The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday Magazine

  • Dealing with the unyielding petrol market headache

    Dealing with the unyielding petrol market headache

    The phasing out of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) subsidy has saved Nigeria the embarrassment of unending queues around retail outlets as speculations of imminent pump price increase have lost the potency for triggering significant panic buying, JOHN OFIKHENUA reports

    As unstable, dreaded and persistent as the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) petrol market headache was till May 29,  this year,  Nigerians were optimistic that, at last, the removal of its subsidy would halt all the associated pain of payment of the subsidy support.

     In the coming months, the Federal Government was already heaving a sigh of relief as it saved N400 billion monthly from the courage of halting the age-long payment.

     Besides, the eye-catching reality of declining petrol consumption volume excited the government. It was an indication that the courageous phasing out of the payment paid off after all.

    Since the government also unified the exchange rates, it fascinated importers of PMS to secure licenses from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

     In a jiffy, they joined the hitherto sole importer of the product, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in the business. The operators were jubilating that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) which has since August 2021 paved the way for them to remain only at the mercy of demand and supply was eventually in force. They cheered up over the industry’s full deregulation.

    That ecstasy was, however, short-lived. Although the customers were enduring the petrol pump price of N540 per litre with the veneer of hatred, they patched along.

     As of August, market fundamentals fueled by soaring exchange rates jacked the price to N617/litre. From murmuring, this triggered audible complaints before the straw that broke the camel’s back, the news that the pump price would hit N700 per litre. However, with a listening ear, the government skillfully halted the soaring wings of the pump price hike.

     Thus, on August 15, President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Ajuri Ngelale said: “The President wishes to assure Nigerians, following the announcements by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), just yesterday that there will be no increase in the pump price of petroleum motor spirit anywhere in the country.

       “We repeat, the President affirms that there will be no increase in the pump price of petroleum motor spirit.”

     President Tinubu also acknowledged that there are inefficiencies within the downstream sector that are contributing to the fuel price controversy. He assured that all loopholes associated with the smooth delivery of petroleum products in the country will be addressed without delay.

     “The President also wishes to affirm that there are currently inefficiencies within the midstream and downstream petroleum sub-sectors that once very swiftly addressed and cleaned up will ensure that we can maintain prices where they are without having to resort to a reversal of this administration’s deregulation policy in the petroleum industry.”

     Consequently, this announcement edged private imports out of the business since they reasoned they would not recoup their money under a sealed pump price regime. They thus quietly quit from further petrol importation.

     Similarly, the President of the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Alhaji Yusuf Lawal Othman issued a press statement calling on the Federal Government to remove the 7.5 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) charge on the Automotive Motor Spirit (AGO). According to him, since the marketers could not hike pump prices, there was no way for an increase in haulage cost.

    His words: “This is because without looking at the pump price, marketers cannot increase transportation price. And if they do not do that, we have no choice but to continue to park. And if we continue to park, it will create unwanted disruption of supply and we don’t want that.”

     He expressed concern that the cost of operation in the face of a sealed price was unbearable, urging the government to quickly remove the VAT charge.

     Othman said: “We are talking about an immediate solution. The instant intervention is the removal of 7.5 per cent VAT on the diesel because it is increasing the cost of the diesel. NARTO is complaining that the high cost of diesel is unbearable.”

     Again, President Tinubu removed the VAT charge on diesel to ease its impact on its costs and that of petrol. Since the implementation of the PIA which abhors government regulation of petrol prices is in force, Tinubu intervenes in checkmating whatever acts as a catalyst to petrol pump price hike.

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     Despite this intervention, the petrol price still wants to surge in a hurry. It wants to slip out of control. As of early October, the marketers would not heed to the plea not to further increase the pump price. While some closed shops, others radically adjusted their pump prices above the N617/per litre. While some marketers said only N630/litre in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) could be cost-reflective, others insisted that the PIA should run its full course. In other words, petrol should sell as much as N1000/litre.

     In the next weeks, aside from the NNPCL retail outlets, only a few independent marketers could cope in the business. It was evident that the product was getting scarce. The first to cry out was the Natural Oil and Gas Supplier Association of Nigeria (NOGASA).

     Its President, Mr Benneth Korie said depots were deserted, retail outlets were shutting and petrol tanker drivers were parking their trucks down for the unsustainable cost of doing business.

     Seeking urgent government intervention to save the market from total shutdown before December, he warned that there may be no petrol in Nigeria in January should the government fail to address the challenges of reducing the cost of diesel before 2023 ends.

     He said: “NOGASA is seriously worried that between now and December this year, in the absence of government’s urgent intervention, the increasing loss of lives, businesses and jobs with the accentuation by mass shut of filling stations and packing up of petroleum tankers, all due to unattainable high cost of importation, lifting transportation and distribution of petroleum products.”

     In the meantime, as the groaning under higher prices persisted, the President of the Petroleum Retail Outlet Owners’ Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), Mr. Billy Harry told The Nation on the phone that accessing the product had become taxing.

     He attributed the dearth in supply to a lack of access to the product at the depots. According to him, apart from the NNPCL’s, all other tank farms were dry. The PETROAN boss also attributed the situation to difficulty in accessing foreign exchange and the transaction circle of petrol importation that takes some time.

     On why PMS was getting scarce, he said: “I said earlier that every import transaction is dollarised. And we are running an economy that is based on the Nigerian naira. So, every import must have to be equated with dollar value. The dollar value every day is eating into the naira efficiency.

     “Today, you cannot get one dollar for less than N995. So, there is no way you can have a little of the product for less than that amount and then you are not going to be able to sell above that price (N617/litre) to make a profit.

     “So, clearly, those who have been given licenses could not import if they did not have foreign exchange to back their transactions. That is just the simple reason.”

     Similarly, the National Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Chief John Kekeocha explained that only NNPCL could sell the product for N617 per litre. According to him, at a point, only AYM Shafa was the only independent marketer vending the product for N617 per litre as others had hiked the prices to N619 to N625/litre. He also blamed the increase on the cost of diesel.

     He said: “In Abuja, since yesterday (Tuesday) many filling stations shutdown, including A.Y Shafa. But later in the evening, they started selling. It changed its pump to N625. I don’t know any other station that is still making sales.

    “The scarcity is because many independent marketers are not selling. And even the tank farm owners, it is only Shafa that I know who is selling. I don’t know of any other one.

     “The product is not much there and the cost of landing the product is quite high because the cost of diesel is very high. A litre of diesel is above a thousand naira.

    “For you to move a truck of fuel for instance from Warri to Abuja, you will be talking about N300,000 or more.

     “I wonder how many people will make that expense and still come and be selling about N600 or there about.”

     On whether the government has not moved against those selling above the official pump price, he said the government has been silent about it perhaps for its inability to cushion the cost of diesel.

    “I am sure that adjustment is to accommodate the cost of landing, which the government is silent about because they (the government) cannot make provision for diesel. The government cannot cushion the difference.

     The only marketers who might cope with the prevailing prices were those close to the depots.

      According to him, their expenditure on diesel was minimal.

     Okeocha said: “The diesel cost is high and therefore that makes the landing cost of the product very high, especially at far places…Areas such as Lagos and others can afford to sell at the normal price because the proximity of the source of the product is close.

     “They will not incur much cost in diesel. But those who are selling like those staying in Maiduguri, Katsina, Kano Abuja and others, you cannot tell them to sell within N600 or N610 because the landing cost of the product is high because of the high cost of diesel. So, the government is not saying anything about that.”

     As most of the marketers have opted out of the business, NNPCL, the single importer of the product, has insisted the product is enough in stock.

     Responding to The Nation’s inquest on why PMS was getting scarce, NNPCL Head of Corporate Communication, Iyabo Ojo noted that the company had a product that could last 30 days.

     “We have about 30 days sufficiency; so supply isn’t an issue. Road conditions have, however, made trucking quite challenging for all marketers,” she said.

    She also attributed the apparent scarcity of PMS to the deplorable condition of the roads which made haulage of the product hectic for marketers.

    Despite the gloomy scenario, the removal of subsidies has recorded some enviable gains. Not only the smuggling of the product has reduced, but other evidence of the gain is that neighbouring countries are weeping over President Tinubu’s action.

     In addition, phasing out subsidies has checkmated the lifestyle of reckless consumers of the product. This has freed the roads of vehicular congestion and minimally reduced fossil fuel emissions.

     The greatest gain so far is the controlled consumption figure. Although the NMDPRA has not opened up the average volume consumed in the country daily, it is obvious that the figure keeps crashing daily.

     To further earn public confidence, the NMDPRA needs to lay bare the country’s average daily PMS consumption figure. This can encourage the enduring citizenry that their patience pays. Again, Nigerians are already upbeat that savings from subsidy removal will be deployed to massive concrete road construction across the country.

     Above all, the removal of subsidies has saved the country the embarrassment of endless queues around petrol stations across the country. For the higher pump prices, speculations about imminent further hikes no longer induce significant panic buying.

     Thus, it is obvious that the government needs to put on a thinking cap to arrive at measures that can reduce the pump prices for the benefit of the citizens.

  • Agboyi: A Lagos community trapped in water and neglect 

    Agboyi: A Lagos community trapped in water and neglect 

    Agboyi, a densely populated community in the Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State, is home to nearly one million residents living amidst challenging conditions. 

    Divided into Agboyi 1, 2, and 3, the community spans from Alapere to Ogudu but is surrounded by water, leaving residents dependent on canoes for transportation. 

    A visit to Agboyi reveals the harsh realities faced by its inhabitants, who struggle with a lack of basic amenities. Many are forced to defecate in the surrounding rivers due to the absence of proper sanitation facilities. 

    Tope Adeogun, a resident, voiced her frustration to The Nation, lamenting the prolonged government neglect despite the community’s significant voter base.

    She highlighted the critical need for clean drinking water, decent toilets, and other essential infrastructure to improve their quality of life. 

    The plight of Agboyi underscores the urgent need for intervention to address the community’s dire living conditions. 

    Adeogun further explained: “We don’t have roads. We have only one government primary school serving a population of nearly one million people, and there is no secondary school. Our daily commute to and from Agboyi is a daunting task as there is no bridge connecting us to Alapere and nearby communities. We navigate the river using canoes, and our children who attend secondary schools in Alapere, Ojota, and Ketu face constant challenges when travelling through the rivers.”

    Purchasing water as a daily necessity

    Mrs. Salewa Akinrogun, a resident of Agboyi 1, revealed that residents are compelled to purchase a 25-litre keg of water for ₦100, with each family requiring at least 100 litres daily, depending on family size.

    She lamented: “One of the fundamental things we need in this community is good drinking water. Although we are surrounded by rivers, the water is not drinkable and not suitable for cooking. Everybody here buys water.

