Nigeria’s World Cup qualifying hopes took a heavy blow with a 2-1 defeat by Benin on Monday, but Ghana and Algeria salvaged wins while Egypt drew after all three were behind at halftime.

Ghana's Jordan Ayew got a hat-trick as they beat the Central African Republic 4-3 in Kumasi after trailing 2-1 at the break, while Algeria were 1-0 down to Uganda in Kampala but second-half goals from Houssem Aouar and Said Benrahma secured a 2-1 win.

Mohamed Salah came to Egypt’s rescue with a sensational equaliser for a 1-1 draw in Guinea Bissau.

Nigeria lost away to Benin, who were forced to move the match to Abidjan in the Ivory Coast because their own stadium in Cotonou was declared unfit for use in international games.

Nigeria were ahead when Raphael Onyedika netted in the 27th minute, hesitating at first before squeezing the ball home, but Benin bounced back with goals by Jodel Dossou and Steve Mounie.

Dossou sprinted onto a breakaway chance to score but hurt his hamstring in the process and had to come off soon after the 37th minute goal while Mounie had a free back post header to win the game as he profited from poor Nigeria defending.

The Super Eagles, who were favourites in Group C, have not won any of their opening four group matches and sit on three points while Benin lead with seven.

The victory was particularly sweet for coach Gernort Rohr, sacked by Nigeria three years ago on the eve of taking them to the Africa Cup of Nations finals, and he was carried on the shoulders of his players at the final whistle.

Ghana battled the rain to stage a spirited comeback with Ayew the hero, after being presented with a commemorative shirt before the match to mark 100 caps.

Ghana moved top of Group I with nine points after the victory, which followed an away triumph in Mali last week where Ayew snatched a late winner.

Egypt have a four-point lead in Group A while Algeria’s away win restored top spot in Group G after Guinea lost 1-0 to a last minute penalty for Mozambique, who join Algeria on nine points.

Botswana are on six points in the group after a 3-1 away win over Somalia.

Only the winners of the nine African groups qualify for the 2026 World Cup in North America but the best runner-up also has a chance for a slot via a lengthy playoff system.

More African qualifiers are being played on Tuesday, which marks the end of the fourth round of group matches.

Reuters

I often write down my goals in a tiny notebook that I keep close to my bed. Most of the time, I don’t go back and read what I wrote — I just move on to the next.
But maybe I’ll start revisiting the aspirations in my notebook after reading Julia Stewart’s success story. Stewart, who became IHOP’s first-ever female CEO in 2002, types out her “life’s goals,” then prints and frames them on her desk.
It’s something the 68-year-old has been doing for roughly five decades, and says it helped her succeed in her career.
“I started my first life goals when I graduated from high school. I’ve changed them, usually, around every 10 years,” Stewart says. She’s spent about two decades as a chief executive, currently at Alurx, a wellness company she founded in 2020, 3 years after leaving IHOP's parent company, DineEquity. 
Her goals have always focused on three categories, she says: career, personal life and giving back. Right now, her list contains 10 entries, ranging from the family-centric — “love, encourage, and commit to” her husband Tim; “love and nourish” her children — to work goals like “build Alurx to be the #1 wellness app” and “mentor women from all walks of life.”
The list also includes personal reminders: be a great friend; practice gratitude every day; take care “of my body, heart, and soul.”
There’s something useful about writing your goals down, experts say — both the short-term and long-term ones. It can help you think more strategically about what you want to achieve and make it easier to track your progress.
Looking back, there are several goals that I’ve met, but haven’t celebrated, simply because I forgot about them. Though I probably won’t keep them framed at my desk, I’ll set them as my phone's lock screen as a constant reminder.

CNBC

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says Nigeria recorded a N6.5 trillion trade surplus between January and March of 2024.

NBS made this known in its foreign trade report for the first quarter (Q1) of 2024 on Sunday.

In the first quarter of the year, NBS said Nigeria’s exports totalled N19.1 trillion and total imports were N12.6 trillion — indicating a trade surplus of N6.5 trillion.

A trade surplus is an economic indicator of a positive trade balance in which the exports of a nation outweigh the country’s imports.

“Nigeria’s total merchandise trade was N31.8 trillion in Q1, 2024. This represents an increase of 46.27 percent over the value recorded in the preceding quarter and rose by 145.58 percent compared to the value recorded in the corresponding period of 2023,” the bureau said. 

“Data revealed that export accounted for 60.25 percent of total trade in the reviewed quarter with a value of N19.1 trillion, showing an increase of 51 percent compared to the value recorded in Q4 2023 (N12.6 trillion) and by 195.47 percent over the value recorded in the first quarter of 2023 (N6.487 trillion).

“On the other hand, the share of total imports accounted for 39.75 percent of total trade in the first quarter of 2024 with the value of imports amounting to N12.6 trillion in Q1, 2024. 

“This value indicates an increase of 39.65 percent over the value recorded in Q4 2023 (N9 trillion) and rose by 95.53 percent compared to the value recorded in Q1 2023 (N6.4 trillion). 

“The merchandise trade balance for Q1 2024 was positive at N6.5 trillion.”

