Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Sunday 31st October 2021
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 31/10/21
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E2%80%93 Buhari Government Must Probe Illegal Invasion Of Supreme Court Judge, Odili’s Residence – Concerned Nigerians Group
A human rights’ group, Concerned Nigerians for the Protection of Human Rights and Rule of Law Initiative, has condemned the raid on the residence of Supreme Court Justice, Mary Odili, by security operatives, saying it is yet another frontal attack on the independence and integrity of the judiciary.
Security operatives had on Friday night invaded the house of the Supreme Court Justice based on information that “illegal activities” were going on there.
The spokesperson of the group, Theophilus Abuh Agada, in a statement asked the Muhammadu Buhari-led government to apologise to Justice Odili over the incident.
The statement read, “We condemn in strong terms, the invasion of the apartment of Nigeria’s Supreme Court judge, Justice Mary Odili, by security operatives on Friday night.
“You will recall on October 29, 2021, a team of security operatives reported to be a combination of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Nigerian police and the Department of State Services’ agents, stormed the Hon Justice Odili’s official apartment in Maitama, Abuja, in an attempt to execute a search warrant issued by a Chief Magistrate, Emmanuel Iyanna, in the FCT judiciary.
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Nigerian Bar Association Demands Punishment For ‘Rogue Security Operatives’ Who Raided Supreme Court Judge, Odili’s Residence
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“Concerned Nigerians join the rest of Nigerians in condemning this heinous abuse of power against Justice Odili, the Supreme Court’s second most senior justice behind the present Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad.
“It is ironic to note that on a day the Nigerian Bar Association drew the curtain on its annual conference, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where the rule of law was a reoccurring theme, state agents, posing as security officers, invaded the home of a Nigerian Supreme Court Justice, on the basis of a worthless affidavit deposed to by a whistle blower and an unidentified police officer.
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Security Operatives Raid Supreme Court Judge, Odili’s Residence In Abuja
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“We note with concern that the EFCC and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation have denied been involved in the raid, while the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian police have refused to issue any statement on the raid. We must categorically state that this is an attempt to intimate Justice Odili and the entire judiciary in general. The Buhari administration must recognise that the foundation of a democratic government lies in the unwavering adherence to the principles of the rule of law and respect for fundamental human rights.
“We, therefore, demand that everyone remotely involved in this show of shame must be held accountable and sanctioned, beginning with the Magistrate who issued the search warrant without satisfying himself that the minimum requirement has been met.
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How Attorney-General, Malami’s Ministry Misled Me To Sign Warrant To Raid Supreme Court Judge, Odili’s Residence – Chief Magistrate
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“We also demand that the Federal Government should, as a matter of urgency, issue an apology to the Hon Justice Mary Peter-Odili for the unwarranted invasion of her apartment and flagrant breach of her constitutionally guaranteed right to privacy.
“Finally, we call on the authorities to launch an investigation into this needless and unfortunate attack on the judiciary.”
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E2%80%93-nigerian-civil Police Lied, Zamfara Bandits Overpowered, Killed Security Operatives – Nigerian Civil Defence Corps
NSCDC CG, Ahmed Audi.
The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has disputed the Zamfara State Police Command’s claim that its joint security team overpowered some bandits who attacked security operatives in the state.
The spokesperson for the police command, Muhammad Shehu, had said that on October 28, a joint police and civil defence team deployed along Kaura Namoda–Shinkafi Road were ambushed by suspected bandits who came in a large number.
NSCDC CG, Ahmed Audi.
According to the police, which had sought to downplay the bandits’ attack, after several hours of engaging the bandits in a gun duel, “some of the assailants were neutralised while others escaped with possible gunshot injuries.”
However, narrating what happened, the NSCDC said the bandits, numbering about 150 and with “heavy weaponry”, had “engaged operatives in exchange of fire.”
NSCDC spokesperson, Ikhor Oche, noted in the statement that the team of the joint security forces was overpowered even after it got reinforcement.
