Nigeria Is Fast Becoming A Failed State Under Buhari – Moghalu

Former presidential candidate in the 2019 General Elections, Kingsley Moghalu has said that Nigeria is fast becoming a failed State under President Buhari’s government.

Moghalu also said that it is a national shame that the government is concerned about the #EndSARS protesters while nothing is done to terrorists.

The political economist and lawyer, was reacting to the massacre of rice farmers by suspected Boko Haram terrorists in Borno state.

In a series of tweets on his Twitter page, Moghalu lamented the current insecurity in the country and the President’s inability to secure lives and property. “The recent tragedy shows Nigeria is becoming a failed state under Buhari”, he said.

Moghalu tweeted: “The barbaric beheading of 43 Nigerians in Zabarmari village in Borno State by Boko Haram is a national outrage and tragedy. It’s increasingly clear that @NigeriaGov is unable to protect the lives of Nigerians. What does that mean? Our country is becoming a failed state.

“It is a travesty that a government that can’t protect the lives of its citizens spends all its energy attempting to suppress #EndSARS peaceful protesters, freezing their bank accounts and bringing spurious legal charges.

”Our government and our Central Bank call peaceful citizens ‘financiers of terrorism’ while the real terrorists are having a field day with Nigerian lives and no one apparently can stop them and their real financiers. It is a national shame”, Moghalu tweeted.

“The real challenge we face: Can Nigeria survive until 2023 without a massive implosion? #NoSecurity #NoEconomy. What’s left? #Restructuring”, he asked

Borno Massacre: Farmers Didn’t Get Military Clearance To Farm — Presidency

The Presidency has said that farmers who were killed by Boko Haram in Borno on Saturday did not have military clearance to be on the rice farms.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu made this known in an interview with BBC on Monday.

Shehu, who said that even although much of the Lake Chad Basin areas have been liberated from Boko Haram terrorists, there are a number of spaces that have not been cleared for the return of villagers who have been displaced.

He said, “the government is sad that this tragic incident has happened. 43 or thereabout of innocent farmworkers, most of them had their throats slit by a heartless band of terrorists. People need to know what it is like in the Lake Chad Basin area.

“Much of those areas have been liberated from Boko Haram terrorists but there are a number of spaces that have not been cleared for the return of villagers who have been displaced. So, ideally, all of these places ought to pass the test of military clearances before farmers or settlers resume activities on those fields.”

Asked if he was blaming the farmers, he said “not exactly, but the truth has to be said. Is there any clearance by the military which is in total control of those areas? Did anybody ask to resume activities? I have been told by the military leaders that they have not been so advised.”

“The military is not present on every inch of space in that area.

“Even if the people are ready to go back, some of these areas have been mined and mine clearance has to be carried out first.”

Earlier, the Defence Headquarters dismissed a report by the United Nations (UN) which claimed 110 civilians were slaughtered by Boko Haram on Saturday in the Jere Local Government Area of Borno State.

The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. John Enenche, who featured on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Monday, said 43 corpses were recovered from the incident scene in the Zabarmari area of the northeast state.

On Sunday, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon revealed that at least 110 persons died in the horrific attack.

In his reaction, Enenche said the troops counted the corpses together with the locals and 43 deaths were recorded.

He said, “I knew it is going to come up particularly because it is coming from the United Nations and not a source that does not want to be identified. This is a source that has identified itself that a 110 specifically were murdered.”

Enenche explained that he contacted the field commandants and was given a synopsis of what happened.

“When the governor was to go and after they had recovered the dead, the troops had to move in there, and they counted 43.

“Of course, some people ran into the bush, and they started coming back and trickling in”, he added.

After the mass burial of the recovered bodies of some of the farmers on Sunday, Borno State govenor, Babagana Zulum had said more corpses are still “waiting for evacuation”

His words: “You have seen this morning, we buried 44 recovered corpses according to Islamic rites, I was informed that over 70 farmers were slaughtered while harvesting their rice in Koshobe village, but as it is, more corpses are still lying there waiting for evacuation.”

