The Nation Newspaper

Category: Editorial

  • Madness in Okuama

    Madness in Okuama

    • Killing of military officers and men on peace mission was wild in the extreme

    It shouldn’t have happened to anyone in a civilised society. But it was worse that it happened to military personnel, symbols of authority of the Nigerian state, who were on a mission to broker peace between two feuding communities. Seventeen men of the Nigerian Army, including four officers, were murdered on March 14, in Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Council Area of Delta State. The men attached to 181 Amphibious Battalion were responding to a distress call when they were ambushed and killed by persons suspected to be members of Okuama community.

    Reports said Okuama and neighbouring Okoloba in Bomadi Local Council Area of Delta had been at loggerheads over territory since January, this year, when some youths from Okoloba allegedly ambushed and killed three Okuama youths over land dispute in the area. As part of the dispute, some Okuama youths reportedly ambushed an indigene of Okoloba recently and held him hostage, prompting the chairman of Okoloba community to alert security agencies and invite their intervention to rescue the hostage from Okuama community. It was apparently as part of peace efforts that the military team was in the community and was ambushed by youths who murdered them and mutilated their bodies.

    President Bola Tinubu led condemnations of the killing and vowed that perpetrators won’t go unpunished. He said in a statement: “The Defence Headquarters and Chief of Defence Staff have been granted full authority to bring to justice anybody found to have been responsible for this unconscionable crime against the Nigerian people. As the Commander-in-Chief, I join all well-meaning Nigerians and the men and women of our armed forces to mourn and express my profound grief over the needless death of our gallant soldiers.”

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    Other segments of the society, including legislators in the National Assembly, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, community and civil society groups as well as private individuals also deplored the killings. In a statement titled “Rest in Peace, our Fallen Heroes,” the Nigerian Army identified the victims as Commanding Officer, 181 Amphibious Battalion, Lt.-Col. A.H. Ali, Majors S.D. Shafa and D.E. Obi, and Captain U. Zakari. Soldiers affected include Staff Sergeant Yahaya Saidu, Corporals Yahaya Danbaba and Kabiru Bashir, Lance Corporals Bulus Haruna, Sola Opeyemi, Bello Anas, Hamman Peter and Ibrahim Abdullahi. Others were Privates Alhaji Isah, Clement Francis, Abubakar Ali, Ibrahim Adamu and Adamu Ibrahim.

    Following their dastardly murder, the bodies of the victims were recovered from Okuama community by Joint Task Force soldiers under the supervision by General Officer Commanding (GOC), 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major-General Jamal Abdussalam. Recounting the circumstances of their murder, army spokesman, Major-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, said in a statement: “The unfortunate killing of troops of 181 Amphibious Battalion of the Nigerian Army, while on a peaceful and mediatory mission after a reported case of communal clash between Okuama and Okoloba communities in Ughelli South and Bomadi LGAs of Delta State, respectively, is not only despicable but should be unreservedly condemned by all. These were troops committed to peace and security of lives and property of citizens and non-citizens alike in the Niger Delta region, murdered in cold blood by an armed youth gang of Okuama community in the most gruesome, heartless and cruel manner, and went ahead to sacrilegiously debase their remains by ripping out their hearts by the very people they were there to protect.” In his own statement, Defence spokesman, Major-Gen. Edward Buba, said the murder act was senseless and barbaric as the men were “killed in a dehumanised and unspeakable manner.” He added “Overall, there is no doubt that this is an extremely sad development and untoward activity by members of the Okuama community against troops that were there to protect them.”

    We hold that the murder of the military personnel was an unfortunate act of insanity in the highest degree. Security agents came into a community to mediate peace and were not bearing arms – or if indeed they bore arms, did not use those arms – and so, their agenda couldn’t have been mistaken for proactive aggression. It was animalistic in the utmost to ambush such persons and not only kill them, but also abuse their remains. Military insiders suggested that there was more to the brutish aggression than fight over land; that because the military had been in the forefront of dislodging oil thieves in the Niger Delta, some natives unhappy about being stopped from plundering Nigeria’s resources viewed them as foes. What was at stake thus was the nation’s oil wealth and not just land tussle by two communities. If that was so, the murder act was more criminal and premeditated.

    The authorities have vowed to bring the culprits to justice, and it is in national interest that this is done without fail. No one should attempt to demystify the military, the last resort of any country in times of trouble, and get away with it. Residents of Okuama and Bomadi fled the communities on the heels of the killings in anticipation of reprisal by the military, according to reports. It is commendable that the armed forces have resisted provocation unto indiscriminate reprisal and have said they are after only the killers. This is not time when the killers should be shielded in any way by community residents, who have a responsibility to decide whether they want their community back by earnestly fishing out the culprits. Political leaders also have a responsibility here: many of the youth were their supporters during electioneering and are known. It is time for proactive disclosure of their hideaways to save the larger community.