“All the same, one of the NSCDC personnel, a driver, was killed while other officers had to run for cover. The bandits set the vehicle ablaze along with corpse of the personnel, and while returning to Shinkafi, one personnel also got missing.
“During NSCDC’s search, the missing person was found dead and right now his corpse is on its way to Maru, his hometown. This brings to two, the number of NSCDC personnel that died in the attack. I cannot ascertain the extent of what happened to men of the other security agency, but it equally recorded losses,” the spokesperson stated.
SaharaReporters had on Friday reported that bandits killed at least 20 operatives of the Nigerian security agencies in the Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State after which the bandits set their corpses on fire.
The security operatives had been sent to a village where bandits had been ravaging for a long time without any security stoppage.
The bandits had reportedly ambushed the security operatives, killed a score of them and set the corpses on fire in the early hours of Friday.
Among the victims was Alhaji Shehu Mallami, a resident of the community.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Aminu Mary, had confirmed the attack, saying that the state commandant of the corps already left to the scene to ascertain what really happened.
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E2%80%99s-central-bank-governor-emefiele-retain-ex-attorney-general-aondoakaa #EndSARS: Nigeria’s Central Bank, Governor Emefiele Retain Ex-Attorney-General, Aondoakaa, Others In Suit Over Harassment Of Protesters, Incompetence In Office
Michael Aondoakaa
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and its governor, Godwin Emefiele, have retained a former Attorney-Attorney-General of the Federation, Mike Aondoakaa (SAN) to lead the legal team of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) in the defence of the suit against him and the bank.
The suit borders on Emefiele’s incompetence in office, and harassment of the #EndSARS protesters.
Michael Aondoakaa
An Abuja-based activist, Sesugh Akume, had filed a suit before a Federal High Court in the nation’s capital, asking it to determine whether or not Emefiele, had not been grossly incompetent by failing to provide price control, a strong Naira and a stable exchange rate.
Akume also asked the court to stop Emefiele and the CBN from further lending to the Nigerian government until the trillions of Naira allegedly owed are refunded in full.
He also wants the court to also compel the CBN never to lend beyond the prescribed 5% of the previous year’s revenues.
The activist said the apex bank under Emefiele had been engaged in the illegality of lending to the Nigerian government more than the prescribed 5% of the revenues of the previous year.
SaharaReporters gathered that Aondoakaa was briefed by the CBN to represent the apex bank in the matter.
Akume in a statement on Saturday said the senior lawyer had been retained to lead others in the matter before the court.
The case would be heard on Tuesday, November 9.
He said, “The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, have retained former Attorney-Attorney-General of the Federation, Mike Aondoakaa, SAN to lead the legal team of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) and other counsel in the matter of _Sesugh Akume v CBN_ (FHC/ABJ/CS/1051/2021).
“It would be recalled, in that matter, I ask the court to declare both the CBN and governor, Mr Emefiele, incompetent for failing their number one job which is price control, as they have rather caused the skyrocketing of prices in the market through their bad polices and incompetence.
“To declare that they (as well as other public institutions and officers) can be held liable for their incompetence especially when it negatively affects the public; to declare illegal their lending above 5% the previous year revenues of the country to the federal government, and doing so even when past loans are not repaid (leading to the country owing CBN alone N15.51 trillion) all of which affect the country adversely; and to stop them from further doing so, among other things.
“Former AG Aondoakaa SAN, and the legal team, entered appearance as defence counsel to CBN and Emefiele, and have filed their defence. The matter commences at the Federal High Court, Abuja before Justice A R Mohammed (Court 4) on Tuesday 9 November 2021, from 9am.”
Aondoakaa is not new to controversies – during his time as Nigeria’s AGF and Minister of Justice, he showed a high disregard for the law of the country.
He got into trouble in 2010 when the Legal Privileges Committee in 2010 suspended him from using the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria for two years following a petition by the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights and a ruling by a Calabar Federal High Court on June 1, 2010, that he was unfit to hold the office of the Attorney-General or any public office in Nigeria.
