The Nation Newspaper

Category: Hardball

  • Feb’s 28 days and subscription

    Feb’s 28 days and subscription

    How many days are in a month?  Not even is there a common answer in nature — or, more correctly, nurture, as it tries to capture nature in the Georgian calendar.  Some months have 30 days, others 31.  

    Even then, February is the most fortuitous.  Most times, it boasts 28 days.  But once in four years, it pops an additional day, which makes those one-in-four-years a leap year!  That makes those born on February 29 leap for joy only once, in four years, for their birthdays!

    So, as per the month, the Georgian calendar speaks from many sides of the mouth.  So does, it appears, DSTV, the subscription powered pay-TV, in calculating its subscription rates.

    The pay-TV rather conveniently picks a standard 30 days, even if only April, June, September and November — only four out of 12 months — to calculate the validity of its monthly subscriptions.  That means it enjoys a one-day “jara” (bonus) for January, March, May, July, September, October and December — seven solid months out of 12.

    February?  That’s the story.  February 2025 has 28 days.  So, how come a subscriber renews his subscription on February 1, yet is told by DSTV that it expires on February 28? 

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    In other words, by DSTV’s own standard of 30 days — already a “surplus” for seven months that have 31 days, out of 12 — shouldn’t the subscription have expired on March 2, for a new deal to start on March 3?

    By its self-serving arithmetic, isn’t DSTV cheating subscribers every February — as the Miller, with thumbs turned golden for stealing customers’ grains, in Geoffery Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales”  — by imposing 28 days, instead of its already arbitrarily imposed 30 days, even if only four months have 30 days?

    The Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the industry regulators, should call out DSTV over what looks like clear sticky fingers. 

    To gyp subscribers for two days could turn out an illicit trove, if subscribers run into thousands.  But maybe DSTV has a logical explanation for its queer arithmetic in February?  That’s what NBC should find out — and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) too.

    DSTV, which content creator, Multichoice Nigeria, lost 243, 000 subscribers between April and September 2024, isn’t the most popular consumer brand in town, by its hawkish attitude to hiking subscription rates.

    That’s why both the NBC and FCCPC should ensure it isn’t cheating anyone — and if it is, make it to do quiet restitution.  Fair is fair.

  • Limits of currency abuse

    Limits of currency abuse

    Katsina State First Lady Fatima Dikko-Radda recently showed how you could stretch thin the law against currency abuse without running afoul of it. You could stomp on grey areas and blind spots of the law, yet stay clear of crossing the red line of express prohibition that would amount to a violation. It is a masterful act in artful dodging that leaves legal puritans scratching their heads on what to make of it.

    Her Excellency was captured in a video that went viral, dancing at a party and spraying what seemed like United States dollar bills while a musician sang her praises. Reports said the video was shot at the wedding of Hajiya Fatima’s sister in Katsina on Saturday, 26th January. “Fatima Dikko, Fati-Radda,” the Hausa songster serenaded as the first lady and her friends dished out what seemed like dollar bills.

    The display elicited outrage from netizens who assumed the wife of Katsina State Governor Dikko Umar Radda indulged in lavish show of affluence. Some critics argued that the act was a slap in the face of people of Katsina, where poverty rate is high and insecurity hobbles the populace. Analysts also saw a contradiction between the first lady’s actions and realities that confront many people in Katsina. “At a time when the state is grappling with severe economic hardship and security challenges, such public displays of wealth are not only inappropriate but offensive,” one analyst was reported saying.

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    But the bills sprayed at the event were dummies and not real currency after all. That much was made known by Hajiya Fatima herself, who clarified that the bills were not genuine US dollars. In a post on her social media handle, she explained that the notes were novelty bills designed specifically for the event – that is, simulation dollars that bore the images of the bride and groom along with the inscription ‘Abduljabar weds Bilkisu,’ and was intended purely as memorabilia just to add flair to the occasion. The first lady assured the public that the bills were fake, and urged that allegations of her involvement in spraying real dollars be disregarded.

    Strictly speaking, the governor’s wife broke no law. Section 21 of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Act 2007 that prohibits currency abuse in Nigeria is specific about the naira. Even if genuine dollar bills were involved, it is debatable that same law applies, other than that US dollars are not a lawful means of open transaction in Nigeria. Matters got more dicey because simulation bills were at issue, as there is no law forbidding printing bills as vanity memorabilia not intended for use as means of transaction. And so, Her Excellency broke no law. But the money that must have gone on printing the vanity memorabilia was an obscene application of resources. Even if not expressly prohibited by law, it wasn’t a good example to set.