    A major part of Nigeria’s security challenge is lack of enough security personnel, and here some people mindlessly wasted prized personnel in which the nation has invested so hugely. That must not go unrequited.

  • Ounje Eko

    Ounje Eko

    • A worthy example from Lagos of how to cushion the effect of inflation on citizens

    Last Sunday, discount markets for the sale of staple foods at subsidised rates took off in 27 points across Lagos State. Popularly known as ‘Ounje Eko’, the initiative is one of the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration’s intervention measures to cushion the pains being experienced by millions of residents as a result of the escalating inflation attendant on the removal of fuel subsidy by the President Bola Tinubu administration.

    The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its latest report put the inflation rate at over 30% and the food sector is one of the hardest hit in this regard. Other sectors such as transportation and healthcare are also seriously affected, with the vast majority of the citizenry under severe existential pressure. It is therefore heartwarming that the federal, states and some local government councils across the country are taking concrete steps to ease the burden of their people.

    The huge turnout of residents to patronise the discount markets indicates that it is a measure for which there is dire need. From the comments of most beneficiaries of the scheme, it has had a positive impact on their finances and offers a big relief at a time when their purchasing power has been grossly eroded. It is evident from the commendable level of success witnessed in most areas that a lot of hard thinking and meticulous planning went into the scheme’s conceptualisation and implementation. This was demonstrated by a Deputy Director in the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Noimot Akinola, a coordinator at one of the markets, who explained the modus operandi to one of our reporters.

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    According to her, “Payment will be made through the POS and residents will get vouchers which will be presented to the vendors. For those who have cash, we have payment solution officials who will convert their cash to card so that they can purchase their goods. There is also a limit to what can be bought. Sale of rice, garri, and beans is limited to 5kg, bread to two loaves, pepper and onion to 1kg and tomatoes to 2kg”. This limit is obviously to ensure that a few people with the means do not buy up the products to the detriment of less privileged citizens. It is also noteworthy that the vouchers were colour-coded to differentiate the various produce and those who had cash had their funds exchanged for Opay, Palmpay or Cowrie debit cards.

    Impressed by what he described as the meticulous organisation of the scheme, a local council chairman, Mr Kunle Sanya-Olowoopejo, promised that his council will support the state government’s initiative by bringing its own produce to distribute freely to residents at the point in his area next Sunday. No less impressive is the level of security achieved during the exercise, with the presence of men and officers of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC) and Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) at all points, to ensure orderliness.

    However, there is still room for improvement in the implementation of the scheme in some areas identified by residents. For instance, the scheme did not kick off on schedule at 11am at a number of points, leading to some degree of restiveness among residents who had been on queues as early as 9am. Again, in Badagry, for instance, some residents claimed that the prices at what was supposed to be a discount market were no different from what obtained at normal markets. Also, residents at many locations lamented that there was insufficient number of POS machines, making the process slow, laborious and stressful. There was also the demand for a broader variety of food items such as yam, potatoes, semovita, among others, to be included in the scheme. We urge that these observations be investigated and remedied where necessary.

    We urge the Sanwo-Olu administration to consider extending the programme beyond the five weeks it has scheduled it to last. It is unlikely that the spiralling inflation it is designed to ameliorate will be over in five weeks. In December, last year, the governor had unveiled the pilot scheme of the Lagos Fresh Food Agro-Hub at Idi-Oro, Mushin. It will offer for sale products such as pepper, meat, vegetables, eggs, yam, garri, snail, palm oil, plantain, ‘ofada’ rice, Eko rice and fruits, among others, at farm gate prices in clean and secure environment. While we commend the plan to replicate this scheme in other locations within the next six months, we also urge the government to exploit the potential of its rice mills to flood the Lagos market with the product.

    The priority accorded food availability and affordability by Lagos State is commendable. Food inflation accounts for a substantial part of the high poverty rate. We commend this example to other states.

  • Avoiding famine   

    Avoiding famine   

    A report that predicts hunger between June and August must be taken seriously, especially in the north

    Hunger looms, and it is certainly not new given the plethora of news reports in the past year. But a new report puts it in a dreary perspective. According to a body known as Cadre Harmonise, a food security analyst, about 31.5 million Nigerians will face hunger this year. Though the report does not say it will be all year, it targets specific months. It also says it will affect internally displaced persons (IDPs).

