Disquiet Over Delay In Payment Of Retired Judges’ Pension [LEADERSHIP]
There is uneasy calm in the nation’s judiciary over delay in the payment of pension of retired judges.
A cross-section of retired judges and lawyers yesterday decried the failure of state governments to pay as and when due the severance gratuity, pensions, arrears and other entitlements to retired judges.
The lawyers who spoke in separate interview with LEADERSHIP, unanimously called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to seek for the immediate review of the Federal Judicial Officers (Administration of Pension) Act, 2007, the law which mandates the NJC to pay pensions of the Federal Judicial Officers only.
They asked the NJC to take over the payment of pension and other entitlements of retired judges at the state level so as to ensure they are paid promptly like retired judges of the federal courts.
While some retired judges who spoke our correspondent bemoaned the delay in payment of their pension for months and even years now, others lamented the non-review of their pension allowances in line with the operating pension laws in the country.
The retired judges lamented that the NJC was paying their salaries while in active service, but have now left them for the state governments to pay their pension, a development they described as unheard of in other climes.
Some lawyers cited Section 84 (7) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which states that salaries and emoluments of all judicial officers of superior courts of records are paid from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
They said curiously, the retirement benefits of the state judicial officers are decided by the whims and caprices of the state governors, adding that many of the retirees are subjected to untold hardship as a result of non-payment of gratuity, severance allowances and pensions, and delayed in some instances, and at times partial payment of pensions running into months and years.
The lawyers argued that it is imperative that the judiciary call for the amendment of Federal Judicial Officers (Administration of Pension) Act, 2007 by the National Assembly to allow the NJC to take over payment of the retired state judicial officers as a matter urgent necessity.
Besides, they noted that the judiciary has to create a distinct pension administrative body to manage its pension funds.
The lawyers said these retired judges are first and foremost lawyers but prohibited by the constitution to practice law after retirement, yet are denied payment of their pensions, the result being that many of them are dying in misery and hopelessness.
They cited the case of the 32 retired judges led by Justice Godwin Ononiba (rtd), who dragged the Anambra State governor, Willie Obiano, to the National Industrial Court over non-payment of their severance gratuities, pension and arrears of pension in December 2016.
They said the case reflected the depressing plight of retired senior judicial officers, especially judges of the State High Courts in Nigeria.
Reacting to the development, Justice Sunday Akintan, a former Justice of the Supreme Court, also said, “I retired over 12 years ago from the Bench. They promised to review my pension allowance every five years and I’ve never seen that done for once.’’
Also speaking, a former Grand Khadi of the Kogi State Sharia Court of Appeal, Justice Zakaria Idakwoji Mohammed, said, “The National Judicial Council was paying our salaries while in the active service, but we have been left for the state to pay our pension which is unheard of in other climes.”
But a former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais said, “I retired 14 years ago, I wouldn’t know what’s happening now, it might be different from then.”
A Nigeria Law School lecturer, Prof Ernest Ojukwu (SAN), said the only solution to the problem was to insist on the implementation of the constitutionally created judicial autonomy at all levels of government.
But the chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption (PACAC), Prof Itse Sagay (SAN) however argued that the state judicial officers served the states and not the federal government.
He said, “Yes, the NJC at the federal level paid their salaries when they were in active service.
“That was done to keep their morale high, to make sure they were less susceptible to pressure and temptation. But that does not mean the federal government should carry their pension responsibility.
“That should be the state responsibility especially now that everyone is clamouring for restructuring and true federalism. It would be ridiculous for states to continue to abdicate their responsibility’’.
For his part, legal luminary, Chief Mike Ahamba (SAN) said it was rather unfortunate the dictate of the laws of the country is not followed.
He noted: “We are in democracy but still governed by the military federalism, otherwise salaries of the state high court judges ought to be paid by the states. This why people are advocating for administrative restructuring of the country and making it mandatory for everybody to perform its statutory roles.”
On his part, a constitutional lawyer, Valentine Offia said, “The situation mirrors the confusion embedded in our Constitution where the control of resources and the responsibility for provision of public services are vested in different bodies, hence the breakdown in public administration.