    “Despite promises made by politicians during election campaigns, we are still waiting for boreholes that were pledged. The local government chairman is aware of our predicament, yet no tangible solution has been proffered.”

    Rain brings a glimpse of relief

    Mrs. Ayinke Adebayo, a food seller, shared the community’s eagerness for rain because it provides an opportunity to access clean water for drinking and cooking.

    She explained: “The sellers buy kegs of water in Alapere and other neighbouring communities, transport them here through canoes, and sell a keg at the rate of ₦100 because we don’t have any other water to drink. Each time it rains, we are happy because we will have the opportunity to get good water to drink and cook, and we will also fill our drums and kegs so that the water will sustain us until it rains again.”

    Hope for a bridge

    Mr. Maaruf Akinyemi, a former proprietor in Agboyi 1, underscored the pressing need for a bridge to connect the water-locked community to essential services and the broader Lagos metropolis. 

    Speaking about the challenges faced by residents, Akinyemi highlighted the transformative potential of the bridge currently under construction by the Lagos State Government.

    “This bridge is not just infrastructure; it’s a lifeline for Agboyi. It will open up access to healthcare, education, and economic opportunities that have been out of reach for decades,” he said. 

    “The bridge project was initiated after the installation of HRM Oba Monsuru Abimbola Oladega as the new monarch of the community, a development Akinyemi described as a significant milestone.

    “The state government has shown commitment by starting this project, and we hope they will prioritize its timely completion. Linking Agboyi to Ogudu will ease transportation and improve the quality of life for residents.” 

    “Residents of Agboyi are optimistic that the bridge, once completed, will address their long-standing isolation and bring much-needed development to the area.”

    Educational challenges and lack of secondary school

    Akinyemi, who is an educationist added: “In addition to our daily struggles, residents of Agboyi face educational challenges. The community only has a single primary school, Agboyi Primary School, which is divided between Agboyi 1 and Agboyi 2.

    “There is no secondary school within the community, compelling students to enrol in schools located in Alapere, Ojota, or Ogudu. This places an additional financial burden on families, with students spending between ₦600 to ₦1000 daily on transportation.

    Defecating in rivers

    Perhaps one of the most distressing challenges is the lack of proper toilet facilities in the community, forcing residents to defecate in the rivers. To address this pressing issue, makeshift wooden toilets have been erected along the riverbanks.

    Kazeem Adejumo, a resident of Agboyi 3, explained their unique predicament in the community.

    He said: “We find ourselves defecating in the rivers simply because the government hasn’t provided us with toilets. It’s a crazy routine we’ve grown accustomed to, even as we continue to enjoy a swim in those very same waters.”

    Climate change and vulnerability 

    The challenges faced by Agboyi reflect broader vulnerabilities identified in a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

    The report highlights how cities in developing countries, including Lagos, are particularly vulnerable to climate change due to limited adaptive capacity, high population density, and inadequate infrastructure.

    To address these challenges, the IPCC recommends that Lagos invest in climate-resilient infrastructure, enhance early warning systems, and implement policies to regulate land use and protect coastal areas. 

    A call for action 

    Agboyi’s plight underscores the urgent need for intervention to provide basic amenities, ensure access to clean water, and complete critical infrastructure projects like the bridge. For this community, progress is not just about development—it’s about survival.  

  • Barbara Soky: How I survived challenges that come with fame

    Barbara Soky: How I survived challenges that come with fame

    It is exactly 30 years since one of Nigeria’s most sensational and celebrated TV soaps, Ripples, was rested. And one of the most glamorous and charismatic actresses on that show, Barbara Soky, has resurfaced after vanishing from the theatre scene for three decades. She speaks with Edozie Udeze about her odyssey and what she has chosen to do afresh now that she is back.

    In the late 1980s and well into the mid-1990s, there were but a few dazzling television shows that held Nigerian viewers spellbound. And there were also some actors and actresses who made those programmes delightful to teeming Nigerian viewers. Some of those soap operas were created essentially to keep Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) channels busy for the sake of promoting local contents. From The Village Headmaster, The New Masquerade and Tales by Moonlight to Inside-out and later Ripples, Nigerian artistes proved that acting was one of the best ways to keep the home together at TV prime times and hours.

    For some, the TV soap series called Ripples was one of those favourite programmes on NTA during those years. One of its most notable characters, one who interpreted her role with unbridled professional dexterity was Barbara Soky. An amazing and delectable lady of the tube, Barbara Soky used her role not only for effect but to attract attention to herself. She was indeed an enviable personality. She carried herself well on TV. She demonstrated to the full what is described in theatre parlance as being in character. In and out she was always in character, bristling in her role.

    But as soon as the soap was rested, she disappeared from the theatre scene entirely. Many who were aware and conscious of her professional antecedents began to wonder what went amiss. Even as the Nollyhood industry opened in earnest and began to blossom, Soky was yet nowhere to be found. Then when some of her old colleagues in the rested soaps like Insisde-out, Mirror in the Sun and Ripples started featuring in some Nigerian movies, Soky remained incommunicado.However, last week, at the National Theatre, Lagos, within the precincts of the National Troupe of Nigeria, this reporter chanced in on her. She sat quietly inside the hall while the rehearsals for the play called Fajuyi went on. She sat completely glued to the activities and movements of the artistes. You could see those serious and professional eyes of a keen and committed artiste. She smiled and grinned. Perhaps she was happy to be back; to join the train, this time, on stage.

    It took the intervention of Professor Ojo Bakare, who was directing the rehearsals, for the reporter to duly recognise her. But she smiled immediately, showing that impeccable showbiz posture of an artiste. Wearing a low cut hairstyle with her facial make-up still alluring, Soky agreed to grant a few minutes interview.

    Ironically, she was the first to ask the first question. “What do you want to know?” she asked. As she said so, her impulse rose as her quizzical gaze travelled well into time, probing. That usual effusive smile appeared on her lips.

    “Where have you been all these years?” was the question put to her.

    ‘No, I didn’t disappear. I just took a break. You see, I am not going to talk much.” Again that piercing voice that projected her far ahead of others boomed with authority. Her eyes glittered as if delivering one of her lines.

    “Okay, my career, right? Yes, Ripples is back now. We did a remix of Ripples. It is now showing on African Magic. This is happening after 30 years. Okay, you know when we started, Daphne Cole was a Barrister. But now she is a SAN. So that’s where we are. That is it for now.

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    “Ripples was a big break as it were. Like I said, I think it is a feat, you know. It is quite large, you know. This is the first time in Nigeria you have a series come back after 30 years, I suppose. So it is showing now on African Magic on Wednesdays for 9pm and on Saturdays for 5:30am.”

    But what did the break give you? What did you learn anew? The reporter asked. “Well, it was just personal. I just needed it for my own good, for my own sanity. I think it is worth it, yes. But I am passionate about theatre. And I think it is that passion that has been keeping me really. Anything I do, I am passionate about it.

    “When it comes to theatre, when it comes to acting, I am passionate about it. I give it all I have, all I am, the whole of me. Yes, theatre is in me.

    “Sometimes I wonder if it is worth it because financially I really have not made big bucks as it were, as I should. Yet the passion keeps me going, you know. I am just happy to be alive and healthy.

    And what was it like while she was busy ‘rippling’ Nigerians (laughs)?

    “Oh, well, even before then, there was Mirror in the Sun, there was Inside-out. I featured in Inside-out. That was in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. When we started, it was NTV and not NTA as it is today.

    “So before Mirror in the Sun, in those areas like Benin, Aba, Port Harcourt, Warri, there was Inside-out. And in-between it, I did one other before we came to Lagos to do Mirror in the Sun, then other series and movies in-between.

    “Yes, being in the limelight has never been easy. Locally and internationally, it has not been easy. There has been a lot of pressure particularly when one is young and beautiful.

    “And if you don’t have grace and mercy, a lot of people have gone the wrong path. A lot of people have died of depression and frustration. A lot of people are no more in the picture due to all these.

    “Abroad it is different and here in Nigeria it is different also. A lot of people will come to you with different motives and intentions. So if you are not properly managed or if you do not manage yourself well and properly, it could be disastrous.”

    She went on: “But I thank God that somehow I survived the hurdles, the challenges that come with fame and popularity. I am a living witness. To God’s mercy and grace… in fact, I am a product of mercy and grace.

    “There were lots of challenges. Some have been very tough. But like I said, I know and I love my job. And again I guess there was a connection between me and the grace God has for me. I am just a woman working and trying to make a living. So there have been good times and bad times, you know.

    “Yes I am part of this Fajuyi production,” she replied to a question, immediately blinking her eyes. For one thing, Barbara’s voice is powerful, it penetrates; it registers. It is unmistakable, always evoking lots and lots of administration each time she pronounces a word and projects her message.

    “Yes, by the time Prof. comes back on Monday, I will know the very role I will play in the production. But for now, I think I will pair with Shodimu. I have done stage before at the National Theatre with the late Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi. So stage is not new to me. 

    “Yes, stage will now make me bubble. I am looking forward to it. Theatre is lovely; it is life because it is one-on-one. But TV it has to go on for editing. But on stage you can’t afford to mess up.”

    What then would she tell younger artistes?

    “Oh, they need to be encouraged. I was once young. They should know that life happens. Life is not always all about fame and stardom. They should know that life is real. It might not be as they want it because every young girl or boy looks forward to making it fast or, in their language, to blow.

    “But me as a parent I just wish them well, want them to be guided physically and spiritually. So let them come to terms with the realities of life. Most importantly also, to guide themselves against bad company.

    “You see, wrong association is the worst thing that can happen to anyone. I don’t even wish it for my worst enemy. Some of us have made the mistake of associating with wrong people. But God pulled us out. I am one of those people God pulled out.

    “Let young people learn from the experiences around them. What I do these days when I meet young people is to mentor them, advise them.

    “The words of our elders are always words of wisdom. There are lots of evil out there. These days some young ones try to influence themselves or even allow others to influence them wrongly. But in all these, young people have to take it easy while also trying to be careful.”

  • These Nigerian students built low-cost device to clean petrol-polluted water

    These Nigerian students built low-cost device to clean petrol-polluted water

    By Omolola Afolabi

    Nigerian students, Ayomide Obikoya and Kehinde Ajasa were just teenagers when they designed an experiment that got the attention of the organizers of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize.

    The teenagers, who were students of Jakande Estate High School, Lagos,  said the oil pollution in the district where their school is located inspired them to develop the water purifying system.

    Many underground water sources such as wells and boreholes in estates in Jakande and surrounding areas in Baruwa have been polluted by oil for decades. Residents and scientists have traced the problem to petrol leaks that happened in the 90s after vandals attacked oil pipelines located in a section of the community.