    But of particular note is its focus on the northern states of the federation.

    Cadre Harmonise that has made its reports available to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture sounds a note of warning that between June and August, which are the time of rain density, 24.7 million Nigerians will suffer hunger pangs in 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    The report cites Adamawa State with an ominous note that about 1.1 million persons are going to face food crisis.  But it adds that 2.1 million citizens in Borno State and 1.5 million in neighbouring Yobe State are bound for the same fate.

    While referring to 26 states, it is particularly worried by core northern states that need special attention in this regard. They are Zamfara, Adamawa, Sokoto and Borno. But this should not surprise many for a number of reasons.

    One, Borno State has suffered in the last decade a gruelling chapter after chapter of devastation from the militant group Boko Haram. The group has displaced many towns and villages, and disrupted the rhythms of life among the old and young. They are not able to farm, sell or even work. Safety became the most prized commodity. Thousands of IDPS roam the state and neighbouring environments.

    Poverty became a byword of everyday life. Successive governments have focused less on grand projects than on delivering agenda for survival like food, shelter and provision of water.

    Two, the effect of banditry has manifested in some of the states, especially Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger and southern part of Kaduna. The bandits have planted themselves with impunity in the forests and have wielded enormous powers from kidnapping and ransoms amounting to a fortune that emboldens their resolves and provides them resources to flex and thrive.

    Zamfara State and other parts have wide berths of ungoverned spaces that give the hoodlums room to roam and plunder. They even tax farmers to go to their farms and such taxations do not even guarantee safety. This disruption means they cannot make the most of their farming time and output, and that leads to decline in food availability and danger to food security.

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    “Poor macroeconomic conditions are restricting access to agricultural inputs in the country; the high cost of transport, inflation rate, and the volatile dollar-naira exchange rate have negatively affected households’ income,” says the report.

    The situation occurs when certain traders defy the desperate situation and smuggle the food out of the country. This sort of sabotage has baffled many. According to the Nigeria Customs Service, their officers recently stopped elements that were ferrying 880 bags of white beans, 584 bags of onions and 400 sacks of grains. They were being driven into Benin Republic. The customs agency redirected the trucks to a Nigerian market where they were sold.

    The Federal Government should also mobilise the North East Development Commission (NEDC) to provide food for the persons. Just like its counterpart in the Niger Delta, the NEDC ought to rise up with ideas and strategies to feed many who may be facing famine.

    Nigeria is too blessed with arable lands to go hungry. Again, security of the citizens must be taken with greater seriousness. Without security of lives, there is no food security.

  • Stranded abroad   

    Stranded abroad   

    That students on Federal Government’s scholarship are abandoned abroad leaves so much to be desired

    Education is the greatest legacy any nation can bequeath to her children who invariably are the leaders of tomorrow. Development is dependent on the value countries place on education. The more developed nations are not divine gifts. They are products of well-planned systems top of which is investment in education. The result of lack of proper attention to the education sector can be seen in the position of Nigeria in the global index of out-of-school children that stands at an outrageous 20 million and counting, with the dire economic circumstances that continue to take off more children from schools. Nigeria has never matched the United Nations annual budgetary allocation of 26% benchmark to the education sector and the effects can be seen in the quality of schools and welfare of teachers generally in the country.

    The alarm raised by some Nigerian students on Federal Government scholarship in countries like Russia, Morocco, Algeria, China, Hungary, etc. about their ordeal after the government reneged on paying their stipends for about eight months is quite disturbing.  Scholarships are financial support awarded to students either by governments, individuals, foundations or companies.

    Nigerian government seems to have become notorious for not keeping to the terms of agreements with those on Federal Government scholarships abroad. Even the beneficiaries of the Niger Delta Amnesty Scholarship Programme were on the streets of London a few years ago protesting the failure of the government to pay their tuition. Some other ones in the Philippines carried placards describing their ordeals as their dues had been delayed and they could neither study nor come home.

    The President of the Union of Nigerian Students under the Federal Government-Controlled Bilateral Educational Agreement Scholarship, Ayuba Anas, who articulated the students’ concerns expressed worries that they are unable to meet their daily expenses. Being a student in a foreign land means that a lot of things must be paid for by the students; rent, council taxes, electricity/water bills, internet, transportation and feeding. Paying tuition is not synonymous with living stipends. The payment of tuition is just one part of the education expenses.

