The Nigerian Army on Wednesday explained that it is not constructing RUGA settlement in any part of Nigeria especially in the South-East region.
It described as baseless, untrue and false, an allegation that it is currently constructing a RUGA Settlement at Igbo-Etiti community of Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State.
In a statement, the acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 82 Division, Major Abubakar Abdullahi, disclosed that its engineers were currently constructing a military training facility at Igbo-Etiti Community of Udi Local Government Area, Enugu State.
He said the facility, when completed, would accommodate troops during training and aid to improve their efficiency in protecting law-abiding citizens across the South-East.
The statement read, “The 82 Division Nigerian Army has noted with utmost concern, a baseless allegation aired through an outlawed online radio that the Division of the Nigerian Army is currently constructing a Ruga Settlement at Igbo-Etiti community of Udi Local Government Area, Enugu State.
“Though this inciting broadcast emanates from a source bereft of any credibility whatsoever, there is need, however, to present the facts clearly for the sake of posterity.
“It must be emphasised that Nigerian Army Engineers are not constructing any Ruga Settlement in any part of Nigeria. Rather, the Engineers are currently constructing a military training facility at Igbo-Etiti Community of Udi Local Government Area, Enugu State.”
The Governor of Zamfara State, Mohammed Matawalle, has said that his administration has reached an agreement to purchase armed drones to tackle the banditry and insecurity in the state.
He disclosed that the drones with high altitude would assist in gathering intelligence to detect the various hideouts of bandits in the state.
The governor spoke about the purchase of drones despite the ongoing military bombardments of bandits’ enclaves in the state, which had largely resulted in the criminals relocating to nearby safer havens.
Matawalle noted that his two weeks’ trip with some of his officials, to the United Kingdom and Turkey was to find lasting solutions to the problem of banditry in Zamfara.
“The trip was to seek assistance in the matters of security, job creation, and invitation of foreign investors for socio-economic growth” he added.
“Zamfara State has become the colony of banditry not only in the northern states but in Nigeria as a whole and the state has suffered from the destruction of socio-economic growth.
“Now, the state government has it in mind to purchase armed drones to access bandits’ hideouts and straighten intelligence gathering to battle the banditry and other criminalities in the state”
The governor stated that the state government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a foreign firm to establish mineral resources and gold refineries to address illegal mining and create job opportunities for the citizens of the state.
He stressed that the gold refineries would be under his supervision and would be established to increase the state Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), adding that there would be more job opportunities while illegal mining is put to rest.
No fewer than 91 out of 147 identified owners and operators of private jets in the country have failed the verification test conducted by the Nigerian Customs Service (NSC).
Of the number of defaulters released yesterday, a total of 62 allegedly refused to show up for the mandatory verification exercise, while 29 others were found liable for default in payment of Customs duty.
The NCS, therefore, issued a 14-day ultimatum for payment of duties and submission of verification papers, or risk sanctions that may include asset forfeiture.
The Guardian had lately reported a myriad of abuses by owners and operators of private jets in the bid to shortchange the system and reduce the burden of operating cost in the face of pandemic challenges. Chief Operating Officer of the association of Private Jet Nigeria, Omotade Lepe, had said the sub-sector lost between $1 billion and $5 billion to the pandemic, which silenced the erstwhile purring luxury market.
Besides avoiding duties due to the Federal Government, more owners were boycotting local rules to retain foreign registration numbers. Most disturbing for the general sector is the illegal use of private jets for commercial operations – an encroachment into the turf of licensed air transport operators.
The apex regulator, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), acknowledged some of the gaps that are consistently explored by some operators, though assured that regulatory efforts were on to block loopholes and check illegalities.
Apparently to check the violation of duties, NSC, in May 2021, commenced verification of import documents for privately owned aircraft in the country.
Citing statutory functions, as provided for in Part III Sections 27, 35, 37, 45, 46, 47, 52, 56, 63 & 64; Part XI Sections 144, 145, 155, 160, 161&164 and Part XII Sections 167, 168, 169 173&174 of the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA), Customs directed all owners of private aircraft to come forward with their relevant importation clearance documents for verification.
On request for verification between June 7 to August 6, were the Aircraft Certificate of Registration, NCAA’s Flight Operations Compliance Certificate (FOCC), NCAA’s Maintenance Compliance Certificate (MCC), NCAA’s Permit for Non-Commercial Flights (PNCF) and Temporary Import Permit (TIP).
Public Relations Officer of Customs, Comptroller Joseph Attah, gave an update yesterday, stating that a total of 86 private jets/aircraft operators showed up for the exercise and presented the relevant documents for verification. Of this number, 57 were verified as commercial charter operators and were duly cleared for operations.
However, he said: “29 other private jets/aircraft were found liable for payment of Customs duty. Their values were assessed, and the appropriate demand notices were issued to their owners for the payment of outstanding duties.