  • EFCC and auctioneers

    EFCC and auctioneers

    Ironically, a whiff of corruption marred the auctioning of 891 vehicles forfeited to the Federal Government. The cars, which included luxury vehicles, were recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the course of investigations into various financial crimes, including corruption, money laundering, and cybercrime. The anti-graft agency explained that the auction was in line with the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004, Public Procurement Act, 2007 and the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery & Management) Act, 2022.

    EFCC appointed the auctioneers. The public auction was conducted online, between January 20 and 27, at various locations across the country, including Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Kano.

    The outcome was embarrassing to the EFCC, which has announced a planned probe of the auction. There were public complaints on social media alleging fraud and lack of transparency. Initially, EFCC’s spokesperson Dele Oyewale tried to distance the commission from the damaging allegations. He was reported saying, “It is between the auctioneers and the bidding public, it has nothing to do with us. We did not interfere in any of the processes at all.” 

    The agency’s subsequent decision to investigate “the processes” is reassuring and good for its image. The agency needs to demonstrate that it was not part of the alleged corruption.   

    Some striking complaints by bidders on social media pointed the finger at EFCC. For instance, one Daniel Momoh on X.com addressed EFCC, saying, “It is a pity that you and your auctioneers cheated us out of a legitimate process we engaged in… where I won four different vehicles, namely: Toyota Venza – 2,670,000; Lexus ES350 – 2,000,000; Lexus IS250 – 2,520,000 and Toyota – Camry – 1,500,000.

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    “I woke up this morning to see that my name has been replaced with another name, which blocked me from assessing the website via the account I opened before the bidding.”

    Another person, Baron El’Sama, said: “The auction you conducted… was a sham! In a bid to rig the system, the incompetent auctioneers you engaged allowed a bid of N350,000,000,000 for a Lexus RX 350 Jeep. It’s not a glitch. It’s a deliberate attempt to gate-keep others from bidding.”

    Also, a user on X.com said, “I’ve just seen magic happen right before my eyes. A C300 with lot number ADC/BEN/AU/98 that I bid on and won at N5,570,001 just vanished from the auction site. EFCC, una well done.”

    EFCC should investigate these allegations and others without delay; and also ensure that auctioneers found to have been involved in manipulation and fraudulent practices are punished.

  • LP pot calling PDP kettle black!

    LP pot calling PDP kettle black!

    One of the most picturesque idioms in English is the soot-buried pot calling a kettle black.  That aptly captures the latest anti-People’s Democratic Party (PDP) tirade from the Labour Party (LP) camp.

    In a ringing indictment, Abayomi Arabambi, the LP national publicity secretary, told PDP, on account of its perpetual internal feuding, to forget fielding any presidential candidate for 2027, but instead put its forces — no matter how ramshackle? — behind LP’s Peter Obi.

    But what makes Arabambi think the ever-shifty, ever-fluffy Obi would still be in LP by 2027? 

    Arabambi’s utmost put down of PDP was rather interesting, though: unfit to contest power, let alone govern effectively!  But isn’t that too apt, in describing LP, given the fierce battle for its soul — by Labour ideologues and fair-weather fortune captors — aside its elected lawmakers bailing out to join other parties?

    Why, didn’t LP’s sole governor, Abia’s Alex Otti, too junk LP to give his anointed candidates Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) tickets for the Abia local council polls, at the zenith of Abia LP’s schizophrenia?  In that tiff, Governor Otti supported — and still supports — a protem national executive, just brushed aside by the Court of Appeal, which endorses Julius Abure’s LP executive is the authentic one.

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    And talking about fakes and originals: when did Arabambi himself morph from an Obi antagonist to Obi loyalist?  When did he abandon the Lamidi Apapa faction that fought the Abure faction to a standstill, during the legal fireworks challenging President Bola Tinubu’s election?  Well, that provocative question only stresses fluid alliances in a torn LP.  The Apapa-Abure factions re-hugged each other in June 2024.

    Where the hell is Obiora Ifoh, who was taking on all-comers for both Obi and Abure during that phase; and put his talents fully at Abure’s disposal, when NLC zealots tried to “reclaim” the party, and the hee-hawing Obi was caught in-between?

    Politics!  Interesting times!

    Arabambi is of course not far off from his reading of PDP.  Particularly devastating was his take that PDP should face own demons rather than blame the ruling APC for its self-imposed mess — Abubakar Atiku’s insensitive desperation to contest the presidency, after another northerner, President Muhammadu Buhari, had just finished eight years. 

    Besides, PDP should enjoy its current karmic thrashing.  When it was in power, it fragrantly subverted the opposition parties!

