President Bola Tinubu bans foreign trips by government officials

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu will introduce a three-month ban on ministers and other government officials from going on publicly funded foreign trips.

Mr Tinubu's chief of staff said the move was prompted by the president's "concerns about the rising cost of travel expenses" by public officials.

The ban will take effect on 1 April.

President Tinubu and his administration have been criticised by some for their frequent visits abroad.

Since his inauguration in May, Mr Tinubu has made more than 15 foreign trips.

The Nigerian president is said to have spent at least 3.4bn naira ($2.2m; £1.8m) on domestic and foreign travel in the first six months of his presidency - 36% more than the budgeted amount for 2023, the Nigerian newspaper Punch reported in January, citing GovSpend, a civic tech platform that tracks government spending.

Mr Tinubu's chief of staff Femi Gbajabiamila said the travel ban will cut costs amid Nigeria's "current economic challenges and the need for responsible fiscal management".

The West African country is grappling with one of its worst cost-of-living crises in decades, a situation that has led to widespread hardship and anger.

The three-month block on official travel by government officials is Mr Tinubu's latest attempt at countering the public backlash.

In January, the Nigerian president announced a reduction in the size of the official travel delegation by about 60% , including cuts to his own travel entourage.

When the ban takes effect in April, government officials will only go on foreign trips "deemed absolutely necessary". They will also require President Tinubu's approval at least two weeks before they travel.

Mr Gbajabiamila added that the halt on travel will ensure that government officials "focus on their respective mandates for effective service delivery".

Despite clamping down on travel by government officials, Mr Tinubu has not said whether he will reduce his own trips.

The president and his representatives have in the past defended his trips as being vital in addressing the economic problems he is accused of ignoring.

By Gloria Aradi, BBC

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Court in Nigeria denies separatist leader Kanu bail

 

A Nigerian federal court on Tuesday denied separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu bail and instead ordered an accelerated trial of a pending seven-count terrorism charge against him.

Kanu, a British citizen who leads the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement, disappeared from Nigeria after skipping bail in 2017. He was arrested in Kenya in 2021 and charged in Nigeria with terrorism.

In December, Nigeria's Supreme Court overturned a judgement by a lower court that dropped the terrorism charges against Kanu, setting the stage for his trial to commence.

"I will respond to all charges and the court will see that they are all lies," Kanu told the court.
Judge Murtala Nyako adjourned the case to April 17 to start trial.

Nyako also denied a request by Kanu, currently in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), a security agency, to be transferred to a regular prison on health grounds. He told the court he has congenital heart disease.

Kanu has previously denied the terrorism charges and knowingly broadcasting falsehoods, which are linked to social media posts he issued between 2018 and 2022.

His lawyers have argued that he could not receive a fair trial in Nigeria because he was forcefully extradited from Kenya. Kenya has declined to say if it played a role in Kanu's return.

Kanu's IPOB campaigns for the secession of southeastern Nigeria where the majority belong to the Igbo ethnic group. Nigerian authorities have labelled IPOB a terrorist organization.

An attempt by the southern region to secede as the Republic of Biafra in 1967, the year Kanu was born, triggered a three-year civil war that killed more than 1 million people.

By Camillus Eboh, Reuters 

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Nigeria considering state policing to combat growing insecurity

 

Nigerian Troops Rescue 16 Abductees in Kaduna

Nigeria’s military on Tuesday said troops have rescued 16 abductees in northwest Kaduna state after exchanging fire with insurgents who attacked a local community on Sunday night — one of two kidnap attacks in the area over the weekend.

According to a military statement posted on X, troops responded to a tip about the operation Sunday night of nonstate armed groups in the Tantatu community in Kajuru district.

The military said the attackers had taken several hostages before they arrived, exchanged fire with them and saved 16 of the abductees.

According to local media reports, 87 people, including women and children, went missing from the Sunday attack — barely 24 hours after gunmen captured 16 people from their homes in Dogon Noma, another community in Kajuru.

The army said troops are still searching the forests for missing people. The latest string of kidnappings in Nigeria in recent weeks is stoking fears of rising insecurity.

Security analyst Chidi Omeje says worsening economic problems and lack of governance in remote areas are to blame.

"These guys are becoming more audacious because they see the window of opportunity, and they're just exploiting it,” Omeje said. “It's very obvious that the response of the security government and security agencies are not effective enough to contain these infractions. But these are just the symptoms. The real issue here is the growing poverty and despondency in the people."

The deterioration of security in Africa's largest country comes amid a worsening economic crisis.

Kaduna state has been a hot spot of recent incidents. Just over a week ago, 287 school students were abducted in the state, and days later, another 61 residents were also kidnapped.

The latest incidents prompted authorities last week to order the establishment of a mobile police force base in the state.

But security analyst Kabir Adamu said what is needed the most is a change of strategy.

"There are gaps within the security architecture,” Adamu said. “The farther away you go from the city center, the bigger the gaps. It shows clearly that protection, especially in the rural areas, is almost nonexistent for the dwellers."

Kaduna is home to many military training institutions and installations.

Omeje said authorities need to revise the deployment of police officers to where they're needed the most. He said that there are many ungoverned areas while 60% of the nation’s police are devoted to VIP protection.

“Ten percent or so are in administration in the offices, then you're left with about 30% doing the real policing work,” Omeje said. “We have to be intentional about going back to the normal internal security structure."

President Bola Tinubu, who is implementing bold economic reforms, vowed last year to address insecurity if he was elected president.

On March 14, 16 soldiers, including high ranking officers, were killed and decapitated in southern Delta state. They were on a mission to quell conflict between two communities in the Bomadi region.

The Nigerian military has launched an investigation.

By Timothy Obiezu, VOA

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Sovereign fund of Nigeria to pilot development of 20 megawatts solar plant

Nigeria's sovereign fund plans to build a 20 megawatts solar power plant in partnership with a local firm, first phase of a 300 megawatts project, the country's Vice President Kashim Shettima said on Tuesday.

Shettima did not disclose the cost of the project or when construction will start.

Nigeria, with a population of more than 200 million people, has installed power generation capacity of 12,500 megawatts (MW) but produces a fraction of that, leaving millions of households and businesses reliant on petrol and diesel generators.

The vice president said on Tuesday in Abuja at the signing of the joint venture between the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and North South Power (NSP) Company Ltd for the establishment of the Shiroro Generating Company, the country's pioneer on-grid solar-hydro hybrid project.

The Shiroro Generating Company is hybrid project is located in Shiroro, in Nigeria's northwest of Niger state.

Shettima said the 20 megawatt pilot project is embedded within a 300 megawatt solar programme, to be co-located within NSP's existing 600 megawatt Shiroro Hydroelectric Power Plant concession area in Shiroro, Niger State.

"As a nation, our resolve is to take proactive steps to diversify our energy sources, reduce our carbon footprints and ensure a more sustainable future for generations to come," the vice president said in a statement.

"This project will catalyze the realization of other hydro-solar projects and serve as a test case for deployment of solar energy on to the national grid." 

Reuters

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