Monday brief: Atiku Abubakar's albatross
+ Is the US ready to take Africa serious?
Good morning.
It’s a brand new week and we are analysing Atiku Abubakar’s performance at a townhall meeting on Sunday, this week’s US-Africa summit, and the continued criticism of the CBN’s cash withdrawal policy.
Atiku Abubakar’s albatross
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, attended a Channels Television townhall on Sunday where they answered questions on how to tackle security, fix the economy and move the country forward.
With just about 75 days to the general elections, Atiku gave a decent account of why he should be President. He wondered why Boko Haram still existed, suggesting there were interest groups within the military seeing to the continuation of the menace; he vowed to end the IPOB struggle through restructuring and more autonomy for the South-East; he proposed a surveillance state based on the UAE model where everyone is monitored; he defended his idea to privatise public assets like the nation’s four oil refineries; he promised to clear ASUU’s salary backlog and increase funding for education; he also sought to explain why he deleted a tweet condemning the gruesome murder of Deborah Yakubu, a Christian student in Sokoto.
But despite his measured performance on Sunday, Atiku’s path to the presidency is severely narrowed by bitter infighting within the PDP. The man he defeated at the primaries, Nyesom Wike, has corralled a section of the party to deny him the complete, unalloyed support he requires if he is to stand a chance against the ruling APC and the emergent force of Peter Obi.
Speaking on his frosty relationship with Wike on Sunday, Atiku said he had met with the Rivers State Governor five times to resolve the outstanding issues. But it appears the man who describes himself as Nigeria’s unifier remains incapable of uniting his own party.
Bode George: The PDP chieftain said, to make peace with Wike, Atiku should be prepared to bend the party’s constitution, the same way it was manipulated for him (Atiku) to contest in the primaries.
Clapback: The APC asked Nigerians to ignore Atiku for “making empty promises and presenting a false narrative” about the nation’s present realities.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu: The APC presidential candidate met with Muslim leaders in Oyo state.
Enugu connection: Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Labour party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, were photographed at the birthday colloquium of eminent statesman, John Nwodo.
Is the US ready to take Africa serious?
This week, US President Joe Biden will host up to 49 African Head of States in Washington DC at the US-Africa Leaders Summit. This includes, of course, President Buhari, who left Nigeria on Sunday.
The summit holds amid increased fears about Chinese and Russian influence in Africa and Biden will seek to assure African leaders that the US remains a strong, committed partner despite decades of policy neglect.
“This summit is an opportunity to deepen the many partnerships we have on the African continent,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Talks are likely to center on the coronavirus, climate change, the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Africa, trade and security.
At the summit, Biden is expected to announce his support for the African Union to be added as a permanent member of the G-20.
Political parties kick against CBN’s withdrawal limits
The drama over the Central Bank’s decision to limit cash withdrawals from official banking systems is not likely to end soon. Political parties have joined the growing list of dissidents against the policy, arguing that it would cripple campaign funding.
Quote: “In 2014/2015, I am sure if (President) Buhari had no access to funding, he would never have been the President of Nigeria,” Dele Momodu, a PDP campaign spokesperson said. “There are people who are making contributions to the political parties and some parties have set up structures to receive support from people. How then will they be able to access the fund if they are saying you cannot withdraw more than N100, 000 a week?’’
HURIWA: The civil society group asked the National Assembly to stop the “draconian” policy.
What else is happening?
Wizkid: The pop star apologised after failing to show up at a concert in Ghana. He cited “safety and production issues.” Some fans reportedly waited up to 12 hours before accepting Wizkid’s no-show.
Petrol: More than 48 hours after the Department of State Service issued an ultimatum to end fuel scarcity, queues are still visible in parts of Lagos. Isaac Anyaogu argues that prices must rise for normalcy to return.
Human rights: The United Nations has called on Nigerian authorities to investigate allegations of systemic forced abortions by the Nigerian army.
Security: The Nigerian air force is expected to take delivery of 54 new air assets, including attack aircraft and helicopters as well as aerial drones. But it is not yet clear when they would be delivered, how much was paid for them or which country or countries they were bought from.
Yemi Osinbajo: The vice president argued in New York that carbon markets can help Nigeria and Africa provide the right incentives for clean energy and climate action.
Debt servicing: Nigeria spent N3.04 trillion to service external and domestic debts in the first nine months of 2022, a 23.4% increase compared to the same period in 2021, according to the Debt Management Office.
Cash-out: Seduced by the allure of dollars, Nigerian palm oil producers are exporting their product despite local supply shortages.
And that’s it for today. See you tomorrow.