The exports trade in the first quarter of this year was dominated by crude oil exports valued at N15.48 trillion, representing 80.80 percent of total exports while the value of non-crude oil exports was N3.68 trillion accounting for 19.20 percent of total exports; of which non-oil products contributed N1.7 trillion or 9.28 of total exports.

FRANCE TOPS NIGERIA EXPORTS IN Q1 2024

NBS said that in the first quarter of 2024, the top trading export partners were France, Spain, the Netherlands, India, and the United States. 

The bureau added that the most exported commodities included crude oil, liquefied natural gas, sesame seeds, urea (whether or not in aqueous solution), and superior-quality cocoa beans.

“Export destinations by countries during the quarter under review show that the highest export destination was France with a value of N2.1 trillion or 11.09% of total exports, followed by Spain with N2 trillion or 10.56% of total exports,” NBS said.

“The Netherlands with goods valued at N1.6 trillion representing 8.85% of total exports, India with N1.6 trillion or 8.41% of total exports, and the United States with N1.3 trillion or 6.84% of total export.”

NBS said these five countries collectively accounted for 45.74 percent of the value of total exports in Q1 2024.

On the other hand, China ranked highest among the top trading partners on the import side, followed by India, the United States, Belgium, and The Netherlands. 

“Analysis by trading partners reveals that imports originated mainly from China and were valued at N2.9 trillion, representing 23.18% of total imports,” the bureau said. 

“This was followed by imports from India with ₦1 trillion (8.46% of total imports), USA with imports valued at N1 trillion or 7.98% of total imports, Belgium with N955 billion (7.56% of total imports) and the Netherlands with N591 billion or 4.68% of total imports.”

Furthermore, NBS said the most traded commodities were motor spirit ordinary, gas oil, durum wheat (not in seeds), cane sugar meant for sugar refinery, and other liquefied petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons.

The Cable

State governments in Nigeria are preparing to eliminate electricity subsidies and introduce different tariffs within their jurisdictions. This initiative is part of a broader effort to operate their power markets independently under state laws.

A document from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), titled ‘Development of the National Integrated Electricity Policy and Strategic Implementation Plan Policy Recommendations by State Governments to the Federal Ministry of Power,’ outlines these recommendations. These changes follow the enactment of the Electricity Act 2023, which replaces the Electric Power Sector Reform Act and serves as the current legal framework for Nigeria's electricity industry.

The Electricity Act 2023 establishes a dual-tier electricity market framework, consisting of a single wholesale federal electricity market and various retail sub-national electricity markets. These markets are interconnected through policies and regulations. The Act mandates the transition of regulatory powers from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to State Electricity Regulatory Commissions once states meet the necessary requirements.

In the NGF document, obtained in Abuja, governors also urged the Federal Government to continue addressing the N4 trillion legacy debts in the power sector, emphasizing that these liabilities were created under a unified electricity market.

The Federal Ministry of Power confirmed receipt of the document, noting that state governments are now empowered to enact their own electricity laws.

Commenting on the removal of electricity subsidies, the NGF stated, “Electricity is a commodity and a product that must be paid for by consumers. States believe that federal subsidies and financial interventions in the power sector over the past 15 years have been inefficient and ineffective.”

They highlighted that these subsidies have not improved service quality or reliability and have primarily benefited customers connected to the national grid, leaving many underserved communities to pay significantly higher costs for electricity.

The NGF pointed out that the 2001 National Electric Policy recommended limited use of subsidies to promote universal electricity access. They agreed with this policy and proposed reducing and eventually eliminating wholesale and retail electricity subsidies, except for specific customer categories or as part of national economic initiatives.

The governors also suggested that if subsidies continue, a cost-of-service analysis should be conducted to determine the appropriate subsidy for each state. They called for transparency and clear criteria in the application of federal electricity subsidies to avoid discrimination against states with more efficient electricity markets.

The NGF document emphasized that ongoing subsidies could undermine the viability of state electricity markets. They recommended a collaborative framework between the Federal Government and states for administering any future subsidies.

Regarding state electricity laws, the NGF noted that several states have already enacted their own laws, which do not cover national grid operations or interstate electricity activities. They encouraged the Federal Government to support states wishing to enact their own electricity laws and for NERC to issue necessary Transition Orders and support.

The governors reiterated that a multi-tier legal and regulatory environment is standard in a federation like Nigeria and that state electricity laws are not in conflict with the Electricity Act 2023, provided they apply solely within the state and do not cover national grid operations.

Finally, the NGF urged the National Assembly to reject any amendments to the Electricity Act 2023 that would create legal conflicts with state electricity laws or invalidate their provisions.

As governments at the three tiers continue to share more revenues from FAAC allocations, a dire crisis unfolds in the northern part of the country. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has reported a dramatic rise in the number of severely malnourished children, with admissions at their facilities doubling in some areas compared to last year. This alarming situation calls into question the allocation and utilisation of Nigeria's financial resources, especially given the backdrop of opulent living among government officials and widespread corruption.

