Uchenna is a professional policy researcher with over 10 years of experience in the policy and diplomatic profession. He is a passionate intercultural expert with a blend of experience in policy analysis, economic analysis, government regulations, program development, market research, credit/financial management, international strategic management, negotiation, and international diplomacy. A skilled communicator
Background Three decades after the end of the Cold War, North Korea maintains an economic, diplom... more Background Three decades after the end of the Cold War, North Korea maintains an economic, diplomatic and security footprint in Africa. North Korea's engagement on the continent is sustained by its pressing need for hard currency, desire to escape international isolation and the inconsistent compliance of African countries with multilateral sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). North Korea's enduring appeal as a partner with these countries can be explained by its low-cost arms transfers, African efforts to develop indigenous defense infrastructures, North Korean dispatch of guest workers to meet labor needs and the use of ideologically based soft power. While North Korea's array of partners in Africa has steadily declined since the early 2000s, the North's presence on the continent is larger than anywhere else in the Global South.
According to analysts at the Financial Derivatives Company Limited, “Nigeria is more sensitive ab... more According to analysts at the Financial Derivatives Company Limited, “Nigeria is more sensitive about production than price. A lower oil output would affect the actualisation of budgeted revenue projections as oil revenue accounts for 31.35% of the total revenue projected.” Nigeria’s crude oil production however, fell to 1.57 million barrels per day in December, as the country complied with Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) production cuts. S&P Global Platts disclosed that from January 2020, Nigeria’s production quota would drop to 1.75 million BPD under the OPEC+ coalition’s agreement to deepen its production cuts through to March. Due to the downward trend in oil prices, OPEC and its partners, including Russia, had agreed to cut output further by 500,000 BPD from January 2020 to March 2020. This is different from the previous cut of 1.2 million BPD already agreed. According to a monthly oil market report published by OPEC, Nigeria didn’t produce above the quota of 1.77 million BPD allotted. The historic oil deal between OPEC and its allies (OPEC+), and other top oil-producing countries on Sunday, April 12, 2020, as these countries had to contend with the disagreement with Mexico on an output cut, antics of Saudi Arabia and Russia, and the subsequent intervention of the United States. Following the agreement on the deal, OPEC is supposed to stick to an output cut of 9.7 million barrels per day. In reaction to that, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, talked about the impact of the oil output cut by OPEC and its allies on the Nigerian economy and 2020 Budget. Sylva, believes that the output cut will not make much difference to Nigeria because the country had already, in the review of the 2020 budget, rebased the production level down to about 1.7 million barrels per day. The Minister said, “We expect that this is going to shore up prices, because right now we were already below the rebased price benchmark, we rebased the budget to $30 per barrel, but a week after that, oil prices went below $20. “But this is going to ensure that oil prices are going to stay above our rebased benchmark of $30 and we also believe that the cut is not going to make any difference because we rebased our budget production benchmark to 1.7 million barrels and with this cut we will still be able to make that benchmark when you add our condensate production.” The minister pointed out that Nigeria is going to get the benefit of the upside of the low prices, while admitting that government has introduced price modulation, which means that the price of petroleum products in Nigeria will be determined by the international price of crude oil. This reinforces Federal Government’s earlier statement that Nigeria has done away with fuel subsidy.
Nigeria’s shift towards a democratic system of government from 1998/1999, saw the need for newly ... more Nigeria’s shift towards a democratic system of government from 1998/1999, saw the need for newly formed political parties try to implant a zoning/rotation formula in their party constitution for rotation of political offices between zones of North and South and in particular the six geo-political zones of the country. The introduction of the zoning system into Nigeria political space was to aid the smooth rotation of key political positions across the country. This policy is to achieve fairness, peace and equitable distribution of resource. The Federal Character Commission set up during Nigeria’s Military era (Pre-1999) had already legislated the Federal Character Commission ACT (1997) to oversee that appointments of public office holders are in line with the principles of zoning to carry all Nigerians along in an equitable manner. It was also borne out of the need to keep Nigeria united after the devastating Nigeria-Biafra civil war from 1967-1970. Unfortunately, the principles of the zoning formula for public discourse today is not enshrined in the Nigerian constitution. But, the constitutionally recognised policies fall under what is generally referred to as the Federal Character Principle (FCP) and operate mostly through the federal structure. Sections 14 articles 3 and 4 of the 1999 Constitution provide categorically that the composition of governments of the Federation, States and Local Government Areas, or any of their agencies, shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria.
Nigeria had a cattle population of about 20 million in 2019, accounting for about 1.36% of the gl... more Nigeria had a cattle population of about 20 million in 2019, accounting for about 1.36% of the global total and making it the fourth-largest cattle population in Africa after Ethiopia, Sudan and Tanzania, according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation. Of the country’s total herd, 11.5% is used for diary, while 88.5% is consumed as meat. Most of the cattle in Nigeria is found in the northern region states of Kaduna and Kano. The majority of cows are local breeds, representing over 90%, while the remainder comprises cultured breeds imported from the Netherlands and South Africa. It is these breeds which are mainly used for dairy production. Presently there are less than 3,000 dairy cows or crossbreed beef-dairy cows in Nigeria. Of the total land mass of about 92.4 million ha of land, it is assumed that about 72 million ha of land is available for cultivation. Of this area, 38 million ha is currently being cultivated and 34 million ha is used for fallow, grazing, etc. This implies that a huge area is still available for additional cultivation. The uncultivated areas have a very important role to play for restoring soil fertility even if fallows are modified to the cultivation of green manure and for grazing and feeding of about 20 million head of cattle. Enugu is one of Nigeria’s 36 states and a Federal Capital Territory, located at the eastern part of Nigeria. The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria stipulates that all lands belong to each individual state and consequently only the Governor can sign and issue Certificates of Occupancy which usually is for 99 years. Rules and regulations regarding land ownership are therefore not uniform as it varies from state to state as well as surveyed lands being administered by the Ministry of Lands Urban planning of each State.
Infrastructure development is crucial for Nigeria's economic growth, particularly for the realiza... more Infrastructure development is crucial for Nigeria's economic growth, particularly for the realization of the federal government's economic diversification agenda. The lack of adequate fiscal revenue to finance infrastructural development has however left the Nigerian economy grossly in deficit. Nigeria's infrastructure stock of 25% of GDP remains far below the 70% international benchmark, underscoring the need for government to consider unconventional methods of financing to bridge this huge infrastructural deficit. With such a gap, the Nigerian government is incapable of addressing the country's infrastructure needs on its own. This has necessitated a shift towards public-private partnerships (PPP). The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) is the regulatory body established in 2008 for the implementation of the PPP framework for infrastructure development in Nigeria and has supervised the development of a number of PPPs in the country. The PPP approach is a concession arrangement that allows the private sector to finance infrastructure development in the country, with specified agreements on the management of the infrastructure to recoup investment. Although the Nigerian government has used the PPP approach since 2008, it has been unable to attract the needed interest and confidence from private investors to help meet its infrastructure deficit. The ICRC currently has about 76 PPP projects under implementation, including the Bonny Deep Water Port Project, the Nigerian Correctional Service's (NCS) Shoe and Garment Factories Projects, and the Port Harcourt Industrial Park Project. However, some of these projects have failed and about six were suspended as investors were unable to follow through with the contracts. It is important to know that such failed projects have undermined Nigerian government's infrastructure development drive and constituted a deterrence to private investors in participating in PPPs.
The Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Bill, 2019, received President Muhammadu Bu... more The Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Bill, 2019, received President Muhammadu Buhari’s assent after passing the Senate and House of Representatives on April 9 and April 30, respectively. Nigeria’s bill gives effect to the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), 1982, and the International Convention on the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Navigation (SUA), 1988, and it’s Protocols. According to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), which contributed to the bill draft, the new law also fulfills the international requirement for standalone legislation on piracy, as against the approach of using the Maritime Operations Coordinating Board Amendment Bill to criminalize piracy. The new law includes a distinct definition of piracy and other maritime offences. It provides penalties upon conviction for maritime crimes, restitution of violated maritime assets to owners and forfeiture of proceeds from maritime crime to the government. The law vests exclusive jurisdiction in the Nigerian Federal High Court, providing relevant authorities with the power of seizing pirate vessels or aircraft in Nigerian or international waters.
The Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP) is a nationwide initiative aimed at delivering energy a... more The Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP) is a nationwide initiative aimed at delivering energy access to un- and underserved communities in the country. NEP is being implemented by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) in collaboration with the World Bank, AfDB and other partners. The project supports the Federal Government of Nigeria’s (FGN) goal to increase electricity access across the country as defined in the national development agenda. It will provide electricity to households, small-to-medium-sized enterprises, and public institutions in a least-cost and timely manner through off- and mini-grid solutions.
In 1960, Nigeria's largest industry was agriculture, with cocoa dominating in the West, oil palm ... more In 1960, Nigeria's largest industry was agriculture, with cocoa dominating in the West, oil palm in the East and groundnut reigning supreme in the North. Nigeria was the world's largest producer and exporter of the ever-common palm oil with a global share of over 40% in the 1960s. Today, that share is less than 2%. In 1965, agriculture was responsible for 70% of employment and export cash crops, in particular, contributed to 62% of foreign exchange and 66% of GDP.
The electricity market demand in Nigeria is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CA... more The electricity market demand in Nigeria is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 12.39% during the forecast period of 2019-2024. Nigeria being the largest economy in Africa, its electricity supply sector is performing below the level of its peer countries as roughly about 40% of its population have no access to electricity, and for those connected to the grid often suffer extensive power outages, a situation that results in the Nigerian population and the country's businesses spending around an estimated USD 14 billion (NGN 5 trillion) annually on small-scale generators on an annual consumption of electricity per capita being amongst the lowest in Africa, estimated at less than 150 kWh.
As a developing country, Nigeria is further plagued by the problems attendant upon a condition of... more As a developing country, Nigeria is further plagued by the problems attendant upon a condition of under development, namely; poverty, mass illiteracy, acute shortage of high skilled manpower (coupled with most uneven distribution of the skilled people that are available), woefully inadequate socioeconomic infrastructural facilities, housing, water and sewage facilities, road, healthcare services, and effective communication system. According to the current National Youth Policy, the age bracket for the classification of youth is from 15 – 29 years. This was informed by practical empirical analysis and the need to promote the appropriate targeting of desired beneficiaries of intervention programmes for the youth rather than adults masquerading as youth. The NYSC scheme was created by the then Military Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, in a bid to reconstruct, reconcile and rebuild the country after the Nigerian Civil war. The unfortunate antecedents in Nigeria’s national history gave impetus to the establishment of the National Youth Service Corps by decree No.24 of 22nd May 1973, which stated that the NYSC is being established "with a view to the proper encouragement and development of common ties among the youths of Nigeria and the promotion of national unity". Although it was established with great intent, many Nigerians think it is high time that the forty-eight-year-old scheme be scrapped, arguing that it has lost its relevance in present-day Nigeria. This view stems from the fact that since its inception, the scheme has neither been reviewed nor updated to fit the realities of modern Nigeria, despite its glaring problems.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is a Biafran separatist organization in South East Nigeria... more The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is a Biafran separatist organization in South East Nigeria. The IPOB has brought both local and international attention to the plight of Ndigbo in Nigeria. Its main aim is to restore an independent state of Biafra in the South East of Nigeria through a referendum. The group was founded in 2012 by Nnamdi Kanu, a British Nigerian political activist known for his prominent advocacy of the contemporary Biafran independence movement. He created IPOB after he initially gained fame from his broadcasts on Radio Biafra, which was established in 2009. This was a radio station from London that broadcasted messages that called for "freedom of Biafrans" and criticised corruption in the government of Nigeria. Radio Biafra catalyzed Kanu's rise to the public scene, as he was previously an unknown figure. Kanu was arrested by the questionable Nigerian security forces on 19 October 2015, on charges of sedition, ethnic incitement and treasonable felony. The organization rose to prominence in the mid-2010s and is now the largest Biafran independence organization by membership. Supporters of IPOB are exclusively Igbo, IPOB has criticized the Nigerian federal government for its poor investment, inequitable resource distribution, ethnic marginalization, and heavy military presence in the Igbo/Biafran region. In recent years, it has gained significant media attention for becoming a frequent target of political crackdowns by the Nigerian government. It also has numerous sites and communication channels serving as the only trusted social apparatus educating and inculcating first-hand information and news to its citizens.
Boko Haram, which in the local Hausa language means Western education is forbidden, officially ca... more Boko Haram, which in the local Hausa language means Western education is forbidden, officially calls itself Jama’atul Alhul Sunnah Lidda’wati wal Jihad, which means people committed to the propagation of the Prophet’s teachings and jihad. Boko Haram currently is an ISIS-aligned jihadist group based in north-eastern Nigeria, which is also very much active in Cameroon, Chad, and Niger. The group promotes a Salafist-jihadist brand of Islam and seeks to establish a caliphate, or Islamic state, in Nigeria. Boko Haram was founded in 2002 in Maiduguri, Nigeria, by a Salafist clerics named Mohammed Ali and Mohammed Yusuf. Although Yusuf called for the establishment of an Islamic state in Nigeria, at the time he did not pursue violence as a means to achieve it. That approach changed in 2009, when Boko Haram members took up violence in response to a Nigerian government crackdown and the killing of its leader. Boko Haram had since launched paramilitary campaigns targeting the Nigerian government and its neighbours as well as dozens of terrorist attacks, increasingly perpetrated by child suicide bombers. Though originally an underground movement, Boko Haram has seized and held land in north-eastern Nigeria in order to realize its vision of an Islamic state. Between 2011 and 2015, the group captured territory roughly the size of Belgium. In further achieving this goal, the group also carried out large-scale attacks inside Nigeria, including an attack on the U.N. headquarters in Abuja in 2011, the abduction of nearly 300 school girls in April 2014, and the multi-day massacre of the northern town of Baga and surrounding villages in January 2015 that killed approximately about 2,000 civilians. In November 2018, Boko Haram attacked a military base in Borno State, looting weapons, equipment, and vehicles, and leaving more than 100 soldiers dead. In addition, the fluid security situation in and around Nigeria has enabled militants to cross into Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, in order to evade Nigerian security forces and carry out regional attacks. Since 2015, the Nigerian military has dislodged Boko Haram from almost all of the territory it previously controlled. As of June 2018, Boko Haram’s geographic reach consists of Nigeria’s north-eastern states of Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe, as well as to regions along the border with Cameroon, and around Lake Chad. President Muhammadu Buhari prematurely declared victory against Boko Haram in December 2015, though the announcement was followed by successive suicide bombings perpetrated by the terror group in the northeast. The group has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the United Nations, and the European Union, and since 2009, Boko Haram has claimed the lives of about 30,000 people, and displaced over two million, according to a January 2019 Defence Post report.
