Below The Headlines - 22
AK-47 for all and President Buhari has a new wife even if he doesn't know it yet
80% of this year is now gone, according to those who are counting. And every time you see this newsletter, another percentage goes, or something like that.
This week, I wrote a review of The Black Book, Editi Effiong’s Netflix blockbuster arguing that it is a metaphor for violence in Nigeria. Tobi wrote about what effects the ongoing war in the Middle East might have on Nigeria.
Inside Nigeria
I respect this scam. Invest N100,000 to scam your mother-in-law out of her N5m. And of course, Buhari is involved: “She told the court that her son-in-law presented to her the sum of N100,000 as pride price, a basket of kola nuts and fried chicken in a bag as gifts from President Buhari during the wedding fatiha. She said that after waiting to see the former president coming to pick her as his new wife, she decided to approach the court for intervention” - Daily Trust
The opening of a dam flooded parts of Owode Onirin in Lagos so residents have been getting around using canoes. If you don’t believe that, click through the link for photos - Punch
A journalist went to investigate the price of cars in Lagos to see if Nigerians can still afford them: “The prices of the cars even depend on the year. A 2013 Corolla I have here is currently sold at N9 million or more. This was a vehicle that only cost N4 million before Tinubu became president” - FIJ
The border with Niger Republic is shut to punish the military regime or so I’ve heard: “How much does it cost Aliyu and other smugglers in Katsina to bribe the border guards? “The officials charge us 8,000 CFA,” he tells HumAngle; his claim was supported by several other smugglers operating in the axis. “You can meet up to four checkpoints before getting to Niger, and you’ll pay at least 8,000 CFA bribe,” Sani Umaru, one of the border racketeers with a decade of experience in smuggling, also says. “When the borders were opened, we settled officials only once, and they’d give us a permit ticket, which would last 24 hours. But now, the Niger officials extort us, but we like it that way.” - HumAngle
The Katsina Governor has a bright idea to tackle the insecurity problem: “If a bandit can go to the market and buy AK-47, RPG, and all of those weapons, what of the people that want to protect themselves? They too should equally be allowed to do so. These people are holding it illegally, we are trying to hold it legally. Why can’t the government allow the people to hold this thing and equally confront the challenges?” - Daily Trust
A couple of Nigerian pilgrims to Israel give an interview to Vanguard about how they ‘escaped’ the Hamas attacks: “As we were going, some of the places we wanted to go were stopped, later we had a call that the attack had stopped for the day. That gave us the grace to visit everywhere we wanted to visit before returning. It was after everything we did, that was when the attack escalated.” - Vanguard
“20-year-old University of Ilorin student Sanni Hameedat has taken her life after lending N500,000 to her boyfriend, whom she met on the social media app Snapchat.” - Tribune
New directive to avoid kidnapping: “I am directed to mandate every assembly in Christ Apostolic Church that henceforth any Assembly/District/Zone/DCC that wishes to travel in their branded buses/vehicles must ensure that the services of armed mobile police officers are engaged” - Vanguard
Several people are dead after a boundary dispute between Benue and Cross River states: “A few of our youths went to enquire from the Tiv settlers why they have refused to pay royalties as usual for settling on our lands. The TIv people seized one of our youths, beat him to stupor, and he died instantly. Of course, that triggered a reprisal. But they were prepared. They attacked and killed seven of our people and burnt 15 houses” - Daily Post
In theory you should be able to move cargo by rail from Apapa to Ibadan. In practice: “However, as of the third week since its commencement, PREMIUM TIMES observed that the NRC was still struggling to get patronage to meet the daily target. This is because importers are shunning the cargo train services over double handling charges slammed on their cargoes on arrival in Ibadan” - Premium Times
Back again for the first time, as one American rapper once said: “Noella Foundation, a prominent organisation focused on driving positive change in Nigeria, has announced a leadership transition and relaunch that signifies a new chapter in its journey. Founded in 2018 by Layal Tinubu and her husband Seyi Tinubu, the Noella Foundation has played a significant role in improving the lives of children and young people across Nigeria” - ThisDay
The Interior Minister has spoken about how Nigeria is going to hand out visas from now on: “Any country that does not give me the visa on arrival cannot have a visa on arrival in Nigeria. I’m sorry, but it is the truth. We’re not a dumping ground; if you say you are useful, people will see you as being useful” - Daily Post
Somewhat related, the government is on high alert for anyone bringing bed bugs to Nigeria from France: “The Federal Government has heightened surveillance at all points of entry following the outbreak of bed bug infestation in France and other parts of Europe. This was disclosed in a press statement signed by the Director of Media and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Patricia Deworitshe, on Thursday” - Punch
Outside Nigeria
Most Nigerian newspapers did not mark the 3rd anniversary of the #EndSARS protest in Nigeria. Incredibly, according to Amnesty International, at least 15 people are still being detained on account of the protests: “Three years after violent suppression of nationwide #EndSARS protests against police brutality, at least fifteen protesters arrested in 2020 are still being arbitrarily detained – the majority of them without trial – in Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre and Ikoyi Medium Security Correctional Centre in Lagos” - Amnesty
