The Federal Government is reconsidering imposing excise duty on telecoms services after it was suspended, which would compel operators to adjust the rates of calls and data upward.

This is contained in a document titled ‘Invitation to a One Day Public Hearing and Submission of Memoranda on the 2022 Finance Bill,’ released by the House of Representatives Committee on Finance.

It indicated that suspended excise duty on telecoms services may feature again in the 2022 Finance Bill, which is currently before the National Assembly.

According to the committee, it is conducting a public hearing on the 2022 Finance Bill and one of the subjects on the agenda is the discussion of telecoms as one of the goods liable to excise duty.

Part of the document read, “Telecommunication services provided in Nigeria shall be charged with duties of excise at the rates specified under the duty column in the Schedule as the President may by Order prescribe pursuant to section 13 of this Act.”

It added all telecommunication services in Nigeria shall be charged with duties of excise at “the rates specified under the duty column in the Schedule as the President may by Order prescribe pursuant to section 13 of this Act”.

According to the bill, the amendment was necessary to expand the scope of duties beyond the telecoms sector to avoid an undue focus on levying duties on this sector, adding that would remove the limitation of the scope of services that may be subject to excise duty.

It further stated that the need to increase revenue generation/tax administration was the reason for the proposed excise duty on telecom services.

The document did not specify the rate at which the excise duty would be charged.

In July, the Federal Government announced plans to implement a five per cent excise duty on telecoms services.

The Minister of Finance Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, announced this at a forum organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission. According to her, the excise duty was in the 2020 Finance Act but had not been implemented.

Speaking through the Assistant Chief Officer of the ministry, Mr Frank Oshanipin, she said, “Payments are to be made on monthly basis, on or before the 21st of every month.

“The duty rate was not captured in the Act because it is the responsibility of the president to fix rates on excise duties and he has fixed five per cent for telecommunication services which include GSM. It is public knowledge that our revenue cannot run our financial obligations, so we are to shift our attention to non-oil revenue.”

At the time, telecom companies who kicked against the implementation of the provision argued that it would amount to multiple taxations.

They had stated that the cost would be passed directly to the consumer, increasing the total tax paid by telecom consumers to 12.5 per cent.

The Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecom Owners of Nigeria, Gbenga Adebayo, said, “We will not be able to subsidise the five per cent excise duty on telecom services. This is because of the 39 multiple taxes we are already paying coupled with the epileptic power situation as we spend so much on diesel.”

Also, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, kicked against the implementation of excise duty on the telecoms sector. According to him, the tax would impact the sector and consumers negatively.

He said, “The Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy is not satisfied with any effort to introduce excise duty on telecommunication services.

“Firstly, I have not been consulted officially and part of the rulemaking is to invite stakeholders to make contributions. I was not consulted officially. Secondly, if we have been contacted, we would have challenged the submission.”

In September, the Federal Government announced a suspension on the implementation of excise duty on telecom services. It also inaugurated a committee to review the introduction of excise duty in the digital economy sector.

Contact: theeditor@punchng.com ]]> Fri, 23 Dec 2022 16:56:39 +0000 http://www.keta.com.ng/index.php/blog/argentina_winner_world_cup_2022/

But in a letter dated 5 December 2020, and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said: “Allowing the governors to borrow from pension funds would be detrimental to the interest of the beneficiaries of the funds, especially given the vulnerability of pension funds to corruption in Nigeria, and the transparency and accountability deficits in several states.”

SERAP said: “It is patently unjust and contrary to the letter and spirit of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], the Pension Reform Act, and the country’s international anti-corruption and human rights obligations for the Federal Government and state governors to repeatedly target pension funds as an escape route from years of corruption and mismanagement in ministries, departments and agencies [MDAs].”

SERAP expressed “serious concerns that the proposed borrowing by the 36 state governors from the pension funds would lead to serious losses of retirement savings of millions of Nigerians.”

The letter copied to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, read in part: “This proposed borrowing faces the risks of corruption and mismanagement, and would ultimately deny pensioners the right to an adequate standard of living and trap more pensioners in poverty. Rather than devising ways to address pensioner poverty, governments at all levels would seem to be pushing to exacerbate it.”

“Allowing the governors to borrow money from the pension funds would amount to a fundamental breach of constitutional provisions, the Pension Reform Act, and Nigeria’s international obligations, as well as fiduciary duties imposed by these legal instruments on all public officers to prevent pension funds from unduly risky investments, and to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of pension funds.”

“We would be grateful if your government would indicate the measures being taken to instruct the NPC to stop the 36 state governors from borrowing and withdrawing any money from the pension funds within 14 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter.”

“If we have not heard from you by then as to the steps being taken in this direction, the Registered Trustees of SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel your government to implement these recommendations in the interest of millions of Nigerian pensioners.”

“It would also be very difficult to hold state governors to account for the spending of pension funds, as states have persistently failed to account for the spending of public funds including security votes.”

“Transparency is a key instrument in the spending of any pension fund investment, as it is necessary to ensure the accountability of the funds. However, several states routinely claim that the Freedom of Information Act is not applicable within their states.”

“Pension funds should not be used to make up for the failure of governments at all levels to cut the cost of governance, and the persistent refusal to reduce wastage and corruption in MDAs, as well as failure to obey court orders to recover life pensions collected by former governors and their deputies, and public funds collected by corrupt electricity contractors who disappeared with the money without executing any power projects.”

“Many state governors have repeatedly failed to pay workers’ salaries and pensions; several states are failing to pay contributory pension. Therefore, allowing state governors to collect a windfall of pension funds at the expense of pensioners who continue to be denied the fruit of their labour would amount to double jeopardy.”

“Fiduciary duties require public officers to ensure that pension funds are managed solely and exclusively for the benefit of pensioners, and to consider the socio-economic and human rights impact of pension investment decisions on the intended beneficiaries.”

“Our requests are brought in the public interest, and in keeping with the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], the Pension Reform Act 2014, and Nigeria’s international obligations, including under the UN Convention against Corruption, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.”

“Your government has a legal obligation under articles 1 and 5 of the UN Convention against Corruption to prevent and combat corruption effectively, to promote integrity, accountability and proper management of public affairs and public property, including pension funds.”

“Public confidence and accountability in public administration are instrumental to the prevention of corruption and greater efficiency. Article 10 requires Nigeria to take measures to enhance transparency in its public administration relative to its organization, functioning, decision-making processes and/or other aspects, including pension fund investment. Nigeria has ratified the convention.”

