The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has firmly denied allegations of dirty fuel being imported into Nigeria. Speaking to journalists after a meeting with oil marketers and local refiners at the NMDPRA headquarters in Abuja, Executive Director of Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, Ogbugo Ukoha, assured the public of the quality of petroleum products entering the country.

"There is no dirty fuel that we would encourage to come into Nigeria. And there is no dirty fuel being brought in," Ukoha stated emphatically.

This statement comes in response to accusations made by Devakumar Edwin, Vice President of Oil and Gas at Dangote Industries Limited (DIL). Edwin had claimed that International Oil Companies (IOCs) in Nigeria were attempting to undermine the Dangote Oil Refinery and Petrochemicals by importing substandard refined products. Edwin also criticized the NMDPRA for allegedly granting licenses indiscriminately to importers of dirty fuel.

The NMDPRA reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that only high-quality petroleum products are supplied and consumed in Nigeria. Ukoha explained that in 2020, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) endorsed the Afri-5 fuel roadmap, which mandates a maximum of 50 parts per million (ppm) of sulphur in imported fuels. While immediate compliance was expected for imports, local refineries were given until December 31, 2024, to meet this standard.

Ukoha noted that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 upholds this ECOWAS treaty, and the NMDPRA has been actively enforcing compliance. He reported a downward trend in sulphur content in imported products, with significant improvements since February.

"As of June, the average sulphur content in Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) imported into Nigeria is well below the 50 ppm legal limit," Ukoha stated. "Local refineries, while currently operating under deferred standards, are also installing desulphurisation units to reduce sulphur levels to as low as 10 ppm in the near future."

Ukoha assured that the NMDPRA is dedicated to safeguarding the health and well-being of Nigerians. "There is no dirty fuel being brought in, and we have the statistics to prove it. The sulphur content of imported fuels has significantly decreased, meeting and often exceeding regulatory requirements."

The meeting between NMDPRA officials, oil marketers, and local refiners aimed to foster collaboration and ensure energy security in Nigeria. Discussions addressed pricing, competition, and other significant industry issues.

In a country grappling with unprecedented economic hardships, the Federal Government's proposal to purchase new jets for the President and Vice President is not just ill-timed but also deeply insensitive. With mass unemployment, galloping inflation, and widespread poverty, this move exemplifies a stark disconnect between the government and the suffering populace it claims to serve.

The recent revelation that the government has already spent nearly N15 billion on maintaining the existing presidential fleet within just 11 months underscores the significant financial burden this fleet places on national resources. Despite this expenditure, the administration now seeks to approve the purchase of two additional aircraft at an estimated cost of N918.7 billion. This decision comes amidst an economic climate where every naira should be judiciously allocated to alleviate the citizens' plight.

President Bola Tinubu's administration must reconsider this decision and instead focus on overhauling the current fleet. The government maintains a fleet of six aircraft, including a Boeing 737 and several Gulfstream jets, which, if properly maintained, should suffice for the President's and Vice President's travel needs. The exorbitant cost of new aircraft, juxtaposed with the billions already spent on maintenance, raises critical questions about fiscal responsibility and prioritization.

The argument presented by government officials—that the safety of the President necessitates new aircraft—fails to acknowledge that comprehensive maintenance and refurbishment can ensure the safety and functionality of the existing fleet. Leading aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing and Gulfstream offer extensive overhaul services that can extend the lifespan and safety of these jets, providing a more cost-effective solution than purchasing new ones.

Moreover, the government's justification that the purchase of new jets is a "basic thing any sane government will do" is tone-deaf to the realities faced by ordinary Nigerians. The timing of this proposal, coinciding with severe economic distress and policy-induced hardships like the removal of fuel subsidies and hikes in electricity tariffs, only exacerbates public discontent and mistrust in the administration.

While the safety of the nation's leaders is paramount, it should not come at the expense of neglecting the broader needs of the citizenry. The leadership must demonstrate empathy and solidarity with Nigerians by redirecting resources towards urgent social and economic interventions. Investments in job creation, poverty alleviation programmes, and infrastructure development will have far-reaching impacts, fostering a sense of shared sacrifice and commitment to national progress.