“If the vision behind the establishment of the NJC is to insulate judicial officers from external pressures, then such insulation must continue after the retirement of the judicial officers or the temporal protection becomes meaningless. The nation must confer permanent responsibility for the welfare of judicial officers on the NJC”.
Also, another lawyer, Alasa Ismaila said, “This situation leaves much to be desired as these judges who have invested their youth and strength in the hallowed responsibility of judicial service, are left to eat crumbs at their retirement, and having lost the right to practice law, the result being that many of them are dying out of misery and hopelessness’’.
Fuel Price Hike Due To COVID-19 Vaccine Discovery – FG [LEADERSHIP]
The federal government yesterday blamed the latest increase in fuel price on the announcement of a vaccine for COVID-19 by Pfizer.
It noted that after the announcement of the vaccine for COVID-19 by pharmaceutical giant last week, crude oil prices went up.
Minister of state for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, while speaking with State House correspondents yesterday after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, said after the announcement by Pfizer last week on its vaccine, crude oil prices went up.
He explained that since the government has decided to remove subsidy, the price of fuel will be dictated by increase or decrease of crude oil in the international market.
Sylva reiterated that the government could no longer sustain the subsidy on petroleum products.
He further stated that if the government can deregulate kerosene and diesel which is mostly used by the poor, then it makes no sense to keep subsidising petrol which is mostly used by the elites.
The minister noted: “Going back to what you asked again about what was responsible, I thought we’ve explained this over and over again and let us please listen to ourselves. Petrol is refined from crude oil, so petrol price is directly related to the price of crude oil in the market.
“So, if I buy crude oil at a certain price and refine this month, if the crude price is low at the time, then my petrol price will become low because the feedstock from which I refined petrol was lower in price.
“If the price of crude oil goes up then it means the price of the feedstock has gone higher, it will also affect the price of the refined product and that is why you see that product prices are usually not static, it depends on the price of crude oil, which goes up and down. That is why we say deregulate so that as the price goes up or down you will begin to go up and down as well at the pump.
“Before now we fixed it, which was not optimal for us as a country. So we said ‘look, our earnings are not fixed because our earnings are dependent on crude oil price”.
But the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) rejected the recent increase in pump price of petrol, saying the recent increase has only exacerbated the current level of pain and anguish in the country.
In a statement signed by its president, Ayuba Wabba, NLC alleged that the hike in the pump price of PMS was clearly in breach of the spirit and content of what Organised Labour agreed with the federal government at the negotiation table during the last fuel price increase.
The NLC said the increase has also cast in very bad light its utmost good faith towards government explanation that it lacked funds to continue bankrolling “the so-called subsidy payments and as such would sooner than later cripple the entire economy, throw the country into severe economic crisis and cause loss of jobs in millions.”
Wabba said, “In line with our recent agreement with government, we will be receiving updates in the next few days from our unions in the petroleum sector which have been given the mandate to keep surveillance on government promise to overhaul our public refineries. We will also receive updates from our representatives in the electricity review committee.
“The updates we receive will determine whether the government has kept to its side of the bargain which is to take serious steps to recover and reposition our public refineries. The outcome of this engagement will determine our response in the coming days.”
He said while Labour awaits the full recovery of our refineries as contained in their agreement with government, Nigerians cannot be made to bleed endlessly for the failures of successive government to properly manage the country’s refineries, ensure value for money for the numerous Turn Around Maintenance (TAM).
The NLC president cautioned that there is a limit to what the citizens can tolerate if the hike in the price of refined petroleum products and other essential goods and services continue.
He said, “The truth is that we would not have been in this precarious situation if government had been alive to its responsibilities. There is a limit to what the citizens can tolerate if these abysmal increases in the price of refined petroleum products and other essential goods and services continue.
“While we fix our refineries, there are a number of options open to government to stem the tide of high prices of refined petroleum products. One is for government to declare a state of emergency in our downstream petroleum sector. As a follow up to this, government should enter into contract refining with refineries closer home to Nigeria.
“This will ensure that the cost of supplying of crude oil is negotiated away from prevailing international market rate so that the landing cost of refined petroleum products is significantly reduced.
