WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine's Zelenskiy heads to US with 'victory plan' at perilous moment

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy travels to the United States to set out a "victory plan" to his closest ally this week, in an urgent attempt to influence White House policy on Ukraine's war with Russia no matter who wins the U.S. elections in November.

The Ukrainian leader has said he wants to present the plan to President Joe Biden and his two potential successors, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, during the trip, which will see Zelenskiy addressing the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday.

Zelenskiy has said that if the plan is backed by the West, it will have a broad impact on Moscow, including a psychological one that could help compel Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war diplomatically.

"The Victory Plan envisages quick and concrete steps by our strategic partners - from now until the end of December," Zelenskiy told reporters on Friday.

He added that the plan would act as a "bridge" to a second Ukraine-led summit on peace that Kyiv wants to hold and invite Russia to later this year.

There is no alternative to peace, Zelenskiy has said, "no freezing of the war or any other manipulations that would simply postpone Russian aggression to another stage".

Yet the two sides remain far apart.

Zelenskiy wants Ukraine inside NATO and the European Union and Russia driven from all Ukrainian territory, though he says the latter aim can be achieved diplomatically. Putin says peace talks can only begin if Kyiv abandons swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine to Russia and drops its NATO membership plan.

Zelenskiy's trip comes at a perilous juncture for Ukraine. A Trump victory in the Nov. 5 presidential election could prompt a reset of Washington's policy on Ukraine, which relies heavily on U.S. military and financial support.

During a TV debate, Trump refused to say if he wanted Ukraine to defeat Russia and said he would try to end the war before taking office if he wins. Harris accused Trump of seeking Kyiv's swift and unconditional capitulation.

As the election nears, Kyiv has put on a show of strength, rapidly seizing land in a high-risk Aug. 6 incursion into Russia's Kursk region, touting new weapons including a "drone missile" and ballistic weapon and launching major drone strikes.

One attack caused a massive blast at an ammo dump in Russia's Tver region last Wednesday.

Russia has ramped up drone and missile attacks, taken receipt of Iranian ballistic missiles, according to the West, ordered an increase in the size of its army, moved to change its nuclear doctrine and stepped up its eastern offensive.

'BIDEN'S DECISION'

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has said Biden is eager to discuss Zelenskiy's "comprehensive strategy for success in this war" against Russia.

Zelenskiy said his plan consists of a small number of points and that "all these points depend on Biden's decision, not Putin's".

On Friday, the leader said the steps involved establishing Ukraine's place in the world's "security architecture", battlefield decisions including the Kursk operation, bolstering Ukraine's armoury and supporting the economy.

Oleksandr Kovalenko, a Ukrainian military analyst, said Zelenskiy might press for longer-term assurances of aid into 2025 and seek some kind of declaration of post-Biden continuity in support.

"This will be a very important moment. Perhaps in some ways, in a political and military-political sense, it will be a pivotal moment," he said.

Zelenskiy is almost certain to repeat his call on Biden to authorise long-range strikes into Russia, a move Moscow has said would make NATO members direct participants in the war and elicit a response.

Ukraine wants to strike military installations up to 300 km (186 miles) inside Russia, such as airfields that host attack helicopters and warplanes used to fire glide bombs. Washington has said it does not see the easing of those restrictions as a battlefield game-changer.

Russia, which occupies 18% of Ukrainian territory, has been on the offensive since last October and in August chalked up its fastest sustained recent month of advances.

Ukraine's toehold in Russia's Kursk region could serve as a bargaining chip at talks or as an insurance policy against any outside push to freeze the war along current lines. But Kyiv would have to hold the territory amid serious manpower challenges against a much larger foe.

Meanwhile, Russia has been making progress towards the transport hub of Pokrovsk. Its capture could wreak havoc with Ukrainian logistics and open up new lines of attack.

Kovalenko said Russia likely wanted to capture Pokrovsk by the year-end.

"That would allow them... to strengthen pressure on the information front to catalyse thoughts of peace negotiations, naturally on their terms," he said.

CHALLENGES

Ukraine hopes to advance a blueprint for peace at a second international summit later this year and says Russia will be invited at the request of other participants. The first one in Switzerland pointedly shunned Moscow in June and was skipped by China and chunks of the Global South.

Zelenskiy says his summit initiative is the only viable peace format and this month slammed as "destructive" a Chinese-Brazilian proposal that calls for "de-escalating the situation" and the resumption of direct dialogue without requiring Russia to pull back.

Ukraine faces its toughest winter of the 2-1/2 year war yet after Russian strikes damaged a huge chunk of energy producing capacity.

The government also faces mounting economic challenges, and plans its first wartime tax hikes to cover a funding gap of about $12.2 billion for its army this year.

Opinion polls paint a mixed picture.

Some 32% of Ukrainians were open, as of May 2024, to certain territorial concessions to end the war, up from 10% in May 2022, said Anton Hrushetskyi, executive director of Kyiv-based pollster KIIS. But most of them envisioned an arrangement that would postpone the liberation of territory rather than abandon it for good, he added.

The key demand for any peace deal is the need for firm security guarantees such as NATO membership, he said.

"Despite negative trends, Ukrainians are still optimistic enough and believe for a better future - and hope this future will be in the European Union and with finally adequate security guarantees."

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Kremlin comments on Zelensky ‘victory plan’

There is currently too little information about Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s so-called ‘victory plan’ for Russia to be able to properly evaluate it, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Monday.

