Even if the feared extremist wave did not quite materialize in the European Parliament election this month, the far right performed well in Italy, Austria, Germany, and especially France. Moreover, its latest gains have come on the heels of major shifts toward far-right parties in Hungary, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, and Sweden, among others.

In France, the resounding victory for Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (previously the National Front) cannot be dismissed as a mere protest vote. The party already controls many local governments, and its success this month has induced President Emmanuel Macron to call early elections – a gamble that could give it a parliamentary majority.

At some level, there is nothing new here. We already knew that democracy was increasingly strained around the world, with intensifying challengesfrom authoritarian parties. Surveys show that a growing share of the population is losing confidence in democratic institutions. Nevertheless, the far right’s inroads with younger voters are particularly worrying. No one can now deny that this latest election was a wake-up call. But unless we understand the root causes of the trend, efforts to protect democracy against institutional collapse and extremism are unlikely to succeed.

The simple explanation for the crisis of democracy across the industrialized world is that the system’s performance has fallen short of what it promised. In the United States, real (inflation-adjusted) incomes at the bottom and the middle of the distribution have hardly increased since 1980, and elected politicians have done little about it. Similarly, in much of Europe, economic growth has been lackluster, especially since 2008. Even if youth unemployment has declined recently, it has long been a major economic issue in France and several other European countries.

The Western model of liberal democracy was supposed to deliver jobs, stability, and high-quality public goods. While it mostly succeeded following World War II, it has fallen short on almost every count since around 1980. Policymakers from both the left and the right continued touting policies designed by experts and administered by highly qualified technocrats. But these not only failed to deliver shared prosperity; they also created the conditions for the 2008 financial crisis, which stripped away any remaining veneer of success. Most voters concluded that politicians cared more about bankers than workers.

My own work with Nicolás Ajzenman, Cevat Giray Aksoy, Martin Fiszbein, and Carlos Molina shows that voters tend to support democratic institutions when they have direct experience of democracies delivering economic growth, noncorrupt government, social and economic stability, public services, and low inequality. It therefore comes as no surprise that a failure to satisfy these conditions would result in a loss of support.

Moreover, even when democratic leaders have focused on policies that would contribute to better living conditions for most of the population, they have not done a good job of communicating effectively with the public. For example, pension reform is obviously needed to put France on a more sustainable growth path, but Macron failed to secure public buy-in for his proposed solution.

Democratic leaders have increasingly lost touch with the population’s deeper concerns. In the French case, this partly reflects Macron’s imperious leadership style. But it also reflects a broader decline of trust in institutions, as well as the role of social media and other communication technologies in promoting polarizing positions (on both the left and the right) and pushing much of the population into ideological echo chambers.

Policymakers and mainstream politicians were also somewhat tone deaf to the kinds of economic and cultural turbulence that large-scale immigration brings. In Europe, a significant share of the population expressed concerns about mass immigration from the Middle East over the past decade, but centrist politicians (particularly center-left leaders) were slow to engage with the issue. That created a big opportunity for fringe anti-immigration parties like the Sweden Democrats and the Dutch Party for Freedom, which have since become formal or informal coalition partners for ruling parties.

The challenges hampering shared prosperity in the industrialized world will become even more of an issue in the age of AI and automation – and this at a time when climate change, pandemics, mass immigration, and various threats to regional and global peace are all growing concerns.

But democracy is still best equipped to deal with these issues. Historical and current evidence make it clear that non-democratic regimes are less responsive to the needs of their population, and less effective at helping disadvantaged citizens. Whatever the Chinese model might promise, the evidence shows that non-democratic regimes ultimately reduce growth in the long term.

Nonetheless, democratic institutions and political leaders will need to make a renewed commitment to building a fair economy. That means prioritizing workers and ordinary citizens over multinationals, banks, and global concerns, and fostering trust in the right kind of technocracy. It will not do to have aloof officials imposing policies in the interest of global companies. To address climate change, unemployment, inequality, AI, and the disruptions of globalization, democracies need to blend expertise with public support.

This will not be easy, because many voters have come to distrust centrist parties. Even though the hard left – as represented by Jean-Luc Mélenchon in France – has greater credibility than mainstream politicians in terms of its commitment to working people and independence from banking and global business interests, it is unclear whether left-wing populist policies would truly deliver the economy that voters want.

This suggests one way forward for centrist parties. They can start with a manifesto that rejects blind allegiance to global business and unregulated globalization, and offers a clear, workable plan for combining economic growth with lower inequality. They also should strike a closer balance between openness and allowing for reasonable limits on migration.