“A total of 62 other private jet/aircraft, whose registration numbers were duly obtained from the appropriate authority were not verified because their owners or designated representatives made no presentations to Customs that could help determine their status.”
He said all 57 commercial charter jet/aircraft operators, who presented their documents for verification, are to come forward to collect their Aircraft Clearance Certificates.
“All 29 private jet/aircraft owners, or their representatives, who have been issued with demand notices have been given 14 days from October 11, 2021, to collect and make payments to the designated Federal Government accounts after which they will be issued with Aircraft Clearance Certificates.
“The owners of the 62 private aircraft, for which no presentations were made for their verification, and whose status remains uncertain, are requested to immediately furnish the Tariff and Trade department of the Service with the necessary documents for verification and clearance. The Nigeria Customs Service implores all concerned to avail themselves of this opportunity as it will not hesitate to activate enforcement procedures on identified defaulters,” Attah said.
Customs noted that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has been put on notice to ensure only privately owned aircraft duly verified, and cleared by Customs, are authorised to operate within the Nigerian airspace.
NCAA records had shown about 95 aircraft in the country, out of which 46 were active as of June. However, of the 95, a total of 72 are still registered abroad, in violation of the extant rules.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulation (NCARs) 2015, Part 8.2.1.9 allows foreign aircraft to operate locally for 2-12 months and an initial renewal of another six months to complete local registration. Operators have, however, found a way around that requirement, going in and out of the country to evade the local registry.
Zamfara House of Assembly on Monday suspended two of its members for their alleged involvement in aiding and abetting banditry in the state.
The two lawmakers are alleged to have aided the kidnap of the Speaker’s father, and the murder of another colleague of theirs.
The suspended members, according to a Press release signed by the Director-General Press Affairs of the House, Mustafa Kaura, are Yusuf Muhammad Anka representing Anka constituency; and Ibrahim Tukur Bakura representing Bakura constituency.
The statement said, “They have been suspended from the state House of Assembly for three months pending the conclusion of investigations on the allegation leveled against them.
“They are to appear before the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges in conjunction with security agencies that are assigned by law to investigate them.
“These are parts of the resolutions reached on Monday night at the House plenary presided over by the Speaker, Hon Nasiru Mu’azu Magarya under matters of urgent public importance.”
During the debate, a member representing Maru North constituency, Hon Yusuf Alhassan Kanoma, told his colleagues that there was a burning issue in the House, of serious allegations leveled against the two members.
Kanoma, therefore, said that “the House should not fold its arms and allow this gross official misconduct by the two members.”
Hon Kanoma further alleged that during the kidnap saga of the father of the Speaker, late Mu’azu Abubakar Magarya, Yusuf Muhammad Anka and Ibrahim T. Tukur Bakura were said to have been jubilating over the issue .
He also alleged that the two members were the brains behind the killing of late Hon Muhammad G. Ahmed, a former member representing Shinkafi constituency in the state House of Assembly through connivance with the bandits by telephone conversation that led to his killing.
While calling on the security agencies to fully track all their telephone lines and listen to all their conversations, Hon Kanoma also called on his colleagues to, as a matter of urgency, suspend the two lawmakers from all House activities for an initial period of three months pending the conclusion of investigations.
Also contributing, a member representing Birnin Magaji constituency, Hon Nura Dahiru Sabon Birnin Dan Ali strongly backed Hon Kanoma on the issue, saying that his efforts of mediating and negotiating with notorious bandit Bello Turji on so many occasions to secure the release of late Mu’azu Magarya should not go in vain, pointing out that detractors of peace in the state should face the full wrath of the law.
In his ruling on the matter, Speaker Nasiru Mu’azu Magarya approved the request of the House by outright suspension of the two members for the initial period of three months .
Speaker Magarya also directed chairman House Committee on Ethics and Privileges, Hon Kabiru Hashimu Dansadau, to fully investigate these members and report its findings to the plenary in the next three months.
While expressing dismay over their alleged involvement in banditry activities, the Speaker also stripped them of their chairmanship of the House standing committees by assigning Hon Yusuf Alhassan Kanoma to oversee works and transport committee chaired by Yusuf Muhammad Anka.
He also directed Hon Nasiru Atiku Gora to take charge of the humanitarian and social development committee formally headed by Ibrahim T. Tukur Bakura.
Nigeria is not in short supply of true leaders. The country’s diversity and generous human resources offer a limitless pool of talents, skills, abilities and character. Nigeria is blessed with all that a nation needs to be a lodestar in the galaxy of nations. But why do misfits end up in the cockpit here? The recruitment process has a bias for ethnic and religious emotionalism. The enlistment process is the snag — fundamentally.
The political recruitment process at the party level is fatally flawed. Candidates for election are selected not on the content of their character, antecedents, abilities, and verifiable records but on the basis of where they represent, where they worship and how much they have to bribe party officials and delegates – in the case of indirect selection.
