle-income tropical country, as classified by the World Bank.

Fellows will receive a US$3,000 stipend.

The deadline for the submission of application is August 10, 2024.

Interested applicants can apply here.

CAF announces date for 2025 AFCON, WAFCON

Itoro ETUKUDO
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CAF announces date for 2025 AFCON, WAFCON

THE Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the dates for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), to be held in Morocco.

The CAF president, Patrice Motsepe, on Friday, June 21, confirmed that AFCON would run from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026, adding that WAFCON would hold from July 5, 2025, to July 26 of the same year. Both games will be held in Morocco.

Expressing confidence in the success of both games, the Motsepe acknowledged the growth of women’s and men’s football in Africa.

“I am confident that the CAF AFCON Morocco 2025 will be extremely successful and the best AFCON in the history of this competition.

“The immense growth of women’s football in Africa is also impressive, and I expect the CAF Total Energies and WAFCON Morocco 2024 to be equally successful,” he said.

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After extensive discussions with stakeholders, due to complex international and domestic match calendars, the AFCON dates, originally scheduled for June and July 2025, were moved to avoid clashing with the inaugural expanded Club World Cup in the United States, to be held from June 15 to July 13 2025.

The CAF stressed its commitment to upholding the rights of African players participating in international leagues and cultivating positive connections with bodies including the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), and the European Club Association (ECA).

The Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) President, Fouzi Lekjaa, shared his vision, expressing hope that the CAF Total Energies AFCON Morocco 2025 would be a spectacular event honouring Africa, adding that Morocco would provide the best atmosphere to welcome all of Africa and the world.

Editor Cohort Training Programme for news leaders seeks entries

Blessing OTOIBHI
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Editor Cohort Training Programme for news leaders seeks entries

The ACOS Alliance is inviting entries to its first Editor Cohort Training Programme.

This initiative allows editors, news managers and senior journalists to complete an online course ‘The Fundamentals of Safe Commissioning’ and receive a tailored training experience.

Ten participants will be selected to participate in the programme.

The organiser says, “The objectives of the programme are to provide access to tailored safety training to editors and newsroom managers, to empower editors to adopt and implement best safe commissioning practices and create/improve safety protocols, with a focus on freelancers, and vulnerable and under-resourced journalists, to foster a culture of safety within news organisations and to foster the creation of editor’s networks who can share experiences and best practices in journalist safety”.

Applicants must be actively involved in commissioning stories and in the editorial decision-making processes within their newsrooms.

Editors, news managers and senior journalists in Sub-Saharan Africa can apply for a training programme.

This four-week online program will run from August 3 to 31, 2024.

The deadline for submission of application is July 12, 2024. interested applicants can apply here.

Otedola buys N18.95bn shares to regain FBN’s highest shareholding position

Ehime ALEX
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Otedola buys N18.95bn shares to regain FBN’s highest shareholding position

NIGERIAN billionaire businessman and chairman of FBN Holdings Plc, Femi Otedola, has acquired a fresh 863,180,810 units of shares at the value of N18.95 billion to reclaim the highest shareholding in the company.

The FBN Holdings, the parent company of First Bank Nigeria Limited, disclosed this in a corporate filing to the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) and the investing public on Thursday, June 20.

In the disclosure signed by the Acting Secretary, Adewale Arogundade, the company stated that Otedola paid N6.93 billion to acquire 316,506,776 direct shares at the rate of N21.91 per share.

He further paid N12.01 billion to acquire 546,674,034 indirect shares at the rate of N21.97 per share through his company, Calvados Global Services Limited.

The fresh acquisition of 863,180,810 units has now increased Otedola’s shares (direct and indirect) in FBN Holdings to 3,380,462,950 units, putting his stake at 9.41 percent.

A check on FBN Holdings’ 2024 first quarter financial statements, indicates that Otedola’s stake stood at 2,517,282,140 units or 7.01‬ per cent of the bank’s 35,909,873,609.13 units of shares

Otedola is now the highest shareholder in FBN Holdings having overtaken Oba Otudeko’s Barbican Capital Limited company which has 3,110,400,619 direct shares or 8.67 percent stake.