    Residents say the water contamination has affected their health.

    “We discovered that our classmates who lived in the area had to miss school because they contracted diseases and skin infections from the contaminated water,” Ajasa said.

    “Some of our teachers’ cars also had the paint peeling off due to constant washing with petroleum-polluted water,” he added.

    Ajasa said their science teacher encouraged them to put in their water purification chamber for the Stockholm Junior Water Prize.

    “Time constraints proved a big challenge as we had to juggle our regular schoolwork with laboratory experiments for about six hours daily,” Ajasa said.

    He noted that although they started with 10 students, some abandoned it along the way as they could not cope with the stress.

    He recalled that the team also needed a lot of guidance on the experiments as they were only taught theories in their previous classes but never practised them.

    “During the first stage of the experiment, after several hours of rigorous tests with moringa leaves, we discovered that it was moringa seeds, not the leaves that could remove microorganisms from the contaminated water,” Obikoya said.

    Obikoya said they were running low on cash to replace raw materials like activated charcoal, the purifying apparatus.

    Potable water in Lagos and Nigeria is a challenge.

    The water contamination in parts of Jakande and Baruwa mirrors the challenge of resident’s access to safe drinking water. According to UNICEF, about one-third, representing over 133 million people in Nigeria drink from contaminated water sources.

    The Experiment

    The students told The Nation that their school laboratory was poorly- equipped, and they had to build the purification apparatus at a neighbourhood carpenter’s workshop.

    “Although the final result appeared clean, it was still very polluted because we tested it with blue and red litmus paper (the most basic test) and discovered that the water was still not drinkable,” Ajasa explained.

    “We needed more than a litmus paper test to confirm it was pure”

    He told The Nation that a lecturer at the University of Lagos helped them verify their results.

    “Afterwards, the result came out with a pH of 7.1 or 7.2. We had to continually test and go back to UniLag. The university was accessible to us only because of our contact there, this is also the reason we were not asked to pay,”

    “The final step after this was distillation,” he said.

    Distillation is used to remove microorganisms and ensure that the water is safe for use. It was also difficult to get a distiller.

    “Our school had a distiller but it wasn’t working,” said Obikoya.

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    She added that the school’s electricity voltage was too low to power the distiller, so they had to build one with the help of a welder with recycled materials like aluminium.

    “It was however not a perfect distiller as the feature that converts vapour to liquid was not present,” said Obikoya.

    They improvised with an ice block to condense the vapour to water – a very slow and tedious process.

    How The Project Can Help Baruwa

    The students said their Natrifier can be made into smaller containers to help Baruwa residents filter their water on the go.

    “We thought that if phones could be made mobile, then we could imitate that to create a mobile filtration apparatus,” Ajasa said.

    “This would serve the entire Baruwa,” Obikoya added.

    They would have it replaced at it every four months.

    The student’s project is a temporary succour for Baruwa and its residents. The community yearns for a permanent solution to its water problem.

    Seeking Intervention for Two Decades

    James Oyewole, 85  said residents in Baruwa and Jakande environs have been writing to both Lagos and federal government officials to intervene and provide water for the community for more than 20 years.

    “NNPC eventually provided a borehole in 2002 but the community has never put this into use”, recalls Oyewole. He noted that the borehole was installed without a treatment unit.

    “The treatment plan comes with a borehole installation to ensure water coming from the underground water table gets completely purified before it comes out of the taps”

    He recalled that although the PPMC rose to the occasion of the oil leaks at its first detection in the late 90’s, there had been no changes.

    “After their intervention, the vandalised pipelines stopped leaking but the damage has been done as several barrels of oil has gone into the ground”

    Oyewole says the Petroleum Products Marketers Corporation has been very unresponsive for a long time and that after several promises, it’s been years since any effort has been made to help restore potable water to Baruwa.

    After several calls and emails to the corporation and the agency, the reporter also didn’t get a response.

    Oyewole said the contamination is spreading as residents from neighbouring estates have reported to him that water from their well smells of petrol.

    He noted that the Lagos State Water Corporation intervened by giving the community water for a couple of years, afterwards they stopped.

    “We contacted Lagos State Water Corporation. We took the samples to the corporation. They examined it and confirmed the pollution was caused by the PMS product of PPMC,” Oyewole said.

    “Everything is now at a standstill. Everyone is now unbothered, there has been no feedback from the government institutions we contacted”, he says.

    “Purification of the water is one of the ways to tackle this problem. Creating a system in which residents around the area will be able to afford portable water through the use of natural resources,” Obikoya said.

    The students know their experiment is a temporary fix. They hope someday, clean water will run through Baruwa and that their experiment will inspire other students to find solutions to their communities’ challenges.

    “The Mobile Natrifier we have created will fix these gaps by empowering families to purify their water on their own using the mobile water flask system. (Natrifier),” Obikoya emphasized.

  • ‘Why bandits, kidnappers, illegal miners are biggest threats to solid mineral sector’

    ‘Why bandits, kidnappers, illegal miners are biggest threats to solid mineral sector’

    The quest by the federal government to diversify national economy through exploration of solid mineral resources is becoming a mirage as bandits have taken over the mining sites. A miner, Daniel John Baraya, spoke with Kolade Adeyemi in Jos about the activities of saboteurs in the sector. 

    AS a miner, do you think the federal government is serious about its avowed plan to exploit solid minerals as alternative to crude oil?

    The federal government is serious, but there are lots of problems sabotaging government policy on economic diversification. Indeed, government has a realisable dream, but they need to go the extra mile to bring that dream into reality.

    What exactly does it need to do?

    One is in the area of security and amendment of the Act on mining. In all the sectors of the national economy, it is mining that suffers the most because it is not done in cities but inside the bush, and the base of bandits is in the forest just like farming, especially in the 19 northern states. Bandits stay in the bush, and our business is also in the bush. So we found that we lost a lot of people who needed to go there for their daily income but fell victim to the activities of bandits. These bandits have grown so strong and formidable that they are now demanding and collecting royalties and basically exploiting legitimate mining companies. It is either you pay or you will not operate. So most people just quietly leave, and the bandits take over the sites. Now, lots of mining sites have been fully occupied by bandits. So, the government really needs to do something about that so that you can go into the bush, do your business and come back safely.

    The most pernicious part of it is that they brought kidnapping into the whole mix. If by chance they catch anybody and realise that the person is a miner, they feel that they have hit a goldmine. If that avenue is locked up because of insecurity, it means that investment is gone. So, if the government is serious about it and they want investment in the sector, they have to do something about it.

    The second issue sabotaging government interest in solid mineral is illegal mining. Illegal mining obviously disturbs both the government and even the operators. You spend a lot of money securing the site during exploration, prospecting and identifying a mineral. The moment you get to a point where you are supposed to actually start enjoying the benefits, illegal miners will flood into the place, sometimes with the backing of the traditional rulers. Now you find it challenging to actually evict them because you cannot muster the kind of resources required to get the law enforcement people into the place. And even if you do, some of those places are very challenging by nature. Mining is not done in cities but in the bushes, so you can’t say you are going to the police station to report. How many police people will follow you into the bush? So we are hoping that the government will really look seriously into the issue of illegal mining and make sure that at least there are mechanisms in place to make sure that it does not even happen in the first place.

    The third issue is that of Minerals and Mining Act of 2007. That Act needs to be reviewed if the federal government is to realise her dream in economic diversification through mining. Our experiences as miners have shown that the provisions of that Act are not enough with the modern realities on the ground. The Act is not capturing the actual operational problems that we are facing. I will give you an example. You can go to a place and identify a mineral and you are expected to start exploration. Now, when you do that, you’re supposed to go and file an application with the ministry. But before they give you any licence, they will expect you to go to the community and obtain their consent; which is good. Now, the problem with that is who is in the community? Sometimes there is a landowner who farms on the land or does activities on the land. It is his land. Maybe through history and tradition, it becomes his land. And then there are traditional rulers.

    Now, there is always a problem. If you collect the consent of that land owner and take it to the ministry tomorrow, somebody will come up and say he is the paramount ruler in the community; he has not given you any consent. And the law, as it states, is that you seek consent from the landowners. Now, on the basis of the paramount rulers’ complaint, your licence gets revoked, and the law does not recognise that. So, what we are saying is that one of the key areas that they can help us with is clarifying this point and making it okay. If we are going to seek consent from the community, from whom, and which one will protect our interests? If they say we are to work with the traditional institutions, fine. That means nobody can come tomorrow and say, I’m a landowner, it’s my father’s land, and I did not give you consent.

    If they also say we should work with the landowners, fine. We will work with that. Nobody would come and write a petition tomorrow and say I am the chief, so I should have a say in the matter. Once that is clarified, it helps and makes it easier. Also, we know what we are doing. And the ministry should take a very strong stand to make sure that this issue is clearly spelt out for the operators to understand so that our business can move forward.

    Having identified the challenges, what do you think is the way out?

    One, the federal government needs to get more serious with her dream on the solid mineral sector. It is not just enough to issue mining licence; the federal government should be more interested if the miners are on site. And if the miners are not on site, find out the problems and address them. Does government need to come to the aid of the miners? There are enough to mine in this country. We have only been scratching the surface so far, and we have been doing that mostly without government support. Now that the government has decided to come in and support us, it’s a good thing. It’s a welcome development. Our only prayer is that they will touch those areas that are really the main choke points that are disturbing the industry. The pronouncements so far that the government has been making are very encouraging. And the area we hope that they will focus on is number one: the regulatory environment. That is the main problem holding this industry back.

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    Is it true that state governments are also frustrating activities of miners in their various states?

    In some states, there is controversy over who controls mining between the state and the federal governments, and this is somehow unhealthy for the development of the industry. And that was why I talked about the mining Act. The confusion between the role of the federal government and the role of the state governments is a source of concern to most of us in the industry. This current Act has not addressed that.

    Now, you are all aware that some state governors have taken it upon themselves to ban mining in their states, which, to the best of our knowledge, is on the exclusive list of the federal government. They have no business doing any of that. But they are doing it and so far, nothing has been done to stop it or to challenge it. So, it confuses everybody in the industry. We are here, we know that we identify these minerals, we go to the ministry to apply, and they give us a licence. We wake up one day and discover that our investment in billions is being put on hold, banned or challenged by the state government.

    If government is considering changing the laws to allow participation by the state government, what is expected is that they will give us some advanced information so that in our planning we will take into consideration the effect of state government participation. But that is not the case; you will find out about a project that has been going on for years, and one day somebody will wake up and make a pronouncement, saying I’ve banned mining activity within my domain for some reasons.

    For the industry to move forward there has to be a strong action on the part of the federal government. They either involve the state governments and work together with them, and let us know that now that things have changed, we have to work with the state government, or they will clarify these things as clearly as possible to all the players so that we know who we are dealing with.

