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As the old N200, N500 and N1, 000 notes are now being rejected across the country, CHIJIOKE IREMEKA writes on the agitation of Nigerians who are racing against time to swap the naira notes with the redesigned versions ahead of the January 31, 2023 deadline issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which has refused to grant extension of time despite pressures from different quarters in the society.
Nigerians, banked or unbanked, are currently racing against time to rid their purses and wallets of N200, N500 and N1, 000 notes, following the insistence by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on phasing them out as the country’s legal tender on January 31, 2023. But the redesigned notes meant to replace the old ones are yet to be seen or felt by a vast number of the citizens.
After the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, on October 26, 2022 announced that new naira notes would be introduced to replace the current 200, 500, and 1, 000 notes, the apex bank also gave Tuesday January 31, 2023 as deadline for phasing out the old versions of the affected naira notes.
The apex bank, in its commitment to the deadline, also sent a reminder to Nigerians, insisting that January 31, 2023 deadline remained sacrosanct as long as phasing out of the old versions of the redesigned notes is concerned and, therefore, advised all Nigerians to return all the old N200, N500 and N1, 000 notes in their possession to their deposit banks for replacement before the deadline.
“The old series of N200, N500 and N1, 000 notes will cease to be legal tender by January 31, 2023. This is a reminder to the general public. You are advised to return them to your banks before the deadline,” the apex bank said.
In furtherance to this pursuit, the CBN launched Cash Swap platform, a programme intended to increase the speed of circulation of the new banknotes and increase awareness ahead of the deadline for demonetisation of the old notes. It also provides an opportunity for Nigerians to swap old notes with new ones at super agents centres across the country.
The intervention, which targets residents in rural areas and individuals with limited access to financial services to speed up the process of circulation of the redesigned notes and mopping up of the old ones, is a joint initiative of the CBN, Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) and super agents.
Despite these interventions, the desired outcome is yet to be achieved. There is an allegation of sabotage levelled against banks in recent weeks as most of them disregarded a regulatory directive to stop giving out old banknotes, especially through the automated teller machines (ATMs).
This prompted the Senate to call for an extension of the deadline for swapping of naira notes till the end of the first half of the year, but the monetary authority said there was no compelling reason to extend the deadline, with multiple channels, including agents operating in rural areas, for Nigerians to return the banknotes.
Emefiele also argued that the 100 days, from when the policy was announced till January 31, offered enough windows for Nigerians with legitimate cash in their homes to return the same. According to him, the programme enables citizens in rural areas or those with limited access to formal financial services to exchange old naira notes for the redesigned ones.
The CBN boss said it was worrisome that 85 per cent of the currency in circulation is being hoarded by Nigerians. He urged the citizens to proceed to their banks to deposit their naira notes, adding that the deposit fee would be waived for transactions below N150, 000.
Emefiele added that the redesigning of naira notes would help curb counterfeit notes, as well as hamper ransom payment to terrorists and kidnappers.
In a circular on cash swap signed by the Director of Banking Supervision Department, Haruna Mustafa, the CBN further explained that agents shall exchange a maximum of N10, 000 per person, noting that amounts above N10, 000 may be treated as cash-in deposit into wallets or bank accounts in line with the CBN’s cashless policy.
“Bank Verification Number (BVN), National Identification Number (NIN), or voter cards details of the customers should be captured as much as possible. To promote financial inclusion, this service is also available to anybody without a bank account. Agents may, on request instantly open a wallet or account, leveraging the CBN Tiered Know Your Customer (KYC) framework.
“This will ensure that this category of the populace are able to exchange or deposit their cash seamlessly without taking unnecessary risk or incurring undue cost,” the circular stated.
Moreso, the bank stressed that agents shall sensitise customers on wallets/ bank account opening and other channels for conducting electronic transactions, noting that designated agents are to collect the redesigned notes from DMBs in line with the Revised Cash Withdrawal Limit policy.
It noted that while the agents are permitted to charge cash-out fees for the cash swap transactions, agents are prohibited from charging any further commissions. “Principals (super agents, mobile money operators (MMOs) and DMBs) shall be held accountable for their agents’ adherence to the guidelines. Cash Swap agents will be readily identifiable in all local governments, particularly those in the rural area,” the circular read.
The apex bank also said any commercial bank that refused to dispense the new notes either at ATM or counter would be sanctioned. The circular ‘BSD/DIR/PUB/LAB/15/022, was addressed to DMBs, Mobile Money Operators (MMO), Super Agents and Agent Naira Redesign Policy.
The CBN said: “In furtherance of its Naira Redesign policy, the CBN has sustained its nationwide awareness/sensitisation programmes, enforced speedy collection of the new notes at CBN branches by the DMBs and mandated issuance of the new notes through Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) to ensure distribution is fair, transparent and evenly spread across the country.”
The bank also suspended charges on above-limit cash deposits and called on commercial banks to extend operations till weekends to enable individuals to return cash in their possession, but there appears to be sabotage on the part of banks in recent weeks as most of them have disregarded a regulatory directive to stop giving out old banknotes.