The Nigerian economy took a hit from declining oil revenues in 2015, forcing the government to se... more The Nigerian economy took a hit from declining oil revenues in 2015, forcing the government to seek economic diversification. It has set to pursue agricultural development as one of its key goals to help address the country’s dependence on food imports totalling nearly 11 billion dollars annually. It has also engaged in a campaign to redirect focus from oil to agriculture, manufacturing, and solid minerals development. In this regard, the government has rolled out five agricultural development initiatives. They include the Anchor Borrowers Program (ABP), the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI), the Youth Lab, the Presidential Economic Diversification Initiative (PEDI), and the Food Security Council. The ABP for example, was created by the Central Bank of Nigeria and works in partnership with state governments and several private sector groups to provide farm inputs in kind and cash to small holder farmers to boost production of agricultural commodities. At harvest, the farmers supply their produce to the agro-processors (anchor) which pays the cash equivalent to the farmers’ account. According to government reports, under the ABP initiative, a cumulative amount of over 150 million dollars has been disbursed to more than 250,000 small farmers who cultivated almost 300,000 hectares of farmland for rice, wheat, maize, cotton, soybeans, and cassava. This growing trend of agricultural activity is expected to continue, thus creating demand for agricultural inputs. Agriculture is the economic mainstay of the majority of households in Nigeria, and is a significant sector in the overall macro economy. It is a major source of employment for the large and growing population with about 36.4% of the labour force and contributes about 22 percent on the average to GDP. It is a major source of raw materials for the agro-based industries and it generates the most foreign exchange revenue of any other sector with the sole exception of oil. Nigeria’s diverse range of agro-ecological zones makes possible the production of a wide variety of agricultural products. Yet despite its rich endowment of agricultural resources, the sector has been growing at a very low rate. It is worthy of note that less than 50 percent of the country’s arable land is under cultivation, mostly by smallholders and traditional farmers using rudimentary production techniques that are associated with low yields. This is coupled with a high dependence on rainfed agriculture which has made the Agricultural Production System highly vulnerable to adverse seasonal variations. These have all contributed to low agricultural productivity (average of 1.2 metric tons of cereals/ha) with high postharvest losses and waste in Nigeria. The sector is being transformed by commercialization at the small, medium and large-scale enterprise levels. On the other hand, the Nigerian Agricultural sector has encountered several challenges ranging from an obsolete land tenure system that limits access to land (1.8 ha/farming household), a very low level of irrigation development (less than 1 percent of cropped land under irrigation), limited adoption of research findings and technologies, high cost of farm inputs, poor access to credit, inefficient fertilizer procurement and distribution, insufficient storage facilities and poor access to markets.
Background The year 2018 marked the 47th anniversary of Nigeria-China diplomatic relations. This ... more Background The year 2018 marked the 47th anniversary of Nigeria-China diplomatic relations. This was evident as President Xi Jinping and African leaders successfully held an Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19, setting an example for international antipandemic cooperation. China-Nigeria friendship was further elevated after going through the test of COVID-19. This year January 2021, marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Nigeria. The existing relations between Nigeria and China have been driven largely by an infrastructure-led investment strategy based on the classical Keynesian theory of economic growth, which has taken firm roots in Nigeria's development agenda. This incompatible relationship has ushered in an era of close diplomatic ties, particularly against the backdrop of the President Muhammadu Buhari's administration's singular desire for loanable funds for road and rail infrastructure deficit.
Background Three decades after the end of the Cold War, North Korea maintains an economic, diplom... more Background Three decades after the end of the Cold War, North Korea maintains an economic, diplomatic and security footprint in Africa. North Korea's engagement on the continent is sustained by its pressing need for hard currency, desire to escape international isolation and the inconsistent compliance of African countries with multilateral sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). North Korea's enduring appeal as a partner with these countries can be explained by its low-cost arms transfers, African efforts to develop indigenous defense infrastructures, North Korean dispatch of guest workers to meet labor needs and the use of ideologically based soft power. While North Korea's array of partners in Africa has steadily declined since the early 2000s, the North's presence on the continent is larger than anywhere else in the Global South.
According to analysts at the Financial Derivatives Company Limited, “Nigeria is more sensitive ab... more According to analysts at the Financial Derivatives Company Limited, “Nigeria is more sensitive about production than price. A lower oil output would affect the actualisation of budgeted revenue projections as oil revenue accounts for 31.35% of the total revenue projected.” Nigeria’s crude oil production however, fell to 1.57 million barrels per day in December, as the country complied with Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) production cuts. S&P Global Platts disclosed that from January 2020, Nigeria’s production quota would drop to 1.75 million BPD under the OPEC+ coalition’s agreement to deepen its production cuts through to March. Due to the downward trend in oil prices, OPEC and its partners, including Russia, had agreed to cut output further by 500,000 BPD from January 2020 to March 2020. This is different from the previous cut of 1.2 million BPD already agreed. According to a monthly oil market report published by OPEC, Nigeria didn’t produce above the quota of 1.77 million BPD allotted. The historic oil deal between OPEC and its allies (OPEC+), and other top oil-producing countries on Sunday, April 12, 2020, as these countries had to contend with the disagreement with Mexico on an output cut, antics of Saudi Arabia and Russia, and the subsequent intervention of the United States. Following the agreement on the deal, OPEC is supposed to stick to an output cut of 9.7 million barrels per day. In reaction to that, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, talked about the impact of the oil output cut by OPEC and its allies on the Nigerian economy and 2020 Budget. Sylva, believes that the output cut will not make much difference to Nigeria because the country had already, in the review of the 2020 budget, rebased the production level down to about 1.7 million barrels per day. The Minister said, “We expect that this is going to shore up prices, because right now we were already below the rebased price benchmark, we rebased the budget to $30 per barrel, but a week after that, oil prices went below $20. “But this is going to ensure that oil prices are going to stay above our rebased benchmark of $30 and we also believe that the cut is not going to make any difference because we rebased our budget production benchmark to 1.7 million barrels and with this cut we will still be able to make that benchmark when you add our condensate production.” The minister pointed out that Nigeria is going to get the benefit of the upside of the low prices, while admitting that government has introduced price modulation, which means that the price of petroleum products in Nigeria will be determined by the international price of crude oil. This reinforces Federal Government’s earlier statement that Nigeria has done away with fuel subsidy.
