The World Bank says it has committed over $15 billion to support 30 development programmes across Nigeria.
The Bank made this known in a statement on Wednesday, saying the projects which are meant to tackle poverty and improve the lives of Nigerians spread across the federal and state levels.
Part from the financial assistance, the world bank said it had offered expert advice and support on various fronts, which it stated “analyse complex situations, suggest effective policies, strengthen institutions,” and even help with implementing projects on the ground.
The statement said: “The World Bank provides large-scale concessional financing for the development programmes of both the federal and state governments; as of January 2024, 30 of such programmes are under implementation financed by over US$15 billion in commitments. The World Bank also provides support through analytics, upstream policy advisory, institutional strengthening, and implementation support initiatives.
“The International Finance Corporation (IFC) investment portfolio in Nigeria is the second largest in Africa and stands at US$2 billion. IFC’s strategic objectives in Nigeria are aimed at supporting diversified growth, enhancing inclusion, and promoting sustainability and job creation.
“IFC’s work in Nigeria boosts universal energy access and green energy adoption, fosters increased access to finance for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) through financial intermediaries, supports agribusiness and manufacturing to enhance food security, meet domestic needs, and grow exports.’’
Meanwhile, the Bank’s Managing Director of Operations, Anna Bjerde has met with Nigerian officials led by Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and Coordinator of the Economy, where she discussed the urgent need for the country to implement economic reforms.
The bank’s chief is on a 3-day visit to the country.
Organised Labour under the auspices of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, has issued a 14-day strike notice to the federal government.
The unions accused the federal government of neglecting the ‘welfare’ of Nigerians, particularly its members during the current excruciating economic situation in the country.
The unions would have no other option than to embark on an indefinite strike in the next two weeks, if there are no concrete steps taken by the government, to ameliorate the situation, a statement issued on Thursday by the NLC and TUC leadership said.
The statement said: “The October 2nd agreement was focused on addressing the massive suffering and the general harsh socioeconomic consequences of the ill-conceived and ill-executed IMF/World Bank-induced hike in the price of PMS and the devaluation of the naira. These dual policies have had, as we predicted, dire economic consequences for the masses and workers of Nigeria.
“It is regrettable that we are compelled to resort to such measures, but the persistent neglect of the welfare of citizens and Nigerian workers and the massive hardship leave us with no choice.”
The magazine reported Nigerians outbursts against the federal government over the rising food prices and the economic hardship across the country.
Some protest have been organized in the last few days by angry Nigerians to call the attention of government to what the are going through.
In continuation of its search for permanent peace between warring communities of Ifo/Ilobu in Osun state, Governor Ademola Adeleke has set up 14 members community resolution committee.
The committee members made up of representatives of both communities and charged with the responsibility to resolving all matters affecting the warring communities and in relation to the Ifon-Ilobu communal clashes.
This was disclosed after a high powered security meeting with all the stakeholders from Ilobu, Ifon, and Erin communities who the Governor met in their respective communities.
A statement by the state commissioner for information and public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, in Osogbo, stated that the Governor appreciated the royal fathers, community leaders, sons and daughters for embracing peace and nominating representatives, who are to deliberate and bring an end to the communal crisis in the warring communities.
According to the statement, the Community Peace Resolution Committee consists of four persons each from Ilobu, Ifon and Erin-Osun communities, while two representatives were also chosen from Okanla to make it a 14-member committee .
“While wishing them success in the assignment, Osun state government further rolled out the following terms of reference as a template that will guide them in the course of carrying out the Peace mission:
“To sit and fashion out an amicable ways of settling and ensuring lasting peace in the warring communities.
“To work with security agencies such as the Army, Police, Civil Defence and stakeholders for the warring communities to surrender the firearms in their possessions.
“To ensure that residents of the communities abide by the rules and regulations established by the government to abolish the communal clashes in the communities forthwith.”
Government, however, warned that should there be any breakdown of law and order after these resolutions, members of the 14 member committee will be held culpable.