The Grim Reality of Malnutrition in Northern Nigeria

In Northern Nigeria, the severity of child malnutrition has reached unprecedented levels. MSF's in-patient facilities are overwhelmed, with children lying on mattresses on the floor due to lack of space. In Borno State alone, the number of severely malnourished children admitted to MSF's therapeutic feeding center in Maiduguri doubled in April 2024 compared to April 2023. Similar alarming increases have been reported across other northern states, including Bauchi, Zamfara, Kano, and Sokoto.

This crisis is not new. MSF and other humanitarian organisations have been sounding the alarm for years. Despite these warnings, the response has remained inadequate, leading to a worsening situation. The urgent appeal for $306.4 million to address nutritional needs in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states highlights the scale of the crisis, yet this amount is still insufficient to meet the broader needs of the region.

Increasing Revenues: A Double-Edged Sword

Contrasting this humanitarian disaster is the significant increase in government revenues. In 2023, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) reported that the three tiers of government shared N10.14 trillion from the federation account, a 23.56% increase from the previous year. This uptick is attributed to improved revenue remittances, the removal of petrol subsidies, and the floating of the exchange rate.

While these increased revenues should be a boon for public welfare, their benefits are not being felt by those who need them most. Instead, reports of opulent living among government officials and pervasive corruption paint a stark picture of inequality and mismanagement. The disconnection between rising government revenues and the persistence of severe malnutrition among children underscores systemic issues in governance and resource allocation.

Corruption and Misallocation of Funds

Corruption remains a significant barrier to addressing the malnutrition crisis effectively. Funds meant for public welfare are often siphoned off for personal gain, leaving essential services underfunded. The lavish lifestyles of some government officials starkly contrast with the abject poverty and suffering experienced by many Nigerians, particularly in the North. This misallocation not only exacerbates the malnutrition crisis but also erodes public trust in government institutions.

The Need for Urgent and Sustained Action

Addressing the malnutrition crisis requires more than just emergency responses; it demands long-term, systemic changes in governance and resource allocation. Here are key steps that must be taken:

1. Enhanced Accountability and Transparency: There must be stringent measures to ensure that funds allocated for public welfare, particularly for combating malnutrition, are used effectively. Transparency in financial management and robust anti-corruption mechanisms are crucial.

2. Prioritizing Health and Nutrition: Increased revenues should translate into higher investments in health and nutrition programmes, especially in vulnerable regions. This includes scaling up therapeutic feeding programmes, ensuring timely provision of supplementary food, and strengthening healthcare infrastructure.

3. Integrated Development Approach: Tackling malnutrition requires addressing its root causes, including poverty, food insecurity, and lack of access to clean water and sanitation. An integrated approach that combines immediate relief with long-term development initiatives is essential.

4. Community Engagement and Education: Local communities must be involved in planning and implementing nutrition programmes. Educational campaigns can also help in promoting better nutritional practices and hygiene.

5. International Support and Collaboration: Given the scale of the crisis, international organisations and donors must continue to provide support. Collaborative efforts can enhance the effectiveness of interventions and ensure a comprehensive response.

Conclusion

The increasing revenues in Nigeria present an opportunity to make significant strides in public welfare. However, this potential will only be realised if there is a genuine commitment to addressing corruption, improving transparency, and prioritising the needs of the most vulnerable populations. The malnutrition crisis in Northern Nigeria is a stark reminder of the urgent need for systemic change. Government officials must demonstrate accountability and responsibility, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to grow up healthy and free from the devastating effects of malnutrition.

Israel keeps pounding central Gaza as Palestinian death toll in hostage rescue raid rises to 274

Israeli forces pounded central Gaza anew on Sunday, a day after killing 274 Palestinians during a hostage rescue raid, and tanks advanced further into Rafah in an apparent bid to seal off part of the southern city, residents and Hamas media said.

Palestinians remained in shock over Saturday's death toll, the worst over a 24-hour period of the Gaza war for months and including many women and children, Palestinian medics said.

In an update on Sunday, Gaza's health ministry said 274 Palestinians were killed - up from 210 it reported on Saturday - and 698 were injured when Israeli special force commandos stormed into the densely populated Al-Nuseirat camp to rescue four hostages held since October by Hamas militants.

Sixty-four of the dead were children and 57 were women, the Hamas-run Gaza government media office said on Sunday.

Israel's military said a special forces officer was killed in exchanges of fire with militants emerging from cover in residential blocks, and that it knew of "under 100" Palestinians killed, though not how many of them were fighters or civilians.

Hamas' armed wing said on Sunday three Israeli hostages, including one with U.S. citizenship, were killed during the raid, but provided no names. It released a video of what appeared to be corpses with censor bars obscuring their faces.

A Hamas assertion on Saturday that some hostages had died was rejected as "a blatant lie" by the Israeli military.

Gaza's health ministry said another 798 Palestinians were injured in the Israeli raid, and one of them, 4-year-old Tawfiq Abu Youssef, was in critical condition when visited in hospital on Sunday by his father Raed.

The boy was first thought to have died before he moved his hand slightly while in the arms of a relative rushing him to hospital - captured in a video that went viral on social media.

"I had already dug his grave," his father told Reuters, adding that most members of his extended family were among those killed in the raid.