    Still, LP should realize that by pointing a lone finger to flail PDP, its four other fingers self-condemns it for own internal bedlam.  A towering symbol of that is Arabambi himself.  LP needs to put its house in order as much as PDP.

  • States’ fixation with council funds

    States’ fixation with council funds

    Some state administrations just can’t get their fingers off funds federally allocated councils, which the Supreme Court says must be autonomously administered. Cross River became the latest state to enact a local law undermining that autonomy.

    The apex court had in July 2024 affirmed the financial autonomy of the country’s 774 local governments in a suit brought against state governments by the Federal Government. The court held that councils should henceforth receive their allocations directly from the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGoF), and that it is illegal and unconstitutional for governors to receive and withhold funds allocated to councils in their respective state.

    On the strength of that judgment, councils were billed to start receiving their allocation directly from the AGoF in January 2025, although they eventually didn’t because many had not opened accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as necessary. State governors were not happy with the Supreme Court’s verdict and many voiced their displeasure openly, with some states enacting laws prescribing debits from council allocations after the fact of the apex court’s decision.

    Cross River lately joined the wagon, as its house of assembly okayed the deduction of 7.5 percent from monthly federal allocation to each of the state’s 18 local government areas. The policy is contained in the Local Government Amendment Bill 2025, which scaled second reading and the committee stage, and was passed for third reading by the assembly. Besides the 7.5 percent monthly deduction, each council is mandated to commit a stipulated amount to the state reserve fund.

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    The bill was sponsored by the assembly’s Majority Leader Davies Ita, representing Abi state constituency. During its sitting, the Chairman, Joint Committee on Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development, Eyo Bassey representing Bakassi constituency, laid the bill before the house and it was adopted as a working document. Bassey said the State Local Government Law 2007 was first amended in 2008 and further amended in 2011, and “it has been harmonised for clarity now.”

    The amendment prescribes other deductions from the monthly allocation of each council. These include a monthly deduction of one percent for the house oversight function, and 0.5 percent for the state community and social development agency. The bill also prescribes one percent deduction to fund the University of Cross River State, and 0.5 percent for the Office of the Auditor-General. There is also four percent deduction for the state road maintenance agency, and one million naira each to be paid into the state reserve fund.

    Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), late last year warned states sternly against enacting laws aimed at circumventing the verdict of the apex court. It would seem Cross River authorities weren’t listening.

  • Cash transfer politics

    Cash transfer politics

    Revelations by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Nentawe Yilwatda, highlighted challenges faced by the Federal Government in implementing its conditional cash transfer programme. He said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily that certain people were trying to influence the composition of the social register for the scheme. 

     According to him, “Some people want us to bend and allow the governors or the states to just generate the list and send. It’s a conditional transfer; conditions are attached to qualifying to benefit from the social safety net.

    “So, we will not bend to allowing any political affiliation or attachment to this conditional cash transfer.”

    In July 2023, some state governors had questioned the integrity of the national social register and considered it unreliable. They gave the impression that the existing register had no input from the states. However, the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) explained that the national social register “is an aggregation of state registers built by each of the 36 states and the FCT.” 

    Yilwatda’s revelations suggest that some political players still oppose the existing cash transfer register and want states to create their own, despite NASSSCO’s explanation of their involvement in its making. This is curious.

    Furthermore, the minister said the government had validated the identities of only 1.2 million out of 19.8 million Nigerians captured on the country’s social register to qualify for social safety nets. It is unclear why the identities of more than 18 million are unvalidated.

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    Identity validation is crucial. If the processes are uncorrupted, identifying and validating the identities of the poor for cash distribution should be uncomplicated. The large number of unvalidated identities suggests the existing social register may be corrupted. It remains to be seen how many identities will ultimately be validated.

    Also, the minister said he suspended the cash transfers, explaining that National Identification Number (NIN) and Bank Verification Number (BVN) were now compulsory for all digital transfers for audit and transparency purposes. “It is going to be clearly digital,” he stated.

    He noted that the scheme is “a partnership between us and the international community involving also the World Bank and civil society organisations (CSOs),” adding, “This time around, we are carrying the CSOs along so that we will ask them to verify all payments. They can do follow-ups and we can have some levels of transparency in what we are doing.”

    It remains to be seen whether the conditional cash transfer programme can be implemented without any whiff of corruption.

  • General without troops

    General without troops

    In his sensational, post-ouster news conference in Ikeja, Lagos, Mudashiru Obasa, the former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, hinted at that popular concept of a General without troops.

    Yet, with his needless bluster, which he pressed to insist he remained Speaker, he lived exactly that arch-delusion.  How tragic! Couldn’t he have bowed out with quiet dignity?