Our recruitment process at the party level rarely throws up people with discipline and competence for election. In fact, people with some semblance of capacity are rather planted as running mates of very defective standard bearers. Our politics de-emphasises ability, competence, qualifications, integrity, expansiveness, temperance and compassion as primary values for leadership – but accents the geography and religious identity of power instead.
We have to make a bold departure from this path. Nigeria needs healing. 2023 should be for national healing; closing the chasm and forging new bonds. As I said in ‘Nigeria needs a Nigerian president in 2023 – not Igbo, Hausa or Yoruba’, the country needs a doctor to heal the country in 2023, and it needs a carpenter. It also needs a builder and an architect to build the country back better. It needs an all-in-one president. Yes, Nigeria needs healing from six years of hate-slinging, recriminations and animosity.
We have to get it right in 2023, lest we embark on another tortuous journey through the capricious wilderness.
So, I have made my own list of five Nigerians I think can steer Nigeria away from the tempest. These individuals are notable for their integrity, leadership excellence and brilliance. This list is by no means definitive, but it throws up possibilities of what could be and should be if we must make it out of the doldrums. Enough of the predatory politics and recycling of the same political class.
AKINWUMI ADESINA
Adesina is the President of the African Development of Bank (AfDB). He was first elected as the Bank’s president in 2015 and re-elected in 2020. He is an astounding economist. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree (first class) in agricultural economics from the University of Ife in 1981. He went on to earn a PhD in agricultural economics from Purdue University in the US. He has won many awards, and received global recognition and appointments. He also has sterling records on integrity and leadership. He came into the reckoning of most Nigerians when he was appointed as the minister of agriculture in 2011 by former President Goodluck Jonathan. He was named Forbes ‘African Man of the Year’ for his reforms in the agricultural sector. He is widely regarded as one of the best agriculture ministers Nigeria has ever had. No other agriculture minister after him comes close on the performance-meter. I have checked frantically for any dirt on Adesina, but found none. He has no corruption case in Nigeria or anywhere.
Adesina is not a politician. The odds may be against him because he is not in the mould of the wheeler-dealer politician. But it is comforting that his excellence has not gone unnoticed. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is reported to be ‘’drumming support’’ for Adesina to enter the 2023 presidential race. Adesina is 61 years old, and by 2023 he will be 63 — still within a good age bracket.
AMINA MOHAMMED
Mohammed is the deputy secretary-general of the United Nations. She was appointed minister of environment by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 – but she left the position to take up the UN job. Mohammed is one of Nigeria’s lodestars. If Nigerians are desirous of a break from the quotidian, then Mohammed will be that elixir that will spring life into the nation. She’s notable in international circles and has received global acclaim for her work on the environment, education, gender inclusion and the SDGs. She has no corruption case and her leadership style is said to be 21st century compliant. She is 60 years old and will be 62 in 2023. Although coming from a conservative and patriarchal society, the odds are stacked against her; she has the refinement and character to lead Nigeria in this age. Can we give women a chance in 2023?
NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA
Okonjo-Iweala is perhaps the most decorated economist out of Nigeria. Her accomplishments are unmatched by any Nigerian finance minister before and after her. She is the first woman and first African to lead the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as director-general. She became the DG of the WTO after a very competitive process. Leadership at the global level is chaotic with a barrage of interests at war. I believe Okonjo-Iweala can manage Nigeria with all its complexities going by her antecedents. She was once the coordinating minister of the economy, and it is obvious with the current parlous state of the economy her time was a golden era. Nigeria needs a good manager of the economy. Okonjo-Iweala is 67 years old and will be 69 in 2023. Although in Nigeria’s very murky politics, the likes of Okonjo-Iweala do not thrive, we can always chart a different path. After all is 2023 not about breaking the cycle and breaking away from the old order?
MOHAMMED BUBA MARWA
Buba Marwa, chairman of the NDLEA and retired army general, is an accomplished administrator. He has a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard. As governor of old Borno state, he introduced the first joint-military patrol in the country, codenamed ‘Operation Zaki’ to tackle banditry and other forms of criminality in the north. Other states soon followed his novel example. As governor of Lagos, he tackled insecurity with ‘Operation Sweep’, set up a bitumen factory in the state; rehabilitated area boys by setting up skill centres and giving them grants to start bakeries, furniture work, tailoring and other businesses. He was also able to manage the ethnic divergences in Lagos very well. His stewardship in Lagos remains stuff of legends and tales pass down from generation to generation. Marwa is a politician and member of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Even though from the north, I believe Marwa can manage Nigeria’s diversity and effectively tackle insecurity.
YEMI OSINBAJO
Osinbajo is a fine gentlemen; a refined politician. He is cerebral, competent, temperate, and disciplined. He is an example of what the avant-garde Nigerian politician should be. But an albatross hangs on Osinbajo’s neck. He shares in the failures of the current administration and has taken a good lashing in the public for them. He is named in areas where the administration is faltering, but not where it is succeeding. Being the brains at the presidency, Nigerians expected much of him. Osinbajo will have to work at dismantling the web around his persona. But I believe he will be a president, with gravitas and character, for Nigeria.