Reports had it that insurgents killed at least 43 farm workers and injured several others in a rice fields near Maiduguri in Borno State on Saturday.

The insurgents tied up the farmers and slit their throats in the village of Koshobe.

Without Adequate Weapons, We Remain At The Mercy Of Terrorists – Lai Mohammed

The Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Lai Mohammed on Monday reacted to issues of insecurity and the latest killing of farmers in Borno State by calling for more global support and adequate weapons.

He said terrorism is a global issue and the Federal Government needs global support to combat it. He added that the nation has been denied this support and without adequate weapons, the nation will remain at the mercy of terrorists.

“Terrorism is a global issue and there is no part of the world that is not experiencing these pockets of terrorism. I am glad that you heard from the governor himself that the Federal Government has assisted a lot in curbing the insecurity in Benue State.

“We also need more support from global partners. For instance, Nigeria has made attempt to acquire better and more effective platforms to deal with terrorists. But for one reason or the other, we have been denied these weapons. And without adequate platforms and weapons we remain at the mercy of terrorists,” the Minister said.

He lamented that the insurgent attack in Zabarmari, Jere Local Government Area of Borno State which led to the death of 43 farmers is unfortunate and the Federal Government is doing all possible to eliminate the insurgents.

“What happened in Borno State was quite unfortunate but we must also be able to look at the strategy of the terrorists. Terrorists use media and publicity as oxygen.

“When they go on the mindless killing of innocent people, it is like a dying terrorist group which suddenly spring back to life. This doesn’t mean that the Federal Government is not doing well enough,” Mohammed added.

43 farmers were killed on Saturday morning around Marrabati and Hammayya villages, near Zabarmari in Jere Local Government Area of Borno State by Boko Haram terrorists.

The farmers were waylaid on their way to their rice farms which they were harvesting before the surprise attack happened.

Some other farmers were also taken away by the insurgents.

Channelstv

Crisis Looms In Public Universities As ASUU, SSANU Fight Over N40bn Earned Allowance

 Fresh crisis looms in the nation’s public universities over the sharing formula of the N40bn Earned Allowance recently approved by the Federal Government for the university unions.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige had at the meeting between the Federal Government delegation and the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) last Friday announced the increase of the Earned Allowances to N40 billion.

The allowance is to be shared by the four university-based unions, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).

Earlier, the ASUU President, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi had explained that the union negotiated for earned allowance and that the money would be for ASUU members alone.

In 2019, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) had complained that ASUU took 80% of N25bn earned allowance released to the university-based unions by the Federal Government, while the three other non-teaching staffs were left with 20%.

However, the same scenario seems to be playing out again, and it appears that the other non-teaching staff unions will have none of it this time around.

Addressing journalists in Abuja at the Weekend, President of SSANU, Comrade Mohammed Haruna Ibrahim warned the government to ensure that the money passes through the Universities Councils which have the template for the sharing formula.

Ibrahim added that SSANU would resist the introduction of any payment platform aside IPPIS, except the one being conceived by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) comprising SSANU and the NASU.

Ibrahim said the government has no business in sharing money to unions as universities were established through the statute of law adding that each university has a governing council which is the employer of all workers and the highest policy-making body of each university.

He said the university administration through the registry and bursary units have the responsibility of knowing who should earn what and advised the government to channel whatever amount they are giving properly through the Councils.

He said, “the issue of Earned Allowances is a product of Collective Bargaining from the 2009 Agreement of the Federal Government with SSANU and has been in contention since the agreement was signed.

“Ideally, the Allowances should have been embedded into the salaries and implemented immediately but for Government’s procrastination. The implication was a heavy accumulation of arrears of the Earned Allowances, where repayment became a big burden.

“After five years, 2014, the first tranche of Earned Allowances was paid. In line with the Acts of the Universities, the money was paid through the Councils of the Universities.