Zelensky announced last week that he had concluded work on a proposal that could end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine by the end of this year if the West makes “quick decisions” on boosting its support for Kiev.

The Ukrainian leader is currently in the US, where he plans to present his initiative to President Joe Biden, to members of Congress, and to both 2024 election presidential contenders – Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

When asked by journalists on Monday about Zelensky’s proposals, Peskov said that the authorities in Moscow “believe that it is impossible to conduct any analysis based on media reports.”

“If some information appears from official sources, of course we will study it,” he said.

At the moment, Russia has a “very reserved”attitude towards the Ukrainian leader’s initiative because “there is a lot of different information, including contradictory information, unreliable information” about it, Peskov explained.

According to a report in the Sunday Times, Zelensky’s ‘victory plan’ has four key clauses, such as Western security guarantees for Ukraine similar to NATO’s principle of collective defense, the continuation of Kiev’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region to serve as a territorial bargaining chip, deliveries of “specific” advanced weapons by foreign backers, and international financial aid for Ukraine.

Earlier on Monday, Russia’s first deputy permanent representative to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, said that Moscow has no idea about the contents of Zelensky’s proposals and that it had not been invited to discuss them. “It is hard for us to understand what is on the madman’s mind,” he stressed.

Polyansky acknowledged that there is “a lot of hype” about the Ukrainian leader’s trip to the US and “about what he will or will not offer.”

During the visit, Zelensky is also scheduled to address the UN General Assembly annual meeting, which will take place in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday.

On Sunday, Peskov was asked about the possible outcome of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, replying that “there is no alternative to our [Russian] victory.”

Reuters/RT

The butterfly thinks himself a bird: It was a haunting scene in Beijing, China the other week when President Bola Tinubu met his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. Such meetings are usually stuff for history: Africa’s great and Asia’s great meeting minds to impact the world on a monumental scale.
But sorry to note that Nigeria has diminished to the status of a toy country. Our host knows it too. They know Nigeria is at its lowest ebb today; roiling in the mud. They know the visitors consist of the poorest among leaders. They know the teeming crowd of Nigerians don’t understand the magnitude of the moment. They know hardly any of them is possessed of any deep national strategic intent or insight. In fact, they know most of them were in Beijing to cut deal or buy some jagbajantis LAWMA stuff… and of course, the photo opportunity! They know the photos matter most to the Nigerian leaders and not the history of the moment…

But the China charade became galling to keen observers when Tinubu began to boast about being a co-reformer with Xi.
Hear Tinubu: “We believe that President Xi has demonstrably reformed the Chinese economy, and our reform programme in Nigeria is on a similar course. I AM A REFORMER WITH VERIFIABLE ANTECEDENTS (emphasis mine). We have recognised the need to reform our economy and we are doing so diligently across tax and tariff reviews, to various other segments of our nation’s economy.”

THE BLUNDERER’S REFORM: In the privacy of his abode, President Xi would have laughed himself to sleep after this meeting. He would wonder how that fellow would think himself a reformer yet the rest of the world is not aware.

Xi doesn’t need to speak about his reform, the world can see that China is aggressively pursuing a controlled market economy. China seeks to beat the capitalist world at its game sans all the vices of capitalism.

There’s always a need for one reform or the other in every human setting. Far much so in developing countries. Every incoming leader has something he must tweak to make improvements and better the society. Didn’t they say change is the only thing that’s permanent?

The argument for change is always more germaine for poor countries. There’s always something to be changed about such countries to make life better for the people. Even the most advanced entities like Britain, France, Germany and Sweden, still wring changes in their systems.

The imperatives for change is therefore more obvious and urgent in developing countries like Nigeria. In fact, EXPRESSO avers that Nigeria and indeed most of Africa are cases for endless changes and fundamental reforms. Africa is actually a haven for reformers because every sector, every system and every institution is crying out for even the most basic of reform.

What this means is that in this age, the underdeveloped sovereigns are the best and easiest places to govern. Any leader with a modicum of a good head will make impact easily and quickly in Nigeria!
What every developing country needs is leadership with integrity, patriotism and ability to assemble and lead the best hands and minds available. Nigeria, for instance simply needs to unleash her agriculture potentials and realign her huge crude oil and minerals deposit to benefit the populace. If you can get these two factors right, most other things will fall in place over time. Inflation will decline, jobs will abound, poverty will recede and our currency will gain in strengthen and stabilise. Life will become more buoyant, ordinarily smart Nigerians will be inspired to thrive. That will mark the beginning of an industrial and modern Nigeria.
All of this can be established in four to eight years and other detailing will follow naturally in various other sectors, systems and institutions.

A BANDIT IS ONLY CONCERNED ABOUT HIS BOOTY: There wouldn’t be any need to have a sing-song about REFORM. It would be plain for the whole world to see.

Simple as the above postulation may seem (and it’s actually not rocket science), Tinubu cannot drive any reform. For the simple reasons that he lacks the mental capacity, the physical capabilities and the moral authority.
Remember he is encumbered by a stolen mandate and he’s busy seeking legitimacy from all quarters all over the world. He lugs huge corruption baggage and he lacks the leadership acumen to pick a team of people better than him.

