Thursday Briefing: The Border Conundrum, The Omnipresent NIN and Nigeria's First Covid Vaccine
What you need to know.
Good morning.
I am writing about the implications of Nigeria’s recent opening of its land borders, the thoughtless deadline set by the NCC and where Nigeria’s first Covid vaccines are going to come from.
Buhari Opens Land Borders. Just Some.
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the reopening of four land borders, months after he ordered their closure to halt the flow of illicit petroleum out of the country and importation of poultry, rice and illegal arms into Nigeria. The others are expected to be opened before the end of the year.
Since the borders have been closed, Nigeria has been ravaged by the Covid pandemic and inflation has risen to over 14 per cent. Critics maintain the closure has caused more harm than good to the economy but government ministers say security agencies have used the recent lull at the borders to study the situation and understand better how to control what comes in and goes out.
In truth, President Buhari had little option than to reopen. Nigeria recently ratified the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which is designed to encourage cross-border trade between African countries.
The stakes remain high and much will depend on how border security has improved. But even more important will be how government policy has made Nigeria more competitive in producing valuable goods and services. If it’s better and cheaper to produce somewhere else, not even the best border control army can stop the coming tide.
Related: According to one report, Nigeria remains behind South Africa and Ghana in making financial products and services accessible to individuals and businesses, regardless of their personal net worth or company size.
The NIN takes over
On Tuesday, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said it was compelling telecommunications companies to ban Subscriber Identification Module cards which have not been linked to the National Identification Number within two weeks.
The decision generated considerable furore on Twitter. Millions of Nigerians don’t have an NIN and it is literally impossible to complete registration within two weeks during a festive period and pandemic.
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives linked the NCC decision to the #EndSARS protest, saying the Commission had been summoned to explain why the identities of persons calling and messaging public servants during the protests could not be identified. In other words, the government wants to be able to better track Nigerians.
The House, however, asked for the deadline to be extended from two to ten weeks.
Register: The government has licensed 173 centres and 30 state government institutions to conduct the NIN enrollment. And, apparently, all registered persons can retrieve their NIN by dialling *346# on their registered phone number for all the major networks.
FRSC: The road safety agency has mandated NIN as a requirement for obtaining a driver’s license. It is already a requirement for obtaining an international passport.
Nigeria’s first Covid vaccine?
The number of new Covid cases in the country keeps skyrocketing. On Wednesday, the country hit a new record with 930 infections, the highest daily count. No one is talking anymore about social distancing and wearing of masks. And there is little to no chance that the government will consider another lockdown, considering the challenging economic climate. So we are all waiting for the vaccine?
On Wednesday, the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, said Nigerians should expect to receive a Covid vaccine by the end of January. He didn’t mention which of the vaccines - there are a number of them - is being considered, but my bet is on the Chinese version.
Quote: “Which one shall we get first? Obviously the one we can afford,” Ehanire said. “Remember that we have 200 million citizens. We need to have a way to be able to get enough to be able to take care of our citizens. So, that means we must be able to get the vaccines that work well, with good cost of storage and cost of delivery. That is the one we will like to get as soon as they are available.”
Reporter’s Diary: In this confessional essay, a journalist recounts how she contracted Covid. “I hate to sound like the antichrist which many are searching to destroy but I urge us to follow the science of this, understand and do better at different levels,” she wrote. “Most importantly, mask up and keep safe.”
What else is happening?
Katsina: Governor Aminu Masari on Wednesday said the abducted students of Government Secondary School, Kankara are alive and currently in a forest in Zamfara state. The students, more than 300, were kidnapped last Friday.
#EndSARS: A caterer who provided food for protesters has been denied a passport by the Nigeria Immigration Service. Mosopefoluwa Odeseye’s bank account has also been frozen by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Chief Justice: It appears all is not well with the judiciary’s top official, Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, as he is reportedly battling with dementia and heart disease complications.
Olisa Metuh: The Court of Appeal has nullified the ex-PDP spokesman’s conviction and ordered a retrial.
Premier League: Liverpool are now clear at the top of the table after they beat Spurs on Wednesday evening.
Stimulus: The U.S is set to pump another $900 billion worth of Covid aid into its economy.
China: The space latecomers have brought back samples from the moon to earth. The New York Times says China’s recent success in space has set the stage for a new space race. “This time, it will be a competition over resources on the moon that could propel deeper space exploration.”
And that’s it for today. The weekend is almost here and I can barely wait. Have a fantastic day.
Splendid, man. I now have reliable news to brief myself with. I stan.