Our Reporter

The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Tuesday justified the clash between its security outfit – the Eastern Security Network (ESN) – and the military.

It also claimed that five residents of Okporo community in Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State were killed when ESN men clashed with soldiers last Friday.

Though the Army said only one person died in the crossfire, IPOB insisted that five people were killed and several others were injured in the skirmish between the security outfit and soldiers drawn from the 34 Artillery Brigade in Obinze.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by IPOB’s spokesman Emma Powerful, the group accused Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma of working with the Army to attack and flush out ESN officers from the bushes where they are operating from.

The statement reads: “ESN personnel are in the bush and forest chasing…terrorists and herdsmen who are over there terrorising our members and sisters in their respective farms, not Nigeria security agencies but they are looking for ESN’s trouble.

“Since the formation and inauguration of ESN by our great leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, on December 12, 2020, they have been inside the bushes and forests; their job is to protect farmers from invaders who made pronouncements that all lands in Nigeria belong to them.

Read Also: Soldiers, IPOB’s security outfit clash in Imo

“Every time, Nigerian Army and the police would come and look for their trouble in the bush,” he said, adding that the group will resisit any attempt to clamp down on its members.

He accused some Southeast leaders, including Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma of aligning with the military to attack ESN.

Powerful said members of the proscribed IPOB were not impressed by the 6pm-6am curfew declared by the governor.

The governor, in a statement by his spokesman Oguwike, said the dusk-to-dawn curfew was declared following disturbing report on the activities of a group of militants that unleashed mayhem on Orlu residents.

By Emmanuel Oladesu, Bisi Oladele, Blessing Olaifa, Segun Sowunmi and Yinka Adeniran

 

YORUBA activist Sunday Adeyemo (a.k.a Sunday Igboho) on Tuesday alleged that some Yoruba leaders were supporting criminal herders to perpetrate their nefarious activities in the Southwest.

He also alleged that such leaders supported those who burnt one of his houses in his Ibadan, Oyo State, in the early hours of Tuesday.

Igboho, who fielded questions from reporters in his damaged residence at Soka area, challenged those who have scores to settle with him to confront him, instead of setting his house ablaze.

The police have begun investigation into the destruction of Igboho’s property, according to the Oyo State Police Command spokesman Gbenga Fadeyi.

The embattled activist said he lost property worth N50 million.

Explaining how the fire was put out, the Director of Operations, Oyo State Fire and Safety Service, Adeleke Ismail said: “The Oyo State Fire Service Agency was called to the fire incident at exactly 03.20 hours of Tuesday, 26th January 2021 through a GSM number.

“Instantly, our men moved to the location with the new Mercedes Fire Tender FS 10 OY with four personnel from the Molete Station and on arrival at the house, which was located at Soka area of Ibadan, found out that the waiting room and passage of the three-bedroom flat were alight.”

The Service said a resident, who identified himself as Mr. Wale, drew its attention to incident.

It said: “The fire ravaged the following items: a set of sofa in the waiting room where the fire started, a Plasma TV, an air conditioner and other items in the waiting room.

“At about 04.30 hours, the fire truck and four personnel of the Agency led by Principal Fire Superintendent II, Ogunkanbi, returned to the station and stand by for operational duties.”

Igboho denied enjoying any financial patronage from politiciana, challenging any politician with a genuine claim that he was paid to do what he is doing to come out.

He said until the herders who are killing people in the region move out, he will not be deterred.

Igboho also chided a Special Adviser on Political Matters to President Muhammadu Buhari, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, for his remarks about him, saying he never met him.

Igboho said: “What is surprising to me is that I never expected that we Yoruba people should be in support of the evils being perpetrated by the herdsmen. I am surprised that the Fulani are killing our people in our own territory. They rape and kidnap our people.

“It is a terrible thing. So, I am trying to repel them. But, it is shocking to me that, despite the efforts that I am making some Yoruba people are supporting Fulani herdsmen to set my house on fire. It is so distressing and it saddens me.

“For now, I am not suspecting anybody. But, Yoruba people would say there is no action without a cause; it is a pointer to the fact that enemies within are at work. Inasmuch as I am their target they should have come to my house to confront me.

“I would have been able to pin some of them down to get to root of this. they wouldn’t have gone scotfree. Now, they resulted to destroying my property.

Read Also: Who is Sunday Igboho?