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    Reneging on Bilateral Education Agreement terms is a diplomatic issue and must not be condoned at all. It says a lot about the country if people who are seen as the country’s representatives are exposed to certain hardships like being ejected from their accommodation or being unable to pay the living bills. Most of the bills are linked to the supply chain and gets cut off if payments are not made. It is a huge embarrassment to have Nigerian students being subjected to such indignities that might push them into committing crimes to make money to be able to pay bills.

    The Federal Ministry of Education must be held accountable for this embarrassment. The scholarship board must have explanations to make about this sad situation. Are there cases of corruption, negligence or official ineptitude?  This report is not a one-off issue. It has been happening for a long time. These students are sent off to foreign countries and the official negligence and insensitivity expose them to hardships. It is better the scholarship schemes are abolished if there isn’t enough fund to fully sustain them, than exposing students to the harsh realities of being abandoned half-way.

    The attitude strips the students of any patriotic zeal because it shows they are not valued. No caring country abandons its students on scholarships that they earned. We believe that those responsible for this embarrassing situation must face official sanction to serve as deterrent to future officers. In the interim, efforts must be made to offset the payments that have now piled up to eight months.

    But the Nigerian government must not just instruct that payments be made, there must be an investigation to expose those embarrassing the country through official negligence and insensitivity. It might not be impossible that some people have been shortchanging both the students and the nation at large. Humans must survive and these poor students might be frustrated into crimes that would further dent the image of the country. We want the culprits to be sanctioned in a name-and-shame way so that the system can be rid of such unpatriotic elements.

  • CBN’s searchlight

    CBN’s searchlight

    • This should be beamed thoroughly on banks’ financial reports and erring ones sanctioned

    The report that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has strengthened its pre-emptive surveillance of banks to uncover financial infractions and ensure due compliance with extant rules and regulations is a welcome development. We hope the apex bank would also use the opportunity to query banks over the unconscionable exploitation of customers that is rampant within the sector. Bank customers are appalled at the sundry unfair charges by banks, which add to their economic woes. Strangely also, while the real sector suffers distress, banks are posting robust profits.

    Though we don’t wish that banks should be distressed, we consider it anomalous that local banks fail in their primary responsibility of lending to businesses and individuals, but instead are comfortable with creaming sundry charges and levies from customers, for no services. That perhaps explains why the banks are enjoying robust health and returning huge profits, while the economy they are supposed to service struggles in distress. We urge the apex bank to use a tooth comb to scrutinise the banks’ financial statements and audit reports.

    According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), more than 70 percent of crimes in the financial sector are perpetrated through banks. The CBN therefore needs to collaborate with the commission to unearth the culprits, who are within the banks. That finding by the commission appears to have been confirmed by the Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC) report (a Nigeria Bankers committee) that banks in Nigeria experienced a surge in fraud incidents, with 24,232 cases reported in the first half of 2023.

    The FITC report said losses incurred increased by 276.98% in second quarter of 2023, amounting to a whopping N9.75 billion. The frauds include point of sale fraud, computer/web fraud, mobile fraud, amongst others. It also highlighted that while staff involvement in fraud increased by 22.22 percent, outsider involvement decreased by 6.4 percent. The CBN should therefore demand precautionary measures from banks, to forestall insider frauds; especially as the consequences of bank failure reverberates beyond the concerned banks.

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    The auditing of the banks’ financial reports should also expose their financial wellness. One of the causes of failure of banks is the abuse known as insider dealing, a common practice amongst bank management, who give unsecured facilities to themselves and their cronies. Considering the interdependence of banks, such exposure usually affects other banks, causing systemic shocks. The apex bank therefore should be as thorough as it can, but shouldn’t delay banks from reporting to other regulatory bodies.

    While submitting to external regulation, the banks should also introspect and mend their unsavoury ways. For instance, we do not appreciate why banks should charge those who transfer monies from their account, while the receiving account is also charged. At the end of the month, banks also charge what they call ‘account maintenance fee on current account’. There are other sundry charges through which government and banks take money from depositors, including the so-called electronic transfer levy.

    These challenges scare some customers from putting their monies in the banks, and the result is increase in unbanked Nigerians. Those who see the sundry charges as cheating keep their monies in unsafe places, with all the risks associated with it. Small-time banking public feel outraged that the small monies in their accounts are creamed off through these charges, over time. These are unacceptable banking practices which the CBN should charge the banks to stop, in the overall interest of the national economy.

    We urge the apex bank to exercise its regulatory functions diligently, and by that reign in banks which engage in sundry malpractices. We maintain that it is absurd for banks to be earning exponential profits, while the national economy and the citizens they serve are doddering economically.