“Government should also demonstrate the will to stamp out the smuggling of petroleum products out of Nigeria. We need to see big time petroleum smugglers arraigned in the court of law and made to pay for their crimes against the Nigerian people. Government has the resources available to it to ensure this economic justice to Nigerians.
“The question in the minds of many Nigerians is if government is willing to go headlong against major financiers of the major political parties known to the public as the architects of the current national woe.
“We also demand that Nigerians should be carried along on the distribution of refined petroleum products. Information of the distribution of petroleum products to petrol stations should be advertised and made public knowledge.
“It should not be difficult to establish the average time it takes a petrol station to exhaust its supplies. There is already an established market trend which will help government fix the rot in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector.
US Firm Unveils COVID-19 Vaccine With 94.5% Potency [LEADERSHIP]
As the world continues with the search for medical remedy for the COVID-19 disease, an American biotechnology company, Moderna, announced yesterday that it has invented a vaccine that could be up to 94.5 per cent effective.
The news came a week after another United States drug maker, Pfizer, announced the development of a vaccine with 90 per cent effectiveness.
In a statement, Moderna said that after its Phase 3 trial, the vaccine met statistical criteria with an efficacy rate of 94.5 per cent.
However, experts are warning that the numbers are not conclusive, as both estimates could increase or decrease as trials continue. The company requires the approval of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to roll out the vaccine for mass immunisation.
Moderna said it would ask the FDA for emergency use authorisation (EUA) on a small group of higher-risk individuals.
It stated that the application, to be made in the coming weeks, would include at least two months of safety data after the last injection in half the volunteers.
The company added that the FDA application would include the “final analysis” of 151 cases of COVID-19 in its trial, rather than just the initial 95 cases.
This puts it on track along with Pfizer for possible limited authorisation by the FDA as soon as December.
Moderna is expected to have 20 million doses to go along with Pfizer’s 50 million for global distribution before more can be made in 2021, according to ABC News.
Again, Lagos Govt Warns Worship Centres Of 2nd Wave
Meanwhile, the Lagos State government has warned religious leaders in the state to intensify adherence to safety protocols in their worship centres to avert the second wave of coronavirus.
The commissioner for Home Affairs, Prince Anofiu Elegushi said this yesterday, during the commemoration of the International Day of Tolerance at Ikeja.
Elegushi said that there was the need for the worship centres to take the issue of COVID-19 safety protocol adherence seriously to avoid another lockdown.
He said that some countries such as the United States of America, the United Kingdom and France were currently experiencing the second wave of the virus.
Umahi’s defection: PDP dodges zoning as APC woos Ugwuanyi, Ikpeazu, Obiano [PUNCH]
The All Progressives Congress has stepped up moves to persuade more governors from the South-East region to join it following the decision of the Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, to dump the Peoples Democratic Party.
The PUNCH gathered on Monday that the APC Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee led by the Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, had directed the party’s leaders in the South-East to reach out to more governors and National Assembly members in the region.
It was learnt that among those being targeted by the APC leaders were the Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu; his Enugu State counterpart, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; and Willy Obiano of Anambra State.
But the PDP, the party on whose platform both the Abia and Enugu State governors were elected, told The PUNCH that it was not disturbed by the APC’s moves.
The PDP insisted that the country’s constitution guaranteed freedom of association, adding that a gale of defection would soon hit the APC.
It noted that it had not reached a time when zoning of the presidency and other political offices would be decided.
Recall that Umahi, at a meeting held with the PDP National Working Committee in Abuja last week, reportedly told the leaders that he could only remain in the party if the 2023 presidential ticket was zoned to the South-East, a condition that the party leaders could not agree to.
But on Monday, a top-ranking member of the APC confided in one of our correspondents, “Apart from Umahi, who is coming in a matter of days, we are preparing to receive more governors from the South-East. Our people are discussing with more governors from the South-East.
“For now, we are reaching out to the Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, and the Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, as well as their Enugu State counterpart, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. Our leaders in the South-East, including Hope Uzodimma, Uzor Kalu and Rochas Okorocha, are also talking to people in the zone.
