Below The Headlines - 44
Alabi Pasuma does not support Naira mutilation and Italian fighter jets incoming
This week on 1914, I tried to contextualise the recent electricity tariff hikes in Nigeria. What problem do they solve? You tell me after reading it.
Hope your week was decent at the very least. Enjoy the usual roundup of Nigerians Nigerian-ing.
Inside Nigeria
You have to wonder why farmers in northern Nigeria bother with wheat farming when they know this obvious fact:
Farmers in the areas told Daily Trust on Sunday that wheat cultivation requires a cool climate and medium rainfall and the ideal temperature needed in winters for the production for the production of the crop is 10 to 15 degrees Celsius, while the ideal temperature needed in summers for the production of the crop is 21 to 26 degrees.
Well, here is a surprise. Turkeys have unanimously voted for Christmas:
In separate interviews with our correspondent, popular musicians— Wasiu Alabi, aka Pasuma; Saheed Osupa, and Adewale Ayuba— maintained that the country’s currency had to be respected.
On his part, Pasuma said, ““I want to believe that there is a difference between spraying a musician money, and mutilating naira notes.
“Spraying a musician money is an inseparable part of our African culture during celebrations. Meanwhile, abuse or mutilation of currencies has to do with throwing money around and stepping on them, thus reducing their lifespan.
“Right from the onset, I have never been a fan of naira abuse. I don’t like it when people throw money around on my stage. It is a sign of disrespect to the artiste and the currency itself.
“If you watch my stage performances, you will see that I have a box where people put money when they want to appreciate my work. And, that was even before this naira abuse campaign started. I think that is the right and respectful manner to treat the artiste and the naira.
“So, the war against naira spraying has not affected my performances and earnings as a law-abiding citizen that I am.”
Story about parts of Lagos where hoodlums just slap you in broad daylight and take your phone and wallet. And nothing will happen:
“I was enjoying the music while walking when a harsh voice cut through in Yoruba, which I am also fluent in. ‘Hey, look here!’ a guy said to me, but I ignored him and kept walking.
“In no time, about five guys circled me and charged at me, ‘We were calling you and you didn’t respond, are you mad?’ Before I could say anything, a slap landed on my face. I was still disoriented when another landed on my face again.
“The next thing I felt were hands going in and out of my pockets. They took my phone and my wallet.
And:
She said, “You can’t pick up a phone call on the road as you are walking. This bunch of guys will gather around you and they will demand your phone – if they don’t even snatch it. And if they snatch your phone, they will tell you brazenly to your face ‘If you want us to return your phone to you, then go and bring money.’
“We had a case of a lady whose phone was snatched from her and she ended up paying N50,000. Yesterday, this one happened a bit close to home.
“We kept on calling a crew member of ours and he wasn’t taking his calls. We were worried but we kept calling. He was forced to take his call and he was on the street of Agege.”
“Suddenly, seven or eight boys surrounded him brandishing weapons in broad daylight. Please, understand that this happened around 9:30 am; people were passing and everybody ignored him. Even the people selling stuff close to where this happened didn’t interfere. This implies that this is what is occurring in that place.
Elsewhere in Lagos:
A five-man syndicate that specialised in mounting illegal roadblocks to forcefully collect illegal tolls from commercial bus drivers and Okada riders has been arrested.
The suspects were arrested by the Special Security Squad of the Itire-Ikate LCDA led by the Senior Special Adviser to the council chairman, Comrade Oshodi John Ayodele on Wednesday.
According to Ayodele, the suspects who identified themselves as ‘Mushin boys’ harassed motorists and other road users for selfish gain.
A crazy story but all too common lately:
Sansani town, the headquarters of Sansani chiefdom in Gassol local government area of Taraba state, has been thrown into a state of mourning as unidentified gunmen carried out a brazen attack, claiming the life of monarch Abdulmutalib Jankada.
Sources close to the matter said the attack occurred on Thursday inside the monarch’s palace at about 9:00 pm.
According to reports, the gunmen riding motorcycles, approached Sansani town under the cover of darkness.