Simple questions Mr. Reformer, Tinubu: what is the conceptual framework of this reform? Put simply, what is the core objective? What are the milestones and timelines? What are the expected outcomes/deliverables at every turning point? What is the time frame and end point, etc? Nobody told Nigerians the nature of this so-called reform yet.

All this explains why after almost one and half years in office, Tinubu still seems not to understand that REFORM, according to the Thesaurus, simply means: to correct, rectify, improve, amend, remake, repair, remedy, rework, change for better, etc.

THE BLIND BLUNDERBUSS: But since May 29, 2023, every aspect of life in Nigeria has gone from worse to worst. Every human development index has gone south and continues to crash. His idea of reform seems only to increase taxes and tariffs and abolish any iota of subsidy enjoyed by the people. Inflation is spiked, Nigerians are drained of life and livelihood and production/productivity is scuppered.

The result is that much more money is in the hands of government and her thieving officials.
In a very corrupt, unregulated and undisciplined environment, much of the fresh revenues are frittered and outrightly stolen with impunity.

Meanwhile, under Tinubu’s charge, in less than two years, Nigeria has become a tragic cauldron. The naira, for instance, is the worst currency in the world today. Worse than that of Benin Republic, Nigeria’s lowly neighbour to the west. The tragic import of this is that frustrated youths who migrated in droves (japa) in President Muhammadu Buhari’s time cannot do so any more. Tinubu’s floating naira has made sure of that.

NEVER DID NIGERIA EXPERIENCE EVIL SUCH AS THIS: As President and Oil Minister, he has deliberately created chaos in the sector to make room for exponential corruption. State oil corporation, NNPCL, has placed a vice grip on the economy. For an industry it claims to de-subsidise and deregulate, NNPCL remains the sole importer of products in an opaque and heinously corrupt process. The importation is touted to involve a refinery in Malta whose ownership is said to be traceable to the very top leadership in the land.

Again, the world’s largest single-train refinery has opened in Nigeria and NNPCL is making sure the prices of petroleum products are even far more expensive than prices of imported ones. Yet again, NNPCL has moved into the Dangote Refinery as the sole distributor and middle man!
Let’s just say that Nigeria never experience an evil such as this …

For the umpteenth time, EXPRESSO warns that the ship of state is on a rollercoaster to a crashing implosion, but Tinubu seems too inept to notice. He flies across the world in his brand new Boeing luxury aircraft from Africa to France, to China and UK. There’s our Nero junketing while his Rome is in peril.
Who will save this blundering president?
Who will rescue Nigeria?

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The transition from team member to leader can be challenging, as any new position comes with its own learning curve. It is crucial to notice red flags that could result in friction between leadership and employees. 

“We need to understand ourselves—our needs, our wants, our boundaries, and our triggers—so that we can help others to do the same,” Natalie Pearce, cofounder of The Future Kind, says.

While charisma and confidence may catch others’ attention, some traits can reveal an inability to lead effectively. Recognizing these traits early can help you to inspire and support your teams, rather than hinder them.

“The best people-centric leaders I see understand that leadership isn’t about being the best at everything,” Chris Percival, founder and managing director, says, “but rather about drawing out the best ideas from others and empowering those better than them to undertake their respective functions.”

These executives weighed in on 10 critical red flags that signal a lack of leadership potential. From an inability to handle criticism to fostering a toxic environment, this list will help you spot the warning signs of poor leadership.

CREDIT HOGGING

In my experience of assessing leaders for a broad range of strategic and operational leadership roles, one red flag that stands out to me is when a leader seeks to take sole credit for the work of their team. Individuals with this personality trait are often suboptimal leaders of people and teams and, in fact, are usually the bottleneck for innovation and the cultural alignment of the colleagues they lead. The best people-centric leaders I see understand that leadership isn’t about being the best at everything but rather about drawing out the best ideas from others and empowering those better than them to undertake their respective functions. A red flag of this nature would typically be most evident during an interview when giving examples and evidence in response to probing questions of experience and successes, but it can also be identified as a potential consideration through occupational personality testing, which focuses on leadership style and team role. Additionally, in the employment context, this red flag could be established through feedback from colleagues, line managers, and other stakeholders.

AVOIDANT BEHAVIOR

If team members are displaying avoidant behaviors, it’s a signal that they may not feel psychologically safe with their leader. In hybrid and virtual environments, this can look like keeping their camera off in video meetings, not joining optional activities, staying silent during group conversations, and asking minimal questions when given an assignment.

To resolve this, managers should replace their instinct to supervise with habits of support. They can prove (or strengthen) their confidence in their teams by encouraging independent decision-making, preplanning workflows for new projects, asking meaningful questions, facilitating constructive group feedback, and providing generous recognition.

LIMITING BELIEFS

When people haven’t taken the time to work through their own limiting beliefs, scarcity mindset, and unresolved challenges, more often than not, they will project this onto their team. This can manifest into a leader being threatened by their team excelling in their role because it means “they’re after my job.” This can manifest in a leader’s inability to make strategic and long-term decisions, and they trade it in for decisions that deliver instant gratification, yet at the expense of their team. When someone continues to function from a lack of self-worth, it can cause friction and trust issues in the teams they lead. No level of technical expertise is worth creating a culture that is toxic. A person can only lead and stretch someone else’s growth based on how far they’ve been able to evolve themselves.