“Apart from the governors, we are also expecting members of the state and National Assemblies to also come on board.”
Petrol price’ll increase when oil rate goes up – Sylva [PUNCH]
THE Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, on Monday said Nigerians would soon get used to hike in price of fuel.
Sylva also said petrol price would always increase whenever oil rate had gone up.
He spoke in an interview with State House correspondents after a meeting he had with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said, “Petrol is refined from crude oil, so petrol price is directly related to the price of crude oil in the market.
“So, if I buy crude oil at a certain price and refine this month, if the crude price is low at the time, then my petrol price will become low because the feedstock from which I refined petrol was lower in price.
“If the price of crude oil goes up, then it means the price of the feedstock has gone higher, it will also affect the price of the refined product and that is why you see that product prices are usually not static, it depends on the price of crude oil, which goes up and down.”
Sylva added, “If you have been following crude oil prices, you would have seen that crude oil prices went up a little bit, as a result of this (vaccine) announcement.
“So, when crude oil prices go up a little bit, then you will see that it instantly reflects on the price of petrol, which is a derivative of crude oil. That’s why you see that there’s this movement and if we listen to ourselves, this is the same explanation we’ve been giving.”
The minister said because of deregulation, the government was not longer in the business of fixing fuel price.
He further said, “Just take the example of our production levels; our crude oil production level was over two million barrels a day. Today, to comply with OPEC cut and quota, we have reduced production to 1.4 million barrels.
“Having reduced production to 1.4 million barrels, crude oil is also not selling at an optimal rate. Where do you get the money to continue to subsidise?
“It is very clear that today; things are not as they were before. The earnings of government has reduced by 60 percent and what is happening in the oil sector reflect what is happening elsewhere.
“I believe that at this point, we are still trying to cross the first buck. We will get there; we will get used to it as Nigerians.”
12 killed in Kaduna LGs, eight ABU students among highway abductees [PUNCH]
Some bandits have attacked Albasi village in Sabon Brinin in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State and killed eleven persons.
The bandits were said to have stormed the village on Monday afternoon and shot indiscriminately at the villagers as they escaped into the forest.
Also, on Sunday, bandits invaded another village, Maraban Kajuru, killing one person while abducting two.
This was as the Kaduna State Government said on Monday that eight students of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, were among those kidnapped along Kaduna-Abuja Expressway on Sunday.
The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, who said this in a statement, added that the Vice Chancellor of ABU informed the state of the incident.
“The Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Kabir Bala, has informed the government that eight students of the institution were among those kidnapped on Sunday on the Kaduna-Abuja road,” the commissioner said.
A source said the 300 students from the Department of French Language were travelling to Lagos for a programme at the Nigerian French Language Village when the incident happened.
The source said, “The names of the students are Okafor Chris, Ayuba Lois, John Elizabeth, Musa Precious, Asoji Faith, Badmus Jemimah, Emmanuel Simon and Aliyu Adamu.”
The commissioner in his statement confirmed bandit attack on Igabi and Kajuru LGAs on Sunday and on Monday respectively.
The commissioner added that security agents were after bandits in some locations in Igabi and Kajuru LGAs.
He said, “Security agencies have notified the government that they are pursuing bandits in the area.
“On Monday armed bandits attacked Albasu village located south wards of Malum forest in Sabon Birni general area and subsequently killed some locals, while on Sunday night at Maraban Kajuru, bandits kidnapped two persons and killed one person.
“Governor Nasir El-Rufai has sent condolences to the families and prayed for the repose of their souls.
“Similarly, troops on patrol around Chikun and Kajuru LGAs boundaries found a corpse of a bandit who died of gun injury.
“An AK-47 rifle and other valuables were found beside the decayed corpse.”
#EndSARS: Police plot to detain Eromosele for 30 more days [PUNCH]
There was a mild drama at the Yaba Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Monday as policemen attached to the State Criminal Investigation Department filed an application seeking to remand #EndSARS protester, Eromosele Adene, for an extra 30 days.
The policemen had last week arrested Eromosele in Ikeja and taken him to the state command headquarters where he was transferred to the Area F Command, Ikeja, before detaining him at the SCID.