Aondoakaa was also notorious for his brash support of the government and his defence of corrupt former governor of Delta State, James Ibori.
As Nigeria’s AGF, he did everything to block the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from prosecuting Ibori and other corrupt officials.
He also declined the request by the London Metropolitan Police to allow officials of the EFCC to stand as prosecuting witness against Ibori.
The 58-year-old was in 2010 barred from entering the United States over links to massive corruption during his two and half years in office.
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Nigerian Bar Association Demands Punishment For ‘Rogue Security Operatives’ Who Raided Supreme Court Judge, Odili’s Residence
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has condemned the raid of the Abuja residence of the former Rivers Governor, Peter Odili and his wife, Justice Mary Odili of the Supreme Court.
Security operatives had on Friday night invaded the house of the Supreme Court justice based on information that “illegal activities” were going on there.
Documents seen by journalists showed that the search warrant was obtained after one Aliyu Ibrahim, a whistleblower, deposed to an affidavit on October 13, stating that he “observed some illegal activities” within the area.
The search warrant was granted to one Lawrence Ajodo, identified as a chief superintendent of police and a member of the investigation team under the asset tax recovery panel of the ministry of justice.
The panel comprises the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), and the Federal Ministry of Justice.
The warrant, which was granted by Emmanuel Iyanna, a Chief Magistrate at Wuse Zone 6 magistrate court, did not bear the address or name of the judge.
While Odili’s address is 7, Imo river street, Maitama, the address on the warrant was 9, Imo Street, Maitama.
Reacting in a statement issued on Saturday, NBA President, Olumide Akpata demanded that those responsible for the act must be brought to book.
Akpata noted that the security team which carried out the raid was linked by some to the Minister of Justice’s office, but that the minister had denounced the operatives.
He said he would convene an emergency meeting of the NBA National Executive Committee solely to discuss the issue and take a definitive stand on behalf of the NBA.
The statement read, “The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) received with grave concern the news of the unlawful siege on the Abuja residence of a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Honourable Justice Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili, last night by officers of one or more of the Nigerian security agencies.
“Almost 24 hours later, information concerning the basis of the siege remains hazy and the subject of speculation, apart from reports that the invasion was pursuant to a search warrant issued by a Magistrate Court in Abuja, which search warrant has now been revoked.
“The Honourable AGF under whose office the team that purportedly carried out the raid is allegedly domiciled has also reportedly denounced the team, which implies that the residence of the second most senior judicial officer in Nigeria was raided by rogue security agencies. The grave implications of this possibility leave a lot to be desired.”
He said when viewed in the context of a similar raid on the premises of Supreme Court Justices in 2016, the NBA interpreted last night’s incident as part of an orchestrated affront on the Judiciary, designed to intimidate and ridicule the Judiciary.
The NBA, he vowed, “will no longer allow this to continue.”
Akpata added, “In case the law enforcement agencies have not learnt their lessons, events like this do nothing but erode the independence of sacred democratic institutions like the Judiciary, undermine the rule of law in Nigeria and set the country back in the quest to instil confidence in citizens of Nigeria, Nigerian businesses, and foreign investors that Nigeria operates a democracy with an independent judiciary.
“I have spoken with My Lord, Peter-Odili JSC and I am happy to report that she is alive and well. Beyond that however, it is my pledge to Nigerians that the NBA will get to the root of this matter.
“In line with the aims and objectives of the NBA to protect and defend the independence of the Judiciary and the Rule of Law, we will convene an emergency meeting of the NBA National Executive Committee solely to discuss this issue and take a definitive stand on behalf of the NBA.
“I will also lead a delegation to the Honourable AGF Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN and the relevant heads of security agencies to seek further clarification on the circumstances of this incident.
“The NBA will ensure that all those responsible for this unfortunate incident are brought to book. We must do all that is required to safeguard the independence of our Judiciary and indeed protect our hard-won democracy.”