If enough French voters support pro-democracy parties against National Rally in the parliamentary election’s second round, Macron’s gamble may well work. But even if it does, business as usual cannot continue. For democracy to regain the public’s support and trust, it needs to become more pro-worker and egalitarian.

Project Syndicate

As a Gen Zer, company culture was a major deciding factor when I was job searching.
Like many people of my generation, I value a workplace that prioritizes diversity, work/life balance and professional growth. 
So I was surprised to hear hiring expert and entrepreneur Brianna Doe say it may not be smart to ask “What is the company culture like?” in a job interview.
Doe worked in marketing for roughly a decade, started leading hiring interviews seven years ago, and now, as founder of her own agency, Verbatim, will soon be hiring her own full-time staff. Doe says that she hears the question time and time again — and has even asked it herself.
“What I found was that it was just too vague or generic,” she says. “When I would ask that question, I would get the cookie-cutter answers of, ‘We have a great culture’ or ‘We really focus on collaboration.’”
To get a better idea of the culture of a company, ask these questions instead, Doe advises:
• What are the common themes that you find among your highest performers?
• What would the first 30 days look like for the person in this role?
• What are some ways that success will be measured in the first 90 days? In the first year?
Remember you’re not the only one being evaluated in an interview; take the opportunity to evaluate the company, too. By asking smart questions, you’ll get a stronger sense of the values of the hiring manager and the organization. Then, you can better decide if the company is the right fit for you.

CNBC

Devakumar Edwin, vice-president, oil and gas at Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), has accused international oil companies (IOCs) in Nigeria of doing everything to frustrate the survival of Dangote Oil Refinery and Petrochemicals.

Edwin said the IOCs are deliberately frustrating the refinery’s efforts to buy local crude by jerking up crude oil prices above the market price, thereby forcing it to import crude from countries as far as the United States, with its attendant huge costs.

Edwin spoke to journalists at a one-day training programme, organised recently by the Dangote Group.

He also lamented the activity of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) in granting licences indiscriminately to marketers to “import dirty refined products into the country”.

“The Federal Government issued 25 licences to build refinery and we are the only one that delivered on promise. In effect, we deserve every support from the Government,” the vice-president said.

“It is good to note that from the start of production, more than 3.5 billion litres, which represents 90 per cent of our production, have been exported. We are calling on the Federal Government and regulators to give us the necessary support in order to create jobs and prosperity for the nation.

“While the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) are trying their best to allocate the crude for us, the IOCs are deliberately and willfully frustrating our efforts to buy the local crude.

“It would be recalled that the NUPRC, recently met with crude oil producers as well as refinery owners in Nigeria, in a bid to ensure full adherence to Domestic Crude Oil Supply Obligations (DCSO), as enunciated under section 109(2) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

“It seems that the IOCs’ objective is to ensure that our Petroleum Refinery fails. It is either they are deliberately asking for ridiculous/humongous premium or, they simply state that crude is not available. At some point, we paid $6 over and above the market price.

“This has forced us to reduce our output as well as import crude from countries as far as the US, increasing our cost of production.

“It appears that the objective of the IOCs is to ensure that Nigeria remains a country which exports crude oil and imports refined petroleum products.

“They (IOCs) are keen on exporting the raw materials to their home countries, creating employment and wealth for their countries, adding to their GDP, and dumping the expensive refined products into Nigeria – thus making us dependent on imported products.”

Edwin further said the strategy of the multinationals has been adopted in every commodity, making Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa face unemployment and poverty, adding that “they create wealth for themselves at our expense”.

“This is exploitation — pure and simple. Unfortunately, the country is also playing into their hands by continuing to issue import licences, at the expense of our economy and at the cost of the health of the Nigerians who are exposed to carcinogenic products,” he added.

“In spite of the fact that we are producing and bringing out diesel into the market, complying with ECOWAS regulations and standards, licences are being issued, in large quantities, to traders who are buying the extremely high sulphur diesel from Russia and dumping it in the Nigerian Market.

“Since the US, EU and UK imposed a Price Cap Scheme from 5th February 2023 on Russian Petroleum Products, a large number of vessels are waiting near Togo with Russian ultra-high sulphur diesel and, they are being purchased and dumped into the Nigerian Market.

“In fact, some of the European countries were so alarmed about the carcinogenic effect of the extra high sulphur diesel being dumped into the Nigerian Market that countries like Belgium and the Netherlands imposed a ban on such fuel being exported from its country, into West Africa, recently.”