The ICIR reported in October 2023 that Otudeko’s name was completely missing in FBN Holdings structure despite his acquisition of 4.77 billion unit shares which put his stake to 13.3 percent and the bank confirming the acquisition to the investing public.

At the time, the purchase elicited reactions as some shareholders believed Otudeko was staging a “come-back” to reclaim control of the bank holding company.

The Central Bank of Nigeria had in April 2021, removed Otudeko as FBN Holdings’ chairman and sacked the board that served under him over noncompliance with regulatory control.

In February this year, The ICIR reported that FBN Holdings reinstated Barbican Capital Limited as having the highest equity stake in its shareholding structure amid the announcement of Femi Otedola as the bank’s chairman.

Some stakeholders told The ICIR that it appeared CBN disapproved of Otudeko’s acquisition reason his stake was not stated in the FBN Holdings’ third-quarter 2023 financial report, which would have automatically placed him in the position to become the board’s chairman again.

The high-wired boardroom politics that played out, however, saw Otedola appointed to FBN Holdings’ board and subsequently as the chairman.

The appointment came two years after the investor became the firm’s single largest shareholder in December 2021, when he increased his stake to 7.57 per cent.

A month after the appointment, FBN Holdings named Barbican Capital Limited as its majority shareholder, making Otedola the second major shareholder at the time.

NERC disburses N21bn to DisCos to close 7 million metering gap

Harrison EDEH
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NERC disburses N21bn to DisCos to close 7 million metering gap

THE  Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has approved the disbursement to 11 Distribution Companies (DisCos) N21 billion as tranch “A” to close the seven million metering gap nationwide under the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI).

The NERC, which disclosed this through its Order “NERC/2024/072” on “Operationalisation of Tranche A of the Presidential Metering Initiative under the framework of Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF), said the meters will be distributed at no cost to the end users (Electricity consumers).

The NERC chairman Sanusi Garba and commissioner legal, licencing, and compliance, Dafe Akpeneye jointly signed the order dated 19, June.

The electricity regulator further explained that the N21 billion that it has apportioned to the DisCos according to their respective contributions, was obtained from MAF which has accrued as of the April 2024 market settlement cycle up to N21,864,851,725.00.

It regretted that despite several interventions in the past for metering end-use customers, the national metering gap persists which currently stands at more than seven million customers.

The NERC expressed optimism that the latest metering interventions would improve customer satisfaction with the distribution companies.

“The deployment of funds under the MAF scheme shall accelerate the deployment of meters and closure of the current metering gap thereby reducing commercial & collection losses to DisCos, enhancing quality of service, and improving customer satisfaction.

“While the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry-NESI is expected to leverage on the revenue stream under the MAF framework to raise substantial capital funding for metering, there is an imperative to accelerate closure of the metering gap for all customers currently classified under tariff Band A for revenue protection and facilitating demand side management for the affected customers, “NERC stated.

The regulator also disclosed that the funds accrued as of the April 2024 market settlement cycle and available for procurement of meters under the first tranche of the MAF scheme are in the sum of NGN21,864,851,725.00.

“The Commission hereby approves the use of a sum of NGN21,000,000,000 (twenty-billion Naira only) apportioned pro rata to contribution by the DisCos as Tranche A of the MAF scheme,”NERC stated.

NERC emphasised that all the meters under this scheme must be procured and installed under the MAF framework shall be at no cost to the customers of the DisCos.

The breakdown of Tranche A disbursement allocation for each DisCo for the purchase of end-use customer meters are as follows:
Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) N2,990,745,647, Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) N1,571,276,806, Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) N2,921,896,285, Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) N1,726,893,467, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) N42,516,469,752, Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IE)
N4,358,122,421 and Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC)
N521,905,774.

Others are Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KAEDC) N1,220,367,039 Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO)
$1,568,029,563, Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) N1,360,944,608 and Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC)
N243,348,639.

The ICIR has reported that the distribution companies rely largely on unmetered customers to earn profits,with the Federal goverment’s mass metering intervention moving at snail’s speed.

Ministries of Youth, Sports website inaccessible, fail to update online platforms

Nurudeen AKEWUSHOLA
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Ministries of Youth, Sports website inaccessible, fail to update online platforms

THE Federal Ministries of Youth and Sports Development headed by Jamila Bio Ibrahim and John Eno respectively have failed to update their website and social media platforms for over five months, The ICIR can report. 