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E2%80%98nefarious-criminal-activities%E2%80%99 IPOB Condemns, Disowns Biafra National Guard Over ‘Nefarious, Criminal Activities’
File photo used to illustrate story.
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Saturday distanced itself from the Biafra National Guard, BNG.
IPOB said it had nothing to do with any group involved in criminality.
In a statement by its spokesman, Emma Powerful, IPOB noted that its leader, Nnamdi Kanu does not encourage criminality.
File photo used to illustrate story.
Powerful disclosed that anybody caught in the act of criminality would be dealt with.
According to Powerful: “We the global movement and family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) wish to alert IPOB families worldwide and the international community that we do not know of a group called Biafra National Guard (BNG) and should not be linked in a shape or form with this group whose activities do not correspond with IPOB’S fundamental objectives.
“We have observed the unpatriotic and nefarious activities of this group and we hereby unequivocally dissociate ourselves from the group and its activities. This group has no link whatsoever with IPOB and doesn’t work for IPOB. IPOB has nothing to do with any group associated with criminality. Our mandate is the peaceful restoration of Biafra, anything other than this will have nothing to do with us.
“Our leader does not encourage criminality or any action injurious to the people of Biafra. We don’t encourage extortion or forceful collection of fuel and other lubricants from any petrol station in Biafraland. This is criminality that cannot be condoned in Biafra land.
“IPOB also abhors hostage-taking and demand for ransom which is a common characteristic of Fulani terrorists and Fulani Herdsmen and any group associated with such criminality in Biafraland will be resisted by IPOB.
“Anybody or group caught in such barbaric act will be seriously dealt with. Some evil politicians are using crimially minded elements to foment trouble in our land.”
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Ex-Senate President, Anyim Under Corruption Probe, Declares To Run For 2023 Presidency
Pius Anyim
Recently released former Senate President and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, has said that he will contest the Presidency in 2023 whether the Peoples Democratic Party zones it to the South-East region or not.
Anyim was recently grilled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for several hours in connection with the fund which was traced to a company in which he was a director.
Pius Anyim
The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation in an interview with journalists on Saturday said that the PDP’s national convention would signal the commencement of political activities in the party, adding that it was an ample time to indicate interest.
“Posters of my presidential bid and agitations by groups for me to contest flooded the social media in 2020 and I disassociated myself from such calls,” he said.
“I felt that it was too early for such declarations to enable the present administration concentrate on governance. Such calls resurfaced in the early part of 2021 and I choose to be quiet over the issue.
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Nigerian Anti-graft Agency Detains Ex-Senate President, Anyim Over Funds Linked To Former Aviation Minister, Oduah
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“We presently have less that 18 months to the next elections and I feel the time was ripe to indicate my interest.”
He noted that the zoning committee constituted by the party was only saddled with zoning party positions and not elective positions ahead of 2023.
“Zoning of such positions was deferred but nothing stops any one from the South-East zone from contesting the presidency even if it was not zoned to it.
“The most important thing is that the party’s national convention is a sort of rebirth for a group of people who have recovered from a setback. The party members are presently focused and determined to reclaim power with one spirit,” he added.
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Ogun Hospital Medical Director, Musa-Olomu Dragged To Court Over Alleged Age Falsification
A group, All Youths Reoriented Initiative of Nigeria, has filed a case against the Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Prof Adewale Musa-Olomu, at the Federal High Court, Abeokuta, over alleged age falsification.
The summon, with suit number FHC/AB/CS/100, was filed before the court on September 20th, 2021.
The petitioner alleged that the Musa-Olomu deliberately falsified his date of birth.
The group also wondered why Musa-Olomu’s appointment was renewed after he was indicted for age falsification, gross misconduct, and abuse of office by the board of the medical centre.
SaharaReporters gathered that the indicted Medical Director took over the reins of leadership of the hospital on June 1, 2017 for a term of four years.
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Age Falsification: Lawyer Threatens To Sue Buhari Government Over Reappointment Of Indicted Medical Director
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His letter of appointment was issued and signed by a former Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, who was in charge of the nation’s health sector at the time.