He was last Monday flown to Abuja and before being brought back to Lagos on Sunday.
Rather than charge him, the policemen secretly approached a magistrate, O. A. Salau, without informing his lawyer and applied for a remand order to detain him for an extra 30 days.
Eromosele’s lawyer, Mr Tunde Jinadu, who was at the SCID, was told by policemen that his client was no longer in custody.
Jinadu was, however, told by “concerned persons” about what the police were up to.
Speaking with The PUNCH, he said, “We were not served. We were not called that he was being brought to SCID. An ACP told me they didn’t know where he was. This sharp practice by the police needs to stop. That was how they flew him to Abuja last week without my knowledge.
“Some good people informed me that he (Eromosele) had been taken to the magistrates’ court. I was able to meet them at the court.”
On arrival at the court, the policemen were said to have been shocked.
The lawyer added, “The police asked the magistrate for an order to remand him for 30 days despite the fact that he has spent 12 days in their custody.
“We tendered a medical report from Eko Hospital as regards the liver complication and immune system and we made an oral application for bail. And we notified the magistrate that he (Eromosele) had been moved from one detention facility to the other and one state to the other.”
The magistrate subsequently fixed the ruling for Tuesday.
ASUU strike: Governors seek shift of positions [THE NATION]
Worried by the shutdown of the nation’s universities for about eight months, governors have asked the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to shift grounds.
They are pleading with the Federal Government to create a temporary salary payment window pending the outcome of the ongoing testing of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), recommended by ASUU.
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA is already subjecting UTAS to test.
It was learnt that the governors have met with some past leaders of ASUU on how to end the strike on mutual terms.
ASUU has been on strike since March 23, leading to a near loss of 2019/2020 academic session.
The nation’s varsities may also record admission backlogs, should the crisis persist beyond December.
According to investigation, the governors are disturbed by the consequences of the continued closure of the universities on the future of younger generation.
The governors felt the deadlock in talks between ASUU and the Federal Government was amenable.
Dec 1 take-off of 774,000 Public Works jobs shaky [THE NATION]
Power play between Minister of State for Labour and Employment Festus Keyamo and the Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) Nasir Ladan, may have stalled the take-off of the Public Special Works (PSW) programme.
The Federal Government designed the programme to employ 1,000 artisans and unskilled workers from each of the 774 local government areas. The target is to create 774,000 jobs for three months.
Each of the beneficiaries is to be paid N20,000 monthly.
At the centre of the battle is the control of the programme.
The two government officials have not agreed on when to officially launch the programme, it was learnt yesterday.
The NDE is under the supervision of Keyamo.
Twice, the Federal Government had announced the date for the programme’s kick-off. It was originally scheduled for October 1 but the date was postponed.
The minister cited delay in the release of funds, and the raining season as reasons for the change in date.
Keyamo later announced November 1 as the new date for the launch with a staggered flag-off in some states planned between November 5 and 15 this month. But, nothing has happened.
The Nation learnt that during his agency’s budget defence, the NDE boss told the Senate Committee on Labour and Employment that the 774, 000 jobs will officially commence on December 1.
Sources at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment said the announcement by the NDE director at the National Assembly came to the minister as a “rude shock.”
According to the sources, the NDE boss did not discuss any such matter with the minister.
One of the sources, who pleaded anonymity, said: “We heard the announcement on television the same way too and we were all surprised. Even the minister too heard it on national television just like everyone else, but what can we do?
“The man (DG NDE) is giving a date on a national television that the minister is not aware of; that tells you that there is something at play. The minister is not aware of the December 1 date.”
The source added that Keyamo would not degenerate to the level of fighting his “subordinate even though the DG has been disobeying the directives of the minister. The minister will not degenerate to that level.”
Besides unilaterally announcing a new date for the take-off, Ladan also told the lawmakers that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved N26 billion for the take-off of the programme.
When contacted, Keyamo declined to comment on the issue last night. The minister didn’t pick calls placed to his official mobile lines.
He was yet to return them before this paper went to bed.
But, sources within the ministry said the government was looking at the December 1 announced by Ladan to officially commence the programme.