  • Condemnable outburst

    Condemnable outburst

    • Senator Ningi deserves to be punished but he shouldn’t have been suspended

    Last week, Senator Abdul Ningi of Bauchi Central District was suspended by the upper legislative chamber for allegedly bringing the institution to disrepute over an interview he granted the British Broadcasting Corporation  (BBC) Hausa Service on the 2024 Appropriation Act and its implementation.

    In the view of the senior lawmaker, there are two versions of the act presented to, and being implemented by President Bola Tinubu. It was a grave allegation that caught the attention of the senators who asked for explanation by chairman of the Appropriation Committee, Solomon Adeola, who gave a detailed elucidation on the matter.

    As the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, later said, while he and others like him expected the senator who “stood trial” to simply say he was misquoted and therefore apologise, an obstinate Senator Ningi largely stood his ground and sought to justify his position.

    This drew the ire of his colleagues, with some calling for his suspension for 12 months. He was however sent packing for three months, during which he is not to be seen within the precincts of the hallowed chambers, and all his rights and privileges withdrawn.

    It is unfortunate that a lawmaker who alleged that the budget being implemented was padded to the tune of N3.7 trillion could not substantiate his assertion. He had no explanation for the source of the N25 trillion that he claimed was passed by the National Assembly on the last legislative sitting of the chamber. Adeola had explained that a sum of N27 trillion was presented by the President and it was increased to N28.7 trillion by the National Assembly.

    The view expressed by Senator Ningi who had served in both the House of Representatives and the Senate is inexcusable. It would appear that he had a grouse with the senate leadership that he wanted to bring to the fore. He probably thought he could sway a majority of members on his side; but he failed.

    He deserved punishment in accordance with the rules for this.

    It must, however, be pointed out that the National Assembly lacks the people’s confidence as their activities are shrouded in secrecy. Till date, no one knows the full emoluments of members, and the little known, especially the allowances, are out of tune with present economic realities. The National Assembly has a duty to urgently bridge the trust deficit.

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    The so-called constituency projects that account for the rancour among members, as we have argued in the past, is an anomaly. It distorts the concept of Separation of Powers that allocates project management to the executive arm of government. It has been identified as a cesspool of corruption, with the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) having unearthed so many aberrations in respect to projects so budgeted for. Unfortunately, there has been no prosecution of those deemed to have helped themselves to the proverbial national cake.

    Henceforth, we restate our position that there should no longer be constituency projects. Since the lawmakers have the power of appropriation, they could ensure that there is fair and equitable distribution of projects nationwide. We equally call for a review of punishments meted to lawmakers. As representatives of the people, suspending them amounts to suspension of representation of their constituencies, which is contrary to the letters and spirit of the constitution. Since there are precedents, having suspended Senator Ningi, he should serve his term, but removal from committees and public condemnation of actions of erring members should be enough in future.

  • Consolidating port reforms

    Consolidating port reforms

    • Things are looking up but there is room for improvement

    Despite the various challenges confronting Nigerian ports, especially poor infrastructure and bureaucratic as well as security impediments, it is good news that the performance of the ports improved commendably between 2022 and 2023. A report titled “Consolidation of superior performance at the Nigerian Ports Authority 2023 – A synopsis of the Authority’s Performance Improvement 2022-2023” indicated that, despite global economic difficulties, the management of NPA, in 2023, significantly improved the country’s trade facilitation attainments to surpass its performance in 2022.

    According to the report, the implementation of performance improvement measures by the NPA resulted in its enhanced revenue contributions to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) from N361 billion in 2022 to N501 billion as of December, 2023.

    In a similar vein, remittances from the NPA to the Federation Account increased from N93.4 billion in 2022 to N131.2 billion by year end 2023. Again, taxes paid by the authority to the Federal Government reportedly totalled USD77.7 million and N17.6 billion in 2023, respectively, which was a marked increase over its preceding year’s performance.

    Some of the measures which resulted in this salutary revenue performance included the initiation by the authority of Barge Operations Services reducing pressure on the roads and growing this service to a N2 billion annual revenue generation business, and licensing 10 Export Processing Terminals to facilitate exports at Nigerian sea ports. According to the report, the new terminals “provided a one-stop shop for export processing where quality control, cargo assessment and statutory checks by all government agencies were carried out” and “was geared towards eliminating all bureaucracy and attendant delays that hitherto undermined the competitiveness of Nigerian exports in the international marketplace”.

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    In addition, it achieved an increase in the number of Nigerian export-laden containers from 156,790 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units in 2022 to 226,456 Twenty Foot Equivalent units in 2023. Consequently, according to the report, the NPA contributed to boosting Nigeria’s trade balance by promoting non-oil exports which is essential to strengthening the value of the Naira. And, as a result of the ongoing dredging of channels, installation of buoys and enhanced security in the ports’ channels, the quantity of ship visits increased from 1,977 vessels in 2022 to 2,179 vessels by the end of 2023.