However, his tenure was reported to have been fraught with varying allegations.
Aside the controversy around his age, the MD was alleged to have employed his son, Babatunde, and in less than a year of the son’s appointment, he allegedly granted him study leave in a European country, with pay.
Documents seen indicated that within the period that Musa-Olomu was the MD, the hospital’s payroll increased with over 1,700 workers.
It was also learnt that the hospital bought a refurbished Computerised Tomography (CT) scanner, but at the price of a new one.
The machine, bought with N230million, was said to have developed a fault four months after installation.
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Did Nigeria’s Electoral Commission Advise Anambra Women Not To Use Make-Up On Election Day?
As the Anambra election scheduled for November 6 draws near, a lot of information has been circulating regarding the readiness of INEC to ensure a successful election.
Aside from the fears expressed over the safety of voters due to the rate of insecurity in the region, INEC said the body had successfully implemented 12 out of 14 activities in the timetable and schedule of activities for the election including the provision of non-sensitive materials for the poll.
A Twitter blog, Naija PR on October 17 made a post on its handle explaining that INEC had informed Anambra women to avoid using make-up on Election Day.
The post reads: “INEC has told Anambra women to avoid using make-up on Election Day.”
The post, which has garnered over 700 retweets, was greeted with doubts from some people who expressed reservations about the accuracy of the report.
Despite this, so many other Twitter users and pages shared the same information on their timelines with the same piece of information.
Other news outlets also reported the news as seen here, here and here.
Claim: A Twitter blog claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) asked women in Anambra to avoid using make-up on November 6, when the state’s governorship election will be held.
Verdict: True. INEC had asked women to avoid using make-up on the election day, the body however advised those who would go on makeup to make it minimal for proper identification.
Verification
Findings by Dubawa showed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) indeed asked women coming to cast their votes during the 2021 Anambra State Governorship election to avoid using make-up on election day.
In a report on several credible news platforms — as seen here and here –, the INEC State Deputy Director, Gender Desk, Chika Osuji, said this on October 17 in Awka. Osuji had attributed the development to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) that the agency would deploy to capture voters’ faces during the poll.
Osuji had said, “The BVAS will be used during the Anambra gubernatorial election to enable voters to use their fingerprints during accreditation at the polling units.
“I know many women may not be able to engage make-up artists due to restriction of movements; but for those who can’t do without make-ups, we appeal to you to minimise the level of the painting. If we can’t read your fingerprints we can read your face, and if we cannot read your face, you are not a registered voter, and we will not allow you to participate.”
Explaining the BVAS, Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee said the system uses fingerprints or facials for efficient voter accreditation.
In situations where the fingerprint of the voter fails, the face of the voter will be captured to allow them cast their votes.
However, if there are heavy make-ups, the person may not be identified.
A civil society organisation which also serves as an election observer during the Isoko South State Assembly Constituency bye-election in Delta State had earlier hailed the initiative, saying the BVAS will reduce human interference in the electoral process.
It further described it as a robust and efficient way to guarantee the credibility of the voter accreditation and result management process to promote transparent elections.
Conclusion
The claim that INEC advised female voters to minimise the use of make-up on election day is true. Findings by Dubawa showed that this is due to the BVAS system that will be deployed.
This fact-check was produced per 2021 Kwame Karkari fact-checking fellowship in partnership with SaharaReporters to facilitate the ethos of truth in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.
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E2%80%99s-claim-middlemen-are-responsible-rising-food-prices-nigeria Examining Buhari’s Claim Middlemen Are Responsible For Rising Food Prices In Nigeria
Screenshot of budgetary allocation to agriculture from 2015 to 2020
Screenshot of rice production and demand in Nigeria from 2018 to 2021
Screenshot from the CPI report for July 2021
President Buhari has said during a recent nationwide broadcast that middlemen are responsible for the rising food prices in the country.
The president also disclosed that he had directed the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to rehabilitate the National Food Reserve Agency to address the continued rise in food prices.