Nigeria’s shift towards a democratic system of government from 1998/1999, saw the need for newly ... more Nigeria’s shift towards a democratic system of government from 1998/1999, saw the need for newly formed political parties try to implant a zoning/rotation formula in their party constitution for rotation of political offices between zones of North and South and in particular the six geo-political zones of the country. The introduction of the zoning system into Nigeria political space was to aid the smooth rotation of key political positions across the country. This policy is to achieve fairness, peace and equitable distribution of resource. The Federal Character Commission set up during Nigeria’s Military era (Pre-1999) had already legislated the Federal Character Commission ACT (1997) to oversee that appointments of public office holders are in line with the principles of zoning to carry all Nigerians along in an equitable manner. It was also borne out of the need to keep Nigeria united after the devastating Nigeria-Biafra civil war from 1967-1970. Unfortunately, the principles of the zoning formula for public discourse today is not enshrined in the Nigerian constitution. But, the constitutionally recognised policies fall under what is generally referred to as the Federal Character Principle (FCP) and operate mostly through the federal structure. Sections 14 articles 3 and 4 of the 1999 Constitution provide categorically that the composition of governments of the Federation, States and Local Government Areas, or any of their agencies, shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria.
Nigeria had a cattle population of about 20 million in 2019, accounting for about 1.36% of the gl... more Nigeria had a cattle population of about 20 million in 2019, accounting for about 1.36% of the global total and making it the fourth-largest cattle population in Africa after Ethiopia, Sudan and Tanzania, according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation. Of the country’s total herd, 11.5% is used for diary, while 88.5% is consumed as meat. Most of the cattle in Nigeria is found in the northern region states of Kaduna and Kano. The majority of cows are local breeds, representing over 90%, while the remainder comprises cultured breeds imported from the Netherlands and South Africa. It is these breeds which are mainly used for dairy production. Presently there are less than 3,000 dairy cows or crossbreed beef-dairy cows in Nigeria. Of the total land mass of about 92.4 million ha of land, it is assumed that about 72 million ha of land is available for cultivation. Of this area, 38 million ha is currently being cultivated and 34 million ha is used for fallow, grazing, etc. This implies that a huge area is still available for additional cultivation. The uncultivated areas have a very important role to play for restoring soil fertility even if fallows are modified to the cultivation of green manure and for grazing and feeding of about 20 million head of cattle. Enugu is one of Nigeria’s 36 states and a Federal Capital Territory, located at the eastern part of Nigeria. The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria stipulates that all lands belong to each individual state and consequently only the Governor can sign and issue Certificates of Occupancy which usually is for 99 years. Rules and regulations regarding land ownership are therefore not uniform as it varies from state to state as well as surveyed lands being administered by the Ministry of Lands Urban planning of each State.
Infrastructure development is crucial for Nigeria's economic growth, particularly for the realiza... more Infrastructure development is crucial for Nigeria's economic growth, particularly for the realization of the federal government's economic diversification agenda. The lack of adequate fiscal revenue to finance infrastructural development has however left the Nigerian economy grossly in deficit. Nigeria's infrastructure stock of 25% of GDP remains far below the 70% international benchmark, underscoring the need for government to consider unconventional methods of financing to bridge this huge infrastructural deficit. With such a gap, the Nigerian government is incapable of addressing the country's infrastructure needs on its own. This has necessitated a shift towards public-private partnerships (PPP). The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) is the regulatory body established in 2008 for the implementation of the PPP framework for infrastructure development in Nigeria and has supervised the development of a number of PPPs in the country. The PPP approach is a concession arrangement that allows the private sector to finance infrastructure development in the country, with specified agreements on the management of the infrastructure to recoup investment. Although the Nigerian government has used the PPP approach since 2008, it has been unable to attract the needed interest and confidence from private investors to help meet its infrastructure deficit. The ICRC currently has about 76 PPP projects under implementation, including the Bonny Deep Water Port Project, the Nigerian Correctional Service's (NCS) Shoe and Garment Factories Projects, and the Port Harcourt Industrial Park Project. However, some of these projects have failed and about six were suspended as investors were unable to follow through with the contracts. It is important to know that such failed projects have undermined Nigerian government's infrastructure development drive and constituted a deterrence to private investors in participating in PPPs.
The Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Bill, 2019, received President Muhammadu Bu... more The Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Bill, 2019, received President Muhammadu Buhari’s assent after passing the Senate and House of Representatives on April 9 and April 30, respectively. Nigeria’s bill gives effect to the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), 1982, and the International Convention on the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Navigation (SUA), 1988, and it’s Protocols. According to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), which contributed to the bill draft, the new law also fulfills the international requirement for standalone legislation on piracy, as against the approach of using the Maritime Operations Coordinating Board Amendment Bill to criminalize piracy. The new law includes a distinct definition of piracy and other maritime offences. It provides penalties upon conviction for maritime crimes, restitution of violated maritime assets to owners and forfeiture of proceeds from maritime crime to the government. The law vests exclusive jurisdiction in the Nigerian Federal High Court, providing relevant authorities with the power of seizing pirate vessels or aircraft in Nigerian or international waters.
The Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP) is a nationwide initiative aimed at delivering energy a... more The Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP) is a nationwide initiative aimed at delivering energy access to un- and underserved communities in the country. NEP is being implemented by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) in collaboration with the World Bank, AfDB and other partners. The project supports the Federal Government of Nigeria’s (FGN) goal to increase electricity access across the country as defined in the national development agenda. It will provide electricity to households, small-to-medium-sized enterprises, and public institutions in a least-cost and timely manner through off- and mini-grid solutions.
In 1960, Nigeria's largest industry was agriculture, with cocoa dominating in the West, oil palm ... more In 1960, Nigeria's largest industry was agriculture, with cocoa dominating in the West, oil palm in the East and groundnut reigning supreme in the North. Nigeria was the world's largest producer and exporter of the ever-common palm oil with a global share of over 40% in the 1960s. Today, that share is less than 2%. In 1965, agriculture was responsible for 70% of employment and export cash crops, in particular, contributed to 62% of foreign exchange and 66% of GDP.
The electricity market demand in Nigeria is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CA... more The electricity market demand in Nigeria is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 12.39% during the forecast period of 2019-2024. Nigeria being the largest economy in Africa, its electricity supply sector is performing below the level of its peer countries as roughly about 40% of its population have no access to electricity, and for those connected to the grid often suffer extensive power outages, a situation that results in the Nigerian population and the country's businesses spending around an estimated USD 14 billion (NGN 5 trillion) annually on small-scale generators on an annual consumption of electricity per capita being amongst the lowest in Africa, estimated at less than 150 kWh.