The Guardian learnt that part of the reasons the new notes are not in circulation is that the commercial banks take money from certain politicians, fraudsters as well as money vendors and give them the new notes, which should have been stocked in their ATMs. It was also learnt that the banks use the new naira notes to compensate and reward their mega customers.
A businessman, who has collected over N5 million of the redesigned naira notes from one of the new generation banks in Lagos, confirmed that the new notes are in the commercial banks but the banks use them to favour their VIP customers, as alleged by the CBN.
It was further learnt that many people who stacked money in their houses for future use are now spending them on capital projects, especially building materials.
During The Guardian’s visits to a number of ATM machine galleries around Mushin, FESTAC, Egbeda and Lagos Island Lagos State, among other places, the machines were seen dispensing old naira notes as at Monday and Tuesday this week. Some ATMs were dispensing both new and old banknotes on Tuesday.
A woman, identified as Juliana Ogundipe, who withdrew N5, 000 at an ATM in Mushin told The Guardian that she got N2, 000 of the new notes and N3, 000 old notes. She was also angry that she wanted to withdraw N50, 000 but was only paid N20, 000 while the message that popped up read, “You have reached your maximum daily withdrawal limit.”
Bank customers who are worried about the scarcity of the redesigned N1, 000, N500 and N200 notes in DMBs and Other Financial Institutions (OFIs), questioned the rationale for continuing to supply their customers with the old notes, which would cease to be legal tender by Tuesday if there is no extension of the deadline.
According to a civil servant, Ibrahim Abbas, the banks have no reason to load their ATMs with the old notes after customers have deposited them in their accounts as advised by the CBN.
“They said they are redesigning some denominations of the Naira, and that Nigerians should take their old notes to the banks and start getting the redesigned ones. But what we still get from the ATMs, and even from the bank counters are the old notes. This is not right,” he said.
A Point of Sale (PoS) operator, Gabriel Asika, said the CBN needed to do better in its supply of the new notes. “CBN is telling us that there are enough redesigned notes in vaults of the DMBs, but the banks are saying that they do not have enough supply of the notes. Something is not adding up,” he said.
The Head, Inclusion for all Initiative, Chinasa Collins-Ogbuo, said: “ About 54.2 per cent of Nigeria’s unbanked poor indicated their preference for saving their money in a safe place at home or carrying it around, indicating that more than 50 per cent of this segment of the population could lose their savings if they are unable to exchange old notes for new notes.”
On the other hand, the Chief Executive Officer of Diary Hills Limited, Kelvin Emmanuel, said CBN’s insistence on the deadline shows a premeditated stance by the apex bank. “The insistence of the CBN Governor on the January 31 deadline is an indication that there is an ulterior motive for making notes that are currently in circulation illegal from February 1.”
An economic analyst, who is also the Lead Director of the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), Eze Onyekpere, said the CBN governor seemed to be insensitive to the yearnings of Nigerians with his insistence on no deadline extension if three days to the deadline, people are still carrying about old notes due to the scarcity of new ones.
Also reacting, National Coordinator, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), Emmanuel Onwubiko, said the January 31 deadline was not workable and feasible under any condition.
He, therefore, sought a one-year extension deadline by the CBN for all Nigerians, especially those in remote and unbanked areas to exchange their old notes for the new ones, citing the example of the United Kingdom (UK), which unveiled its new notes on December 20, 2022 but gave the deadline of 2024 for banks to still swap old pound sterling for the new ones.
A former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume (APC, Borno) lamented the poor supplyof the redesigned notes, saying that as a serving member of the upper legislative chamber, he had not seen the new notes.
“I, as a senator, have not seen the new notes. I only saw the new note once in December when I moved the motion and I said I have not seen the money. That was when one of my colleagues showed me the N1, 000 note. I have been withdrawing money from the bank since then, and have never got new notes from the bank.
“Even last Friday, I made withdrawal from the bank, and they gave me old notes. And then surprisingly, now I heard that in some places, they are rejecting old notes. In other words, the CBN’s deadline has actually been implemented in remote places over fear of people losing their money. This panic is going to cause economic chaos.”
On the chaos already on the streets, Bayo Olorunpoda, a media executive, said on Tuesday: “I visited five banks today and none of the ATMs dispensed cash. The explanation was that banks didn’t want to load old naira notes in obedience of CBN instruction, yet they didn’t have enough new notes.
“Furthermore, most ATMs dispense N500 and N1, 000 notes, either old or new. How will CBN ensure the circulation of the new N200 notes, which will be in high demand for cash transactions, when it doesn’t dispense from the ATM?”
The House of Representatives held a meeting with the chief executive officers of commercial banks. The meeting came six days to the deadline issued by the CBN to end the validity of the old notes.
The House set up an ad hoc committee chaired by the Leader, Ado Doguwa. The resolution followed the consideration and adoption of a motion moved by Sada Soli under Matters of Urgent Public Importance, urging the CBN to extend the deadline on the use of the old notes to six months. The Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila said the House needed to interface with the heads of commercial banks to understand the real situation.