By Fredrick Nwabufo; Nwabufo is a journalist and writer
Tuesday talks in Moscow between Russian and US officials to resolve a diplomatic standoff ended without any breakthroughs, but were still “useful”, Moscow’s deputy Foreign Minister said.
The discussions held behind closed doors saw Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland discuss a long-running row over embassy staffing limits, among other issues.
The meeting comes with Washington’s ties with Moscow under particular strain over a long list of disagreements including the conflict in Ukraine, which Ryabkov said was not discussed.
He said the two officials had failed to make progress on the functioning of diplomatic missions including visas and rotation of personnel.
“Americans are not heeding our logic or our demands,” state news agency RIA Novosti quoted Ryabkov as saying. “At the same time the talks were useful.”
He also warned that a lack of progress on core disagreements raised the possibility of new areas of conflict.
“There is very little progress when it comes to the substantive part of the problems that exist,” news agency Interfax quoted Ryabkov as saying. “There is a risk of new aggravations.”
Ties between the former Cold War enemies rapidly deteriorated after Joe Biden increased pressure on the Kremlin since becoming US president in January.
As part of tit-for-tat sanctions, Russia earlier this year prohibited the US embassy in Moscow from employing foreign nationals and formally designated the United States as an “unfriendly state.”
Nuland, who is on a three-day visit to Russia, arrived Monday. She is set to meet with President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy advisor Yury Ushakov during her visit, the Kremlin said.
Nuland was allowed to travel to Russia despite previously having been placed on a sanctions list.
In exchange, Washington issued a US visa to a representative of the Russian foreign ministry.
The University of Opole in Poland has introduced an obnoxious policy that demands that applicants who failed to fulfil its admission deadline would be made to forfeit tuition fees paid without a refund.
According to SaharaReporters, the deadline for deferment or admission is September 15 while students are expected to resume classes by the first week of October.
But due to glitches and delays with the processing of visas, several Nigerians and other African students affected are at the risk of losing the money paid to the institution which insisted that they cannot get a refund anymore.
In a letter from the varsity granting the extension request of one of the affected students, the institution had said those having difficulties with visa application must resume latest by November 10.
It, however, noted that those who failed to defer their admission after the September 15 deadline would not be able to get a refund.
The letter, signed by the institution’s rector, read: “Dear Student, please, be informed that due to the difficulties with visa application and arrival to Poland for study, you are allowed to arrive at the University of Opole after the 1” of October, but no later than the 10th of November.
“The missed classes should be worked off upon arrival. Please note, that after the 15th of September, the tuition fee refund or deferral of admission will not be possible.
“At the same time, please be informed that the originals or certified copies of your documents should be delivered to the International Students Office by the 24th of September.”
The development has continued to generate concerns among students affected, with many of them calling on authorities to ensure the policy is reversed.
The sources had called on the institution to refund their already paid tuition fees if it fails to approve the extension requested.
According to a source, “There’s a university in the city of Opole, Poland. It’s called the University of Opole. This university is trying to scam people of the fees paid under the guise of ‘refund and deferment deadline’. As a policy with the university, the deadline for deferment or admission is the 15th of September and they have only one annual intake which is Winter (October)
“However, on account of difficulty associated with visa appointments at Polish Embassy in Abuja, admitted students are being coerced into forfeiture of fees paid on the ground that deadline for either refund or deferment has passed.
“For example, one admitted student got an extension letter allowing her to resume on the 10th of November, although, school resumes 1st of October.
“This extension was granted due to challenges associated with appointment booking at Polish Embassy. Now, the admitted student, after gotten an extension from the school got an interview date with the embassy for the 17th of November.
“This student has reached out to the university asking for an additional extension in order to allow for the interview date and the visa processing time, which is about one month after the interview date.
“Surprisingly, this university refuses outright to grant an extension. Worse is the fact that the said admitted student can neither seek a refund of the tuition fees nor defer the admission, all because, according to the university, the deadline has passed.
“Evidently, the university knows that the inability to or difficulty associated with appointments isn’t the fault of students, but the way and manner embassy of Poland has chosen to handle it. Ideally, one would’ve expected the university to be understanding, reasonable and make some compromise to ameliorate the situation, but they want students, who have only been admitted to forgo their fees even when they haven’t started attending classes.
“In another instance, a student didn’t only pay tuition fees, he paid for accommodation and all of this is non-refundable all because of a nonsensical deadline set by the university.
“I’ve interacted with two students on this and clearly, what they want is for the university to either grant them an additional extension of six weeks or refund the fees that have been paid as there are other European universities with February/March intake and they would need their money to move forward with it.