Consequently, the Osun State Government reiterated its earlier commitment towards prioritizing peace and unity in the warring communities and the entire state at large.
The Kano State Government has lauded the regime of transparency, and accountability prevalent in the operation of Kano Agro- Pastoral Development Project KSADP, an Islamic Development Bank Sponsored project in the State.
The State authorities who spoke through the Commissioner of Agriculture, Dr Danjuma Mahmoud, on Wednesday February 7, 2024, when a team from the Islamic Bank Mission paid a courtesy visit..
The Commissioner said his initial scepticisms, about the project have paled in to insignificance in the face of not only its honest operations ,but its tremendous positive impacts on the state,s agricultural sector and the general growth of the kano economy.
“We have seen other projects in the state ,including a World Bank Project that just ended, but l haven’t seen the kind of content in terms of strength and transparency as embedded in the KSADP .
Dr Mahmoud, said that the Kano State Government, would like the templates and high operational standards in KSADA to be replicated in the implementation of Donor Agencies supported projects in the state .
“We also want to see a third party Monitoring and Evaluation involvement in this project executed with technical cooperation of its partners ,so that we can have a sense of how we vied off track and what need to be done to bring us back on track and the project sustainable” the Commissioner stated
He noted the appreciation of the Kano State Government of the positive impacts of the economic empowerment components of the project ,particularly its Goat reproduction scheme ,which according to him has impacted several thousands of beneficiaries mostly women .
Mr Javed Khan leader of the Islamic Bank Mission , said they have come to evaluate the project,address the issue of disbursement ,as well as press for the signing of all other pending contracts for purposes of sustainability.
Kogi indigenes resident outside the State has handed down a 72-hour ultimatum to the Economic And Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, within which to discontinue its prosecution of the immediate past Governor of the State, Yahaya Bello, or face a mass ,but peaceful protest.
The group under the auspices of Kogi in Diaspora Association condemned the decision of EFCC to slam corruption charges on the former Governor. They noted that it is a grand design to ridicule both Bello and the good people of Kogi States.
Former Governor Bello, who recently handed the baton to Usman Ododo, is currently facing corruption charges from the EFCC over alleged misappropriation and diversion of public funds in the region of #80 billion,
In a Communique issued on Wednesday February 7 2024 in Abuja, the Kogi Group said it vehemently rejects attempts by the EFCC to link Yahaya Bello with an alleged diversion of about N80 billion from Kogi state funds in September, 2015 , months before he mounted the saddle.
“This assertion is not only contentious, but preposterous . How can someone divert Government funds long before gaining access to the levers of leadership? the group queried.
The Communique which was signed by the Convener of the Association, Hon Seyi Olorusola, demanded an immediate halt to what it described as a pursuit of smear campaign against the person of former Governor Yahaya Bello,.
The Kogi indigenes expressed serious concern that the EFCC’s actions are capable of impeding efforts being made to attract investments from the state’s Diaspora citizens.
They emphasized that previous attempts by the anti graft body to rope in Bello failed judicial test ,and wondered why again trying to use same watery issues to hunt the former Governor.
“The Kogi in Diaspora Association, hereby issues a 72 hour ultimatum for the EFCC to halt its Unwarranted witch hunt of former Governor Yahaya Bello . Failure to comply will result in civil disobedience protests by the Association’s members in Abuja and other major cities across the country” the Kogi indigenes stated.
A Maternity in Anambra State, ‘Mother and Child Maternity’ where babies are being born and sold has been discovered.
A joint operation of officials of the State Government and Security Operatives rescued six pregnant teenagers from the baby making factory.
The baby-making factory was reportedly discovered at Umunya in Oyo local government area of the state.
Dr Afam Obidike, the State Commissioner for Health, told journalists that the baby factory, where babies were being sold was named: “Mother and Child Hospital and Maternity”.
The maternity is located at No. 1, School Road, in Umunya.
Obidike said that the State’s Health Facility, Accreditation and Monitoring Unit arrived at the centre for its routine inspection when it burst the operation.