    As heartwarming as these attainments by the NPA management are, there is still a lot to be done for the country’s ports to contribute optimally to Nigeria’s economic development. The potential of the ports in this regard is far from yet being realised.

    In September, last year, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, had expressed concern about the deplorable condition of infrastructure at the ports and said that terminal operators would be engaged in reconstruction of ports which he lamented are “almost collapsing”.

    Against this backdrop, it is commendable that to consolidate on its current reforms, the NPA plans to invest $1 billion on the massive reconstruction of major ports at Tin Can Island, Apapa, Onne, Warri and Calabar. It also intends to build the Badagry Deep Seaport as well as provide similar facilities in Snake Island, Burutu and Ondo. It also plans to actualise its Port Community System (PCS), among other initiatives to make the country the maritime logistics hub for sustainable port services in Africa.

    Achieving these objectives would contribute significantly to the goals of bringing about accelerated economic recovery, boosting the country’s revenue base and ensuring sustainable development.

    However, such ambitious projections require meticulous planning and stipulation of realistic and attainable implementation time frames before commencement. All too many projects have been stalled for years across the country for lack of due diligence prior to their being embarked on, resulting in avoidable escalation of cost due to  contract sum variations.

    Equally commendable is the NPA’s plan to enhance its revenue performance through Public-Private-Participation (PPP) arrangements from various sources such as ports’ independent power production, construction of bunkering stations, logistics on fallow lands, freshwater provision as well as ship repairs and maintenance.

  • R & D: A shot in the arm

    R & D: A shot in the arm

    • It is good that government is now looking in this direction

    Talk of being late to the party. Last week, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reportedly pledged to commit 0.5 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to Research and Development (R&D).

    His words: ‘We want to reiterate that having come to terms with the challenges of this critical sector of the economy, we will henceforth dedicate 0.5 per cent of our GDP to R&D to fast track meaningful development’. He noted that the move will expedite national development, foster innovation, productivity, and economic growth.

    The president didn’t fail to remind that the African Union Executive Council had in 2006 established a target of one per cent of GDP investment in R&D for all members to improve innovation, productivity and economic growth.

    The president’s move couldn’t have come at a better time. In a global economy powered by innovation, R&D is something that serious countries take very seriously if only to maintain their competitive edge.

    For instance, United States, based on the data from its National Centre for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), is said to have spent $717.0 billion– funds drawn from private businesses, the federal government, non-federal governments, higher education institutions, and other non-profit organisations. Beyond merely establishing itself as world’s leader in R&D, it is precisely the reason it is ahead in global cutting-edge technologies.

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    By comparison, Israel, another industrial giant, spent some approximately 5.6 percent on R&D in 2021 while Japan, also a highly industrialised nation, spent 3.65 percent.

    Nearer home on the African continent, Egypt is the clear leader with gross domestic expenditure on research and development (GERD) put at $8.86 billion in 2022. Coming close behind is South Africa with $6.2 billion with Algeria and Kenya ranking third and fourth with $2.76 billion and $2.06 billion, respectively.

    Nigeria by way of comparison is known to have spent a mere $1.5 billion on R&D in 2022.

    What the situation suggests isn’t just a country in dire need of a catch-up but one which is yet to get those basic priorities right. Today, the country pays humongous price, not just on foreign technologies and expertise but also on industrial raw materials which a more focused R&D sector would have curbed substantially. From industries and agro-processing where backward integration has remained a non-starter to the industrial sector where billions of dollars are routinely lost to dubious capital transfers, our country continues to be bled on all fronts. The same applies to our raw materials, which with nary local value addition, are re-imported after due processing in foreign climes. 

    What the president has signalled is the need to chart a fresh beginning, particularly as previous efforts, notably those of the immediate past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, in directing its National Economic Council to evolve the modalities for achieving the African target fell short of delivering on this important task. As it is, the real work still lies ahead. The president’s 0.5 percent target should actually be considered a starting point, considering what other countries are already doing. Certainly, the African target of one percent, set some 18 years ago, should not be considered as out of reach. And just as the president has declared, we expect to see action, going forward.

    In all, the task ahead must be seen as neither one for the government alone nor for the countless research institutes. It is also not for the private sector acting solo. In other words, this is hardly the time for the disparate actors in the R&D sector to operate in silos considering the dire exigency the country currently faces. The task is one that calls for the collaboration of the government, the universities, research institutions and the private sector. In fact, the National Assembly has a huge role to play in crafting an appropriate legislation to ensure orderly take-off and implementation.

