The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday Magazine

  • Tracking NDE’s novel job creation, poverty eradication model

    Tracking NDE’s novel job creation, poverty eradication model

    In Nigeria, tackling unemployment and reducing rising poverty has remained a major challenge all tiers have been grappling with over the years. Yet, unemployment crisis appears to be getting worse. Determined to arrest the poverty level in the country, the federal government has introduced the Special Public Works Programme (SPW). In this report, CHINYERE OKOROAFOR takes a look at this ad hoc programme designed to provide stop-gap jobs to mainly artisans to earn money doing public works

    Every minute, more than six Nigerians enter the extreme poverty bracket as the number of poor persons in the country races towards the 95.1 million projected by the World Bank in 2022. According to the World Bank, in its latest 2022 Poverty and Prosperity Report, Nigeria contributed three million people to global extreme poverty; while the country is “home to a large share of the global extreme poor.”

     Also, in 2022, Nigeria was ranked 103 out of 121 countries in the 2022 Global Hunger Index (GHI), a position that signifies the nation has a level of hunger that is serious. The Global Hunger Index was jointly published by the German-based Welthungerhilfe and Dublin-based Concern Worldwide in October, 2022 to mark the World Food Day. The report, which ranks countries by ‘severity,’ gave Nigeria a score of 27.3 – a hunger level falling under the ‘serious’ category.

     Last year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), owned by Nigeria, presented its Multidimensional Poverty Index, which showed that 63 per cent of Nigerians are affected by multi-dimensional poverty. This represents 133 million Nigerians that are pummelled by unemployment and poverty. Furthermore, the report stated that 65 per cent of the poor, or 86 million people, live in the North; while 35 per cent, or nearly 47 million, live in the South. According to NBS, the crisis of poverty being faced by 63 per cent of Nigerians was caused by a lack of access to health, education, and living standards, alongside unemployment and shocks.

     In order to reduce the level of poverty in the country, the federal government introduced the Special Public Works Programme (SPW). The SPW is an ad hoc programme designed by the federal government to provide stop-gap jobs to mainly artisans to earn money doing public works. The programme is a dry season/off season transient jobs and rehabilitation/maintenance of social infrastructure. It is being implemented by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.

    SPW will lift the poverty status of Nigeria

     The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo (SAN), explained how Nigeria can stop being the poverty capital of the world. The minister explained that the empowerment of people in rural areas under the SPW programme would help lift the poverty status of the country. Keyamo said countries such as India, China and Bangladesh adopted the programme to lift their countries out of the league of poor nations.

     “The programme is also expected to provide modest stipends for itinerant workers to undertake road rehabilitation and social housing construction, urban and rural sanitation, health extension and other critical services. Hence, the directive of Mr. President for the NDE to collaborate with other ministries with rural components in their mandates,” Keyamo said.

     According to the NDE, the SPW was designed to address the problem of unemployment among youths. The agency said the programme was designed to achieve its purpose through the provision of transient jobs and technical skills acquisition training that will promote skilled, semi-skilled and professional manpower/labour for self-employment and self-reliance. Serving as a part of the vehicle through which NDE is currently delivering its mandate of employment provision for Nigeria’s teeming unemployed persons, the SPW schemes components are: Graduate Attachment Programme (GAP), Graduate Special Training Programme (GSTP), Environmental Beautification Training Scheme (EBTS), Graduate Coaching Scheme (GCS), Solar Energy Training Scheme (SETS) Artisans in Collaborative Construction Employment  Scheme (ACCES), Enviroprenuership Development Scheme (EDS), Labour Based and Infrastructural Development Scheme (CDS), Community Based Business Training Scheme (CBBTS).

     With the full support of President Muhammadu Buhari, under the supervision of Keyamo, and implementing directorship of the NDE’s Director-General, Mallam Abubakar Fikpo, the SPW schemes have become an effective job creation tool and a decent job module. Not surprisingly, the schemes have been judged one of the most sustainable job provision solutions to arrest the swelling unemployment rate in Nigeria and many other countries, especially in Africa.

     Although the NDE was recently described by Keyamo as the hub of  blue collar jobs in Nigeria, the relentless trajectory of the Directorate in providing self and wage employment for millions of Nigerians indicates the NDE is ingeniously proffering solutions to the country’s unemployment challenge.

    We’re committed to reducing high rate of unemployment, says Fikpo

    According to the NDE DG, Mallam Fikpo, the result-oriented job provision schemes and continued support of the President and its Supervising Minister, NDE is geared to crash the high rate of unemployment menace in Nigeria. While testimonies of many beneficiaries of the schemes and programmes attest to the fact that SPW is a success story that should be sustained in the efforts to combat unemployment and its ripple effects, official records have also shown that the Directorate, through the SPW schemes and other job creation programmes, has provided about 4,261,308 self-employments and wage employments within a short period of time.

     The figures further showed that about 2,545,102 are male; while 1,716,206 are female beneficiaries, across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja (FCT). For the records, the NDE DG gave a brief insight into the nine different SPW schemes and explained what Nigerians need to know about them. Speaking on the Graduate Attachment Programme (GAP), Fikpo said: “The scheme is designed to provide transient employment to unemployed graduates of tertiary institutions. The unemployed graduates are recruited and attached to willing corporate organisations for a period of three (3) to twelve (12) months to gain needed practical experience that would facilitate their employability by the organisation on or before the expiration of the internship period.”

     Speaking further on the Environmental Beautification Training Scheme (EBTS), he said: “This scheme is for the training of unemployed persons in soft/hard landscaping and Plaster of Paris (POP) for a period of three months. Participants are attached to master trainers to ensure that they acquire professional skills in environmental beautification, sanitation and protection/control of the environment. At the end of the training period, the participants are empowered with working tools and equipment to start their own business. The scheme is targeted at school leavers, the unschooled and any other interested persons, graduates inclusive.”

     On the Graduate Coaching Scheme (GCS), the NDE boss said: “GCS creates transient and permanent/sustainable employment for the unemployed graduates of tertiary institutions, especially those with educational training (professional teachers) background. The graduates are recruited as instructors to prepare students who may be deficient in some subjects for various external examinations such as Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), West African Examinations Council (WAEC)/ National Examination Council (NECO), National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), General Certificate of Education (GCE), etc. for a period of 3 months. This will enable the students to make up for their deficiency in various subjects and also qualify them for admission into higher institutions of learning.”

     Also, on the Solar Energy Training Scheme (SETS), the NDE boss said: “The scheme is one of the renewable energy training schemes employed by the Special Public Works Department for employment generation. Under the scheme, unemployed graduates of tertiary institutions (especially those with engineering/technical knowledge) are trained to acquire skills in solar energy design, procurement, installation and maintenance of solar facilities. The scheme is targeted at graduates of training institutions and other interested persons with technical background.”

     On the Graduate Special Training Programme (GSTP), he said: “GSTP is for graduates of tertiary institutions. It involves a 2-week digital skills training on specialised applications relevant to skills needed in specific careers or professional practices. The skill sets include Autodesk, project management, hardware installations (e.g. dish and satellite installations, V–Sat and internet installations and networking. At the end of the training, participants are attached to well-managed small and medium enterprises for a period of 3–6 months to develop competence in the learnt skills.

     “The training prepares participants to possess skills relevant to meet demands for the job, function effectively and succeed in the technology-based millennium workplace. Competence in these skills confers on the holder a competitive edge in securing employment and/or starting a business. Artisans in Collaborative Construction Employment Scheme (ACCES); ACCES is a scheme designed to collaborate with relevant stakeholders and organisations in the construction sector where standards of various professions are imbibed. The scheme is also targeted at imparting industry-led competency skills as well as providing required certification to artisans under appropriate professional bodies.”

     On Enviroprenuership Development Scheme (EDS), he said: “The scheme is designed to combat unemployment among youths by bringing market principles to resolve environmental problems. It is aimed at improving environmental sustainability and social contribution to the society. Business initiatives are applied to turn waste into wealth to improve the standard of living of both the end consumers and the participants.”

     On the Labour-based and Infrastructural Development Scheme, the NDE DG said: “The Labour Based and Infrastructural Development Scheme is designed to facilitate the engagement and training categories of unemployed persons in the construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance of varieties of infrastructure. This is archived by adopting the labour based method of infrastructural development, thus making optimal use of labour supported by compactable light equipment. The scheme offers participants the opportunity to develop their skills and work experience. Additional job creation, wealth creation, and infrastructure development is archived within the benefiting communities.”

     On the Community Based Business Training Scheme (CBBTS), Fikpo said:  “This scheme is designed to train unemployed persons in businesses that have comparative advantage in selected communities. It focuses on social, structural and physical environmental inequalities through active involvement of community members, organisational representatives and employers of labour. Partners/members of community-based businesses contribute their expertise to enhance understanding of a given business phenomenon and to translate knowledge into action. Community-based businesses are socially and environmentally responsible where they are driven by the desire to re-invest in the community as a way to strengthen it, where collaboration, partnership, advocacy and co- creation are top values.”

  • The Buhari Years 2015-2023: How Buhari bailed out state governments from bankruptcy

    The Buhari Years 2015-2023: How Buhari bailed out state governments from bankruptcy

    By rolling out several bailouts to save the states from financial ruins, the administration of Muhammadu Buhari has saved the state governments from insolvency more times than any other administration. Assistant Editor NDUKA CHIEJINA reports

    For the eight years of Muhammadu Buhari administration, the government has provided several bailout funds to state governments to help them overcome and address financial difficulties. For example, in 2015, the Federal Government provided a bailout package of N338 billion to state governments to help them pay salaries and offset other debts. In 2016, another tranche of N90 billion was given to the states as budget support.