In November 2023, The ICIR reported how the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development kept portraying Sunday Dare as substantive minister six months after leaving office.

Subsequent findings showed that the website(http://www.youthandsport.gov.ng/) is now inaccessible. This is a development The ICIR observed has been ongoing since March. It might have started before then. As of the time of filling this report, it was still inaccessible saying “The site cannot be reached”.

The ministries had maintained joint social media platforms and a website under one minister before President Bola Tinubu split them into two and appointed Ibrahim as the minister of youth development and Enoh as the minister of sports development.

X handle taken over by Ministry of Youth development

The ICIR observed that the X handle (archived here) owned by the two ministries was taken over by the Ministry of Youth Development but a separate X handle and website have not been created for the Ministry of Sports Development. However, they still maintain a joint account on Facebook (archived here). The last time an update was shared on both their X and Facebook accounts was on December 28, 2023.

Facebook account still owned by both ministry of Youth development and ministry of Sports Development

In September, The ICIR reported that the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s (NUPRC) website showed former president,  Muhammadu Buhari as the country’s incumbent leader, nearly four months after he left office.

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The ministry replaced the image with that of the incumbent President Bola Tinubu on its website after The ICIR report. 

In 2024, the country participated in several sports activities including the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the just concluded African Games in Ghana but the ministry of sports did not give updates about these sports activities via its social media handles.

Similarly, many young Nigerians achieved laudable milestones in and outside the country but they were not publicly recognised by the ministry of Youth due to their online absence.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports website inaccessible. Screenshot taken June 22 2024.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports website inaccessible. Screenshot taken June 22 2024.

Police recruitment: PSC challenges IGP to provide evidence of corruption allegations

Ijeoma OPARA
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Police recruitment: PSC challenges IGP to provide evidence of corruption allegations

THE Police Service Commission (PSC) has challenged the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to provide evidence of allegations that the recruitment exercise it recently conducted was marred by corruption.

This was contained in a press release signed by the commission’s head, Press and Public Relations Unit, Ikechukwu Ani, on Friday, June 21.

“The Commission has studied the issues around this successfully concluded recruitment exercise and has come to the conclusion that even after the Supreme Court Judgment, the Police is reluctant to allow the Commission to perform this constitutional assignment.

“The Commission demands that the Police should provide verifiable evidence to prove the allegations peddled against it as it is obvious that it is a case of giving a dog a bad name in order to hang it,” part of the statement read.

Ani also noted that due process was followed during the exercise and demanded that a forensic audit be carried out on the list of successful candidates published by both organisations.

The PSC had released a list of successful candidates recruited into the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), but the NPF rejected it, arguing that the PSC portal was scrutinised and several names released did not apply for the job and, therefore could not have emerged on the list.

The NPF dissociated itself from the list of candidates and called for a review.

However, the PSC’s Joint Union Congress (JUC) dismissed the allegations at a press briefing on Wednesday, June 19. The congress also alleged that elements within the Police Force attempted to smuggle over 1,000 names into the recruitment list.

In the statement on Friday, Ani pointed out that the NPF was acting in contradiction to the Supreme Court ruling which does not permit any other person or body to conduct recruitment for the NPF.

“The Commission however had, in its wisdom, invited relevant stakeholders into a Board for the recruitment exercise to ensure inclusiveness and transparency. This magnanimity has since been misconstrued. It is relevant to state that the judgment and even the Constitution did not give the Police any role in the recruitment of any cadre of Officers into the Police Force,” Ani noted.

He also pointed out that fraudulent recruitments by the Police had contributed to the challenges currently confronting the system.

“It is unfortunate that the Police has attributed its obvious failure to protect lives and properties and safeguard our nation from banditry and terrorism to bad recruitment. This claim is self-indicting and provocative.  Since 2019 when the Police forcefully snatched the exercise from the Commission, they have gone ahead against the provisions of the law to superintendent over the 2020 and 2021 exercises.

“It is the fraudulent Recruits they brought into the system during these exercises that are currently haunting the Nigeria Police Force,” Ani noted.

The statement also alleged that the allegations of fraud were aimed at taking over the recruitment from the Commission.