NOT RECOGNIZING COMMUNICATION PREFERENCES

Lack of awareness of their communication preferences can lead to issues within a team. With the introduction of technology and the widespread adoption of remote work, there are now many different ways for team members to communicate, and employees have developed different preferences for them. Team leaders who don’t recognize this diversity may push for their preferred methods of collaboration and communication without questioning whether they are right for the team. 

They’ll inadvertently affect team dynamics and engagement. If a team leader is unaware that their preference is to collaborate with their team through real-time communication in meetings, and they insist that most communication takes place in this way, they’ll leave behind those people who need the slower, more focused rhythm of asynchronous communication. On the flip side, a team leader who is more comfortable expressing their ideas in writing and having asynchronous discussions might reduce the number of meetings to the point that individuals begin to feel disconnected. 

The modern leadership challenge lies in balancing real-time collaboration and asynchronous work in a way that suits the team and the workflow—not the preference of its leader. While a general lack of self-awareness has always been a leadership red flag, the modern leader needs a new level of insight into communication styles. Using a mix of communication methods and adapting to the various needs within the team can significantly improve team dynamics and productivity in increasingly diverse, tech-driven work environments.

REJECTING FEEDBACK

If someone is unwilling to solicit and embrace constructive feedback, then that person is not ready to lead others. One of the most important jobs of a leader is to enable the team to deliver the best possible outcomes by creating a culture of trust and collaboration. Many people attribute the success of NASA’s first landing on the moon to a mission-first attitude—teams that feel safe to openly discuss issues, regardless of organizational politics or roles, are better able to identify and fix minor problems before they become major ones. It takes humility to admit that you don’t have all the answers but that dedication to outcomes over ego is essential to complex problem-solving. It’s incredibly difficult to innovate or lead successfully without it.

LACK OF SELF-AWARENESS

A major red flag for a potential manager or leader is a lack of self-awareness. If someone can’t recognize their own strengths and development areas, they’re going to struggle when it comes to supporting or guiding others. This is because self-awareness is key for empathy. 

We need to understand ourselves—our needs, our wants, our boundaries, and our triggers—so that we can help others to do the same. Self-aware leaders are also more likely to seek feedback and own up to mistakes, which means they role-model vulnerability, thereby building trust with their teams. This means that they’re also able to continually improve their approach and are better at delegating where they might have weaknesses. 

The good news is self-awareness can be taught, but it’s not a quick fix. Building self-awareness requires long-term practice, frequent reflection, and well-timed coaching interventions. Employers who wish to build up their pool of skilled, self-aware, prospective leaders would be wise to invest in regular training. This could include topics such as identifying strengths, giving and receiving feedback, personal goal-setting, and impactful communication, to name a few. With consistent effort and the right resources, we can all create workplaces where every leader truly understands themselves and their team—and that would make for a pretty brilliant culture.

KNOW-IT-ALL

Early in my career at the Brooklyn DA’s office, I heard from the head of homicide, a figure I deeply admired. This was my dream job, the type of case I aspired to prosecute. However, as I listened to this individual speak, I realized they were a “know-it-all.” They exuded an air of absolute authority, convinced they knew everything about everything.

At that moment, I understood this wasn’t true expertise but a facade. No one knows everything. This type of inflated ego, believing in one’s infallibility, doesn’t belong in leadership. It stifles growth, prevents collaboration, and ultimately hinders the leader’s and team’s success.

A “know-it-all” leader, blinded by their perceived omniscience, fails to recognize their limitations. This lack of self-awareness is detrimental to both the leader and their team. A leader who believes they possess all the answers stifles growth and innovation. They are unwilling to seek input from others, missing out on valuable perspectives and expertise.

Effective leadership requires a willingness to learn and adapt. A humble leader understands that they don’t have all the answers and surrounds themselves with a capable team. They foster an environment where diverse viewpoints are welcomed and collaboration is encouraged. This approach allows the team to leverage each member’s strengths, leading to greater success than any individual could achieve alone.

By recognizing and embracing their own limitations, leaders open the door to personal and collective growth. They create a culture of learning where everyone feels empowered to contribute their unique skills and knowledge.

FAILURE TO ACKNOWLEDGE OTHERS’ CONTRIBUTIONS

One often overlooked red flag signaling someone is unfit to lead is the persistent inability to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of others. Yes, working in a team means coming to solutions together. But at the same time, it’s important that you, as a leader, give credit where credit is due, encouraging your team members to keep coming forward with their own valuable contributions.

LACK OF RESPECT FOR ALL

We’ve all been in a restaurant and observed someone belittle a server over a minor mistake. This seemingly small act reveals a glaring red flag: they are unfit to lead. Such behavior shows a lack of patience for learning and growth—a fundamental leadership requirement—and highlights a serious deficiency in emotional intelligence. A leader who resorts to rudeness and belittlement lacks empathy and understanding. Leaders set the tone for company culture, and if they can’t show basic support, courtesy, and kindness, it undermines morale, productivity, and employee retention. Leaders who can’t respect everyone don’t deserve to lead anyone.

LACK OF LISTENING SKILLS

Leadership is about listening to your people. If someone vying for a leadership position is only interested in their own ideas, I think it’s safe to say they’re not ready to take charge. So much about being a good leader, I think, involves humility: Do you actively listen to your team? Do you actually let them talk instead of interrupting them? Do you take their ideas and feedback seriously? Do you hire people who are good at what they do and then trust them to do the job (ideally, better than you could)? There is no place for ego at the top—it’s lonely enough up there already.