As a developing country, Nigeria is further plagued by the problems attendant upon a condition of... more As a developing country, Nigeria is further plagued by the problems attendant upon a condition of under development, namely; poverty, mass illiteracy, acute shortage of high skilled manpower (coupled with most uneven distribution of the skilled people that are available), woefully inadequate socioeconomic infrastructural facilities, housing, water and sewage facilities, road, healthcare services, and effective communication system. According to the current National Youth Policy, the age bracket for the classification of youth is from 15 – 29 years. This was informed by practical empirical analysis and the need to promote the appropriate targeting of desired beneficiaries of intervention programmes for the youth rather than adults masquerading as youth. The NYSC scheme was created by the then Military Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, in a bid to reconstruct, reconcile and rebuild the country after the Nigerian Civil war. The unfortunate antecedents in Nigeria’s national history gave impetus to the establishment of the National Youth Service Corps by decree No.24 of 22nd May 1973, which stated that the NYSC is being established "with a view to the proper encouragement and development of common ties among the youths of Nigeria and the promotion of national unity". Although it was established with great intent, many Nigerians think it is high time that the forty-eight-year-old scheme be scrapped, arguing that it has lost its relevance in present-day Nigeria. This view stems from the fact that since its inception, the scheme has neither been reviewed nor updated to fit the realities of modern Nigeria, despite its glaring problems.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is a Biafran separatist organization in South East Nigeria... more The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is a Biafran separatist organization in South East Nigeria. The IPOB has brought both local and international attention to the plight of Ndigbo in Nigeria. Its main aim is to restore an independent state of Biafra in the South East of Nigeria through a referendum. The group was founded in 2012 by Nnamdi Kanu, a British Nigerian political activist known for his prominent advocacy of the contemporary Biafran independence movement. He created IPOB after he initially gained fame from his broadcasts on Radio Biafra, which was established in 2009. This was a radio station from London that broadcasted messages that called for "freedom of Biafrans" and criticised corruption in the government of Nigeria. Radio Biafra catalyzed Kanu's rise to the public scene, as he was previously an unknown figure. Kanu was arrested by the questionable Nigerian security forces on 19 October 2015, on charges of sedition, ethnic incitement and treasonable felony. The organization rose to prominence in the mid-2010s and is now the largest Biafran independence organization by membership. Supporters of IPOB are exclusively Igbo, IPOB has criticized the Nigerian federal government for its poor investment, inequitable resource distribution, ethnic marginalization, and heavy military presence in the Igbo/Biafran region. In recent years, it has gained significant media attention for becoming a frequent target of political crackdowns by the Nigerian government. It also has numerous sites and communication channels serving as the only trusted social apparatus educating and inculcating first-hand information and news to its citizens.
Boko Haram, which in the local Hausa language means Western education is forbidden, officially ca... more Boko Haram, which in the local Hausa language means Western education is forbidden, officially calls itself Jama’atul Alhul Sunnah Lidda’wati wal Jihad, which means people committed to the propagation of the Prophet’s teachings and jihad. Boko Haram currently is an ISIS-aligned jihadist group based in north-eastern Nigeria, which is also very much active in Cameroon, Chad, and Niger. The group promotes a Salafist-jihadist brand of Islam and seeks to establish a caliphate, or Islamic state, in Nigeria. Boko Haram was founded in 2002 in Maiduguri, Nigeria, by a Salafist clerics named Mohammed Ali and Mohammed Yusuf. Although Yusuf called for the establishment of an Islamic state in Nigeria, at the time he did not pursue violence as a means to achieve it. That approach changed in 2009, when Boko Haram members took up violence in response to a Nigerian government crackdown and the killing of its leader. Boko Haram had since launched paramilitary campaigns targeting the Nigerian government and its neighbours as well as dozens of terrorist attacks, increasingly perpetrated by child suicide bombers. Though originally an underground movement, Boko Haram has seized and held land in north-eastern Nigeria in order to realize its vision of an Islamic state. Between 2011 and 2015, the group captured territory roughly the size of Belgium. In further achieving this goal, the group also carried out large-scale attacks inside Nigeria, including an attack on the U.N. headquarters in Abuja in 2011, the abduction of nearly 300 school girls in April 2014, and the multi-day massacre of the northern town of Baga and surrounding villages in January 2015 that killed approximately about 2,000 civilians. In November 2018, Boko Haram attacked a military base in Borno State, looting weapons, equipment, and vehicles, and leaving more than 100 soldiers dead. In addition, the fluid security situation in and around Nigeria has enabled militants to cross into Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, in order to evade Nigerian security forces and carry out regional attacks. Since 2015, the Nigerian military has dislodged Boko Haram from almost all of the territory it previously controlled. As of June 2018, Boko Haram’s geographic reach consists of Nigeria’s north-eastern states of Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe, as well as to regions along the border with Cameroon, and around Lake Chad. President Muhammadu Buhari prematurely declared victory against Boko Haram in December 2015, though the announcement was followed by successive suicide bombings perpetrated by the terror group in the northeast. The group has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the United Nations, and the European Union, and since 2009, Boko Haram has claimed the lives of about 30,000 people, and displaced over two million, according to a January 2019 Defence Post report.
The Nigerian economy took a hit from declining oil revenues in 2015, forcing the government to se... more The Nigerian economy took a hit from declining oil revenues in 2015, forcing the government to seek economic diversification. It has set to pursue agricultural development as one of its key goals to help address the country’s dependence on food imports totalling nearly 11 billion dollars annually. It has also engaged in a campaign to redirect focus from oil to agriculture, manufacturing, and solid minerals development. In this regard, the government has rolled out five agricultural development initiatives. They include the Anchor Borrowers Program (ABP), the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI), the Youth Lab, the Presidential Economic Diversification Initiative (PEDI), and the Food Security Council. The ABP for example, was created by the Central Bank of Nigeria and works in partnership with state governments and several private sector groups to provide farm inputs in kind and cash to small holder farmers to boost production of agricultural commodities. At harvest, the farmers supply their produce to the agro-processors (anchor) which pays the cash equivalent to the farmers’ account. According to government reports, under the ABP initiative, a cumulative amount of over 150 million dollars has been disbursed to more than 250,000 small farmers who cultivated almost 300,000 hectares of farmland for rice, wheat, maize, cotton, soybeans, and cassava. This growing trend of agricultural activity is expected to continue, thus creating demand for agricultural inputs. Agriculture is the economic mainstay of the majority of households in Nigeria, and is a significant sector in the overall macro economy. It is a major source of employment for the large and growing population with about 36.4% of the labour force and contributes about 22 percent on the average to GDP. It is a major source of raw materials for the agro-based industries and it generates the most foreign exchange revenue of any other sector with the sole exception of oil. Nigeria’s diverse range of agro-ecological zones makes possible the production of a wide variety of agricultural products. Yet despite its rich endowment of agricultural resources, the sector has been growing at a very low rate. It is worthy of note that less than 50 percent of the country’s arable land is under cultivation, mostly by smallholders and traditional farmers using rudimentary production techniques that are associated with low yields. This is coupled with a high dependence on rainfed agriculture which has made the Agricultural Production System highly vulnerable to adverse seasonal variations. These have all contributed to low agricultural productivity (average of 1.2 metric tons of cereals/ha) with high postharvest losses and waste in Nigeria. The sector is being transformed by commercialization at the small, medium and large-scale enterprise levels. On the other hand, the Nigerian Agricultural sector has encountered several challenges ranging from an obsolete land tenure system that limits access to land (1.8 ha/farming household), a very low level of irrigation development (less than 1 percent of cropped land under irrigation), limited adoption of research findings and technologies, high cost of farm inputs, poor access to credit, inefficient fertilizer procurement and distribution, insufficient storage facilities and poor access to markets.
Background The year 2018 marked the 47th anniversary of Nigeria-China diplomatic relations. This ... more Background The year 2018 marked the 47th anniversary of Nigeria-China diplomatic relations. This was evident as President Xi Jinping and African leaders successfully held an Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19, setting an example for international antipandemic cooperation. China-Nigeria friendship was further elevated after going through the test of COVID-19. This year January 2021, marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Nigeria. The existing relations between Nigeria and China have been driven largely by an infrastructure-led investment strategy based on the classical Keynesian theory of economic growth, which has taken firm roots in Nigeria's development agenda. This incompatible relationship has ushered in an era of close diplomatic ties, particularly against the backdrop of the President Muhammadu Buhari's administration's singular desire for loanable funds for road and rail infrastructure deficit.
