Friday brief: Is Okonjo-Iweala running for President in 2023?
+ e-Naira delay & INEC on Anambra election
* The Naira/Dollar rate was calculated by averaging buying rates from several Nigerian FinTech startups.
Good morning and Happy Independence Day.
Welcome to the Friday 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.
An Okonjo-Iweala presidency?
Bloomberg reported on Thursday that the first black person and the first woman to lead the World Trade Organisation, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was considering quitting her job to run for Nigeria’s presidency in 2023.
According to the WTO officials who spoke to Bloomberg, Okonjo-Iweala is frustrated by the reality of being unable to push through her reforms in the WTO just about seven months into her almost five-year tenure as Director-General.
She has “repeatedly told ambassadors and staff that she could easily walk away from the job, and reminds them she hasn’t bought any furniture for her temporary home in Geneva, the officials said.”
But while she hasn’t commented on whether she threatened to quit, Okonjo-Iweala has described speculations she is running for the presidency in 2023 as “utterly ridiculous and not true.”
She told Bloomberg News: “I just got here. I am enjoying what I’m doing. It is a very exciting job and I am trying to have some successes here.”
Verdict: You can’t rule out anything in politics but based on the Bloomberg story, I don’t think she will run. The story appears to suggests that she wants to quit because the WTO job is too difficult and running to become Nigeria’s president will be more tolerable. That’s misleading and having served under two Nigerian Presidents, Okonjo-Iweala knows this. Running and serving as Nigeria’s President is a very complicated, nerve-racking thing to do. Not that Okonjo-Iweala can’t rise to the challenge if she decides to, but she will need a better reason or motivation than ‘avoiding problems at the WTO’. Nigeria is problem and problem is Nigeria.
CBN postpones launch of e-Naira
The Central Bank says it has postponed the unveiling of its digital currency, e-Naira, which had been scheduled for today, October 1.
According to the bank, the postponement was due to “other key activities lined up to commemorate the country’s 61st Independence Anniversary.”
The excuse is fishy because October 1 has always been Nigeria’s independence anniversary, so the bank wasn’t caught unawares. In fact, the unveiling must have been purposely scheduled for the independence anniversary as a mark of national pride.
No new date was given for the unveiling.
Copyright: The postponement comes after one private payment company sued the Central Bank over the name ‘e-Naira’.
Business-as-usual: Meanwhile, it appears some commercial banks are yet to get the postponement memo as they have begun to reach out to customers over the use of the e-Naira from October 1.
INEC to adopt electronic transmission for Anambra election
Lawmakers almost took to blows over the electronic transmission of election results earlier this year as they debated amendment clauses to the electoral act.
But it appears the electoral umpire, INEC, isn’t waiting for the passage of the new law. The agency has always insisted that existing laws give it enough room to improve elections in the country with technology.
Speaking on Channels Television yesterday, INEC commissioner, Festus Okoye, said the agency plans to transmit results in the upcoming Anambra governorship election via electronic means.
Insecurity: Meanwhile, two days after gunmen murdered Dr. Chike Akunyili, a police station was attacked in one Anambra community, resulting in the death of about five police officers. Continued insecurity across the state is likely to lead to a low turnout in the November election.
What else is happening?
Anti-grazing law: Delta and Ogun are the latest southern states to enact a law banning open grazing in the region.
National security: The House of Representatives has joined the Senate in asking President Muhammadu Buhari to declare bandits and their sponsors as terrorists.
Sheikh Gumi: The Islamic scholar has once again argued that governments should attempt to “enlighten” bandits rather than engage in violent warfare. “When you enlighten them, you can cure them,” he said. “When you want to cure the problem the way it was created, you go into bloodshed and this is exactly what we are witnessing now.”
Nigeria@61: President Buhari says Nigerians “must all come together to propagate a new and positive narrative that Nigeria is ready to harness her own resources to become a global player in commerce, governance, arts, sports and other fields of endeavour.”
Insurgency: The military says a recent airstrike launched in Borno killed terrorists disguised as fishermen.
Security matters: According to Punch, police officers earlier withdrawn from politicians, businessmen, and others have been restored despite a shortage of security personnel.
Public education: Nigerian teachers are expected to get an improved salary structure from January 2022, according to the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba.
And that’s it for today. As we celebrate Independence Day today, I leave you with the words of presidential spokesperson Femi Adesina, “Nigeria, with all thy faults, I love thee still, my country.”
Have a great weekend. See you on Monday.