     In addition to the bailout funds, the government also implemented other measures to help the states, such as the Paris Club refund, which was a refund of over-deductions from states’ accounts for the repayment of the Paris Club debt. The refunds were made in tranches, with the first tranche of N516.38 billion released in December 2016. It’s worth noting that these bailout funds and refunds were provided to state governments as a one-time solution to their financial challenges, and the Buhari government also encouraged the states to implement measures to improve their revenue generation abilities and improve on fiscal responsibility.

    COVID-19 bailout

    The Buhari government provided financial support to the states during the COVID-19 pandemic to help them respond to the economic impact of the scourge. Some of the support includes:

     Presidential taskforce: The Buhari government established a Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to coordinate the national response to the pandemic. The task force worked with the states to provide guidance and support for their COVID-19 response efforts.

     Economic sustainability plan: The administration launched an Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) in 2020 to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the Nigerian economy. The ESP included a number of measures to support state governments, such as the creation of a N500 billion COVID-19 Crisis Intervention Fund to support the states in their response efforts.

     Budget support: The government provided budget support to the states as part of its COVID-19 response. In May 2020, the Federal Government approved a N614 billion loan facility for the states to help them address the economic challenges posed by the pandemic.

     Conditional grants: The Federal Government also provided conditional grants to the states to support their COVID-19 response efforts. For example, in June 2020, the government announced a N2.3 trillion stimulus package, which included a N100 billion grant to states to support their healthcare and education systems.

     Tax relief: The government also provided tax relief to businesses and individuals to help them cope with the economic impact of the pandemic. The tax relief measures included a reduction of the import duty on medical supplies and equipment, as well as a 50 percent reduction in the minimum tax rate for small and medium-sized enterprises.

     The Buhari government provided significant financial support to state governments in Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic to help them address the economic challenges posed by the pandemic.

     Recession bailouts: The administration faced two recessions, the first in 2016 and the second in 2020, both caused by external shocks to the Nigerian economy. During these recessions, the government implemented several measures to help the states survive the economic downturns. These include bailout funds to state governments to help them address financial difficulties during the 2016 recession. The government also provided budget support and conditional grants during the 2020 recession.

     There was the infrastructure spending assistance. The government increased spending on infrastructure projects to stimulate economic activity and create jobs. For example, the government launched the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) in 2018 to fund critical infrastructure projects such as roads, railways, and power plants. There was a tax relief package the Buhari government provided to businesses and individuals during the recession to encourage spending and boost economic activity. The tax relief measures included a reduction in the import duty on food items and critical medical supplies.

     The government launched several agricultural support initiatives like the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme to provide financing to smallholder farmers, and the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative to increase access to affordable fertilizer. There was also the economic diversification programme in which the government implemented policies aimed at diversifying the Nigerian economy away from oil, which is vulnerable to external shocks. The government launched the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) in 2017, with the aim of diversifying the economy and promote private sector-led growth.

     The Buhari government implemented a range of measures to help the states survive the recessions. These measures were designed to stimulate economic activity, create jobs, and support the states during the economic downturns. During the Buhari administration, some state governments received bailout facilities from the federal government to help them offset their salary arrears and meet other financial obligations. The bailout funds were expected to be repaid by the states over a period of time.

     The repayment of the bailout facilities by the states has been mixed. Some states made significant progress in repaying the funds, while others struggled to meet their repayment obligations. Some states have fully repaid their bailout facilities, while others have made partial payments. However, there were still some states that are yet to make any significant repayment. It is worth noting that the federal government has been putting pressure on the states to repay the bailout facilities, and has also been withholding some of their monthly allocations to ensure compliance. The success of the repayment efforts by the state governments has been mixed, and there is still work to be done to ensure that all the funds are repaid as required.

    States’ Fiscal Transparency Accountability and Sustainability

      There was the popular States’ Fiscal Transparency Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) programme of the World Bank and Federal Government of Nigeria under which a total of N351,650,867,450 was disbursed to state governments since the beginning of the programme in 2018. The Sustainability (SFTAS) programme, which was designed to strengthen the fiscal transparency, accountability and sustainability in Nigerian states as a way of improving their revenue base, increasing fiscal efficiency in public expenditure and reducing debt overhang.

     Under the programme, there were two disbursements of $750 million grant to the state governments that successfully met the Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs), bringing the total SFTAS disbursements to $1.5 billion. From the first $750 million grant, SFTAS disbursed N262 billion to the state governments to encourage transparency and accountability in the state governments budgeting processes and financial management. Before leaving the position, the National Programme Coordinator of SFTAS, Mr. Stephen Okon, said “no clear position has been taken on its extension but because of the impact on the states and public finance management, it’s not impossible that such considerations may be explored moving forward.” The programme, he said, “achieved so much in building transparency, accountability and sustainability amongst the states particularly in terms of accountability.”

     The SFTAS programme, he added, has now made “all the states publish their budget and their end of year account on a timely basis and we also have had all the states improve their internally generated revenue.” He went on to say that “in terms of building a basis for comparison among the states, we have all the states currently on the same page in terms of matters that relate to the TSA, matters that relate to procurement law, matters that relate to audit law, almost all the states in the federation now have all these in place and it has really promoted accountability and transparency amongst the states of the federation.”

     Mr. Okon noted further that “as part of its strategies to ensure the sustainability of fiscal reforms, the SFTAS Programme Coordination Unit, Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning is engaging stakeholders on the demand side like the CSOs who can ensure that fiscal transparency and accountability are sustained in state PFM activities.” To access the SFTAS facility, the federal government reeled out conditions state governments must meet before they can benefit from the two US$750 million International Development Association (IDA) credit facilities extended to the Nigerian Government by the World Bank.

     The 36 states of the federation bought into the programme with some states eagerly drawing from the facility. To qualify for the facility in 2022, state governments were expected to first achieve Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs) in 2021. For the states to meet the DLI II in 2021, the federal government demanded that “citizens’ inputs from formal public consultations are published online, along with the proposed FY22 budget and citizens’ budget based on approved FY21 state budget published online by end April 2021 with functional online feedback mechanisms.”

     The state governments were also required to create the Citizens Accountability Report (CAR) based on audited financial statements/reports published online for FY20 no later than end September 2021”.

     To assist the state governments meet these requirements, the federal government through the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and the World Bank organised a workshop for state governments to learn how to develop their individual state’s Citizens’ Accountability Report (CAR).” The state governments were allowed to use “the template developed by the OGP Secretariat in collaboration with FCDO/PERL, and the various processes involved in achieving the Disbursement Linked Results (DLRs) as well as collect information from the participants on how to make the template more user-friendly.”

     Mr. Okon the National Programme Coordinator of SFTAS advised the state governments to learn how to develop their states’ Citizens’ Accountability Report (CAR), and be able to publish the report on the their websites. “The CAR is designed as a SFTAS DLI with incentives to enable the government to report the utilization of public funds in the last completed fiscal year in a manner that could be digested by the citizens and used to engage the government for improved results. The idea behind the CAR is to present the audited financial statement and fiscal performance, in a way that is understandable to the public by condensing the information contained in the ‘Auditor General’s Report, highlighting the key issues that the citizens would be interested in, and seamlessly creating an opportunity for informed engagement and participation,” Okon advised.

  • The Buhari Years 2015-2023: Worries over debt overhang for incoming administration

    The Buhari Years 2015-2023: Worries over debt overhang for incoming administration

    By the time the life of Muhammadu Buhari government comes to an end on May 29, it will be leaving behind a huge quantum of public debts for the incoming Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu government. In this special report, Assistant Editor NDUKA CHIEJINA looks at Nigeria’s debt situation

    Nigeria’s debt profile has been a subject of concern in recent years. With less than a month to the end of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, it has been estimated that the incoming administration will inherit around N77 trillion in public debt.

     As of December 2015, Nigeria’s total debt stock stood at $65.42 billion, according to the Debt Management Office (DMO) of Nigeria. Of this amount, $10.7 billion was external debt; while $53.1 billion was domestic debt (N12.6 trillion). By December 2016, Nigeria’s total debt was $57.39 billion, with external debt accounting for $11.41 billion and domestic debt accounting for $45.98 billion. In 2017, Nigeria’s total debt stock rose to $70 billion, with external debt accounting for $18.9 billion and domestic debt accounting for $51.1 billion; while in 2018, the total debt rose to $73.2 billion, with external debt accounting for $22.1 billion and domestic debt accounting for $51.1 billion.

     By December 2019, Nigeria’s total debt was $84.57 billion, with external debt accounting for $27.67 billion and domestic debt accounting for $56.9 billion. In 2020, Nigeria’s total debt rose to $87.24 billion, with external debt accounting for $31.98 billion and domestic debt accounting for $55.26 billion. As of June 2021, Nigeria’s total debt had risen to $95.77 billion, with external debt accounting for $38.3 billion and domestic debt accounting for $57.38 billion or N35 trillion. The story was the same in 2022 as the year ended with a cumulative debt portfolio of N46.25 trillion comprising of N18.70 trillion external component and N27.54 trillion domestic debts.

     By May 29, 2023, it has been estimated that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari will be leaving behind a debt of N77 trillion. Already, the administration has secured an $800 million fuel subsidy palliative loan from the World Bank and if the National Assembly approves the securitization of the Ways and Means from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the country would be moving closer to the N77 trillion mark.

     Speaking on the estimated N77 trillion debt by May, 2023, Director General of the Debt Management Office (DMO), Ms Patience Oniha said, “This will be made up of N44.06 trillion total debt stock as of the third quarter of 2022, N22.7 trillion Ways and Means borrowed from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), projected new borrowings of N10.57 trillion captured in the 2023 budget and issuance of Promissory notes.”