MORE AIRSTRIKES IN CENTRAL GAZA

In central Gaza on Sunday, Israeli airstrikes on houses in the city of Deir Al-Balah and in the nearby Al-Bureij refugee camp killed three Palestinians in each location, while tanks shelled parts of Al-Nuseirat and Al-Maghazi camps, medics said.

The Israeli military said in a statement its forces were continuing operations east of Al-Bureij and Deir al-Balah, killing a number of Palestinian gunmen and destroying militant infrastructure.

Israel sent forces into Rafah in May in what it called a mission to wipe out Hamas' last intact combat units after eight months of war, in which Israeli forces have bombed much of the rest of Gaza to rubble while advancing against fierce resistance from militants embedded in crowded cities and built-up camps.

Israeli tank forces have since seized Gaza's entire border strip with Egypt running through Rafah to the Mediterranean coast and invaded many districts of the city of 280,000 residents, prompting around one million displaced people who had been sheltering in Rafah to flee elsewhere.

ISRAELI TANKS ADVANCE FURTHER IN RAFAH

On Sunday, tanks advanced into two new districts in an apparent effort to complete the encirclement of the entire eastern side of Rafah, touching off clashes with dug-in Hamas-led armed groups, according to residents trapped in their homes.

Palestinian medics said an Israeli airstrike on a house in Tel Al-Sultan in western Rafah killed two people.

The Israeli military said troops of its 162nd division were raiding some districts of Rafah where they had located "numerous additional terror tunnel shafts, mortars, and (other) weapons" belonging to Palestinian Islamist militants.

Hamas precipitated the war with a lightning cross-border attack into Israel last Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing over 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. About half the hostages were freed during a brief November truce.

Israel's ensuing air and ground war in Gaza has killed at least 37,084 Palestinians, the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said in its Sunday update. The ministry says thousands more dead are feared buried under the rubble.

Attempts by the United States and regional countries to broker a deal that would release all remaining hostages in return for a ceasefire have repeatedly stumbled on Israeli and Hamas intransigence over terms for an end to the war.

A humanitarian catastrophe has unfolded as the war has dragged on, with over three-quarters of Gaza's 2.3 million population displaced, malnutrition widespread and basic infrastructure in ruins.

Gaza's conflict has destabilised the wider Middle East, drawing in Hamas' main supporter Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah, which has been clashing with Israel along its northern border for months, raising fears of all-out war.

Concern about an escalation in Israeli-Hezbollah hostilities and a sharp decline in expectations of a Gaza ceasefire have weakened Israel's shekel currency by 3% to 3.75 to the dollar since June 4.

** Israeli PM Netanyahu's majority safe after Gantz departure

Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz announced on Sunday that he was quitting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's emergency unity government formed shortly after the Hamas Oct 7. attack on Israel.

His departure still leaves Netanyahu's nationalist-religious coalition in control of parliament with a 64-seat majority in the 120 seat Knesset.

Gantz, a former armed forces chief and defence minister, heads the centrist National Unity party which holds eight seats.

Netanyahu's conservative Likud party, the largest faction, has 32 parliament seats. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant is a member of the party and has clashed with Netanyahu and some nationalists in the government over Gaza strategy.

Settler party Religious Zionism, headed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, holds seven seats.

Ultra-nationalist Jewish Power, headed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Noam hold six and one seats respectively.

The ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties Shas and United Torah Judaism hold 11 and 7 seats respectively.

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Chechen leader Kadyrov says Russian troops capture Ukrainian border village

The leader of Russia's Chechnya region, Ramzan Kadyrov, said on Sunday that Russian forces, led by a Chechen-based special forces unit, have seized control of a Ukrainian border village.

Kadyrov, who has led his South Caucasus region as a Kremlin loyalist since 2007, said the Akhmat-Chechnya unit led Russian troops in taking control of Ukraine's Ryzhivka, in Sumy region, opposite the southern Russia region of Kursk.

Writing on the Telegram messaging app, Kadyrov said the "large-scale planned advance" inflicted "significant losses on the Ukrainian side, which was forced to retreat".

Russia's Defence Ministry issued no statement on the action and there was no comment from Ukrainian military authorities.

Reuters could not independently confirm the report.

The commander of the Akhmat unit was quoted by Russia's TASS state news agency this month as saying his forces had been deployed in Russia's border Belgorod border region - to the east of where Sunday's capture was said to have occurred.

In May, Kadyrov said during a meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin that tens of thousands of his soldiers were prepared to fight for Russia in Ukraine and that a total of 43,500 troops already have served in Moscow's war against its smaller neighbour.

Ukraine's military has warned in recent weeks of a buildup of Russian forces around Sumy region in preparation for military action.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Battlegroup North improves frontline positions over past 24 hours — top brass

Russia’s battlegroup North has improved its frontline positions over the day, defeating four Ukrainian brigades, the Defense Ministry said.

