Video - President Tinubu to advocate for increased investments in Nigeria at FOCAC summit

The Director of the Centre for China Studies in Abuja, Charles Onunaiju, says President Tinubu will focus on expanding and consolidating existing cooperation at the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). The expert emphasized that Nigeria urgently needs critical infrastructure, and the 2024 FOCAC summit presents a crucial platform to address that need.

CGTN

Video - China's agricultural assistance improves Nigeria's cassava yields

The China-Nigeria partnership is spearheaded by the National Root Crops Research Institute and the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences. The initiative aims to teach Nigerian farmers how to produce more with fewer resources.

CGTN

6 Polish students and a lecturer freed from detention in Nigeria

Six Polish students and a lecturer from the Warsaw University who were detained in Nigeria during protests there have been released, the Polish foreign ministry said Wednesday. They are in good health and will be returning home this week.

The ministry's spokesman, Pawel Wronski, said the seven Polish citizens have had their passports, laptops and belongings returned and were staying at the university campus in the northern Nigerian city of Kano, waiting for the trip back.

The seven were in northern Nigeria to take part in a program to study the Hausa language. They were detained earlier this month in the state of Kano during a political protest, allegedly for carrying Russian flags, Nigeria’s secret service said.

Officials in Poland, which has frosty relations with Russia, said that was unlikely and that the whole situation was a misunderstanding. The seven were held at a hotel in Kano while Warsaw was actively seeking their release.

“Our students were at the wrong time at the wrong place,” Wronski said, urging people to be cautious when traveling to distant locations.

Wronski said the ministry posts warnings and advice to travelers on its website, including a warning about the Nigerian state of Kano, where it described the political situation as being “quite complicated."

Pro-Russian sentiment is rare in the Central European nation, which has bad memories of suffering under Russian rule in the past. Polish society is today deeply critical of Russian aggression in Ukraine and strongly backs Ukraine.

The protests in Nigeria saw thousands, mostly young people, rally against the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation and against alleged bad governance that has stifled development even though the country is a top oil producer.

In several northern states, a few protesters were seen waving Russian flags, a trend that until now was only common in Africa in coup-hit countries where pro-Russian sentiments are growing off the back of coups by militaries severing ties with the West.

AP

Related story: Polish students held in Nigeria will return unharmed

President Tinubu to visit China seeking economic cooperation

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu will meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a visit to China next week to discuss cooperation on the economy, agriculture and satellite technology, a Nigerian government spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Tinubu, who has set in motion deep reforms in Africa's largest economy, will be in Beijing along with other African leaders to attend the China-Africa Cooperation Summit.

"This is going to be part of a broader engagement where the two heads of state will discuss matters of mutual interest across not just the economy, but also on issues of national, regional, and international security," the spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, said.

Africa is a focus of China's flagship economic cooperation programme.

Tinubu's agenda in China will include site visits to two major Chinese companies: Huawei Technologies and the China Rail and Construction Corporation, as Nigeria looks to complete a high-speed rail line linking Ibadan in southwest Nigeria to the capital in Abuja. Tinubu will also meet with 10 CEOs of major Chinese companies across information and communications technology, oil and gas, aluminium production, seaport and harbour construction, financial services and satellite technology development.

Nigeria is seeking investment to boost its economy, which is battling double-digit inflation, foreign currency shortages and issues such as crude oil theft. 

By Felix Onuah, Reuters

Related story: Video - NEVs, digital economy are key areas for cooperation with China according to foreign minister of Nigeria

 

 

Nigeria ‘Loses’ Another $57m Jet To Chinese Firm In Canada

There appears to be no end in sight for Nigeria’s troubles as the nation is fast losing some of its prized assets to the Chinese Zhongshang Fucheng Industrial Investment Ltd, which has embarked on the successive seizures of Nigerian assets after it secured an order from a French court.

The Chinese firm secured an order to confiscate Nigerian properties over an alleged breach of contractual agreement by Ogun State of Nigeria which stemmed from a failed free trade zone (FTZ) deal, and it has moved quickly to take over Nigeria’s assets in Europe and North America to collect up to $70 million from a 2021 arbitration verdict.

No sooner did the Chinese firm seized three Nigerian presidential jets in France last week, than it followed it up by confiscating two Nigerian guest houses in Liverpool UK on Wednesday. And on Thursday, the spate of seizures continued when the firm announced that it has finalised repossession of a luxury jet owned by Nigeria in Canada, LEADERSHIP gathered.

The investment group reportedly received a change of custodian paperwork for the Bombardier 6000 type BD-700-1A10 aircraft from Canadian authorities in Montreal, and has exerted ownership over the aircraft.

The firm had reportedly obtained a court judgement from a Canadian Court several months ago to enable it to seize the Nigerian jet.

