Authorities in Nigeria Voice Worry as Rising Cost of Living Sparks Protests

Nigerian authorities say they are worried after hundreds of people took to the streets of central Niger state and northwest Kano state Monday to protest the rising cost of food.

Finance Minister Olawale Edun, speaking in Abuja on Monday during a meeting with a visiting German delegation, said the government is concerned about the surge in prices and working to fix the problem.

He blamed the recent increase in food prices on rising demand, saying the only way to address the situation is to boost agricultural production.

"The president has intervened in that sector to provide grain, fertilizers to farmers and to bring rice, wheat, maize, and cassava under additional acreage, additional production in order to increase the output and thereby bring down prices and that will help bring down the inflation," Edun said.

Police authorities in the Niger state capital, Minna, said they dispersed the protesters using "minimum force," but the demonstrators threatened to reconvene.

For months, Nigerians have complained over the state of the economy, which has remained sluggish amid the government's reform policies.

President Bola Tinubu announced bold economic reforms last May, including the scrapping of subsidies on fuel and the floating of the national currency, the naira.

Authorities say the policies will help restore Nigeria's economy in the long term, but acknowledged that there will be challenges.

Economic analyst Isaac Botti agreed.

"I feel that it will take some time, policies don't yield results immediately," he said. "When we look at some of the programs and policies that the government is rolling out, within the next six months, if they're truthful with their plans, Nigeria should see some changes. Within the next six months, if government is able to achieve its benchmark on local fuel production, it will bring down the cost of goods and services, transportation."

In December, inflation reached a 27-year high, triggered by the rising cost of food items, a side effect of the increase in fuel prices.

Nigeria's economy is heavily dependent on proceeds from oil sales. But for years, the country has struggled with massive crude oil theft. The country's four refineries are moribund, and so it also relies on imports of fuel and other petroleum products.

On Tuesday, Tinubu's ruling All Progressives Congress party said in a statement that the administration was "solidly committed to doing everything in its power to mitigate the transient pains of reforms that are crucial to economic recovery."

Felix Morka, the national publicity secretary of the APC, said: "This is a mono product economy for a population of over 200 million people. We can't simply put all of our eggs in the basket of crude oil sales, especially when we're not able to sustain the kind of productive levels that can support our economy and our naira. To come out of the situation we're in for a more sustainable future requires also some level of endurance. At the end of the day, the benefits of reforms will far outweigh the transient difficulties."

Nigeria is working to resume local refining of fuel. In December, authorities announced that all four refineries will undergo rehabilitation to restart operations by the end of 2024.

Experts say if that happens, it will address Nigeria's problems significantly.

By Timothy Obiezu, VOA 

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Man charged in Nigeria over death of B.C. teenager in case of financial sextortion, RCMP say

A man is facing charges in Nigeria after a months-long investigation by RCMP into the death of a 14-year-old Surrey, B.C., boy who police say sent intimate images in a case of financial sextortion.

Mounties say the crime is a growing threat online that can have severe consequences for victims, who are tricked into sending images and then told to pay or send more pictures to avoid the images being distributed more widely.

"That threat to share these images ... can have devastating impacts such as self-harm and even suicide," said Sgt. Tammy Lobb at a media event in Surrey, a city in Metro Vancouver, on Tuesday.

"We need the public and parents to know and understand. We as police cannot fight this battle alone."

RCMP confirmed the teenager died by suicide. Police did not name the boy and the family has requested his name not be publicized.

On Tuesday, Surrey RCMP provided details of a sophisticated investigation into the death involving multiple international agencies, including the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, that led to the arrest of two suspects in Nigeria, with one being charged in August 2023.

RCMP said Adedayo Olukeye, 26, remains in custody in Nigeria and faces charges there including possession and distribution of child pornography, attempts at extortion by threats, money laundering and retention of proceeds of an unlawful act.
 

'He was an innocent child'

In February 2023, police were called to a residence in Surrey for reports of a sudden death involving a male youth.

Police said they quickly determined the 14-year-old had been a target of sextortion, in which he had been fooled into thinking a person asking for intimate images over Instagram and Snapchat was a teenage girl.

The perpetrator then told the boy to buy them gift cards to prevent the images from being distributed online, police said. The interactions were only minutes long, investigators added.

A statement from the family was read by Lobb at the news conference.

"He loved hockey and he loved life," it said. "Not a day goes by that we don't miss him. He was an innocent child who was taken advantage of due to his innocence."

Surrey RCMP said they want to use the case to show that law enforcement is willing to put significant resources into solving such crimes.

The force said it received 220 reports of sexual extortion in in 2022 and 302 in 2023, an increase of 44 per cent.

"Online child sexual extortion is a borderless crime and these offenders have direct access to our children by targeting them through their phones, mobile devices, computers and gaming consoles," said Sgt. Dave Knight with Surrey RCMP's Special Victims Unit.

"As police, we cannot fight these predators alone. We need everyone who works with children and youth as well as parents and guardians to get educated about how to spot the signs, have these conversations with youth in our community, and how to help our youth if they become a victim of sextortion."