“Personally, I find the position of the University of Opole selfish, unreasonable, fraudulent and heinous. In one of the replies, the emails sent to them by one of the admitted students I spoke with yesternight, the university of Opole threatens never to reply any inquiry on this matter again.”
About three months after the implementation of zero Value Added Tax (VAT) on commercial aircraft and spare parts, the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has allegedly restored the collection of 7.5 per cent VAT and sundry charges from operators.
Airline operators told The Guardian that Customs had lately opened a new window of charges that is comparatively more expensive and complicated than the former regime.
Indeed, it has been a hard-fought battle that dates back to 2016 to exclude aviation from VAT, as it is the case with general transport in other parts of the world. Though the Ministry of Aviation rallied against the charges as part of measures to support the local airlines, the Ministry of Finance and NCS have continued to impose charges on operators.
Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) had in June 2021 applauded the removal of mandatory charges that airlines had erstwhile paid, following the intervention of the National Assembly.
Vice Chairman of the association, Allen Onyema, had said the AON, at a Senate hearing, presented the issue of the partial implementation of the Finance Act 2020, which prohibits the payment of duties and VAT on imported aircraft and aircraft spares by the Customs Service, and “thankfully, we no longer have to pay VAT on aircraft”.
But as of last week, VAT collection has resumed.
Chief Operating Officer (COO) of a local airline said Customs have started demanding VAT, “except you notify them in advance before the process of importing a spare part begins.
“As it is, you cannot be in need of a spare part, import it immediately and not pay VAT. No! Customs has introduced the Import Duty Exemption Certificate (IDEC) process that requires you to apply for exemption and get approval before importation.
“Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way in aviation. It means an aircraft will have to be grounded for two to three weeks because of a spare part of less than $100. To avoid the loss, I have to order my spare parts, pay their VAT, and move on. That is how complicated the matter is in Nigeria. As an operator, everything is skewed against. It is just so unfortunate,” he said.
Aviation consultant and former Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Benedict Adeyileka, confirmed the development, describing the policy flip flop as antithetical to aviation growth and airlines survival.
Adeyileka said the government’s policy on VAT is clear, but for the implementation agencies that are looking in the opposite direction, just to frustrate business owners and private investors.
He noted that all operators with valid Air Operating Licence (AOL) and Air Operating Certificate (AOC) are documented and well known to the authorities.
“But Customs is not interested in that record. They prefer to use IDEC, which means you, as an operator, have to foresee a snag on your aircraft, pay for the duty in advance. And if you cannot predict, you have to pay the full charges.
“That is exactly what is killing the airlines. Customs only go ahead to Google the spare part before them, get the highest rate online, and bill you the VAT. They don’t care how much you actually bought it, whether it is brand new, fairly used, or repaired and returned. “
But you don’t see that in the United Kingdom or United States, or anywhere else. So, how are we to compete with other airlines? With this Customs, no airline will survive,” he said.
In agreement with Adeyileka, Chief Executive Officer of Zuma Jet, Capt. David Augustine, added that the Federal Government and its agencies need to make life easier for the operators for local aviation to maximise its latent potential.
While efforts to get reaction from the Customs, Lagos Airport Command, proved abortive, a senior officer of the Service said IDEC proviso was not the initiative of Customs, but of the Ministry of Finance.
“If the airlines have any issue, let them go and meet them at Finance. We only enforce the directive of the Federal Government,” the officer offered.
The Guardian lately reported that foreign cargo airlines and local exporters were fast ditching the multi-billion-dollar worth of Nigeria’s agro-export end over stifling official bottlenecks at airports.
Besides the hurdles of importing into the country, more complicated roadblocks have been mounted by government agencies in the forms of extortions, harassment and multiple charges. Among the 16 sundry charges tracked for each goods coming in or departing the country via airports, only five are officially recognised.
Instagram dancer and influencer, Jane Orezimena, popularly known as Janemena, has written a letter to Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh, demanding the sum of N500m for alleged libel and claiming on social media that Janemena has a sex tape.
Dikeh had claimed last month that her ex-lover, Joseph Egbri, aka Prince Kpokpogri, had a sex tape of Janemena who is married.
But Janemena claims that due to Dikeh’s allegation and the trauma it caused, she suffered a miscarriage, losing her one-month pregnancy.
The claims are included in a letter signed by Janemena’s lawyers, Felix, Igelige & Associates titled, ‘Re: Libellous statements published by you on your Instagram and Facebook pages – A demand for immediate retraction of the libellous publications, tendering of unreserved apology and payment of N500,000,000.00 as exemplary damages to Mrs. Usiwo Orezimena Jane, popularly known as Janemena.’
It reads in part, “We write you this letter to demand your immediate retraction of your publication referred to above, render unreserved apology to her and pay her N500m as compensation for the callous publications.”
The lawyers said Dikeh’s post suggested that Janemena, who is married, is having a sexual relationship with Kpokpogri and is cheating on her husband.