Edwin said it is sad that the country is giving import licences for “such dirty diesel to be imported into Nigeria when we have “more than adequate petroleum refining capacity locally.”

‘NMDPRA’S INDISCRIMINATE LICENSING MADE US EXPAND TO FOREIGN MARKETS’

According to the vice-president, the decision of the NMDPRA to grant licences indiscriminately for the importation of dirty diesel and aviation fuel has made the Dangote refinery to expand into foreign markets.

He said the refinery has recently exported diesel and aviation fuel to Europe and other parts of the world because the refinery meets international standards as well as complies with stringent guidelines and regulations to protect the local environment.

“The same industry players fought us for crashing the price of diesel and aviation fuel, but our aim, as I have said earlier, is to grow our economy,” Edwin said.

“Recently, the government of Ghana, through legislation has banned the importation of highly contaminated diesel and PMS into their county. It is regrettable that, in Nigeria, import licences are granted despite knowing that we have the capacity to produce nearly double the amount of products needed in Nigeria and even export the surplus. Since January 2021, ECOWAS regulations have prohibited the import of highly contaminated diesel into the region.”

Edwin appealed to the federal government and the national assembly to urgently intervene for speedy implementation of the PIA and to ensure the interests of Nigeria and Nigerians are protected.

The Cable

• VP Shettima Expected, As Nda-Isaiah Hosts Amuka, Yusuf, Olorunyomi, other icons

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, will chair the unveiling of Writing for Media and Monetising It, the new book on getting rewards from valuable content written by the Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP, Azu Ishiekwene, and published by Premium Times Books.

The event will take place on Wednesday, June 26, at 10 am at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja. A “two-in-one event”, it would also feature a panel discussion themed “Reflections on the Media.”

A statement by Azu and Premium Times Books described the unveiling as “one of the most genuinely anticipated events in the media in the first half of 2024.”

“We are delighted,” the statement said, “that after weeks of promotional efforts and reviews to highlight a book that offers significant value and reward for content creators, especially the media, the public will finally get this book in their hands.”

Vice President Kashima Shettima, known for his love of the literati, is expected as the special guest of honour. Chairman of the event, Idris, said of the book: “It significantly closes the gap between practice and entrepreneurship – a gap that has impoverished the media industry.”

Also expected at the event that will be hosted by the Chairman of LEADERSHIP, Zainab Nda-Isaiah, are the Publisher of Vanguard, Sam Amuka; the Chairman of TRUST and NPAN President, Kabiru Yusuf; and the Founder/CEO of Premium Times, DapoOlorunyomi.

Other publishers, media owners and top executives, including the Founder of Folio Media Group and NPAN Treasurer, Fidelis Anosike, are also expected.

ARISE News anchor and journalist Reuben Abati is the book reviewer, while the panel on media comprise the founder/CEO of RadioNow 95.3FM, Kadaria Ahmed; professor of Mass Communication/Dean of Post-graduate School, Abiodun Adeniyi; Editor-In-Chief of PUNCH, Adeyeye Joseph; CEO of Aegis & Blue, Emeke Ishiekwene; and newly graduated Mass Communication student, Chisom Ukomah.

In feedback that signalled a wider interest in the book outside the media, some present and former governors, ministers, heads of parastatals and agencies, captains of industry and NGOs, and members of faith-based groups are also expected to attend.

In a significant development in Kano State, Nigeria, police forces have assumed control of the emir's palace, replacing the local guards who were previously protecting Muhammadu Sanusi, the recently reinstated emir. This action appears to be part of a larger plan to facilitate the return of Aminu Bayero, the former 15th Emir of Kano, following a court ruling that challenged his dethronement.

The situation stems from a complex legal and political dispute. On Thursday, a federal high court in Kano invalidated the state government's actions that had repealed the Emirates Council Law of 2019. Judge Muhammad Liman ruled that the defendants had disregarded a previous interim order and improperly implemented the new law.

This legal decision comes after a series of events that began on May 23, when the Kano house of assembly passed an amended bill, signed into law by Governor Abba Yusuf. This new law repealed the 2019 version that had divided the Kano emirate into five jurisdictions and led to Sanusi's dethronement in 2020. Following the repeal, Sanusi was reinstated as Emir of Kano.

However, this reinstatement was challenged in court by Aminu Babba Dan Agundi and Sarkin Dawaki Babba of the Kano emirate. The court subsequently ordered a suspension of the new law's implementation.