He had said: “The Agricultural sector remains key to our economic diversification efforts as the sector has been a consistent driver of the non-oil sector contributing 22.35% and 23.78% to the overall GDP in the first and second quarters of 2021.
“We have seen significant private sector investments in almost all areas of the agricultural value chain. And these have continued even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Unfortunately, as our food production capacity has increased, food prices have been going up due to artificial shortages created by middlemen who have been buying and hoarding these essential commodities for profiteering…”
Middlemen, also referred to as intermediaries, play a vital role in ensuring that the distribution channel between the producer and the consumer is complete.
Claim:
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari recently blamed the increasing cost of food items in the country on middlemen, who he alleged, were hoarding essential commodities for profit.
Verdict:
President Buhari’s claim is unsubstantiated as there are several other major factors responsible for the hike in the cost of food items.
This was not the first time the President would blame the high cost of food items in the country on middlemen.
In September 2020, he also blamed middlemen for rising food prices in the country at the time.
In a series of tweets via his verified Twitter handle, Buhari noted that the government is conscious of the challenge of high food prices, amidst a poor economy rocking the world due to the global coronavirus situation.
He, however, said middlemen, among other factors, are responsible for rising food prices.
“We are also engaging with food producers, associations and groups to tackle the issue of exploitative behaviour by middlemen and other actors, which is one of the factors responsible for the high food prices being experienced,” the Nigerian leader wrote.
In verifying this, Dubawa examines other factors, aside from the role of middlemen, that may have contributed to rising food prices.
Rising food insecurity
Dubawa researched factors that may have been responsible for the increasing cost of food items in the country.
In a report by the World Food Programme, over 13 million Nigerians are food-insecure during the lean season with some 4.4 million in the northeast.
In Nigeria, there has been a high level of food insecurity for the past four decades. This, undoubtedly, is a major factor in the rising cost of food prices in the country.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), food insecurity has been on the rise since Buhari was elected into power in 2015.
While data shows that demand for food has continued to increase since 2014 due to the country’s rising population, there is no corresponding growth in the amount of food production largely due to surging insecurity, inconsistent government policy, poverty among others.
Dr. Tayo Bello, a Developmental Economist and Associate Professor of Law at Babcock University, expatiated on the Consumer Price Index in an interview with Dubawa.
He defined the CPI as the basket of goods which typically is the product of services purchased by individuals.
He said, “Importantly, the CPI serves as a barometer for any economy because once it brings inflation, inflation will affect the purchasing power of consumers and it is a serious threat to any economy either developed or developing and it is through this consumer index that you can derive the cost of living index.”
According to him, CPI measures the price of consumer goods and it is a tool to measure inflation and can be used to formulate the future economy.
Dr. Bello said inflation can be caused by various factors, citing the types of inflation. Speaking on the demand-pull inflation, he explained that this situation arises when the aggregate demand is higher than the goods available.
He added: ”When you talk of cost-push it is as a result of the aggregate increase in the cost of production.
“For example, with the way foreign exchange earnings are declining coupled with rising foreign currencies, there’s no way you will not have a cost-push. What we’re having in Nigeria now is cost-push, it’s not like we have a sudden increase in population.
“The last one is built-in inflation which can be as a result of production cost or other factors,” he stated.
While referring to the present inflation rate in Nigeria which is 16%, he noted that the country suffers from galloping inflation, taking into consideration the inflation rate of 15.7% in 2016.
He said, “Investors pay more attention to CPI because it is an indicator of where the economy is going, it is also a barometer that can be used to forecast inflation and sensitive assets. There’s no rational investor that will go into a country where you know that what they have is a persistent increase in the cost of goods and services which is inflation. There was a time I discussed with the press on ‘LikeAMonkey’ inflation (zigzag) and that’s what we have in Nigeria.
“The present inflation rate in Nigeria is 16% and the projection is that by 2022, it will be 13.5%. Let’s go back to the inflation rate from 2016. In 2016, the inflation rate was 15.7%, in 2017, it was 16.5%, in 2018, it was 12.09% and in 2019 it was 11.4%, and we’re talking of 2021, 16%.