In conclusion, the Nigerian government should prioritize the refurbishment and maintenance of the existing presidential fleet over the acquisition of new jets. This approach balances the need for safety with fiscal prudence and public accountability. By aligning its actions with the pressing needs of its citizens, the administration can build trust and show that it truly understands and is committed to addressing the challenges facing Nigeria today.

More than 70% of Nigerian households were involved in agricultural activities in 2022, according to a survey by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The "National Agricultural Sample Census (NASC) Report 2022," released on Monday, indicates that approximately 40.2 million households in Nigeria engage in various agricultural practices.

The report underscores agriculture's vital role across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones. It highlights that the NASC is designed to be conducted every five to ten years, adhering to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) standards. However, the last census was conducted in 1993/1994.

Key Findings:

- Kano State leads with about 2.4 million agricultural households, followed by Kaduna State with 2 million.

- Bayelsa State recorded the least with 0.34 million agricultural households.

- About 26.7% of agricultural households have 5-6 members, while 14% have 1-2 members.

- 91% of agricultural households cultivate crops, with 35% practicing only crop cultivation and 48% raising livestock.

- Lagos State had the lowest percentage of crop cultivation at 48%, while Ebonyi State had the highest at 99.5%.

- Jigawa State reported the highest percentage of livestock production at 84.2%, followed by Bauchi State at 79.7%.

- Benue State had the highest percentage of poultry farming at 65.2%, closely followed by Ebonyi State at 63.3%.

Demographics and Crop Cultivation:

- 16% of agricultural households are headed by females, with higher percentages in states like Anambra and Enugu.

- The majority of household heads (28%) are aged 35-44 years, with only 2.8% aged 15-24 years.

- Maize, guinea corn, and rice are the primary cereals cultivated by 80%, 40%, and 37% of crop-producing households, respectively.

- Cassava, yam, and cocoyam are the main root/tuber crops, cultivated by 53%, 40%, and 24% of households, respectively.

- Beans/cowpeas are the most cultivated leguminous crops at 46%.

- Okro is the most popular vegetable crop, cultivated by 41% of households.

- Groundnuts are widely cultivated, especially in Benue State, where 81% of households reported growing them.

Methodology:

The NBS conducted the NASC survey using Digitised Enumeration Area (EA) maps across all 36 states and the FCT. Of the 774 LGAs in Nigeria, 767 were fully covered, three were partially covered, and four were not covered due to insecurity.

Nigeria’s Statistician-General, Adeyemi Adeniran, highlighted that the report covers various aspects of agricultural households, including crop production, livestock management, and fisheries activities. The census, he noted, establishes a framework for monitoring and evaluating progress towards key agricultural indicators.

Hassan Ya'u, a 42-year-old maize and sesame seed farmer in Nigeria's northern Katsina state, was tending to his crops early this month when dozens of armed men on motorcycles rode towards his plot and started shooting at close range.

Ya'u and fellow farmer Musa Nasidi managed to escape, but at least 50 people - many of them farmers working their fields at the time - were killed in the attack in the latest in a series of deadly raids on farming areas. An unknown number of people were abducted in the assault, which was carried out in broad daylight.

Ya'u and Nasidi said the gunmen had attacked their Kankara farming community because farmers had not paid a levy imposed by the armed gang.

Such raids are forcing many farmers to leave their fields, contributing to higher food prices and soaring inflation as Nigeria faces the worst cost of living crisis in a generation.

"They set ablaze my produce and took away foodstuff worth about 4 million naira ($2,739.73)," said Ya'u, who has sought refuge in Daura town, nearly 200 km (124 miles) from Kankara.

"I don't have access to my farm because bandits have taken control of the area. Everything has been ruined," added the father of 13 children who faces an uncertain future.

Armed gangs demand as much as three million naira per village, depending on the size, to allow farmers to work.