The Senate also called for extension of the deadline following the adoption of a motion moved by Sodiq Umar (APC, Kwara), who argued that the policy was affecting the people negatively.
Speaking in support of the motion, Abiodun Olujimi (PDP, Ekiti) stated that most Nigerians had not got the opportunity to touch the new notes, adding that the timeline for the implementation of the policy was too short.
But the CBN governor insisted on Tuesday that there were no compelling reasons or plans to shift the January 31, 2023 deadline.
Supporting the CBN’s position, Rammel Onodele said: “There is no reason for any extension, anybody who has genuine notes by now has had the opportunity to change them. Making comparisons with global currencies like Dollars, GPS and Euro does not make any sense because it would take years for such currencies in the hands of people worldwide to be called back.
“This is not the case with Nigeria; it does appear that there is a deliberate efforts by people with looted naira to frustrate every government effort. There will be no extension. The CBN should stand its ground irrespective of what the Senate and House of Representatives are saying. Nigerians have suffered great tribulations because of these people.”
History Of Nigeria’s Currency Designs IN the pre-colonial era, different cultures used a variety of items as means of exchange. These included cowries, manilas, beads, bottles and salt.
The first major currency issued in Nigeria was undertaken sequel to the colonial ordinance of 1880, which introduced the Shillings and Pence as the legal tender currency in British West Africa. The units of coins managed by the Bank of England were one shilling, one penny, 1/2 penny and 1/10 penny and were distributed by a private bank, the Bank for British West Africa till 1912.
From 1912 to 1959, the West African Currency Board (WACB) issued the first set of banknotes (insert hyperlink) and coins in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and the Gambia. The highest banknote denomination was one pound, while the one-shilling coin was the highest coin denomination.
On July 1, 1959 the CBN issued Nigerian currency banknotes, while the WACB-issued banknotes and coins were withdrawn. It was not until July 1, 1962 that the currency was changed to reflect the country’s republican status.
The banknotes, which bore the inscription, Federation of Nigeria, now had ‘Federal Republic of Nigeria,’ inscribed at the top. The notes were again changed in 1968 following the misuse of the currency banknotes during the civil war.
Sequel to the decision by the government to change from the metric to decimal, the name of the Nigerian currency was changed in January 1973. The major unit of currency which used to be £1 ceased to exist and the one naira which was equivalent to 10 shillings became the major unit, while the minor unit was called the kobo, a hundred of which made one naira.
On February 11, 1977, a new banknote with the value ₦20 was issued. It was the highest denomination introduced at the time as a result of the growth of the economy, the preference for cash transactions and the need for convenience.
The banknote was the first in Nigeria to bear the portrait of a prominent Nigerian citizen, the late Head of State, General Murtala Ramat Muhammed (1938-1976) who was the torchbearer of the Nigerian revolution in July, 1975. The note was issued on the 1st anniversary of his assassination as a fitting tribute to him. He was declared a national hero on October 1, 1978.
On July 2, 1979, new currency banknotes of three denominations – ₦1, ₦5 and ₦10 – were introduced. These notes were of the same size i.e. 151 X 78 mm as the ₦20 note issued on 11th February, 1977. To facilitate identification, distinctive colours were used for the various denominations.
The notes bore the portraits of three eminent Nigerians, who were declared national heroes on October 1, 1978. The engravings at the back of the notes reflected various cultural aspects of the country.
In April 1984, the colours of all the banknotes in circulation were changed with the exception of the 50 Kobo banknote to arrest the currency trafficking prevalent at the time. In 1991, the 50K and ₦1 were both coined.
In response to the expansion in economic activities and to facilitate an efficient payments system, the ₦100, ₦200, ₦500 and ₦1000 banknotes were introduced in December 1999, November 2000, April 2001 and October 2005.
On February 28, 2007, as part of the economic reforms, ₦20 was issued for the first time in polymer substrate, while the ₦50, ₦10 and ₦5 banknotes as well as ₦1 and 50K coins were reissued in new designs, and the ₦2 coin was introduced.
On September 30, 2009, the redesigned ₦50, ₦10 and ₦5 banknotes were converted to polymer substrate following the successful performance of the ₦20 (polymer) banknote. Thus, all lower denomination banknotes were now printed in the polymer substrate.
Finally, the CBN, as part of its contribution towards the celebration of the nation’s 50th anniversary of Independence and 100 years of its existence as a nation, issued the ₦50 commemorative polymer banknote on 29th September 2010 and the N100 commemorative banknote on 19th December 2014.
Today, the CBN is bent on phasing out the three redesigned notes in three days time to stem the tide of insecurity in the country, help the general elections and save the dying economy.
Credit: https://guardian.ng/features/new-naira-notes-anxiety-as-cbn-insists-on-january-31-deadline/
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Credit: https://themercury.com/ap/national/gangsta-boo-a-former-member-of-three-6-mafia-dies-at-43/article_6d8d7fdf-1197-5a76-8be0-d0658d02438f.htmlNo doubt, the year 2022 will remain unforgettable for many sports-loving Nigerians for different reasons.