    The industry is no doubt capital-intensive. What do you think government can do to motivate investors in this regard?

     I told you that we have barely scratched the surface in Nigeria. Mining, as an industry, is a very big part of the economy of Nigeria, not because we don’t have the resources. The resources are there. We are blessed with mineral resources. Every state you can count on in this country has abundant mineral sources on the ground. Now, the challenge is that you need certain steps to move it from where it is on the ground to where it is useful.

    For instance, you say there is copper here. How do you prove it to that person? For instance, I see some signs that tell me there is copper, and I come to you. I want you to help me so that we can explore these resources. Well, how do I prove it to you? You see those other countries that have developed their industry, they have an entire value chain built around supporting this industry. We have people who are specialists in drilling a particular type of rock; we have specialists who have skills in aero magnetic service; and we have people who are skilled in interpreting data. Once you collect the data, you have specialists, and you have specialist labs. Now, if you pick a sample, to get an accurate and recognised sample that is ISO recognised, you have to send it to South Africa and other places. We don’t have that in Nigeria.

    So, one of the critical things that we have to do is get our industry to the level of South Africa, Australia, and Canada in terms of infrastructure. I am talking about assay labs, building the manpower and the skill level that are required in our geologists and mining engineers to be able to come up with reports that you can take outside of this country, and they will agree.

    If the mining sector is properly positioned in Nigeria, how much do you think it can fetch Nigeria in terms of revenue?

    Well, I give you an example of Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton. The average capital market capitalization of one or two of those averages is about $200 billion, $100 billion, or $150 billion. Now, if you convert that and compare, which company in Nigeria has that kind of market capitalization? None. If you add all the companies in Nigeria, they are not up to half of that. So that will give you an idea of what mining is about. We have these resources. For instance, if you discover an iron ore site that has a billon on the ground, that will give you an idea of the effect mining will have on our economy.

  • Real reason peace eludes Middle-East, Palestine

    • By Tajudeen Adigun

    The creation of Israel in 1948 to usurp Palestine territory in the Middle-East was a grand scheme and conspiracy hatched by the Western power bloc comprising Britain and the United States of America (USA).

    It was initiated by Britain, the colonial power in Palestine and supported by the US. Both countries yielded to the wish of a Jewish family called Rothschild, a stinking rich financial guru, who worked behind the curtain to make Israel a reality.

    Thus Palestine became a puppet in an international chess game sacrificed by Britain to appease the whining Jews who were crying for a home state in the Middle-East. The Arabs had earlier shot themselves in the foot when they bought into the deception of a British statesman, Lawrence, popularly called Lawrence of the Arabs that made them to support Britain in the Eastern war against Turkey. Arabs’ support gave victory to Britain. To the surprise of the Arabs, Britain back-pedaled on the promise given to them that Palestine would be granted independence after winning the war against the Turks.

    Unknown to the Arabs, Britain had another agenda that was hostile and injurious to their interest. That was the beginning of the debacle that is fueling the war of destruction in the Gaza Strip and probably West Bank.

    At the inception of the resolve of the Jews to take over Palestine, Britain allowed them to hit Arab Palestine with unprecedented terrorist activities that unleashed mayhem on Jerusalem.

    Hamas, tagged a terrorist organisation in the Gaza Strip and West Bank occupied territory of Arabs called Palestine, had a few days ago rained missiles on Jews without any provocation. Hamas who are fighting for the freedom for Palestine, in their destructive attack on Israel killed more than 1,000 Jews and kidnapped many Israelis, holding some hostage.

    Israel too did not stand with arms akimbo. Its armed forces retaliated with showers of missiles raining deaths on the Arabs.

    The international community was alarmed as it is feared that if this mutual destruction of the Jews and Arabs is not stopped, and quickly too, it could become the World War III which a French seer, Nostradamus had predicted would start in the Middle-East. The great seer had predicted the two World Wars and 9-11 in the US.

    There is, therefore, palpable fear in the air that the World War III is on the way. What with Israel now a recognised state, occupying Arab Palestine land in 1948.

    The emergence of the Jewish people now called Israel was in the area earlier known as Palestine. The area was under the control of Britain. The urge to win World War I that started in 1914 and ended in 1918 made Britain betray the Arab people whom the British authorities had earlier promised to grant independence for supporting Britain to defeat the Turks in a war called the Eastern war.

    A Briton called T.E. Lawrence or better known as Lawrence of Arabia had convinced the Arabs to support Britain against the Turks.

    In return, he promised them that Britain, as the colonial master that controlled Palestine, would grant it independence and had the state over to the Arabs. That promise was not fulfilled by Lawrence; thus leaving the Arabs regretting enabling Britain to defeat Turkey.

    The Britons had in the thick of World War I decided to lure the United States into the war and they also needed the support of Jews who were living in the US. It is on record that there were about five million Jews in the US and more than 25 percent of them were living in New York.

    They had influence. These were the powerful group of Jews who were financed and guarded by a financial guru Jew name Rothschild to launch Zionism.

    The role that Victor Rothschild who had a telling influence on Lawrence manipulated him to jettison his promise to ensure that Palestine would be granted independence under Arab control. Britain turned Palestine into a gift toy to appease the Jews and left the Arabs panting for breath. The Balfour Declaration that gave Palestine to the Jews was never announced in the House of Commons. Arthur Balfour was the Foreign Secretary under the Lloyd George government during the war. It was a letter written by Balfour to Walter Rothschild, who was a representative of the English Federation of Zionists. The body was set up to prosecute the political cause that latter made Israel a reality in the land earlier called Palestine. In other words Zionism was never a religious movement, but rather a political machine that fought the cause of Jews and gave them a state in the Middle-East.

    More than 20 years after, the private letter written by the British Foreign Secretary to Victor Rothschild was to become the instrument that led to the declaration and what could be called creation of Israel in 1948. The Balfour Declaration was, however, later called the Milner Declaration as it was drafted by Milner, who was the declaration drafter and its chief supporter in the War cabinet. Lord Rothschild bankrolled the movement to make Israel happen in the Middle-East. With the firm grip of Rothschild family on the government of Britain, the Arabs or Palestinians no longer had a say in the fate of their land.

    Those who were quoting the Bible to justify the claim of Jews in Palestine conveniently forget that the Arabs too also have a portion of the Quran that they usually quote to rationalise their claim on Palestine.

    Lloyd George who was Prime Minister of Britain on an occasion betrayed his support for the Jews in public when he lauded the brilliance, commitment and doggedness that qualified the Jews, in his estimation to have a right to the Palestine as he poured contempt on the Arabs. George said the Arabs were too stupid and foolish to make anything good out of Palestine if it was ceded to them.

    Zionism, without any intent to malign members, promoters and its financier, was a terrorist organisation that was out to remove any hurdle or obstacle on the path to the creation of Israel. It was a foremost instrument of terror against those who were opposed to the realisation of its objectives.

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    Towards the end of World War II, Britain, a leader in the Allied Group that included the US was actively sponsoring the return of Jews especially those who survived the Holocaust in Germany and many of those who had escaped the war to the US to Israel.

    In Jerusalem, there was a guest house, Presidential Hotel. The British government as the colonial master of Palestine provided a safe haven for Jews who were passed through Britain to Palestine and gave them accommodation. Presidential Hotel was used as a transit camp for the returnees.

    With Mossad, Israel’s Secret Service on ground, under the control of Golda Meir, thousands of Jews, from Germany and the United States swelled the population of Jews in Palestine.

    With the hardware of Britain and, of course, the US, the war that later broke out between Arabs and the Jews was an easy ride to victory by the Jews. The support of the US, Britain and other the Allied Forces was more than enough to ensure the Jews’ victory in subsequent war in the Middle-East.

    With the availability of weapons of mass destruction in the possession of many nations, as well as the highhandedness of the Jews, the world appears to be on the precipice of self destruction.

    The United Nations should persuade the warriors on both sides of the divide to accept the two-state policy. That is, the Jews should allow the establishment of a Palestine state side by side with Israel. This is the path to prevent the manifestation of Nostradamus prediction.

  • Furore over death of two-year-old baby who fell from school’s three-storey building

    Furore over death of two-year-old baby who fell from school’s three-storey building

    Mr. Jacob Etim, an indigene of Akwa Ibom State and commercial motorcyclist was determined to ensure that his children obtain quality education because he himself did not have the opportunity for same because of the circumstances of his birth and his environment. Unfortunately, he lost his only son in very bizarre circumstances, reports SUNNY NWANKWO.

    Like many other poor Nigerian families, the parents of Mr. Jacob Etim, an indigene of Akwa Ibom State, could not muster the funds to train him in school. Born into a large family, Etim hadn’t the luxury of joining other children of his age to play or while away time in the village as he was always busy helping his parents with farm work to ensure that there was food on the family’s table.

    Having waited and got tired of watching his parents suffer, Etim decided to leave his family house in Akwa Ibom for the commercial city of Aba in neighbouring Abia State to face whatever challenge life would throw at him.

    His mission in Aba was to come see how God could help him fend for himself and also ensure that his parents in the village got some stipends every month from his little savings.

    Shortly after arriving Aba in 2008, Etim decided to learn furniture making; a skill that he anticipated would help him to grow his business to compete favourably with other brands in the market, using his little savings as a start-off.

    In 2016, as part of his desire to have a helpmate and begin raising his own children, Etim used part of the little money that he was able to save from his furniture business to marry his beautiful wife, Onyekachi, in 2016. Mercifully, the marriage produced two beautiful children, a girl and a boy.

    In 2018, the furniture workshop closed down despite his efforts to rejuvenate his business. Rather than stay idle, Etim was able to raise some money to buy a motorcycle which he used for commercial transportation to ensure that he not only put food on the family’s table but also meet the children’s academic needs and upkeep.

    Penultimate Tuesday, Etim, like every other member of the household at their No. 2 Ugwumba Street residence in Aba South Local Government Area, woke up hoping that the day would bring good fortunes only for cruel fate to greet him with the sad news of the death of David, his only son.

    If the death of David was shocking, the circumstances made it even more so, as he was said to have fallen to death from a three-storey building that housed his classroom. Not surprisingly, David’s has thrown up several questions that would take prudent investigation by the Abia State Police Command to unravel; the most pungent being why a teacher or class assistant would leave their toddler pupils in a three storey building without thinking of possible consequences.

    Since the news of the death of the two-and-a-half-year-old baby broke, Abians and indeed Nigerians have been asking whether the teacher actually left him and other children to buy snacks and why the management of the school would keep pupils of that age in a three-storey building without thinking of possible dangers or threats to their lives.

