What really happened in Uganda and how did China avoid a recession?
What you need to know.
Good morning.
From today, this newsletter will drop weekly. Every Monday. To compensate, I’ll try to include some original journalism and exclusive content (Dunno where I’ll find it oh, but we move).
Like, for this week, I spoke to the very talented, very gracious Caleb Okereke about the Ugandan election. It was fun.
Plus, I don’t get to crowd your inbox anymore. Haha.
As schools re-open in Nigeria . . .
Based on directives from the Federal Ministry of Education, primary and secondary schools are expected to re-open nationwide today after a prolonged break necessitated by the Covid pandemic. In Lagos, the government urged school authorities to ensure strict compliance with Covid precautions such as hand washing, wearing of face masks and social distancing. The term is expected to run for 61 days.
In Kaduna, schools will remain closed for now.
Meanwhile, the number of new Covid cases and casualties continues to rise. On Sunday, the NCDC reported 1,444 cases and 15 deaths.
And even if the country takes delivery of some vaccines, especially the Pfizer version which requires some sophisticated freezing, it appears there is no place to store them, according to the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Prof Babatunde Salako.
Distribution of the vaccines - and note that they are not available yet - is another problem that has confounded more efficient countries like the United States.
The safest advice remains: wear a mask, stay away from large crowds, wash your hands regularly and if you are anything like me, pray like hell.
NIN registration is still on . . .
There is so much bad news that has landed on my desk this morning - policemen being killed in Kano, a dead priest in Niger state - but I am not going to indulge. As the security situation in the country worsens, registration for the National Identity Number is still ongoing.
The NIMC, the agency in charge of the registration, said it has reopened 20 centres in Abuja, after closing its headquarters for unspecified reasons.
The NIMC has also said registration for the NIN is mandatory for diplomats who will reside in Nigeria for a continuous period of two years or more.
Have you registered for the NIN? Share your experience with me.
What happened in Uganda?
Yoweri Museveni, 76, has been declared the winner of the Uganda Presidential Election by the country’s electoral commission. This means Mr Museveni will enjoy a sixth-term in office, becoming one of the longest-serving Presidents in contemporary politics.
His main contender, pop-artist-turned-politician, Bobi Wine, has faulted the conduct of the polls and even said he fears for his life after soldiers surrounded his house. “We are in serious trouble,” he tweeted. “We are under siege.”
Wine has attracted thousands of supporters — mostly young, as he campaigned to end Museveni's 34-year grip on the East African nation.
To appreciate Museveni’s victory, I spoke to Caleb Okereke, a Nigerian journalist who has reported extensively across Uganda. Caleb, who is also the founder of Minority Africa, told me there’s a distant but real possibility of post-electoral violence. That shouldn’t be surprising. At least 54 people were killed when protests broke out in November after Bobi Wine and other opposition activists had been arrested.
“There is a divide in Uganda,” Caleb, who is currently in Nigeria, told me. “There are those who are pleased that Museveni is staying in power, not because they particularly like him but because he signifies some sort of normalcy and regularity. There are those who feel Bobi Wine’s policies are not as concrete as they would like and that he’s just courting power or at least proximity to power.
“I’ve heard people tell me there are no riots and that people are happy Museveni has won. And then there are those who say ‘I’m disappointed’.
“But I don’t think anybody actually expected Bobi Wine to win, which is something I think we should all know. Even Bobi Wine’s supporters. I spoke to several of them before I left - many of my friends are pro-Bobi Wine - I don’t think they expected him to win the election through the electoral commission.
“I do think some people are disappointed but not disappointed in the sense that we thought Bobby would win and he didn’t win. It’s more like, yes we knew he wouldn’t win, but we had some faint hope that he would.
“It’s impossible to destroy the master’s house with the master’s tool, Solomon. So I don’t see Museveni exiting power through an election. And I think Bobi Wine is aware of that. He is playing by the rules but he’s aware that the rules will not favour him. They have never favoured him. These people have broken every single rule - they’ve arrested him, surrounding his house right now. And they continue to break the rules. So why would they follow the rules in the election?
“We are still worried about riots breaking out. We don’t know for sure what will happen. Riots can happen tomorrow or the day after. There is a heavy military presence in Kampala, so that’s very unlikely. But I do see them happening when the military presence calms down.”
What else is happening?
Dangote Group: The conglomerate says it has completed Nigeria’s longest concrete road, the 43-km Obajana-Kabba road.
#EndSARS: A petitioner, Komolafe David, told a Lagos state judicial panel that a policeman brutally assaulted him and seized his phone after he politely asked to sit beside the officer in a bus.
Diplomacy: Nigeria now has a new ambassador to the United States - Dr Uzoma Emenike, a career diplomat.
SERAP: The civil society organisation is asking the National Assembly to stop President Muhammadu Buhari from selling government properties to fund the 2021 budget.
Navalny: Five months after he was nearly killed by a nerve agent, the Kremlin critic returned to Russia. Then he was detained.
China: While most countries’ economy slid into a recession in 2020, the Chinese economy grew by 2.3 per cent. It’s not all flowers and sunshine though, as this New York Times story points out.
Messi: The Argentine superstar was sent off for the first time in a Barcelona shirt as the Catalans lost the Spanish Super Cup to Athletic Bilbao.
And that’s it for this week. I’ll see you in seven days. Till then, mask up.
P.S. I’m currently reading Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror. By all means, read with me.