He explained that the nurses they saw locked up the facility and ran away after they requested to see the doctor on duty to find out why the facility was not registered with the state government.
According to him, security operatives including OCHA-Brigade, the Civil Defence Corps and the Police later assisted the monitoring team in gaining access to the facility.
“When we gained access to the facility, what we saw was shocking. We discovered six underaged pregnant girls, between ages 14, 15,16, 17 and 21 years, allegedly camped against their wishes.
We interviewed these girls and they told us that they were being camped by one self-acclaimed doctor, who they identified as Mr Odili Ossai from Delta State, now at large.”
The commissioner stated that the centre has been sealed up while the pregnant girls were taken to government hospital to determine their state of health.
As the troubled Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) convenes its Ministerial Council meeting in Abuja on February 8 to discuss the quit notice served by three of its members – Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger – the situation in Senegal might well be the elephant in the room.
Three weeks to the presidential election earlier scheduled to hold in that country on February 25, President Macky Sall announced that the election had been postponed, without immediately giving a new date or any believable reasons. After a wave of protests, he instigated the Senegalese Parliament to announce December 15 as a possible new date.
It’s not the postponement that will worry ECOWAS leaders as ministers meet in Nigeria, where presidential elections have been postponed twice in the last 10 years even on the eve of voting; it’s Sall’s recent shifty habit – first eying a third-term and then denying it, followed by his government’s crackdown on opposition candidates.
The problem in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger — three delinquent countries that have accused the community of complicity and negligence in its obligations and signalled an intention to quit — is bad enough.
That threat alone has not only put trade in the community estimated at $208.1 billion at risk, minus informal trade amongst citizens which constitutes about 30 percent of the transactions; it also threatens to complicate the security situation in the subregion that is already facing serious problems from violent extremism and banditry.
Hypocritical oath
A politically unstable Senegal is the last thing that the community needs at this time. Of course, it’s unlikely that the situation in Senegal will feature at the ECOWAS meeting, where an allegiance of hypocrisy, elegantly called the principle of “non-interference”, forbids members from telling one another the truth.
The point, however, is that the resurgence of military rule in a number of African countries today, particularly in Mali and Burkina Faso, is partly traceable to blatant disregard for constitutionalism, the rule of law, and rigged transitions – the sort of bad habit that Sall is showing in his old age.
Sall looked like the most unlikely candidate for this nonsense. In some ways, he reminded me of Senegal’s founding president, Leopold Senghor – urbane, intellectual and sensible. A geologist and widely travelled man, Sall built his way up from the bottom of the political ladder. Although he started his journey as a minister under former president Abdoulaye Wade, he soon returned to his base where he took up position as mayor of his hometown.
He took up other ministerial positions later on and also became the president of the country’s parliament. He fell out with his mentor, Wade, after he dragged Wade’s son to parliament to answer corruption charges. But his quarrel was not personal.
President Macky Sall of Senegal
Sall seduced
Senegal was drifting, the cost of living was rising and infrastructure collapsing. Wade’s answer, if he had any, was to attempt to bend the constitution to extend his rule. Sall rallied the opposition. At a stage, the PartiDemocratiqueSenegalais (PDS), where Sall had risen to become prime minister, could no longer contain Wade and Sall. He broke off to form his own Hope Alliance on which platform he challenged Wade in the 2012 presidential election and defeated him, with the assistance of a coalition, after a run-off.
This same Sall, who is losing his way and dragging his country along with him, set a high mark when he assumed office. He cut the size of his cabinet as he had promised, ploughed funds into the renewal of infrastructure and even made a proposal to parliament that would have reduced his term from seven to five-year two-term limit!
Strong arm tactics
All of that now appears to have been in the former life of a fairytale. As Sall’s reset two terms of 12 years neared its end, he slowly became the worst possible version of Wade, toying with an extended tenure and hounding the opposition with a number of his strongest opponents, including Ousmane Sonkoh, who has now been bumped off the trail on contrived charges.Sall, in short, has been seduced by what he hates.