     The DMO boss made the disclosure at the “Public Presentation and Breakdown of the Highlights of the 2023 Appropriation Act” in Abuja. She argued that if the National Assembly approves the securitisation of the N22.7 trillion Ways and Means debt secured from the CBN, “it means we will be seeing that figure included in the public debt, you will see significant increase in public debt to N77 trillion; that is if you add the new borrowing depending on market conditions of N5 trillion.”

     It is important to note that Nigeria’s increasing debt profile has been a cause for concern, as it raises questions about the country’s ability to service its debts and invest in critical infrastructure and social services. The Buhari government has stated that it is taking steps to address the country’s debt challenges, including increasing revenue generation and reducing the cost of governance.

     Nigeria’s debt over the years has been used for various purposes, including financing infrastructure projects, funding the budget deficit and servicing existing debts. Here are some specific examples:

     Infrastructure development: A significant portion of Nigeria’s debt has been used to finance infrastructure projects such as road construction, rail projects, and power generation. For instance, the government secured a $500 million loan from the Export-Import Bank of China in 2018 to finance the construction of the Abuja Light Rail project.

     Budget deficit financing: Nigeria has often relied on borrowing to finance its budget deficits, which occur when the government’s expenditures exceed its revenue. Loans are usually obtained from domestic and international sources to cover the shortfall. For instance, in 2020, the government borrowed N2.3 trillion ($6.2 billion) to finance the budget deficit.

     Debt servicing: Another significant use of Nigeria’s debt has been to service existing debts. The government has had to borrow to pay off interest on existing loans and to refinance maturing debt. In 2020, Nigeria spent about 32.5 percent of its revenue on debt servicing.

     It is worth noting that while borrowing can be a useful tool for financing development, excessive borrowing can lead to debt distress, which can have adverse effects on the economy. Therefore, it is important for the Nigerian government to strike a balance between borrowing to finance development and ensuring that the country’s debt levels remain sustainable.

     In specific terms, Nigeria’s debt has been used to finance various infrastructure projects across the country. Here are some examples of key infrastructure projects that have been financed with Nigeria’s debt:

     Railways: Nigeria has invested heavily in its railway system in recent years, with a significant portion of the funding coming from Chinese loans. The country has completed several railway projects, including the Abuja-Kaduna rail line, the Lagos-Ibadan rail line, and the Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri rail line.

     Roads: Nigeria has also invested in road infrastructure, with a focus on improving connectivity between major cities and ports. Some notable road projects that have been financed with debt include the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, the Second Niger Bridge, and the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road.

     Power: Nigeria has been working to improve its electricity infrastructure, with a focus on expanding access to power and reducing the cost of electricity. The country has financed several power projects with debt, including the Azura-Edo power plant, the Zungeru hydroelectric power project, and the Mambilla hydroelectric power project.

     Airports: Nigeria has also invested in upgrading its airport infrastructure, with a focus on improving safety and security and expanding capacity. Some notable airport projects that have been financed with debt include the rehabilitation of the runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja and the construction of a new terminal at the Port Harcourt International Airport.

     Overall, Nigeria’s debt has been used to finance a range of infrastructure projects that are aimed at improving the country’s economic productivity, enhancing social welfare, and promoting regional integration. The Buhari administration has faced criticisms for its handling of Nigeria’s public debt.

     While the administration has made efforts to diversify the country’s revenue sources and reduce borrowing, Nigeria’s debt profile has continued to rise over the years. Here are some specific points to consider:

     Increase in debt stock: Under the Buhari administration, Nigeria’s debt stock has increased significantly. For instance, between 2015 and 2022, Nigeria’s debt stock rose from N12,60 trillion to N46,25 trillion.

     Increase in debt servicing: The Buhari administration has also had to spend a significant portion of Nigeria’s revenue on servicing the country’s debts. In 2020, Nigeria spent about 32.5 percent of its revenue on debt servicing and by 2022 it spent over 96 percent of its revenue servicing debts. This has limited the government’s ability to invest in critical infrastructure and social services.

     Borrowing for recurrent expenditure: There have been concerns that the Buhari administration has borrowed excessively to finance recurrent expenditure, such as salaries and overheads, rather than investing in capital projects that can generate revenue and boost the economy.

     Efforts to reduce borrowing: The Buhari administration has made efforts to reduce Nigeria’s reliance on borrowing. For instance, the government has increased efforts to diversify the economy, boost revenue generation by plugging leakages, and cut down on wasteful spending. Additionally, the government has taken steps to increase non-oil revenue, such as increasing tax collection and improving the ease of doing business.

     To a large extent, while the Buhari administration has made efforts to address Nigeria’s debt challenges, the country’s debt profile has continued to rise. Ms Patience Oniha, Director-General of the Debt Management Office (DMO), has made several statements about Nigeria’s debt in recent years. In March 2021, she stated that Nigeria’s debt was sustainable, despite the country’s rising debt profile. She noted that the debt to GDP ratio was still within the threshold of 40 percent, which is the limit set by the government, and that the government was committed to borrowing for productive purposes. In October 2020, she noted that Nigeria had borrowed a total of N2.1trillion ($5.5billion) from the domestic market to finance the 2020 budget deficit, and that the country’s debt level was still manageable.

     In June 2019, she stated that Nigeria’s debt was not too high, and that the government was borrowing to finance capital projects that would help to grow the economy. Overall, Ms Oniha has emphasised that Nigeria’s debt is being managed responsibly, and that the government is borrowing for productive purposes that will help to stimulate economic growth and development.

     When Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is sworn in as President of Nigeria on May 29, one of the key challenges he would face is managing the country’s debt profile. Nigeria’s debt has been rising in recent years. Here are some general principles that could guide the incoming administration in managing Nigeria’s debt profile:

     Focus on sustainable borrowing: The government should be careful to borrow only for productive purposes and ensure that the borrowing is sustainable over the long term. This means balancing the need to invest in infrastructure and other productive sectors with the need to avoid excessive debt accumulation that could undermine the country’s economic stability.

     Enhance revenue generation: One way to reduce the pressure on Nigeria’s debt profile is to increase revenue generation. This could be done by broadening the tax base, reducing wasteful spending, and improving the efficiency of revenue collection.

     Improve debt management: The government should strengthen its debt management framework to ensure that debt is contracted at the lowest possible cost and that debt servicing is manageable. This could involve developing a debt sustainability framework, improving debt monitoring and reporting, and enhancing debt transparency.

     Pursue structural reforms: To address the root causes of Nigeria’s debt accumulation, the government should pursue structural reforms that promote economic growth, job creation, and poverty reduction. This could involve improving the business environment, promoting private sector investment, and investing in human capital development.

     Overall, managing Nigeria’s debt profile will require a comprehensive and coordinated approach that balances the need for investment and growth with the need for fiscal prudence and debt sustainability.

  • Suicide weapons in your refrigerator

    Suicide weapons in your refrigerator

    With the upsurge in non-communicable diseases (NCD) deaths in Nigeria linked to alleged increase in consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), TAIWO ALIMI evaluates the health problem and the way out.

    • How soft, energy drinks are killing more Nigerians than malaria
    • Experts blame surge in obesity, cardiovascular diseases on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs)
    • Nigeria is world’s fourth, Africa’s highest consumer of SSBs

    Lagos resident Philip Akwe has been battling with diabetes for two and a half decades. He had joined a private  company as a driver when he was in his early 20s, and his job entailed lots of travels across the country.

    Akwe soon became addicted to energy drinks and soda, popularly called soft drinks, to keep him ‘on the go.’ The first sustained him whenever he embarked on any of the long journeys  across states, while the other kept him stable in between meals. 

    Consumption of the sugar-sweetened beverages  thus became a daily routine. By the time he got to his 40s, his drinking habit had begun to take a toll on his health.

    The first symptoms were dizziness and tiredness. A visit to the hospital and the series of medical tests that followed confirmed that he had diabetes; a condition that forced him into early retirement.

    “I did not know I had any condition until I began to feel weak a lot of the time and could not function well at work,” he said.

    “When I was eventually told I had diabetes, it was too late. I was told I would  have to live with it for the rest of my life.

    “My sugar level was high and I developed high blood pressure (HBP) too. They said I would  have to manage it.”

    With him out of job and his source of income gone, Akwe became dependent on his nucleus family, and that compounded his ordeal.

    He said: “I became a liability to my family. My wife and two children stood by me and cared for me as no income was forthcoming.

    “I sold my bus and some property to be able to afford medicine and medical care, but the money was gone in no time.

    “My wife used to be a petty trader. As a result of my illness, we started dipping hands into her business capital, and soon that was gone too.

    “I lost a lot of weight and became a shadow of myself. Instead of using the little money we had to eat, we would be thinking about hospital bills and how to buy tester kits and insulin.

    “I was building a family house but had to stop midway due to the expenses. We had to move into the half-finished building.”

    When the  financial challenge kept mounting, Akwe and his small family had to relocate to his village home in Delta State three years ago.

    “I am still living with the illness, but it is more bearable because village life is not as expensive as the city. I also use local herbs in my treatment and there is access to natural and fresh food like vegetables and fruits,” he said. 

    For all the trouble, Akwe seems luckier than Edo State-born Godfrey Imaseun, 65.

    Imaseun did not live to tell his own story after succumbing to a prolonged cardiovascular disease that triggered a mix of HBP, stomach disorder and diabetes.

    His widow, Christy, said Imaseun lived a healthy life for much of his working life. He was neither  a heavy consumer of alcohol nor a smoker.