“It is until the Fulani men who are killing our people move out that the scores would be settle. And, there is no politician who can induce or pay me for the course that I am running.

“Since the herdsmen go about perpetrating heinous crimes, government never intervened. It is not just happening today. It was my visit that opened the cans of warm.

“I needed to go to there because it is where I come from. They are my family members. It is the same tribal marks that I am wearing that Dr. Aborode who was killed had on his face. I can’t keep mum in the face of oppression and humiliation.

“Any politician who has a genuine claim that I was paid to do this should come forth. Nobody is bankrolling me. The simple point that I am making is that there might be peace in Yoruba land. The Fulani herdsmen should not subject us in our own territory. But, it is disheartening that fellow Yoruba men would gang up against a just course.

“I heard that Femi Ojudu alleged that I had a meeting with him in Ibadan in 2009 during the election period.

“I can see clearly that he is mentally sick. when people came to confirm or deny Ojodu’s claim I responded by saying that he should swear with the life of his children if if he ever had a meeting with me.

He added: “I see that my agitation against the killer herdsmen is being politicised to discredit my personality to get me distressed but their plot would fail. The schemes by the politicians would not stand. All the lies being peddled against me by Femi Ojudu would fail.

“I never knew him and they are cooking lies against me. It is until the Fulani men who are killing our people move out that the scores would be settle. And, there is no politician who can heinous crimes government never intervened. It is not just happening today. It was my visit that opened the cans of warm.”

Igboho also dissociated himself from the various accounts on social media platforms, especially Facebook and Twitter, posting unverified information in his name.

He warned Nigerians not to be scammed by persons using his name on social media platforms, saying the accounts are being operated fraudulently by impostors.

We’ll secure Ibarapa, says Oyo Speaker

OYO State House of Assembly Speaker Adebo Ogundoyin said the government will secure the lives and properties of the people of Ibarapa

The Speaker, who urged residents to brace for security challenges, said a security summit has been scheduled for tomorrow in Ibarapa Central Local Government Area.

He said security chiefs, traditional rulers, religious and community leaders, representatives of ethnic groups, youths, and farmers will brainstorm at the meeting.

Ogundoyin said: “Security and welfare of citizens is the primary responsibility of government. My meetings with different stakeholders and security chiefs in the last few weeks on the spate of kidnappings, armed robberies, assassination and other crimes in Ibarapa land have revealed the need for a synergy of plans.

“Normally, security plans and strategies are not made public in crisis situation like this. However, we will work in tandem with the stakeholders and security heads to ensure implementation of our strategies.

“This is why all stakeholders are expected to attend the summit so that we can further fine tune ways of securing our land and exposing the evil doers who are all out to shed our blood and dispossess us of our hard-earned money and properties.”

The speaker said farmers/herders clashes in Ibarapa and across Oyo State will be addressed permanently once the law on anti-open rearing and grazing of livestock, which he sponsored and was passed by the Assembly, is fully implemented.

He added: “However, we must not allow the situation to degenerate into full blown tribal or ethnic feud. We must avoid turning our land to a war zone. Everything possible must be done to ensure that our land does not become a battle field or a war zone.

“Nobody prays for war in our land and this is why we have to come to a roundtable so as to agree on how best to approach this issue.”

A Safe House is helping victims of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) start life afresh in Niger State, writes JUSTINA ASISHANA

 

When Ummi Usman (not her real name), an native Makagi in Agaie Local Government Area of Niger State, refused to marry the man her family chose for her, her parents sent her to a strong room meant to hold stubborn girls like her. She was kept in the room for more than a month and tortured. According to her, four men were made to hold her while the man who she rejected as her husband would have sex with her repeatedly until she agreed to the union.

She said though she was fortunate not to get pregnant from the forced intercourse, other victims of the strong room got pregnant and this made them to eventually marry the man they rejected.

Ummi is one of the survivors of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) that is increasing daily in Niger State. She was able to escape, and is in Minna, the state capital, staying in a safe house for victims of gender-based violence.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Raise Foundation, Mrs Toyin Dawudu, expressed dismay over the primitive ways girls were forced to marry in the community.