One of the sources said preparations were ongoing as toward the kick-off of the PSW.
He said: “The two ogas (Keyamo and Ladan) are yet to agree on when to launch the programme. They sent out people to go and find out the level of preparedness in the states. You know states have different levels of preparedness and they want to launch it on the same day.
#EndSARS: Trillion naira rebuilding of Lagos begins [THE NATION]
The N1 trillion rebuilding of Lagos – devasted by the destruction that accompanied the #EndSARS protests – has started.
The Federal Government is leading the support team for Lagos State government, supported by the National Assembly and boosted by business leaders spearheaded by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was at the inauguration of the Board of Trustees of the Rebuilding Lagos Trust Fund attended by House Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila and Emefiele.
Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote was represented by Mansur Ahmed and Senate President Ahmed Lawan was represented by Senator Olamilekan Adeola.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was Chief host, supported by Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat and Speaker Mudashiru Obasa.
The destruction in Lagos was massive. It cuts across public and private sector property, palaces, businesses and many other infrastructure, including public buses that were burnt, police stations and quarters were razed or damaged and many policemen killed or maimed.
Emefiele said the Bankers Council was working with CA-COVID to rehabilitate and rebuild Lagos. He said funds will be provided for rebuilding of burnt police stations and provision of damaged facilities to assist those whose businesses were damaged.
He said CA-COVID and the Bankers Council will next week come out with a blueprint on rebuilding plan.
“Bankers Council and CA-COVID will work for restocking and rebuilding of their businesses again after taking stock of damage,” the CBN boss said.
Emefiele also assured that they will take measures to complement government effort at creating jobs and enhance the security apartments. He appealed to members of the organised private sector to join in the rebuilding project.
Osinbajo said the fortunes of the nation is tied to the fortunes of Lagos in so many ways.
2023: PDP, APC bicker over defections [THE NATION]
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday engaged in a fresh war of words over reports of impending defections by their members ahead of the 2023 general elections.
While the PDP alleged that some disgruntled APC members were trying to woo its members to form “a third force,” the ruling party said that its membership was “is intact.”
It described the “third force” theory by the opposition PDP as an ‘hallucination of an ailing party.’’
PDP spokesman Kola Ologbodiyan had while featuring on Arise TV morning talk show, also said his party was not bothered about the part of the country the APC would want to zone its ticket for the presidential election.
He said: “We are aware in the PDP that there are those who are losing out in APC and they are contemplating a third force just as they did in 2014 and as such, they are looking at coming to the PDP and break the party by taking members of the PDP to create a new political party.
“The PDP is a holistic political party and we are not going to allow distractions. The leadership of the PDP under Prince Uche Secondus is steadying the party for the purpose for which Nigerians are aligning with us come 2023.”
Ologbondiyan also said that the National Executive Council(NEC) of the party would meet on Thursday “ and to consider all issues lingering in the nation and our party.”
But, APC’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena in a statement dismissed the PDP “Third Force” theory.
Nabena said while APC was intact, the PDP was battling to stop defections by its members.
His terse statement reads: “As the PDP runs from pillar to post to stop the current gale of defections by its members, it is already hallucinating on a political ‘third force’ ahead of the 2023 general elections. Pitiful!
LCCI, PSN, others advise FG, CBN as inflation hits 4-year high [SUN]
Nigeria’s galloping inflation rate which has been on the upward trajectory since last year, hit an all-time high of 14.23 per cent in October, 2020 (year-on-year) from 13.71 per cent in September, 2020 according to latest figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The NBS which released the country’s latest inflation figures on its website, yesterday, said that the increase of about 0.52 per centage points was higher than the rate recorded in September 2020.
It explained that the increases were recorded in all Classifications of Individual Consumption According to Purpose (COICOP) divisions that yielded the headline index.
According to the Bureau, the October figure stands as the highest inflation rate recorded by Nigeria over the past four years. This is also coming amid outcry by the citizens that prices of basic food stuffs have risen astronomically high in South west states of Ogun and Lagos due to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising transportation cost following recent fuel price hike by the Federal Government.