A must read article (with lots of great photos) on how the war in Ukraine has led to a fertiliser shortage. And where is this impacting the most? Almost the entire article is about Nigeria: “In conversations with three dozen people engaged in growing crops, trading food and distributing fertilizer in northeastern Nigeria, a sense of bewilderment is palpable alongside desperation.” - New York Times
Visa and MasterCard are making a renewed push into African payments: “Flutterwave in September launched a new product in Nigeria that allows users to legally exchange their naira currency for U.S. dollars. Such painless transactions were an unimaginable luxury just months ago, when the Nigerian central bank tightly rationed access to foreign currency to stabilize the naira” - WSJ
A boxer whose name I never heard before has been honoured with a blue plaque in North Shields for his work campaigning for civil rights for black people in the UK in the 1930s: “Nigerian middleweight Charles Udor Minto MBE worked on Tyneside to provide accommodation, community events, job opportunities and employment rights for the hundreds of black people who lived in North Shields in the 1930s and 1940s” - Evening Standard
People desperate to flee Nigeria and other African countries to Europe are being tricked to get on ships to other places: “The boat was on its way to the state of Bahia from Cape Verde when its motor malfunctioned and the mast snapped off in a storm, leaving the migrants adrift. The men—from Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Guinea and Senegal—told Brazilian police they had paid between $700 and $1,000 to a Senegalese merchant who sold them passage to Brazil” - WSJ
Obituary for The Right Rev Karowei Dorgu, one of the Church of England’s first black bishops: “His name Woyin Karowei means “one who worships God”, but he left the church in his teenage years. From 1979 he studied medicine at the University of Lagos and was inspired to “accept Jesus as my personal saviour and Lord” after seeing a poster in a student hostel that said: “Make sure you receive marching orders from the commander and chief before you set out today.” - The Times
The Nembe Creek Pipeline has been damaged by vandals so Nigeria is now using small river tankers to boos output before the new OPEC production quotas come in: “Nigeria is turning to a fleet of tiny river-going tankers to boost its oil production because one of its key oil pipelines has been broken for months” - Bloomberg
“Nigeria has burned four tonnes of seized pangolin scales, valued at $1.4 million, the first time it has publicly destroyed seized wildlife products to discourage illegal trafficking, officials said.” - Reuters
A couple of Nigerian women were sent to jail in Ghana for sex trafficking offences: “The two, charged with human trafficking and use of trafficked persons, pleaded guilty and prayed the court, presided over by Mrs Hathia Ama Manu, for forgiveness and repatriation to Nigeria” - Ghana News Agency
The Bollywood and Nollywood crossover you have been waiting for is finally here: “Described as an “amusing and current hip-hop comedy,” the film follows Michael Okeke, a young Nigerian man living in New Delhi who wants to get his MBA and settle in India. But his part-time job as a drug dealer will jeopardize his plans, not to mention the open racism he is facing” - Deadline
Maternal deaths are being prevented in Africa but: “There has been barely any progress in Nigeria, the continent’s most populous country, where a woman has a 1 in 19 chance of dying in childbirth over her lifetime. By contrast, mortality has fallen by three-quarters in Angola, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda and Sierra Leone” - Economist
Group of guys in the UK have set up a record label to make music that blends Afrobeats with western music, whatever that means: “Its biggest success so far has been with Libianca Fonji, a US-Cameroonian Afrobeats singer. Her song “People” was spotted on TikTok by the label’s A&R manager, Melanie Ijieh. Libianca was signed in December 2022 when the song was mixed by Jae5 and officially released. The publicity campaign initially focused on Nigeria as a bridgehead for further success in the west” - Financial Times
Niger Republic’s military government claims the ousted civilian president tried to escape to Nigeria: “The interim authorities said that Bazoum and his family, with the help of accomplices in the security forces, planned to drive a vehicle to the outskirts of the capital Niamey and catch a helicopter to neighboring Nigeria” - VOA
The story of Chiamaka Nnadozie whose father did not want her to play football: “The Nigerian goalkeeper rose to stardom after becoming the youngest-ever goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet at a Women’s World Cup back in the 2019. Only 19 years old at the time, Nnadozie played three games in France, showcasing confidence and authority on a level more commonly associated with seasoned professionals” - CNN
“In Nigeria, ZAM reporter Theophilus Abbah stops and questions builders, plumbers and doctors in the capital, Abuja. Nine out of 10 say they want to “japa”, the Nigerian term for exiting the country at the “slightest opportunity”. They cite poor governance, the dismal state of health, education and other public services, a massive wealth gap, corruption and the oppression of media and civil society organisations. “The suffering is unbearable,” says one building contractor. A plumber says he just feels sad: “I would love to stay in Nigeria, if the country worked.” - Guardian