    Instead, he flexed muscles as some juggernaut, set to roll over rebellious urchins, now that the real McCoy was back in town.  But the sharp House riposte was clear — Obasa was absolutely over as Speaker; and that was that! 

    New Madam Speaker, Mojisola Meranda’s triumphal march into the Speaker’s office, next day, made that very clear.  She not only entered in a serenade of honour, her peers swarmed her for a photo-op that screamed: Obasa out!  Lessons!

    Indeed, the former Speaker is a classic study in grand failure to monitor and master one’s environment.  That could be fatal for a politician.

    Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has been the exact opposite.  Perhaps more than anyone in the current Lagos order, he fast realized that the Governor of Lagos was morphing from some Saul, first king of Israel, that towered above everyone; into no more that a first-among-equals.  So, he must treat everyone with respect, aside applying his rich faculty to his difficult job.

    He saw Ambode, who grew too big for his boots, clinically cut to size, before he could even mutter “Akin”!  Sanwo-Olu saw how party peers harried Ambode out of second term.  So, he quietly resolved never to be that river that forgot its source and dried up. 

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    BOS may be the acronym of Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu.  But so far, Mr. Governor has shunned being the boss.  Instead, his executive temper oozes the servant-leader.

    Again, Speaker Obasa was the jarring opposite.  He confused the governor’s humility and simplicity as stupidity.  But see where that has landed him — tossed out as some piece of garbage, by peers that hitherto deferred to him.  Lessons! 

    Still, first it was Ambode.  Now, it’s Obasa.  Tomorrow, who? 

    That’s the challenge Lagos APC should grapple with.  Shuffling out strong (wo)men to graft strong institutions is not necessary bad.  Indeed, it’s the sane path to tread — the paradise of party supremacy.  In that heaven, order is the first — and last — thing!

    So, the Lagos APC should grab this opportunity to build a disciplined party, anchored on fairness, equity and equal opportunity.  Still, even “fallen” comrades need not face political death.  The party can encourage them to learn from their mistakes. But they too must meet that deal with contriteness and humility.

    That was where Obasa got it wrong, with his garrulous press conference that gained nothing.  But if a Saul once turned Paul, who says even the conceited ex-Speaker can’t change?

    Indeed, the party must work out a fair and sophisticated conflict mechanism; and also impose discipline on erring members.  But it must also strive to rehabilitate them, after they have served their punishment.

    That is the path to a doughty party system.  Only a sound party system can power sustainable democracy.

  • Awaiting trial inmates

    Awaiting trial inmates

    It’s an old issue that has refused to go away. “Overcrowding, no doubt, stands out as the most pressing challenge of the NCoS,” the Acting Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Sylvester Nwakuche, noted during an interactive session with field officers on January 13.  He said 48,932 inmates in the country’s correctional facilities were Awaiting Trial Persons (ATPs), many of them “on non-bailable offences.” 

    He unveiled his plans to tackle the problem, saying, “I intend to interface with the attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, the inspector-general of police, and other prosecuting agencies and critical stakeholders to fast track the trial of these inmates. This is necessary, especially those on non-bailable offences like armed robbery, murder, and others that constitute over 60 percent of awaiting trial persons (ATPs).”

    He added: “While engaging state chief executives to expedite the trial of the over 90 percent state offenders in custody, the use of non-custodial measures and early release mechanisms will be taken up with the judiciary. We will also fast-track the construction of proposed 3,000-capacity ultramodern custodial facilities and other centres across the country.”

    Notably, Segun Olowookere, who controversially spent 14 years on death row before he was recently pardoned by Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, drew attention to prison conditions in the country in an interview published after his release.

    He was sentenced to death and life imprisonment for conspiracy to commit armed robbery and robbery with firearms, and to three years imprisonment for stealing. But the popular narrative that he was given a death sentence for stealing fowls ultimately led to pardon by the governor.   

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    He was in Ilesa prison, Osun State, “throughout the trial of the case.” After the judgment, he was moved to Ibara Prison, Abeokuta, Ogun State. He was later moved to Kirikiri Maximum Prison in Lagos, in 2016.

     According to him, “The major challenge was congestion. There were too many people inside a limited space. Because of the population, 50 inmates would occupy a room that should naturally contain a maximum of 10 people. We sleep like fishes packed in a carton because everywhere is measured for us. As an inmate, a space is measured for you to sleep because of congestion.” 

    Nwakuche’s stated solutions to prison congestion are sensible. But they need to be put into effect before the desired results can be realised.  The old issue won’t go away without effective execution of these plans.