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Papers by UCHENNA OHANU
Due to the downward trend in oil prices, OPEC and its partners, including Russia, had agreed to cut output further by 500,000 BPD from January 2020 to March 2020. This is different from the previous cut of 1.2 million BPD already agreed. According to a monthly oil market report published by OPEC, Nigeria didn’t produce above the quota of 1.77 million BPD allotted. The historic oil deal between OPEC and its allies (OPEC+), and other top oil-producing countries on Sunday, April 12, 2020, as these countries had to contend with the disagreement with Mexico on an output cut, antics of Saudi Arabia and Russia, and the subsequent intervention of the United States. Following the agreement on the deal, OPEC is supposed to stick to an output cut of 9.7 million barrels per day.
In reaction to that, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, talked about the impact of the oil output cut by OPEC and its allies on the Nigerian economy and 2020 Budget. Sylva, believes that the output cut will not make much difference to Nigeria because the country had already, in the review of the 2020 budget, rebased the production level down to about 1.7 million barrels per day. The Minister said, “We expect that this is going to shore up prices, because right now we were already below the rebased price benchmark, we rebased the budget to $30 per barrel, but a week after that, oil prices went below $20.
“But this is going to ensure that oil prices are going to stay above our rebased benchmark of $30 and we also believe that the cut is not going to make any difference because we rebased our budget production benchmark to 1.7 million barrels and with this cut we will still be able to make that benchmark when you add our condensate production.” The minister pointed out that Nigeria is going to get the benefit of the upside of the low prices, while admitting that government has introduced price modulation, which means that the price of petroleum products in Nigeria will be determined by the international price of crude oil. This reinforces Federal Government’s earlier statement that Nigeria has done away with fuel subsidy.
The Federal Character Commission set up during Nigeria’s Military era (Pre-1999) had already legislated the Federal Character Commission ACT (1997) to oversee that appointments of public office holders are in line with the principles of zoning to carry all Nigerians along in an equitable manner. It was also borne out of the need to keep Nigeria united after the devastating Nigeria-Biafra civil war from 1967-1970.
Unfortunately, the principles of the zoning formula for public discourse today is not enshrined in the Nigerian constitution. But, the constitutionally recognised policies fall under what is generally referred to as the Federal Character Principle (FCP) and operate mostly through the federal structure. Sections 14 articles 3 and 4 of the 1999 Constitution provide categorically that the composition of governments of the Federation, States and Local Government Areas, or any of their agencies, shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria.
Presently there are less than 3,000 dairy cows or crossbreed beef-dairy cows in Nigeria. Of the total land mass of about 92.4 million ha of land, it is assumed that about 72 million ha of land is available for cultivation. Of this area, 38 million ha is currently being cultivated and 34 million ha is used for fallow, grazing, etc. This implies that a huge area is still available for additional cultivation. The uncultivated areas have a very important role to play for restoring soil fertility even if fallows are modified to the cultivation of green manure and for grazing and feeding of about 20 million head of cattle.
Enugu is one of Nigeria’s 36 states and a Federal Capital Territory, located at the eastern part of Nigeria. The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria stipulates that all lands belong to each individual state and consequently only the Governor can sign and issue Certificates of Occupancy which usually is for 99 years. Rules and regulations regarding land ownership are therefore not uniform as it varies from state to state as well as surveyed lands being administered by the Ministry of Lands Urban planning of each State.
The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) is the regulatory body established in 2008 for the implementation of the PPP framework for infrastructure development in Nigeria and has supervised the development of a number of PPPs in the country. The PPP approach is a concession arrangement that allows the private sector to finance infrastructure development in the country, with specified agreements on the management of the infrastructure to recoup investment. Although the Nigerian government has used the PPP approach since 2008, it has been unable to attract the needed interest and confidence from private investors to help meet its infrastructure deficit.
The ICRC currently has about 76 PPP projects under implementation, including the Bonny Deep Water Port Project, the Nigerian Correctional Service's (NCS) Shoe and Garment Factories Projects, and the Port Harcourt Industrial Park Project. However, some of these projects have failed and about six were suspended as investors were unable to follow through with the contracts. It is important to know that such failed projects have undermined Nigerian government's infrastructure development drive and constituted a deterrence to private investors in participating in PPPs.
According to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), which contributed to the bill draft, the new law also fulfills the international requirement for standalone legislation on piracy, as against the approach of using the Maritime Operations Coordinating Board Amendment Bill to criminalize piracy.
The new law includes a distinct definition of piracy and other maritime offences. It provides penalties upon conviction for maritime crimes, restitution of violated maritime assets to owners and forfeiture of proceeds from maritime crime to the government. The law vests exclusive jurisdiction in the Nigerian Federal High Court, providing relevant authorities with the power of seizing pirate vessels or aircraft in Nigerian or international waters.
According to the current National Youth Policy, the age bracket for the classification of youth is from 15 – 29 years. This was informed by practical empirical analysis and the need to promote the appropriate targeting of desired beneficiaries of intervention programmes for the youth rather than adults masquerading as youth.
The NYSC scheme was created by the then Military Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, in a bid to reconstruct, reconcile and rebuild the country after the Nigerian Civil war. The unfortunate antecedents in Nigeria’s national history gave impetus to the establishment of the National Youth Service Corps by decree No.24 of 22nd May 1973, which stated that the NYSC is being established "with a view to the proper encouragement and development of common ties among the youths of Nigeria and the promotion of national unity".
Although it was established with great intent, many Nigerians think it is high time that the forty-eight-year-old scheme be scrapped, arguing that it has lost its relevance in present-day Nigeria. This view stems from the fact that since its inception, the scheme has neither been reviewed nor updated to fit the realities of modern Nigeria, despite its glaring problems.
This was a radio station from London that broadcasted messages that called for "freedom of Biafrans" and criticised corruption in the government of Nigeria. Radio Biafra catalyzed Kanu's rise to the public scene, as he was previously an unknown figure. Kanu was arrested by the questionable Nigerian security forces on 19 October 2015, on charges of sedition, ethnic incitement and treasonable felony. The organization rose to prominence in the mid-2010s and is now the largest Biafran independence organization by membership.
Supporters of IPOB are exclusively Igbo, IPOB has criticized the Nigerian federal government for its poor investment, inequitable resource distribution, ethnic marginalization, and heavy military presence in the Igbo/Biafran region. In recent years, it has gained significant media attention for becoming a frequent target of political crackdowns by the Nigerian government. It also has numerous sites and communication channels serving as the only trusted social apparatus educating and inculcating first-hand information and news to its citizens.
The group promotes a Salafist-jihadist brand of Islam and seeks to establish a caliphate, or Islamic state, in Nigeria. Boko Haram was founded in 2002 in Maiduguri, Nigeria, by a Salafist clerics named Mohammed Ali and Mohammed Yusuf. Although Yusuf called for the establishment of an Islamic state in Nigeria, at the time he did not pursue violence as a means to achieve it.