“The court granted orders for Zhongshang to seize the plane earlier this year, but the change of custody from Nigeria to Zhongshang was only recently concluded,” someone familiar with Zhongshang’s activities said anonymously to discuss the matter. “Zhongshang will not stop seizing Nigeria’s assets worldwide until the last cent of the arbitration awards has been paid.”

Nigeria faces more threats of property seizures as some of its assets in Belgium and the US are up for grabs in the coming weeks.

Nigeria has mounted challenges against the court orders but it has not been successful in five countries. The country has, however, said it did no wrong. It is not certain whether this assertion can save the situation for the country.

LEADERSHIP had reported that after seizing the Nigerian guest houses in the UK, the Chinese firm took further steps to put the two residential structures in the UK it confiscated for sale on global online marketplace eBay for an estimated $2.2 million.

The Chinese firm last Wednesday announced that it has seized three presidential jets of Nigeria but later released one to be used to convey the Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu, for a trip to France this week. Despite saying it was open for negotiation with the Nigerian government, the firm has intensified efforts to confiscate Nigerian assets wherever it may find them.

The Chinese firm took possession of the Nigerian properties at number 15, Aigburth Hall Road, Liverpool and Beech Lodge, 49, Calderstones Road, Liverpool United Kingdom, in June 2024, years after Nigeria failed to settle an arbitration judgement handed down in 2021.

According to court documents, Zhongshang was awarded $55,675,000 plus interest of $9,400,000 and costs of £2,864,445 as of the date of the arbitration verdict on March 26, 2021. The firm said Ogun state violated a 2001 trade treaty between Nigeria and China when its rights to a free trade zone were rescinded in 2016.

LEADERSHIP had also reported that the company dragged Nigeria before the arbitration panel in the UK in 2018, alleging that Nigeria allowed its federal organs like the police, immigration and export processing authority to be deployed by Ogun State without due process. Court documents said two Zhongshang executives were expelled from Nigeria between mid and late 2016 after one of them had allegedly been detained and tortured by the police.

Losing its prized assets in quick succession is certainly a difficult situation for Nigeria at the moment. How the nation will recover the assets, according to experts, remains within the diplomatic strategy that the nation might adopt in the coming days and that is left to be seen.

By Innocent Odoh, Leadership 

Related story: Chinese Investor Seizes Nigeria’s Houses In UK

Chinese Investor Seizes Nigeria’s Houses In UK

Following its recent success in securing an order from a French court to confiscate Nigerian properties over a breach of a contractual agreement by Ogun State of Nigeria, Zhongshang Fucheng has moved to take over Nigeria’s assets in Europe and North America to collect up to $70 million from a 2021 arbitration verdict.

The investment group is desperate to recover up to $70 million in arbitration awards from Nigeria, and it has taken steps to put two of Nigeria’s residential structures in the UK it confiscated for sale on global online marketplace eBay for an estimated $2.2 million.

Last Wednesday, the Chinese firm announced that it had seized three presidential jets from Nigeria. It later released one to convey the Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to a function in France this week. Despite saying it is open to negotiation with the Nigerian government, the firm has intensified efforts to confiscate Nigerian assets wherever it may find them.

The Chinese firm took possession of the Nigerian properties at number 15, Aigburth Hall Road, Liverpool, and Beech Lodge, 49, Calderstones Road, Liverpool, United Kingdom, in June 2024, years after Nigeria failed to settle an arbitration judgement handed down in 2021.

According to court documents, Zhongshang was awarded $55,675,000 plus interest of $9,400,000 and costs of £2,864,445 as of the March 26, 2021 arbitration verdict. The firm said Ogun State violated a 2001 trade treaty between Nigeria and China when its rights to a free trade zone were rescinded in 2016.

The company dragged Nigeria before the arbitration panel in the UK in 2018, alleging that Nigeria allowed its federal organs like the police, immigration and export processing authority to be deployed by Ogun State without due process. Court documents said two Zhongshang executives were expelled from Nigeria between mid and late 2016 after one of them had allegedly been detained and tortured by the police.

Nigeria is not new to this kind of controversy. A similar issue occurred with P&ID, where a court awarded $11 billion to the consortium over Nigeria’s alleged breach of contract. Nigeria was, however, lucky that, on appeal, it won the case against P&ID following the firm’s alleged bribery.

It is difficult to tell whether Nigeria can escape this onslaught from the Chinese firm because this might differ.

By Innocent Odoh, Leadership

Related story: President Tinubu Heads for France in Newly Acquired Aircraft

Polish students held in Nigeria will return unharmed

Polish diplomat, and former ambassador to Zimbabwe and Malawi, Jan Wieliński has spoken to TVP World about the Polish students held captive in Nigeria, as well as Russia’s growing influence on the region.

Confirming that the students were safe and in good health, Wieliński said that they were currently under guard in a hotel in Abuja, the country’s capital, but that he fully expected their release in the imminent future.

“I think in the next couple of days, when the process of verification is completed, they will be released,” said Wieliński. Continuing, he said he did not envisage they, or their lecturer, to have met with any harm and fully anticipated their safe return to Poland.