"The farmers are even forming vigilante groups to make sure they are able to access the farms but it is still very difficult," said Kabir Ibrahim, president of All Farmers Association of Nigeria.

Northern Nigeria produces the bulk of the country's staples like rice, yam and maize, but it is also its most unstable region, as armed kidnapping gangs attack and pillage villages in the northwest while Islamist militants cause havoc in the northeast.

Nasidi, 36, fled to near Katsina town after the Kankara attack.

He used to harvest about 400 bags of groundnuts, 80 bags of sesame seed and 200 bags of maize, he said, but now faces a bleak year after part of his 8.5-hectare farm was set ablaze by bandits.

"The situation is beyond our control and I was left with no choice other than to leave Kankara because our lives were in danger," Nasidi told Reuters.

A World Food Programme report on the outlook for acute food insecurity globally said Nigeria has joined the world's "hunger hotspots", which analysts attribute to insecurity in farming areas and high costs of seed, fertiliser, chemicals and diesel.

Lagos-based consultancy SBM Intelligence said 1,356 farmers in Nigeria were killed since 2020. This year, 137 deaths had been recorded, it said, adding that farming was becoming a dangerous occupation.

"The risk is very grave," said Confidence McHarry, SBM's lead security analyst, adding that gunmen also attacked farmers "on suspicion of collaborating with the military."

Defence spokesperson Edward Buba said that with the rainy season under way, the military was prioritising farmers' security.

"The farmers union are keying into the farm protection plan of the armed forces to make the best of the rainy season," he said, without elaborating.

But for 22-year-old farmer Abdulaziz Gora in Zamfara state, next to Katsina, there is little hope of returning to his farm. He relocated to state capital Gusau after a violent attack on his village in May, abandoning his soybean and maize crops.

"Anyone caught there risks being kidnapped or killed," he said.

($1 = 1,460 naira)

Reuters

Last Thursday the governor of Zamfara, one of Nigeria’s poorest states, held a ceremony to mark the start of construction on an international airport in the state capital Gusau.

“The economic benefits and multiplier effects … are quite enormous,” Dauda Lawal said. “The airport will have a tremendous impact on the ease of doing business and other social interactions [here].”

Barely a month before, Alex Otti, the governor of Abia state in the south-east, had thanked federal officials for approving an airstrip project and said he would be lobbying for an upgrade to a full airport in the near future. “A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step,” Otti said.

Airports have been springing up around the country in recent years; for the most part absent are any concerns about the environmental impact of air travel. Nigeria already has 33 airports – all but two entirely owned by the federal or state governments – as well as 13 airstrips, four military airfields and 128 sites with helipads.

Despite the proliferation in projects, the number of journeys taken by air fell last year to 15.89m, down from 16.17m in 2022. Passenger traffic is incredibly concentrated: just three airports accounted for 92% of all passenger journeys nationwide in 2022, according to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority.

For some observers the rush to build airports is less about economics and more about political prestige.

“The simplest answer is that [politicians] have run away from roads the way they ran away from the railways … because roads are harder to fix and need more coordination,” said Feyi Fawehinmi, an author and political commentator. “[Airports] are also shiny and building them allows politicians to say they’ve ‘connected’ their state to the rest of the country and the world.”

In some instances state governments have opened airports only to find it hard to maintain them. Last year an airport was inaugurated in Ebonyi state that cost 36bn naira (£19m). Months later, an additional13.7bn naira was spent on repairing its barely used runway. Then, in May this year, the federal government said it was stepping in to take over the facility from the state. “We have FEC [the Nigerian cabinet] approval,” an official said. “The only thing left is for us to refund the Ebonyi state government.”

Nigeria’s aviation minister, Festus Keyamo, defended the latest projects as a “social amenity for the people”. “In a vast country like Nigeria that is also very sensitive in terms of geopolitical issues, ethnic balancing and all, you want to ensure that infrastructure is evenly distributed,” he said. “The most important thing is that airports in Nigeria go beyond commercial viability … they are not only for the pleasure of those who can afford to fly.”