Speaking to The Nation during one of the foundation’s advocacy visits to the Emir of Minna, Alhaji Farouk Bahago under its Women-led Integrated Protection Against Gender-Based Violence (WIPe-GBV) project, Toyin said: “I have heard and seen a lot of things but this is the craziest. Imagine, this community would force girls into marriage and when they refuse, they lock them inside these rooms. She will be kept inside the room for days and given something to drink. Then they would bring men to hold her while the man she rejected would be made to forcefully have sex with her. This will continue until she gets pregnant.

“It is very outrageous and primitive. Who does that these days? But this community have refused to stop despite calls and warnings from traditional and state leaders in the state. We learn that people from other communities and local government areas bring the girls who refuse to marry their parents’ choice of husband to the village for the same treatment.

“There is a joke in Zone A in Niger State that this community have the methodology to change the mind of anyone stubborn girl using this strong room. So, if you have a stubborn girl, take them there and they will help you.”

The wife of the Niger State Governor, Dr Amina Abubakar Bello, has set up a Safe Shelter for victims of gender-based violence.

Niger Safe House

Nearly 3 in 10 Nigerian women have experienced physical violence by age 15 (NDHS 2013). A three-bedroom flat had been built as a safe house but was abandoned for a long time, only to be renovated by Raise Foundation, a Foundation of Dr Bello.

The CEO of RAISE Foundation said the safe house is meant to safeguard the lives of victims of gender-based violence from their perpetrators and help them in the healing process of their abuse.

So far, eight residents have been admitted into the safe house and they are recuperating after facing various types of abuses from forced marriage to wife battering to rape and child trafficking.

“Because of the need to keep victims of gender-based violence safe from their abusers, Raise Foundation renovated a safe house for the victim. The operations are under the ministry of women affairs.

“The safe house came to be because we realised that it is not okay for someone who has been abused and is still being abused to return to where she has been abused. We noted the need to remove the survivor from the abusive environment as a change of environment is part of the healing process,” the CEO said.

The safe house would also counsel them, give them medical care, and empower them with various skills.

The Foundation is partnering with Action Aid and the British International Council as part of ongoing efforts in addressing issues of violence and abuse against women and girls.

The Director-General, Gender and Domestic Violence Department of the state Ministry of Justice, Mario Mann, said that the wife of the governor was concerned about the rise in gender-based violence in the state and was trying her best to bring an end to it.

She said: “The safe house which is the initiative of the Governor’s wife with collaboration with the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Women Affairs is a temporary place where we keep the women and equip them with skills for her future.”

The Coordinator, National Human Rights Commission, Niger State chapter, Nuhu Muhammed, said the support of everyone, especially the traditional institution, was important.

Muhammed lamented that despite efforts to stem down the cases of gender-based violence, it is still growing at an alarming rate because a lot of people are trying to hide and silence the incidents.

The Director-General, Niger State Child’s Right Agency, Mariam Kolo, identified reporting of cases of violence as the first step towards proffering solutions to the menace, charging traditional rulers to provide a conducive environment for women to report cases without the fear of the society’s backlash.

“Our appeal is for the traditional rulers to make it easy for victims of abuse to make themselves known. Let them know that they have the right to seek help and also, the community should assist them in doing so,” she appealed.

•Generals, leaders, lawmakers, others set agenda

•There will be fresh onslaught, says Presidency

 Raymond Mordi, Lagos; Sanni Onogu, Jide Orintunsin, Tony Akowe, Gbenga Omokhunu, Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja; Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt; Elo Edremoda, Warri; Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba; Polycarp Orosevwotu, Ughelli and AbdulGafar Alabelewe, Kaduna; 

 

NIGERIANS on Tuesday set agenda for the new service chiefs.

They expect more respect for human rights and innovation in the fight against insurgency, banditry and kidnapping.

The National Assembly, governors, the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), major socio-cultural groups and other eminent Nigerians want the service chiefs to “hit the ground running”.

The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG), the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) and the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) expect renewed urgency in the fight against insurgency from the new military chiefs.

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday announced the resignation/retirement of the service chiefs and their replacements.

Major General Leo Irabor replaced General Abayomi Olonisakin as Chief of Defense Staff, Major-General Ibrahim Attahiru replaced Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai as Chief of Army Staff, Rear-Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo replaced Vice-Admiral Ibok Ekwe Obad as Chief of Naval Staff, while Air-Vice Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amao replaced Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar as Chief of Air Staff.

The Presidency promised new vigour and fresh onslaught in the battle against insurgency.