WHO announces global resurgence of cholera

Itoro ETUKUDO
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WHO announces global resurgence of cholera

THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced an upsurge in cholera cases in various parts of the world.

It said about 195,000 cases of the disease and over 1,900 deaths were recorded in 24 countries since January 2023.

The highest number of cases was recorded in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, followed by the African, American, South-East Asian, and European regions.

According to WHO, there are no reported cases in the Western Region as stated in its bulletin released on Wednesday, June 19.

The WHO defines cholera as an acute diarrheal infection characterised, in its severe form, by extreme watery diarrhoea and potentially fatal dehydration.

The world’s supply of oral cholera vaccines (OCV) had been exhausted by March, said the WHO, adding that it was possible to surpass “the emergency target of five million doses in early June for the first time in 2024.”

However, there is a mismatch between the supply and demand of the vaccine. The WHO said 16 countries requested 92 million doses of OCV since January 2023, about twice the 49 million produced.

The WHO, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other partners are collaborating to find lasting solutions to the outbreaks.

The ICIR reported in 2023 that Nigeria was one of the 13 African countries battling cholera with several outbreaks of the disease since 2021 when the nation reported 111,062 suspected cases and 3,604 deaths.

On Thursday, June 20, this organisation reported how poor water and sanitation contribute to the outbreaks in Nigeria, according to a statement mailed to The ICIR by the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA).

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported that 1,141 suspected cases have been recorded so far in 2024, with at least 30 deaths resulting from 65 confirmed cases of the outbreaks from January 1 to June 11.

Lagos State currently has the highest casualties from the disease, losing 21 of its residents to the outbreaks as of Thursday, June 20.

Journalist found dead in Abuja days after missing

Bankole ABE
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Journalist found dead in Abuja days after missing

AN Abuja-based journalist, Joel Waksi, was found dead on Wednesday, June 19, five days after he was declared missing.

Waksi, an On-Air Personality (OAP) with Atar Communication, owners of Liberty TV/Radio reportedly left the office around 9 p.m. on Friday, June 14, and was supposed to return to work at the station’s Mpape office by 2 p.m. the following day.

The Group General Manager (GGM), Atar Communication, Balarabe Muhammad, in an interview with Daily Trust, said the police in Mpape Division of the nation’s capital had declared that Waksi’s body was found near the Panteka neighbourhood and had been transferred to the morgue at Kubwa General Hospital.

According to Muhammad, the OAP was stabbed around his neck, and his phone could not be found.

He said his organisation assumed that phone snatchers had attacked him.

Muhammad added that the deceased had escaped a similar attack in which he had been stabbed below the belly two months earlier.

“He was supposed to be on break till Monday, having worked at night. However, due to internal arrangements among colleagues during such public holidays, he was billed to report back to duty the next day afternoon, but he never did,’’ Muhammad stated.

The ICIR made attempts to confirm the details of the incident from the Police, but calls and messages sent to the Spokesperson of the FCT Police Command, Josephine Adeh, were not picked up or replied.

Meanwhile, the FCT Police Command has arrested a suspect over the murder of Chukwu Chukwudi, a Mechanic in Kugbo, Abuja.

This was disclosed by FCT Police police spokesperson, Adeh, in a statement.

She said the incident occurred at the Kugbo Mechanic, Abuja, on Thursday, June 20, when a mechanic and four others currently at large brought in a vehicle for repairs.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that an argument ensued between them and the mechanic upon which one Chukwu Chukwudi was stabbed in the neck with a dagger by one of the suspects.

“Upon receipt of the complaint, police operatives from Karu Division mobilized to the scene where one Tijani Uzairu who accompanied the other suspects was arrested and the victim was rushed to the hospital where the doctor on duty confirmed him dead,” Adeh stated.

According to the statement, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Benneth Igweh, has ordered that a discreet investigation be conducted into the matter.

Insecurity has continued to be a source of worry for residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

On June 14, The ICIR reported that three people died during a gun duel between the police and armed robbers who attempted to rob a First Bank branch in the Abaji Area of the FCT.

The victims include a police officer and two members of the gang.

Two of the deceased were confirmed dead after being rushed to the hospital, while one of the suspects was set ablaze by an irate mob after the police neutralised him.

 

 

 

 

 

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