Some experts agreed that having plenty of airports could eventually be beneficial to Africa’s most populous country, even if the motivation for building them was sometimes questionable.

“Heathrow used to be a village until the airport came,” said Samuel Akinyele Caulcrick, a former rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology. “Politicians have their own reasons for building them [but] what we should be asking is why are we not using them to their full potential, because airports are supposed to drive development wherever you put them.”

Part of the problem is cost: fares have doubled in the past three years in a country where more than half the population live on less than £1 a day. Multiple taxes imposed by different government agencies don’t help, and nor do high service charges.

In 2023 the International Air Transport Association said the $100-a-passenger service charge at Lagos and Abuja airports was the most expensive globally. “How can you have such high taxes and expect to be profitable?” Kamil Al-Awadhi, Iata’s vice-president for Africa and Middle East, reportedly said at the time.

One solution put forward at industry forums to reduce the number of “ghost” airports operating far under capacity is for an expansion in freight transportation by plane. Caulcrick pointed to the possibility of flying raw and processed goods to Lagos port for exportation instead of bringing them by truck.

Toni Ukachukwu, the head of the Lagos-based consultancy Aviators Africa and host of ASAP, a podcast on industry sustainability, said the industry needed to expand beyond traditional commercial and business passenger aviation in large jets.

“In South Africa and Kenya you have your three, four and five-seater airplanes that do scenic flights, agricultural flights, game reserve flights etc,” he said. “We don’t have that in Nigeria.”

Ukachukwu suggested the industry should learn from a rare domestic success story. “Ibom Air is one model Nigerian operators need to look at,” he said, referring to the oil-rich Akwa Ibom state’s carrier, which has a reputation for punctuality. “State-owned but independently managed by professionals … for five years, they have steadily grown to where they are now.”

The Guardian, UK

In a press statement issued yesterday, Afenifere commended the Nigerian House of Representatives for its intervention regarding the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the country. The commendation follows a bill introduced by Representative Shagaya (Kwara), which calls for a suspension of all GMO introductions pending a comprehensive investigation by the House Committee on Agricultural Production and Services.

Afenifere expressed grave concerns about the potential consequences of GMOs, highlighting issues such as the copyrighting of seeds, pesticide toxicity, and the integrity of regulatory bodies. The organization urged both legislative and executive branches to prioritize Nigeria’s long-term interests.

Farmers' Rights and Food Security

Afenifere emphasized the importance of protecting farmers' rights and preserving collective self-sufficiency. The group warned that GMO seeds are patented, creating a dependency that strips farmers of the freedom to revert to organic seeds. This dependency, they argued, poses a significant threat to Nigeria's long-term food security. The statement highlighted the risk of a few international biotech companies or even Nigerian producers gaining disproportionate control over seed production, which could lead to food colonization and undermine popular sovereignty.

Health Concerns over Pesticides

The group called for comprehensive studies on the long-term effects of pesticides associated with GMOs. They pointed to the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which in 2015 identified glyphosate, the world's most commonly used herbicide, as a probable carcinogen. Afenifere noted that Bayer-Monsanto, the main producer of glyphosate and GMOs resistant to it, plans to introduce 40 varieties into Nigeria, raising significant health concerns.

Institutional Conflicts and Regulatory Integrity

Afenifere questioned the integrity of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), established to ensure biosafety and biosecurity. They raised concerns about the inclusion of the National Biotechnology Development Agency, a promoter of GMOs, on the NBMA board. The group also highlighted the alleged undue influence of major GMO producers, which has led to rapid approvals of genetically modified crops without fully publicized tests.

Global Economic Influence on Science

The statement drew attention to the global economic influence of biotech companies on scientific evaluations and regulatory decisions. It cited the controversy following WHO's assessment of glyphosate and the extensive lobbying efforts by Monsanto. The group referenced Bayer's $9.6 billion settlement in 2020 over claims that glyphosate-based Roundup caused cancer, underscoring the need for vigilance against similar influences in Nigeria.