In this report, GOWON AKPODONOR looks at how the country fared in some of its sporting commitments.
AthleticsAthletics in Nigeria recorded its peak in 2022.
From the country's participation in the World Championships in Oregon, USA, to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, it was an unforgettable year for the country.
First on the list of athletes making Nigeria the topic of conversation were Tobiloba Amusan and Ese Brume.
Amusan, who was named Africa's 2022 Best Female Athlete of the Year by the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) last week, surpassed her contemporaries this year.
Just as Nigeria's hopes for a medal were fading at the World Championships in Oregon, Amusan produced one of the biggest upsets of the championship, accelerating in a world record 12.
12 seconds in the semifinals of the 100m hurdles, followed by a wind assisted 12.
06 seconds in the final to win gold.
A few weeks later, Amusan won gold for the Nigerian team at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, where she too set a record.
She went one step further by winning the Diamond League trophy for the second consecutive season, making her one of the best in the world and Africa's undisputed number one in athletics in 2022.
Amusan, a former footballer from Ogun State, She will be proud of her unprecedented feat in 2022 despite missing out on the World Female Athlete of the Year award, which was won by American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
Amusan started 2022 with a successful African Championship title defense of hers in Mauritius in early June. Thereafter, she was in Paris, where she improved her African record of 12.
42 seconds by running 12.
41 seconds at the Diamond League meeting in Paris.
In Benin City, Edo State, at the 2022 Nigerian Championships, Amusan effortlessly obliterated the record of 12.
63 seconds set in 1997 by Angela Ateda by winning another national title for herself, having run an impressive 12, 58 seconds.
Long jumper Ese Brume has also brought Nigerian athletics to a new level in 2022.
Delta State native Brume once again proved why she remains the most consistent medal-winning Nigerian athlete in recent years.
Ella Brume was the only Nigerian medalist at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, where she jumped the Season Best (SB) 6.
85m to win the silver medal.
In doing this, she became Nigeria's first world indoor medalist in 14 years since Olusoji Fasuba last won the 60m title in 2008.
At the World Outdoor Championships in Oregon, USA, she in the final.
In the process, Brume made history as the first African (male or female) to win two long jump medals at the World Championships, in addition to her 2019 Doha bronze medal.
She is also the second Nigerian and African woman after Blessing Okagbare on winning long jump podium finish at the World Championships.
Brume capped off his outstanding season at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, when his sixth jump (7.
00m) broke the previous Games (GR) record of 6.
99m and, in the process, regained his title.
the Commonwealth 2014.
This year, Brume became the first African woman to jump four legal marks over 7.
00m.
She reached 7m twice, jumping 7.
02m to finish second in Oregon and her victorious GR mark in Birmingham.
Football WHILE athletics brought joy to Nigerians in 2022, this was not the case for football as it looked like a case of one step forward and two steps back.
From the worst outing for the Super Eagles at AFCON 2022 in Cameroon, where they crashed in the round of 16, the failure to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar, as well as lackluster outings at regional soccer tournaments, Nigerian football was nothing to write home about.
about this year.
Qatar's failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup was a major talking point about how the nation's football deteriorated in 2022.
After qualifying for the last three editions of the FIFA World Cup in 2010, 2014 and 2018 Many soccer-loving Nigerians were optimistic that the Super Eagles would add the party to Qatar, which hosted the first World Cup in the Middle East. Their level of optimism followed the Super Eagles' promising start to Pool C in the second round of the qualifier, where Nigeria were drawn alongside Cape Verde, Liberia and the Central African Republic (CAR).
With only the first place team in each group (out of 10) eligible to qualify for the final qualifying round, the Super Eagles finished on top of the group with 13 points having won 4, drawn 1 and lost 1.
It was then that the team was managed by the German tactician, Gernot Rohr. Augustine Eguavoen took over as manager of the Super Eagles, following protests from some Nigerians that Rohr's team did not entertain enough.
The 10 group winners were paired up to battle for Africa's five places allotted to the World Cup, and the Super Eagles faced familiar foes, the Black Stars of Ghana in the final qualifying round.
After a 0-0 draw in the first leg in Cape Coast, Ghana, Eguavoen and 'the gang' played out a 1-1 draw in Abuja, thus missing out on the World Cup ticket on the away goal rule.
, having failed to score at Cape Costa.
The worst round of 16 start in history in Cameroon The last edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) held between January 9 and February 6, 2022 in Cameroon.
Coach Gernot Rohr qualified the Super Eagles for the tournament by winning four games and drawing two in their group that included Sierra Leone, the Republic of Benin and Lesotho.
The 'People's Candidate', Eguavoen, led the Super Eagles to AFCON Cameroon and was placed in Group D along with Egypt, Sudan and Guinea Bissau.
of optimism from Nigerians back home.
While some were quick to hope for another AFCON victory since manager Stephen Keshi and his gang conquered the continent at South Africa 2013, others simply labeled the team a champion in waiting.