ECOWAS will not be bothered if Sall changed his mind by December and sought an illegal third term. In the last four years, two regional leaders wangled illegal tenure extensions – Alpha Conde of Guinea and Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire. The first didn’t quite get away with it after soldiers struck and removed him from office, setting off the region’s coup spiral; while the second is the current host of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Perhaps if there’s one person left in the community on whom the burden falls to whisper to Sall that this is not the Senegal that we used to know, it’s Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. As surely as a stumble imitates a fall, the signs from Dakar are those that presage what could become a full-blown political crisis for the region if left unattended.
Tinubu, who promised to promote a coup-free region when he assumed office as chair of ECOWAS last year, cannot afford another country added to the regional coup belt. The same way he requested regional leaders at a meeting in Abuja to give George Weah a standing applause for the exemplary transition in that country, he needs to pull Sall’s ear, behind closed doors, and ask him to stop playing games.
For ECOWAS to achieve the African Union (AU) objective to Silence the Guns in Africa by 2030, the community must pay attention to the underlying factors that breed resort to guns violence, a few of the obvious ones being rigged elections, suppression of dissent, and the rule of strongmen. When regional leaders like those in the delinquent states complain that the community is insensitive to problems caused by Western or foreign meddling, it’s the elite, like Sall, that open the door enabling such meddling.
Oasis in jeopardy
An oasis of stability and a shining light in a highly politically volatile region, Senegal was one of the few countries on the continent that others looked up to. According to Martin Meredith in his book entitled, The Fortunes of Africa, “Over the course of 150 elections held in 29 countries between 1960 and 1989, opposition parties were never allowed a single seat. Only three countries – Senegal, Botswana and the tiny state of the Gambia – sustained multi-party politics, holding elections on a regular basis that were considered reasonably free and fair.”
That’s the reputation that Sall threatens to drag in the mud. Tinubu needs to remind Sall that it was he, Sall, and Nigeria’s former President, Muhammadu Buhari, who led the regional response to flush out Yahaya Jammeh in neigbouring The Gambia when Jammeh was on the verge of disrupting the outcome of the elections there because they did not favour him.
By railroading a 10-month postponement of elections through Parliament, Sall is obviously hoping to succeed where Wade and Jammeh failed. And he doesn’t care the cost. But ECOWAS should. The community cannot afford to wait until Senegal becomes another basket case before weighing in.
The National Body of the Sport Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN and the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, have been thrown into mourning following the death of Veteran and Versatile Sports Journalist, Kayode Tijani.
The Late Tijani died on Wednesday, February 7th 2024, at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, after a protracted illness.
His death came as a surprise to many of his colleagues, friends and families, as he was consistently a guest at Television Stations, analyzing the ongoing African Cup of Nations championship in Côte d’Ivoire.
The Nigerian Institute of Journalism, NIJ, graduate began his sports journalism career at Complete Communications Limited, Publishers of Complete Football magazine and Complete Sports newspapers in the late 1980s.
Thereafter, he worked for many years as the pioneer Sports Editor of FAME magazine, a society publication, before travelling to England where he was a correspondent and sports presenter for an Afrocentric television station, BEN TV.
On his return to Nigeria, Kayode set up a private media outfit, ‘Sport Xclusive,’ which he ran as a sports producer and visual content consultant. He was renowned for his rich library of historical videos on Nigerian and African sports heroes and heroines which he put at the disposal of government establishments and private companies.
On several occasions, he worked with major television stations including the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) and the African Independent Television (AIT) to cover international sports events by providing rare footage to enhance their presentation. He also collaborated with private broadcast companies to produce TV commercials and sports documentaries.
In 1995, Kayode teamed up with two other colleagues to launch ‘Sportlight,’ a daily sports newspaper, which however was rested after only a few weeks. Amongst several volunteering works on national service, he was a member of the Organising Committee of the 8th All-Africa Games, “COJA Abuja 2003” hosted by Nigeria.