Cultural and Historical Implications

Afenifere stressed the cultural and historical significance of traditional farming practices in Nigeria, particularly yam cultivation, which has deep roots in Nigerian and African heritage. They argued that adopting GMOs could undermine this heritage and equated it to a form of civilizational suicide.

Conclusion and Demands

Afenifere called for the removal of all copyrights from foreign GMO seed sellers in Nigeria and mandated the labeling of all GMO foods. The group demanded that if GMO seeds are to be used, the government must establish a robust, incorruptible regulatory framework to ensure long-term sustainability. They insisted on comprehensive, transparent studies accessible to all stakeholders and researchers.

Signed:

Justice Faloye, Afenifere National Publicity Secretary

A group of women from Ipo community yesterday barricaded the entrance to the Port Harcourt international airport in Rivers.

The women were protesting the lack of basic amenities in their community.

The protest disrupted flight operations at the airport and left passengers stranded. The demonstration also led to snarled-up traffic on adjoining routes.

Ipo is the host community of the international airport in Ikwerre LGA of Rivers.

The women said the community lacks electricity, roads, pipe-borne water, and schools, despite hosting a critical federal government facility.

The women locked the gate to the airport roundabout, wielded placards with sundry inscriptions, while chanting solidarity songs and anti-government slogans.

In March, the women staged a similar protest. They were eventually pacified by Sergeant Awuse, former chairman of the Rivers traditional rulers council.

The demonstration comes on the heels of the police’s directive to the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE).

The Rivers police command had asked NULGE to shelve its protest on the LG crisis which kicked off on Monday.

Rivers has become a potpourri of protests and angst since Siminalayi Fubara, the state governor, parted ways with Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT).

The Cable

Israelis' lawsuit says UN agency helps Hamas by paying Gaza staff in dollars

Israelis who were taken hostage or lost loved ones during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack are suing the United Nations agency that aids Palestinians, claiming it has helped finance the militants by paying agency staffers in U.S. dollars and thereby funneling them to money-changers in Gaza who allegedly give a cut to Hamas.

But the agency, known as UNWRA, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the staffers were paid in dollars by their own choice. Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank don’t have their own national currency, and primarily use Israeli shekels.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in a U.S. federal court in New York, marks the latest challenge to the beleaguered U.N. agency, which has been the main supplier of food, water and shelter to civilians during the Israel-Hamas war. The Israeli government has long assailed the over 70-year-old agency, and scrutiny has intensified during the eight-month-long war, prompting UNRWA to defend itself while grappling with a spiraling humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

“UNRWA’s staff, facilities and ability to truck cash U.S. dollars into Gaza formed a potent pillar of Hamas’ plan to undertake the Oct. 7 attack,” the lawsuit says, asserting that the U.N. agency “systematically and deliberately aided and abetted Hamas and its goals.”

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said Tuesday that he learned of the case only through the media.

“I don’t know what the status of this lawsuit is all about, but for the time being, I see this as an additional way to put pressure on the agency,” he said at a press briefing in Geneva.

UNRWA has denied that it knowingly aids Hamas or any other militant group.

Israel invaded Gaza after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, in which militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted about 250. The war has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn’t say how many were civilians or fighters.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of scores of Israelis including Oct. 7 attack survivors, victims’ relatives, and rescued captives. It echoes some complaints their government has raised, ranging from claims that UNRWA employs Hamas operatives to complaints about the content of textbooks in UNRWA-run schools.

But the suit also focuses on the agency’s practice of paying its 13,000 Gaza staffers in U.S. dollars. The money is wired from a bank in New York and trucked into Gaza, according to the legal complaint, which says the payroll totaled at least $20 million a month from 2018 until last September.

UNRWA employees use local money-changers to convert their dollars to Israeli shekels, the complaint says.

Some Palestinians also use dollars or Jordanian dinars, viewing them as stable and trusted currencies.