    But  he loved to take sugary things, according to the widow.

    She added: “He said he had a sugary mouth. It was in his early 50s that he developed HBP and within some years it became worse and his weight started dropping.

    “It got to a point where he could not retain any food in his stomach. He would either  throw up or visit the toilet immediately. He began to fall sick and spent the last 10 years of his life more on hospital beds than  his own bed.

    “He passed away in 2022.

    “The night before he passed, he said he was tired and needed to go home to rest. My husband was dead tired from the illness.”

    Akwe and Imaseun are two of the hundreds of patients done in by their addiction to sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), blamed  for many non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as obesity, diabetes, overweight, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases.

    What are NCDs?

    NCDs are enduring diseases, draining and sometimes incurable. They potentially drain sufferers and their families of funds and, often, run them into  debts.

    According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), NCDs accounted for an estimated 29 per cent of all deaths in Nigeria in 2018. This is approximately 617,300 deaths in one year and more than three times the number of malaria fatalities in the country, which stood at 200,000 in 2021.    

    Sadly, SSBs are all around us. They are the sugar and colour  bottles and plastic drinks  in our fridges, department stores, mega supermarkets, and in the nooks and crannies of our streets.

    “Examples of SSBs are carbonated drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, sweetened tea and coffee, fruit flavoured drinks, flavoured water among others. These beverages are known to have little or no nutritional value.”

    For years, Akwe lived with the impression that energy drinks were  safe for him to consume.

    “I knew soft drinks had a lot of sugar and felt energy drinks were okay,” he said.

    WHO has categorised energy drinks and fruit juices under SSBs, to prove they are not free of sugar. They are as injurious to health as soft drinks.  

    WHO says while 100% fruit juices may not contain added sugars, they have been classified with SSBs because they contain a significant amount of ‘free sugar.’

    Free sugar includes monosaccharides and disaccharides added to foods and beverages by the manufacturer, cook, or consumer, and sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates.

    Experts’ opinions

    Dr. Adeniyi Samuel Oginni, a public health expert, minces no word about the threat posed to consumers’ health  by SSBs.

     “Many studies have connected excessive sugar and SSBs consumption to NCDs as obesity, diabetes, overweight, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases,” he said.

    The pioneer chairman, the Forum of CEOs of State Social Health Insurance Agencies in Nigeria added: “NCDs account for 70 per cent of annual global mortality of all deaths worldwide, which is about 40 million individuals.

    “Over 40 per cent of these fatalities involve adults between the ages of 30 and 69, and 80 per cent of these premature deaths take place in low-and middle-income nations.

    “Of these figures, cardiovascular disease is more pronounced and fatal. It accounts for 40 per cent of all NCD-related fatalities each year, followed by cancers (22%), respiratory illnesses (10%), and diabetes (4%), respectively.”

    WHO warns that  Nigerians have 20 per cent chance of dying prematurely from NCDs.

    Connection between SSBs and NCDs

    Dr. Francis Fagbule, a periodontology and community dentistry, shares Oginni’s view  on the strong connection between SSBs consumption and NCDs, saying: “We have people who think SSBs are cool and even convey status on consumers.

    “It is stable in our diet. Instead of drinking water after a meal, we order a soft drink to show we are of higher status.”

    According to Statista, in 2014, Nigerians consumed 6 billion litres of carbonated drinks otherwise called soft drinks, and about 5 billion litres of bottled water.

    By 2020, the amount of Soda consumed had nearly doubled to 10 billion litres while water consumption increased slightly to 6.5 billion litres.

    By 2022, the trend had risen to about 13 billion litres of Soda ingested and 6.4 billion litres of bottled water consumed in the same year.

    There was a drop in the amount of water consumed by Nigerians and an overwhelming rise in Soda.

    It is projected that by 2027, over 18 billion litres of Soda will be consumed as against less than 6 billion water taken.

    Statista also pointed to the fact that medium-income Nigerians indulged more in SSBs consumption.

    In 2022, 68.3 per cent of people in low and medium-income classes consumed SSBs while 31.7 per cent in the high-income bracket ingested these high risks drinks.

    The result was an increased prevalence of NCD sufferers among Nigerians less than 20 years old.

    Significantly, more Nigerians became hypertensive according to data obtained from Statista. It shows that in 1995, 4.3 million (8.6%) were hypertensive patients, and it rose to 27.5 million (32.5%) in 2022.

    Of this number, over 70 per cent of the cases were not aware of their hypertension and only 12 per cent were on treatment. This is the cause of the upsurge in NCD deaths in recent times.

    The result for type 2 diabetes is similar. There has been an astronomical increase among Nigerians.

    “In 1990, two (2) per cent cases of Nigerians between the ages 20 and 79 were recorded representing 874,000 Nigerians. By 2015, the figure jumped to 4.7 million (5.7 per cent). 

    Juxtaposing SSBs consumption and NCD prevalence, Fagbule concluded that an increase in SSBs consumption coincides with the increase in NCD burden in Nigeria.

    Dr. Oginni agrees with him: “Nigerians are consuming an increasing amount of sugary beverages and obesity is increasing at the same time.

    “NCDs like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and stroke are all recognized to be at increased risk due to obesity.”

    According to WHO, those who frequently drink sugar-sweetened beverages (one to two cans a day or more) have a 26% higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes than those who do not.

    Obesity as the new killer

    The matter is made worse because there is no end in sight going by the growing number of children and young people at the risk of NCDs through childhood and adolescent obesity.

    Sadly, it is parents that fueled the latest trend, owing to their choice of foods for their wards from infancy.

    Dr. Oginni explains. “Rather than encourage our kids to take more of water, which has zero sugar, we put soft drinks and other SSBs in their lunch box. And when they begin to gain excess weight, people say it is a sign of affluence and healthy living. This is far from the truth.”

    A popular 35CL bottle of soft drink in Nigeria contains 13 cubes of sugar and calories taken, which exceed the usual calorie intake. It promotes weight accumulation and obesity development.

    “Higher sugar and fructose consumption in adolescents has been associated with insulin resistance and increased type 2 diabetes risk,” he added.

    Such adolescent also stands the risk of HBP and a greater risk of hypertension in life.

    The picture thus painted is that of a bleak future with millions of sick adults putting more burden on the already overstretched resources of the country. 

    It is a burden Nigeria cannot bear given the economic indexes and other health challenges cum disappearing budgets given to the health sector every year.

    Today, obesity and overweight are the most common disorders connected to sugar and they are linked to other health issues including diabetes, heart disease, certain forms of cancer and stroke.

    Obesity-related disorders are now among the top three deaths worldwide, according to World Bank 2020 research.

    In reality, obesity and overweight are regarded as modern epidemics. These are said to be the greatest public health issues now affecting the whole globe.

    Dejectedly, Nigeria is the largest consumer of SSBs in Africa and the fourth-largest consumer of SSBs in the world, according to Statista.

    The 2020 survey revealed that obesity (6.5%) was among the population’s significant cardiovascular risk factors, including smoking and alcohol intake, with a generally male majority.

    It means that almost 12 million people are  estimated to be obese in Nigeria, with children, teenagers and women experiencing the condition at significantly greater rates. It is a burden Nigeria’s lean resources and poor economy cannot afford.

     The way out

    The above figures and opinions of experts have shown that education and enlightenment are not having the desired impact. The popular opinion is for government to legislate measures that can help in reducing SSBs consumption.  

    Austin Iraoya of Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (SCEA) seeks  the immediate implementation of the passed SSB tax to discourage the sale and purchase of SSBs.

    The SSB tax was signed into law in Nigeria as part of the 2021 Finance Act. It adds 10 naira to the cost of each litre of all non-alcoholic and SSBs.

    The Task Force on Fiscal Policy for Health published a study in 2019 on how nations might reduce the prevalence of NCDs by pricing unhealthy goods, including SSBs, alcohol and tobacco.

    The task committee estimated that if countries enacted tax increases big enough to boost prices of cigarettes, alcohol, and sweet beverages by 50% over the next 50 years, more than 50 million premature deaths may be avoided.

    Dr. Iraoya says:  “The tax will increase the retail price of SSBs and reduce their purchase and consumption thereby reducing free sugar intake in the population, particularly among low-income consumers, youth and children.

    “Such legislation will also raise public awareness while giving incentives to industries to formulate sugar-free products.

    “Through it, the government can also generate significant revenue, which may be earmarked for financing the health sector, improving public health and wellbeing.”

    Dr. Oginni stresses: “The economic  case for higher tax for SSB is that when the price of a commodity suddenly rises, the demand reduces and the need for consumption of this commodity reduces.

    “Hence, the higher the tax per litre of SSBs the higher the increase in the price of the commodities and the less available it will be to persons in the lower income bracket and a disincentive to even those in the higher income bracket.

    “This in turn reduces the consumption of SSBs and the risk factor of the prevalence of obesity and diabetes reduces significantly and also lowers healthcare costs.”

    He said the current National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Law, 2022, seeks to provide health care to 83 million vulnerable Nigerians living in poverty.

    The SSBs tax can form part of the revenue sources for the funding of this, which if well implemented will push Nigeria forward in her quest to achieve UHC for her citizens.

     How Mexico, others are confronting the challenge

    Nigeria will not be the first to use this law to fight SSBs. Some countries of the world have practised it with success.

    Mexico has long been one of the world’s top users of sweetened beverages. It had the highest prevalence of adult obesity among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s members, according to a 2013 research.

    The government imposed a tax on SSBs in 2014, and two years later, the poorest families were purchasing 11.7% fewer sugary drinks than the average Mexican population as a whole.