“Given the fact that Earned Allowances are not largesse, bonanza or freebie, the managements through the registrars and bursars, being custodian of all personnel and payroll records, were available to guide the Councils in the disbursement of the funds to eligible and deserving staff who had earned the allowances.

“By 2017 however, when the second tranche was paid, N23 Billion was released on a directive from the Federal Ministry of Education which allocated its disbursement in clear breach of the laws, 89% in favour of ASUU, leaving only 11% to the three Non-Teaching Unions.

“It took the strident intervention of the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, before a supplementary (though inadequate) amount of N8 Billion was released to cater for the shortfall granted to the Non-Teaching Unions.”

He said despite their protest over the release in 2017, another release of N25 Billion was made via a memo from the Federal Ministry of Education dated June 18, 2019, wherein it was expressly stated that ASUU should be allocated 80% of the funds while the other three unions of NAAT, NASU and SSANU be allocated 20%.

He stressed that till date they have been raising concerns about the implications of what he called irregular disbursements and “sharing” of funds by the ministry of Education because it erodes the autonomy of the Universities since the payments were not done through the Councils of the Universities as required by law.

“Similarly, the allocation formula which did not abide by any known or justifiable accounting practice, was done without the inputs of the Registries and Bursaries of the Universities who are custodians of personnel and payment records.

“Lastly, the Audit Reports of previous disbursements had not been released and as such, the N25 Billion released was not the outcome of any Audit Report.

“As a consequence of the above scenario, we had witnessed a disproportionate backlog of arrears in payments of Earned Allowances, compared with ASUU, which we had demanded for correction.

“Following a fourteen day ultimatum, we had embarked on a five day warning strike between Monday, 19th and Friday, 23rd August, 2019, to drive home our demands for the release of a minimum of N30 Billion being part payment of Earned Allowances being owed members of NASU and SSANU between 2011 and 2015.”

Ibrahim said while the government had begun discussions for the payment of arrears of Earned Allowances, the leaders of the Unions (SSANU and NASU) were being pressured by members to embark on a full blown indefinite strike.

He said the strike would have commenced at the inception of the COVID 19 pandemic but for appeals that a strike during a pandemic would have been the height of insensitivity.

“Our considered position was that the global health crises had thrown up serious challenges which a strike by SSANU and NASU would not help. Consequently, with the easing up of the pandemic, discussions had resumed with Government albeit at a slow pace, culminating in a Memorandum of Understanding last month, where it was agreed that another tranche would be released to all Universities for the payment of Earned Allowances to all deserving staff, academic and non-teaching.

“Permit me to note that this disbursement of another tranche to all deserving staff is in itself an injustice to the non-teaching unions given the partiality experience in previous tranches which had led to disproportionate backlog of arrears compared to our academic counterparts.

“We are however not unaware of the prevailing industrial unrest in the University system and if allowing them a share out of the N30 Billion promised by Government to end the industrial action is the sacrifice we can make, we would be willing to do so.

“If however, we discover any attempt to allocate the disbursement through the Ministry of Education or any other Government office and not through the Councils as prescribed by law, we shall resist such attempt with all arsenals available.

“We have had enough of illegalities, injustices and disproportionate disbursements of Earned Allowances and wish to state that enough is enough. Government must either do right and treat all unions equitably or be ready to face another round of industrial unrest in the University system.

“We are ready to take Government head on if an unjust disbursement of Earned Allowances is contemplated. Government should be ready to face the full wrath of SSANU and the outcome may be an eye opener for those who have always underestimated SSANU and assume that the welfare of the non-teaching unions can be treated with levity at the expense of other categories of staff. I wish to tell people who think that way that they may be in for a shocker!”

On IPPIS, he said that the decision of the leadership of SSANU and the Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU to enroll its members into the IPPIS was well intended and for national interests, in the face of the pervasive personnel and payroll indiscretions and infractions observed in the Nigerian University system.