The six students from the University of Warsaw and their lecturer were arrested in the northern city of Kano following mass demonstrations sparked by Nigeria’s economic crisis. Such gatherings have been banned and a curfew put in place as President Bola Tinubu seeks to quell the unrest.

“There was a curfew and they decided to go and photograph an anti-government demonstration with their phones,” said Wieliński, confirming that this was the reason for their detainment. “I don’t know whether it is true or not, but my source told me that the security forces have photographs which were taken by the students.”

However, Wieliński rejected the accusation that the students had been carrying Russian flags. “It’s simply impossible,” he said.

Nigeria has been plunged into chaos as a result of Tinubu’s painful macroeconomic reforms, but Wielińśki says that the country’s premier has had little choice given the direction he has been given by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

“They have had to cut oil and food subsidies, and many members of society are unhappy,” he said, “but in my opinion the Tinubu government have had no choice… It is the only way they can improve their economy.”

Questioned as to Russia’s looming shadow, Wieliński warned that Western aid had simply ceased being attractive to many African countries. This, he emphasized, was not due to the colonial past, but because of the Western tendency to attach political and humanitarian conditions to loans.

“We want to give the money loans, but in accordance with a certain pattern of observing human rights or introducing the democratic reforms,” said Wieliński. “Many African leaders, especially those who have military leaders, like in Mali or Niger, don’t like to be dictated... Russia and China, they don’t place conditions on loans.”

Yet while Russia continues to meddle in African affairs due to the vast natural resources on offer, Wieliński does not foresee Nigeria as being one of the nations to fall under its influence. “I don’t think President Tinubu will allow Russia to do anything more than act diplomatically and economically in Nigeria,” he said. “I don’t think we should be afraid that Nigeria will go Russian.” 

TVP WORLD

Related story: Nigeria arrests seven Polish nationals for raising Russian flags at protests

Chinese supermarket in Nigeria shut for allegedly barring Nigerians

A Chinese-owned supermarket in Nigeria's capital has been shut by the authorities over allegations that it denies entry to African shoppers.

The supermarket in Abuja allegedly "exclusively permits individuals of Chinese descent to enter", Nigeria's consumer protection watchdog said on X.

It has summoned the supermarket's owner.

The Chinese chamber of commerce in Nigeria has denied the racism allegations.

The supermarket is a tenant in a building run by the China General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC).

Boladale Adeyinka, an official at Nigeria's Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), said that the watchdog had launched an investigation into the allegations.

This follows widespread outrage on social media after some Nigerians shared their experiences of allegedly being turned away by security when they attempted to go to the supermarket.

In one of the videos, a man said he had discovered the supermarket online but was blocked from entering the complex where it is located.

"At the gate, the security people told me that the supermarket is strictly for Chinese people. If you are a Nigerian, you can't go inside or buy anything," he said in the clip posted on X, formerly Twitter.

In another video on X, a group of Nigerians are seen visiting a building to verify the reports that non-Chinese shoppers were being turned away.

A security guard outside the entrance appears to tell them that the supermarket had cut off access to Nigerians since January.

Several Nigerians have demanded the closure of the supermarket, including former senator Shehu Sani, who said that any store in Nigeria that was not accessible to citizens "should be forcibly opened or be pulled down".

In a statement quoted by local media, the CGCC said it stood for "equality and inclusiveness".

"Our principles are to enhance friendship between the people of both countries and promote economic development," it added.

The FCCPC quoted an administrator at the building, Sanusi Shuabiu, as saying that the supermarket mainly sold Chinese groceries and that while it was initially opened to serve the building's tenants, it permitted entry to outside shoppers, including non-Chinese visitors.

The supermarket's owner has not yet commented.

She has been summoned to appear before the consumer protection agency by Wednesday.

The watchdog says that the supermarket will remain closed until she complies with the summons.

Nigeria has a Chinese population of less than 10,000, according to the Statista website.

By Mansur Abubakar & Gloria Aradi, BBC

Related story: Video - Trade ties deepen between China and Nigeria

Video - Trade ties deepen between China and Nigeria

China's growing demand for Nigerian goods is deepening trade relations between the two nations. Last year, trade volumes between Nigeria and China reached almost 23 billion U.S. dollars, marking a significant shift in the rising economic ties.

CGTN

Related story: Rail projects in Nigeria drive home China's belt and road commitment to African infrastructure development

 

Foreign Minister says Nigeria plans to join BRICS

Nigeria intends to seek membership in the BRICS organization after carrying out necessary measures within its state, according to Yusuf Tuggar, the Foreign Minister of Nigeria, who said this in an interview with RIA Novosti.

The head of Nigeria's Foreign Ministry arrived in Moscow for an official visit on Wednesday.

"We have this intention. As I've already mentioned, Nigeria has a democratic system with deliberative elements. Therefore, before taking such measures, we usually carry out active interaction with various interest groups and different internal bodies," said Tuggar.