    South African also imposed a 10% sugar tax in 2018 that immediately reduced the amount of sugar people consumed from sweetened beverages. According to a recent report, the amount per person per day decreased from 16.25 g before the tax to 14.26g instantly and then to 10.63g the next year.

    Saudi Arabia experienced a 58 per cent reduction in consumption of taxed SSBs.

    More than 50 additional countries have imposed taxes on SSBs.They include  Chile,  UK, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Morocco, Mauritius, Seychelles, Norway, Finland Belgium, France, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Bermuda, and the USA.

    A communiqué released at the end of a regional stakeholders’ forum for Southwest zone on SSBs tax, held in Lagos recently, asked  the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, increase taxation on SSBs towards achieving 20% of the retail price as recommended by WHO.

    The stakeholders meeting was attended by prominent individuals and organisations including the Nigeria Customs Service, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), media representatives, nutrition-focused and public health civil society organisations, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) as well as state agencies such as the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service; Ministry of Health, Oyo State; Ministry of Health, Osun State; and the Osun State Health Insurance Agency.

    It enjoined government and policymakers to engage and collaborate with relevant stakeholders, including civil society organisations, media institutions, and healthcare professionals to create public awareness of the health risks associated with SSB consumption and the benefits of the SSBs tax policy, among other measures to checkmate surge in SSBs consumption. 

    It said: “Government should establish a monitoring and evaluation and accountability framework to track the implementation and impact of the current SSB tax policy and implement complementary regulatory instruments like Front-of-Pack Labeling, restricting availability and marketing of SSBs in school environments, among others.”

  • Joe Biden bids to be oldest US president ever

    Joe Biden bids to be oldest US president ever

    It is no longer news that the President of the United States of America (USA), Joe Biden, and his Vice-President, Kamala Harris have made a case for the 2024 presidency.

    The next U.S. presidential election will be the 60th quadrennial presidential election, scheduled for November 5, 2024.

    The two leading candidates for the presidential polls — Donald Trump and Biden — flaunt contradictory characters. In 2020, Biden pulled off a stunning victory to unseat then-incumbent President, Trump, to become the 46th president of the United States.

    Biden crossed the winning threshold of 270 Electoral College votes with a win in Pennsylvania. His victory came after more than three days of uncertainty as election officials sorted through a surge of mail-in votes that delayed processing.

    Trump refused to concede, threatening further legal action on ballot counting. But Biden used his acceptance speech then as an olive branch to those who did not vote for him, telling Trump voters that he understood their disappointment but emphasising that “Let’s give each other a chance.”

    Biden may once again go head-to-head with Trump in the 2024 polls. Trump is projected to win the Republican Party’s presidential ticket. Despite the impressive preparations and massive support in the last poll, Biden is certain not to have it smooth in his re-election bid. And the reason is not far-fetched; Trump’s grassroots popularity is a major headache for the Democratic Party candidate cum incumbent president.

    The upcoming electoral competition is expected to be fierce. Trump is determined to best Biden at the polls even as the latter count on the goodwill of the electorate to return him to the oval office and enable him “finish the good work” he supposedly began during his first term in office.

    Against this background, pundits ask: How far has the Biden administration justified its electoral victory and redeemed Americans’ disillusionment with the political class?

    Biden is 80 years old — at age 78, he became the oldest person to assume the presidency in U.S. history. By the end of his term, he would be 82. Now that Biden has officially confirmed that he is running for re-election, that means he would be 86 by the end of his second term – if he wins his reelection bid.

    The best shot the opposition has fired against Biden has been about his “age” but none has challenged his competence to efficiently govern America.

    Biden is certainly not new to election campaigns. He had sought the presidency thrice; after two unsuccessful bids, he won on his third attempt. His 2024 reelection bid would be his fourth attempt, and the onus is on him to justify his record in office in the last three years.

    Observers believe this will not be an easy task since Biden made very lofty promises in 2020; as the campaigns commence, he plans to run on his first term record.

    Recall that he spent his first two years as president combating the coronavirus pandemic and pushing through major bills such as the bipartisan infrastructure package and legislation to promote high-tech manufacturing and climate measures.

    Biden is set to run again on the same themes that buoyed his party last fall, particularly on preserving access to abortion. However, few things have unified Democratic voters like the prospect of Trump returning to power.

    Issues such as the president’s age, health status and style of governance are also expected to feature prominently in the upcoming campaign.

    For now, 76-year-old Trump is the favourite to emerge as the Republican nominee, creating the potential of a historic sequel to the bitterly fought 2020 campaign. But Trump faces significant hurdles of his own, particularly being the first former president to face criminal charges.

    The challenge for the opposition candidates, however, is to demonstrate to the American electorate that the promise of a better America lies elsewhere.

  • Peter Enahoro: Exit of legendary wordsmith

    Peter Enahoro: Exit of legendary wordsmith

    Popular English poet and playwright, Williams Shakespeare, once opined that the world is a stage and each person plays his part and leave. The demise of veteran journalist, Peter Enahoro, has reinforced this belief. Enahoro has joined the saints triumphant, at 88, leaving in his wake indelible imprints on the sands of time.

    Popularly known by his pen name, Peter Pan, Enahoro has played his part and quit the worldly stage. Since his demise, a lot of tributes have been written about him.

    The surfeit of tributes that have trailed his demise, substantiates Shakespeare’s contemplation and summation of death in its nuances. The glowing tributes, however, highlight how Enahoro meant different things to different people, at different points in time.

    To some persons, Enahoro was a builder of talents, who groomed so many proteges. He simply wanted all his disciples to succeed. He was always mentoring people in his main constituency — the newsroom. The deceased is also remembered for lending his voice to advance the cause of the voiceless.

    Some also remember him as the hero, whose historic exploits enrich the narrative about journalism, even in his wake. His works have covered most of Africa’s major events of the last four decades. Not only did he travel extensively across Africa; but his career also took him all over the world. Enahoro undoubtedly earned a special place in the hearts of many members of the fourth estate of the realm.

    Born January 21, 1935, to the political family of Enahoro in Uromi, Edo State, Nigeria, as one of ten siblings, his Esan parents were Asuelimen Okotako Enahoro and Princess Inibokun (née Okojie). His maternal grandfather was the Onogie of Uromi, Ogbidi Okojie. His eldest brother was a statesman and politician, Chief Anthony Enahoro. 

    The deceased schooled at St. Stephens Elementary School, Akure (Ondo State); CMS Primary School, Ado-Ekiti (Ondo State); Government School, Ekpoma (Edo State), St. David’s School, Akure (Ondo State), Government School, Warri (Delta State), before graduating from Government College, Ughelli (Delta State) in 1948.

    He started his media career as an Assistant Publicity Officer (now called Federal Ministry of Information) in 1954. He later joined the Daily Times as a sub-editor in 1955, at the age of 20, before moving on to serve as the Assistant District Manager at Rediffusion Services, Ibadan, in 1957.

    In what appears to be a record-breaking feat, Enahoro became the Editor of the Nigerian Sunday Times in 1958 at the age of 23, and Features Editor of the Daily Times in 1958, then the paper’s Editor in 1962, going on to become the Daily Times Group Editorial Adviser in 1965, and in 1966, he became Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Times.

    Enahoro was Contributing Editor of Radio Deutsche Welle in Cologne, Germany, from 1966 to 1976, and was Africa Editor of National Zeitung, in Basel, Switzerland, becoming Editorial Director of New African magazine in London in 1978.

    Recounting his transit into self-exile, Enahoro acknowledged fleeing Nigeria as a 31-year-old in the 1960s. He embarked on a self-imposed exile that would last for 13 years. This was unconnected to the 1966 Civil War. He first returned in 1979 before leaving, again, in 1990. His books — How To Be A Nigerian and The Complete Nigerian — were written when he returned to Nigeria.

    In his heyday, his “Peter Pan” column that he began writing in 1959 was a delight to read. He wrote on topical issues. He established himself as one of the best columnists in the country. Frank Barton in his book, The Press of Africa, described Enahoro as “arguably Africa’s best journalist writing in the English language”.

    Thousands of readers who encountered him through his literature have retained him in their memories. They eulogised his style of writing. His stance on issues, according to readers, was quite diverse thus triggering different perceptions of his persona. Enahoro was not just a writer, he was equally gifted with a loud voice that commanded international attention.

    A lecturer at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Dr Dele Omojuyigbe in his tribute, recalled how Enahoro had three personalities lodged in one body in his newspaper journey in Daily Times – Peter Enahoro, Peter Pan, and George Sharp, and how he wrote separately under the three names in the Sunday Times in the late fifties.

    Enahoro clearly established an inspiring legacy in journalism hence observers wonder why he was not given any national honour in his lifetime. Perhaps a posthumous award would be considered in his wake.

  • Couple at war with pastor over N9m deal gone awry

    Couple at war with pastor over N9m deal gone awry

    A gold mining deal involving a Lagos-based clergyman has gone awry. The couple has demanded a refund of N9 million invested in the controversial business after the cleric claimed the gold was stolen by herdsmen during an attack on the mining site in Kogi State, reports KUNLE AKINRINADE.

    Femi Gabriel Aladesanmi and his wife, Fowokemi, are regretting a business deal with their pastor, Apostle Mathew Adewale  Adejumo, founder of The Voice of the Lord Christian Centre in Alakuko area of Lagos State, who asked them to invest in a mining business that has gone awry.

    The couple had been asked to invest the sum of N9 million in the controversial business, which they claimed later turned out to be fraudulent.

    They said that all the efforts they have made to compel the man of God to refund their money has failed while the person they took a loan from is demanding repayment of the loan several months after the facility was taken.