At the advent of Social Media in Nigeria, Kayode was very active in circulating timely sports news and information to his numerous followers on Facebook and “X” (formerly Twitter). Unfortunately, he had to scale down his Social Media activities on medical grounds when he took ill before he finally passed away on Wednesday.
Kayode will be buried according to Muslim rites on Thursday, 8 February 2024 at Atan Cemetery in Yaba, Lagos at 2.00pm.
He is survived by his wife, children, siblings and other relatives.
He will surely be missed by the Sporting World for his distinctive analysis, professionalism and his commitment to his job.
Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, (NGF) and the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has called for an end to the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN) funded Anchor Borrowers Programme, describing it as total failure.
The programme introduced and being funded by the CBN was intended to assist farmers to provide loans in kind and cash to boost agricultural production.
Upon harvest, benefitting farmers are expected to repay their loans through produce. As at 2022, the CBN announced that it’s lending under the programme stood at N629 billion.
The NGF chairman said it is high time the Tinubu-led administration returned all agricultural programmes under the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, back to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for meaningful impact.
According to Abdulrazaq, the Anchor Borrowers Programme was a failure and never met the aims and objectives of setting it up, hence a lot of indebtedness recorded.
The governor was speaking when he led his three other counterparts on a visit to the minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari in Abuja.
Other governors on the entourage were Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Governor of Taraba State, Dr Agbu Kefas; and Governor of Kogi State, Ahmed Usman Ododo.
He also boasted that Nigeria can feed itself and the entire West Africa, pointing out that the cheap food in West Africa is in Nigeria, hence most West African countries are coming to buy food from Nigeria.
The NGF chairman acknowledged and commended the Minister and his team for the initiative to closely work with the State Governments to achieve the long expected food security under the ‘Renewed Hope’ Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
He called for resuscitation of the moribund Agricultural Development Programmes, (ADPs), in some States, and the active role of River Basin Development Authorities, (RBDAs), including National Agricultural Lands Development Authority, (NALDA), to embark on land clearing for more agricultural activities along various value chains.
Earlier, the minister expressed excitement over the endorsement by State Governors of the food security programmes rolled out through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
Kyari, stated that “This visit is without a doubt a huge endorsement for the progressive drive towards the much-needed collaboration between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and State Governments.
“This is with a view to creating an Agricultural Sector fit for a nation as endowed as Nigeria with massive arable fertile land, abundant water resources and agricultural labour force.
“Your Excellencies, we are aware that in your respective states, agriculture has witnessed noticeable development over the years.
“The bigger picture we seek to create now is to vastly increase agricultural production all-year round with the cardinal objective of driving down food inflation, creating employment, reducing poverty, engendering economic growth and development, as well promoting inclusivity.
“We are confident that we can partner in the realization of these objectives. There is no question that if we get things right now, and with all hands on the plough, future programmes and projects will enable us more seamlessly achieve all-year-round agricultural production.
“It implied Your Excellencies, that the more involved the sub-national governments are the more sustainable agricultural production becomes and the higher the chances of realizing the interconnected 8-Point Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.”
The All Progressives Congress, APC, has been thrown into mourning following the sudden death of one of its top Chieftains, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh.
The former House of Representatives Member, who represented Ika Federal Constituency, Delta State, was said to be watching the African Cup of Nations Championship semi final match between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Bafana Bafana of South Africa.
It was gathered that as soon as the referees cancelled the Super Eagles second goal, and instead, awarded a penalty kick against Nigeria he allegedly slumped.
Following the decision of the Video Assistant Referee to upturn Super Eagles goal scored by Victor Osimhen, the late Ojougboh was said to have shouted, slumped, and died before he could be rushed to the hospital.
The vocal APC Chieftain was a lover of football and passionate about the National team.
Taking to the social media, Nigerians have lamented this tragedy.
@Morris_Monye wrote on X (formerly Twitter) “ Anyways we are to speak good of the dead
“RIP to Dr. Cairo Ojougboh. May God forgive all our shortcomings.”
The Late Ojougboh, a medical doctor turned- politician, was a former Director of projects in the interim board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and before he defected to the APC, a top member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
