Nigeria Update– War in Sudan & more –27 April 2023

th of April: 2023

We’re starting the week with some re-assurances for Nigerian students who are trapped in the Sudan war.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (best known as NiDCOM), said that the federal government has asked for a safe corridor for the evacuation of Nigerian students. On Monday the 24th, In an interview with BBC Africa, Dabiri-Erewa said that the evacuation of the students would begin on Tuesday the 25th but it began on the 27th. She said that the students would be transported by buses to the borders of Egypt before being airlifted to Nigeria because it is nearly impossible for flights to operate in Sudan since the international airport has been closed. The NiDCOM boss said that the process had been delayed because the federal government had yet to hear from Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces for a safe passage but was hopeful their request would be granted. She asked Nigerian students to remain indoors and said that the government would keep in touch through the Nigerian mission in Sudan in case of any updates.

Still on the evacuation subject, Allen Onyema, the chairman of Air Peace, said that the airline is willing to evacuate Nigerians stranded in war-torn Sudan for free. He said that if Nigerians in the North-East African region could be moved to a neighbouring country, the airline would fly there and evacuate them.

He said it would be a privilege to help and that his actions are borne out of duty to serve the country. Recall that Air Peace also helped to transport Nigerians in South Africa back home during the xenophobic attacks.

Moving on. Abubakar Malami, minister of justice; and Zainab Ahmed, the minister of finance, have been summoned to face the House of Representatives over an alleged payment of 200 million dollars to two companies for “consultancy service”. Mark Gbillah is chairman of the committee investigating the alleged loss of over 2 billion dollars in revenue from the illegal sale of 48 million barrels of crude oil. He said that the house received reports that Malami, who is also the attorney general of the federation, received funds outside the country but did not remit them to the federation account. The minister of finance, on the other hand, is facing accusations of approving payments to whistleblowers. Although Malami and Ahmed shunned the committee and refused to show up, the former has now agreed to face the lawmakers on Thursday, the 27th of April.

Meanwhile, the World Bank has said that Nigeria’s fiscal and debt pressures will increase if the petrol subsidy is not phased out in June.

e situation has changed since: 2021

In other news, Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, has returned to the country after spending one month abroad.

Tinubu arrived in Nigeria on Monday the 25th at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, in Abuja. The president-elect had been travelling out of the country since the 18th of March gubernatorial election. Tunde Rahman, a media aide to Tinubu, said he departed from Lagos for Paris to rest and prepare for a lesser hajj in Saudi Arabia and a Ramadan fasting, and to also plan his transition program into the presidency. The trip elicited speculation and controversy about the state of health of the president-elect. Speaking to a crowd of supporters who welcomed him at the airport, Tinubu said that he is refreshed and ready for the task ahead of him and asked Nigerians to ignore the swirling rumors. Tinubu is expected to be sworn in as Nigeria’s president to succeed President Buhari who would be completing his two-term of eight years.

Femi Otedola, the chairman of Geregu Power and one of the richest men in Nigeria and Africa, has confirmed his acquisition of an around 5.50 per cent stake in Transcorp Plc. The development makes the billionaire businessman the second largest shareholder of the company. Recently, there have been reports that the acquisition was completed between an entity owned by Otedola and the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (or AMCON). However, confirming the completion of the deal in a tweet on Monday the 24th, Otedola said that he looked forward to working with the board and management of Transcorp to elevate the company to greater heights. The acquisition further places Otedola above Tony Elumelu, the chairman of Transcorp and the United Bank of Africa, who owns around a 2% stake in the company.

In Lagos state, buildings have been collapsing. On Sunday the 23rd, a three-storey building in the Apapa area of the state collapsed. The building which was under construction was said to have collapsed following a thunder strike. Officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency have sealed the building. A volunteer with the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp said that no casualty was recorded in the incident. The collapse happened a day after Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, visited another collapsed site of a seven-storey building on Banana Island which recorded one death. According to Sanwo-Olu, there have also been similar occurrences in recent months so investigations will be carried out. He blamed the federal government for giving unauthorised land ownership and building permits to residents without first consulting with the Lagos state department of urban and regional planning.

The national stadium in Lagos state has also suffered the same fate. Although in this case it was not the whole stadium, the federal government still ordered the temporary closure following the collapse of a floodlight mast.

On Saturday the 22nd, Sunday Dare, minister of sports and youth development, inspected the vicinity where the floodlight mast collapsed and said that it was necessary to shut down the whole stadium to avert any unforeseen circumstances especially given the recent trend of collapses in the state.

Speaking of houses, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (best known as EFCC) has said that the commission is now focusing its searchlight on fraudsters who use real estate to launder money.

On Saturday the 22nd, Chris Mishela, a lawyer of the EFCC, said that many estates springing up in the country, especially in Abuja, are built with illicit funds. He said that even though the law doesn’t allow the EFCC to look into real estate, the new Money Laundering Act has provided an opening for the government to look into the aspect of real estate and that an investigation was ongoing.

he was appointed minister in: 2019

In response, Phrank Shaibu, an aide to Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, dared Keyamo to publish his assets declaration form.