They stated that Janemena is a graduate of Mass Communication, Delta State University, Abraka, and is also a freelance photojournalist who has worked for various media houses, one of which is The Pointer Newspapers.
“Janemena is a popularly known professional dancer and an online E-vixen who promotes artistes and brands through her social media accounts.
“She is widely regarded by many as one of Nigeria’s top dance queens as she emerged a winner in Kcee’s dance competition in January 2018 due to her dazzling skills on Instagram and other social media platforms which keep her fans yearning for more,” the letter reads in part.
It further states that she is a brand ambassador to several reputable brands and does lots of advertorial work for many businesses on her Internet pages, music promotions for upcoming and known musicians at a decent fee through her Instagram handle @Janemena.
“Janemena is happily married to Mr. Andre Oyeze. She is a native of Isoko in Delta State whose native law and custom forbid a married woman from having sexual relationship with another man. Indeed, it is a taboo in Isoko Land, Delta State for a married woman to have sexual relationship with any man who is not her husband,” it reads further.
The lawyers maintained that no such sex tape exists, nor has she ever had a sexual relationship with Kpokpogri.
They said that due to Dikeh’s ‘recklessness,’ Janemena had been brought to “public ridicule, odium and opprobrium in the comity of Isoko women, her business associates, friends, members of her family, etc.
“The traumatic condition which your publications under reference threw Janemena into caused her miscarriage of her one month old pregnancy,” the letter further stated.
Janemena subsequently demanded an immediate retraction of Dikeh’s statement which must be published in four national dailies along with an apology and payment of N500m.
Meanwhile, the dancer has also written a petition to the Office of the Inspector-General of Police demanding an investigation of criminal libel against her person.
In apparent contradiction of its earlier stance on floating the naira, the Federal Government, yesterday, prevailed on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to allow the currency to reflect market realities.
According to Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, the exchange rate is artificially low, and this is deterring investors from bringing foreign exchange into the country, adding that the current practice, which places the official rate at N410, is not a realistic reflection of the nation’s economic fortunes.
Osinbajo spoke at the opening of a two-day Mid-term Ministerial Performance Review retreat, held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday.
The Vice President stated that the dollar scarcity crisis can only be fixed when the market is made to reflect the real status of the economy, arguing that the current demand strategy of the CBN has kept the rate artificially low.
“Oil price at one point fell even below production costs; about $10 a barrel and then finally settled at about $45 a barrel during the second quarter of 2020. The official rate of the naira was devalued from N305 to the dollar, to N380 to the dollar. This was in the third quarter of 2020.
“We can’t get new dollars into the system, where the exchange rate is artificially low, and everyone knows by how much our reserves can grow. So, I’m convinced that we need to rethink the demand management strategy currently being adopted by the CBN, and that is just my view,” he said.
Besides, the African Development Bank (AfDB), yesterday, also gave a bird’s-eye view on the nation’s economy, expressing displeasure over borrowings that are already in excess of $35.5 billion.
The development bank said the debt is rarely the problem in itself, but for its high debt-servicing ratio that is already stifling domestic investments needed to spur faster economic growth.
And to restore the economy on the path of sustainable growth, President of the Bank, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, advised Nigeria to invest a whopping sum of $15 billion in infrastructure yearly, harness the non-oil potential, reactivate agriculture development initiatives of the last administration, and walk the rope of vaccine sufficiency via local production, among others.
President Muhammadu Buhari, however, said Nigeria remains committed to covering its infrastructural deficit, citing ongoing mega projects that are due for completion in 2023.
Adesina, who was a guest speaker at the Mid-Term Ministerial Performance Review Retreat, said Nigeria has a vulnerable economy that warrants a decisive review of its debt challenges.
Indeed, the VP’s call is coming several months after the Bretton Woods institutions and members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) told the Federal Government to get rid of the premium paid on the parallel currency market and clear a dollar backlog that has hurt policy credibility.
Both the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its Article IV report and the World Bank have urged the government to provide a clearer and more predictable foreign exchange management system.
Though the CBN opted for a gradual weakening of the official rate of the naira in an apparent move to allow it to converge with the NAFEX rate, a market-determined rate for investors and exporters, the naira has continued to weaken as demand outweighs supply.
The Guardian had reported that demand for foreign exchange on the back of outstanding obligations has risen to about $2 billion as local producers appear to be running out of options for survival.
Nigeria has multiple exchange rates operating in parallel, a system put in place during a 2016 oil price crash because the government was seeking to avoid a large official devaluation of the naira.
As part of a six-monthly report on Nigeria’s economic development, the World Bank raised exchange rate management as the first of six policy areas where it was advising the authorities to take action within three to six months.
It said Nigeria should communicate an exchange rate management strategy that makes the NAFEX, which it described as the anchor, more flexible. This would boost Nigeria’s competitiveness while helping to reduce inflation, it said.