    Father’s account

    “On Tuesday, October 17, I drove my two children to their school, Emerald International Academy, at N0. 20 Crystal Park, off Port Harcourt Road, Aba South Local Government Area, Abia State.

    “On getting to the school, I made attempt to take the children inside but one of their teachers called me back to ask if I had paid their school fees. They said that they were on school fees drive and had been instructed not to allow any child entry into the school or their classrooms if they had not paid their school and other necessary fees.

    “I didn’t have such money because I didn’t make any budget for such expenses. But because I didn’t want my children to be at home when other children were in school, I rallied round to ensure that I got money to pay their fees before they allowed them to go to their classes.

    “Their school dismisses at 3 O’clock, and by 3:20 pm, I was in the school to pick my children. On getting to the school, I saw my daughter but didn’t see the brother, David. The sister told me that her brother fell from the building, but I didn’t understand what she was saying until a much older student that should be about 11-12 years came to explain to me.

    “According to the boy, they were the people that first got to the scene to pick my child up from the floor and raised the alarm before some of the teachers came to collect him from them and rushed him to the hospital. From their account, blood was gushing out of my son’s nose and mouth when the teachers rushed to the hospital.

    “I rushed to John Okorie Memorial Hospital, behind the Emerald School, where they said that my son was taken to. When I got to the hospital, I saw some nurses and the teacher who looks after them until parents came to collect their children.

    “I saw my child lying on the floor and surrounded by the nurses as well as the teacher and some others who were crying.

    “I asked what was happening, and the teacher told me that after the school dismissed, she went to buy snacks and returned to witness what had happened. The question is why would the teacher leave the children in such a high rise building to go and buy snacks as she wants us to believe, and leave the children in the hands of no adult?

    “Usually, what happens is that when the school dismisses, the children are kept at the school’s security post where the security man looks after them until their parents come to pick them up. But what happened that day is what I don’t know.

    “How can a teacher leave the children to go and buy snacks? Can’t she take the children to the security post before going to buy the snacks that she claimed she went to buy?

    “At that point, when it was obvious that my son was dead, I didn’t know what else to do than to go to Ndiegoro Police Division (Cameron Barracks) to make an entry. It was after the entry that I went with the Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) 3 to deposit the body of my boy at the mortuary.

    “As we speak, the boy comes to me in dreams every day to ask that I should come and take him away from the mortuary. The sad thing is that until this time that we are talking, the management of the school is yet to reach out to us; not even to send a condolence message.

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    “That is heartless and insensitive of a school as big as Emerald International School.

    “The next day, I was told that we were going to the State CID. When we got there, they said that the paper was not properly documented; that we should go back and properly document the papers. That is where we are.

    “I want the government to come to my aid. A child is not owned by one person. My son who has a bright future just died because of the negligence of the teacher. I simply want justice for my son, David.

    Mother’s account

    “I am Mrs. Onyekachi Jacob, the mother of David Jacob.

    “On Tuesday, October 17, I dressed my children up for school only for my husband to tell me that they (Emerald International School) said that our children would not be allowed into their classes unless we paid their school fees for the term.

    “We did as we were told. We rallied round to pay their school fees the same day before they allowed them entry into their classes.

    “While I was in my shop, something pushed me to start going to their school. What I had in mind was to bring them back from school. But to my greatest shock, what I met there has until date kept me traumatised.

    “How do I explain to people that my son, David Chikamso Jacob, who went to school with his sister, Blessing, is dead?

    “When I got to their school, it was Blessing that told me that her brother, David, fell from the last floor and crash landed. When I came into the school compound, even the gate man did not tell me what had happened. It was my daughter that held me by the hand and led me to the spot where her brother’s blood stained the floor.

    “While I was still trying to know if what the elder sister said was true or not, another pupil in the school came and directed me to the hospital where my son was taken to. I went to the hospital to meet the corpse of my son who left home hale and hearty.

    “At the hospital, no one was able to tell me how my only son died. I have been left shattered since the incident. I am pained and traumatised that a child I carried for nine months, a child that will always read my mind and knows how to act to lift my heart when I am not happy.

    “He may be two-years-six months old, but he acts beyond children of his age. Why would the carelessness of a teacher end the journey of a bright son like Chikamso as I fondly called him?

    “It has been my husband and I that have been running around since this incident. The teachers and school management have kept quiet. The school is on and no one cares. They have been acting as if nothing happened. Maybe they are doing all these because we don’t have the money to fight for justice.

    “There was no adequate protection for the safety of the children in the school. The said teacher was careless and that was what resulted in the death of my son.

    “My son is my blood and I will not just want this to go without my son getting justice.

    “My son died not just a premature but a painful death, and the school is not perturbed. There is no atom of remorse from the school. No phone call from the school or the teacher. Nobody among them has cared to visit the family over the incident.

    “Sometimes, if I went to the school and they have not dismissed, I do go to their class to pick them. If they had dismissed, they normally leave them with the gate man who I pick them from at the school gate. Why did their classroom teacher leave the children at the upstairs instead of keeping them with the school’s gateman as she used to do?

    “From indications, Chikamso hit his head on the floor which caused his death. He has internal bleeding. I was told that, they tried placing him on oxygen, but instead of the air passing through, it was causing him internal bleeding.

    “I am begging government for assistance. They should help us get justice for our son.”

    School’s position

    When contacted on the phone, one Peter Nwoke, who claimed to be one of the owners of the school, told our correspondent that the accounts of the parents to the late David were false and do not represent the true account of the death of their child.

    This is even as Nwoke, who disclosed that he was at the State CID office in Umahia at the time of filing this report, affirmed that David was a pupil in their school.

    The Commissioner of Education in the state, Prof. Uche Eme, told our correspondent that at the time of inquiry on the incident from her office, she was in a meeting.

    The Education Commissioner said on the phone: “I have seen your text. In a case like this, there will be investigation.”

    Contacted by our correspondent, the Public Relations Officer of the Abia State Police Command, Maureen Chinaka, said: “On the evening of October 17, 2023, at approximately 2000hrs, Mr. Jacob Etim Udo, residing at Ugwumba Street, Aba, accompanied by two individuals, arrived at the Ndiegoro Divisional Headquarters with the heartbreaking news of his son David’s tragic accident.

    “David, a pupil of Emerald International School located by Crystal Park Road, Aba, was reported to have fallen from a school building, leading to his untimely demise.

    “David was swiftly rushed to the hospital, but despite the best efforts of medical personnel, he tragically succumbed to his injuries.

    “The child’s body has been recovered and placed for autopsy as part of our ongoing investigation.

    “The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for a comprehensive and discreet inquiry to unravel the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate incident.

    “We understand the concerns and emotions that this incident has stirred within the community. We want to assure the public that a meticulous investigation is underway to uncover the truth.

    “We urge everyone to remain calm and patient as we conduct this inquiry.

    “The authorities are committed to a transparent and thorough examination of the facts, and we will keep the public informed of significant developments.

    “Our heartfelt condolences go out to Mr. Jacob Etim Udo and his family during this profoundly difficult time.

    “We request the public’s cooperation and understanding while the investigation progresses.

    “Rest assured we are dedicated to ensuring justice and will leave no stone unturned in our pursuit of the truth.”

  • ‘Our night of nightmares’

    ‘Our night of nightmares’

    • Minna neighbourhood residents recall ugly experience with suspected terrorist, security agents exchange of gunfire
    • 150 AK47 rifles, 20 rocket propellers, 3,000 live ammunition recovered from suspect’s house
    • Residents seek compensation for damaged homes

    Residents of Kolobe Unguwar, a community in Gbeganu part of Minna, Niger State capital, shuddered in the quietness of their rooms as gunshots boomed for about three hours on Monday. According to residents, the gunshots, which began at about11.30 pm and lasted till about 2.30 am on Tuesday, was heralded by an explosion which turned out the first in the series of explosions that followed.

    Some residents who spoke with The Nation said there were three explosions within the space of every 20 to 30 minutes, accompanied with gunshots in an exchange of gunfire between a suspected terrorist and some men of the Department of State Security (DSS) and the Nigerian Army.

    It was gathered that a suspected terrorist that had been on the watch list of security operatives started the shooting when he noticed the movement of the security operatives through the CCTV cameras he installed in his house. The suspect, who was said to have been on the watch list of security operatives, reportedly bought the house and moved in about two years ago. He was said to have used a rocket launcher to bring down a part of the fence of his house through which he escaped while his wife and children were arrested by security operatives.

    The suspect was reported to have started firing gunshots when he noticed the arrival of security operatives through the CCTV cameras he installed in his house. He was also said to have used a rocket launcher to bring down some part of his house to facilitate his escape, leaving his family members behind.

    Security operatives were then said to have taken away seven members of the suspected terrorist’s family. But it could not be ascertained at press time if the family members were in the custody of security agents in Minna or had been taken outside the state.

    A night guard in one of the neighbourhood houses, Mubarak Abubakar, was reportedly hit by a stray bullet and was receiving treatment at the emergency unit of the IBB Specialist Hospital in Minna. A top security source disclosed that 150 AK 47 rifles, 20 rocket propellers, and 3,000 live ammunitions were recovered from the residence of the terrorist.”

    It was gathered that agents had been monitoring the activities of the terrorist, who is said to be an indigene of Kogi State, and had discovered that he was piling up dangerous weapons in the house.

    “When the terrorist discovered that he was being overpowered by the security operatives, he brought down the back fence of his building and escaped through the bush path into an adjoining forest around Bosso area of the state,” a security source disclosed.

    Some residents who recalled their experience with the frightening incident said that they had never witnessed anything like that in their lives, with some saying they thought the world was coming to an end during the long hours during the gun battle and explosions lasted.

    Emmanuel Ikeji and other neighbours whose apartment are located opposite the house of the suspected terrorist, bore the majority of the damages caused by the explosion suspected to have been caused by the rocket launcher and other explosive elements.

    Ikeji, who has lived in the area for three years, said: “At about 11.30 pm on the 23rd, I was inside my house when I heard some people shouting. The next thing I heard was the exchange of gunfire until around 2.30 am.

    “By 3 am, we heard an explosion followed by shootings, then another explosion followed by some shootings also. The explosions occurred three times.

    “We could not come out because we did not know where the bullets were coming from or who was behind the explosions. The shootings were also too much.

    “The explosions caused our windows to break while the ceilings began to fall off. The walls in our rooms were cracking open. The impact was too much.”

     I forgot my baby out of fear, says neighbour

    Maryam Mohammed, whose window is directly beside the house of the suspected terrorist, said she was made to leave her baby inside the house while she and the other children were brought outside for the security operatives to search her house to ensure that the suspect was not hiding there.

    She said: “I was inside the house sleeping when I heard shootings and movements. I woke up and found that all my windows were broken.

    “Scared and not knowing what to do, I took my children to the other room, and we sat on the ground there.

