'Climate Change, Isreal-Palestine': 16 issues Buhari addressed at the United Nations
+ Boko Haram strikes & Northern Govs meet over VAT
* The Naira/Dollar rate was calculated by averaging buying rates from several Nigerian FinTech startups.
Good morning.
Welcome to the Monday briefing. This newsletter keeps you updated with the latest news from Nigeria. Don’t forget to subscribe to receive it in your email before 7 am (WAT) every weekday.
Today, we are focused on the details of President Buhari’s speech at the United Nations, another Boko Haram attack in Yobe, and the ongoing VAT dispute.
What President Buhari said at UNGA
On Friday, President Muhammadu Buhari, dressed in his traditional, dark boubou and customary cap, addressed the United Nations General Assembly. Outside the venue of the speech in New York, a protest had been scheduled, to call for a restructuring of Nigeria. But the President was either unaware or decided to stay away from national politics. However, here are 16 things the President addressed in his speech:
He reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to the United Nations.
He reiterated his call for a “fairer and more equitable distribution of vaccines to all countries so that, together, we can fight and contain the pandemic.” According to Buhari, “no one is safe until everyone is safe.”
He raised concerns “over the illicit trade, transfer, and circulation of small arms and light weapons” and called for “the worldwide application of the Arms Trade Treaty to codify accountability in conventional arms trade, which is critical to the security of nations.”
He expressed concerns over the recent coups in West Africa, which “must not be tolerated by the international community.” But he also noted that leaders should avoid manipulating their country’s constitutional provisions, “particularly on term limits.”
He reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to nuclear non-proliferation and advocated for “a world free of nuclear weapons.”
He acknowledged that a weakened Boko Haram “is still active and preying on soft targets.”
He pledged continued support for United Nations peacekeeping operations within Africa and beyond.
He said Nigeria intends to build a climate-resilient economy and is “working on a transition to low carbon economy, consistent with achieving the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.”
He called on the global community to help halt illicit financial flows and ensure the recovery and return of illicitly acquired assets domiciled abroad.
He argued that considering the burden brought about by the Covid pandemic, repayment of debt owed by developing countries should be suspended and, in some cases, even cancelled.
He called for a fair and equitable system of international trade.
He singled out agriculture as one of his government’s most important priorities, considering the vulnerabilities inherent in the global food system.
He said Nigeria remains committed to “ensuring the advancement of human rights within its shores and beyond” and called “for collective global action through a Treaty to end all forms of violence against women and girls of all ages.”
He called for the reform of the United Nations Security Council, without which the “legitimacy (even efficacy) of our Organization is called to question.”
He said, “Nigeria encourages Israel and Palestine to re-engage in dialogue based on relevant UN resolutions and Initiatives.”
He paid tribute to the outgoing German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, for being “a great and humane internationalist, and an exemplary practitioner of multilateral cooperation.”
Response: The minority caucus in the House of Representatives said President' Buhari’s speech had mischaracterised the seriousness of the Boko Haram threat and reflected no initiative in solving the country’s biggest problems.
Welcome back: The President has returned to Abuja after a week-long stay in New York attending the 76th United Nations General Assembly.
Insecurity persists as Boko Haram strikes again
Boko Haram terrorists attacked Babangida in Tarmuwa Local Government council of Yobe State on Sunday but were being pushed back by Nigerian security forces.
Babangida is about 50 km northeast of Damaturu, the Yobe state capital.
A fleeing resident who escaped to Damaturu, Adamu Gidado, said many Babangida residents had run into the bush to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
Boko Haram attacks have continued even as the government considers amnesty and rehabilitation for thousands of surrendered terrorists.
Kaduna state: One person was killed and several others sustained injuries after gunmen attacked an Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Gabaciwa, Kachia Local Government Area.
Freedom: For some good news, ten more students of Bethel Baptist High School in Kaduna have been released, after spending almost 12 weeks in captivity. However, at least 11 of the 121 abducted students are yet to return home.
Desperate measures: Amid restrictions on the sale of petrol across the northwest, it appears some bandits have now ditched motorcycles for camels as a form of transport.
Northern Governors meet over VAT
Northern Governors are expected to hold an emergency meeting today over issues relating to the Value Added Tax.
Lagos and Rivers states are already in court, both at the Appeal and Supreme court level, arguing that VAT should be collected by states, instead of the federal government.
A High Court in Rivers had ruled that VAT should be collected by states but the federal government has insisted that it has the sole power to collect the tax.
VAT, a 7.5% charge on goods and services, generated N1.53 trillion in 2020.
Kayode Fayemi: The Ekiti Governor and Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum says the NGF is waiting for the Supreme Court’s decision on the VAT issue.
Quote: “The important thing is that our tax system is problematic, confusing, and contradictory, and we need to do a lot more to begin to clarify things. So that we can have more efficient ways of collecting taxes,” Fayemi said.
What else is happening?
INEC: The electoral agency says it is ready for the electronic transmission of election results ahead of final deliberations at the National Assembly on the amended electoral act bill.
Corruption: Some travellers arriving in Nigeria are avoiding testing for Covid by bribing airport officials, according to an investigation by Punch.
Doctors’ Strike: The National Association of Resident Doctors has reiterated its resolve not to end its seven-week-old strike until its demands are met by the federal government.
Forex: Following CBN instructions, the United Bank of Africa (UBA) has published names and account numbers of some customers alleged to have violated foreign exchange guidelines.
Abba Kyari: US Prosecutors are moving forward with the fraud case indicting one of Nigeria’s top cops, compiling thousands of electronic files as evidence.
Basketball: The D’Tigress defeated Mali to win a record third consecutive Afrobasket championship title.
Anthony Joshua: The Nigerian-born British fighter is eyeing a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk after losing his world heavyweight titles to the Ukrainian on Saturday.
And that’s it for this morning. See you tomorrow.