The Senate, through its spokesman, Senator  Surajudeen Basiru, praised the outgone service chiefs for their efforts and expressed hope that the new appointees will do better.

Basiru said: “The former Service Chiefs are commended for their service to this great country and coming at a time of security challenges they have creditably performed to the best of their ability.

“For the newly announced appointments, we hope that by the time the Senate scrutinises their record they would be fit and proper for appointment under the law.

“We also believe that it is part of the continuation of facing the challenge of insecurity in Nigeria which the Senate has dedicated its time and energy to see how we can tackle the problem headlong.

“So we hope that by the time the requirements of their appointments are finally laid, the new Service Chiefs will dedicate themselves to squarely tackle the problem of insecurity, particularly the Boko Haram insurgency, the problem of banditry and the general security of the territorial integrity of Nigeria.”

The House of Representatives, through its spokesman, Benjamin Kalu, called for support for the new men.

“We want to thank the former service chiefs for serving the nation to the extent they did and wish them well. We also want to thank Mr President for listening to the people and for accepting their resignation.

“The question then is, what does that hold for us? It does not automatically mean that these are the messiah of Nigeria security architecture.

“What it means is that there is a new injection into the security architecture and there is a new task and a new speed to be expected and a new strategy, new leadership culture, new leadership style all of which will be hinged on the code of the armed forces.

“But suffice it to say that these that are just coming in have a burden on their shoulder to bridge the gap already observed by them when they were watching the leadership of those who just left,” Kalu said.

Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, said it is left to be seen how the new service chiefs would turn the tide on insecurity in the country.

“Better late than never. We had been calling for this for a long time now. Let’s hope this team would stem the tide of insecurity,” he said.

Delta Governor Ifeanyi Okowa congratulated Major-General Irabor on his appointment as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) by President Muhammadu Buhari.

In a statement by his spokesman, Mr Olisa Ifeajika, the governor said the sacrifices of the new defence chief, especially his acknowledged gallantry at assignments, were outstanding.

The governor urged Irabor to ensure that under his watch, Nigeria would record improvement in military-civil relations and that he should continue to uphold the territorial integrity of the nation.

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, in a statement by his Commissioner for Information and Communications Mr. Paulinus Nsirim, noted that though the appointments came late, the President should be commended for listening to the voices of the people.

“The new Service Chiefs should not politicise security by aligning with politicians. What the country needs now is competence and professionalism that will reduce insecurity to the barest minimum,” he said.

Wike noted that Nigerians, who lost confidence in the former service chiefs, were looking up to the new appointees to make the desired change.

APC, PDP seek support for service chiefs

The APC, in a statement by its Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) Secretary, Senator John AkpanUdoedehe, is optimistic that the new appointees will hit the ground running.

The statement reads: “The APC welcomes the appointment of new service chiefs following the resignation and retirement of the outgoing service chiefs.

“We are confident that the new service chiefs will consolidate on the remarkable achievements of their predecessors in keeping the country safe and peaceful.”

The party called for public support for the new service chiefs, adding: “We also urge increased synergy among the armed forces in achieving these tasks.”

The PDP described the appointments as rather late in the day, saying much harm had already been done to national security.

Its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the party regretted that the President snubbed quality advice from well-meaning Nigerians.

The statement said in part: “Such unpatriotic, self-conceited and narrow-minded approach to leadership is responsible for the escalated insecurity and avoidable loss of lives; economic recession with excruciating hardship as well as widened divisions in our land under Buhari’s watch.

“If Mr President had acted when our party and other well-meaning Nigerians, including the two chambers of the National Assembly, impressed upon him to do so, the security situation in the country would not have degenerated to this abysmal level.

“We hope President Buhari uses this as a turning point to learn to listen to wise counsel and not always set our nation on the path of destruction before acting.

“Nevertheless, our party expresses hope that the new service chiefs will brace up to the challenges of our nation and note that their appointment at this time, more than at any other point in our national history, demands a huge sense of commitment, responsibility and determination to secure our nation and restore peace, order and national cohesiveness in our polity”.

The PDP urged the new service chiefs to take urgent steps to restore professionalism, boost the morale of troops and to ensure that they do not fall into the “indolence, corruption, recklessness, abuse of process and partisanship that characterized the tenure of the last service chiefs”.