"The northern battlegroup improved its frontline positions and defeated manpower and equipment of the 82nd Ukrainian air assault brigade, the 120th, 125th and 127th territorial defense brigades near Volchansk, Sinelnikovo, Zhovtnevoye, Neskuchnoye, Ternovaya and Izbitskoye in the Kharkov Region. It repelled seven counterattacks by assault groups of the 13th National Guard brigade, the 36th marine brigade, the 71st Jaeger brigade and the 101st security brigade of the Ukrainian General Staff. The enemy losses amounted to up to 225 servicemen, seven vehicles and a 152-mm D-20 howitzer. Three Ukrainian field ammunition depots were destroyed," the statement said.

Russian air defenses down Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter, intercept 66 drones

Russian air defenses shot down a Ukrainian Air Force Mi-8 helicopter, as well as intercepted 66 drones and 13 HIMARS rockets, the Defense Ministry said.

"Air defenses down a Ukrainian Air Force Mi-8 helicopter. Over the past 24 hours, air defenses also intercepted 66 unmanned aerial vehicles and 13 US-made HIMARS rockets," the ministry said.

A total of 610 aircraft, 276 helicopters, 25,463 unmanned aerial vehicles, 528 anti-aircraft missile systems, 16,304 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, 1,331 multiple rocket launchers, 10,240 field artillery and mortars, as well as 22,387 units of special military vehicles have been destroyed since the beginning of the special military operation, the military added.

Russia’s battlegroup East destroys up to 140 Ukrianian servicemen, tank

Russia’s battlegroup East has destroyed up to 140 Ukrainian servicemen and a tank over the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry said.

"The eastern battlegroup took more favorable lines and also defeated manpower and equipment of the 58th Ukrainian motorized infantry brigade, the 123rd territorial defense brigade and the 21st National Guard brigade near Zolotaya Niva, Vremyevka and Oktyabr of the Donetsk People's Republic. The enemy losses amounted to up to 140 servicemen, a tank, two armored combat vehicles, three vehicles, a 155-mm Polish-made self-propelled Krab howitzer, a 152-mm Msta-B howitzer and an Anclav warfare station," the ministry said.

Battlegroup Center destroys up to 300 servicemen, Marder fighting vehicle

Russia’s battlegroup Center has destroyed up to 300 servicemen and a Marder infantry fighting vehicle over the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry said.

According to it, the battlegroup improved its tactical positions, defeated the 71st Ukrainian infantry, 23rd and 47th mechanized brigades near Karlovka, Yevgenovka, Novopokrovskoye and Yasnoborodovka of the Donetsk People's Republic. In addition, the battlegroup repelled six counterattacks by assault groups of the 25th airborne, 24th and 110th mechanized brigades.

"The enemy lost up to 300 servicemen, German-made Marder and US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, two vehicles. Russian forces also hit two US-made M777 howitzers, an Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer, a Gvozdika howitzer, two 122-mm D-30 howitzers, and two Rapira anti-tank guns," the ministry added.

Battlegroup West wipes out up to 400 Ukrianian servicemen over day

Russia’s battlegroup West has destroyed up to 400 Ukrianian servicemen, a tank and two armored vehicles over the past day, the Defense Ministry said.

"The western battlegroup occupied more favorable lines, defeated the 14th, 116th, 115th Ukrainian mechanized, 3rd assault brigades and the 13th National Guard brigade near Sinkovka, Petropavlovka, Berestovoye of the Kharkov Region, Serebryanka and Torskoye of the Donetsk People's Republic. The enemy lost up to 400 servicemen, a tank, two armored combat vehicles and five pickup trucks," the statement said.

According to the ministry, Russian forces hit a 155-mm Polish-made Krab howitzer, a 152-mm Msta-B howitzer, a 122-mm Gvozdika howitzer, a 122-mm D-30 howitzer and a 122-mm Grad multiple rocket launcher.

Russian forces hit sites of strike drone operators, foreign mercenaries

The Russian armed forces hit the sites of the Ukrainian strike drone operators and foreign mercenaries, the Defense Ministry said.

"Russian military hit the sites of the operators of strike drones and foreign mercenaries, as well as accumulations of Ukrainian manpower and military equipment in 131 areas," the ministry said.

Reuters/Tass

In a country and a season in which candour is not always seen as a virtue, those who make it the currency of their daily lives are either idolised, endangered or idolised into endangerment. On the Nigerian streets, a person who addresses issues of public significance with candour can be described as having “broken the table”. As a figure of speech, this usage is back-handed compliment for bucking a national habit of dressing up reality in a bodyguard of avoidance.

Tables, however, can be useless without a chair or a bench. When the table gets scattered, the bench that accompanies it can suddenly become of limited utility. To default to a Nigerianism, lawyers and benches are like five and six. Judges and magistrates are referred to as members of “the Bench”. When lawyers have to discuss a matter confidentially in court with the judge in some countries, they “approach the bench.”

Even before that, upon becoming eligible to enroll into the vocation, their admission into the profession is overseen by a “Body of Benchers”, comprised as required by the Legal Practitioners Act of  “legal practitioners of the highest distinction in the legal 

profession in Nigeria.” The self-designated “vission” (sic) of the Body is “to be the beacon of legal professionalism, setting the standard for legal education, qualification, and conduct worldwide.”