    Aladesanmi said he and his wife, Fowokemi, were introduced to the business by Apostle Adejumo, just two weeks after he started worshipping in the church.

    He recalled that on a certain Sunday service when he introduced his wife, Fowokemi, who was based abroad, to Apostle Adejumo, the cleric revealed to them during a prayer session that the business they were doing would not transform their lives, urging them to consider trading in raw gold.

    Aladesanmi said: ”It was barely two weeks after I started worshipping at The Voice of the Lord Christian Centre in the Alakuko area of Lagos State when the pastor of the church, Apostle Mathew Adewale Adejumo, found out that my wife had just returned from her base abroad.

    “Apostle Adewale then called us into his office tucked inside the church and urged us to invest in landed property to operate a farm, but we said we could not afford the cost of the land. He then suggested we invest in a gold mining business.”

    However, several months after investing N9 million in the business and signing the agreement between the couple and clergyman, the couple claimed the business had not yielded any profit while the money they invested had not been refunded to them.

    Aladesanmi said: ”We haven’t received any return on our investment and our money has not been refunded to us.

    “My wife had even threatened to spill the bean about the saga but I restrained her from doing so, because I saw him as a man of God.

    ”He lured us to invest in the gold mining business, not knowing that it was a fraudulent deal.

    “My wife was bringing goods like cars and fridges from abroad  in containers, and she had taken a loan from a woman abroad to invest in the gold mining deal.

    “The woman has been harassing my wife for a refund of the money, yet the pastor has only, after much pressure, refunded about N2 million out of the N9 million he collected from us.

    ”My wife is even thinking that I had connived with the pastor to defraud her of her share of the business.

    “When I told one of the cleric’s children about the turn of events, she said she would have asked me not to have anything to do with his father in any business guise.

    “People even blamed me for not asking about the pastor before going into a business deal with him.”

     On her part, Aladesanmi’s wife, Fowokemi, urged Apostle Adejumo to refund her N9 million investment in the gold mining business.

    She said: ”I want Nigerians to help me beg Apostle Mathew Adewale Adejumo to refund the money he dubiously collected from me. I have been doing business between Nigeria and overseas for a long time.

    ”My husband actually took me to his church and the pastor prayed for me and said that I was doing a wrong business and that it was revealed to him that I was supposed to be trading in gold.

    “Later, he said that there was a gold mining business in Kogi State that he would introduce me to, and it was as if he hypnotised me because I left his church and returned abroad and borrowed about N9.3 million from someone, which I invested in the business.”

     She added that her creditor had been threatening to take action against her in a bid to recover the loan she took to invest in the failed deal, hence, she wants Adejumo to refund the money urgently.

    She added: ”Since then, I have not seen anything from the business and the pastor has not refunded my money.

    “The person that loaned me the money is now breathing down  my neck for repayment, yet Apostle Adejumo has only paid back N2 million after we  mounted pressure on him, and it has been difficult to retrieve the rest of the money from him despite repeated promises.”

    Explaining his complicity in the deal, Apostle Adejumo, in a viral online footage, explained that the gold was stolen when some herdsmen attacked the mining site at Egbe, Kogi State. He said he had since refunded a sum of N2 million to the couple following the pressure mounted on him for a refund of their investment.

    He said: ”It happened that I invited Madam Fowokemi’s husband to invest in a gold mining business.

    “I also invested in the business with my friends. I invested about N19 million while my friends invested about N35 million and Fowokemi’s husband too invested N9 million in the business.

    “I felt that the business was lucrative and that the return on the investment could turn their life around better than before.

    ”I had a written agreement with the owner of the mining licence at the site in the Egbe area of Kogi State.

    “His name is Pastor Olanrewaju. He is a miner by profession.

    “I visited the mining site and I saw that there were truly mining activities on the site. I also had a written and signed agreement with the Aladesanmi couple.

    ”Truly, the gold weighing about 2.7 kg had been mined, awaiting proper cleansing on the third day before it could be put up for sale.

    “Sadly, I had barely retired to my hotel room in the town when I received a call that some herdsmen had invaded the site and killed many workers there and that they also took away the gold we were waiting to sell to recover our investment.

    “The monarch and police in the area are aware of this unfortunate incident.

    ”I have spoken with other investors to refund the money invested by th e couple.

    “I don’t involve any of my members in my businesses. I have been a car dealer since 1994 with clients and several state governments as customers.

    ”If the business had brought profit, it would not have resulted in this controversy. I want to retain my integrity, and you may confirm this from people who know me very well.

    “I had made up my mind to refund their money when the incident happened.

    “It is true that I asked them to borrow money to add up to the money they wanted to invest in the business, but my intention was not to defraud them.

    “So, far, I have refunded about N2 million to them (the couple) out of the N9 million they invested.

    “We all know that the country is currently experiencing a cash crunch, hence I promised that I would give them the remaining part of the money when the cash problem subsides.

    ”Although I have the police report about the herdsmen attack at the site, I won’t be able to give it to you because I also want you to do your investigation to confirm the veracity of what I am telling you.”

  • Bloody day in Nasarawa as killer herdsmen invade communities

    Bloody day in Nasarawa as killer herdsmen invade communities

    • Sorrow, tears as invaders kill 12, leave village in ruins

    A bloody tribal conflict is looming in Kokona Local Government Area, Nasarawa State, following an invasion of three communities in the local government area by some killer herdsmen who left sorrow, blood and tears in their trail.

    The affected communities includes Migini, Angwan Barau and Tattare, the worst hit of the three villages where the herdsmen burnt down the entire community and forced the entire inhabitants to seek refuge elsewhere. Tattare community, largely populated by the Mada tribe, is now almost desolate and in absolute ruin.

     Some herdsmen had swooped on the remote community penultimate Tuesday, setting fire to the houses and forcing the people to flee their ancestral homes. In the process, no fewer than 12 members of the community were hacked to death and sent into their early graves by the invaders who had allegedly declared operation one man, one bullet on the residents. Last Saturday, a PDP chieftain and house of assembly aspirant for Kokona East state constituency, Hon Deboy Chorio, led some military officers who provided security to enable him assess the level of damage caused by the Fulani, and our correspondent was on the trip.

    Lamenting the attack, the remnant of Tattare inhabitants met on ground observed that the deadly escapades of the killer herdsmen was increasingly unsettling the western part of Nasarawa state after leaving their undesirable footprints in the southern part of the state.

    Hon. Deboy Chorio, who conducted the military officers round the deserted Tattare community, revealed that the invaders burnt down houses and killed 12 innocent villagers. The blood-soaked body parts of the alleged victims were seen littering the area.

    Our correspondent also sighted parts of human corpse in various stages of decomposition, as most of the villagers had deserted their homes and the few surviving houses became a shadow of their former selves.

    Domestic animals like goats and fowls were seen moving round the deserted burnt houses in pristine innocence and without anybody to give them direction.

    Bags of freshly harvested rice, beans, dry cassava and guinea corn were burnt to ashes, signalling an outbreak of famine in the coming season as bags of gari and yam flour were also not left out.

    Tattare community has been a major settlement of the Mada people for decades while the Fulani people who constituted majority of the herdsmen in the area, came to settle there about 60 years ago as a result of their pasturing activities.

    Recounting their ordeal at the hands of the militia, the Chairman of the community, Mr Dogara Kadon Lason, said the crisis began about a month ago when a Fulani lad allegedly led his cows and destroyed our sugarcane plantation, and when he was challenged by some villagers, his response was not pleasant and the villagers descended on him, beating him into pulp.

    He said: “The Fulani boy managed to rear the cattle back to their settlement and reported the incident to his parents, who resorted to giving him home treatment.  The boy died in the process, causing the other Fulani people in the area to threaten action.

    “When the news of what transpired the previous day went into the village, another sugarcane farm owner went to check his plantation and met some herdsmen allegedly destroying his farm.

    “He challenged them and a quarrel ensued. They allegedly overpowered the farmer and machetted him to death. But one of the herdsmen, who was also said to have sustained injuries during the fight, later died at the hospital

    “A few days later, the leaders of the two warring communities met in an attempt to find a lasting solution to the problems, abd took certain decisions to avoid a future reoccurrence.

    “But the next day, we got information that the herdsmen were planning an attack on us. We found it difficult to believe following the series of reconciliation meetings we held.

    “The next day, one of our villagers went to his farm and did not return. We traced him throughout that night without any success only for us to discover his corpse the following day.

    “The issue created a lot of tension and fear in the neighbouring communities, So, the next morning, some youths from Tattare summoned courage and went to the Fulani settlement (ruga), to find out what had happened. They discovered that the herdsmen had sent their wives, children and cows away.

    “As they were there talking, the herdsmen came out with arms and attacked them, killing one person while others escaped with various degrees of wounds.”

    Lason, who said the matter was reported to the police, added: “When the police came to restore peace, the Fulani assured that no further attack would take place, only for then to regroup and launch a massive attack on Tattare community, killing many people, burning down houses, properties and foodstuffs worth millions.

    “As we talk to you, we gathered that they are still planning to attack neighbouring communities. So this community is no longer safe for anybody to visit.

    A youth leader in the community, Mr Thimothy Makeri, said about 12 dead bodies were recovered and taken to General Hospital Garaku while some were nowhere to be found.

    Also speaking, Isaac Danladi, a senior member of the community, said: “The herdsmen killed our people for complaining that cows ate their sugarcane plantation farm, they gunned down and macheted our people to death for challenging how their cows ate and destroyed our sugarcane plantation farm.