The minister noted the significance of the presence of Nigeria's Vice President, Kashim Shettima, at the most recent BRICS summit in South Africa.

"We are extremely interested in this, and we look forward to this," stressed the Nigerian Foreign Minister.

Oreanda 

Related story: Foreign Minister of Nigeria says No justification for Gaza carnage

 

Foreign Minister of Nigeria says No justification for Gaza carnage

 Israel must stop its war on Gaza, and the world needs to drop its “double standards” over the killings in the besieged enclave, Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar told Al Jazeera.

Tuggar was visiting Qatar as part of a delegation led by Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Nigeria and Qatar signed a series of memorandums of understanding and discussed potential collaboration in sectors such as energy, trade, labour, agriculture and more.

The visit came at a time when Nigeria faces mounting economic and social challenges with armed attacks proliferating and an inflation rate at 30 percent.

Yet Nigeria, with a population of more than 200 million people and Africa’s largest economy, is also eyeing a greater role in regional and global affairs.

Tinubu leads the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) established in 1975. The bloc faces an uncertain future with Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso announcing in late January they are quitting the regional grouping.

Al Jazeera sat down with Tuggar in Doha to learn more about what the government has in store for Africa’s largest economy.

Al Jazeera: Over the past week, there have been many meetings between Qatari and Nigerian officials. What are some of the key agreements and partnerships that have been made?

Yusuf Tuggar: Qatar has this Arabic concept of the word “irth” which is legacy, or inheritance. Nigeria is here to forge a common irth, legacy, inheritance with Qatar. They’re both major gas producers and if they work closely together, they can establish or expand further their market share.

We have cargo planes that go to Nigeria and come back empty. They take electronics and all sorts of other stuff from Qatar to Nigeria. They can be filled with agricultural produce because we have 12 huge river basin development authorities that we invested in during the oil boom in the 1970s, with dams ready for irrigation. Nigeria produces a lot of pineapple, a lot of mangoes that can be readily exported to Qatar.

There are so many opportunities. We want to see some of the big players here going to Nigeria and doing business. We’ve already signed several MOUs (memorandums of understanding). Even today, we signed MOUs on labour because we have huge human resources that Qatar can put to good use that we can apply to the medical sector and several others. The sky’s the limit.

And then of course, Qatar is also strong in services, airports. We have so many airports that are in existence that are underutilised that can be turned readily into cargo airports. We’ve got ports, we need more ports to be developed.

Al Jazeera: What are some of the upcoming gas projects?

Tuggar: There are several ongoing gas projects in Nigeria that we hope Qatar can invest in. We have so many opportunities for floating LNG projects. We’ve got an LNG plant that has run out of gas that is right next to us in Equatorial Guinea. All it needs is a pipeline, to pipe Nigerian gas to Equatorial Guinea and Bob’s your uncle. This is something that Qatar can take advantage of.

We have a Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline that is in the making to supply 15 African countries with gas and it can go on to Europe. I know Europe is looking to phase out gas but let’s work with the reality. The reality right now is that gas is still in demand.

We have a trans-Saharan gas pipeline. The leg of the pipeline within Nigeria has gone very far, it’s almost completed and it’s supposed to deliver gas all the way to Algeria. And you throw in Algerian gas and it can go all the way into Europe. These are all projects that are ongoing that Qatar can be a part of when it comes to gas.

But we’re not just looking at gas, we’re looking at agriculture, the health sector. All the relevant ministers are here; we’re looking at metals refining for rare earths; Nigeria is rich in lithium. This is something that can be taken advantage of.

Al Jazeera: Regarding the biggest conflict in the world right now, in Gaza more than 30,000 people have been killed. What are your thoughts on this?

Tuggar: There is no justification for the carnage that is going on in Gaza. It has to stop. There is no justification for the complete disregard for the proportionality of force that is being meted out on innocent civilians, on kids on children, on babies on women.

Nigeria has been consistent with its support for a two-state solution. The state of Palestine has every right to exist as an independent sovereign nation, the same way that Israel has a right to exist as an independent sovereign nation.

But this carnage is completely out of hand and totally unacceptable. There is no way to explain the double standards; it has to stop.

Al Jazeera: Regarding the war in Ukraine, the US and EU have been pressuring other countries to join in on sanctions against Russia. Nigeria has maintained a neutral, non-aligned stance. How difficult or easy has it been to maintain this stance?

Tuggar: [The non-aligned stance] has been the policy of the state of Nigeria since its inception, since it was created in 1960. Nigeria was part of the non-aligned movement and has remained so and at the moment we’re currently practicing what is now referred to as strategic autonomy.

We get along with all countries, and we’re not the only country that has that policy. Nigeria has always been an independent sovereign nation. So we are not compelled to follow any other country’s lead. We do what is right for our people, what’s in the interest of our people.

We get along famously with both of them [the US and Russia]. They also don’t have a problem with us being autonomous, being an independent country, with the freedom to maintain relations with all nations.