To accomplish this, the least the Body of Benchers must do is to embody the highest standards of the profession themselves. Many years ago, that could have been said of them.

These days, it seems, benchers are the ones at war with tables. In Nigeria’s Body of Benchers currently, tables are being scattered in a manner that exposes how the standards of the legal profession have become hostage to a capricious entitlement mentality of its leadership. Amidst the daily dose of drama that defines Nigerian life, the spectacle unfolding in the Body of Benchers has been largely shielded from public attention. It is time to redress that neglect.

There is one other reason why this matter deserves attention. Over the course of several weeks now, the current leadership of the Body of Benchers has sought to intimidate journalists, reporters and platform providers, threatening them with unspoken consequences if they much as dared to publish material on the current crisis in the Body. For those who had already published, instructions to take down the material were transmitted, accompanied similarly with threats of malign consequences if they failed to comply. This degree of investment in suppressing and attacking the legitimate pursuit of a lawful vocation is both intolerable and unlawful. It could even be criminal. It would not be charitable to believe that this has anything to do with the fact that the current Chairman of the Body of Benchers is said to be someone who departed the Police in yet unascertained circumstances before becoming a lawyer.

The Body of Benchers is a statutory body. Any status enjoyed by its members is conferred by law. As a result, citizens have a duty to hold the feet of the Body and its members to fire.

Since the current crisis in the Body of Benchers has its origins ultimately in issues of membership, it is essential to dwell a little on the matter of its membership. The Body comprises two categories of members. Life Benchers enjoy membership for life. They can attain that status either by virtue of office or from dutiful longevity in membership after a minimum of five years. There are also ordinary members of the Body whose membership is not for life. Members include both lawyers and judges. For equity, leadership rotates on an annual schedule between the judges and the lawyers such that if a judge chairs the Body in one year, then a lawyer chairs it the following year.

Membership of the Body of Benchers used to truly hew closely to the requirement of the law limiting it to persons of “the highest distinction.” Today, aspects of the Body have degenerated somewhat into influence-peddling. For instance, they have extended automatic membership to senior federal legislators who are lawyers, such as the presiding officers of the two chambers of the National Assembly; and some significant committee chairs too. Indeed, a former Governor and current Minister with a reputation for “generosity” is one of the best known Life Benchers. At the instigation of the Body, success in the bloody art of election rigging in Nigeria now counts as attainment of “the highest distinction” in the legal profession.

We digress though. Among the committees established within the Body, an Appointments Committee vets nominees for membership, presumably to ensure that they comply with the threshold requirement of the law. That Committee is headed by a Chair whose tenure lasts for three years. In the last week of March 2024, Augustine Alegeh, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and one of the most consequential presidents of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in the last three decades, formally accepted the nomination to lead the Appointments Committee.

The week thereafter, the Body elected a new Chair, one of whose first acts was to issue an edict dissolving the existing committees and re-constituting them. The problem is that under its own Regulations, the power to constitute committees belongs not to the Chair but to the Body of Benchers as a whole. The Body, for the avoidance of doubt, is constituted for this purpose by a quorum of at least 50 of its members. Many of the members of the Body rightfully saw this claim of a unilateral power by the current Chair as descent into rule-free autocratization. The decision of the new chair to ignore their protests strengthened this fear.

The matter is now in court in a suit instituted by Alegeh against the Chair and the Body of Benchers as defendants. The real issue before the court is one of high significance. According to a letter by one member of the Body, “the Chairman took umbrage at the Appointments Committee because his wife’s name was on the list that we did not approve.” The member feared that the chairman’s action in claiming non-existent powers to dissolve and re-constitute the Appointments Committee was “fuelling suspicion” that all he wanted to achieve was to ensure that he made his wife a Bencher during his tenure.

In this case, the claim is that the Chairman of the Body of Benchers has sought to ransack the governance of the Body generally and the composition in particular of its Appointments Committee in order to secure by any means necessary membership of the Body for his wife. This may make him a truly doting husband but the Body is not a connubial resort. The resistance from within the Body protests not merely the evident breach of rules by its Chair but even more viscerally also the suggestion that “highest distinction” in the legal profession can be attained through pillow-talk or connubial propinquity between husband and wife.

The logical fear must be that if qualification for membership of the Body can be transmitted in this way, then, surely, eligibility for its membership would become an STD (sexually transmitted distinction). This question as to how far attainment within the legal profession in Nigeria can be reduced to an STD is ultimately what confronts the Federal High Court in the case now pending concerning the actions of the current chairman of the Body of Benchers. It is an important question and, for the sake of the profession, one that merits the keen attentions of all persons affected by institutions of the law in Nigeria.

** Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, a professor of law, teaches at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and can be reached through This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The robots are coming! In science fiction that is usually an ominous warning. In the real world, it is a prediction—and a welcome one. The field of robotics has made impressive progress in the past year, as researchers in universities and industry have applied advances in artificial intelligence (AI) to machines. The same technology that enables chatbots like ChatGPT to hold conversations, or systems like DALL-E to create realistic-looking images from text descriptions, can give robots of all kinds a dramatic brain upgrade.