“Under section 85 of the Pension Reform Act, pension funds and assets can only be invested in accordance with the regulations set by the NPC. Section 100 prohibits mismanagement or diversion of pension funds. Therefore, the proposed borrowing by governors from the pension funds is implicitly inconsistent and incompatible with the letter and spirit of the Act, and with Nigeria’s international obligations.”

“Several states have also failed to observe Convention No 29 on Forced Labour and other international standards on the right of workers to timely payment of salaries and pensions. Borrowing from the pension funds is also implicitly inconsistent with right to work recognized by various ILO instruments and article 6 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, to which Nigeria is a state party.”

“The right to work is essential for realizing other human rights and forms an inseparable and inherent part of human dignity. The governors cannot on the one hand fail to pay workers’ salaries and pensions while on the other hand proposing to withdraw money from pension funds.”

source: Vanguard NGR ]]> Wed, 23 Dec 2020 11:37:57 +0000 http://www.keta.com.ng/index.php/blog/Alscon_resume/
ALSCON incorporation and privatisation:
ALSCON was incorporated in 1989 with the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), Ferostaal AG of Germany and Reynolds of America as share-holders on an equity holding of 70percent, 20percent and 10percent, respectively. The company was established in order to utilise and enhance the country’s gas reserve and to discourage gas flaring, since the natural gas being flared would be needed to generate electricity for the smelter plant.

Other objectives for which ALSCON was established can be summarised as follows:

· To establish a self-sustaining company

· To provide employment to Nigerians

· To create an avenue for transfer and acquisition of technology

· To conserve and earn foreign exchange by meeting the country’s aluminium need and to export finished products to the international market.

· To be feeder to downstream industries which will be utilising ALSCON products as their basic raw materials In September 2002, BPE commenced the privatisation process of ALSCON. Five companies expressed interest in ALSCON; namely: ALCOA Incorporated of America, Glencore AG of Switzerland, UC RUSAL of Russia, ALCAN of Canada and Ferostaal AG of Germany.

Most of the above-mentioned companies shortlisted for the ALSCON bid failed to submit technical and financial bids; for that reason the privatisation process was aborted. In 2004, BPE again invited interested companies to bid for ALSCON stake. Only BFIG and UC RUSAL satisfied the initial pre-qualification requirements.

BFIG emerged as the preferred bidder with a bid price of $410m, while UC RUSAL was disqualified for submitting a conditional bid. However, reports from BPE stated that BFIG did not meet a deadline of July 8, 2004 for the payment of 10percent of their bid price and was therefore disqualified. Consequently, BPE handed over ALSCON to UC RUSAL at a bid price of $250million on the basis of a “Willing-buyer-Willing-seller”.

In September 2004, BFIG dragged BPE before an Abuja High Court for overturning their victories, claiming that BPE frustrated their attempt to pay 10percent of their bid price within the stipulated period. The Court process proceeded from High Court to Appeal Court and to the Supreme Court. There were victories and counter victories until June 6, 2012, when the Supreme Court affirmed BFIG as the True Owner of ALSCON and ordered the DG of BPE to reclaim ALSCON from UC RUSAL and enact a mutually agreed Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) with BFIG. Past and present (DGs) of BPE have previously stated that BFIG had serially defaulted in meeting its financial commitments as directed by the court, a claim which BFIG has consistently refuted.

Why the two super powers will continue to wrestle for ALSCON’s soul

The average Nigerian may see ALSCON as just a company that produces Aluminium ingots and so wonders why Russia and America should be jostling for the plant while they have the capacity to build more gigantic plants in other parts of the world; but for some of us, keen watchers and participants in the developments in ALSCON, ALSCON’s location rates it more than just a company for the production of Aluminium.

ALSCON is located in Ikot Abasi, at the heart of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, not too far away from the Atlantic Ocean. Ikot Abasi is one of thirty Local Government Areas in Akwa Ibom State. It is bordered by Oruk Anam Local Government Area in the North, Mpat Enin in the West and Eastern Obolo Local Government Area on the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean in the South. The Imo Rivers form the natural boundary in the East, separating it from Rivers State. A study of Geography shows that the Gulf of Guinea coast line spans from Ghana to Liberia and includes more than ten states which have huge economic importance to the United States and the West. A huge percentage of Africa’s oil production comes from the Gulf of Guinea. With the recent discovery of offshore hydrocarbon deposits, activities within the Gulf are increasing. Therefore, the unending battle for ALSCON’s soul is more than the average Nigerian can see.

Past and present Nigerian governments’ interest The administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo never hid its interest in seeing that ALSCON is acquired and operated by UC RUSAL. Not much was heard from the Judiciary as it pertained to ALSCON ownership all through that administration. However, this was not the case during President Yar’Adua’s era. In November, 2007, there was a meeting attended by the American Charge d’Affaires , Lisa Patrick, representing the then US Ambassador to Nigeria, Terrence MC Curley. BFIG representatives and the late President Yar’Adua were part of the meeting. The Ambassador said, among others, that they had already secured the services of Port of Los Angeles of America to carry out the dredging of Imo Rivers at their own cost, estimated at 200 million USD, and to generate more support to BFIG.

The proposal from the Americans seemed attractive, but never saw the light of day following the sudden death of the President. After the exit of President Yar’Adua and throughout the administration of PresidentGoodluck Jonathan, it was difficult to say where the government’s interest lied. President Jonathan was generally docile on issues related to ALSCON, even though bilateral relations between Nigeria and Russia increased during his administration.

Within the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, two significant events have taken place to suggest where the interest of the President lies.

In January 19th, 2018, at the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Abuja, something happened; it was the signing of an agreement between the Federal Government of Nigeria and UC RUSAL of Russia for the sale of ALSCON to the latter. The agreement was tagged ‘Renewed Share Purchase Agreement (Renewed SPA)’. In attendance were the Russian Ambassador to Nigeria, Nickolai Udovinchenko and his team.

If indeed the January 19th, 2018 event was an indication of where the interest of the present Nigerian administration lied, then the recent pact between President Buhari and President Vladmir Puttin of Russia during the Russia-Africa summit could have been said to be a confirmation of a shift towards the Eastern bloc. However, the recent jailing of the DG of BPE on the ground that he refused to take over ALSCON from the Russians who are presently manning the company has again opened up ALSCON windows for discussion on where the government interest lies. The labour leaders’ interest Economic liberation and emancipation of Nigerian workers will always remain at the forefront of the labour leaders’ interest. We preach decent job agenda, and as workers and advocates of the workers, we have always given one hundred percent support to any organisation that employs Nigerian workers on decent jobs.

