General
SERAP Urges NASS to Reject Buhari’s Fresh Loan Request
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the National Assembly to reject the fresh loan request of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Last week, at the resumption of plenary on the Senate after a break, Mr Ahmad Lawan, the Senate President, read a letter from Mr Buhari requesting to borrow $4 billion and €710 million.
But in a letter, SERAP said both chambers, the Senate and House of Representatives, should not grant this request until the publication of details of spending of all loans obtained since the Buhari-led administration took office on May 29, 2015.
In the open letter signed by SERAP deputy director, Mr Kolawole Oluwadare, the group expressed “concerns about the growing debt crisis, the lack of transparency and accountability in the spending of loans that have been obtained, and the perceived unwillingness or inability of the National Assembly to vigorously exercise its constitutional duties to check the apparently indiscriminate borrowing by the government.”
SERAP said: “The National Assembly should not allow the government to accumulate unsustainable levels of debt, and use the country’s scarce resources for staggering and crippling debt service payments rather than for improved access of poor and vulnerable Nigerians to basic public services and human rights.”
According to SERAP, “Accumulation of excessive debts and unsustainable debt-servicing are inconsistent with the government’s international obligations to use the country’s maximum available resources to progressively achieve the realisation of economic and social rights, and access of Nigerians to basic public services.”
The letter read in part: “The country’s public debt has mushroomed with no end in sight. The growing national debt is clearly not sustainable. There has been no serious attempt by the government to cut the cost of governance. The leadership of the National Assembly ought to stand up for Nigerians by asserting the body’s constitutional powers to ensure limits on national debt and deficits.
“SERAP urges you to urgently propose a resolution and push for a constitutional amendment on debt limit, with the intent of reducing national debt and deficits. This recommendation is entirely consistent with the constitutional oversight functions and spending powers of the National Assembly, and the country’s international anti-corruption and human rights obligations.
“Indiscriminate borrowing has an effect on the full enjoyment of Nigerians’ economic and social rights. Spending a large portion of the country’s yearly budget to service debts has limited the ability of the government to ensure access of poor and vulnerable Nigerians to minimal health care, education, clean water, and other human needs.
“Should the National Assembly and its leadership fail to rein in government borrowing, and to ensure transparency and accountability in the spending of public loans, SERAP would consider appropriate legal action to compel the National Assembly to discharge its constitutional duties.
“The National Assembly under your leadership has a constitutional responsibility to urgently address the country’s debt crisis, which is exacerbated by overspending on lavish allowances for high-ranking public officials, lack of transparency and accountability, as well as the absence of political will to recover trillions of naira reported to be missing or mismanaged by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.
“The National Assembly should stop the government from borrowing behind the people’s backs. Lack of information about details of specific projects on which loans are spent, and on loan conditions creates incentives for corruption, and limits citizens’ ability to scrutinise the legality and consistency of loans with the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 (as amended), as well as to hold authorities to account.
“SERAP notes that if approved, the country’s debts will exceed N35 trillion. The government is also reportedly pushing the maturity of currently-secured loans to between 10 and 30 years. N11.679 trillion is reportedly committed into debt servicing, while only N8.31 trillion was expended on capital/development expenditure between 2015 and 2020.
“Ensuring transparency and accountability in the spending of loans by the government and cutting the cost of governance would address the onerous debt servicing, and improve the ability of the government to meet the country’s international obligations to use maximum available resources to ensure the enjoyment of basic economic and social rights, such as quality healthcare and education.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has ordered the suspension of senior officers overseeing key commands along the Lagos-Seme corridor following allegations of extortion.
The suspension follows the circulation of online reports accusing immigration personnel at the busy border route of misconduct “bordering on extortion,” prompting immediate intervention from the agency’s leadership.
According to a spokesperson of the border controller, Akinsola Akinlabi, in a statement on Friday, April 10, the NIS Comptroller-General, Mrs Kemi Nandap, had “temporarily relieved the Comptrollers in charge of the affected Commands of their duties” pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation.