“They strategically parked their motorcycles at a distance from the palace before silently infiltrating the premises and fatally shooting the monarch,” an eyewitness said.
Eyewitnesses recounted the swift and stealthy nature of the attack, noting that the monarch succumbed to his wounds on the spot.
Just incredible:
A cursory look at the revenue generated from rail transportation in 2023 shows that the Nigerian government generated approximately N2,208.28 from every Nigerian who boarded a train last year.
This calculation was done by dividing the total number of train passengers by the total revenue generated in the year.
According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data, the total number of railway passengers for the year under review was 2.18 million, and revenue generated was N4.43 billion.
The NBS data showed that the railway revenue dropped by 2.64 per cent in 2023 from N4.55 billion reported in the preceding year, 2022. Also, the number of passengers dropped by 32 per cent to 3.21 million.
If you laugh, EFCC will arrest you:
The Nigeria Police Force’s web portal dedicated to reporting cybercrime is unsafe and violates the guidelines stipulated by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA for government websites, FIJ can report.
When FIJ checked on Saturday, there was no sign of security encryption on the website’s Uniform Resource Locator (URL).
This can be confirmed by the conspicuous absence of the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) in the URL. That is, the portal’s link only has the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP); it doesn’t have the ‘S’.
By implication, information submitted, sent or received through this website is not encrypted. Nigerians who use the website may be giving away their personal information to phishers and cybercriminals.
Outside Nigeria
By the time you read this, Tunde Onakoya would have broken the world record for playing the longest chess marathon:
“I’m exhausted,” he told The Post Friday afternoon. “My mind is sharp but my body is tired.”
Onakoya — who wiped the floor with a New York Post reporter in just 12 minutes — said the predawn hours were the most difficult, he said.
“Around 4 a.m. this morning was the hardest struggle, just to stay awake. But I’ve pushed past that hurdle and the rest is just a matter of tenacity,” he said. “I think I can see it through to the very end from here.”
Onakoya said he got off to a rocky start Thursday by accidentally drinking a coffee with milk despite his lactose intolerance, which made him sick.
Italian fighter jets are on their way:
Nigeria will take delivery of the first six of 24 Italian M-346 light fighter-trainer aircraft it has ordered by year end, the country’s Air Force has said.
Originally manufactured by Italy’s Leonardo as a twin-seater jet trainer, the M-346 has been acquired by Nigeria in its more recent, armed M-346FA fighter format.
The jets will be used for “close air support, air interdiction, and tactical reconnaissance as well as advanced pilot training,” the Air Force said in a statement.
The 24 aircraft are due to be delivered in four batches of six aircraft, with 25 years of logistic support included in the contract, the statement added.
Couple of Nigerian lawyers in the US are trying to do their bit for Africa partly by throwing what seem like really fun parties:
Since 2015, Kujembola and Adeyeba have developed Amplify Africa into an influential U.S.-based African media and entertainment brand "with a goal of educating people about the continent, creating representation for the diaspora and giving the diaspora community a pathway to connect back to the continent," Kujembola says. Amplify Africa has hosted over 250 events in that time, including Afro Ball Gala; AFRICON, a multi-day conference and celebration of African culture, innovation and entrepreneurship that features panels and immersive experiences; and Afrolituation, which describes itself as the "biggest Afrobeats party in North America."
And while they've worked tirelessly to recognize African excellence in others, Kujembola and Adeyeba have also been given their flowers: Two days after AFRICON 2023 concluded, Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass presented them with certificates of recognition for their "devotion to providing service throughout the greater Los Angeles community while remaining connected to the miraculous continent of Africa."
Profile of Philip Kayode Moses better known as Pheelz (Mr. Producer):
Although Pheelz would always sing at church, his breakthrough as a record producer came in 2012 when he was just a teenager. He produced the chart-topping singles by Nigerian legend Olamide, "First of All" and "F**king with the Devil," from his YBNL album. That was when he realized he could do music for the rest of his life. His work with superstars like Wizkid, Davido, and Fireboy DML solidified his reputation as one of Africa’s biggest producers.