The suit claims that Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since 2007, “runs the majority” of the currency exchangers and extracts a 10% to 25% fee from the rest, “ensuring that a predictable percentage of UNRWA’s payroll went to Hamas” in dollars useful for black-market weapons deals.

“Hamas’ ability to carry out the Oct. 7 attack would have been significantly and possibly fatally weakened without that UNRWA-provided cash,” the complaint says.

The complaint points to an UNRWA-commissioned 2018 report about delivering aid in cash that noted risks of misappropriation, fraud or other diversion away from the intended purpose.

UNRWA spokesperson Juliette Touma said in a message to the AP that Gaza staffers asked that “they are paid in US$ because Gaza does not have an official national currency.”

Touma said the U.N., including UNRWA, and their officials are immune from lawsuits. She declined to comment further on the suit in question, saying the agency hadn’t officially been served with it.

One of the plaintiffs’ lead lawyers, Gavi Mairone, said in a statement Tuesday that they didn’t believe the U.N. and officials named in the suit had immunity, “and certainly not from these claims.”

Formally called the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA was established to help the estimated 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were driven out of what is now Israel during the 1948 war surrounding the country’s creation. Their descendants now number nearly 6 million.

The agency operates schools, health clinics, infrastructure projects and aid programs in refugee camps in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.

Since the war began in Gaza, over 1.7 million people have taken shelter in UNRWA facilities. At least 500 displaced people have been killed when such facilities came under attack, according to UNWRA statistics released Friday. The agency has lost nearly 200 staffers.

Two U.N. officials said Tuesday that the world body warned Israel that Gaza aid operations would be suspended unless protections for humanitarian workers improve.

Israel has accused UNRWA of letting Hamas exploit its aid and facilities, and Israel claimed this winter that a dozen UNRWA employees participated in the Oct. 7 attacks.

The allegations prompted the U.S. and more than a dozen other countries to suspend hundreds of millions of dollars in contributions to the agency, though all but the U.S. and Britain have resumed their funding. Lazzarini said Tuesday that new donors also have come on board, but the agency still faces a year-end shortfall of up to $140 million.

AP

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russian proposal can end Ukraine conflict – Putin

Russia’s offer for a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine conflict is a realistic way to end the hostilities, but the West is simply ignoring it, President Vladimir Putin has said.

In a keynote foreign policy speech earlier this month, the Russian leader promised to order a ceasefire if Ukraine vows not to seek membership in NATO and withdraws its troops from all territories claimed by Russia. Kiev immediately rejected the proposal.

In an address to an international forum hosted by Russia this week, Putin said his offer should be carefully considered by interested parties.

”Unlike many Western politicians who didn’t even bother to get to the core of the initiative we proposed, participants of this forum, I expect, will study it thoughtfully and rationally and will see that it gives a real opportunity to stop the conflict and move to its political-diplomatic resolution,” a written welcome message from Putin said, as read on Tuesday by his foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov.

Ushakov went on to say that Moscow is offering a “chance to at once stop the settlement of our differences on the battlefield and the loss of life,” adding, however, that the West wants to keep fighting Russia “to the last Ukrainian.”

“For now, the West-spurred military frenzy” is not subsiding, he lamented, citing Ukraine’s missile attack last Sunday which injured over 150 civilians and claimed at least four lives at a beach in Sevastopol, Crimea.

Moscow claims that Washington shares responsibility for the strike, since Ukraine used US-supplied ATACMS missiles with cluster munition warheads. Some Russian officials have argued that American military specialists must have been directly involved in the use of the sophisticated weapon. Mikhail Podoliak, an aide to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, claimed that the beachgoers were “civilian occupiers.”

Ushakov stated that Russia has the overarching goal of creating an indivisible pan-Eurasian security system to replace the “Euroatlantic and Eurocentric models that are passing into oblivion.”

He added that it is time to seriously devise a way to ensure peace in the space “that covers Western and Eastern states and Russia in between them.” The participants of the forum – the Primakov Readings, named after the late Russian diplomat Evgeny Primakov – are among the experts who can accomplish this, Ushakov noted.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russia, Ukraine each return 90 prisoners of war

Russia and Ukraine each handed back 90 prisoners of war on Tuesday in the latest of several periodic swaps in their 28-month-old conflict, with the United Arab Emirates overseeing the exchange as an intermediary.