In his reaction, an economist and Chief Executive Officer, Centre for The Promotion Of Private Enterprise (CPPE), Dr Muda Yusuf, noted that what the country is experiencing in the foreign exchange market is largely a consequence of the CBN policy choice of a fixed exchange rate regime and administrative allocation of forex.
According to him, the present policy regime has created a huge enterprise around foreign exchange in the form of round tripping, speculation, over invoicing, capital flight etc.
“The responses of the apex bank largely amounts to tackling the symptoms of a problem rather than dealing with the causative factors. The CBN does not seem to believe in or trust the market mechanism. Yet market systems are time-tested as instruments of efficient resource allocation in leading economies around the world. Of course, market failures are recognised in economics, and these are exceptions that can be identified and dealt with. Suppressing the market is like swimming against the tide. It is a difficult battle to win.
“The NAFEX Window is a subsidised window. Managing a subsidy regime is typically a herculean task. We have seen this happen with fertiliser subsidy, essential commodities subsidy and petrol subsidy. The story cannot be different with foreign exchange. The way out of this foreign exchange conundrum is for the CBN to allow the market to function.
“It is also imperative for the apex bank to de-emphasize demand management and focus on strategies to stimulate forex inflows. A fixed exchange rate regime is a major disincentive to inflows and creates enormous pressure of demand for forex. It is a contradiction in terms,” he added.
He urged the CBN to give the market a chance, stating that its current approach will continue to deepen distortions in the economy, perpetuate round tripping, fuel speculation, suppress forex supply and boost underground economy.
Professor of Economics, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Sheriffdeen Tella, said: “It is as if the VP is asking CBN to further devalue the naira to be close to the black market rate. It will be a dangerous action, as the economy will start going through another stress being an import dependent economy.
“Devaluation is to make our exports cheaper and attractive to importers from other countries. What do we have to sell that we also have control over its price? None. Hope the VP is not giving directive but just making suggestion.”
Vice president of Highcap Securities, David Adonri, said the only way out of the current currency crisis is to set up a single forex market where the apex bank, government and other bodies can buy and sell hard currency at the ruling market rate. “It’s only then that the true value of the naira will be established and the allocative efficiency of the forex market restored.”
Another economist, Paul Alaje, warned against further devaluation of the Naira, saying such a step will bring about an increase in huge national debt, making Nigeria’s debt position more discomforting.
“It will bring about high inflation, increased poverty. It will have negative implications for Nigerian businesses competing with those abroad. Poverty will increase. The effect of further devaluation is devastating.”
He argued that economists campaigning for further devaluation do not mean well for Nigeria.
While there could be germane reasons to devalue currencies, Alaje submitted that Nigeria is not in an economic situation to devalue, saying, “there are reasons for devaluation, which may sound good but the end thereof is failure. One of the reasons they have given for devaluation is that Nigeria could stop importation and start producing locally. The question is: where are the machines to produce locally? Where is the electricity to produce locally? Those who are promoting devaluation are those that can afford to live within the economy at whatever rate.”
He further stated that further devaluation may take the naira beyond the minimum wage bracket.
Former President, Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), Dr. Sam Nzekwe, said no investor local or foreign would like to put his money in a place where he is not safe.
He said the naira, already, has been devalued and that is why virtually every item in the market is now very expensive, adding “because of the high exchange rate, manufacturers are even finding it difficult to import raw materials. What do you think will happen if we have to devalue the Naira further?”
Professor of Agric Economics, University of Calabar, Omo-Ogun Ajayi, said the government should drop the idea of devaluation to avoid massive insurrection that cannot be managed.
The Debt Management Office (DMO) revealed recently that the country’s national debt stock hit N35.5 trillion at the end of June 2021. The new figure is 7.75 per cent higher than the N32.9 trillion recorded at the close of last year.
According to the Director-General of the DMO, Patience Oniha, the external debt accounted for N13.7 trillion or 38.7 per cent while approximately N21.8 trillion was sourced from the local market.
Of the total value, 83.07 per cent was held by the Federal Government, while the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) borrowings accounted for 16.93 per cent.
The percentage of FG’s share of the national debt had increased from 81.94 per cent as at December 2020.
Fiscal policy expert and Chairman of the Debt Management Roundtable (DMR), Taiwo Oyedele, had hinted at the possibility of a debt crisis if Nigeria maintains its skyrocketing debt service cost to revenue.
Adesina said the issue is not about debt-to-GDP ratio, as Nigeria’s debt-to-GDP ratio at 35 per cent is still moderate.
“The big issue is how to service the debt and what that means for resources for domestic investments needed to spur faster economic growth. The debt service to revenue ratio of Nigeria is high at 73 per cent.”
“Things will improve as oil prices recover, but the situation has revealed the vulnerability of Nigeria’s economy. To have economic resurgence, we need to fix the structure of the economy and address some fundamentals,” Adesina said.