When Americans/Germans employed approximately 2000 Nigerians on decent jobs, prior to the privatization of ALSCON, we gave them one hundred percent support; and ALSCON plant was healthy in all ramifications. When the Russians operated ALSCON immediately after privatisation, the workers gave them one hundred percent support. The support continued until they began to retrench Nigerian workers on grounds that were at variance with in-house Collective Agreements and established industrial norms.

In 1997, when the production of Aluminium was suspended in ALSCON due to ideological differences among the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Germans and the Americans, ALSCON warehouses were stocked with raw materials and spare parts planned to sustain the company on a continuous production stream of, at least, two (2) years.

During due diligence inspection and assessment prior to bidding for ALSCON, most prospective investors were surprised that such a brand new modern plant with state of the art facilities was left unattended to.

It might interest Nigerians to note that ALSCON began operations in October 1997 and a few months later reached a production level of 40 000 tons of Aluminium. The plant was designed to produce 193,000 tons of Aluminium annually. As at 1997, a ton of Aluminium was sold at 3000USD. What this means is that at full capacity ALSCON was designed to generate approximately 600 million USD annually!

It was therefore, a surprise to labour leaders that ALSCON was enlisted for privatisation alongside moribund companies like Savannah Sugar Company at Adamawa, Nigerian Airways, and others. Of course, the labour leaders resisted the outright sale of ALSCON on the ground that the company could be made to run profitably with an astute and prudent management in place. However, the government might have its way and sell ALSCON, thereby denying Nigerians the economic benefits of the company.

There is no denying the fact that the two main contenders of ALSCON have the capabilities to run ALSCON profitably. The presence of Mr. Ditman, a German and a former Managing Director of ALSCON, alongside his team by the side of BFIG during a public hearing I attended in Abuja, is an indication that BFIG is working in collaboration with Ferrostaal AG of Germany, the original installers of ALSCON. On the other hand, the Russians are not new in the field of Aluminium Productions. For a long time, UC RUSAL has maintained the number one position in the Aluminium market worldwide.

When ALSCON was conceived and built, the slogan was “we turn waste to wealth”. And so, it was because one of the major requirements in Aluminium production is the availability of natural gas needed to generate electricity. In those early days of ALSCON’s incorporation, natural gas was flared with alacrity and the cost of gas was negligible compared with the cost of oil; so the slogan “we turn waste to wealth” fitted the time. Today, gas is as valuable as oil. Therefore, for a start, whosoever desires to acquire ALSCON should be prepared to buy gas at a commercial rate.

Finally, as a worker and a representative of Nigerian workers, employment remains my constituency. For without employment, there will be nobody to lead. Therefore, like every other labour leader, my support goes for that employer who will employ Nigerian workers on decent jobs.

At the same time, I share the views of right-thinking Nigerians, including the Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, who admonished Nigerians as follows: “We must regularly obey and respect the laws of our land. We should never disregard the laws to avoid the consequences. If a Court makes a judicial pronouncement on a particular matter, it should be obeyed to the letter. ”The Sultan gave this warning on the 12th December, 2019 in Abuja during a meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council.

As we ponder on who is to restore the dignity of Nigerian workers in ALSCON, we are equally not losing sight of the legal implication of ALSCON as a legal entity. Who desires to run ALSCON should respect the Nigerian legal system so as to gain the support of a civilised society.

Aluta Continua, Victory aceta

Kelechi Otuh

-Otuh is the National President of Metal Products Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (MEPROSSAN), and National Trustee, United Labour Congress (U.L.C).

source: BusinessDay]]> Wed, 23 Dec 2020 11:01:16 +0000 http://www.keta.com.ng/index.php/blog/resuscitate-ajaokuta/ Al-Makura, who spoke to journalists at the weekend, expressed concern that the N3 billion required to facilitate the engagement of experts from Russia for the reactivation of the 21 plants in the Iron and Steel Complex, is not included in the 2021 budget earmarked for the Ministry of Mines, Steel and Solid Minerals.

He said he had made presentation to that effect last Thursday to the Senate Committee on Appropriation during presentation of the 2021 budget estimates of the ministry to the committee.

According to him, the remarks made by the Appropriation Committee headed by Senator Jibrin Barau for the provision of the money in the final report on the 2021 budget, was not assuring enough.

The senator said: “Nigeria has spent a lot on the Ajaokuta project than to allow just N3billion to make her decade-old efforts a mirage. Resuscitation of the Ajaokuta is key to the industrialisation and development of the country. The Mines, Steel and Solid Minerals Ministry appealed to us during budget defence to effect appropriation for the N3 billion.

“Since we cannot on our own as joint Committees on Mines, Steel and Solid Minerals increase the enveloped budget presented to us by the ministry, we pushed the appeal to the Appropriation Committee for the required appropriation. The N3billion is very necessary to be provided for in saving the iron and steel project from total comatose,” he said.

Al-Makura said the completion of the Ajaokuta Iron and Steel Project would serve as required catalyst for the diversification of the country’s economy which is one of the key policies of President Muhamnadu Buhari-led government.

On workers who may not be collecting their salaries from January, the former governor of Nasarawa State explained that they are contract staff working at the Mining Cadastral Office of the Complex and whose monthly salaries have been footed in the past years from interventions from the world Bank, which had notified the country that it would stop the gesture after December this year.

When contacted on the phone yesterday evening as to whether the N3 billion would be appropriated as additional fund for the Iron and Steel Company, Senator Barau was evasive.

He said although diversification of the country’s economy is a necessity at this time, paucity of funds remains the stumbling block in acceding to such demands since the N13.08 trillion 2021 budget was projected on expected revenues and not monies already kept somewhere.

source: ThisDay]]> Wed, 23 Dec 2020 10:50:47 +0000 http://www.keta.com.ng/index.php/blog/killing_field_abati/ The wanton killing in Zabarmari is a clear affirmation of the reality we live with: Nigeria has not defeated or degraded the terrorists, and if anything, the country’s security problem has worsened between 2015 and now. The lie has been further put to all claims of achievement of peace and stability through all kinds of military operations and initiatives – Operation Lafiya Dole, Operation Safe Corridor, the establishment of super camps, OperationYancin Tafki. Last week, Nigeria was named the third most terrorized country in the world in the Global Terrorism Index, after Afghanistan and Iraq. Governors of the North also cried out about the spate of insecurity in their region. They asked that the Attorney General of the Federation should grant their state Attorneys General the fiat to enable them prosecute terrorism-related cases at the state level. It was in the same week, that the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, speaking at a meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) declared that the North is the most unsafe part of Nigeria, and the most difficult place to live in. Zabarmari is a tragic reminder of the truthfulness of this statement. The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the Coalition of Northern Elders for Peace and Development share the same view.