“If you look back, the inflationary rate was lower in 2019. With this, there’s no way the economy will not be affected because there’s no steadiness. Once we have that trend, what will happen is the economy and the barometer which the CPI measures will show a red indicator and when that happens, it means the economy is not going in the right direction.”
Between 2018 and 2020, for instance, an average of 21.4 percent of Nigeria’s population reportedly experienced hunger.
In 2014, Nigeria’s population was at 176,404,931 which represents an increase of 4,639,112 people compared to 2013.
According to data made available by Statista, the country’s population increased to 181,137,448 in 2015 when President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office and currently stands at 212,568,404 in 2021.
Meanwhile, in a bid to improve agricultural finance in Nigeria, the Nigerian government has introduced different financing initiatives, and between 2018 and 2020 committed over half a trillion naira in budgetary allocation to Nigeria’s agriculture sector.
However, most of the budgetary allocations to the sector in the period of three years have been for capital items. This is to say the agricultural sector has been underfunded.
Screenshot of budgetary allocation to agriculture from 2015 to 2020
This, among other factors, has greatly affected food production in the country.
Production pattern and insecurity
With a very large population size as stated, Nigerian farmers, to a large extent, lack the capital and technological advancement to produce the bulk of food needs in Nigeria.
A report by the FAO stated that only 57percent of the 6.7 million metric tons of rice consumed in Nigeria annually is locally produced leading to a deficit of about 3 million metric tons, which is either imported or smuggled into the country illegally.
Meanwhile, animal production has remained underexploited. It stated that domestic demands for livestock outweigh supply as livestock mostly reared by farm families in Nigeria are the small ruminants like goats (76 million), sheep (43.4million), and cattle (18.4 million).
According to the World Bank, the food production index in Nigeria for 2018 stood at 101.9. Recent data from the United States Department of Commerce further showed that Nigeria still depends on approximately 1.7 MMT of imported parboiled rice to meet its domestic rice consumption demand.
Screenshot of rice production and demand in Nigeria from 2018 to 2021
Despite his promise of improving security, Nigeria has experienced more insecurity since Buhari came to power in 2015.
The Global Terrorism Index (2019) ranked Nigeria as the third-worst nation prone to terrorism with no improvement since 2017.
Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka has described the country as a war zone and the Sultan of Sokoto recently said northern Nigeria is the worst place to live in the country.
One of the areas worst hit by the insecurity situation is the agriculture sector as several farmers have become internally displaced persons (IDPs), thereby causing a spike in food prices.
A study shows perennial cases of farmer-herders clashes, banditry and kidnappings have made many farmers to flee their farmlands due to fear of attacks by bandits or being kidnapped after which a ransom is demanded.
Inflation
Another major factor responsible for hikes in food prices in Nigeria is inflation. Since Buhari came into power in 2015, there has been sustained inflation in the country which has continued to make it difficult for many, particularly low-income earners, to eke out a living.
Since the inception of the Buhari administration, this staple food item has continued with an unsteady price as Nigerian households struggle to feed.
Interestingly, in 2015, a bag of rice was sold at N8,700, however by 2016, with the high rate of inflation, a 50kg bag of rice was sold for N16,857. As of October 2017, the same value cost N18,000, the price was stable through 2018 in some parts of the country.
In 2019, the same bag of rice sold for N25,500, by 2020, a naira metrics report revealed that a 50kg bag of rice was sold for N26,125.
In 2021, the average price of a 50kg bag of imported rice goes for N28, 000 based on market surveys.
For instance, inflationary pressures have never abated since the Buhari administration announced a shutdown of Nigeria’s porous land borders with all neighbours in October 2019 in a move to spur mass production of food as well as curb smuggling and associated corruption.
Currency devaluation and COVID-19 pandemic
Similarly, the poor performance of the Naira on the currency market, coupled with its devaluation, impacted the demand and supply of food. With food demand outweighing production, food prices steadily rose.