As a result, robots are becoming more capable, easier to program and able to explain what they are doing. Investors are piling into robotics startups. OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, which gave up on robots a few years ago, has changed its mind and started hiring a new robotics team. When brought to bear upon the physical world, previously disembodied AInow appears to have enormous potential.

Robots can inspire fear. Human beings are trained from birth by Hollywood to be afraid of them—the latest incarnation of the ancient tale of the inventor who loses control of his creation. And even if robots are not literally the murderous machines of the “Terminator” films, they can kill off decent-paying jobs in factories and warehouses. Nevertheless, the latest advances in robotics will bring real and substantial benefits.

One is that new “multimodal” AI models combine understanding of language and vision with data from robotic sensors and actuators. This makes it possible to deal with robots using ordinary words. You can ask a robot what it is able to see or tell it to “pick up the yellow fruit”. Such models in effect grant robots a degree of common sense—in this case, knowing that a nearby banana is a kind of yellow fruit. And like a chatbot, a robot can be told to modify its behaviour simply by changing a text prompt, something that would previously have required elaborate reprogramming.

Another benefit is that the new models enable robots to explain the reasoning behind their actions. That is useful when they behave in unexpected or unwelcome ways. So long as robots’ brains are not inscrutable black boxes, programming and debugging them is fairly straightforward. The new models are also less likely to hallucinate—tech-speak for “make things up”—because their perception is grounded in observations of the world, and they aim to ensure that cognitive and physical reality match. That makes them safer and more reliable.

And one more benefit is that robots are getting better at learning quickly through imitation and at generalising from one skill to another. This opens the door for robots to move out of factories and warehouses. Several companies and research groups are using the latest AImodels to build humanoid robots, on the basis that most of the world, unlike an assembly line, has been designed for people to move around in. Labour markets across the rich world are tight—and getting tighter as societies age. As well as boosting productivity while workforces shrink, more capable robots could cook and clean, and care for the aged and the needy.

Advanced economies will need more automation if they are to maintain their standards of living. South Korea, Japan and China are all in the top five countries with the most robots for each manufacturing worker. It is no coincidence that they are also ageing rapidly. Without robots to help out, more people may have to work longer and retire later. In the coming years, attitudes could well flip from fearing the arrival of robots to wishing that they would get here sooner.

The Economist

Major oil companies have lamented the impact of oil theft and pipeline vandalism on the availability of crude for local refineries.

Director-General of the Lagos State Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chinyere Almona, while speaking on behalf of the companies identified crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism as factors hindering the oil majors’ inability to meet their daily quotas.

Almona also explained that modular refineries were finding it hard to get enough crude.

She also identified low crude oil production in Nigeria as a factor limiting international oil companies’ capacity to supply crude to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, and modular refineries.

Nigeria produces 1,281,478 barrels of crude oil daily (excluding condensates), according to the most recent data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission for April 2024.

The country had produced 1,426,574 barrels per day in January this year, but this was not sustained as it dropped to the position seen in April.

The $20bn Dangote refinery in Lagos has the capacity to refine 650,000 barrels per day, while Nigeria’s 25 modular refineries, when fully functional, can take about 200,000 barrels of crude daily.

IOCs and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, on behalf of the Federal Government, export crude oil to raise foreign exchange. Crude is an international product, priced in United States dollars.

Oil theft, pipeline vandalism and other challenges in the upstream oil sector have plagued Nigeria’s crude production for several years.

This has led to low oil production in Nigeria, a development which the Oil Producers Trade Section in Nigeria, a subgroup of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, blamed for the inability of IOCs to provide adequate crude oil to Dangote Refinery and other local refineries.

In April, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, said that Nigeria loses N1.29trn annually to oil theft, pipeline vandalism and other forms of criminality.

Tajudeen, who spoke through the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson, at the commissioning of the Nigerian Navy Training Command at Eleme, Rivers State, said that Nigeria loses about 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day to theft.

He said the trend was a challenge to the Nigerian Navy to rise to its mandate of contributing to the survival of the national economy.

The President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, had raised the alarm that IOCs in Africa preferred to export crude, instead of serving countries on the continent.

According to him, the international oil companies were used to exporting crude for foreign exchange, adding that they were not ready to stop.

Dangote said though NNPC was doing its best to supply feedstock to the refinery, the IOCs wanted to sell outside the country.

“The NNPC is doing its best, but some of the IOCs, they are struggling to give us crude. Everybody is used to exporting, and nobody wants to stop,” Dangote told CNN recently.

When contacted to get the explanation of the IOCs through the OPTS, the Director-General of the chamber, Almona, explained that the low production of crude in Nigeria was a challenge.

“We realised that due to the low crude production level and other constraints, there might be challenges at the beginning. We can all learn from these teething issues to enrich our regulation of the oil and gas sector for better performance,” she stated.

Almona added that members of the OPTS were also going through their own challenges such as oil theft, which remained a major factor responsible for low crude oil production in the country over the years.

“The issue of oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and policy concerns, among others, are all contributory factors,” she explained to Sunday PUNCH during a telephone interview.