It should therefore make sense that as youths protested in October against police brutality in Southern Nigeria under the banner of #EndSARS, the protest slogan in the Northern states was tagged #EndInsecurityNow. As has become traditional, the slaughter of 43 or more farmers in Zabarmari has been greeted with expression of outrage, anger and disappointment. President Muhammadu Buhari through one of his spokespersons, says it is “senseless and insane”. It is indeed barbaric and horrific. What manner of men would tie up their fellow human beings and slaughter them like rams? The cruelty is unspeakable. For every act of this nature that is reported, there are many other incidents that are never reported. The biggest cost of the insecurity in Nigeria is the devaluation of human lives. Look at how Nigerians often argue over the number of casualties. It is 43, no, 45, actually UN says 110, as if not every single life matters.

On October 31, we all witnessed how the United States sent the elite SEAL Team Six special forces unit to rescue a Catholic priest and farmer, Philipe Walton (27), who had been kidnapped at the Niger-Nigeria border and kept in Northern Nigeria. It was a “precision” hostage rescue operation which was instructive for all it said about citizenship and state responsibility. The abductors didn’t know what hit them. Six of them were killed and the American was rescued. Over 40 Nigerians have been slaughtered and yet there has been no serious feeling of accountability and empathy on the part of government. Everyone was shocked yesterday when Garba Shehu, Presidential spokesperson reportedly told the BBC in an interview that the 43 farmers whose throats were slit didn’t have clearance from the military before going to the farm. So it is their fault that they got killed? Zabarmari is 20 km away from Maiduguri – should such an area so close to the state capital be an ungoverned space? Garba Shehu has since back-tracked a little. He was only explaining “the military’s mode of operation”, he says. The survivors insist that they alerted the military! Does Garba Shehu now speak for the Nigerian military?

In some other countries, the authorities would have deployed an elite counter-force to track down the murderers. But here, it is convenient to give excuses. One excuse is that the terrorists are now attacking “soft targets” and that is because they have been weakened. Only the wicked will refer to the waste of 43 lives as a “soft target”! Another excuse is that terrorism does not have a specific end-date; after all in Afghanistan and elsewhere, terrorism remains a problem after so many years. But how about demonstrable capacity to “downgrade, degrade, and defeat?” Where is the value of all that attempt to engage and rehabilitate the insurgents? And of what use is the store of intelligence about the enemy that is available? In another statement, the Federal Government says the military has been given “needed support to take all necessary steps to protect the country’s population and its territory”. Really? Where is the evidence? In August, President Buhari gave the service chiefs marching orders to “rejig their strategy” and address the security problem in the country. He needs to summon them to another meeting.

Terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, drug addicts and all kinds of violent characters including criminally-minded herders have constituted themselves into overlords across Nigeria. It is not only the North that is unsafe; the entire country has become a killing field. This is not new. President Buhari did not create terrorism and banditry, but the insecurity problem has worsened under his watch, and that is ironic considering the fact that he was the “expected messiah” who most Nigerians believed would put an end to insecurity in the country. Northern Nigerians voted massively for President Buhari in 2015 and 2019. If they also ever thought that having a Northerner in power would translate into special advantages for the ordinary Northerner, that has not happened. Not even in Katsina, the President’s home state is life safe. Nigeria’s insecurity crisis explodes the myth of the politics of proximity, the thinking that having “one of our own” in charge automatically confers advantages on the group or community. Northern Nigerian remains strictly divided along ethnic and religious lines; essentially, the significant war in Nigeria is between the rich and the poor. The latter are united by “their thingification,” that is the manner in which they are treated as worthless by a self-seeking aristocracy of power, and their own counter-response of anger and protest.

There are killings in every part of the North: Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto, Southern Kaduna, Adamawa, and in the Middle Belt/North Central Nigeria: Benue, Plateau, Niger, Nasarawa, Kogi. Life has become so short in many places, even luxury bus owners from the East announced that they may suspend trips to certain parts of the country. The Abuja-Kaduna highway has become a risky route either by road where bandits lie in wait, or by rail – a scary route where the Chinese trains Nigeria procured, often break down in the middle of nowhere. Many of the Governors and “big men of the North” have since relocated to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. They visit their states of origin, under the protection of heavily armed escorts. Even incumbent Governors are on exile in Abuja. One Governor was accused of abandoning his state for the Federal Capital Territory. His response was that he visits home four times a month, and why should anyone complain about that? It would be interesting to study this phenomenon of distance-governance and its value.

In the South, kidnapping is on the rise. Bandits have also taken over the roads. A day before the Zabarmari killings, bandits, identified as kidnappers, attacked and killed a traditional ruler, Oba Adegoke Israel Adeusi, the Olufon of Ifon, as he returned from a meeting in Akure, Ondo State. On Monday, November 23, during the debate of the #EndSARS October protests in Nigeria and the aftermath by the Petitions Committee of the UK House of Commons, there were references to killings by state authorities in Obigbo, Rivers state, the persecution of Nigerian Christians in the Middle Belt, and the abuse of human rights by state actors in Nigeria. In the Niger Delta, a coalition of nine militant groups has now served notice of a new round of attacks on oil and gas installations. They identify themselves as Reformed Niger Delta Avengers (RNDA). The reign of insecurity places Nigeria in great difficulty. The country suffers a revenue problem, given the volatility of oil prices, occasioned by COVID-19, the disruption in demand and supply chains and declining national productivity. The country is in recession, the second time in five years. Poverty is galloping, seated as it is astride a sturdy horse. Many are jobless. This has deepened the insecurity challenge in the country. The population of angry and hungry men and women has increased, creating a complex situation in which social, economic and political problems hold a rendezvous of violence.