That approach changed in 2009, when Boko Haram members took up violence in response to a Nigerian government crackdown and the killing of its leader. Boko Haram had since launched paramilitary campaigns targeting the Nigerian government and its neighbours as well as dozens of terrorist attacks, increasingly perpetrated by child suicide bombers. Though originally an underground movement, Boko Haram has seized and held land in north-eastern Nigeria in order to realize its vision of an Islamic state. Between 2011 and 2015, the group captured territory roughly the size of Belgium.
In further achieving this goal, the group also carried out large-scale attacks inside Nigeria, including an attack on the U.N. headquarters in Abuja in 2011, the abduction of nearly 300 school girls in April 2014, and the multi-day massacre of the northern town of Baga and surrounding villages in January 2015 that killed approximately about 2,000 civilians. In November 2018, Boko Haram attacked a military base in Borno State, looting weapons, equipment, and vehicles, and leaving more than 100 soldiers dead.
In addition, the fluid security situation in and around Nigeria has enabled militants to cross into Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, in order to evade Nigerian security forces and carry out regional attacks. Since 2015, the Nigerian military has dislodged Boko Haram from almost all of the territory it previously controlled. As of June 2018, Boko Haram’s geographic reach consists of Nigeria’s north-eastern states of Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe, as well as to regions along the border with Cameroon, and around Lake Chad.
President Muhammadu Buhari prematurely declared victory against Boko Haram in December 2015, though the announcement was followed by successive suicide bombings perpetrated by the terror group in the northeast. The group has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the United Nations, and the European Union, and since 2009, Boko Haram has claimed the lives of about 30,000 people, and displaced over two million, according to a January 2019 Defence Post report.
They include the Anchor Borrowers Program (ABP), the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI), the Youth Lab, the Presidential Economic Diversification Initiative (PEDI), and the Food Security Council. The ABP for example, was created by the Central Bank of Nigeria and works in partnership with state governments and several private sector groups to provide farm inputs in kind and cash to small holder farmers to boost production of agricultural commodities.
At harvest, the farmers supply their produce to the agro-processors (anchor) which pays the cash equivalent to the farmers’ account. According to government reports, under the ABP initiative, a cumulative amount of over 150 million dollars has been disbursed to more than 250,000 small farmers who cultivated almost 300,000 hectares of farmland for rice, wheat, maize, cotton, soybeans, and cassava. This growing trend of agricultural activity is expected to continue, thus creating demand for agricultural inputs.
Agriculture is the economic mainstay of the majority of households in Nigeria, and is a significant sector in the overall macro economy. It is a major source of employment for the large and growing population with about 36.4% of the labour force and contributes about 22 percent on the average to GDP. It is a major source of raw materials for the agro-based industries and it generates the most foreign exchange revenue of any other sector with the sole exception of oil. Nigeria’s diverse range of agro-ecological zones makes possible the production of a wide variety of agricultural products. Yet despite its rich endowment of agricultural resources, the sector has been growing at a very low rate.
It is worthy of note that less than 50 percent of the country’s arable land is under cultivation, mostly by smallholders and traditional farmers using rudimentary production techniques that are associated with low yields. This is coupled with a high dependence on rainfed agriculture which has made the Agricultural Production System highly vulnerable to adverse seasonal variations. These have all contributed to low agricultural productivity (average of 1.2 metric tons of cereals/ha) with high postharvest losses and waste in Nigeria.
The sector is being transformed by commercialization at the small, medium and large-scale enterprise levels. On the other hand, the Nigerian Agricultural sector has encountered several challenges ranging from an obsolete land tenure system that limits access to land (1.8 ha/farming household), a very low level of irrigation development (less than 1 percent of cropped land under irrigation), limited adoption of research findings and technologies, high cost of farm inputs, poor access to credit, inefficient fertilizer procurement and distribution, insufficient storage facilities and poor access to markets.
Due to the downward trend in oil prices, OPEC and its partners, including Russia, had agreed to cut output further by 500,000 BPD from January 2020 to March 2020. This is different from the previous cut of 1.2 million BPD already agreed. According to a monthly oil market report published by OPEC, Nigeria didn’t produce above the quota of 1.77 million BPD allotted. The historic oil deal between OPEC and its allies (OPEC+), and other top oil-producing countries on Sunday, April 12, 2020, as these countries had to contend with the disagreement with Mexico on an output cut, antics of Saudi Arabia and Russia, and the subsequent intervention of the United States. Following the agreement on the deal, OPEC is supposed to stick to an output cut of 9.7 million barrels per day.
In reaction to that, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, talked about the impact of the oil output cut by OPEC and its allies on the Nigerian economy and 2020 Budget. Sylva, believes that the output cut will not make much difference to Nigeria because the country had already, in the review of the 2020 budget, rebased the production level down to about 1.7 million barrels per day. The Minister said, “We expect that this is going to shore up prices, because right now we were already below the rebased price benchmark, we rebased the budget to $30 per barrel, but a week after that, oil prices went below $20.
“But this is going to ensure that oil prices are going to stay above our rebased benchmark of $30 and we also believe that the cut is not going to make any difference because we rebased our budget production benchmark to 1.7 million barrels and with this cut we will still be able to make that benchmark when you add our condensate production.” The minister pointed out that Nigeria is going to get the benefit of the upside of the low prices, while admitting that government has introduced price modulation, which means that the price of petroleum products in Nigeria will be determined by the international price of crude oil. This reinforces Federal Government’s earlier statement that Nigeria has done away with fuel subsidy.
The Federal Character Commission set up during Nigeria’s Military era (Pre-1999) had already legislated the Federal Character Commission ACT (1997) to oversee that appointments of public office holders are in line with the principles of zoning to carry all Nigerians along in an equitable manner. It was also borne out of the need to keep Nigeria united after the devastating Nigeria-Biafra civil war from 1967-1970.
Unfortunately, the principles of the zoning formula for public discourse today is not enshrined in the Nigerian constitution. But, the constitutionally recognised policies fall under what is generally referred to as the Federal Character Principle (FCP) and operate mostly through the federal structure. Sections 14 articles 3 and 4 of the 1999 Constitution provide categorically that the composition of governments of the Federation, States and Local Government Areas, or any of their agencies, shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria.
Presently there are less than 3,000 dairy cows or crossbreed beef-dairy cows in Nigeria. Of the total land mass of about 92.4 million ha of land, it is assumed that about 72 million ha of land is available for cultivation. Of this area, 38 million ha is currently being cultivated and 34 million ha is used for fallow, grazing, etc. This implies that a huge area is still available for additional cultivation. The uncultivated areas have a very important role to play for restoring soil fertility even if fallows are modified to the cultivation of green manure and for grazing and feeding of about 20 million head of cattle.
Enugu is one of Nigeria’s 36 states and a Federal Capital Territory, located at the eastern part of Nigeria. The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria stipulates that all lands belong to each individual state and consequently only the Governor can sign and issue Certificates of Occupancy which usually is for 99 years. Rules and regulations regarding land ownership are therefore not uniform as it varies from state to state as well as surveyed lands being administered by the Ministry of Lands Urban planning of each State.