THEWILL

About 25m Nigerians Set To Benefit From FG’s Solar Program – Presidency

The Federal Government will next week commence the process of installing five million solar home systems in under-served and off-grid communities across the country.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity in the Office of the Vice President, Mr. Laolu Akande confirmed the development on Monday.

The program is expected to benefit about 25 million Nigerians.

The program will include the assembly and manufacturing of components of off-grid solutions to facilitate the growth of the local manufacturing industry, while use of local content will be incentivized, Akande added.

It is also expected to create about 250,000 jobs including in manufacturing, assembling, installations, maintenance, and payment systems.

Beneficiaries of the program will pay between N1,500 and N4,000 monthly to access power from the solar system.

The solar program is part of plans devised by the Economic Sustainability Committee, which is chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

According to government sources, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will make available funds to the private companies in the solar power sub sector involved in the manufacture, assembling, installation, servicing of the solar systems, at rates ranging between 5 to 10 percent, way below the current commercial lending rates in the country.

PRESIDENT BUHARI ROLLS OUT AUTOGAS PROGRAMME, PLANS 1 MILLION VEHICLE CONVERSION BY END 2021

President Muhammadu Buhari will on Tuesday, December 1, roll out the much awaited National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP) in Abuja.

The event would herald the formal dispensing of autogas (CNG & LPG) products at two NNPC Retail stations.

The roll out is the culmination of the resolve of the President Buhari-led Government to deepen domestic usage of natural gas in its various forms. It is also in line with the government’s plan to make gas the first choice source of cheaper and cleaner energy for Nigerians in their personal and industrial endeavours.

Also at the event, the HMSP will, on behalf of the FG handover CNG-powered mass transport buses to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) as part of the agreement reached with Labour during negotiations and in recognition of the role organised Labour plays in the quest to bring relief to ordinary Nigerians.

The Federal Government Autogas program will deliver at least one million vehicle conversions by the end of 2021 and herald the clean energy transition for Nigeria and delivery of cheap transportation fuel.

Biden To Name Nigeria’s Adeyemi Adewale As Deputy Treasury Secretary

The United States President-Elect, Joe Biden, is set to announce Adewale “Wally” Adeyemo, President of the Obama Foundation in Chicago, for Deputy Treasury Secretary, serving under Yellen.

If confirmed, he would be the first black Deputy Treasury Secretary while Yellen, if confirmed, would be the first woman to serve as Treasury Secretary.

According to CNN, Adeyemo served on the National Economic Council of the Obama administration and last fall was named as the first president of the Obama Foundation.

The announcements are expected to be made Monday with the team set to be formally introduced by Biden during an event on Tuesday at his transition headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware.

The 39 year old was raised in east of Los Angeles, California. And earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley and Juris Doctor from Yale Law School.

AIT

COVID-19:Nigeria Has Now Successfully Treated Over 63,000 Patients

There are 236 Covid-19 patients who have recovered from the infection across Nigeria in the last 24 hours. This includes 136 patients from community-based case management in Lagos State bringing the total number of successfully treated cases in the country to 63,055.

In the last 24 hours, 11 states have reported 82 new Covid-19 cases in Nigeria with the total number of confirmed cases rising to 67,412.

Data released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC shows that 2 more persons died of Covid-19 related complications in the country in the last 24 hours with the national death toll now put at 1,173.

Nigeria Earns N416bn From Company Income Tax In Q3 2020

 The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that Nigeria generated N416.01 billion from company income tax (CIT) in third quarter of 2020 (Q3 2020).

The data implies a 3.48 percent increase against N402.03 billion generated in the second quarter of 2020 (Q2 2020).

This was contained in an NBS report, titled: ‘Company income tax by sectors (2015 – Q3 2020)’, released by the bureau.

Sectors that generated the highest amount of CIT, are: professional services, including telecoms, with N55.52 billion; banks and financial institutions with N24.05 billion while sectors with the least amount of CIT were mining; textile and garment; industry and local government councils with N120.93 million, N161.51 million and N321.72 million respectively.