But one unmistakable aspect of this dilemma is how insecurity up-ends everything else, particularly agricultural productivity, and job creation. Food security is one of the major cardinal targets of the Buhari administration. When the Federal Government decided to close down Nigeria’s borders with its neighbours in August 2019, the plan was to encourage food production within Nigeria, check food importation and encourage in particular rice production, in which Nigeria is said to enjoy a comparative advantage. At the time, the Minister of Agriculture, Muhammmad Sambo-Nanono even boasted that there is no hunger in Nigeria. Agricultural productivity also formed the kernel of the administration’s plan to diversify the Nigerian economy. But national insecurity is an antithesis to food security. What is curious is that bandits and terrorists seem to target agricultural production deliberately as a way of inflicting pain. In 2018, about 73 farmers were killed in two local governments in Benue state in what was described as a farmers-herders clash. The same 2018, a farm in Ondo State, belonging to Chief Olu Falae, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and a Yoruba leader was attacked by bandits. Three years earlier, Chief Falae was also kidnapped on his farm. A week ago, the bandits returned to Chief Falae’s farm again. They set it ablaze. In the evening, they launched an attack on the workers as they slept. Chief Falae is calling on the “Amotekun” to help save his farm and workers!

Incessant attacks on communities and farmlands in Southern Kaduna have reduced food production in that part of the country. Fishing and farming around the Lake Chad Basin have been halted due to insecurity. In both the North East and the North West, farming communities have been displaced. The most affected states in fact represent the food basket of the nation. Zabarmari where 43 -110 farmers were killed on Black Saturday, is well known for the good yield of its rice fields. Now that terrorists have taken over those fields, surviving farmers would be afraid to go to farm. They may be peasant, subsistence farmers but they contribute to the country’s food output, and the agriculture value chain. Food transportation has also been affected. Even where farmers are still able to produce, they have to contend with the insecurity on Nigeria’s highways and the high cost of transportation. Why are farmers being targeted in the North and the South? The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has warned of an imminent food crisis. The crisis is already here. Food inflation in Nigeria is over 17% according to the National Bureau of Statistics. COVID-19, and the flood that disrupted food production in the Niger River basin may have been part of the problem, but insurgency and banditry pose the biggest threats to agricultural production in Nigeria. Food insecurity can in turn worsen the country’s public health crisis. The growing combination of poverty, hunger and insecurity in the land is a national emergency.

Security was projected as one of President Buhari’s legacy issues. Incidentally, that – combined with people’s welfare – is the original purpose of government. Rediscovering that purpose while eschewing the temptation to offer excuses, is the way forward.

source: ThisDay]]> Wed, 23 Dec 2020 10:35:58 +0000 http://www.keta.com.ng/index.php/blog/adeniyi_demotion/
Both convictions are subject to confirmation by the military authorities.

Sources said Adeniyi pleaded guilty to three-count of unlawful use of social media, and damage to service property amongst other issues.

The verdict came eight months after a video of Adeniyi complaining about a lack of military equipment to combat Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East went viral. He also complained that insurgents were outgunning troops, noting that intelligence failure was responsible for an attack by insurgents that claimed dozens of soldiers.

Embarrased by the revelations, the major-general was removed from the front and also suspended by the military authorities. The Nigerian Army subsequently filed charges of military social media guideline violations against him.

Adeniyi had denied any wrongdoing, stating that he did not leak the video, adding that his phone was in Obanla’s custody at the time of the incident. Obanla had in his statement allegedly admitted to posting the video on social media in error.

Adeniyi’s lawyers have vowed to appeal the judgment.

source: ThisDay]]> Mon, 21 Dec 2020 17:09:41 +0000 http://www.keta.com.ng/index.php/blog/russians_ajaokuta/
Abuja: The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Arc Olamelekan Adegbite, Monday, disclosed that the Russian Government has nominated the contractor to commence technical audit on comatose Ajaokuta Steel Company.

Adegbite made this known at a press conference held at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja, where he said the Buhari-led administration has strategically positioned the pattern to ensure Ajaokuta Steel Company is resuscitated and made operational to change the narrative in the steel industry and industrialization of the economy under the build, use, operate and transfer policy, which President Muhammadu Buhari and his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin had a bilateral agreement on government-to-government cooperation to resuscitate Ajaokuta.

He said: “Essentially the project on the collaboration with Ajaokuta is the building use, operate transfer, the President of the country, President Muhammadu Buhari and President Vladimir Putin, sat together at a bilateral meeting and agreed on a government to government cooperation to resuscitate Ajaokuta because the Russians built Ajaokuta when they where the Soviet Union in collaboration with the Ukrainians.

And that is why we have gone back to them, the whole essence is for them to come here, access the plant and access the job to be done that is what we call a technical audit, the Russian government has nominated a contractor who will do the job.

“But the whole essence is that the Russian technical experts will come, do the audit which will lead to them giving us an exact figure of how much it will cost to resuscitate Ajaokuta and National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO), the two are tied together and once this is done, of course, there will be negotiations, we won’t just take whatever they give us, there will be negotiations and at the end of the day, a sum will be agreed and contract formed and that is the basis that we will proceed.”

He (Adegbite) further explained that “The experts will come and audit, they will bring in management under the same contractor, that is the essence of the government to government cooperation, they will bring in management the essence of that is that is to manage the plant so that the plant pays back the loan without recourse to the country.”

However, the Minister added that “President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the Nigerian government will not spend any money on Ajaokuta again so Ajaokuta is making a business case which has been accepted and once it is resuscitated and producing it can pay back its loan.

“So the whole essence is that they will build and operate it for a while upon agreed terms and at the end of the term when the loan is paid with interest, the plant will be reverted back to Nigeria and at that time a decision will be taken on who will manage it.”

On funding Ajaokuta Steel Company project the Minister also made it known that “The funding is coming from two sources, the Russian export center, which is a Russian sort of NEXIM Bank it is called the Russian Export Centre, they are providing $450 million for the project and of course from the Afrexim Bank will be providing $1 billion, so we have a total of $1.45 billion.

“But the whole essence is that the Russian technical experts will come, do the audit which will lead to them giving us an exact figure of how much it will cost to resuscitate Ajaokuta and National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO), the two are tied together and once this is done, of course, there will be negotiations, we won’t just take whatever they give us, there will be negotiations and at the end of the day, a sum will be agreed and contract formed and that is the basis that we will proceed.”

He also explained that based on the bilateral agreement between the two Presidents, the Russians will bring the experts to fix the plant. “The Russians will bring the experts to fix the plant, but I must say at this point that we are working on what we call local context, right now we proposed 60 per cent local content, everything that is required in Ajaokuta and NIOMCO that is obtainable in Nigeria must be sourced from Nigeria, we don’t want everyone to come here and dump everything on us, only those things that we cannot provide can be brought from outside so right now we are at that stage of 60/40 of 60 per cent local content and 40 per cent foreign”, he stated.