The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) is the regulatory body established in 2008 for the implementation of the PPP framework for infrastructure development in Nigeria and has supervised the development of a number of PPPs in the country. The PPP approach is a concession arrangement that allows the private sector to finance infrastructure development in the country, with specified agreements on the management of the infrastructure to recoup investment. Although the Nigerian government has used the PPP approach since 2008, it has been unable to attract the needed interest and confidence from private investors to help meet its infrastructure deficit.
The ICRC currently has about 76 PPP projects under implementation, including the Bonny Deep Water Port Project, the Nigerian Correctional Service's (NCS) Shoe and Garment Factories Projects, and the Port Harcourt Industrial Park Project. However, some of these projects have failed and about six were suspended as investors were unable to follow through with the contracts. It is important to know that such failed projects have undermined Nigerian government's infrastructure development drive and constituted a deterrence to private investors in participating in PPPs.
According to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), which contributed to the bill draft, the new law also fulfills the international requirement for standalone legislation on piracy, as against the approach of using the Maritime Operations Coordinating Board Amendment Bill to criminalize piracy.
The new law includes a distinct definition of piracy and other maritime offences. It provides penalties upon conviction for maritime crimes, restitution of violated maritime assets to owners and forfeiture of proceeds from maritime crime to the government. The law vests exclusive jurisdiction in the Nigerian Federal High Court, providing relevant authorities with the power of seizing pirate vessels or aircraft in Nigerian or international waters.
According to the current National Youth Policy, the age bracket for the classification of youth is from 15 – 29 years. This was informed by practical empirical analysis and the need to promote the appropriate targeting of desired beneficiaries of intervention programmes for the youth rather than adults masquerading as youth.
The NYSC scheme was created by the then Military Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, in a bid to reconstruct, reconcile and rebuild the country after the Nigerian Civil war. The unfortunate antecedents in Nigeria’s national history gave impetus to the establishment of the National Youth Service Corps by decree No.24 of 22nd May 1973, which stated that the NYSC is being established "with a view to the proper encouragement and development of common ties among the youths of Nigeria and the promotion of national unity".
Although it was established with great intent, many Nigerians think it is high time that the forty-eight-year-old scheme be scrapped, arguing that it has lost its relevance in present-day Nigeria. This view stems from the fact that since its inception, the scheme has neither been reviewed nor updated to fit the realities of modern Nigeria, despite its glaring problems.
This was a radio station from London that broadcasted messages that called for "freedom of Biafrans" and criticised corruption in the government of Nigeria. Radio Biafra catalyzed Kanu's rise to the public scene, as he was previously an unknown figure. Kanu was arrested by the questionable Nigerian security forces on 19 October 2015, on charges of sedition, ethnic incitement and treasonable felony. The organization rose to prominence in the mid-2010s and is now the largest Biafran independence organization by membership.
Supporters of IPOB are exclusively Igbo, IPOB has criticized the Nigerian federal government for its poor investment, inequitable resource distribution, ethnic marginalization, and heavy military presence in the Igbo/Biafran region. In recent years, it has gained significant media attention for becoming a frequent target of political crackdowns by the Nigerian government. It also has numerous sites and communication channels serving as the only trusted social apparatus educating and inculcating first-hand information and news to its citizens.
The group promotes a Salafist-jihadist brand of Islam and seeks to establish a caliphate, or Islamic state, in Nigeria. Boko Haram was founded in 2002 in Maiduguri, Nigeria, by a Salafist clerics named Mohammed Ali and Mohammed Yusuf. Although Yusuf called for the establishment of an Islamic state in Nigeria, at the time he did not pursue violence as a means to achieve it.
That approach changed in 2009, when Boko Haram members took up violence in response to a Nigerian government crackdown and the killing of its leader. Boko Haram had since launched paramilitary campaigns targeting the Nigerian government and its neighbours as well as dozens of terrorist attacks, increasingly perpetrated by child suicide bombers. Though originally an underground movement, Boko Haram has seized and held land in north-eastern Nigeria in order to realize its vision of an Islamic state. Between 2011 and 2015, the group captured territory roughly the size of Belgium.
In further achieving this goal, the group also carried out large-scale attacks inside Nigeria, including an attack on the U.N. headquarters in Abuja in 2011, the abduction of nearly 300 school girls in April 2014, and the multi-day massacre of the northern town of Baga and surrounding villages in January 2015 that killed approximately about 2,000 civilians. In November 2018, Boko Haram attacked a military base in Borno State, looting weapons, equipment, and vehicles, and leaving more than 100 soldiers dead.
In addition, the fluid security situation in and around Nigeria has enabled militants to cross into Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, in order to evade Nigerian security forces and carry out regional attacks. Since 2015, the Nigerian military has dislodged Boko Haram from almost all of the territory it previously controlled. As of June 2018, Boko Haram’s geographic reach consists of Nigeria’s north-eastern states of Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe, as well as to regions along the border with Cameroon, and around Lake Chad.
President Muhammadu Buhari prematurely declared victory against Boko Haram in December 2015, though the announcement was followed by successive suicide bombings perpetrated by the terror group in the northeast. The group has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the United Nations, and the European Union, and since 2009, Boko Haram has claimed the lives of about 30,000 people, and displaced over two million, according to a January 2019 Defence Post report.
They include the Anchor Borrowers Program (ABP), the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI), the Youth Lab, the Presidential Economic Diversification Initiative (PEDI), and the Food Security Council. The ABP for example, was created by the Central Bank of Nigeria and works in partnership with state governments and several private sector groups to provide farm inputs in kind and cash to small holder farmers to boost production of agricultural commodities.
At harvest, the farmers supply their produce to the agro-processors (anchor) which pays the cash equivalent to the farmers’ account. According to government reports, under the ABP initiative, a cumulative amount of over 150 million dollars has been disbursed to more than 250,000 small farmers who cultivated almost 300,000 hectares of farmland for rice, wheat, maize, cotton, soybeans, and cassava. This growing trend of agricultural activity is expected to continue, thus creating demand for agricultural inputs.
Agriculture is the economic mainstay of the majority of households in Nigeria, and is a significant sector in the overall macro economy. It is a major source of employment for the large and growing population with about 36.4% of the labour force and contributes about 22 percent on the average to GDP. It is a major source of raw materials for the agro-based industries and it generates the most foreign exchange revenue of any other sector with the sole exception of oil. Nigeria’s diverse range of agro-ecological zones makes possible the production of a wide variety of agricultural products. Yet despite its rich endowment of agricultural resources, the sector has been growing at a very low rate.
It is worthy of note that less than 50 percent of the country’s arable land is under cultivation, mostly by smallholders and traditional farmers using rudimentary production techniques that are associated with low yields. This is coupled with a high dependence on rainfed agriculture which has made the Agricultural Production System highly vulnerable to adverse seasonal variations. These have all contributed to low agricultural productivity (average of 1.2 metric tons of cereals/ha) with high postharvest losses and waste in Nigeria.
The sector is being transformed by commercialization at the small, medium and large-scale enterprise levels. On the other hand, the Nigerian Agricultural sector has encountered several challenges ranging from an obsolete land tenure system that limits access to land (1.8 ha/farming household), a very low level of irrigation development (less than 1 percent of cropped land under irrigation), limited adoption of research findings and technologies, high cost of farm inputs, poor access to credit, inefficient fertilizer procurement and distribution, insufficient storage facilities and poor access to markets.