“Out of the total amount generated in Q3 2020, N244.70 billion was generated as CIT locally while N70.34 billion was generated as foreign CIT payment,” the report read.

It also showed that N100.97 billion was generated as CIT from other payments.

Meanwhile, Q3 2020 CIT revenue increased by 27.36 percent in Q3 2015 (N326.65 billion); 22.43 percent in Q3 2016 (N339.79 billion); 8.07 percent in Q3 2017 (384.93 billion); 14.71 percent in Q3 2018 (362.66 billion), however, it decreased by 20.31 percent compared to N520.89 billion generated in Q3 2019.

For CIT generated year-on-year, 2015 revenue total was N1.88 trillion; 2016 CIT decreased by 45.74 percent to N1.02 trillion: 2017 revenue increased to N1.25 billion; 2018 had N1.42 trillion, while 2019 CIT revenue was highest with N1.63 billion.

Boko Haram: Insurgents Get Weapons From Security Operatives – Donald Duke

Former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke has alleged that most weapons used by Boko Haram terrorists are obtained from security operatives.

Speaking on Channels TV, Duke called on the Federal Government to investigate the security forces and flush out the bad eggs.

“Boko Haram insurgents who have been responsible for most heinous crimes, get their weapons from the security operatives.

“Most of the weapons used by Boko Haram come from our armoury, we will need to look into that. Why are we selling weapons to the enemy?”, Duke questioned.

Duke also advised the Federal Government to motivate the soldiers and the police in the Northeast to achieve results.

The former governor said: “I think the soldiers in the Northeast are under-motivated, the government should motivate them.

“We need to task them on intelligence gathering. More of intelligence than firepower.

“Also, by now, we need to develop a strategy on kidnap. Are the police properly motivated? I doubt it, and they don’t have enough weaponry.”

Emefiele Predicts Nigeria’s Exit From Recession In Q1, Forecasts At least 2% Growth In 2021

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has predicted that the nation’s economy will emerge from recession in the first quarter of 2021, while also projecting at least a 2% GDP growth for next year.

CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele revealed this in his presentation at the 55th annual Bankers Dinner which held on Friday night in Lagos.

“With the sustained implementation of our intervention measures, we do expect that the Nigerian economy could emerge from the recession by the first quarter of 2021.

“We also expect that growth in 2021 would attain 2.0%. However, downside risks remain, as restoration of full economic activities, particularly in service-related sectors, remains uncertain until a COVID vaccine is produced and made available to millions of people across the world.

“Second, with the significant rise in cases in advanced markets and the imposition of lockdowns in parts of Europe, concerns remain on the impact this could have on growth in advanced economies, commodity prices and the financial markets”, Emiefele said.

The CBN governor also called for measures to “insulate our economy from the impact of these shocks through our diversification efforts, while also working to ensure that we adhere to safety protocols in order to prevent a surge in COVID-19 related cases, as this could further cripple economic activities.

“Our actions in 2021 would be guided by the considerations that emerged from the Monetary Policy Committee meeting of November 23 & 24, 2020, which sought to address the major headwinds exerting downward pressure on output growth and upward pressure on domestic prices.”

Emefiele’s remarks come six days after Nigeria’s economy slipped into another recession, the second in four years due to the fall in the price of crude oil and the coronavirus lockdown.

According to a new report released by the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics on November 21, the economy shrank again in the third quarter of this year but showed strength in some key sectors which pointed that the economy was on the part of recovery following the easing of the lockdown.

The nation’s economy maintained a second consecutive negative growth after contracting by 3.62% in the third quarter and -6.10 in the second quarter.

The cumulative Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the first nine months of 2020, therefore, stood at -2.48%.

N12.75bn Worth Of Petroleum Products Lost Jan-Aug – NNPC

 The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has stated that the value of petroleum products lost from January to August this year at N12.75bn.

The NNPC made this known in its latest monthly report saying Products theft and vandalism have continued to destroy value and put it at a disadvantaged competitive position.