Governments across the globe are scrambling to come up with ways to keep people safe from the crime and for images that are shared to be removed quickly.

At the end of January, a civil process was enacted in British Columbia that is meant to empower anyone to apply through the B.C. Civil Resolution Tribunal to have photos, videos or deep fakes expeditiously removed, and even to be compensated for the sexualized violence.

"As we grieve the loss of our son we want other parents to know this could happen to anyone," the family statement said.

"Talk to your kids about internet safety and keep the door to communication open so they can come to you for help."

By Chad Pawson, CBC 

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Osimhen declared fit for AFCON semi-final

"Victor Osimhen has been declared fit and available for selection in the semi-final clash against South Africa on Wednesday. He has joined the team in Bouake and has trained with the squad today," a team spokesperson told AFP on Tuesday.

The Napoli striker's presence had initially appeared to be in doubt after he did not fly to Bouake from Abidjan on Monday with the rest of the squad due to abdominal discomfort.

The reigning African player of the year also missed training on Monday, having been substituted late in Nigeria's quarter-final win over Angola at the weekend.

Coach Jose Peseiro had been evasive as to Osimhen's chances of facing South Africa when asked at a press conference earlier on Tuesday.

"I cannot answer right now because it's a health problem. This afternoon I will know better if he can play or not," he said.

The 25-year-old has been outstanding for the Super Eagles at the tournament despite only scoring one goal, in their opening 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea.

AFP

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Video - Increased internet penetration in Nigeria linked to decline in poverty levels

The World Bank says increased internet coverage is helping in the fight against extreme poverty. It has invested over 700 million U.S. dollars across 11 digital development projects in the West African nation and other parts of the continent over the past six years.

CGTN

Ending Female Genital Mutilation in Nigeria

“In my clan, they do it in infancy; some others do it in adulthood. My mother was even cut off when she was about to get married. I was cut when I was just five years old, so I didn't know much about it" said now-26-year-old Miss Uzodimma Lucy Ogodo, the Executive Director of Tomorrow, is a Girl Initiative, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.

"I am a survivor of female genital mutilation (FGM). In my community, Abakaliki, FGM is a common practice. Young girls and women are brainwashed into accepting it as our culture. I first learned about it when I was in sixth grade. I asked my mother to explain what it was about. I asked whether I was cut since I can't remember how much it hurt, the implications to my health, the psychological effect of knowing that an essential part of me was brutally chopped off, and the other harmful effects," Uzodinma explained.

"Upon further inquiry, my mom said that I was cut out of ignorance; on their own part, she and my father realised it was wrong to have cut me," Uzodinmma continued, her expression betraying her self-assured manner. As a result, my other siblings were not cut, “no girl or woman deserves to be cut; it simply destroys our spirit."

"My NGO, Tomorrow is Girl Initiative, was founded in a bid to advocate for an end to FGM practice, and it was in my quest for deeper understanding that I became emotionally invested in the cause. Growing up, I was deeply troubled by the fact that no woman deserves to be cut, knowing the dangers involved," she explained.

Every year, millions of girls and women around the world are at risk of undergoing FGM, with Nigeria contributing to 15% of the total population, globally. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a harmful practice that specifically alters or damages the female genital organs for nonmedical reasons. Although the practices that uphold female genital mutilation (FGM) differ from one culture to another, the operation is typically performed between the ages of infancy and adulthood, and it is well-documented that it has health, social, economic, emotional, and sexual complications.

From what I observed, the system-transformative strategy that called for our collaboration with boys men, and women, traditional rulers and priests, was quite effective. Therefore, I propose that we employ that strategy more frequently. 

In a similar tone, 51-year-old Mrs. Josephine Ezaka, from Amudo, in the Ezza South local government area of Ebonyi State, said she knew about FGM as a child. “It was my grandmother who took me to where I was cut. It was very painful. After the cutting, they use hot water to wash the cut part. As you can imagine, it's very painful. I was like six years old then. I didn't know the implications of the FGM.”.

“Since I got married, I realised that I don't have the urge for sex, as other women used to tell me how sweet it is. My husband has even complained to some people." Josephine Said.

Through joint support from UNICEF, UNFPA, and the government, FGM is no longer practiced in Amudo. Josephine acknowledged the significant role played by UNICEF and UNFPA interventions, coupled with high enlightenment facilitated by the involvement of the church and traditional rulers.

Expressing her commitment, Josephine affirmed, "I did not subject any of my children to FGM. We are actively combating the practice, actively seeking those rumored to use Vaseline powder for cutting. The proven dangers of FGM emphasize the urgency of preventing daughters from undergoing it, as evidenced by numerous cases of women dying during childbirth due to FGM."

“There's a popular story of a woman, though late, who had no opening but a little opening for her to urinate just because of a dangerous vaginal cut in the name of FGM. She died without having a child." Josephine said it sadly.

By Ijeoma Onuoha-Ogwe, UNICEF

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