On the protracted issue of miners having access to the money meant for their operations at the Bank of Industry, BoI, the Minister explained that it is only when miners form cooperatives that they can access the loan at BoI and not as individuals.

“On the aspect of the artisanal and small scale formalization because the Nigerian landscape is dominated by these people so the aspect of their formalization is in the process so at the last count about 300 or 400 cooperatives bodies have been formed.

“So it is an ongoing process, these groups are being encouraged to access the funds we have at the Bank of Industry, BoI because it is easier for the people in the cooperatives to get the loan than individuals.

“The problem is the individual inability to secure the loans and when the loan is accessed most of them will not be given in cash but equipment, it is all an ongoing process”, he added.

Source: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/07/russian-govt-to-carry-out-technical-audit-on-ajaokuta-steel-coy-adegbite/ ]]> Tue, 18 Aug 2020 11:38:08 +0000 http://www.keta.com.ng/index.php/blog/nig_unempyment2020/
Nigeria’s unemployment rate as at the second quarter of 2020 is 27.1% indicating that about 21,764,614 (21.7 million) Nigerians remain unemployed.

Nigeria’s unemployment and underemployment rate (28.6%) is a combined 55.7%. This means the total number of Nigerians who are unemployed or underemployed as at 2020 Q2.

This is contained in a recently released unemployment data report published by the National Bureau of Statistics. Nigeria’s unemployment rate was 23.1% in Q3 2018 confirming it increased by 4% points between then and the second quarter of 2020.

Key highlights The number of persons in the economically active or working-age population (15 – 64 years of age) during the reference period of the survey, Q2, 2020 was 116,871,186.

The number of persons in the labour force (i.e. people within ages 15 -64, who are able and willing to work) was estimated to be 80,291,894. This was 11.3% less than the number persons in Q3, 2018. Of this number, those within the age bracket of 25-34 were highest, with 23,328,460 or 29.1% of the labour force.

The total number of people in employment (i.e. people with jobs) during the reference period was dwellers, it rose to 31.5% from 22.8%, while the rate among urban dwellers rose to 23.2% from 58,527,276.

Of this number, 35,585,274 were full-time employed (i.e. worked 40+ hours per week), while 22,942,003 were under-employed (i.e. working between 20-29 hours per week). This figure is 15.8% less than the people in employment in Q3, 2020 The unemployment rate during the reference period, Q2, 2020 was 27.1%, up from the 23.1% recorded in Q3, 2018. The underemployment rate increased from 20.1% in Q3, 2018 to 28.6%.

For the period under review, Q2, 2020, the unemployment rate among young people (15-34years) was 34.9%, up from 29.7%, while the rate of underemployment for the same age group rose to 28.2% from 25.7% in Q3, 2018. These rates were the highest when compared to other age groupings.

The data is coming after nearly two years when the last data was published. The bureau last published jobs data in the third quarter of 2018 citing funding as a major challenge.

Key Take-aways Nigeria’s youth remain the hardest hit by unemployment with over 13.9 million people aged between 15 and 34 years unemployed.

The data also shows 7.6 million of this subset did nothing.

Women also continue to bear the brunch of bad economy with about 12.2 million out of jobs from the 27 million currently unemployed.

Graduates and post graduates combined made up about 2.9 million of the total Nigerians that are unemployed. In a surpising data, out of the 35.5 million Nigerians that are fully employed, 28.8 million of them never attended school (6.29 million) or did not have a tertiary education (22.5).

In fact, most fully employed people in Nigeria with SSS (Senior Secondary School certificates) are a whopping 13.2 million.

Source: https://nairametrics.com/2020/08/14/breaking-nigeria-unemployment-rate-jumps-to-27-1/
August 14, 2020 By Samuel Oyekanmi He (Adegbite) further explained that “The experts will come and audit, they will bring in management under the same contractor, that is the essence of the government to government cooperation, they will bring in management the essence of that is that is to manage the plant so that the plant pays back the loan without recourse to the country.”

However, the Minister added that “President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the Nigerian government will not spend any money on Ajaokuta again so Ajaokuta is making a business case which has been accepted and once it is resuscitated and producing it can pay back its loan.

“So the whole essence is that they will build and operate it for a while upon agreed terms and at the end of the term when the loan is paid with interest, the plant will be reverted back to Nigeria and at that time a decision will be taken on who will manage it.”

On funding Ajaokuta Steel Company project the Minister also made it known that “The funding is coming from two sources, the Russian export center, which is a Russian sort of NEXIM Bank it is called the Russian Export Centre, they are providing $450 million for the project and of course from the Afrexim Bank will be providing $1 billion, so we have a total of $1.45 billion.

“But the whole essence is that the Russian technical experts will come, do the audit which will lead to them giving us an exact figure of how much it will cost to resuscitate Ajaokuta and National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO), the two are tied together and once this is done, of course, there will be negotiations, we won’t just take whatever they give us, there will be negotiations and at the end of the day, a sum will be agreed and contract formed and that is the basis that we will proceed.”

He also explained that based on the bilateral agreement between the two Presidents, the Russians will bring the experts to fix the plant. “The Russians will bring the experts to fix the plant, but I must say at this point that we are working on what we call local context, right now we proposed 60 per cent local content, everything that is required in Ajaokuta and NIOMCO that is obtainable in Nigeria must be sourced from Nigeria, we don’t want everyone to come here and dump everything on us, only those things that we cannot provide can be brought from outside so right now we are at that stage of 60/40 of 60 per cent local content and 40 per cent foreign”, he stated.

On the protracted issue of miners having access to the money meant for their operations at the Bank of Industry, BoI, the Minister explained that it is only when miners form cooperatives that they can access the loan at BoI and not as individuals.

“On the aspect of the artisanal and small scale formalization because the Nigerian landscape is dominated by these people so the aspect of their formalization is in the process so at the last count about 300 or 400 cooperatives bodies have been formed.

“So it is an ongoing process, these groups are being encouraged to access the funds we have at the Bank of Industry, BoI because it is easier for the people in the cooperatives to get the loan than individuals.

“The problem is the individual inability to secure the loans and when the loan is accessed most of them will not be given in cash but equipment, it is all an ongoing process”, he added.