The value of products lost stood at N1.54bn in May; N1.40bn in June; N1.37bn in July, and N1.67bn in August.

“A total of 806 vandalised points have been recorded between August 2019 and August 2020,” it said.

It revealed that a total of 37 pipeline points were vandalised in August, representing about three per cent increase from the 36 points recorded in July.

The corporation said ATC-Mosimi and Mosimi-Ibadan accounted for 38 per cent and 24 per cent respectively, while PHC-Aba and the other locations recorded 22 per cent and the remaining 16 per cent of the total breaks.

“NNPC in collaboration with the local communities and other stakeholders continuously strive to reduce and eventually eliminate this menace,” the report said.

The NNPC said to ensure continuous increased fuel supply and effective distribution across the country, a total of 0.95 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol), translating to 30.53 million litres/day were supplied in August.

The national oil firm said it had continued to diligently monitor the daily stock of PMS to achieve smooth distribution of petroleum products and zero fuel queue across the nation.

COVID-19: FirstBank Launches Next-Generation ATM, Spearheads Innovation In Electronic Banking In Nigeria

In the light of COVID-19, FirstBank has launched the FastTrack ATM, a Next-Generation ATM and first of its kind in Africa, designed to promote financial activities on the ATM devoid of any form of physical interaction with the machine. The introduction of the FastTrack ATM which is done in partnership with Inlaks enables customers carry out cash withdrawals without having to touch the interface of the ATM.

With the FastTrack ATM, widely referred to as Touchless Solution, the customer carries out the transaction by using his or her mobile phone to perform the needed steps designed originally for implementation on the ATM. By using one’s phone, the transaction is carried out – in advance – through the Bank’s USSD or mobile banking option. Upon the schedule, the customer visits the FastTrack ATM to complete the transaction by tapping a contactless Near Field Communication (NFC) card on the ATM to withdraw his or her cash.

FirstBank customers can now leverage the real-time mobile banking capabilities of their cellphone to activate cash withdrawals at the FastTrack ATM. The ATM solution is the Bank’s response to control the spread of COVID-19, whilst promoting the safety of customers that carry out transactions at the ATM.

Speaking on the launch of the FastTrack ATM, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, CEO, First Bank of Nigeria Limited said ‘at FirstBank, we are driven to provide seamless financial solutions to ensure our customers are able to timely carry out their transactions in safe, secured and efficient ways, thereby putting them ahead in digital banking, not just in Nigeria but Africa. We are delighted to set the pace regarding the use of the Next Generation ATM in Africa which enables customers to use their mobile phones to remotely initiate ATM-based cash withdrawals via our *894# USSD banking or FirstMobile application. At the core of our strategy lies innovation which is critical to adapting to the new normal’.

According to Olufemi Adeoti, Managing Director, Inlaks, “given that consumers are more adaptable to mobile technology Inlaks – the Africa’s leading Information Technology Solutions provider together with Hyosung ATM OEM are partnering with FirstBank to introduce the first fully compliant COVID-19 FinTech ATM. This is in alignment with the ‘new normal’ desired customer experience which includes digitalization and delivering a secure contactless cash access to the bank’s FirstMobile customers for better user experience, simplicity, speed and convenience’’

In recognition of its giant strides at promoting electronic banking in the country, FirstBank’s mobile banking application – FirstMobile – was recently awarded the Best Mobile Banking App award 2020 in the Global Finance Best Digital Bank Awards 2020 as well as 2019 Best Mobile Banking App by Global Business Outlook.

FirstBank has been at the forefront of promoting electronic banking solution in Nigeria. In 2017, the Bank was recognized as the first financial institution in Nigeria and the West-Africa sub-region to issue 10 million ATM cards to customers across the country. The bank was the second in Africa to achieve the milestone.

These feats are achieved through the trusts in its industry leading innovative banking solutions by over 10 million customers on its USSD *894# banking platform and over 4.1 million customers on its FirstMobile banking application, endearing the Bank to process about 30% of card transactions in the entire banking industry in the country.