But reacting to the NBS figures yesterday, President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, (PSN), Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, said “Nigeria is digging deeper into poverty because rising inflation means erosion of purchasing power when there is no compensatory adjustment in incomes of households or salaries of workers.
Inflation is a destroyer to many economies and ours is worse because we already have a fragile economic days.
It’s going to increase the misery index, which is unemployment plus high inflation rates. So, we will become more miserable as a people. Businesses will face declining demand as there is no corresponding increase in purchasing power. It might lead to redundancies and all sorts of efforts by the businesses to survive.”
Similarly, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) for its part urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to address the supply side variables impacting domestic prices.
Dr Muda Yusuf, Director-General, LCCI, who spoke in reaction to the October 2020 inflation rate, released by the NBS, listed such variables to include transportation costs, logistics challenges and exchange rate depreciation.
Other variables according to him are forex liquidity issues, Value Added Tax increase, climate change, insecurity in farming communities and structural bottlenecks to production.
Army, police, others harp on synergy in tackling security [SUN]
The Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Police Force and other security agencies, yesterday called for synergy in tackling the security challenges currently facing the country.
Representatives of the security outfits spoke differently in Ibadan, at this year’s Operational Planning Cadre training programme organised by the 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Ibadan, for the security agencies operating in the state.
The theme of the programme is: “Inter-agency Collaboration and Cooperation in Mitigating Contemporary Security Challenges”.
Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Nwachukwu Enwonwu, in his presentation, said that the goals and objectives of the nation’s security agencies might not be achieved without collaborating with one another.
Represented by Ayodele Sonubi, Enwonwu, said: “We came from different agencies that cumulated into what we call security. Therefore, we need to improve and work together towards achieving better results. There is no single security outfit that can do it alone in terms of securing the nation. All hands must be on deck to achieve our objectives of securing the country,” he said.
A representative of NDLEA, ACN Luka Yerima, said it was imperative for the existing good relationships among senior officers to be extended to the rank and file. Yerima also stressed the need to address the problem of unhealthy rivalry among junior officers to enable them work harmoniously to achieve a common goal.
Chijoke Inyama, a representative of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), said that some security agencies had the attitude of not responding to distress calls from other security agencies. In his opening address, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Division, Nigeria Army, Maj.-Gen. Anthony Omozoje, said that the training would enhance understanding, growth and development among security agencies.
The programme was also attended by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Nigeria Correctional Service.
NLC kicks against fuel price increase [SUN]
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has rejected the recent increase in pump price of petrol saying it negated agreement reached between organised labour and representatives of the Federal Government during negotiations that trailed the public protest of the previous hike in price of the commodity.
NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, who stated this in a statemnent, yesterday, said part of the agreement was the rehabilitation of the refineries, but lamented that government had flailed to keep to the deal which was believed would ensure affordable prices of petroleum products to citizens.
Calling on government to declare a state of emergency in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry, Wabba warned that “there is a limit to what citizens can tolerate if this abysmal increases in the price of refined petroleum products and other essential goods and services continue.”
“Nigerians cannot be made to bleed endlessly for the failures of successive governments to properly manage our refineries. The truth is that we would not have been in this precarious situation if government had been alive to its responsibilities,” Wabba said.
He accused successive governments of failure to ensure value for money for the numerous Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) of the refineries which he alleged were poorly and barely executed. He also alleged lack of interest by government in prosecuting public officials and private business people who have profited from the rot in the petroleum sector.
The NLC boss, however, suggested the following as way out of constant hike in pump price of petrol, even as local refineries are fixed.
“One is for government to declare a state of emergency in downstream petroleum sector. As a follow up to this, government should enter into contract refining with refineries closer to Nigeria. This will ensure that the cost of supplying of crude oil is negotiated away from prevailing international market rate so that the landing cost of refined petroleum products is significantly reduced.
“Second, government should review the entire process of licensing for modular and bigger refineries. It is queer to depend on the enterprise of one man to fix Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sub-sector. The more public and private refineries the higher the competition. This would serve end consumers who would benefit from lower prices. Organised labour will not accept a fait accompli of monopoly of Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector or the emergence of a cartel of oligarchs whose end game is mass pauperisation.”