“It has always been my dream to be on stage, to perform, to travel the world, to go on tour, to be a rock star. I feel like production kicked off earlier for me 'cause people wanted me for my beats. But, I had always known that there was this beast inside that was going to raw one day,” he tells BET. “My dad will always tell me, ‘You are still gonna be a singer. You're still gonna sing, you're still gonna perform. It doesn't end with beats.’ I guess he was right.”
In March 2022, the Ogun State native signed a record deal with Warner Music UK. Shortly, his hit single "Finesse" featuring BNXN became an international success and earned him his first career entry on the Billboard Global 200 chart. That same year, he debuted with that track on Barack Obama’s annual summer playlist. "Finesse" was part of his 2023 critically acclaimed EP, Pheelz Good, which generated nearly 1 billion streams.
A bunch of Nigerian track and field university athletes in the US are going to prison for taking part in scams that defrauded people of close to a million dollars:
According to information provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Mississippi, “Etim and Adebakin, originally from Nigeria, were track and field athletes at William Carey University. Abire, originally from Nigeria, was a track and field athlete at Louisiana State University. Ekevwo, originally from Nigeria, was a track and field athlete at the University of Florida. Ngoni Chadyiwa, originally from Zimbabwe, was a track and field athlete at William Carey University. Finally, Emmanuel Ineh, originally from Nigeria, was a track and field athlete at William Carey University and the University of Alabama.”
None of the convicted athletes had personal contact with the victims, but they were all involved in providing American addresses the scammers used to collect the proffered funds. More than 100 victims sent more than $820,000 to the athletes, who then transferred the money overseas.
Meanwhile a ‘reformed’ Nigerian scammer has been confessing to his former sins:
ABC7 spoke with a reformed scammer based in Nigeria who admitted to defrauding people for five years. Chris says he swindled more than $70,000 from his victims through romance and tax-related scams.
"I used to take down this guy's picture, a military guy," Chris said. "I made a fake profile on social media and some apps and I tried to meet single women, make them fall in love with me and I scam them."
In 2021, Chris says he scammed a woman for more than $30,000.
"She became depressed... she really wanted to know who I was," Chris said.
The reformed scammers told ABC7 his victim's family stopped communicating with her.
"I felt really bad," he said. "So I got out."
Free to read Bloomberg article about the lack of free public beaches in Lagos:
These businesses have walled off 76 kilometers (47 miles) of coastline from Lagos toward Epe in the east. While indigenous fishermen in the area can still find a way through, others have to pay a fee.
“Lagos is probably the only city on the West Africa coast where residents can’t go to a public beach without paying,” said Loveth Ifeoma Okafor, a tour agent who organizes budget trips across West Africa, comparing the region’s biggest metropolis to other cities in the Gulf of Guinea such as Takoradi in Ghana, Cotonou in Benin, and Abidjan in Ivory Coast — all of which are known for beautiful, free public beaches.
Another profile piece, this time on Young Jonn (The Wicked Producer):
So what made you do your own music?
I started making my music when I lost my mom in 2019. I withdrew from everybody. I was spending more time with myself. I was really isolated for a long time. In this period, I was spending so much time with myself, and I was recording so much music. There was so much music laying around, but I almost didn’t get in the studio with anybody. I love my friends a lot. “Oh, this music. So much music, let’s start putting it out.” I started putting it out, putting it out. There was really nothing serious until I met my manager. She was like, “This music, what’s going on?” Started pushing it, I got signed to a label and that was it.
Nigeria is doing its part for cocoa farmers around the world:
Cocoa prices are soaring to new highs as the raw chocolate ingredient staggers through an immense supply crisis, with more headwinds building.
Futures topped a record $10,770 a ton on Thursday, marking a sharp gain of 153.4% since the start of the year.
Sagging inventory is the main driver behind the huge price appreciation, as poor weather and crop disease batter harvests in big producer states like the Ivory Coast and Ghana. Pay for regional farmers, meanwhile, has fallen behind, straining their ability to make the investments needed to keep up, Bloomberg reported.
And more problems are coming. According to the outlet, projections for Nigeria's cocoa output are being pulled down as the country readies for massive flooding. The at-risk zone accounts for 94% of the nation's cocoa production, and output losses are expected to be colossal, Bloomberg said.