The situation is further complicated by the Kano police command's refusal to comply with the state government's directive to evict Bayero from the Nassarawa palace, where he has been residing under military and police protection since Sanusi's reinstatement.

In the hallowed halls of Kano's ancient emirate, a ridiculous and entertaining spectacle unfolds between two cousins vying for a throne that seems to multiply faster than rabbits. Muhammadu Sanusi and Aminu Ado Bayero, each convinced they're the rightful heir, engage in a comical power struggle that has transformed the Emirate into a stage for political theatre.

Sanusi, the dethroned and exiled emir, has made a dramatic return, reappointed faster than you can say "musical chairs." Meanwhile, Bayero clings to his title with the desperation of a cat scratching a post, even setting up camp in a “mini palace” that probably resembles a fancy garden shed more than a regal abode.

Enter Governor Abba Yusuf, the master puppeteer of this absurd drama, who dances around court orders with the creativity of a toddler explaining away crayon markings on the wall as “art.” One day, he’s signing laws with the gusto of a celebrity at a book signing; the next, he’s treating those same laws as if they were mere suggestions written in invisible ink.

The courts, not to be outdone, toss judgments around like hot potatoes. "The law is repealed! No, wait, it’s not! The appointment is annulled! But the law might be valid! Maintain the status quo, whatever that means!" Even the most seasoned lawyer would reach for the aspirin—or perhaps something stronger—trying to make sense of this legal ping-pong.

Sanusi, ever the showman, leads a durbar parade in defiance of police orders, strutting around like a peacock in a hen house, likely thinking, "Rules? What rules? I'm the emir, darling!" Not to be outdone, Bayero holds his own court in the Nassarawa palace, probably muttering, "I'm still relevant, I swear!"

As for the citizens of Kano, they watch this royal rumble with a mix of amusement and exasperation. Perhaps it would be simpler to flip a coin or have the cousins arm-wrestle for the title. After all, in the grand game of emirate hide-and-seek, it seems the only real winners are the lawyers, racking up billable hours faster than you can say "constitutional crisis."

Governor Yusuf’s interpretation of court orders adds another layer of comedy to this farce. He reinstates Sanusi as emir, apparently oblivious to—or more likely, deliberately ignoring—a federal court order to maintain the status quo. His antics would be amusing if they weren't so flagrantly disrespectful of the judicial process.

Sanusi’s participation in the traditional Sallah durbar, despite a police ban, was a bold defiance of authority, underscoring the absurdity of the situation. His parade, complete with local trumpets and drums, was a vivid reminder that in Kano’s game of thrones, pageantry often trumps legality.

Bayero, on the other hand, observed his Eid prayer at the Nassarawa palace, having canceled his own durbar activities. His quiet defiance stands in stark contrast to Sanusi’s flamboyance, adding a touch of irony to this theatrical feud.

The federal court’s latest judgment, which annulled Sanusi's reappointment but left the status of the new emirate law in limbo, has done little to clarify the mess. The court orders are about as clear as mud, leaving everyone involved to interpret them as they see fit. Governor Yusuf’s selective obedience to these orders only adds to the chaos.

The poor, bewildered citizens of Kano are left to watch this spectacle with bemusement, wondering if sanity will ever prevail. Perhaps it’s time to introduce a new method of conflict resolution—like a royal bake-off or a karaoke duel—because traditional governance certainly isn’t cutting it.

In this grand game of thrones, the only certainty is that the drama will continue, providing endless entertainment for onlookers. As for the rest of us, we’ll just have to grab some popcorn and enjoy the show. After all, in Kano’s game of thrones, you win or you… well, you just keep claiming you've won anyway.

Bandits, in their numbers, ransacked Maidabino, the third largest town in Danmusa local government area of Katsina state, where they killed nine people and abducted 50 others, mostly women and children.

A resident, who confided in our reporter, said the attackers operated for several hours unchallenged due to their large number.

He said 10 houses, 15 shops and nine vehicles were burnt down by the marauding terrorists who were in the town from 10pm on Saturday till about 2.30am on Sunday.

“What happened was that some traders who were returning from Yantumaki market on Friday, about 30 vehicles, who were going in a convoy with a military escort, had to return and pass the night in Danmusa, because they could not proceed to Maidabino as they encountered bandits along the way.

“In the encounter, some bandits were killed by the military escort. Unfortunately, the bandits mobilized a large number from Zamfara and other places, to the extent that the soldiers that are in Maidabino could not avert the attack,” another source, while confirming the attack has said.