    “The herdsmen were large in number, and they stormed Tattare community with motorcycles and started shooting indiscriminately while burning houses. They killed everybody they sighted.

    “We want the culprits to be arrested.  We want the federal government to help us. Our people are displaced, we are farmers, and displacing us during the farming season is a major setback for us,” he said.

    Hon Chorio, who went round the deserted community, told our correspondent that since the crisis commenced, the Nasarawa State Government had not made any effort to visit the displaced people or visit the deserted communities to see the level of damages done by the herdsmen.

    He expressed disappointment at the attitude of the state government, which he said turned a deaf ear to the plight of the people of Tattare community and appealed to the federal government to send relief materials to the displaced people and take steps to bring the situation under control.

    He added that at the moment, there was serious tension in Anza, Kundami, Angwan Mainasara, Angwan Takwa and even parts of Garaku, the headquarters of Kokona Local Government Area.

    He accused the Kokona Local Government Chairman, Hon Awal Adamu, of not being pro-active in handling the situation and of allowing the attackers to carry out the act without anyone arrested.

    Chorio also accused Adamu of failing to mobilise security personnel to the community to prevent recurrent attacks and even refusing to provide camp for the displaced persons or provide relief materials for the displace Tatara Mada community.

    Chorio added that the chairman neglected the Tatara Mada community, “even though rumor is going round the areas that it was because the community refused to vote APC in the just concluded governorship and house of assembly elections.

    “But we all know that the duty of any government is to provide security of lives and property to the citizens of the state, and it is very wrong for any government to refuse to focus on his responsibility as a leader.

    “It was only Hon GAZA Gbafwi, member House of Representatives, and His Exellancy Dr Silas Agara, a former Deputy Governor, who took their time to visit the displaced people of Tatara Mada community and give their support to the security personnel and the people.”

    The executive chairman of Kokona Local Government Council, Hon Awalu Adamu, who confirmed the crisis, said the council in collaboration with security agencies were on top of the situation to ensure that it was brought under control.

    The spokesman of Nasarawa State Police Command, Ranham Nansel, who confirmed the incident, said he could not ascertain the number of people so far killed.

    Governor Abdullahi Sule has since set up a committee headed by the first class traditional ruler in Mada tribe, the Chun Mada, and the Commissioner of Police to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the crisis.

    Speaking to Journalists in his house in Gudi, Governor Sule said: “Tattara is a peaceful place where Mada people leave quietly. But today, it has been destroyed by the Fulanis, and all the Tattara people in Garaku, if you go there, you will see them.

    “So we have been trying to see how we can resolve that.

    “It is not only Tattare. Today, the people of Angwan Ayuba and all the people around the area have run away because they are afraid that what has happened to Tattara may happen to them.

    “So that is what ethnic crisis can bring. It is not necessary, it is uncalled for, and the destruction is massive,” he said.

  • SERAP seeks probe of ‘missing’ crude

    SERAP seeks probe of ‘missing’ crude

    Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to set up a presidential panel of enquiry to investigate the allegations that over 149 million barrels of crude oil are missing, as documented in the 2019 audited reports by the Auditor-General of the Federation and Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).

    SERAP also urged President Buhari to ensure effective prosecution of anyone suspected to be responsible for the plundering of the country’s oil wealth and the full recovery of any proceeds of crime.

    According to the 2019 audited report by the Auditor-General, over 107 million barrels of crude oil were lifted as domestic crude without any document or tracing. NEITI also reported 42.25 million barrels of crude oil missing in 2019.

    It said that the proposed panel should be headed by a retired justice of the Supreme Court or Court of Appeal, and its members should include people with proven professional record, and of the highest integrity that can act impartially, independently, and transparently.

    SERAP, in the April 22 letter signed by Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, argued that investigating the allegations, naming, shaming and prosecuting those suspected to be responsible for it would serve the public interest and end the impunity of perpetrators

    The letter reads: “SERAP notes that you have repeatedly promised to combat corruption. As you go into the final weeks of your term of office, the missing crude oil allegations present yet another opportunity to demonstrate your commitment and to uphold your oath of office both as President and Minister of Petroleum Resources.

  • Dumpsite turns into nightmare for residents of Lagos community

    Dumpsite turns into nightmare for residents of Lagos community

    • Robbers adopt site as hideout
    • Epidemic looms as residents lament pollution of water sources
    • Landlords flee communities as bush cats, snakes other deadly animals terrorise residents 

    The health of many residents of LASU/Isheri area of Alimosho Local Government Area, Lagos State is at risk over the pollution of their water sources by the dumpsite located in the area. Their predicament is compounded by the invasion of their homes by robbers and deadly animals that use the refuse dumps as hideouts, INNOCENT DURU reports.

    Mr Godwin Akhagbokhai was elated with the completion of his residential building at Lanre Bus stop in LASU/ Isheri area of Alimosho Local Government area of Lagos State. The location is one that any estate agent would easily use to convince would be tenants to secure accommodation or acquire property there. 

    Less than an hour drive to the Murtala Mohammed Airport and less than 15 minutes’ drive from Lagos State University (LASU), the area, a stone’s throw to the capital city, Ikeja, is paved with well tarred road and enjoys regular power supply among other advantages.

    So, for Mr Akhagbokhai and many others, the area was a very good place to live in. And it proved to be so until the state government converted an expanse of empty land in the area to a refuse dump.

    The refuse dump  started with small drops of garbage that grew gradually into a mountainous heap polluting the area and causing serious environmental cum health challenges for residents.  

    Akhagbokhai said: “I have been a landlord here for over 15 years. When I moved into this area, the dumpsite was not there. I dug a well and we were drinking from the water.  

    “The same applied to other people who built houses in the area. We were all drinking the water from the wells and boreholes we made in our various houses. 

    “Suddenly, they created the dumpsite and after a while, it started polluting our waters.

    “The dump site is causing a lot of environmental problems for us, especially the kids.  

    “Rashes, cough and respiratory problems, among other health challenges, are widespread. 

    “Personally, the challenges occasioned by the dumpsite have affected my health condition. At times, my breath would cease. My legs are the most affected. I cannot do my work again because of ill health.

    “There was a time I went to the General Hospital here at Igando and doctors had to admit me. They asked me to do 21 laboratory tests. 

    “After the tests were done, nothing was found. Somebody merely said it was the environment that was responsible for the challenges.

    “I have a son who is in Part Four in the university and is about to be asked to leave because I couldn’t pay. My health condition stopped me from working.”

    The Chairman of Zone 6, Owodunni Community Development Association, Mr Ige John, corroborated Akhagbokhai’s claims. A visit to his compound reveals how the polluted water has corroded the water storage tanks and everything it touches.  John said: “I have been living here since 2009. It has been challenging living here. Our environment has grievously suffered from the challenges posed by the dumpsite.  

    “The dump site has polluted our water.  We cannot drink the water, cook or do anything meaningful with it.  

    “The water in my house is a borehole and not a well, yet it is polluted. Whenever one uses polluted water of this nature to bathe, it causes infections. 

    “I suffer from typhoid from time to time, and it is a common sickness in this neighbourhood.”

    He recalled that “there was a time some Lagos State Government officials came here and later people from a department in Lagos State University (LASU). 

    “They said that they learnt that our water is polluted. After all said and done, they took samples of the water. But since they came three years ago, we have not set our eyes on them again. 

    “Most often, I buy water from truck pushers. A truck costs between N1,000 and N1,200 and it doesn’t take time before we exhaust it. ”  

    He added that fire outbreaks are often recorded at the dump site and the experience is better imagined. “Whenever there is a fire outbreak, nobody will be able to pass through our road. In fact, the fire can burn for a week.  

    “There was a time the fire from the dumpsite burnt three cars parked in a mechanic workshop.  

    “The cars were brought for repairs but they got burnt by the fire from the dumpsite. 

    “A cobbler also had his shop and all the shoes, including the sum of N36,000 he left in the shop, were burnt by the same fire from the dumpsite.”

    The ugly development, it was learnt, has forced some landlords to sell their houses.

    According to John, “a landlord who built one of the most beautiful houses in the community had to sell it when she came from abroad and found that it was in front of a messy dumpsite. 

    “The naval officer who bought the building also had to sell it off after robbers came from the dumpsite to rob him and his household of their valuables. 

    “There is hardly a building in the neighborhood that has not been robbed by criminals mostly operating from the dumpsite. Aside from dumping refuse on the dumpsite, people dump dead bodies of both old and young there. At times, new born babies are abandoned there.”

    The expression on the face of a petty trader, who gave her name simply as Bose, tells all about the ugly experience she is having in the area.

    Reliving her experience in an interview with our correspondent, she said: “Each time we come to the shop in the morning, we are confronted with the sight of nylon bags filled with different colours and shapes of human faeces.  

    “Aside from faeces, we also find bags of refuse carelessly dropped all over the place every morning. I spend personal money to throw them away.

    “I have a scavenger who I give money to help me pack and throw those rubbish away because I cannot touch them with my hands. It comes at a huge cost to me, but if I don’t do that, I will not be able to open my shop and do business.”

    Robbers, deadly animals torment residents 

    Added to the environmental and health challenges the residents are suffering is the menace of armed robbery and invassion of their homes by deadly animals living f8 the dumpsite. 

    According to the Owodunni Zone 6 CDA chairman, John Ige, “bush cats disturb the area a lot. Their cries at night are scary and disturbing.  

    “They came to my compound two weeks ago and left bloodstains of birds and chickens that they killed. 

    “I don’t know where they got the  birds and chickens from because I don’t rear them in my house.  

    “We have also killed snakes in my compound. They come from the dumpsite which has become a breeding ground for all manners of dangerous human beings and animals.

