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We’re All Prisoners In Poorly Governed Nigeria, Peter Obi Tells Inmates

Published

4 months ago

January 1, 2024

Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election has said because Nigeria is poorly governed, its citizens are all prisoners.

According to Obi, the various challenges in the country weighing citizens down, ranging from insecurity, high levels of poverty and unemployment, corruption and abuse of office, etc. have kept them prisoners.

Obi said this during his visit to the Nigerian Correctional Centre in Onitsha in Anambra State on Sunday.

In a post on X on Sunday, the former Anambra governor said, “In a poorly governed nation like ours, we must understand that we are all prisoners to the different challenges weighing us down, ranging from insecurity, high levels of poverty and unemployment, corruption and abuse of office, etc.”

He said, “I was happy to join our brothers and sisters at the Nigerian Correctional Center, Onitsha, today, for their Thanksgiving Church Service to mark the end of the year 2023. I appreciated God with them, for the gift of life, irrespective of the many challenges faced through the year

“I thanked the Controller of Nigerian Correctional Service, Anambra State Command, for his efforts in ensuring that the correctional facility functions well. To the inmates, I reminded them that irrespective of their mistakes or reasons for their confinement, there is still a great future ahead of them, if they trust in God, work hard, and become law-abiding.

“I was, however, deeply concerned that such a large number of youths in their productive years are confined in the correctional center where they are largely unproductive.

“Many of the inmates are there as a result of the accumulated leadership failure in our country today. If we had a working society, we would not have such a huge number of our youths in different correctional facilities across the nation.”

“We, the political leaders, must therefore, begin to imbibe the spirit of sacrificial leadership to ensure that we build a progressive and secure nation, where our youths will be productively engaged for the benefit of society. By so doing, we will build the New Nigeria of our dreams,” he added.

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EFCC bars dollar transactions, orders embassies to charge in naira

Published

3 days ago

May 11, 2024

Desmond Ukafor

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has barred foreign missions based in Nigeria from transacting in foreign currencies and mandated them to use Naira in their financial businesses.

The EFCC has also mandated Nigerian foreign missions domiciled abroad to accept Naira in their financial businesses.

The anti-graft agency said the move is to tackle the dollarisation of the Nigerian economy and the degradation of the naira

The Commission, therefore, asked the government to stop foreign missions in Nigeria from charging visa and other consular services in foreign denominations.

The EFCC gave the advisory in a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, for onward transmission to all foreign missions in the country.

In the letter, the EFCC said it issued the advisory because the practice of paying for consular services in dollars was in conflict with extant laws and financial regulations in Nigeria.

In a letter dated April 5, 2024, which was addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, titled: “EFCC Advisory to Foreign Missions against Invoicing in US Dollar,” the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede expressed dismay over the invoicing of consular services in Nigeria by foreign missions in dollars.

The EFCC cited Section 20(1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007, which makes currencies issued by the apex bank the only legal tender in Nigeria.

The letter read, “I present to you the compliments of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and wish to notify you about the commission’s observation, with dismay, regarding the unhealthy practice by some foreign missions to invoice consular services to Nigerians and other foreign nationals in the country in United States dollar ($).

“It states that ‘the currency notes issued by the Bank shall be the legal tender in Nigeria on their face value for the payment of any amount’.

“This presupposes that any transaction in currencies other than the naira anywhere in Nigeria contravenes the law and is, therefore, illegal.”

The commission further stated that the rejection of the naira for consular services in Nigeria by certain missions, along with non-compliance with foreign exchange regulations in determining service costs, is not just unlawful but also undermines the nation’s sovereignty embodied in its official currency.

The letter continues: “This trend can no longer be tolerated, especially in a volatile economic environment where the country’s macroeconomic policies are constantly under attack by all manner of state and non-state actors.

“In light of the above, you may wish to convey the commission’s displeasure to all missions in Nigeria and restate Nigeria’s desire for their operations not to conflict with extant laws and regulations in the country.”

Diplomatic sources said yesterday, May 10, that some embassies were wondering whether the EFCC’s advisory represented the position of the Federal Government.

Headline

Prince Harry visits sick Nigerian soldiers in Kaduna

Published

3 days ago

May 11, 2024

Alero Danjuma

Prince Harry and his team visited the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna to interact with wounded soldiers who are receiving treatment.

The Duke of Sussex is in Nigeria with his wife to champion the Invictus Games, which Harry founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans.

Nigeria joined the Invictus Community of Nations in 2022 becoming the first African country to join.

Prince Harry’s visit to Kaduna came 68 years after his late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II visited the state during the time of the late Premier of Northern Region Sir Ahmadu Bello.