Fast Company

Manufacturers in Nigeria expressed a lack of confidence in the nation’s economic outlook in August 2024.

This is according to the latest Business Expectations Survey (BES) conducted by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The survey, which involved 1,600 business enterprises, revealed that while many sectors were optimistic about the economy, the manufacturing sector was notably pessimistic.

The report highlights that the manufacturing sector posted a negative confidence index of -5.5 points, reflecting ongoing concerns about the current business climate.

Mixed sentiments towards Nigeria’s economy 

According to the BES report, the sectors, such as manufacturing, construction, mining, and utilities, had mixed sentiments.

Manufacturing and construction both showed negative indices of -5.5 and -10.0 points, respectively, signaling a significant lack of confidence.

However, sectors such as mining, quarrying, and electricity displayed optimism, with an index of 30.4 points, highlighting the varied sentiments within sectors.

The report read: “Business sentiment for the Agriculture and Services Sectors was optimistic in the current month, but the Industry Sector was pessimistic. However, all the sectors expressed optimism for the next month. The index of optimism in the Agricultural and Services Sectors were 5.2 and 1.2 points respectively, while that of the Industry Sector stood at -3.9 points. 

“For the subsectors, Mining, Quarrying, Electricity, Gas & Water Supply; Non-Market; Market showed optimism at 30.4, 2.7 and 0.7 points, respectively, while Construction and Manufacturing Sectors were pessimistic at -10.0 and -5.5 points, respectively.” 

The negative sentiment within the manufacturing sector can be attributed to several challenges, with the BES report identifying insecurity, high interest rates, and multiple taxation as the primary constraints to business activity.

The survey also noted that an unfavorable economic climate and insufficient power supply are contributing to the businesses’ struggles in the country.

These factors have made it difficult for manufacturers to maintain operations at optimal levels, eroding confidence in both current business condition.

Expansion and Employment Outlook 

Despite the gloomy outlook for the manufacturing sector in August, businesses across all sectors expressed optimism about their expansion plans for September 2024. The mining and quarrying sector showed the highest potential for growth, with an index of 66.7%, while manufacturing indicated a moderate interest in expansion with an index of 47.9%. This positive outlook reflects the anticipated growth within several industries, including agriculture, market services, and non-market services.

The employment outlook for September 2024 was also positive across all sectors, according to the survey. The mining and quarrying sector again held the highest potential for job creation, with an index of 13.0 points, followed by the construction sector at 10.0 points, agriculture at 9.9 points, and manufacturing at 8.3 points. This indicates that although the manufacturing sector currently faces significant challenges, there is potential for job creation and expansion in the near future.

Optimism for September 

Despite the pessimistic outlook for August, there is a glimmer of hope as manufacturers expressed cautious optimism for the upcoming months. The manufacturing sector is expected to see a slight improvement in confidence for September, with a projected index of 7.7 points. This anticipated improvement signals a potential rebound in business activity as companies look to adjust to the challenging operating environment.

The overall business outlook for the next three and six months also remains positive across most sectors. This optimism is driven by expectations of improved market conditions, as businesses anticipate better operating conditions moving forward.

What you should know

• Nairametrics earlier reported that Nigeria’s manufacturing sector’s contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) witnessed a significant contraction over the past two quarters, reflecting a decline of 20.95% from the end of 2023 to the second quarter of 2024.
• This decline over the first half of 2024 highlights the sector’s vulnerabilities, particularly in the face of ongoing economic and infrastructural challenges.
• Despite these challenges, the sector has remained a major contributor to government taxes.
• The Director-General of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) , Segun Ajayi-Kadir, recently criticized the multiple and high rates of taxes and leviesimposed by the three tiers of government and their agencies.
• Ajayi-Kadir noted that the challenges facing the manufacturing sector, particularly due to the current macroeconomic conditions, are exacerbated by the ongoing foreign exchange volatility and high electricity tariffs.
• He also called on manufacturers to support the implementation of the recommendations from the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms.

Nairametrics

Following years of research and planning, the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) has successfully launched a bone marrow transplant programme for people with sickle cell disease (SCD).

The new programme would allow people with SCD to locally access a bone marrow transplant via a procedure that involves replacing the patient’s diseased stem cells with healthy ones from a matched family donor.

It is the country’s first locally available bone marrow transplant programme for treating sickle cell disease.

According to a statement jointly signed by the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Wasiu Adeyemo, a professor, and the National Director/CEO of Sickle Cell Foundation, Annette Akinsete, the programme is an initiative of the two institutions.

The statement noted that the teaching hospital and SCFN decided to introduce the initiative after identifying existing gaps in the treatment of sickle cell disease patients in the country.

It added that the first set of sickle cell patients who were admitted for the programme in August are currently undergoing bone marrow transplants at the hospital.

The statement reads in part: “They received a treatment regimen of exchange blood transfusions, chemotherapy and anti-infective prophylaxis to prepare them for the infusion of bone marrow stem cells that were harvested from family donors, processed and given this week (17 and 19 September).

“Both patients are currently undergoing immediate post-transplant care within the transplant unit at Lagos University Teaching Hospital”.

SCD in Nigeria

While the process comes with risks such as infection and infertility, increased research advancements over the past 20 years have greatly improved outcomes.