Al Jazeera: Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have announced they’re leaving ECOWAS. Is there maybe a need to reinvent ECOWAS in any way?

Tuggar: No, there isn’t. There’s a process [for leaving] and it takes about a year. It’s one thing to pronounce that you’ve left, it’s another to really disengage from ECOWAS itself because every citizen of ECOWAS carries a passport. (An ECOWAS passport guarantees visa-free travel within the bloc). We’re waiting to see if they’re even going to print the passports which is going to cost millions of dollars.

We’re talking about 30 percent of, let’s say, Cote d’Ivoire, coming from Burkina Faso, and Mali, which means they would need new residencies or they will have to leave Cote d’Ivoire and the same thing with Nigeriens in Nigeria, in several other places. So it’s not as simple as it’s made out to be. The process of them leaving takes a lot more than just a simple pronouncement and there are certain procedures that have to be followed.

ECOWAS has shown clearly that there’s no bellicosity towards those countries because sanctions were removed out of humanitarian considerations. Fasting during Ramadan is coming up, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the Chairman of ECOWAS, heads of state and government pushed for the removal of sanctions. The ECOWAS leaders endorsed it and the sanctions have been removed, borders have been opened.

There’s no compulsion in the membership of ECOWAS, it’s up to the regimes in those countries to make a decision. ECOWAS is a union of a community of people and the emphasis is on the community, on the people, on the citizens.

Al Jazeera: In Nigeria, between 40 and 45 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. How does the government plan for economic growth and to address the issue of poverty?

Tuggar: We’re talking about 300,000 training centres across the country. We’re talking vast exponential job creation through ICT, information technology that is happening. we’re talking about providing fast-speed internet to the youth. We’re talking about business process outsourcing.

So these are all a lot of the opportunities but even before that, there’s a social investment programme that is ongoing, that provides directly to the poorest section of Nigeria because we can’t wait until the jobs are created. There’s a direct government intervention that has been going on so these are some of the measures that are being taken towards addressing this.

Al Jazeera: The country is seeing an exodus of youth going abroad for opportunities. What would be the consequences for Nigeria to seeing all this youth leave?

Tuggar: We have what we refer to as the 4Ds in my Ministry of Foreign Affairs – That’s democracy development, demography and diaspora. And the fourth D, the diaspora, is where we look to engage other countries that are in demand of our human resources, get them to invest in certain sectors so that we will be able to train enough skilled workers for both ourselves and the country that is demanding for that.

So doctors, nurses, and at the moment you actually even have Nigeria supplying software engineers to places like Lithuania.

We need to do it in a structured way. We’re not saying that Nigerians cannot go abroad to work. By all means they should. But at the same time, for every nurse that goes abroad, we want to be able to create many more in Nigeria that would cater for our needs. We need to partner with countries that are prepared to invest in those sectors.

Al Jazeera: We’re seeing unprecedented inflation; Nigerians are struggling with the costs. The prices of food and transport have more than tripled since President Tinubu took over and removed the fuel subsidy, even though he promised to ease an already bad situation. What are your thoughts on this? Has he failed to deliver on his promise one year in?

Tuggar: He certainly hasn’t. This is something that was anticipated. This is one of the consequences and, unfortunately, we are feeling it even more because we delayed for so many years, subsidy removal.

This is a sort of bitter pill that Nigeria has to take but there are other measures that are being taken to serve as palliatives for the situation that we’re facing.

You have to bear in mind also that Nigeria is not the only country that is facing these economic challenges; it’s almost global. Inflation is something that a lot of countries are facing, but we have to bite the bullet and do what is right now, for the future.

We’re continuing to supplement and things are getting better. Our crude oil production has gone up, so has our gas production through LNG. We’re going to be feeling the effects of a spike in foreign exchange earnings, which would serve to ameliorate the situation and we’re plugging all the leakages in our economy.

Al Jazeera: There’s also been a surge in kidnappings across the country as well. Does the government bear any responsibility for this?

Tuggar: The government is always there to tackle the challenges.

At the same time, there are so many measures being taken to address these through the three different tiers of government. Because you have to bear in mind also that the responsibility is not simply on the federal government, the government at the centre.

Nigeria’s constitution prescribes rules for the three tiers. So you’ve got the federal government headed by Mr President, you’ve got state governments headed by governors and then you’ve got local government. We have 774 local government areas that are under state governments and they need to be working so that responsibility for them to work and work efficiently rests squarely on the state governors and the state governments.

By Mersiha Gadzo, Al Jazeera

Nigeria imposes annual levy on expatriate workers

Nigeria has imposed a mandatory annual levy for organisations employing expatriate workers, requiring them to pay $15,000 (£12,000) for a director and $10,000 for other categories.

The move is meant to encourage foreign companies to employ more Nigerian workers.

Staff of diplomatic missions and government officials are exempt.