Another young boy, this time in Scotland, took his own life after being blackmailed by online scammers from Nigeria:
The parents of a 16-year-old boy who took his own life in the family home have described the pain of feeling unable to protect their child from online scammers thousands of miles away.
Murray Dowey, from Dunblane, died hours after an online blackmailer threatened to expose intimate details about him to everyone in his contact list, a practice known as sextortion.
The predator had posed as a young woman wanting to strike up a friendship and spent a day exchanging messages with the schoolboy. A few hours later Murray, who had been the “peacemaker” between his two brothers, panicked and took his own life.
[…]
Police Scotland are working with authorities in Nigeria to find the perpetrator responsible for blackmailing Murray.
Nigeria makes a world first:
In a historic move, Nigeria has become the first country in the world to roll out a new vaccine (called Men5CV) recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), which protects people against five strains of the meningococcus bacteria. The vaccine and emergency vaccination activities are funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which funds the global meningitis vaccine stockpile, and supports lower-income countries with routine vaccination against meningitis.
Nigeria is one of the 26 meningitis hyper-endemic countries of Africa, situated in the area known as the African Meningitis Belt. Last year, there was a 50% jump in annual meningitis cases reported across Africa.
In Nigeria, an outbreak of Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus) serogroup C outbreak led to 1742 suspected meningitis cases, including 101 confirmed cases and 153 deaths in seven of 36 Nigerian states (Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Katsina, Yobe, Zamfara) between 1 October 2023 and 11 March 2024. To quell the deadly outbreak, a vaccination campaign has been undertaken on 25--28 March 2024 to initially reach more than one million people aged 1-29 years.
Oluseun Omole is going to prison for a long time:
From at least in or about February 2018 through at least in or about March 2023, OMOLE participated in a criminal enterprise based in Nigeria (the “Enterprise”), which orchestrated various scams to defraud thousands of victims in the United States and elsewhere of more than $12 million in consumer electronics, including smartphones, smartwatches, laptops, and tablets, among other items. The scams perpetrated by the members of the Enterprise included (i) romance scams, in which Enterprise members sent electronic communications to victims feigning romantic intentions, gained their trust and affection, and took advantage of that goodwill to induce victims into sending consumer electronics and other money or property to OMOLE; (ii) online marketplace scams, in which Enterprise members sent electronic communications to victims feigning interest in buying consumer electronics, falsely represented to the victim that the items had been paid for, and instructed the victim to send the consumer electronics to OMOLE; and (iii) employment scams, in which Enterprise members posted phony jobs online and informed unwitting victims that they were hired before instructing victims to send electronics to OMOLE under the guise that those electronics were needed for the job (together, the “Fraudulent Electronics Scams”).
United States Attorney’s Office
There have been a lot of stories written to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of the Chibok girls’ kidnapping and it’s hard to pick which one to share. But this by Joe Parkinson and Drew Hinshaw is typically excellent:
Maryam Ali Maiyanga stepped onto the balcony of her university dorm, phone to her cheek, listening for the voice of a sister who had been missing for almost 10 years.
The 26-year-old college student had been lying on her bed, in between math and history coursework, when the screen lit up with her lost sibling’s new phone number. On the campus below, students finishing fall semester were strolling between the manicured flower beds and parking lots of Nigeria’s elite American University.
On the other end, Halima Ali Maiyanga’s voice quivered over a shaky cell line.
“So you escaped? And left me in the forest?”
“There was no chance to tell you,” Maryam replied.
Born less than a year apart to different mothers, the sisters were so close they’d often shared a single mattress as seniors in their high school dormitory: “Like peas in a pod,” their father would say.
Classmates at Nigeria’s Chibok Government Secondary School for Girls had known Maryam as the soft-spoken bookworm who woke before sunrise to read her economics textbook by flashlight. Halima, by contrast, might be whispering to the boyfriend she phoned in those predawn hours when calls were cheap.
On April 14, 2014—10 years ago on Sunday—the militant group Boko Haram stormed in and kidnapped the sisters and 274 of their classmates, the night before their final exams.