    It bears stating that the African giant cannot afford to be left behind in the global wave of innovation in science and technology.

  • Horrid kidnap season

    Horrid kidnap season

    Which is why state police should get accelerated attention to better dominate un-policed spaces

    For kidnap victims, it has not been the best of seasons, given the rash of kidnapping and even insane demand for ransom this past one week. 

    The relative ease with which kidnappers forcefully march hundreds of our compatriots into forests, as bait for huge ransom, is absolutely unacceptable.   Still, there is no magic about it.  A simple logic drives this heinous crime: too much of Nigeria’s vast territory is either un-policed or is guarded by rag-tag vigilantes, which arms peter to near-nothing against the awesome arms of bandits, terrorists and kidnappers.

    That is why the 37 governments of the federation must hurry to consummate state police to drive the national security response, in a well and true federal format. 

    Needless to repeat: a centralized Nigeria Police is frail, given our current grave insecurity challenges.  State police — for states that can afford it — should plug most of the holes, other things being equal, before tackling other specific local problems.

    Kidnapping may be a national crisis.  But the burden, this past week, has been rather heavy on the North, particularly North West and North East, not discounting the rampant terrorism and fatal community clashes in Plateau; and sundry violence in Niger and Nasarawa segments of North Central. 

    Clearly, the North now rocks under that quake.

    On March 7, armed kidnappers surrounded the Local Education Authority (LEA) Primary School, Kuriga, in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.  After, some 287 pupils and teachers were marched into the bush, as potent tools for bargain ransom.  The compound also houses a secondary school: ironically in search of a more secure space, in light of the serious insecurity challenge in that locality — and then, the raid!

    Sani Abdullahi, a newly recruited teacher witnessed the kidnapping on his first day in the school, though he escaped to tell the horror tale: “I resumed [assumed duty] at the school at exactly 7:47 am.  I entered the Acting Principal’s office and signed,” he told a stunned Governor Uba Sani. “All of a sudden, the Acting Principal asked me to look at my back and when I turned, we discovered that bandits had surrounded the school premises.”

    That was how teachers and pupils were frog-marched into the bush!  Abdullahi, with some others, however later escaped to alert the village head, who later rallied their sorry security cells to try save the victims.  That futile effort, however, led to the bandits killing at least one of the luckless vigilante corps.

    On March 11, another 61 people were snatched by suspected terrorists in the Buda community of Kajuru Local Government of Kaduna State.  Earlier on March 9, at around 1 am gunmen, assumed to be bandits, invaded a Qur’anic school in Gada Local Government Area of Sokoto State, seizing 16 pupils, widely called “Tsangaya pupils”: 15 males, one female.

    Away from the North West, Amnesty International (AI) claimed 400 people were on March 8 abducted by suspected terrorists in Borno State (North East) — the epicentre of the now defanged Boko Haram.  The number is disputed though, by Governor Babagana Zulum, who maintained the exact number was yet to be ascertained.

    Still, the tragedy here is that the snatched were seized from the internally displaced persons (IDP) camps: Babban Sansani, in Zulum; and Arabic, in Gamboru Ngala.  It’s a double tragedy: citizens fled their homes, running from Boko Haram, now kidnapped from IDP camps, supposed to be safe havens, with guaranteed security. 

    It cannot get worse but now is no time to despair.  It’s instead time to act and act fast — and think even faster.

    Talking about fast thinking: that audacious N1 billion demand by the bandits to release the Chikun 287, within 20 days or kill them all!  That, to say the least, is cheeky, rippling with over-confidence, suggesting sheer impotence on the part of the government.  But flipped, it could also be sheer desperation, powered by empty bluff. 

    The government should accept every help it can to call this bluff, free the abducted, and finally crush these felons.  But it should also nurture and execute non-kinetic policies and programmes that war against poverty and create opportunities that shield angry youths from brain-washing and illicit indoctrination.  It should also deploy technology: both to track the location of calls and eliminate hidden calls by criminals.

    Still, why might suspected bandits be demanding N1 billion ransom at one fell swoop?  It could well be that their terror infrastructure has been so smashed they wanted some windfall to re-arm.  While the government should try everything possible to secure freedom for the victims — unharmed — paying a ransom might be procuring, for the criminals, arms and ammo for future kidnap raids.  That joyfully tallies with the government’s publicly stated stand not to pay any ransom.  We endorse it.