President Bola Tinubu has warned that the levy should not be used to frustrate potential investors.

He spoke while launching the Expatriate Employment Levy (EEL) handbook on Tuesday, adding that the government was expecting to improve revenue and indigenisation.

He said that its aim was to balance employment opportunities between Nigerians and expatriates.

"The goal is to close wage gaps between expatriates and the Nigerian labour force while increasing employment opportunities for qualified Nigerians in foreign companies in the country," he said.

There are more than 150,000 expatriates in Nigeria, according to local media citing data from the interior ministry.

They mostly work in the oil and gas, construction, telecommunication and hospitality sectors.

Nigeria is one of Africa's biggest oil producers. Its oil and gas exports account for 90% of foreign exchange earnings, according to the International Monetary Fund.

The move comes as Nigeria is experiencing its worst economic crisis in a generation, which has led to widespread hardship and anger in recent months.

Labour unions and government workers on Tuesday held demonstrations to protest against economic hardships.

Mr Tinubu acknowledged that Nigerians were going through a difficult period.

He said efforts were being made to improve the country's finances and grow the economy.

The levy applies to employees who work for at least 183 days in a year.

The scheme imposes fines of up three years and jail terms of up to five years for a person or organisations that do not comply, including failure to provide accurate information.

The Nigerian Immigration Service will be responsible for enforcing the levy.

Local media quoted Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Oj as saying that it would be operated on a public-private partnership model between the government, the immigration service and a private firm.

Nigerian economist Abubakar Abdullahi says the levy is good for the country and won't frustrate potential investors as "they'll love to see the country grow as well"."I believe Nigeria stands to benefit from this levy as more companies will start looking inwards as there are qualified Nigerians from all sectors," he says.

By Basillioh Rukanga, BBC

Related stories: Over 10,000 doctors left Nigeria for UK in last 7 yrs

Nigeria suffering from medical brain drain

Video - Trade between Nigeria and China records significant growth

Data from the Chinese Customs Authority shows bilateral trade between Nigeria and China has reached 23 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. Experts forecast trade volumes between the two sides to accelerate in the years ahead as they deepen their relations. 

CGTN

Related stories: China to invest $40b in Nigeria

Nigeria receives China-made armed reconnaissance drones

 

 

Defense chief of Nigeria accuses nations withholding arms sales over abuses of ‘double standards’

Nigeria’s defense chief expressed frustration Tuesday with what he called the “double standards” of some countries that won’t sell his military weapons because of human rights concerns.

Gen. Christopher Musa’s comment underscores one of the biggest challenges for Africa’s most populous nation in combating a deadly and complex security crisis, from the Islamic militant insurgency in northeast to the dozens of armed groups targeting travelers and communities in the northwest and central regions.

“Even with our money, it is difficult getting equipment,” Musa told reporters in Nigeria’s capital of Abuja, acknowledging a huge need for items such as helicopters, drones and Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles.

“Some say human rights, some say ‘You have killed’ … but again, sometimes, people pointing fingers at you have done worse and yet nobody is holding them to account. It is these double standards that (are) making the world more dangerous,” Musa said.

He declined to name the countries in question when asked by The Associated Press.

Nigeria’s security forces for many years have faced allegations of extrajudicial killings and illegal arrests. The United States and other major arms suppliers at one point or another have withheld the sale of weapons over those accusations.

In December, at least 85 civilians were killed when a Nigerian army drone erroneously targeted a religious gathering in northwest Kaduna state, the latest of several such incidents.

Musa said Nigeria’s military has continued to improve on its human rights record and is holding its personnel to account. Alleged abuses are often investigated, and a report on the December incident will be released soon, he said.

“The Nigerian Armed Forces have the capacity to secure Nigeria (and) the entire region,” Musa said, but added that the lack of needed weapons will continue to limit that capacity.

However, there is little evidence to show that Nigeria’s military has improved on its human rights record, according to Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International’s director in Nigeria.

“Protecting civilians should be their priority (and) they should look at all human rights violations they have committed to ensure accountability,” Sanusi said.

U.S. military support to Nigeria has at times included training on how to mitigate risks to civilians, according to a State Department statement in January on security cooperation. It said that in August, Nigeria delivered the first payment for 12 attack helicopters worth a total of $997 million.

By Chinedu Asadu, AP

Rail projects in Nigeria drive home China's belt and road commitment to African infrastructure development

Building railways and bridges in Africa are a key focus for Beijing, after senior diplomat for African affairs Wu Peng announced that China will support infrastructure development in Nigeria, while on a trip to the West African nation last month.

It is a sign that China is still committed to enhancing ties and financially backing growth in African nations. But observers have also said that a change in banks financing a major rail project in Nigeria points to China's desire to commercialise its overseas lending.