LUTH, in its statement, affirmed that the newly established bone marrow transplant programme in Nigeria meets up with international standards for the cure of sickle cell disease.

The prevalence of sickle-cell disease in Nigeria is about 20 per 1,000 births. Also, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that 24 per cent of the Nigerian population are carriers of the mutant genes for this disease.

A study published by Lancet Journal showed that Nigeria has the highest birth prevalence of sickle cell disease in the world, with an estimated 150,000 annual births of babies with sickle cell anaemia, the most common form of sickle cell disease.

Meanwhile, WHO, in 2014, said at least 100,000 babies die from the disorder in Nigeria every year.

Despite this, medical care for people with SCD has been limited and the bone marrow transplant, the only known cure for the disease, has been unavailable in the country.

Adeyomo said “the leadership of the Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria (SCFN) and Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) established a bone marrow transplant programme at LUTH” after recognising the gaps in care for affected individuals in Nigeria,

He said the programme is guided by in-depth scientific research and expertise carried out by a team of high-level health professionals within and outside Nigeria.

A resource person from the UK, Josu de la Fuente, from the Imperial College London Healthcare NHS Trust UK joined the team to assist with the paediatric aspects of the programme.

The statement noted: “In preparation for a locally adapted and cost-effective bone marrow transplant programme in Nigeria, a post-transplant clinic was initially established in 2019, a first in sub-Saharan Africa, to provide post-transplant care to patients who had travelled to other countries for bone marrow or stem cell transplants, thereby developing clinical expertise in post-transplant care.

“Transplant nursing has been supported by the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (WBMT), which offers both in-person and virtual training at periodic intervals.”

PT

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said the 5GHz and 2.4GHz that are presently being used for Wireless internet technology (Wi-Fi 5) in the country are becoming overwhelmed due to an increase in demand for capacity.

Disclosing this at a stakeholders’ consultative meeting in Lagos, the NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Aminu Maida, said Nigeria urgently needs to identify other frequency bands to complement the 5GHz and 2.4GHz being used for Wi-Fi.

“The vast majority of home internet traffic is connected to the end-user through Wi-Fi. In enterprise settings, Wi-Fi is essential for handling large amounts of data and simultaneously connecting large numbers of devices with improved reliability, higher data throughput, and lower latencies.

“However, the 5GHz and 2.4GHz that are being used for Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 5) at the moment are becoming overwhelmed due to an increase in demand for capacity. It is, therefore, imperative to identify other frequency bands to complement the 5GHz and 2.4GHz”, Maida, who was represented by Executive Commissioner, Technical Services at NCC, Abraham Oshadami, said.

Daily Trust

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, has been declared the winner of Saturday’s governorship election in the state.

The INEC Returning Officer for the election, Faruk Kuta, made the declaration at exactly 9:27 p.m. at the State Collation Centre in Benin City on Sunday evening.

Kuta, a professor and vice-chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, announced the final results after collating results from the 18 local government areas of the state.

The returning officer said Okpebholo polled 291,667 votes to defeat his closest challenger and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Asue Ighodalo, who scored 247,274 votes.

The candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Olumude Akpata, came a distant third with 22,763 votes.

“That Monday Okpebholo of the APC, having satisfied all the requirements of law and scored majority of the lawful votes, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” Kuta declared.

The final results showed that Okpebholo won in 11 local government areas in the state while Ighodalo won in seven.

The candidate of the Labour Party, Akpata, did not win in any local government area.

Unless his victory is overturned by the courts, Mr Okpebholo will succeed the incumbent governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki, whose second term will end on 12 November.

Meanwhile, the PDP in the state has protested against the election result, which it alleged was manipulated in favour of the APC candidate.

Earlier, Tony Iyoha, the PDP state agent, said the results did not reflect the votes cast at polling units.

Iyoha asked the electoral officials to suspend further collation of results because the election process did not follow the procedures of the electoral body.

But Kuta asked those who have issues with the exercise to file a formal petition against it.

PT

Hungarian intelligence agency interviewed CEO linked to exploding Hezbollah pagers

Hungarian intelligence services have conducted several interviews with the CEO of BAC Consulting, a Budapest-based company linked to deadly explosions of pagers used by Hezbollah members this week, the Hungarian government said on Saturday.

Taiwanese pager firm Gold Apollo said on Wednesday that the model of pagers used in detonations in Lebanon were made by BAC Consulting, adding it had only licensed out its brand to the company and was not involved in the production of the devices.

Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono, 49, the Italian-Hungarian CEO and owner of BAC Consulting, told NBC News earlier this week that she did not make the pagers and said she was "just the intermediate."

Hungarian intelligence agencies have been conducting their investigation since Wednesday and have interviewed Barsony-Arcidiacono several times, the Hungarian government's international press office said in a statement.

It quoted the Constitution Protection Office (AH), one of Hungary's intelligence agencies.

The AH reiterated an earlier statement from the government that said that the pager devices used in the mass detonations were never in Hungary.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government also said earlier that BAC Consulting was "a trading-intermediary company, which has no manufacturing or other site of operation in Hungary".

In two days of attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members exploded. The total death toll in those attacks has risen to 39, and more than 3,000 were injured. The attacks were widely believed to have been carried out by Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine's air defence units destroy 71 Russian drones, Ukraine's air force says

Ukraine's air defence units destroyed 71 out of 80 attack drones that Russia launched overnight, Ukraine's air force said on Sunday.