Source: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/07/russian-govt-to-carry-out-technical-audit-on-ajaokuta-steel-coy-adegbite/ ]]> Tue, 18 Aug 2020 11:38:08 +0000 http://www.keta.com.ng/index.php/blog/onnoghen-ousted-fallout/ I agree with the Nigerian Judicial Council that Onnoghen has become too controversial for the exalted position of CJN and should be retired with full benefits – once (and if) he is able to use the courts to clear his name. I equally believe that the circumstances in which Mohamed Tanko was appointed Acting Chief Judge creates a legitimacy issue for him. He should step aside. Beyond these, the government should do far more to clean up the mess it created in the first instance.

alter Onnoghen’s nearly 100-day suspense-packed thriller with the Code of Conduct Tribunal finally came to a conclusion on April 18 2019. He was found him guilty of not declaring some of his assets and removed as the Chief Judge of Nigeria. The tribunal also barred him from holding public office for ten years and recommended the forfeiture to the government of the monies in the accounts which he did not declare to the Code of Conduct Bureau as he should. The former Chief Justice of Nigeria has already filed notice of appeal. It is not unlikely that the case may be ultimately decided by the Supreme Court.

Walter Onnoghen’s trial and conviction by the CCT raises several fundamental issues:

One, contrary to the belief that the CCT, as an arm of the executive, does the bidding of the latter, it had actually in the past taken some bold decisions and judgements that were against the interest of the presidency, suggesting that it either has a measure of autonomy or is fearless. For instance in June 2017, a two-man panel of CCT judges headed by its Chairman Danladi Umar, discharged and acquitted Senate President Dr Bukola Saraki of all the 18 charges of false asset declaration and other related offences preferred against him. This came as a surprise to many, given the fact that the federal government and the APC leadership never hid their desire to get Saraki out of the Senate leadership by any means possible. Saraki had also engaged in public spat with Danladi Umar. In fact after his acquittal by the CCT, the Special Assistant to the President on Prosecution, Mr. Okoi Obono-Obla reportedly wondered why the CCT dismissed the weight of “overwhelming evidence” against Saraki and described the acquittal as “travesty of justice”. Following from this, it can be assumed that the CCT, though an arm of the executive, does not always rubberstamp the wishes of the executive. This fact is important in the discussion of the trial and conviction of Onnoghen.

Two, while the CCT had shown courage and a level of autonomy in the past, there are at least six grounds that seemed to lend credence to allegations that the tribunal was doing a hatchet job for the presidency: (a) the petition against Onnoghen was written by one Dennis Aghanya, who was Buhari’s aide between 2009 and 2011 and also the pioneer national publicity secretary of Buhari’s Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). Aghana is the executive Secretary of the Anti-Corruption and Research Based Data Initiative (ARDI), a self-proclaimed civil society group that petitioned the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) about Onnoghen’s alleged non-declaration of assets. (b) In a speed rarely seen in Nigeria’s public service, ARDI’s petition was received at the CCB on January 9 2019, and on January 11 2019 officials of the CCB confronted Onnoghen with the allegations. (c) The way the ex parte order for Onnoghen’s suspension was ‘procured’ appeared dubious, and was allegedly on the prompting of the federal government. (d) During Onnoghen’s trial, Awwal Yakassai, a prosecution witness, admitted that the two assets declaration forms submitted in 2016 by Onnoghen had not even been verified by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) as required by law, meaning that the CCB could not have recommended his trial to CCT as required by law. It also turned out that the amounts of money he was said to have in the undeclared accounts (which by the way were domiciliary, and not foreign accounts as reported) were grossly exaggerated and not something someone of his standing could not afford to have. Despite the weight of these evidences, the CCT declined Onnoghen’s request to file a no case submission.

This objection was one of Onnoghen’s appeals that were still pending at the time the CCT convicted him. In fact four of his five appeals were for inexplicable reasons still pending at the time of his conviction by the CCT. (e) The CCT insisted it had jurisdiction in the case despite the Nganjiwa vs FRN case in 2019 where the Court of Appeal held that trial of judicial officers would first be by the Nigerian Judicial Council – a position affirmed by the CCT itself in 2017 in the Nguta v FRN case. CCT claimed it was trying Onnoghen as a public official, not as an officer of the judiciary. This line of reasoning, if it holds, will potentially mean the side-lining of the Nigerian Judicial Council in the trial of judicial officers since all judicial officers are also public officials. (f) Three separate High Court interim injunctions as well as another interim injunction by the National Industrial Court were ignored by the CCT.

Three, beyond the judgment, is the government’s apparent insensitivity to its environment and possible perceptions of its actions and policy options by different publics. Since people’s perceptions constitute their reality, managing the optics of any policy choice, may be even more important than the intendment of the policy, however noble or altruistic. The government simply seemed not to care, making the issue assume several dimensions and feed many conspiracy theories. First Onnoghen’s tussle with the CCT started in early January 2019 – only weeks to the 2019 elections. This made the opposition to link his removal to a desire by the government to get a pliant CJN who would favour it in the constitution of the election petition panels. Following from this, it quickly appropriated Onnoghen and became his chief defender - which paradoxically also hardened the resolve of his traducers. Second, after Onnoghen’s suspension, Buhari who is routinely accused in the South of clannishness, and of favouring the Muslim North in strategic appointments, did nothing to change that perception in his decision to appoint Mohammed Tanko, a Muslim from Bauchi State, as the Acting Chief Judge. Third, there was also a South-south victimization angle to it: it should be recalled that Buhari dragged his feet in making Onnoghen the substantive CJN. It was only when he was away on medical treatment in the UK that Osinbajo got him confirmed as the substantive CJN.

In September 2018, Buhari had removed Matthew Seiyefa from the south-south, who was appointed by the then Acting President Yemi Osibanjo, as Acting Director of the DSS following the sacking of Lawal Daura by Osinbajo on August 7 2018. Buhari replaced him with Yusuf Magaji Bichi. Fourth, there was also North-South spin to the Onnoghen issue. Many critics from the South were quick to remark that the removal of Onnoghen as the CJN was only the second time in the country’s history that such would happen, and that in both cases the judges affected are from the South, and removed by leaders from the North: the first time was in August 1975 when Murtala Muhammed controversially sacked Taslim Elias as the CJN. However unlike in the Onnoghen case, Elias was not subjected to any criminal trial. Rather the military government of Murtala Muhammed showed some sensitivity in the face of outcries against his removal and sought to make amends by promoting his election to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Hague two months later. Fifth, religious card was equally played during the Onnoghen case. For instance the National Christian Elders Forum said Onnoghen’s removal was a ‘jihad against Christians’ which it claimed started with the removal of General Gowon from power in 1975. In response, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) accused the NCEF of turning logic on its head.