But Tunisia's Carthage Eagles 'cut' Nigeria's ticket in the round of 16 after beating the Super Eagles 1-0, an outing described as the nation's worst performance in AFCON.
The Super Falcons' sad departure from AWCON BEFORE the Super Falcons' trip to Morocco for the CAF Women's Cup of Nations (AWCON) 2022 between July 2-23, Nigeria was the most successful nation in Africa.
But the nation's history and reputation in women's football was ruined in Morocco.
The Super Falcons not only crashed out in the semi-final after losing to hosts Morocco 5-4 on penalties, they also lost their third-place match 1-0 to Zambia to settle for fourth place.
The Super Falcons were the best in women's football in Africa with local coaches, but 'corruption' caused the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to hire foreign coaches for the team.
And under former NFF president Pinnick Amaju, the once-famous Super Falcons fell out of favor in Morocco, the worst in Nigerian history.
The Super Falcons booked the ticket to Morocco 2022 as African champions and having won 11 of the 14 editions of AWCON.
Signs that all was not well with the Super Falcons appeared when the team finished second in a group that included South Africa, Botswana and Burundi.
Despite the Super Falcons' poorer record in Morocco, the NFF still has faith in American official coach Randy Waldrum ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup which will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
And barring a miracle, Coach Waldrum will be showing off the same old legs next year.
High-flying flamingos in India MAYBE the only good thing to come out of football in 2022 was the exploits of the Nigerian women's under-17 team, the Flamingos, who won a 'golden bronze' for Nigeria in India.
Their older sisters, the Super Falcons, had fumbled in Morocco.
Before their departure for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in India, not much was known about the team led by coach Fatai Olowookere.
But the girls gave a good account of themselves.
At India 2022, the Flamingos were drawn into Group B along with Germany, Chile and New Zealand.
The Nigerians grabbed six points to finish second in the group.
A quarterfinal clash against the USA gave some Nigerians a nightmare, but a determined Flamingos dispatched the Americans 3-4 on penalties to advance to the semifinal, where they ultimately lost to Colombia 5-6 on penalties .
In the third place game against Germany, the Flamingos trailed 3-0 but fought back to level.
They claimed the 'golden bronze' by beating the Europeans, Germany, 3-2 on penalties.
The Flamingos' third-place finish in India was the first time they had progressed past the quarter-final stage at the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Best National Sports Festival ever ONE of the highlights for young Nigerians in 2022 was the celebration of the 21st National Sports Festival in Delta State.
For most of the athletes, their coaches, sports administrators and journalists, Delta 2022 was the best National Sports Festival in history since it began in 1973.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, in his determination to host a beautiful Games, launched quality infrastructure including a new tartan rink at the Stephen Keshi Stadium, two new indoor sports halls, a new swimming pool, a new hockey field in Okpanam and a new accommodation hostel in Issele-Uku. The Games saw the breaking of several national records and the setting of new ones in athletics.
Some African champions were also dethroned in scrabble, among other events.
A look at 2023With the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 now concluded, the attention of many football lovers around the world has turned to 2023.
It will be a busy year for football around the world and in Nigeria.
The luck of the draw has placed the Super Falcons in Group B alongside co-hosts Australia, the Republic of Ireland and Canada at the 2023 Women's World Cup. Additionally, in 2023 the FIFA age-matched competition for men will resume with the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups scheduled to be held in Peru and Indonesia, respectively.
There are two well-known local examination bodies in West Africa. One is the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) which started operating in 1952 and the other is the National Examinations Council (NECO) which started conducting examinations in April 1999. While the WAEC oversees the regulation of examinations in English-speaking countries such as Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and The Gambia, NECO was established to meet the unique needs of Nigerians (the subject of which is beyond the scope of this discussion).
But in addition to NECO and WAEC, there are other exams such as IELTS, TOEFL, SAT and GMAT. These other exams are standardized exams that seek to further test the ability of candidates seeking admission to schools or seeking to migrate to the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. They are called 'standardized' simply because they have the same set of rules for everyone: black, white, blue or yellow person, regardless of where you are from. These exams mainly assess the candidate's math, English and psychomotor skills. This was part of our reference to WAEC and NECO as local (local is a synonym for WAEC and NECO as regional examining bodies and a reference to their value or quality) if a candidate passes their WAEC exam, that passing becomes an important first step on the journey towards professional and academic fulfillment in life. The governors, architects, lawyers, doctors and teachers who abound in Nigeria and occupy strategic positions in life, all would have passed their WAEC or NECO exams. In our recent history, our President, Muhammad Buhari and many politicians have fought many political battles in the courts of law for their inability to produce authentic WAEC results. While the WAEC and NECO exams appear to be tests or exams for candidates only, they are in fact an examination of investments made or policies that have been implemented by the federal or state government. If students fail miserably in any state, that failure is a reflection of weaknesses in that state's educational investments or policies, and vice versa.