Katsina in recent days and weeks had witnessed a resurgence of deadly bandits’ attacks, especially in the frontline local government areas of Kankara, Danmusa and others.

Police spokesman in Katsina, Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, who confirmed the incident to members of the press said investigation was ongoing into the matter as further developments would be communicated in due course.

Aliyu, however, said seven people were killed during the attack.

Daily Trust

Netanyahu says intense fighting against Hamas is ending but war to go on

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that the phase of intense fighting against Hamas in the Gaza Strip was coming to an end but that the war would not end until the Islamist group no longer controls the Palestinian enclave.

Once the intense fighting is over in Gaza, Netanyahu said, Israel will be able to deploy more forces along the northern border with Lebanon, where fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah has escalated .

"After the intense phase is finished, we will have the possibility to move part of the forces north. And we will do this. First and foremost for defensive purposes. And secondly, to bring our (evacuated) residents home," Netanyahu said in an interview with Israel's Channel 14.

"If we can we will do this diplomatically. If not, we will do it another way. But we will bring (the residents) home," he said.

Many Israeli towns near the border with Lebanon have been evacuated during the fighting.

Asked when the phase of intense fighting against Hamas will come to an end, Netanyahu answered: "Very soon."

But the military will still operate in Gaza.

"I am not willing to end the war and leave Hamas as it is," he said.

Netanyahu also reiterated his rejection to the idea that the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority run Gaza in place of Hamas.

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine launches tens of drones on Russia's Bryansk region, Russian official says

Ukraine launched tens of drones overnight targeting Russia's western region of Bryansk and other regions but with no reported damage, Russian officials said on Sunday.

At least 30 drones were destroyed over Bryansk, which borders Ukraine, the governor of the region, Alexander Bogomaz, said on the Telegram messaging app.

Russia's air defence systems also destroyed drones over the Smolensk region, Vasily Anokhin, governor of the region in Russia's west, said on Telegram. It was not immediately clear how many drones were downed.

According to preliminary information, there were no casualties or destruction in either region, the governors said. Russian officials often do not disclose the full extent of damage inflicted by Ukrainian attacks.

An air raid alert was announced for the Lipetsk region several hundred kilometres south of Moscow, the region's governor said on Telegram.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Kyiv has often said its strikes inside Russia territory are meant to undermine Moscow's war effort and are in response to Russia's relentless air attackson Ukraine's energy, military and transport infrastructure.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Over 100 draft dodgers try to flee Ukraine daily – official

Over 100 Ukrainians attempt to flee the country every day by various routes in an effort to escape mobilization, a senior Border Service official has said, admitting that the real number could be even higher.  

In an interview with the news agency Unian on Saturday, Igor Matviychuk, who heads the Border Service’s Control Department, said that this figure includes both those who try to leave Ukraine by illegally making their way through checkpoints and those who seek to cross through poorly guarded terrain in the wilderness.  

Matviychuk also noted that the statistics include either those detained by Ukrainian patrols and officials, or those reported by foreign authorities. He stated that most draft dodgers are being caught, but that this offense is punishable only by a fine. However, Matviychuk added that those who mastermind schemes to help Ukrainian men illegally leave the country could face criminal charges.  

The official’s comments come as Ukrainian journalist Vitaly Glagola reported that the Ukrainian authorities on Friday detained an organized group of as many as 47 men attempting to flee the country for Moldova in Odessa Region in what appears to be the largest single arrest of draft evaders since the start of the conflict.  

Ukraine announced a general mobilization shortly after the hostilities with Russia began, barring most categories of men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the country. However, this effort has been marred by widespread graft and draft-dodging. More recently, faced with mounting battlefield losses, Kiev passed a law that lowered the draft age from 27 to 25 and another that significantly tightened mobilization rules.  

At the same time, attempts to escape mobilization have proven fatal in some cases. Ukraine’s Border Service said earlier this month that more than 45 Ukrainian men had died in rough terrain while fleeing the country, adding that a significant portion of them drowned in the Tisza River, which flows through southwestern Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Serbia. 

The agency also admitted last week that its operatives had resorted to firing shots to stop draft dodgers from fleeing the country.