He added that the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy, including Nigeria, cannot be overemphasised. As the virus burns fiercely, Nigeria’s economic growth rate declined to -1.8 per cent in 2020. This mirrors the pattern across Africa, as the continent posted a -2.1 per cent growth rate in GDP, its lowest in two decades.
However, the AfDB boss projected that the GDP growth rate for the continent will recover to 3.4 per cent this year, while Nigeria’s economic growth rate will rebound to 2.4 per cent in 2021, and reach 2.9 per cent by 2022.
“The recovery will depend on two critical issues: access to vaccines and tackling debt issues. Africa has only two per cent of its population vaccinated, compared to 54 per cent in the U.S and 75 per cent in Europe. So, while developed countries are receiving booster shots, African countries cannot get basic shots.
“Nigeria must build quality health care systems that will protect its population, today and well into the future. Nigeria must also build world-class local pharmaceutical industries, able to effectively tackle the production of therapeutic drugs and vaccines. Nigeria must revamp its local pharmaceutical industry and launch strategic investments for local vaccine manufacturing. Africa should not be begging for vaccines; Africa should be producing vaccines. The African Development Bank will invest $3 billion in support of local pharmaceutical industries in Africa, including in Nigeria.”
Adesina said further that Nigeria’s challenge is revenue concentration, as the oil sector accounts for 75.4 per cent of export revenue and 50 per cent of all government revenue.
Already, bureaucratic bottlenecks and multiple charges that are levied by diverse government agencies have been identified as major barriers against potential exporters and impediment to the non-oil revenue worth $250 billion a year.
He reckoned that the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) presents a major opportunity for Nigeria, as consumer and business expenditures in Africa are projected to rise to $6.7 trillion by 2030.
Adesina advised that significant support should be directed toward boosting industrial manufacturing capacities, moving rapidly to the top of selected value chains, such as automobiles, computers and electronics, textile and garments, and food manufacturing, transport, and logistics.
“Much will depend on the ports of Nigeria. According to the sector operators, the cost of exporting 100 tons of cargo in Nigeria is $35,000, compared to $4,000 in Ghana. Today, the leading ports for West Africa are in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Benin Republic. All these countries have modernised their port management systems, leaving Nigeria far behind.
“Nigeria can learn from Morocco’s world-class Tangier-Med port. The port is unique in that it is an industrial port complex, and a platform that has over 1,100 companies. They collectively exported over € 8 billion worth of goods in 2020.
“Your Excellency, we should not be decongesting the ports in Nigeria, we should be transforming the ports. This must start with cleaning up administrative bottlenecks, most of which are unnecessary with multiple government agencies at the ports, high transaction costs or even plain extortions from illegal taxes, which do not go into the coffers of the government.
“Nigeria should rapidly modernise and transform its ports. Ports are not there for revenue generation. They are for facilitating business and exports, and stimulating industrial manufacturing, and competitiveness of local businesses and exports,” Adesina said.
Going forward, infrastructure is critical for unlocking the full potential of the economy. The AfDB president said Nigeria will need $15 billion a year for investment in infrastructure.
To achieve that, “Financial innovations should be prioritised as governments alone cannot afford these huge financial costs. The private sector should be given incentives to invest in infrastructure. The Federal Government’s N15 trillion Infrastructure Fund is a good idea, so is the initiative for tax credits for private sector investment in infrastructure. To be sustainable and more efficient, Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) should be accelerated to finance major infrastructure across Nigeria.”
Also, Nigeria must boost food security, reduce the price of food, and ensure greater competitiveness of the agricultural sector.
“While I was Minister of Agriculture, we deployed a highly innovative mobile phone system to reach farmers with subsidised farm inputs, a programme called ‘Growth Enhancement Scheme’ and the e-wallet system. To be clear, this was the first time in the world that such a system was deployed to reach farmers with subsidised farm inputs via mobile phones. And it worked!
“It brought in transparency. It brought in accountability. It brought in all the major commercial banks. More importantly, it delivered impressive results and led to massive food production. It reached 15 million farmers with high quality seeds and fertilizers, right in their villages. Nigeria’s food production boomed and expanded by an additional 21 million metric tons. It is time to also take bold policy measures to drive the structural transformation of agriculture, with infrastructure and spatial economic policies.”
Meanwhile, President Buhari has assured that the 11.9km Second Niger Bridge, 120 km Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and other key projects under the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) will be completed by 2023.
President Buhari had declared open the two-day mid-term ministerial performance review retreat amid rumours of likely ‘sack’ of some more of his Ministers for poor performance. The president, on September 1, during the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, announced the sack of two of his ministers.
They were then Minister of Power, Engr. Saleh Mamman and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, informing others that the action would be a continuous one.
Presidency sources, however, have suggested that the President may be waiting for the outcome of the ongoing assessment process to determine his next step, which may involve easing more of his cabinet members, whose performance and conducts would not meet the administration’s standards, out of office.