    “Later, we heard the security people knocking and shouting that I should open the gate, but I didn’t because I was scared. So they broke down my gate.

    “When they got to my door, they shouted that if I did not open it, they would shoot us down, so I opened it.

    “They asked about my husband and I told them my husband was late. They asked who was with me in the house and I said only my children and I.

    “They told me to put my hand on my head and I obeyed. They then took me outside and made me to sit there with my children.

    “I forgot my baby inside but I was not allowed inside the house despite my pleas that my baby was inside. That was how I left my baby inside while they began their search.

    “They checked the whole room and asked if anyone had come inside in the last two hours and I said no. They checked and checked and even used a drone to check my ceilings and the surroundings.

    “Still not satisfied, they broke the ceiling and entered inside but didn’t see anything. They now came out and asked me to return inside house with my children.

    “When I entered, I saw one of them drinking a soft drink he had taken from my fridge. They removed all my curtains and in the process, tore some.”

    Speaking about the suspected terrorist who escaped the security ambush, all the residents claimed they were not familiar with the family, which they said had moved to the neighbourhood about 18 months ago. They also said they had never seen the man while his wife and children do not relate with anybody.

    The residents said the previous owner of the house sold water from his borehole but the terrorist who bought the house stopped selling the water, which other residents saw as a warning that they were not ready to mingle with anyone.

    Maryam said she only used to greet the woman she suspected to be the suspected terrorist’s wife whenever she met her outside or when she came to buy firewood from her.

    She said: “These people and I are not familiar with each other. What happens is if I met her outside, we would greet each other. I have not entered the house since they sold it to them. The only thing that makes her enter my compound is to buy firewood.”

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    Ikeji said: “I don’t know the person who lived there. I have not been to the compound. The person who sold the house was friendly with us and while he was there, I usually went there to buy water because there was a borehole with two giant tanks.

    “But when the new owners moved in, they no longer sold water to the public. Since they came, I have not brought water from them. I don’t know the person. I haven’t even seen the new person who moved in.”

     Residents demand compensation

    The residents are seeking compensation from the government and security agencies in respect of the damages the security operation caused them.

    Alhassan Ahmed, one of the landlords, said that windows of his houses were all broken, the ceilings were destroyed and the walls cracked while the fences were also broken down.

    Ahmed said: “This is so devastating as I don’t know what do immediately about my damaged property. My tenants are rendered homeless.

    “I am calling on good people of the state to come to my aid on this calamity. I hope to receive assistance on this issue.

    “I also want to be directed on next line of action as a victim of circumstance, because things are expensive these days.

    “Please let the government and security agencies come and compensate us. You can’t go to an operation, destroy people’s houses and leave them like that. Please, something needs to be done.

    “All the windows in my house are broken. The ceilings came down with somae parts cracked while all the walls have also cracked. They need to do something for us.”

    Maryam lamented that as a widow, she would not be able to take up the expenses that would arise from repairing the damages caused during the security operations, calling on the government to come to her aid.

    When the Reporter visited the place, she was told that some youths around the vicinity had destroyed the parts of the house that were still standing after the gun battle while all the pieces of furniture, appliances, and fittings in the house were pilfered away.

    The reporter met some people still carting away blocks, broken tiles, and the crumbles from the destroyed building when she visited.

    Several of the residents whose houses were affected have left their houses pending when repairs would be made as majority of them said they no longer feel safe.

    Numerous efforts made by our reporter and other journalists to get the government, Army or DSS to speak about the incident were abortive as the parties concerned chose to keep mum over the incident.

  • Multi-billion naira national tourism treasures lie in ruins

    Multi-billion naira national tourism treasures lie in ruins

    • Insurgents take over sites as poor infrastructure compounds woes
    • Stakeholders lament comatose state of sector

    Nigeria, in spite of its vast  tourism potentials has been trailing smaller African nations with fewer potentials in terms of revenue and global ranking. With the creation of a stand-alone Ministry of Tourism  by President Bola Tinubu, the challenge of  foreign exchange  scarcity can gradually begin to ease if other challenges bedeviling the sector are addressed and the needful is done to attract international tourists, INNOCENT DURU reports.

    Emi Olowolabi, a native of Idanre in Ondo State started engaging in tourism activities as a child until he grew up to become the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in the state. 

    Idanre hills are some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in Nigeria. Located on a precambarian igneous batholith that is about 500 million years old according the records of the state government, the site, which was added to UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on October 8, 2007 in the cultural category, was a tourist attraction in its heyday as far back as the colonial era. But all that glory has faded.  

    “When we remember what the hills were in the past, we weep now,” Olowolabi said in an emotion-laden voice.

    “Unarguably, Idanre is a tourism site of national importance,” he  added as he went into a nostalgic recall of how the site used to be the delight of foreign tourists.

    “When I was younger, I remember we used to stay at the foot of the hill, taking white people to the hill. They would not give us money, but they were giving us sardines,” he said.

    On a daily basis, Olowolabi, a former Commissioner for Information in the state, said, “we could take five to 10 white people up the hills. Idanre Hills, which are called Oke Idanre, are a tourism destination of delight.

    “Then, the colonial masters built rest houses. As you climbed the hill, you would rest, and there were about five to six rest points while climbing.

    “There was pipe borne water everywhere then. But today, the place is on steady decline on account of inadequate attention.”

    Since the return of democracy in 1999, Olowolabi said, the biggest attempt at developing tourism potentials in Idanre was  made during the tenure of the late Dr. Olusegun Agagu. “Then, they embarked on massive renovation of the site. They were on the verge of putting in place a cable car to get to the hill.

    “When he left, the government that came after him, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, also showed some commitment to tourism. But rather than develop the historical site, he chose to develop the foot of the hills.  He built rest houses, tourists hot spots, funs spots and so on. “By the time he left office, the government that came thought differently. So the place is actually a victim of inconsistency in government.”

    “During Agagu’s era, Olowolabi further said, “Idanre Hills were listed as United Nations heritage site in professional lifting.

    “That itself poses a lot of challenges as a world heritage site. Part of the requirement is that everything about the place must be left the way it is.

    “You cannot introduce concrete, paint or iron roofing sheets. It has to be in that form. You can only use mud to renovate the houses and not cement.”

    The sad state of Idanre Hills typifies the state of many other sites across the country. They have become an eyesore to the locals and irritatingly unattractive to foreigners. 

    The Yankari Games Reserve  in Bauchi State is another tourism site that has become a shadow of itself. Tourism stakeholders in the state are saddened by what has become of the site once regarded as the beautiful bride of the state.

    Musa Bature, a player in the tourism sector, decried the condition of the site, saying: “Some investors who wanted to invest in tourism recently visited the place. But they said that what they used to hear about Yankari was not what they saw on ground. 

    “They were even saying that it is better for the authorities to tell the world the truth about the state of the site than telling lies about it. That tells you the state of the site.”

    Speaking further, Bature said: “The road to the site is just about 40 per cent okay.  And you know when we say 40 per cent, it means that it is below average. 

    “It is not something that can motivate foreigners to come into the area. 

    “When you take off from Bauchi to Alkaleri, the road is very very bad. It is nothing to write home about. 

    “When I went there about two months ago, the rooms, I mean accommodation, was nothing to write home about.”

    Cross Rivers State, which sparkled as Nigeria’s tourism destination during the regime of Donald Duke, has also lost all the glitz and glamour that made other states envious of the global attention the land commanded.  Dr Lucky George, a leading player in the industry, was close to tears as he spoke about the ruinous state of tourism in the state.

    His words: “Cross River used to be the darling of holiday makers locally in Nigeria with the Obudu Mountain Resort in mind. The immediate past administration made a mess of the entire structure.

    “The place is now a shadow of itself. There is nothing left in the Cross River axis of Nigerian tourism apart from the annual carnival.

    “If you build a hotel of 50 rooms and you take a loan of N100 million from the bank and you are banking on once in a year event, how do you repay your loan?

    “All the major hotels in Calabar now apart from Transcorp Hotel, the university graduates that are working in them are earning N20,000 a month.

    “It tells you how poor the revenue, patronage is. If a hotel has 50 per cent occupancy averagely, you can afford to pay salary of N40, 000 or N50,000.”

    More lamentations on various sites

    In the Southeast part of the country, Anambra State is one of the states endowed with tourism potentials. Ogbukwu Cave and Water Falls is seen as one of the outstanding sites in the state. Sadly, it is being starved of the basic support it needs to attract attention beyond the Southeast region.

    A former tour guide of the site, ThankGod Okechukwu, said: “There is a marked access road to the cave. You can use a vehicle to a point and park. Then you will trek about five poles to get to the cave.

    “This cave has no religious implications. It is purely for tourism.

    “We also need electricity. People are moving to the cave to establish businesses.

    “If there is electricity, hotels will be attracted to the area.  It will save people the cost of spending money on generator and more people will like to enjoy themselves there confident that there will be uninterrupted power supply.

    “When people come with ice block to get there drinks cold and it melts, the picnic will not worth it anymore.”

    He said that the government of Obiano made a remarkable attempt at developing the place, “but you know how politicians do their things. They erected change room before the cave. They awarded contract for the road leading to the cave but left it after putting drainage.

    “Other works like the staircase that would lead somebody into the cave was done by the community. The state government was given some hectares of land to develop that place but they never did.

    “(Governor) Soludo has not done anything about the cave. Since Obiano left, there has been no government attention anymore.

    “At the federal level, when Nbanefo was the DG of tourism, he tried to enlist it as a national monument, but politics did not allow it to fly.”

    By estimation, ThankGod said, the cave is a big site.

    “When the Lebanese came there, they said it is the largest cave in West Africa. They came here through the help of the late Prof Achelonu of Imo State University. It has waterfall and two pavilions.

    Schools around the Southeast, especially those in Natural Sciences Department and people from other places come here.”

    Inadequate attention by government 

    The whole challenge, according to Olowolabi, is that government has not been paying adequate attention to tourism development.

    He said: “I always refer to the Idanre Hills as a goldmine in neglect. Despite the parlous state of the site, every weekend, you find a convoy of coastal buses from different parts of Nigeria  conveying students and tourists to the place. 

    “When they do the annual festival every May, the crowd there is unbelievable. All of this tells us that if developed, the place will be a money spinner for the government.

     “When tourists come to Idanre, they travel to Akure to sleep because we don’t have any hotels that can take a coastal bus load of visitors.  There is no hotel in Idanre that has up to 14 rooms.”

    Wale Ojo Lanre, a frontline stakeholder in the industry, said: “All the tourism sites in Nigeria are weeping.

    “Just of recent, you can digitalise Ikogosi in Ekiti. It has been concessioned to a private sector.