Wu, the Chinese foreign ministry's director general of African affairs, previously announced the signing of a finance agreement for the Kaduna-Kano railway, a landmark project in the Belt and Road Initiative in Nigeria.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

It came after a promise in October by Chinese President Xi Jinping to finance and complete the Abuja-Kano and Port Harcourt-Maiduguri railway projects during a meeting with Nigerian Vice-President Kashim Shettima on the sidelines of the third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing.

China had agreed to provide 85 per cent financing for the construction of the two railway projects, while Nigeria was to pay the remaining 15 per cent. This money has since been earmarked by Nigeria for the project, according to Shettima's office.

The funding was originally meant to come from state-owned policy bank China Eximbank, but it pulled the plug back in 2020, citing the Covid-19 pandemic and concerns about Nigeria's ability to repay the loan.

But now the money is being provided by another state-owned policy bank, the China Development Bank (CDB). According to observers, this illustrates China's wish for the commercialisation of overseas loan financing.

And it is not an insignificant sum. For example, with the 203km (126-mile) Kaduna-Kano railway section, after China Eximbank stopped its funding in 2020, Nigeria courted CDB last year.

Previous estimates had put the total cost of the Kaduna-Kano section of the line at US$1.2 billion. The Nigerian government committed US$380 million, with the revised cost to be borrowed set at US$973 million.

Documents put before Nigeria's parliament in April 2023 showed that the Chinese lender would advance a 15-year loan at an interest rate of 2.7 per cent plus the six-month Euro Interbank Offered Rate.

China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) has been responsible for most of the project, which will connect the northern city of Kano with the capital Abuja.

The rubber-stamping of the rail project, according to observers, points to a predicted rise in Chinese lending to Africa in 2024 - a year, they noted, in which Beijing is expected to host the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

Tim Zajontz, a research fellow at the Centre for International and Comparative Politics at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, said the financing agreement shows that Nigeria's infrastructure sector remains important for China.

Not only are Chinese contractors widely mobilised across the Nigerian market, "one must also not forget that Abuja has actively sought funding from non-Chinese sources after China Eximbank had pulled out," he said.

"Considering the intensifying geopolitical competition over African infrastructure, President Xi's recent commitment to continue to fund Nigeria's 'railway renaissance' is not surprising," said Zajontz, who is also a lecturer in global political economy at the University of Freiburg.

Although China Eximbank and CDB are both state-owned policy banks, the switchover is "an example of China Eximbank's more restrictive lending policy and indicates a further commercialisation of Chinese overseas loan financing", he said.

Zajontz, who is author of the book, The Political Economy of China's Infrastructure Development in Africa: Capital, State Agency, Debt, also talked of a wider shift in China's overseas development finance.

"Chinese funding is now more restrictive and the focus has shifted from concessional to commercial lending," he said.

Yunnan Chen, a senior research officer at the London-based Overseas Development Institute think tank, said the CCECC is hugely dominant in Nigeria, so it makes sense that they would be the natural contractor for the project.

"CDB loans will likely be more costly and less favourable in terms," she added.

Eximbank also withdrew funding for a section of a railway in Kenya. It had previously financed the US$5 billion leg from the coastal port city of Mombasa to capital Nairobi, with an extension to the central Rift Valley town of Naivasha.

But the bank declined to fund the next section to Malaba, a town on the border with Uganda due to concerns over the project's commercial viability.

However, Kenya is in a much weaker bargaining position than Nigeria, Chen said. "Nigeria is always in a more comfortable position to borrow, at least for the time being, because it has the oil revenues, which make it creditworthy."

According to Chen, Kenya is trying to negotiate the terms of its existing Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) loans, while also trying to ask for new financing for the extension to Uganda. "It's a difficult bargaining position to be in."

Mark Bohlund, a senior credit research analyst at REDD Intelligence, said that Nigeria - similar to Tanzania - is one of the major African economies with a relatively low level of Chinese borrowing. "And it is in this perspective that I view this new loan," he said.

"My assumption is that China Eximbank will be more active than CDB in Africa over the medium term but I think Nigeria might be an exception to the rule in this regard as their oil export revenue allows them, in theory, to take on more debt at commercial terms, which is the majority of CDB's lending, than other African countries."

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

South China Morning Post

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America determined to remain strong security partner for Nigeria

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said the United States is determined to remain a strong security partner for Nigeria, whose military is backed by the U.S., Britain and other allies in a long war against Islamist insurgents.

Blinken also discussed challenges to democracy and security in the region during his meeting on Tuesday with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu in a visit that comes after last year's coup in neighboring Niger, one of a series of coups or attempted power grabs over the past few years in West and Central Africa.

"The United States is determined to be and remain a strong security partner for Nigeria," Blinken told reporters.

Blinken added that he discussed how it is vitally important there be a focus on ensuring civilians are protected and humanitarian considerations.

Observers have noted a pattern of deadly aerial assaults by the Nigerian military that have killed civilians, which was the subject of a Reuters special report last year.

The U.S. faced a setback in its fight against militants in the Sahel when military officers toppled Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum, a key ally, in July last year.