The last exchange took place on May 31, when each side handed over 75 prisoners of war, also with the UAE acting as a go-between. That was the first exchange in nearly four months.

Russia said prisoners brought home on Tuesday had faced mortal danger in captivity.

Ukraine said returnees had included soldiers who had defended the Azovstal steel mill in a three-month siege in 2022 and others taken prisoner when Russian forces briefly seized the defunct Chornobyl nuclear power station.

The UAE said its action as a go-between had been made possible by maintaining good contacts with both sides.

The Russian Defence Ministry, in a posting on the Telegram messaging app, said: "As a result of negotiations, 90 Russian prisoners of war who risked death in captivity are being returned from areas under Kyiv's control."

It said the Russian prisoners were able to return home

"with the United Arab Emirates participating as an intermediary in a humanitarian capacity".

The freed Russian prisoners were being flown to Moscow, where they would undergo medical checks, the ministry said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said most of the freed servicemen were privates and sergeants, and the swap was another step in the process of bringing all detainees home.

"We will return all others in the same way," he said in his nightly video address. "We are seeking the truth about everyone -- where a person is, in what condition, what is needed for their return."

He thanked the UAE for facilitating the exchange and pledged to press on with efforts to bring home those still being held.

Ukraine's parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, said those returning from captivity would undergo medical checks and receive help in resuming their lives.

Video posted on the president's Telegram channel showed men stepping off a bus to be greeted and handed blue and yellow national flags to drape over their shoulders.

The UAE Foreign Ministry, in a statement quoted by the state news agency WAM, said mediation had proved successful because it had leveraged "its distinct ties and partnership with both sides, including as a reliable mediator among both parties".

Since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine, the UAE has maintained neutral rhetoric on the conflict and continued mediating between the two sides to exchange prisoners.

RT/Reuters

Nigeria was last week swept up in a wave of emotions as a video emerged in South Africa of President Bola Tinubu appearing to be on the receiving end of an embarrassing snub by the South Africa leader at his inauguration.

But Nigerians who are looking at that video are at the wrong political campaign venue. They should be studying videos of how Tinubu views them.

According to Sahara Reporters, Tinubu arrived in Pretoria on a private jet belonging to Gilbert Chagoury, his business partner and a man whose Hitech Construction Company he has trusted with the controversial N15 trillion, 700km Lagos-Calabar coastal highway. The Nigeria leader’s son, Seyi Tinubu, sits on the board of Hitech.

Clearly, the concept of conflict of interest, or crossed wires, means nothing to the Tinubus. In the past 10 years, the party to which they belong, the APC, has sworn to eliminate the expensive presidential fleet of about 10 jets.

But populism is different, and Muhammadu Buhari, the champion of the political boast, could not find the character to implement his claims. He settled into the presidential fleet for eight years, and was known to give some of the jets to members of the family who had private errands to run.

All the jets were available and running smoothly when Buhari was in power. Since Tinubu assumed office, however, various reports have suggested that some of the favourite jets were developing maintenance “issues.”

And then, just days before he was due to jet off to Pretoria in a Chagoury jet, the National Assembly set in motion a process to purchase new jets for him and for and Vice-President Kashim Shettima. On June 13, the House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence authorized the government to “immediately” buy new aircraft for the two officials.

Only two days later, the House’s counterpart committee on the Senate, speaking through a man who was away in Saudi Arabia performing the Hajj, threw its support behind the fait accompli, which had clearly come from the executive itself.

The matter was reminiscent of the vexed issue of the national anthem last month, with the legislature taking just a matter of days to grant approval to the old anthem becoming the new.  It emerged that two years ago, Tinubu had disclosed that he if got the chance, he would bring back the old anthem.

He got his wish. And now it seems he will get his new jets as well: only one week after the House gave its approval, the government reportedly put three jets in the presidential fleet up for sale.