    “Nigeria has over 700 coastlines but we have not been able to do anything about it. Gambia has only 68 beach lines and over 72 hotels.  I have never visited any tourist site in Nigeria that has good infrastructure. I can never invite any foreign tourist to come.

    “Most of the sites are crying. Most of them are in the wrong places. Most of them are neglected.”

    Dr Lucky Gerorge on his part lamented the horrible state of roads which he strongly belives will never motivate tourists to visit the country. 

    He said: “Most of the tourist sites are just there. The attractions are not competitive enough and they have not been known to sway anybody to come in from Europe to spend holiday in Nigeria except you are coming with something else in mind.

    “This is why Nigeria is not a leisure destina tion. A leisure destination is different from a business destination.

    “What we spend money on as attraction is because people don’t have somewhere else to go to in most cases.

    “The roads are very bad. I am doing my second PhD in Nsukka and I left Lagos in the morning and got there past 12 the following morning. It is that bad.

    “Imagine telling a tourist to come into Nigeria. When you look at what you are coming to see in Nigeria and what you can see in other places, you will say Nigeria does not rank among preferred destinations.”

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    Mass tourism, according to him, is what makes a destination and not when three aor five people come into a place. “No country survives on  those low number of traffic. 

    “Why is France the most visited country in the world? These people receive about 100 million travellers in a year. Spain receives about 70 million and Dubai gets close to 15 million. 

    “When you build hotels, you need people to fill them. The same thing when you build attractions, shops, etc.

    Insurgents occupy tourism sites

    Aside from neglect by various governments, findings also showed that the challenge of insecurity has done incalculable damage to tourism potentials of the country.

    In Bauchi, Bature said, the challenge of kidnappings in communities and villages around Yankari Games Reserve has scared people from visiting the site like they used to do.

    “People, including foreigners, used to go there in large numbers. Now the place is beginning to experience security challenges. 

    “Recently, communities and villages around the place have started experiencing the problem of kidnapping and that makes it not to be as safe as it used to.” 

    Also bemoaning the destructive impacts of insecurity on tourism in the country, Dr Lucky George said: “Insecurity is a major problem in Gashaka Gumti in Taraba State, on the Mambila Pateau axis. Before now, if you didn’t have money to go to London, you could go to the plateau and experience temperate weather. But insecurity has become a challenge there.

    “The same goes for Bauchi, the Maiduguri axis and the Gombe axis. Don’t forget the Hadejia Nguru wetland where people used to go from Kano to Hadejia, from Hadejia to Nguru, from Nguru to where you have these migratory birds.  That axis has been completely wiped out from the path of local tourism.”

    Also speaking on this  Barrister Wale Ojo Lanre lamented the calamity that insecurity has brought upon tourism in the country.

    He said: “Successive governments don’t value those tourism sites. That is why insurgents occupy the place. Some of the protected areas called national parks, many of them have been occupied by insurgents.

    “It is not about insurgency affecting tourism but insurgents have occupied those places. How will a tourist go to a site occupied by insurgents?”

    Listing the various sites that have been taken over by insecurity, he said:

    “Kanji National Park is under Boko Haram, Gashaka Gumti National Park is where we have Boko Haram’s headquarters. Sambisa Forest is part of the national park.

    “Kamuku National Park has been occupied by insurgents. How can you go there? Tell me what you want to go and see.

    “One of the ancient castles there in Kaduna was built by a German. I think the German there has been abducted.

    “These are parts of the challenges facing tourism development in Nigeria.”

    Successive governments, according to Wale Ojo-Lanre don’t think about tourism but they  think about oil. 

    “If successive Nigerian governments think about tourism, they will protect it.            

    “Nigerian tourism industry is worth over 100 trillion dollars. If you know what is meant by tourism industry, you will be mad with successive governments in this country.”

    Looking at how other countries turned their economies aound using tourism, he said: “Malaysia is a country like Nigeria. The population is about 25 million. In 2018, 26 million people visited the country because of tourism.

    “How did that happen? Malaysia produces oil. In the early 80s, oil was their major revenue, so there was oil boom.

    “But after oil boom, there was oil doom and they suffered. After that experience, Malaysia resolved that never will they allow their country to be maltreated by foreign power of petrol.

    “They diverted all the money they made from oil boom to develop the tourism sites in their country, raising tourism from nowhere to highest revenue generator. Oil then came third after tourism.

    “The manufacturing sector is the first revenue generator, tourism is second while oil after it.

    “Nigeria didn’t do that. Imagine Nigeria giving N1billion to each state to develop two tourism sites.  Do you know how many people will be employed? Do you know how much the 72 sites will inject into the economy?

    How to revive tourism potentials

    In spite of the despicable state of the tourism sector in the country, stakeholders strongly believe that all hopes are not lost yet.Wale Ojo Lanre says the country would need, among other things, a workable national policy to revive the sector.

    “Nigeria must have a national policy on tourism. There must be a master plan.

    “No country can move tourism forward without a master plan. It must be protected in the manner that the oil sector is protected by ensuring that we have tourism police.

    “Jordan is the only country in the Middle East that doesn’t have oil but it thrives on educational tourism, medical tourism and real tourism. They have tourism police. 

    “Ghana makes more money from tourism than Nigeria and it does not have up to 10 tourism sites.  Gambia too is making money from tourism. 

    “There is no legal framework on tourism. The existing ones are archaic.”

     He continued: “It was only during the Obasanjo era that we had a semblance of tourism development. After Obasanjo’s regime, tourism went down and it has never been raised up since.

    “The only thing that has consistently happened is the presence of stakeholders, practitioners, private sector who are just scratching the surface. So tourism is nowhere at all.

    “Obasanjo was the only government that created a stand-alone ministry of art, culture and tourism. After his regime, the ministry of art and culture was merged with ministry of information. 

    “There is no specific budget for it.  The budget comes under the Ministry of Information. It is the same thing with states that have ministry of culture and tourism. Most of them don’t understand what is meant by tourism.

    “When one of the parastatals that is meant to be under tourism was talking about digital packaging of Nigeria’s tourism, I smiled and I said digitilisation my foot.  You cannot build something on nothing.

    “Where do you want to digitalise? You want to digitalise what is not there? Nigeria doesn’t have up to 10 tourism sites that you can lure people to come and use. 

    “I was the one that said there should be a stand-alone tourism ministry after Obasanjo. I was at the Senate on two occasions and called press conferences. Now it has been created. It was created newly.”

    Efforts to get the reaction of the Ministry of Tourism on what its doing to salvage the industry was unsuccessful.

    The spokesperson, Emem Offiong, did not answer call to her mobile line and was yet to respond our text message.

  • Charting the course for competitive manufacturing under AfCFTA

    Charting the course for competitive manufacturing under AfCFTA

    The manufacturing sector’s 10 per cent contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is considered to be abysmal, considering that the same sector accounted for as high as 35 per cent of Ireland’s GDP growth in 2021, for instance. The figure is even higher in the U.S.A., where manufacturing accounts for more than 60 per cent of total exports and about 35 per cent of total productivity growth. Now, with the sector’s unimpressive performance, industry operators and experts fear that the promising growth trajectory and development opportunities embedded in the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) may slip through Nigeria’s fingers. They have, therefore, proffered a number of measures to boost the sector’s competitiveness. Assistant Editor CHIKODI OKEREOCHA reports.

    It is not for nothing that members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS), particularly those in the Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN) intensified their advocacy for an environment conducive to business and even broadened the scope of their engagements with the Federal Government and other relevant stakeholders to include implementing policies and reforms to deepen domestic production, boost the manufacturing sector’s competitiveness and hopefully, reverse its depressing successive low performance over the years.

     As the demand for manufacturing grows, it, in turn, spurs the creation of jobs, investments, and innovations in virtually all sectors. This is why manufacturing is regarded as the economy’s growth engine, with industrialisation seen as central to developing economies such as Nigeria catching up with the advanced economies.

    Therefore, the sector, in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), which came into effect on January 1, 2021, creating the largest free trade area in the world, covering 54 African countries, presents a unique chance for Nigeria, as Africa’s largest economy, to bolster its manufacturing sector and become a manufacturing hub for Africa.

    Founded in 2018, the AfCFTA seeks to create a continental trade bloc of 1.2 billion people, with a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of about $3.5 trillion. Its main objective was to create a single continental market for goods and services, with free movement of business persons and investments.

     With Nigeria’s large market and population estimated at over 200 million, the country was tipped by experts in international trade and diplomacy as the potential biggest beneficiary of this trade liberalisation deal. Sadly, however, it is doubtful if the country will be able to latch onto a robust manufacturing sector to seize the opportunity of a promising growth trajectory and other development benefits embedded in the AfCFTA to fix her struggling economy.

     MAN President Otunba Francis Meshioye put the reality of the local manufacturing sector’s lack of competitive edge in perspective. He lamented, for instance, that despite being a key industrialisation driver, the manufacturing sector’s contribution to Nigeria’s total output is about 10 per cent, with an average growth rate of approximately 2.3 per cent over the last five quarters of this year.

     The occasion was the 3rd Adeola Odutola Lecture and Presidential Luncheon which was held in Lagos, last week, with the theme “Setting the Agenda for Competitive Manufacturing under the AFCFTA: What Nigeria Needs to do.”

     It was the last part of activities marking the 51st Annual General Meeting (AGM) of MAN, where Meshioye, lamented that the growth of industrialisation in Nigeria remained at a very low ebb.

     “In 2021, average manufacturing output accounted for as high as 35 per cent of Ireland’s GDP growth; 27.44 per cent in the case of China, and 48 per cent of Puerto Rico’s economy,” he said, for instance.

     According to him, the figure is even higher in the U.S.A., where manufacturing accounts for more than 60 per cent of total exports and about 35 per cent of total productivity growth.

     Meshioye added that the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation’s (UNIDO’s) industrial competitive performance index has equally shown that Nigeria’s industrial sector has a low competitive capacity.

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     The MAN President said: “There is no better time than now to confront the challenge of low competitiveness and abysmal performance of this important sector.

     “It has become a matter of necessity and urgency to deepen our awareness of the imperative of the AfCFTA. We need to develop the right strategies and concerted effort to position our economy as the number one manufacturing hub of the African economy.”

    Meshioye said the AfCFTA window should be maximised in such a way that products manufactured in Nigeria would be preferred in terms of quality and pricing.

     He lamented that currently, the cost of manufacturing is daily rising because of scarce and unavailable manufacturing inputs that continue to shrink profitability and threaten the existence of the critical sector of the economy.

     “More worrisome is the fact that the sector that should propel job creation, productivity, and economic growth is enmeshed in a series of challenges that constantly limits its contribution to the GDP,” the MAN President stated.