As part of its monitoring and evaluation (M&E) programme, WAEC in particular generally publishes a chief examiner's report. That report is an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates. WAEC uses it to advise the federal and state governments on which areas to focus on for improvements in their education policies and investments… or 'reforms'. At the federal and state levels of government, the WAEC and NECO exams are a litmus test and benchmark for the effectiveness of policies and investments that have or have not been made.
I have seen the chief examiner's CE report for 2018. It is no different from general poverty and failure in English and math. In 2018, the EC said there were "rampant grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors dominating candidates' essays". Some of the expressions of the candidates were generally incoherent or inappropriate for the context. Sometimes the candidates simply translated their native language into the English language.' The following year, 2019, the WAEC registrar at the time, Mr. Iyi Uwadiae, an Edo man, at the formal opening of the 67th annual meeting of the Council in Freetown, Sierra Leone, said that most of the Candidates often want to cover up their inability and incapacity by engaging in bad exam practice. "The unrest has continued to distract educational administrators and testing bodies from their core tasks, as it permeates the school system at all levels, posing a challenge to the propensity for academic achievement and a threat to the reliability of the assessment processes. evaluation," Uwadiae said.
This is true and many people are very concerned. In Edo State, the governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, initiated a series of 'reforms' after taking office as governor. Part of what he has done is in the plan to 'reform' a system that perennially produces half-baked individuals who are eventually unable to handle critical instruments of government. To carry out these 'reforms', Obaseki closed most of the schools: colleges of education, schools of nursing and agriculture and the like. I visited about four such institutions in Benin City: the Institute of Continuing Education, ICE, the Nigerian Observer, the Center for Community Development behind the vegetable market in Benin City, and the Abudu College of Education. Obaseki demarcated the ICE in two. He developed the other side of the building to promote his idea of 'reforms' and left the other side to simply rot. He moved the Downtown Community Development Center to a bush in Bekuma, North Edo, shutting it down completely. He too has closed the Nigerian Observer out the back door, preferring to tell everyone nonsense that he is carrying out 'reforms' in that great institution. He recently moved against journalists, but was forced to back down after strident resistance he met.
At the Abudu College of Education, I saw what I assumed was an impressive attempt to renovate infrastructure that had deteriorated over the years, that is until I interacted with some of the ground staff: they had not been paid as up to 18 months. Although some passed away in that period, the rest told me that they had completely lost interest in working as teachers or administrators. And you know what, this was the same tactic that the Federal Government of Nigeria adopted to deal with ASUU when they went on strike for 1999 days. Many of the speakers left borrowing and begging for a living. Jappa, the brain drain, became the norm. So if teachers and educational institutions are run like this, how the heck will students be able to write simple and correct sentences, or solve mathematical equations?
It is in this context that I found a press release from the administrator of Obaseki. Entitled EdoBest: UNICEF, international agencies give Edo high marks on Obaseki's fundamental literature and numeracy reforms that reap huge dividends. The message in the press release stated that 'Edo State has been praised for its great strides in revamping the education sector from the basic to the tertiary level through far-reaching reforms instituted by Obaseki. The statement said that "compliment was raised when a delegation of international agencies, UNICEF and the World Bank came to Edo state to visit rural schools."
While it is right and normal for Obaseki to try to chronicle his achievements towards the end of his term as governor, it does not sound right that he is dropping the names of big organizations like UNICEF and the World Bank as evaluators of the 'reforms' that claims to have entered the educational sector. First, UNICEF and the World Bank are not involved in making a decision about the educational legacy left behind. He should leave that up to the right organizations, WAEC and NECO. It is a weakness to try to bring friends and proxies, put them in good hotels, accompany them and eventually put the words in their mouths. Second, posterity has nothing to do with the present. Posterity is the future. It is impartial and fair. Posterity is like WAEC and NECO: after you write the exams, you wait for the results. What Obaseki should do is wait for the results of the 'reforms' he has introduced.
Education in Edo is not as remarkable as Obaseki would have the people at UNICEF and the World Bank believe. It's just monotonous. A recent online report stated that WAEC declared Edo the second best state after Enugu in 2022. But WAEC has since come out to debunk that myth. WAEC chief administrator Patrick Areghan said the report was fake news: ''I want to say here that the classification is completely false as it did not emanate from the council because there are so many other things that need to be considered to arrive at such a percentage and this is not part of our job. We, as WAEC, do not declare the classification. We only indicate number of credits in subjects and other categories.''
Etemiku is editor-in-chief of WADONOR, cultural.
US President Joe Biden has applauded President Muhammadu Buhari for not giving in to the whims of those urging him to run for a third term in office.
The US president said so yesterday in Washington during a meeting with the leaders of six African countries that have elections scheduled in 2023.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the US-Africa Leaders Summit taking place in the US capital.
In the build-up to the 2023 general election, there were unconfirmed reports that President Buhari was under pressure to run for a third term in office, a rumor the president came out to dispel, saying he was anxious and already burning hot. an insatiable desire. retire to his farm in Daura, Katsina State.