The mass media is often quick to fall for such news bulletins when the government distributes them. They disburse them lavishly on the front pages and the top of the broadcasts, only to fail to follow up the story.  In this case, we’ll almost certainly never find out who buys these three “ageing” jets, let alone for how much.

But the media will help to receive and gloat over the new jets that are being acquired not simply despite Nigeria’s mounting economic crisis, but indeed to escalate it.

My view is that Nigerians should pay less attention to Tinubu’s South African tour and far more to his invasion of Nigeria because this is the real nightmare. If they are buying those jets without publishing an investigation of the maintenance profile of the presidential fleet, somebody is playing a game.

What we have is a government which preaches sacrifice but taunts the people by squandering resources.  It is a government which came to spend, not to serve, and the evidence is significant that lacks the commitment to uplift the Nigerian people.

It is widely known, for instance, that Tinubu loves large, exuberant convoys.  They feature glittering, top-of-the-line SUVs at a time when petrol costs are extremely high.  He appears determined to make Nigerians feel the pain of his tenure: to watch him enjoy his best life at a time he is calling on them to sacrifice for the greater good. There is no deeper hypocrisy.

The first question is why he needs new vehicles, given the barely-used pool he inherited from his predecessor. The second is why he is insensitive to the cost of maintaining and fueling the fleets.

According to available data of the federal government, on the 22nd of June 2023, three weeks after assuming office and in a continuing pattern for State House, Abuja, the government paid:

₦212,712,766.59 for the “purchase of vehicles;”

₦161,250,000.00 for the “supply of five Nissan urvan bus high roof mt;”

₦61,275,000.00 for the “purchase of vehicles.”

At the end of May 2024, it paid:

₦1,200,000,000.00 for the supply of new vehicles to State House, Abuja, and

₦200,000,000.00 to buy SUVs. (Notice just how round those numbers strangely are), and

On June 7, 2024, ₦191,497,674.41 for three Toyota Prado 4-cylinder SUVs.

Nigerians would recall that in the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation, Mr. Tinubu wanted N3bn to renovate into “State House complexes,” two luxury properties that had been forfeited to the EFCC in the Guzape and Mabushi areas of the FCT. Nigerians widely criticized the proposal.

The new data reveals, however, that as of May 31, he had got his wish:

₦1,354,258,408.58 has been paid for the “acquisition, renovation and rehabilitation” of the property at Guzape;

₦773,423,288.50 for the “acquisition, renovation and rehabilitation of 2 nos EFCC forfeited quarters;” (presumably Mabushi), and

₦1,877,305,494.92 for the “renovation of residential quarters for mr president.”

Similarly:

₦752,236,350.10 was spent on the “renovation of Dodan Barracks-official residence of mr president;” and

₦3,500,000,000.00 was paid to construct an office complex within State House, Abuja.

Anyone who is interested may further examine this database for various curiosities, such as parallel supplies, or new constructions of aspects of the State House Medical Center, a N21bn ($45m) “world class” facility that the preceding government completed, equipped and inaugurated with great fanfare just days before its departure in May 2023.

I find fascinating, the repeated investments in motor vehicle tires, for instance, along with relentless and separate supplies of diesel not just to State House, but separately, to the Medical Centre.

Finally, the presidential jets.  According to the government’s data cited in this story, the existing fleet shows over N18bn in maintenance costs in the one year between July 2023 and June 2024, even as a clear pattern emerged of the determination of leaders of the administration to focus on themselves. Buhari was incompetent, shallow and weak, but even he hesitated at conspicuous consumption of the market square kind.

Because of the track record Tinubu has established in the past year, I fully expect Tinubu to get his jets—and more—no matter the optics or what it means for the Nigerian economy.

No, it is not what the South African president, or any other world leader, thinks of our Tinubu. It is what Tinubu thinks of his people and where he hopes to leave them after eight years in control that is his dream.

Think of the Tinubu Bus Stop on the global poverty highway.