  • Tanker fire fest

    Tanker fire fest

    What’s it with fuel trucks detonating on Nigerian roads like bombs, causing horrific carnage? It is a trend that must be halted soonest by whatever means necessary to safeguard lives and property.

    No fewer than 18 persons were burnt to death, with 10 others sustaining injuries when another fuel tanker blast occurred at the Ugwu Onyeama section of the Enugu-Onitsha expressway in Enugu State at the weekend. It was the third incident in this new year – coming exactly two weeks after one at Dikko junction in Gurara council area of Niger State that claimed no fewer than 98 lives and left 69 others injured. Another incident in Agbor, Delta State, on January 6th, left five people dead and property including bank buildings razed. It’s been blasts, deaths and ruin all around.

    Reports said the explosion in Enugu State, last Saturday, resulted from the crash of a fuel-laden tanker into nearby motorists after it was believed to have suffered break failure. An eyewitness was cited saying the tanker was descending a slope when the driver lost control and hit vehicles in front, spilling the truck’s inflammable content and igniting a fire that torched surrounding vehicles. Federal Roads Safety Commission (FRSC) national spokesperson, Olusegun Ogungbemide, said in a statement that operatives of the agency rescued 13 motorists from the inferno. “A total of 31 people were involved in the crash, 10 were rescued with different degrees of injury while three got rescued unharmed. Unfortunately, the 18 remaining victims were burnt beyond recognition,” he explained.

    According to Ogungbemide, preliminary report received by Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed indicated that the tanker, which was loaded with premium motor spirit (petrol), experienced brake failure and the driver lost grip of the wheels before crashing into 17 vehicles, resulting in a fire outbreak that left 11 vehicles burnt.

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    Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, who visited the accident scene, said steps were being taken to forestall future occurrence, including enforcement of road rules and fixing the part of the federal road that was in disrepair. Describing the accident as unfortunate, he said he had directed relevant officials to ensure that all tankers conveying inflammable substances in the state have anti-spill lock that would prevent spillage in event of an accident.

    The tragedy two weeks earlier in Niger State occurred when community members swooped on a 60,000-litre fuel tanker that crashed near Dikko junction to scoop up spilled fuel. Reports said the locals rushed to the scene with generators and other containers to siphon fuel from the tanker, triggering the explosion.

    The state of road infrastructure across this country is sordid in many places, accounting for frequent crashes of trucks and other vehicles that hazard public safety. But road safety rules are also not being enforced, including speed and load limits and the anti-spill lock device that Governor Mbah spoke of.

    It is time to urgently implement remedial measures before another incident occurs.

  • EFCC and exhibits

    EFCC and exhibits

    News of an ongoing audit of recovered assets across all  zonal offices of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), following the recent disclosure of missing items in its custody, suggests that the agency is making efforts to improve its image. This is reassuring.

    At the beginning of the year, apart from announcing the dismissal of 27 officers from its workforce in 2024 for fraudulent activities and misconduct, the agency had said 10 officers of its Lagos Zonal Command were “being detained in connection with the investigation of some missing operational items involving them.” A report quoted a source as saying the missing items included gold bars valued at over N1bn and jewellery, as well as cash between $350,000 and $400,000.

     Its spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, stated that these officers were arrested on the directive of the chairman, Ola Olukoyede, and “are being questioned over the theft of items they could not account for.”  Their detention, he added, was “part of ongoing efforts” to rid the commission of corrupt practices.  According to the statement, “Investigators are making significant progress, and those found guilty will be subjected to internal disciplinary processes.” It is unclear how long the theft investigation will last, and how the guilty will be punished.

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    A report said another scandal was uncovered at the EFCC’s Kaduna Zonal Office last week, involving an officer, identified as Polycarp, who allegedly stole over $30,000 and other valuable exhibits.

     The theft of exhibits suggests that the agency’s officers have easy access to the exhibits. The commission must review the security of its exhibit rooms. Furthermore, it must ensure that its officers found guilty of exhibit theft are punished to serve as a deterrent to others.

    Its spokesperson was reported saying, “The audit of our facilities and operations is to ensure that the commission is properly placed on the ladder of accountability and transparency.” Importantly, the agency needs to ensure that exhibits in its custody are not missing.  It would be a scandal and an embarrassment if the agency is unable to return seized assets to suspects who win their cases and demand their property back. The commission would be equally embarrassed if the Federal Government wins the case, and the seized assets that should be auctioned and the proceeds paid into government coffers are nowhere to be found.   

    EFCC must not be a keeper of exhibits that go missing. This is not only unacceptable; it is inexcusable.