The coup in Niger was one of a series of military takeovers or attempted power grabs that occurred in West and Central Africa over the past three years.

The instability has raised concern, particularly as juntas have cut ties with traditional Western allies such as the European Union and France, which withdrew thousands of troops from the Sahel last year.

Blinken, speaking in Abuja as part of a four-nation tour of Africa taking him to Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Angola from Jan. 21-26, also said repatriation of capital and corruption were among challenges that need to be tackled for companies to invest in Nigeria.

Africa's biggest economy has about $7 billion in forex forwards that have matured, a major concern for investors as foreign currency shortages continue to weigh down the naira currency, despite assurances by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to clear the backlog.

So far, about $2 billion of the backlog across sectors such as manufacturing, aviation, and petroleum have been paid, CBN spokesperson Hakama Sidi Ali said in a statement.

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Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken holds a joint press availability with Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar in Abuja, Nigeria, on January 23, 2024.

 

Nigeria "essential" to global future according to U.S. Secretary of state

Yusuf Tuggar tweeted Anthony Blinken's visit focused enhancing trade relations and deepening democracy in West Africa.

Nigerian president Bola Tinubu held discussions with the US secretary of state ahead of a press conference.

The US top diplomat said Nigeria had an essential part to play in how Africa could shape the global future.

"Nigeria as Africa's largest country, largest economy, largest democracy, is essential to that effort [Editor's note: referring to the role Africa has in shaping the future globally]."

"We are doing a lot of work together already to drive in a positive direction. We're we're we're driving climate action. As partners in the Global Methane Coalition, we're pushing for permanent representation for African voices in the U.N. Security Council, in other international organizations."

"The United States is committed to strengthening genuine partnerships on the continent, to work to solve shared challenges, and also to deliver on the promise and the fundamental aspirations of our peoples," Blinken said.

His trip is part of President Biden's attempt to tout the USA as Africa's key economic and security ally.

Nigeria is Blinken's third stop on his tour of African nations, following Cape Verde and Ivory Coast. He will travel next to Angola.

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ECOWAS Court rejects US prisoner’s request for transfer to Nigeria

The ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja has rejected a request to order the transfer of a Nigerian convicted of fraud in the United States to complete his jail time in Nigeria.

The court, in a judgement delivered on Thursday, said it lacked jurisdiction to grant Richard Ugbah’s request.

Mr Ughah had told the court he had already served eight years of the 12 years jail time imposed on him, and that he was due for release in May 2026, according to a statement by the court’s communication unit highlighting the key issues decided in Thursday’s judgement.

He approached West Africa’s regional court to order for his transfer to Nigeria, claiming to have satisfied the requirements for such a transfer.

But delivering judgement, a member of the court’s three-member panel, Sengu Koroma, the Judge Rapporteur of the panel, declared that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter.

The court upheld the preliminary objection raised by the Federal Republic of Nigeria, sued as the first respondent, declaring the applicant’s claims as “unfounded and without legal basis”.

The judge also ruled that Nigeria’s Ministry of Justice sued as the second in the case, was not a proper party before it.

The court consequently dismissed all the prayers of the applicant.
 

The suit

The applicant, a Nigerian citizen and resident in the US, was convicted by the District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin after he pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud on 14 February 2017.

He was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment.

The ECOWAS Court’s statement said, he additionally, pleaded guilty to another count of conspiracy to commit fraud on 15 November 2017, and judgment was entered on 22 November 2017.

The applicant further told the ECOWAS Court that having served eight years of the sentence, he was due for release on 8 May 2026.

He urged the court to issue the orders for his transfer to Nigeria to complete his jail time, having, according to him, satisfied the necessary conditions in line with the provision of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Handbook on the International Transfer of Sentenced Persons.

He also maintained that the transfer of sentenced persons is considered to be an important means of cooperation to prevent and combat crimes.

He said crimes combatting and preventing crimes are the main purposes of the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotic Substances of 1998, the United Nations Convention against Corruption and the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime.


The applicant further argued that all three conventions cited refer to the possibility of concluding agreements to facilitate the transfer of persons convicted abroad for the offences covered by the conventions to another state to complete their sentence.
 

Nigeria opposes suit

The Nigerian government sued as the first respondent in the suit opposed the suit. It filed a preliminary objection contending that the applicant’s initiating application was incompetent by virtue of Articles 9 and 10 of the Supplementary Protocol (A/SP./01/05).

It added that its Ministry of Justice sued as the second respondent, is neither a Community Institution nor a signatory to the Economic Community of the West African States Treaty to be competent to be sued before the court.

The government further claimed that the court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain this suit. It, therefore, urged the court to strike out the notice of registration for want of jurisdiction and lack of cause of action.
 

Decision

In its decision, the court struck out the second respondent’s name as a party in the suit, based on the agreement reached by both sides in the suit.

The court went on to rule that the applicant failed to show a valid reason for his complaint against the respondent.

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