Six more of the Russian drones were lost after getting neutralised by Ukraine's electronic warfare, the air force said on the Telegram messaging app.

Russia also launched two guided missiles from occupied parts of Ukraine's Luhansk region, the air force said. It did not say what happened to the missiles.

** Russian strike on apartment block in Kharkiv injures 21

Russian forces struck a multi-storey apartment building in Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, on Saturday evening, wounding 21 people and prompting an evacuation of some of its residents, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said.

Kharkiv, 30 km (18 miles) from the Russian border, has been a frequent target of Moscow's attacks since the Kremlin's troops launched their February 2022 invasion of its smaller neighbour.

Terekhov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the Russians had deployed a guided bomb and that 60 residents had been evacuated from the building. An 8-year-old and two 17-year-olds were among the wounded, he added.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned the strike and repeated his call for more weapons from Kyiv's Western partners to defend against Russian strikes.

"Ukraine needs full long-range capabilities, and we are working to convince our partners of this," he wrote on social media.

Further south, a Russian drone attack killed two people on Saturday in the city of Nikopol, the regional governor said.

In the eastern town of Kurakhove, one of the focal points of Russia's slow advance through the industrial Donetsk region, one person was killed in a Russian artillery strike, regional prosecutors said.

And local authorities in Sumy region said Russian aircraft struck energy infrastructure in the town of Shostka.

Sumy has been another frequent target of Russian attacks and lies opposite Russia's southern Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces launched an incursion last month.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russia says battlegroup West struck 4 Ukrainian brigades

The Russian battlegroup West struck four Ukrainian brigades and caused the enemy to lose up to 420 troops, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"Units of the battlegroup West improved their tactical position, struck manpower and equipment of the Ukrainian 30th, 53rd and 116th mechanized brigades and the 114th territorial defense brigade in the areas of Petropavlovka and Peschanoye in the Kharkov Region; Serebryanka and Torskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic; and Nevskoye in the Lugansk People's Republic. Five counterattacks by assault groups of the Ukrainian 66th and 67th mechanized brigades and the 1st brigade of the National Guard were repulsed," the ministry said.

According to the ministry, the enemy lost up to 420 servicemen, two tanks, three pickup trucks, two 152mm D-20 guns, two 122mm D-30 howitzers, a 122mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery unit and three US-made M119 105mm guns. Also destroyed were US-made AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery radar station and five ammunition depots.

Russia says its forces strike Ukrainian military airfields

Russian forces hit the infrastructure of military airfields and energy facilities that supply power to Ukraine's defense enterprises, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"Tactical aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, rocket troops and artillery of Russian battlegroups destroyed a 36D6 radar station for detection and tracking of low-altitude targets, struck energy facilities that support the operation of Ukrainian defense enterprises, the infrastructure of military airfields, workshops for the production of unmanned aerial vehicles, and clusters of enemy manpower and military equipment in 141 areas," it said.

Russia says Ukraine lost up to 160 soldiers in area of responsibility of battlegroup North

Ukrainian forces lost up to 160 servicemen in the area of responsibility of the Russian battlegroup North over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"Units of the battlegroup North in the Liptsy and Volchansk areas struck the formations of the Ukrainian 57th motorized infantry brigade, the 36th marines brigade and the 5th border units of the Ukrainian Border Service in the areas of the settlements of Volchansk and Liptsy in the Kharkov Region. The enemy lost up to 160 servicemen, an infantry fighting vehicle, two motor vehicles, a 152-mm D-20 gun and two 122-mm D-30 howitzers," the ministry said.

Russia says its air defenses shot down 6 Hammer bombs, 6 HIMARS rounds

Air defenses shot down six Ukrainian Hammer bombs, six HIMARS projectiles and 106 unmanned aerial vehicles over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"Air defense capabilities shot down six guided French-made Hammer aerial bombs, six US-made HIMARS rounds, two S-200 anti-aircraft guided missiles, which were converted for firing at ground targets, and 106 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles," the ministry said in a statement.

Since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed a total of 646 Ukrainian warplanes, 283 helicopters, 32,089 unmanned aerial vehicles, 579 surface-to-air missile systems, 18,325 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,457 multiple launch rocket systems, 15,025 field artillery guns and mortars and 26,370 special military motor vehicles.

Reuters/Tass

When Major-General Muhammadu Buhari overthrew the elected civilian administration of President Shehu Shagari on the last day of 1983, he inherited an economy in a mess and a political system in a turmoil. This crisis of a dysfunctional political economy was Buhari’s principal reason for sacking the Shagari administration.

For Buhari, Nigeria’s crisis of balance of payments was the result of two things: indiscipline and economic crimes. His answer to the former was a War against Indiscipline (WAI), a catch-all acronym for everything from instilling a queue culture in the population to capital punishment for drug suspects. Turning to the latter, Buhari invented a very capacious category of economic sabotage. Those arrested for these did not necessarily have to suffer a predictable judicial ritual.

In 1984, the Buhari regime ordered the detention of five citizens of Taiwan arrested by the officers of the Customs Service who caught them in possession of blank attested and proforma invoices for goods supposedly imported into Nigeria. One of the arrested persons was known as Wang Chin-Yao. They were supposedly involved in economic sabotage of the country which was meant to be a crime. Rather than charge them with a crime known to law, however, the regime arranged to have them locked up in administrative detention under the State Security (Detention of Persons) Decree No. 2 of 1984. Under this decree, a detention certificate issued by the Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters was enough to lock a person away interminably. Among its features, the decree precluded courts from inquiring into anything concerning the detention of persons held under its authority.