The service distanced itself from the alleged conduct, with Mrs Nandap condemning the actions in strong terms, describing the incidents as “unacceptable” and in “direct violation of the core values, ethics, and operational standards of the Service”.
According to the statement, a full-scale probe has been launched to uncover the extent of the нарушения, identify officers involved, and enforce sanctions without delay.
“The investigation will be comprehensive… ensuring appropriate disciplinary measures are applied with immediate effect,” the statement said.
While the probe continues, the Service sought to reassure the public of its commitment to professionalism at Nigeria’s borders.
“The service wishes to reassure the general public that it remains committed to delivering professional, transparent, and efficient services at all points of entry and exit,” it stated.
“It will not condone any act that undermines public trust or tarnishes the integrity of the service.”
The agency also called on Nigerians to report misconduct through its official complaint channels, including social media platforms and its 24-hour contact centre, noting that internal oversight mechanisms are being strengthened.
“The Nigeria Immigration Service remains resolute in its mission to serve with integrity, discipline, and professionalism while facilitating lawful migration,” the statement added.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), the entity established to manage Nigeria’s electricity grid, has said that it was working to accelerate the implementation of the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) to enhance grid monitoring.
The SCADA is a software and hardware system that enables industrial organisations to remotely monitor, control, and collect real-time data from machines and processes.
The Managing Director of NISO, Mr Abdul-Mohammed Bello, in a statement to outline some of the achievements the organisation recorded within one-year of its establishment, said efforts are being made to ensure completion to enhance the grid monitoring infrastructure, adding that this is in collaboration with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
”We are doing this to ensure that SCADA, which is a veritable tool for system operation, is completed.
“It is a work in progress, and we have also reached advanced stages in the deployment of the telemetry system across the grid at the electricity trading points,” he said.
Mr Bello said that the telemetry system would enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the electricity market, thereby enabling settlements in real-time.
“This is very critical for us to have accurate data and management aspects of the system.
“We have also been able to install substantial IoT metering systems on most parts of the generating units and at the interfaces between transmission and generation, and substations,” he said.
Mr Bello said that the IoT application was an ongoing project that NISO was prioritising.
He said that when the project is completed before the end of the year, there would be visibility of the national grid from generation through transmission lines, substations, and distribution.
“We are going to make sure that the approved transmission expansion plan is religiously implemented to add value to the system,” he said.
He also said that the board of NISO had been able to strengthen and execute Institutional development in the electricity regulatory sector.
He said that the system operator had prioritised the building of a strong and credible institution over the past year, and had already established governance and management structures to support independent system operations.
“We have been able to establish governance and management structures to support independent system operations both at the board level and at the management level.
“We have also strengthened institutional coordination across the electricity value chain, from generation to transmission, distribution, and energy cost management. This is to foster a culture of accountability, professionalism and performance throughout the sector value chain,” he said.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Mikano International Limited has refuted allegations linking its chairman, Mr Mofid Karameh, to criminal activity.
In a statement on Friday, the company described as false a report by an online news platform that Mr Karameh was involved in, investigated for, or associated with illegal activity.
“These claims are entirely unfounded, baseless, and defamatory,” the firm said, describing such allegations as “a gross misrepresentation of his character and the values he upholds.”
“For more than three decades, Mikano International Limited has built a solid reputation grounded in integrity, transparency, and responsible business conduct across Nigeria and beyond.
“We take this reputation seriously and are deeply concerned by the dissemination of unverified information capable of misleading the public and unjustly harming both personal and corporate credibility.
“We urge our partners, clients, and the general public to disregard the report in its entirety,” the statement made available to Business Post said.
Mikano said it was “currently reviewing all available legal options and will take appropriate action to defend the reputation of our chairman and the organisation.”
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to excellence across all sectors in which we operate and sincerely appreciate the continued trust and support of our stakeholders,” it stressed.
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