    “Hoodlums are using the dumpsite as   hideouts. 

    “Some years ago, some armed robbers came from there to attack the community. When our security guards confronted them, they fled through the same place.”

    He noted that during former Governor Babatunde Fashola’s tenure, there was an arrangement made to ease the community of the inconveniences.  Owodunni added: “They used to fumigate the dumpsite in the midnight, but that stopped even before Fashola left office.  

    “Cockroaches, mosquitoes, snakes and other dangerous animals now invade our community at will.”

    Also expressing concern over the invassion of the community by deadly animals, Bose, the petty trader, said: “A boy was walking around recently at about 6:30 pm when suddenly, his leg kicked something. 

    “When he looked at it, it was a snake. He screamed and alerted us. I quickly went with a stick and killed the snake.  

    “Aside from the shop, I have also killed snakes in my house.  

    “My daughter was walking in the compound at night when footwear inexplicably slipped off her legs.  

    “When we pointed a torch at the place, we saw a snake rolled up near the spot where the slippers were. I immediately fetched a stick and killed it. 

    “It has been a very unpleasant experience having this dumpsite in the neighbourhood.”

    Akhagbokhai also told of how he killed a snake in his house, saying: “The stench from the dumpsite is horrible, especially when it rains and snakes come from the refuse site.

    “I recently saw a snake in my kitchen. I killed the snake. We were lucky that it did not harm anybody in the house.”

    An artisan, who gave his name simply as Mutiu, decried the deplorable state of the community and the activities of hoodlums who use the dumpsite as hideout.

     “Hoodlums have continued to terrorise the community at will,” he said. 

    “They broke into one of the houses and stole six generators in one night.  

    “When you look into the dumpsite, you will see over 200 people there. All manner of shaddy activities occur at the place.”

    Residents decry unfulfilled promises 

    Sequel to the myraid of challenges confronting them, the residents said they had reached out to the state government on occasions but got no fruitful response.

    Akhagbokhai said when he noticed that his water source had been polluted, he reached out to the state government with hope that the challenge would be addressed.

    He said: “When this happened, I personally reported to the Lagos State government during the tenure of Governor Babatunde Fashola. They responded by sending some engineers to take samples of my water. But up until this time we are talking, nothing has been done.

    “At some point, engineers from the water corporation suggested that I should dig the well again. I called people to clear it but nothing changed.  

    “On the surface, the water looks clean, but it is actually polluted.” 

    After his efforts yielded no fruits, he said, “I later connected my house with the public tap but it stopped  working for no reason. 

    “We  have water in our houses but we spend a lot of money buying water because the one we have in the house has been  contaminated.”

    John, the Chairman of the Zone 6 CDA, recalled that “the management of LAWMA came around as well and held meetings with the members of the community and the executive. Subsequently, they came and dug two boreholes for the community but they never worked for a day.

    “There was a time they told us that the dumpsite was not ripe to be shut down and that when the time comes for them to  do that, they would come with certain equipment that they would use to press the whole rubbish down. 

    “They said that when this is done, we would not know that the place was ever a dumpsite.  

    “They said they would turn the place into a recreational centre where children and adults would be able to relax and enjoy themselves.  

    “We have yet to hear from them since then.”

    Given all the challenges thrown at them by the refuse dump, John said, “the  state government is supposed to put measures in place to help us. 

    “In developed climes, this kind of dumpsite will be used  to generate electricity which would be beneficial to the people. 

    “If that is done here,  power supply will not be a problem for us and the entire Igando area and beyond.  We seriously need urgent government assistance  now more than ever because the troubles created by the dumpsite are becoming unbearable daily.”

    More residents groan

    While the dumpsite at Lanre was said to have been officially shut down, the one beside the General Hospital at Igando was a beehive of activities when our correspondent visited. 

    The heap of refuse was monstrous while the smell in the area was odious. The unbearable stench leaves one to wonder how the residents survive in the midst of the environmental pollution bedeviling the area.

    Even the reporter experienced some stomach discomfort during the visit to the dumpsite. It took hours after he had left the area to experience a relief.

    A resident of Afenifere community, who gave her name as Comfort,  said the dumpsite was making it difficult for them to access good water. 

    “Our water is worse than the one that is flowing inside a gutter. All the houses in this area don’t have good water. We always go to other communities to buy water,” she said. 

    One of the community leaders, Deacon John Gbologe, said that life had not been the same since the dumpsite was moved to the area. 

    He said: “At times, to eat in your house is a problem except you close your windows. 

    “We have written about three letters to the state government and even to the general hospital. They promised that they would come and pour chemicals on it but they are yet to do so. 

    “Unfortunately, this pollution causes diseases. The dumpsite attracts a legion of mosquitoes and other insects to our area. It causes malaria, typhoid and even cholera. 

    “Some people who live close to the site complain of stomach challenges. The stench is always horrible during the rainy season or whenever they are turning the garbage. 

    “Most of the time, you will have to lock the windows and other places. It is a serious matter.” 

    It was also a tale of pains and frustration for the people residing around Oko-Filling, another community facing the imposing refuse dump. 

    Not only are some of the wells polluted, the air around the community is also compromised by the unhealthy smell from the garbage. 

    One of the residents, Omosuzi Obeto, said her family had been having running battles with malaria and typhoid since they moved to the area. 

    Obeto said: “We weren’t falling sick the way we are doing here where we were before. 

    “There is hardly a month we don’t take medication for malaria and typhoid since we came here because the water is not so good. 

    “At times, it produces a foul smell. We have stopped using it to brush or wash things like fruits without boiling, just to avoid infection and other attendant health problems.”

    Israel, a resident of Itoko Avenue, said: “The refuse dump affected our water to the extent that it changed the colours of our toilet seats, buckets and other things we use in the house. It was when we dug it further that the water became better. 

    “So many other buildings have similar problem and that makes it challenging for them to have water for domestic use.” 

    Residents susceptible to skin cancer, says health expert 

     A medical and environmental expert, Dr Fasipe Olumuyiwa, had told the reporter that the residents are susceptible to skin problems now and skin cancer later in life if they are continuously exposed to the polluted water.

    Explaining the implication of what the people are going through, he said: “The implication can be divided into environmental and biological\medical.

    “The environmental implications are as a result of pollutants that are being released from the breakdown of the degradable wastes that is in the component of the refuse. 

    “This involves the release of green house gases which is mainly Co2 into the atmosphere and lead to green house effect. 

    “This is a sensitive issue in the whole world as we speak. Co2 leads to the accumulation of heat and raises the temperature of the environment. 

    “This  is capable of causing physical hazard in the environment.

    “Medically, there are some of the wastes of the broken down materials that are not being released as gas into the air. This produces toxic chemicals that are capable of polluting the underground water. 

    “For example, we have not made use of the water in the well in my house for the past three to four years because the underground water has been polluted totally. It can cause a lot of skin diseases. 

    “Over a period of time, exposure to that kind of water can cause skin cancer.”

    He added: “With the pollution, there is a release of noxious gas into the environment. This is very dangerous to human health, because when you breathe it in, it can cause serious damage to the lung and other vital parts of the body. 

    “Some people would be prone to all manner of ailments because they go ahead to consume this water as they don’t have the means of getting supply from water tankers. The consumption will automatically cause diarrhea and other skin diseases.

    “Some of the children can also suffer from pneumonia as a result of the noxious gases that are being released into the environment.  

    “Pneumonia is associated with cold to some extent, but there has to be a pathogenic organism, a bacteria or a viral agent which this refuse dump can serve as a breeding ground for.  They can propagate the spread of infections to the environment. 

    “These pollutants are common causes of what we sometimes call unknown illness.  

    “Here in Nigeria, we don’t have the facilities to carry out some tests. Some of the toxics being released are organic toxic substances that require special tests.”

    Developed countries turning refuse to power 

    While management of refuse dumps  has remained a huge problem in this part of the world, countries in the developed world have identified it as veritable means of generating power.

    In fact, a country like Sweden is said to be importing garbage from Europe to boost its power generation.

    According to a report by Al Jazeera, every day, some 300 trucks arrive at a plant outside the city of Göteborg on the west coast of Sweden. They carry garbage, but they are not there to dump the cargo. Instead, they deliver it to the plant’s special ovens, which burn it, providing heat to thousands of local homes.

    “The only fuel we use is waste,” says Christian Löwhagen, a spokesman for Renova, the local government-owned energy company operating the plant. “It provides one-third of heat for households in this region.” Across Sweden, 950,000 homes are heated by trash; this lowly resource also provides electricity for 260,000 homes across the country, according to statistics from Avfall Sverige, Sweden’s national waste-management association.

    Swedes (as well as Germans, Danes, the Dutch and Belgians) have become so good at recycling that there’s no longer enough garbage to meet the heating plants’ needs. Sweden now has to import the trash that most other countries are trying to dispose of — some 800,000 tons in 2014, up from 550,000 tons in 2010, according to Avfall Sverige.

    Last year Renova brought in 100,000 tons of foreign garbage, mostly from Britain, in addition to the 435,000 tons supplied by Swedish municipalities. In Stockholm, energy provider Fortum also imports garbage, and in the southern city of Malmö, the Sysav energy company brought in 135,000 tons of waste from Norway and Britain last year, according to the company’s communications director, Gunilla Carlsson. That’s an almost 100 percent leap from the year before. 

    “We try to stay up to date on where well-sorted garbage is available,” says Löwhagen. “We only use waste where all recyclable bits have been taken out. In Europe, enormous amounts of garbage are put in landfill, so we’re doing other countries a favor by taking care of it for them.”