Fearing interminable detention, Wang Chin-Yao and his compatriots sued the Chief of Staff in the hope that the court could pronounce on the lawfulness of their detention but the High Court chose to emulate the Biblical Pontius Pilate and decided that the decree under which they were held precluded it from questioning the detentions. On All Fools Day (1 April) in 1985 the Court of Appeal decided their appeal against the decision of the High Court. In a judgment delivered by Phillip Adenekan Ademola, the Court of Appeal affirmed the ruling of the High Court. Adenekan Ademola, whose father was the first indigenous Chief Justice of Nigeria, stated his reasons with flamboyant economy holding “that on the question of civil liberties, the law courts of Nigeria must as of now blow muted trumpets.”

These words were to prove exceedingly corrosive in their effect on judicial imagination under the military. A mere three years after this judgment by Ademola, his bossom friend and Sarkin Wurno, Shehu Malami, became the subject of considerable interest by the security services of the military government when he threw his hat into the ring to become the 18th Sultan of Sokoto at the death of Sultan Siddiq Abubakar III. It was impossible to find a court without its own muted trumpet. The muted trumpets of the courts enabled the abuses that ultimately made military rule untenable and brought about its demise one decade later.

The hope – with the end of military rule – was that the return of the country to government with electoral legitimacy would unleash the civic imagination of Nigerians. In the run up to Nigeria’s presidential elections of 2023, part of the claim made in favour of the man whom the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) eventually anointed as president, Bola Tinubu, was that he had fought the excesses of military rule as a chieftain of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), a pro-democracy collective, many of whose leading members were exiled during the last half decade of military rule in Nigeria. It is natural to expect that the government of a man with those credential would be a paradise for the kinds of rights for which he reputedly took the military to task.

The reality has been anything but…. The government of Tinubu has instead become the graveyard of freedoms of expression and association and of the right to protest in Nigeria and it is only just a little over 15 months in power. The numbers are there to prove it.

In the first year of the Tinubu administration, the Press Attack Tracker recorded 37 incidents of attacks against journalists and the press. The first five months of 2024 alone witnessed 27 such attacks. For comparison, advocacy organization, Global Rights, which monitored similar patterns under the Buhari regime recorded 189 journalists arrested, detained or harassed over the eight years of the Buhari administration. At the current pace, the Tinubu regime of NADECO graduates will by the end of its second year easily eclipse the record of the entire Buhari administration in press freedom violations over its eight years of existence.

At the end of August 2024, Tinubu’s Nigeria comfortably topped the league table of attacks on journalists in Africa with over 76 recorded incidents of attacks against journalists, beating Somalia (with 18 attacks) into second place, with Congo DRC a distant third with five incidents.

These numbers only provide a peek into a more troubling pattern. Last month, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported “at least 56 journalists who were assaulted or harassed by security forces or unidentified citizens while covering the #EndBadGovernance demonstrations in Nigeria.” The “unidentified citizens” who were involved in some of these attacks mostly conducted themselves in ways which suggests that they were agents or emissaries of the ruling party or government.

The #EndBadGovernance protest and its aftermath have been a squalid advertisement of the illiberal credentials of the Tinubu Government. After failing in intimidating citizens out of the protest, the administration resorted to third-degree methods to squash it. It arrested thousands of citizens whose only crime was peaceful expression of dissent, instructed the freezing of the accounts of persons and groups whom it claimed to be organisers of the protests, and procured suspicious court orders to unsafely kettle and intimidate the protesters. Security forces killed at least 13 protesters although the real casualty count is thought to be well north of this number.

Not content with these, the government arranged in Abuja to charge many of the protesters with treason or conspiracy to commit treason. Campaigners at Human Rights Watch have rightly pointed out that this signals the extent of the regime’s “intolerance for dissent.” The significance of these charges go well beyond this, however. The charges of treason for the #EndBadGovernance protesters are designed to intimidate any wannabe protesters. They are also a dog whistle for the judges before whom these protesters are charged to treat them as beyond the pale and beneath the law.

The judges are listening. At the trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja, the court has eventually granted the protesters bail on rather stringent conditions. Citizen groups are now working hard to socialize the costs of meeting these conditions. Lawyers for the government meanwhile go around intimidating the courts with specious reasons as to why protest has become treason under the government of a serial protester.

Nearly 40 years ago, when the son of a former Chief Justice of Nigeria told judges to blow muted trumpets on questions of civil liberties, there was an assumption that the judges were capable of doing different. Now and again many of them indeed served the soldiers with a judicial bloody nose. Today, that capacity no longer exists. Nigerian courts no longer want to be associated with any trumpets, not even muted ones, lest they inadvertently let out some judicial sound.

Instead, many courts, under the thumb of their Chiefs or administrative judges have become enablers of the authoritarian instincts of the government of NADECO veterans. When the security services invade the offices of advocacy organisation, SERAP; or interdict the passport of Omoyele Sowore at the airport, they don’t even contemplate the existence of judges capable of playing Pontius Pilate. For them, the courts no longer exist. That is some progress!

** 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..