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    But that’s where actionable intelligence also comes in.  That all of these raids have succeeded show the apparent collapse of intelligence, though we are in no position to know how many of such planned kidnaps prior intelligence had thwarted.  The ugly thing about terrorism, however, is that the success of one raid — even if you abort 100 — gives the impression intelligence had collapsed.  It’s not necessarily so.

    Still, there is an imperative to further boost the intelligence network, if similar future kidnaps are to be curbed.  That again brings the issue back state police.

    State police can’t be effective, or even be complete, without a thriving intelligence network.  Indeed, effective Intel ought to come with federalized police as a complete package: with adequate training, there appears more than enough “raw materials” for riled locals, pushed to the wall by bandit abuse, ready to “say something, if they see something”, to get rid of those pests.

    With top-rate intelligence assured, the new layer of the federal policing network will take its critical place in the anti-terrorism, anti-banditry war. 

    As the military flush out hardened terrorists from their bastion (witness the fate of many Boko Haram commanders and cells), the Nigeria Police at the centre mop up the fleeing bands in the near-areas, while state police cadres, with arms upgraded by law, are embedded and positioned to decision fleeing terrorists to far-flung areas.  Many of those, escaping with small arms, wreak havoc on locals, via opportunistic raids. 

    Again, there are ample vigilante cells in the affected northern states, that could be retrained and absorbed into the new state police, after the governments have carried out due diligence; but not before the trainees have passed a rigorous test of character.

    Indeed, state police is the clear missing link in the terror war.  Otherwise, terrorists escaping from the Boko Haram epicenter of the North East, or bandits fleeing from the heat of Zamfara, would not have found comfy homes elsewhere, if yet another cadre of state police had effectively dominated the remotest of places.

    The time to act is now.

  • Stop it now

    Stop it now

    • Illegal levies on farmers by bandits bad for food security

    It is bad news that bandits are forcing farmers in some communities in northern Nigeria to pay various sums to be allowed access to their farms, particularly during planting and harvest seasons.

    According to SB Morgan Intelligence, “In Kaduna, communities like Kidandan, Galadimawa Kerawa, Sabon Layi, Sabon Birni and Ruma have been significantly impacted.” The report said farmers in these communities were forced to pay bandits between N70, 000 and N100, 000 for permission to farm. Also, in Zamfara State, the report said, bandits make rice farmers pay about N120, 000, and maize farmers N50, 000, for access to their farms. Non-compliance attracts death, abduction or seizure of the farmers’ produce.

    The National President, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kabiru Ibrahim, confirmed that they received complaints on the issue mainly from farmers in the North-East and North-West. “It is absolutely true that some farmers are made to pay bandits before being allowed access to their farms,” he said, adding that the association had written to the authorities concerning complaints about farm levies imposed on farmers by terrorists and bandits.

    This situation is disturbing because it further highlights the country’s security crisis, and has negative implications for food security not only in the affected localities but even beyond.

    It is not a new situation. This makes it even more troubling. Three years ago, for instance, AFAN raised the alarm about how bandits had disrupted farming in some areas in Borno, Yobe, Katsina and Zamfara states. The group said many farmers in the affected areas had stopped farming because of threats to their lives; bandits had seized the lands of some farmers, and kidnapped or killed many farmers; and kidnapped farmers had sold their farms to pay ransom.

    Also, in 2020, at the fourth quarterly meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, had lamented the scale of insecurity in the country, especially the North. He was reported saying, “Bandits go around in the villages, households and markets with their AK 47 and nobody is challenging them. They stop at the market, buy things, pay and collect change, with their weapons openly displayed. These are facts I know because I am at the centre of it.”

    Nigeria’s war against banditry was expected to be intensified and won, following the declaration that bandits were terrorists, in 2021, under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration. At the time, the Federal Government declared that the activities of bandits “constitute acts of terrorism, threat to national security and the corporate existence of the country.”

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    The reported dominance of bandits in some areas of the country gives the impression that there are ungoverned spaces in the country. Their power over farmers in the affected areas is dangerous to food security, particularly when the country is faced with food inflation in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. AFAN observed that the situation “could cause untold stress in the food system.” Such a consequence would compound the prevailing harsh living conditions in the country.

    The affected communities have resorted to self-help through local vigilantes. But there is a need for state actors to enforce the law. Indeed, there is no substitute for formal security and law enforcement agencies.  It is a positive development that the Federal Government and state governments are seriously considering the creation of state police to address rising insecurity in the country, among others. 

    There is an urgent need to review and renew efforts to tackle bandits and other criminals that continue to terrorise the people. The authorities must not allow them to complicate food production and supply in the country.