Reuters/RT

NGO is the acronym for Non-Governmental Organisation and as the name suggests, they are non-profit bodies formed to carry out non-governmental functions and thereby fill gaps that governments and even the private sectors could not affect or where their impacts are minimal while the needs are necessary. They are meant to be agents of development, more especially at the grassroots level, while engaging the citizenry with a deliberate agenda to awaken their awareness and desire for positive social changes that would enhance their quality of life while driving them to make their world a better place.

Non-governmental organisations are supposed to be interventionist bodies that are formed to improve the quality of life for people through various means, some of which are one or more out of the provision of necessities such as food, clothing, improvement of educational and healthcare infrastructure and provision of materials, training and many more that would improve the quality of life and enhance employment opportunities.

Aware of these herculean but noble tasks, when the United Nations was formed in 1945, Chapter 10, Article 71 in its Charter recognized them as such provided they remain nonprofit entities and independent of governmental influence, even if they receive certain funding from the government. That was probably inspired by The Anti-Slavery Society, arguably the first NGO in the world.

In Nigeria, the earliest NGO formally recognised was that to do with the work of Mary Selessor against the killing of twins considered evil in Calabar.

However, there are so many now in Nigeria that it may be impossible for even the government to know some, considering our poor database system. Even though according to AllAfrica, a multi-media content provider, systems technology developer and the source-of-record for African news and information worldwide, there are over 46,000 NGOs in Nigeria, lack of proper monitoring has given some a window to engage in activities detrimental to our well-being as a nation. The nefarious activities associated with some of them have made some states tag some of them with the toga of ‘persona non grata’, booting them out of their states.

Some prominent NGOs in Nigeria, some bearing names of individuals and some reflecting their works include the TY Danjuma Foundation, the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), Amnesty International, the North East Regional Initiative, and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

There are many others such as the Solutions for Internally Displaced (SOLID) People Project, Saving One Million Lives Programme, Africa Hope Alive Initiative, Mental Aware Nigeria Initiative, CLEEN Foundation, Federation of International Female Lawyers, Global Peace Foundation, etc.

However, apart from states that halted the activities of some NGOs, the federal government has had occasions to altercate with some of them because they deliberately incite the public or their beneficiaries against constituted authorities. Some of them prefer beneficiaries that will always be at loggerheads with the government; to them, such are friends deserving of more and more patronage.

Apart from all these, most of them are not corrupt free or super accountable as they want the world to believe. For those bearing respected people’s names, is it in collusion with the individuals or are they being blindsided?

When beneficiaries’ grants are in foreign currency, for instance, some of the NGOs “help” the beneficiaries by converting the funds into naira for them. However, in a show of corruption bordering on fraud, they do not do the conversions based on any known parameter: not official rate and not parallel market rates. While what they give is always lower than official or black-market rates, beneficiaries never get to see the excess, which invariably affects their activities.

Yet these are organisations purposely established to fight corruption and mismanagement in governance as well as fight for accountability and transparency among public officers.

The NGOs mostly get their funding from abroad as conduits to beneficiary bodies here. Do their funders abroad know of this misappropriation? Will they condone it if they knew? Is the government aware of such vices that can be deemed as sabotaging the nation’s economy?

The federal government needs to set up an inquiry into how many of these NGOs run their activities, including giving more encouragement to subversive elements and those calling on the depredation of national assets and how they utilize their funding, including how they disburse them to beneficiaries.

While we intend to subsequently present three-year evidence of such malfeasance to aid any action the government intends to pursue, we believe the Nigerian government must come out with a new policy that would guide the activities of all NGOs.

Many of them can be rightly said to be tools of neo-colonialism and outright agents of foreign intelligence services in the way they go about their activities. The amount of information they have at their disposal, using local organisations is far more than the Nigerian state has.

However, others are genuinely concerned with the well-being of Nigerians and are actively impacting positively on the lives of people in both rural and urban areas. They do not short-change beneficiaries because they are aware that they are not a profit-making body and therefore they do not collect funding from A, meant for B, but end up not giving to Caesar what belongs to him because Caesar has no way of asking A what was due to him.

They also do not, under the carpet, encourage and empower elements that see the governments of the day as enemies, fighting them, weakening them in such a way that the future becomes uncertain.

Hence we will look at basically two such NGOs, the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

The WSCIJ is a “non-profit, non-governmental organization with social justice programmes aimed at exposing corruption, regulatory failures, and human rights abuses with investigative journalism.” SERAP desires to “advance transparency, accountability and respect for economic and social rights through other means such as media advocacy, public impact and strategic litigation, capacity building, institutional building, and education and awareness.”

To be continued.

** Hassan Gimba is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Neptune Prime.