Work for national security, say PANDEF, ARG, CNG

PANDEF, in a statement by its spokesman, Ken Robinson, expressed optimism that the service chiefs would discharge their duties in the interest of the nation.

It said though the sack of the former service chiefs was long overdue, the President responded to calls by well-meaning Nigerians.

“We congratulate the new service chiefs while hoping that they would discharge their duties and responsibilities professionally, without biases and tendencies in the best interest of the country,” PANDEF said.

The IYC, through its President, Peter Timothy Igbifa, urged the new “sheriffs in town” to tackle issues of banditry, bloody highways, and the menace of the armed herdsmen ravaging communities, including the Ijaw territories.

Igbifa said there was no room for excuses and called on the service chiefs to restore the dying morale in the military.

The group urged the President to make funds available for the provision of necessary tools in the discharge of their duties.

Igbifa said: “These new service chiefs have a lot to do. We do not want excuses again.

“We want to see the termination of banditry, insurgency, kidnapping, highway armed robberies and the nefarious and bloody activities of the armed Fulani herdsmen, who are ravaging our Ijaw communities and other settlements across the country.”

The ARG, through its chairman, Mr. Olawale Oshun, said the change was welcome because “certainly there is a need for a change of leadership within the security industry”.

Oshun, a former federal lawmaker during the aborted Third Republic, said the new Service Chiefs must put the interest of Nigeria before that of their ethnic nationalities.

He said: “Nigeria has never had it this bad, which is to say there is failure one way or the other in the security architecture that had been in place.

“Also, we understand that all the heads of the security forces are due for retirement; in fact, some of them have been for retirement before now. So, the proper thing must be done.

“Since the President has done it, we can only hope that those who are coming in will come in with a new commitment to Nigeria. They must not allow the biases of their ethnic nationalities to influence their judgments because Nigeria is a very critical crossroads.

“As a result, we need to have Nigerians who love Nigeria, not those that give preferences to the interests of their ethnic nationalities.

“If you are holding a national office and you are serving Nigeria, then you must take the entire country as your constituency.”

The CNG hailed the appointment of the new service chiefs, urging Nigerians to show them maximum cooperation as they battle security threats.

In a statement by its spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Sulieman, the group urged the service chiefs to get community leaders and the civil society involved in the war against insurgency.

It expects them to disband all militias and armed groups to ensure that none can challenge the state.

“We expect a renewed commitment by our gallant troops and a stronger will from President Buhari in the fight against Boko Haram, bandits and other forms of criminality without the need for floating victory in the media,” CNG said.

Eminent Nigerians speak

Second Republic politician, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, urged the new service chiefs to do their best to change the ugly security situation in the country.

He added: “My advice to them is to consider the plight of the nation over the security challenges at the moment in their new postings. I hope that they would do their best to change the situation for the better.

“The idea behind retiring at a certain age is for the old hands to leave the stage and provide opportunities for younger officers to bring fresh ideas in tackling the country’s security challenges.

“We hope that the new service chiefs bring innovation to improve the security situation in the country.”

An APC stalwart, Chief Chekwas Okorie, said the expectations of Nigerians are very high and so “the service chiefs must do something different and urgently too for their appointment to be considered well deserved”.

He added: “They should hit the ground running. There is no doubt that the outgoing service chiefs are being praised for a job well done, but many Nigerians felt that they no longer had new ideas to contribute in the last two years.

“Since the new service chiefs were not imported from outside Nigeria, they are familiar with the yearnings and frustrations of Nigerians as far as the security situation in the country are concerned and therefore should know what the expectations of the people are. Therefore, they should be able to justify their appointment.”

 Nduka Chiejina, Abuja

 

THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has injected more than than N8.8 trillion into the economy since the advent of COVID-19 in March last year.

Its Governor Godwin Emefiele who dropped the hint in Abuja at the end of the of the first Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting for the year, however cautioned against locking down the economy.

It warned that another round of wholesome lockdown would be “catastrophic on everybody and the economy”.

According to the apex bank boss, N6.8 trillion credit facility was given to the Federal Government to boost the fight against COVID-19.

Emefiele said the bank committed additional N2 trillion to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

At the end of the meeting in Abuja, the bank decided to retain all its policy parameters. By an unanimous vote, the Committee decided retain the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) at 11.5 per cent; retain the asymmetric corridor of +100/-700 basis points around the MPR; retain the Cash Reserve Ration (CRR) at 27.5 per cent; and retain the Liquidity Ratio at 30 per cent.