The LCCI DG also pointed out that issues around pricing and supply contracts between the Dangote refinery and IOCs should be granted a “soft landing” by the government through NNPC and NUPRC.

She said, “The issue of IOCs supplying crude oil to Dangote Refinery is a subject of our ongoing conversations around what information is in the public, and our preliminary engagements with some parties.

“Based on public information from Dangote Group, it has been confirmed that some IOCs have been supplying crude to the Dangote refinery. The efforts of the government in ensuring crude supply to Nigerian refineries, including Dangote Refinery, are reasonable.

“However, we call on the NNPC and NUPRC to do more in granting a soft landing to the new refinery if there are any issues around pricing and supply contracts between the two parties.”

The chamber called for a conducive business environment, because crude was an international commodity with international pricing.

Forex struggles

Meanwhile, modular refiners have been pushing for the sale of crude oil in naira, against the usual practice of trading the commodity in dollars.

Their call received some level of response recently, as the government allowed them to pay for the product both in dollars and the naira equivalent based on agreed terms with crude producers, who are primarily IOCs.

The LCCI DG said IOCs would be excited to sell crude to local refineries, but pointed out that the commodity was priced internationally.

“We appreciate the fact that crude is an international commodity traded on open trade terms in international markets, but we can always advocate for a business environment that is supportive of indigenous ventures to encourage more private sector participation in the oil and gas sector.

“Crude oil pricing is based on international reference, and payment guarantees are in place in line with international practice, hence there should be no reason for Nigerian producers, including IOCs, not to be excited about selling to local refineries,” she stated.

Modular refiners affected

Operators of modular refineries have raised concerns severally about their inability to access crude from IOCs.

They also stated that because of this, all functional modular refineries in Nigeria were currently refining below capacity and making losses daily.

Modular refineries are simplified refineries requiring significantly less capital investment than traditional full-scale refineries. The initial process, or Crude Distillation Unit, allows for the simple distillation of crude oil into low-octane naphtha, diesel, kerosene and residual fuel oil.

In Nigeria, modular refineries are crude oil processing facilities with capacities of up to 30,000 barrels per day, and are being built as part of plans to curb oil theft and promote peace in the oil-producing region of the Niger Delta.

Nigeria’s full-scale refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna, under the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, have all been dormant for ages, despite several assurances by the government to fix the plants.

The Deputy Chairman, Crude Oil Refinery Owners Association of Nigeria, Dolapo Kotun, recently explained that modular refineries were finding it tough to get enough crude.

CORAN is a registered association of modular and conventional refinery companies in Nigeria.

Nigeria currently has 25 licensed modular refineries. Five of them are operating and producing diesel, kerosene, black oil and naphtha.

About 10 are under various stages of completion, while the others have received licences to establish.

Operators of modular refineries earlier told our correspondent that aside from the five that are in operation currently, the remaining plants were embattled due to the major challenge of crude oil unavailability, adding that it was a development that had stalled funding from financiers.

“Only about five of our members have completed their refineries. The others are having a major challenge. This challenge is that the people who are supposed to finance them have not disbursed financing for construction because they want some level of guarantee.

“A guarantee that if they finish the refinery, they are going to get feedstock, which, of course, is crude oil,” the Publicity Secretary, CORAN, Eche Idoko, stated.

Regulations

However, the Chief Executive Officer, NUPRC, Gbenga Komolafe, while responding to an enquiry on this matter, insisted that the commission had developed regulations that would ensure crude oil supply to indigenous refiners.

“This still borders on the implementation of the domestic crude oil obligation. First, let me make it clear that establishing a refinery of whatever capacity, whether it is a modular refinery or the bigger sized refinery, is a commercial engagement.

“So, the commission can’t come in to give any form of guarantee. I need to make that clear.

“However, the regulator will only implement the provisions of the PIA given that all the regulatory activities of the commission are expected to comply with the provisions of the law. So, as it relates to guaranteeing feedstock to refiners, that is enshrined under section 109 of the PIA.

“What we have just done in furtherance of that provision is that we have put in place a regulation that has to do with domestic crude oil obligation. In the implementation of that provision, we receive the figures on the domestic refining capacity from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.

“Once we receive that, our development and production department factors the numbers against the capacities of the various producers within the upstream sector and makes it obligatory for them (crude producers) to meet those numbers, thereby guaranteeing that volume of supply to existing licensed and operating refineries, not refineries that have not come into existence,” he stated.

The NUPRC boss stressed that “we do not guarantee crude for financing of refineries that have not come into existence.”

The commission had recently promised to ensure that crude oil was supplied to domestic refiners.

It stated that in compliance with the provisions of Section 109(2) of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, the NUPRC in a landmark move had developed a template guiding the activities of Domestic Crude Oil Supply Obligation.

“The commission in conjunction with relevant stakeholders from NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services, representatives of Crude Oil/Condensate Producers, Crude Oil Refinery-Owners Association of Nigeria, and Dangote Petroleum Refinery came up with the template for the buy-in of all.

“This is in a bid to foster a seamless implementation of the DCSO and ensure consistent supply of crude oil to domestic refineries,” Komolafe had stated.

Punch