At the meeting, President Biden said that he had followed the path of the Nigerian leader since 2015 when he was elected president from being an opposition leader at one point, he (Biden) was vice president.
According to Biden, Buhari's efforts have helped deepen democracy not only in Nigeria, but also in Africa.
He added that it was very encouraging that Nigeria was such a model democracy, especially the fact that President Buhari is not seeking a third term.
Biden encouraged Buhari and the Nigerian election referee to continue to be completely impartial.
The US president said the meeting with select African leaders, including those from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Liberia, Madagascar and Sierra Leone, was to discuss elections and democracy in Africa, share experiences with the United States about the upcoming elections. such as encouraging countries to continue with the democratic process.
He noted that he truly understands the challenges that countries are facing and expressed the readiness of the United States to support them in all areas where assistance is required.
For his part, President Buhari expressed his gratitude to the US president for his positive comments and congratulated him on reaching the pinnacle of his political career, which is the country's presidency.
A statement by presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said Buhari also thanked Biden for hosting the Summit with African leaders and wished him well in all his endeavours.
Credit: https://leadership.ng/biden-hails-president-muhammadu-buhari-for-not-seeking-third-term/
Reactions have followed in the wake of President Joe Biden's praise of the president, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret.), for deepening democracy in Nigeria.
In a meeting with the president of Nigeria and his counterparts from Sierra Leone, Gabon, Madagascar, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Liberia, the US president praised Buhari for not only upholding democracy in Nigeria but throughout the African continent. .
Biden "praised President Muhammadu Buhari for his efforts to deepen democracy not only in Nigeria but also in Africa," read a statement signed Thursday by the President's Principal Special Assistant for Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.
Reacting to the development, Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council spokesman Charles Aniagwu said the praise is an indication Nigeria is on the right track.
“The PDP began the process of deepening democracy with electoral reforms. Fortunately, the President has continued this process. Don't forget that he also promised not to interfere in the 2023 elections, saying he would like to leave a legacy of free and credible elections to Nigeria.
“We are happy that for the first time the international community is seeing something good in Nigeria, but the PDP started that process,” he said.
However, African Action Alliance presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore said Biden was just being diplomatic with his guests.
“It’s called diplomatic, the kind of language or jargon that diplomats use, which is considered overly complicated, cautious or vague,” he said, adding that “the State Department’s annual reports have consistently cited (Major General) Buhari as an offender." from the human rights."
Sharing the same perspective, the national secretary of the Progressive Youth Party, Vidiyeno Bamaiyi, said that democracy gradually began to die when the current president took power.
Also speaking, the national president of the Grand Alliance of All Progressives, Victor Oye, said that the US president has the freedom to express himself as he sees fit.
However, in reaction, the spokesman for the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo, said that the opposition is always trying to get attention, even when it is not necessary.
Keyamo said: “What we know is that Biden congratulated Buhari, not the PDP. We are taking Biden's statement literally starting today. The PDP is just trying to doctor what the US President said and that is what we are sticking to.
“We all know that the worst elections in Nigerian history were held under the PDP. Jonathan did nothing extraordinary. He was defeated and left power. So what legacy are they talking about?
Credit: https://punchng.com/pdp-apc-clash-as-biden-hails-buhari/Following Monday's demolition of Cameroon in the ongoing International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup Africa sub-regional B Qualifier, Nigeria's Yellow Greens are now set for a top-of-the-table showdown with Tanzania in the series that takes place in Rwanda.
The victory over Cameroon saw the Yellow-Greens go five out of five in the competition, which began with victories over Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Eswatini and The Gambia.
The match against Tanzania will take place today at the Gahanaga International Cricket Stadium in Kigali.
Both teams have a clean slate on the event so far, so the game will determine who tops the qualifying round before their final matches tomorrow.
Nigeria is ranked 43rd in the ICC T20i Rankings behind Tanzania which is ranked 31st in the world ranking record.
Nigeria's last game is against their West African rival Ghana, who unfortunately have not had a good run in the event with a win and three straight losses so far.
Former Nigerian captain and player representative on the Nigerian Cricket Federation (NCF) board of directors Endurance Ofem believes the Nigerian side still have a thing or two to show for their next two matches.
“The team may be doing well, however I think we haven't seen the best of talent represented.
I think against Tanzania, hoping some players have had enough rest, we can see the manager (Steve Tikolo) make some changes that will show us a different side of the team.
This is an interesting assembly of cricket talent.
Monday's game against Cameroon was decided by Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) limited by calculation method when rain washed away the game in the second innings.
The DLS favored the Nigerian side who had registered 31 runs in five overs, holding the Cameroonians to 72 runs and all in 19.
4 overs.
Nigeria captain Sylvester Okpe was man of the match as he dispatched five batsmen in the match.
Speaking after the match, Okpe said: “We had chosen to play when we saw the possibility that the weather conditions would not go well earlier in the day.
So, everything worked out well in our favor.
"
Nigeria, yesterday in Kigali, improved its chances of qualifying for the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup with its fourth victory in the Africa sub-regional B Qualifier.