Emefiele said that despite the second wave of the pandemic, shutting down the economy must not be considered as a feasible option.

He said locking down the economy for the second time will have wide-ranging negative impacts, which could be more damaging to the economy and citizens.

Emefiele said the apex bank has decided to extend by 12 months again the interest rate of five per cent on its intervention facilities.

According to him, at the end of the MPC meeting, the Committee urged the CBN to sustain its current drive to improve access to credit to the private sector while exploring other complementary initiatives, in collaboration with the Federal Government, to improve funding to critical sectors of the economy.

He said the decision to extend the five per cent interest rate on CBN intervention facilities would result in losses to the apex bank but that is CBN’s contribution to ensure that interest rates particularly for interventions which are targeted to either household, SMEs, Agric and health sectors that will stimulate consumer spending remain constant.

Reacting to Fitch rating agency’s criticism of the CBN’s credit to the Federal Government, Emefiele stated that it is “very unfortunate that Fitch which is known to be a first-class company and first-class rating agency will hold such views on what we are doing and therefore pass judgement regarding the size of credit that the CBN has granted to the federal government.”

He defended the bank’s action, insisting that “the CBN is banker to government, second let it be known that the CBN is a lender of last resort not just to government but also even to our banks when they run into short term liquidity problems.”

Using other countries and the European Union as examples of entities that extended credits to their governments, Emefiele revealed that “in Nigeria just 4.5% of the GDP amounting to about $18 billion or N6.822 trillion” was extended as credit to the Federal Government to address the COVID-19 challenges.

Emefiele said some this money was used to “support measures which included outright purchase of debt by the Central banks in order to improve the ability of fiscal authorities to fund recovery efforts”.

According to him, “the efforts of the central bank are not different that’s the only thing I can say from what is being witnessed in other climes all over the world as we all share the same objective considering both conventional and unconventional measures that will support faster economic recovery in light of reduced revenue reset been faced by this fiscal recovery authorities”.

Read Also: Anxiety in markets as CBN holds first 2021 MPC meeting

The CBN boss went on: “In the light of the on-going synchronised efforts by the monetary and fiscal authorities to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bank has committed substantial amount of money towards this objective. Indeed, total disbursements as at January 2021, amounted to N2 trillion.

“COVID-19 Targeted Credit Facility (TCF) meant for household and small businesses, wherein we have disbursed N192.64 billion to 426,016 beneficiaries.

“We have also disbursed N106.96 billion to 27,956 beneficiaries under the Agri-Business Small and Medium Enterprises Investment Scheme (AGSMEIS), while in the Health Care Support Intervention Facility, we have disbursed N72.96 billion to 73 project that comprise 26 pharmaceutical projects and 47 Hospitals and Health Care Services Project in the country.

To support the provision of employment opportunities for the Nigerian youth, the CBN provided financial support through the Creative Industry Financing Initiative and Nigerian Youth Investment Fund amounting to N3.12 billion with 320 beneficiaries and N268 million with 395 beneficiaries, respectively.

On enhancing power supply, the CBN said it had provided N18.58 billion for the procurement of 347,853 electricity reading meters to DisCos in support of the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP).

Regarding the near moribund Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NCX), Emefiele said: “We have found in the market that the activities of private commodities exchange have not helped our country and it is time for the Nigeria Commodity Exchange to be repositioned, restructured to perform the role which by law is has been empowered to.”

The CBN, he said, has written to the president and has received the approval to restructure and reposition the Nigeria commodity exchange.

Emefiele said: “It will operate like standard commodity exchanges that you can find in any part of the world which includes stabilizing of food prices generally, we will be coming up with the agenda and framework for the restructuring and repositioning of the Nigeria commodity exchange and we will do so in a manner that prices must be stable in Nigeria.

“The apex bank will not allow some self-seeking private exchange commodity to be holding agriculture produce and be creating problems for prices because price stability is the cure mandate of CBN and we cannot shy away from the responsibility, luckily the CBN owns 60 percent of Nigeria Commodity Exchange and we will take control of it and will run it the way commodity exchanges are supposed to be run in any part of the world that is one way that we would work to stabilize prices in Nigeria.”