Based on the above, it is clear that from nation-building perspective, the government’s management of the Onnoghen case was simply a complete disaster.

Four, with the Buhari government held largely in suspicion in the South, the Onnoghen case adds to a legitimacy crisis around the government in that part of the country. Add to this the rising spate of insecurity in the entire North, which if it leads to ‘buyers’ remorse’, will mean generalised legitimacy crisis for the government. I think it will be unwise for the government to take things for granted. There is ominous and dangerous silence across the country - as if people are on ‘siddon look’, waiting to see what will happen next. The government should move to douse the tension in the country, including the one created by Onnoghen’s trial.

Five, I agree with the Nigerian Judicial Council that Onnoghen has become too controversial for the exalted position of CJN and should be retired with full benefits – once (and if) he is able to use the courts to clear his name. I equally believe that the circumstances in which Mohamed Tanko was appointed Acting Chief Judge creates a legitimacy issue for him. He should step aside. Beyond these, the government should do far more to clean up the mess it created in the first instance.

Email: pcjadibe@yahoo.com

Jideofor Adibe, Sahara reporter

His suspension over the charges by President Muhammadu Buhari in January, weeks before the presidential election, caused a political storm.

Mr Buhari was accused of meddling with the judiciary in case the outcome of the election was challenged in court.

The Code of Conduct Tribunal did not say how much money was in the five foreign accounts.

Justice Onnoghen has also been banned from holding public office for 10 years.

He has not commented on the tribunal's ruling.

This is the first time a chief justice in Nigeria has been put on trial and convicted.

The Code of Conduct Tribunal was set up to ensure the highest standards in office in a country where public officials are widely mistrusted.

The law requires senior civil servants and government officials to declare their assets before taking office as a way to monitor wrongdoing.

This ruling sends out a very strong message that regardless of how high up you are, you are not untouchable.

Corruption is seen as a national problem and a lot of people believe that it is holding back the country's development.

In January, Atiku Abubakar - the president's main challenger in the election - called Justice Onnoghen's suspension "an act of dictatorship".

At the time of his suspension, Mr Buhari's spokesman said that trying to link it the elections was "illogical".

The president has pledged to fight corruption and was re-elected in February.

Mr Abubakar has gone to court to challenge the result of the election.

source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47974690

Currently, 64 incumbent Senators will not be returning as members of the Ninth Senate, having been defeated during the elections. While the APC will have a simple majority of votes in the Senate, it will not have a supermajority (74 votes), meaning it cannot push through major bills on its own. Three Senate seats have yet to be filled.

Senate President Bukola Saraki (PDP) was defeated in Kwara Central by the APC candidate.

Party Votes % Seats +/–
All Progressives Congress 64
People's Democratic Party 41
Young Progressive Party 1
To be determined – – 3 –
Invalid/blank votes – – –
Total 109 0
Registered voters/turnout – –
Source: Stears Election Centre, Legit.ng

House of Representatives

Party Votes % Seats +/–
All Progressives Congress 217
People's Democratic Party 115
All Progressives Grand Alliance 9
African Democratic Congress 3
People's Redemption Party 2
Action Alliance 2
Social Democratic Party 1
Young Progressive Party 1 Labour Party 1
Allied Peoples Movement 1
To be determined – – 8 –
Invalid/blank votes – – –
Total 360 0 Registered voters/turnout – –
Source: Stears Election Centre, ElectionGuide

Governors

On 2 March 2019, elections were held for governors of 29 of the 36 states of Nigeria. Elections were suspended in Rivers State.

Party Governorships won +/–
All Progressives Congress 15
People's Democratic Party 13
Election suspended 1 –
No election held 7 –
Total 36 0
Source: Stears Election Centre, BBC Pidgin

PDP

The People's Democratic Party held its presidential primaries on 5 October 2018, at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Thirteen aspirants contested for the ticket of the PDP, with Atiku Abubakaremerging the winner.

APC

Incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari was selected as the sole candidate of the All Progressives Congress party primaries held on 29 September 2018. Other candidates included:

• Chike Ukaegbu, founder of Startup52, is the presidential candidate of AAP.
  
• Donald Duke, a former governor of Cross River State, is the presidential candidate of the SDP.
  
• Fela Durotoye, motivational speaker and presidential candidate of Alliance for New Nigeria.
  
• Oby Ezekwesili, former Minister of Education and leader of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign. She ended her campaign on January 24, 2019 to combine support with other candidates to support a bid against APC and PDP.
  
• Tope Fasua, founder and National Chairman of the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party.
  
• Rabiu Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano State.
  
• Sule Lamido, a former governor of Jigawa State.
  
• Ahmed Makarfi, former chairman of the People's Democratic Party National Caretaker Committee.
  
• Obadiah Mailafia, former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and candidate of the African Democratic Congress.
  
• Kingsley Moghalu, former Deputy Governor of the CBN and Professor of Practice at Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
  
• Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, oil business mogul and presidential candidate for the Peoples Trust.
  
• Remi Sonaiya, member of the KOWA Party and former university lecturer.
  
• Omoyele Sowore, human rights activist, pro-democracy campaigner and publisher of news website Sahara Reporters.
  
• Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, former Minister of Special Duties.
  

Presidential debates

A presidential and vice-presidential debate was organised by the Nigerian Elections Debate Group (NEDG) and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), with invitations extended to five of the 78 presidential candidates. The Debate Group explained the exclusion of other candidates as a measure to ensure the effectiveness of the debate and not an endorsement of the candidates chosen.

The vice presidential debate was held on 14 December 2018, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotels in Abuja. All invited vice presidential candidates were present, with candidates discussing their health, education, security and foreign affairs policies.^[34][35]

The presidential debate occurred on 19 January 2019, and took place at the same venue. The two leading presidential contestants were absent, with Atiku Abubakar leaving the venue upon discovering that Muhammadu Buhari was absent. Fela Durotoye (ANN), Oby Ezekwesili (ACPN) and Kingsley Moghalu (YPN) continued the debate, while criticising the absence of the others. Mark Eddo moderated the debate.

Conduct

Immediately following the elections there were claims of widespread fraud by the opposition. The claims included accusations of ballot box snatching, vote-trading and impersonation. There were also claims that caches of explosives were found by police.

The African Union said the elections were "largely peaceful and conducive for the conducting of credible elections." The electoral commission also described the elections as mostly peaceful.

Results

President

The results of the presidential election were announced in the early hours of 27 February 2019.

By state