Coached by Steve Tikolo, the country defeated Eswatini and Gambia to complement their previous victories over Mozambique and West African rival Sierra Leone in their opening meetings.
Team captain Sylvester Okpe said his team is confident of qualifying with his run so far in the first stage of the Cricket World Cup 2024.
“We had a plan for this event and we are on the right track.
Barring major injuries and distractions, I am confident that we will choose one of the two tickets here for the next stage,” he said.
In the win against Eswatini, the team set three new international records, including the highest T20i score for Nigeria in any international game (221/7), the highest runs by a Nigerian batsman in T20i (Ashmit Shreshta: 76 runs in 49 balls) and the fastest T20i half-century for the country (Isaac Okpe: 53/17).
Thrilled by the team's feat, Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) President Uyi Akpata said the boys are well invested in them, adding that he is confident the senior men's national team still has much to offer on the international stage.
“We are proud of the team's performance so far and the pace at which they have been driven has been very commendable, especially the improvements in the hitting department, which we have been working on and can now see practical improvements,” he said.
Nigeria had beaten Mozambique by eight wickets and edged out Sierra Leone on Friday by six wickets.
The record win over Eswatini was by 118 runs, while Gambia's win was by nine runs.
Nigeria's next match will be against Cameroon today, while on Thursday and Friday they will face Ghana and Tanzania, respectively.
“This event is feedback on the various levels of investment that the Nigerian Cricket Federation has channeled into bases and infrastructure across the country.
“Nigeria has six standard courses which has reduced our need to tour abroad before major events like this and this gives us encouragement that we are on the right track with our development agenda,” Akpata said.
Plans are currently underway for the 2022 West African Sitting Volleyball Championship and the teams are expected to arrive in Nigeria on December 10, 2022, the Nigerian Paravolleyball Federation has revealed.
The West African ParaVolley sponsored competition will be hosted by the Nigerian ParaVolley Federation, led by Kayode Ladele.
According to the schedule released by the federation, the technical meeting of the participating teams will take place on December 11, while Para Beach Volleyball will be launched in Nigeria on December 12.
Participating clubs from the Republic of Benin and Ghana have already been confirmed, while those from Sierra Leone, who will join their Nigerian counterparts in West Africa's first ParaVolley competition, are still awaiting confirmation.
“We are excited to host this first edition of the competition, which aims to promote a healthy rivalry between West African countries and develop the sport at a regional level.
“When this was discussed, Nigeria jumped at the idea of hosting the competition because it is in line with our short-, medium- and long-term plans as a federation when we were elected a few months ago,” Ladele said.
Explaining the idea behind the competition, he said that although it does not serve as a qualification for any international tournament, it is the first step for many federations within the West African sub-region to develop the sport within their countries.
“With constant competition, we will not only expose our athletes to international competition, which will ultimately improve their game, but also show the world how amazing our players can be if given the right platform for expression and development.
” Ladele concluded.
The Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) (https://bit.ly/37jYAtS) has approved a reimbursable grant of $1 million to NewAfrica Impact Ltd (http://www.NewAfricaImpact.com) to prepare two bioenergy plants in Sierra Leone and Ghana that will each output 5 megawatts of electricity and 11 megawatts of heat.
The reimbursable grant will strengthen the project’s bankability by supporting technical feasibility studies and regulatory structuring.
NewAfrica Impact is a renewable energy developer, investor and advisor.
The plants will be co-located with wood processing facilities to provide biomass from sustainably cultivated and certified plantations.
They will provide electricity and heat to the wood processing machinery and nearby industrial parks.
The Sierra Leone plant will also provide electricity to surrounding communities.
Mads Asprem, Managing Partner of NewAfrica Impact Ltd (http://www.NewAfricaImpact.com) said, “The SEFA process has already helped us increase the standard of our development work, including the environment impact assessments, and with the project approved, we will create a new efficient solution for combining the generation of energy for productive use and household consumption through mini-grids.
Bioenergy provides baseload electricity and leverages complementary mainstream renewables.
It also offers more positive impacts than any other form of renewable energy."
The plants are expected to add 10 megawatts of electrical and 22 megawatts of thermal capacity in total.
They will provide electricity to 5,000 households and create 125 temporary jobs during the construction phase, with another 60 people employed to operate the plants.
Another 250 indirect jobs will be created, of which 30% will go to women.
The project will cut carbon emissions by 45 ktCO2 per year.
Kevin Kariuki, African Development Bank Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate, and Green Growth, said, “Bioenergy is a technology struggling to be successfully implemented on the African continent and hence in need of support from Multilateral Development Banks such as the African Development Bank. By choosing the right technology and securing feedstock in the required quality and quantity, we are confident that this project will help Bioenergy to emerge in Africa.”
The project aligns with the Bank’s strategic goal to support inclusive green growth by promoting access to clean, modern, reliable and affordable energy services in rural areas and also to promote renewable energy technologies.
It also aligns with Sierra Leone’s National Renewable Energy Action Plan and the Ghana Renewable Energy Masterplan.