Furthermore, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to an increase in the food index to the tune of 22 percent, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics.
Screenshot from the CPI report for July 2021
The country fell into its deepest recession in 40 years during the height of pandemic restrictions, according to a report by the World Bank.
The report stated that the Nigerian economy shrank by 1.8%, as the COVID-19 crisis drove the economic slowdown.
In a report by Guardian, farmers have narrated how they bribe bandits and herdsmen in their locality to enable them to go to farm unhindered and to ensure cows don’t enter their farms.
It would be recalled that in August 2019, just three months after celebrating its signing of the AfCFTA, Nigeria slapped a ban on the movement of all goods from countries with which it shares a land border: Benin Republic, Niger and Cameroon, effectively banning all trade—import and export—with its neighbours.
According to the president, the purpose was to curb smuggling of goods such as rice, tomatoes and poultry to encourage the production and consumption of homegrown food.
But the policy is said to have contributed to the high cost of food items in the country as citizens experience widespread hunger.
According to a survey by Statista, the greatest majority of Nigerian households experienced an increase in the prices of essential food items, as over 87% of households said the prices of beans, cassava, yam and sorghum have shot higher since January 2020.
It added that about 79 percent of respondents said the prices of rice increased over the same period and 74 percent found onion more expensive than it used to be.
A similar Food Survey conducted by Dataphyte in March shows that Nigerians witnessed an average of 66.8% increase in the prices of food items between last February, the month the first case of Coronavirus was confirmed, and March 2021, when the survey was conducted.
The analysis of the prices of foodstuffs across 13 states in the country showed that the food price situation had contracted the purchasing power of citizens.
In May, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned that at least 9.2 million Nigerians face a crisis or worse levels of food insecurity this year because of the country’s conflicts.
As a Guardian report puts it, “rising insecurity, misdirection of government funds to the agricultural sector, and poor implementation of interventions by the federal government have been identified as the leading causes of hike in food prices in the country.
“Other causes include multiple taxations on inter-state food transportation by federal, state, and local governments.”
Additionally, low level of mechanisation and poor research and development activities as well as adverse weather conditions resulting from climate change contribute to a hike in food prices in Nigeria.
Conclusion
The president’s claim that middlemen are responsible for hikes in food prices in Nigeria is misleading. The hike in food prices in Nigeria cannot be tied to middlemen alone as the president has claimed. The foregoing research has shown that while there might be cases of individual middlemen hoarding essential commodities, as claimed by the president, other important factors contribute substantially to the increase in the prices of food items in the country.
The researcher produced this fact-check per the Dubawa 2021 Kwame KariKari Fellowship partnership with SaharaReporters to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.
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Elizabeth Ogunbamowo & Kizito Cudjoe
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E2%80%99s-farm-over-impotence Kwara Man Hangs Self On Father’s Farm Over Impotence
A 22-year-old man identified as Idris Shuaib has hanged himself on a tree on his father’s farm at Gwanara in the Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State.
According to Shuaib’s uncle, the victim who was from Ankara Wooro compound, Gwanara, allegedly took his life because he was impotent.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps spokesman in Kwara State, Babawale Afolabi, who confirmed the incident, said the corpse had been recovered from the cashew tree and taken to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital for autopsy while investigation into the incident had commenced.
Afolabi said that the deceased who was a graduate of Muideen College of Education, Ilorin “reportedly hanged himself over his inability to copulate with women.”
He added, “We have recovered the remains of Idris Shuaibu from the Cashew tree, on his father’s farm and taken it to the hospital for an autopsy while investigation into the incident has commenced.
“We were told that the deceased hanged himself inside his father’s farm located at Gwanara- Munduro road with the aid of rope and one jerry can.
“On Thursday 28th October, 2021, the NSCDC office in Gwanara, Baruten local government area got a report about one Idris Shuaib, 22 who allegedly committed suicide in the farm, citing his inability to copulate with women.”
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