     He said: “If Nigerian manufacturers will compete effectively, then a comprehensive and concerted effort needed to be deployed by the government to overtake the binding constraints that limit local production.”

     Some of the constraints include multiple taxations, high cost of borrowing, inadequate infrastructure, shortage of Foreign Exchange (forex), naira depreciation, insecurity, high cost of borrowing, and low patronage of made-in-Nigeria products, among others.

     Otunba Meshioye added that the government also needed to attract foreign investment that would bring about a reduction in the forex crisis and ensure sufficient forex inflow that the country clearly requires.

     “We seek an atmosphere that supports favourable competition with our counterparts in other countries, particularly within the continent,” he said, pointing out that it was in view of the foregoing that the theme for the Association’s 51st AGM was couched with a deep reflection over the growth trajectory of the manufacturing sector in Nigeria and Africa.

     “Our goal is to brainstorm at the AGM, dwelling on the theme for the purpose of suggesting a policy direction for the new government,” he emphasized.

    Operators, experts chart the way forward

    For Meshioye, the starting point to resolving the industrial sector’s low competitive capacity and hopefully, positioning Nigeria as Africa’s number one manufacturing hub is to address the plethora of challenges militating against the sector’s performance.

    The MAN boss lamented that the prevailing regime of multiple taxation has been limiting the manufacturing sector’s competitiveness. According to him, an average member of MAN is subjected to no less than 30 different forms of taxes, fees, and levies, resulting in rising costs of doing business and rapid divestment in the manufacturing sector.

     The aforementioned issues, Meshioye said, have combined to depress demand, worsen job losses and increase the incidence of poverty and low revenue generation from the sector. He, however, expressed confidence that the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms will adequately address the matter.

     Indeed, in a bid to help resolve the issue of multiple taxation agitating the minds of manufacturers and other businesses, President Bola Tinubu established the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms to remove all barriers impeding business growth.

     The Committee, chaired by a tax expert at Price WaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Mr. Taiwo Oyedele comprises experts from both the private and public sectors. It will have responsibility for the various aspects of tax law reform, fiscal policy design and coordination, harmonisation of taxes, and revenue administration.

     Meshioye said the OPS is being represented on the Committee by the Director-General of MAN, Segun Ajayi-Kadir.

    “We look forward to working jointly with the representatives of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment on the Committee to make the case for fair taxation of the manufacturing sector,” he stated.

    The MAN President also identified high interest as another constraining factor, pointing out that the average bank lending rate for manufacturers is 26 per cent annum. He, however, acknowledged the nine (9%) interest rate on the N75 billion loan facility for a minimum of 75 companies that was recently promised by President Tinubu.

    While commending the President for the initiative, Meshioye, however, expressed hope that “it could even come at a lower rate and MAN would be given the opportunity to work with government to determine deserving sectors, agree on the disbursement modalities and join in the evaluation and monitoring of its effectiveness.”

     Meshioye also said while manufacturers appreciate the administration’s policy on exchange rate unification as part of measures to address the forex crisis, the problem, however, is only half solved as forex shortages and high rates persist in the market.

     He urged the government to ensure effective enforcement of local content and patronage regulations. This, according to him, can be achieved by strict enforcement of local content laws, incentivising local sourcing of raw materials, and innovation in the manufacturing sector.

     He also said the public sector at all levels should step up their compliance with existing government directives on patronage of made-in-Nigeria products, including Executive Orders 003 and 005.

    Furthermore, Meshioye lamented that despite being one of the sectors of the economy with wide sectoral inter-linkages, the low level of development of auxiliary sectors was disentangling the manufacturing sector from the rest of the sectors.

     “This is more so in agriculture, iron and steel and mining sectors. This has resulted in a limited supply of raw materials and other inputs for the manufacturing sector. Therefore, it is essential to encourage backward integration and sectoral linkages to promote a more sustainable manufacturing sector in Nigeria,” he said.

    A sector weighed down by a $1.5tr infrastructure deficit

    The MAN chief lamented that poor infrastructure, including inadequate power supply, poor road networks, and inefficient port facilities are serious impediments to the growth of the manufacturing sector.

     Indeed, the absence of economic infrastructure, especially electricity supply contributes significantly to the high-cost operating environment which obstructs the development of manufacturing in Nigeria.

    For instance, electricity distribution in Nigeria has continued to hover around 4,000 Megawatts (MW).

     While electricity takes only about 10 per cent of production cost in some other countries, it gulps between 40 and 50 per cent of Nigerian manufacturers’ cost of production. This has forced many factories to curtail output or even shut down.

    Manufacturers brought this reality nearer home when they lamented that as of the second half of 2022, their expenditure on alternative energy sources stood at N76.7 billion.

    According to them, the N76.7 billion spent on alternative energy sources increased from the N45.04 billion recorded in the corresponding half of 2021, indicating a N31.66 billion or 70 per cent increase over the period.

     It also increased by N8.9 billion or 13 per cent when compared with N67.8 billion recorded in the preceding half.

     As if this is not enough to strangulate manufacturers, their operations have continued to suffer due to the persisting scarcity of forex and unfavourable Naira exchange rate parity. The lingering forex scarcity and continuous depreciation of the Naira have left manufacturers bleeding and limited their capacity utilisation.

     The former Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Olusegun Aganga, agreed with manufacturers and other businesses in Nigeria that the burden placed on them by decrepit infrastructure has not only become too heavy to bear but also has been one of the major factors responsible for their lack of competitive edge.

     Aganga specifically said Nigeria required about $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years to close its current infrastructure deficit.

    He said Nigeria must review the legal framework for alternative financing sources such as private equity and venture capital funds, and development funds for infrastructure development.

     He was emphatic that Nigeria’s Development Financial Institutions (DFIs), such as the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN), Bank of Industry (BoI), Bank of Agriculture (BoA) and Nigeria Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) are unable to meet the needs of Nigerians because they are grossly undercapitalised.

     He, however, noted that Nigeria commenced the repositioning of BoI in 2013 which included getting it credit-rated so that it can access cheap funds from the international capital markets and institutions.

     He also said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has to develop a financing model, working with local banks to unlock new sources of cheap long-term capital for strategic industries.

     “It is important to bear in mind that almost all the competitors of Nigeria provide financial incentives and support to manufacturers, especially in strategic industries,” he said.

     He recalled that the Development Bank of Nigeria was set up in 2014 as a wholesale bank to source cheap finance from external sources for DFIs, such as BoI. But, as he stated, “I am not sure it is working that way now and I would encourage the government to review the performance of the bank and reposition it.”

    The former boss of Goldman Sachs also stated that it would be useful to now undertake a comprehensive and in-depth review of the domestic capital market to determine how it can optimise its contribution to capital formation and financing, going forward.

    Aganga reiterated that access to affordable finance in Nigeria was an issue. “Finance is insufficient and the cost of funds in Nigeria is high, typically between 15 per cent and 20 per cent.

     He said relative to its competitors, Nigeria has a remarkably low domestic credit to GDP ratio and the credit, too expensive due to a combination of factors including high treasury rates, high inflation, infrastructure deficit and inefficiencies, among others.

    Harnessing MSME’s potential is also key

     Aganga said the world over; MSMEs are the primary drivers of employment and economic growth, employing 75 per cent and 70 per cent of the workforce in China and Brazil, respectively.

     He said that based on the last survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) in 2020, there were 40 million MSMEs, employing 76.5 per cent of Nigeria’s workforce and accounting for 49.78 per cent of the GDP and 7.64 per cent of exports.

     Aganga expressed worries that enough attention has not been given to the MSME sector, particularly since 2017. He said according to the surveys by the NBS and SMEDAN, the number of enterprises in the sector grew by 20 million from 17 million in 2010 to 37 million in 2013.

     Between 2013 and 2017, it grew by only four million, and in 2020 it fell by about two million to 40 million, partly due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

     Giving more breakdowns, Aganga said: “Nigeria’s 40 million MSMEs comprise 96.7 per cent of all businesses in Nigeria. 98.8 per cent of them are in the micro cadre. One positive factor is that 67 per cent of businesses are owned by the youth.”

     The expert said Nigeria already has a comprehensive plan, the National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP), which was launched in 2014 along with the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP). “This can be updated and implemented as part of the long-term plan,” he said.

    According to him, it covers the entire ecosystem of the MSME sector nationwide, working closely with the SMEDAN, Industrial Training Fund (ITF), BoI, the state and local governments and the private sector, under the supervision of the National MSME Council, which was set up in 2014 in accordance with SMEDAN’s Act.

     Interestingly, the current administration is not unaware of the issues agitating the minds of manufacturers and businesses and hurting their competitiveness, especially in the context of the AfCFTA.

     The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, indicated this much when she said the Federal Government envisioned a revitalised industrial sector and is therefore, committed to addressing all aspects of industrialisation from consumer credit, fiscal and monetary policy alignment and continuous engagement with MAN.

     The minister, who was represented by the Director-General, Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN), Dr. Rabiu Olowo expressed the ministry’s readiness to collaborate with MAN to resuscitate Nigeria’s industrialisation.

     While emphasising the pivotal role of manufacturing in enhancing Nigeria’s economic competitiveness, Uzoka-Anite stressed the need to deploy strategic interventions in the manufacturing sector to enhance the country’s competitive edge and harness the full benefits of AfCFTA.

     She identified four imperatives to maximise the opportunities presented by the AfCFTA. They include the combined responsibility of the government and manufacturing sector; robust public-private partnership particularly in the area of research and development to enhance the strength of manufacturing.

     Others are supporting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) with capacity and potential for exports, and investment in infrastructure and technology.

     The minister maintained that the government was willing to support the establishment of research and development centres across the country to enhance innovation. She encouraged manufacturers to create these centres and also promote regional value chains and industrial clusters.

     Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu agreed that there was an urgent need to address the challenges that have beset the manufacturing sector in order to enable Nigeria to take full advantage of the opportunity presented by the AfCFTA.

     Sanwo-Olu said the challenges, ranging from inadequate infrastructure, inadequate power to policy environment, and security among others, are very fundamental to determining the manufacturing sector’s survival, growth and competitiveness.

     The governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, said the administration in Lagos State recognises the strategic position the state occupies and the role it must play for Nigeria to leverage the opportunities presented by AFCTA.

     Sanwo-Olu said this was why his administration continued to prioritise investment in critical infrastructure and the implementation of policies and strategies aimed at improving the ease of doing business and strengthening the productive capacity of MSMEs across all sectors.

     However, a common thread that ran through the presentations and recommendations by operators and experts at the just-concluded MAN AGM was that diligent implementation of identified pro-industrialisation and business-friendly policies and reforms are crucial to the success of the administration’s renewed push to leverage a revitalised and competitive manufacturing sector to remake the economy.