Tuesday brief: Obi impresses At Chatham House
+ Three richest Nigerians wealthier than 83 million others - Oxfam
Good morning.
We are covering Peter Obi’s impressive appearance at Chatham House yesterday. And Oxfam has a new report that has something to say about inequality in Nigeria.
Some personal news: A media company I co-founded in 2019 is starting a new, local publication with the help of the Nigeria Media Innovation Program. So this newsletter will take a break from February 1. I started writing this newsletter because I couldn’t find a daily recap of Nigerian news in the mould of the New York Times’ daily news briefing. I believe Stears Business has a daily briefing but it’s behind a paywall. Hopefully someone will build something beyond an automated curation of headlines and links.
Meanwhile, I’m out of Lagos for the next few days, so no emails until Monday.
If you are enjoying this newsletter and finding it useful, I’d like to ask for a favour: please support my work by sharing it with your family and friends.
Every subscriber gets an email every morning before 7:00 (WAT) that tries to explain what’s happening across the country and provides some context. I also run a special desk on climate and China.
Obi impresses At Chatham House
Bespectacled and dressed in black, Peter Obi delivered his much anticipated speech at Chatham House in the United Kingdom with the careful, deliberate poise that has endeared him to many young people in the lead up to the 2023 presidential elections.
He vowed to tackle the multiple challenges bedeviling the country, including insecurity, oil theft, rising debt, secessionist angst, youth unemployment, and power generation, among others.
“We will move Nigeria from a country of rent seekers sharing oil receipts and consuming conspicuously to one that produces based on vast endowments, whose value chain can move us into an employment economy,” he said.
Kenneth Okonkwo: The Obi spokesperson said, unlike Tinubu, Peter Obi was ‘stingy’ with answering questions posed at him.
Quotable: “You have heard them say we don’t have structure, that structure is the one that has dismantled Nigeria,” Obi said. “We will destroy that structure of criminality, I assure you of it.”
Power: The Labour party flag-bearer said his administration will declare war on the electricity sector and generate 25,000 megawatts by 2025.
Comment: “Obi is a patriotic Nigerian who is seeking the presidency of his country and he is eminently qualified for the job,” Olusegun Adeniyi, Chairman of the THISDAY editorial board, writes. “Indeed, by most projections, Obi is one of the four candidates Nigerians expect to emerge as our next president.”
Legal distraction: The National Rescue Movement, a political party, has dragged Obi to court over alleged possession of dual citizenship.
What else is happening?
Inflation: Prices of goods and services dropped for the first time in 11 months, according to the consumer price index which came in at 21.34 percent for December 2022. The figure is still high when compared to December 2021 (15.63 percent).
Godwin Emefiele: The central bank governor has finally resumed work after a long vacation, according to a spokesperson. Sources confirmed to TheCable that the governor was back in his Abuja office after threats by the nation’s secret police, DSS, to arrest him over alleged terrorism financing charges.
Oxfam: The British nonprofit said three of the richest Nigerians are wealthier than 83 million others put together.
Allegations Republic: The APC presidential campaign called on security agencies to arrest the PDP’s flagbearer, Atiku Abubakar, for allegedly stealing public funds through ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ during his time as Vice-President. In response, the PDP drew attention to the corruption allegations against Tinubu, the APC candidate.
Aproko Doctor: The popular health influencer, Dr. Chinonso Egemba, revealed that he underwent a life-saving surgery to deal with a brain tumour. “I was fighting for my life,” he said.
Brymo: After making offensive tweets against the Igbo ethnic group, the singer apologised.
Yauri girls: A Daily Trust Editorial has called on the Kebbi state government and President Muhammadu Buhari to help free the remaining 11 students of the Federal Government College, Yauri. The students were among 80 abducted in June 2021.
And that’s it for today. See you on Monday.
Thank you for your hardwork Solomon!