The damning report on the carnage of bloodletting across the country this year released by SB Morgen (SBM) Intelligence, which stated that at least 964 officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Nigerian military were killed in combatant attacks in 2021 is one of the trending stories in Nigerian newspapers on Friday.
The Guardian reports that a damning report on the carnage of bloodletting across the country this year was, yesterday, released by SB Morgen (SBM) Intelligence, which stated that at least 964 officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Nigerian military were killed in combatant attacks in 2021.
Giving breakdown of the casualties, it stated that 985 security operatives comprising 642 military officers, 322 police officers, 11 Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) officers, five Customs officials, two Department of State Services (DSS) operatives, two Immigrations officers, and a Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) officer were killed in the last one year.
The report released by the research and intelligence firm, yesterday, titled ‘Nigeria at war: Combatant casualties, examined combatant attacks in the period of Q4,2020 and Q3,2021.
The report, however, did not examine the number of civilian deaths within the period under review but rather highlights deaths of non-state actors.
In the non-state actors category, the report also revealed that 973 Boko Haram members, 1,989 bandits and 88 kidnappers have been gunned down between October 2020 and September 2021.
SBM intelligence revealed that 100 outlawed IPOB members, 290 cultists, 129 vigilantes, nine militants and nine smugglers were also killed in the period under review.
According to the firm, the report was based on a number of gathering tools including the Council on Foreign Relations’ Nigeria security tracker, as well as SBM’s own internal database of security incidents around the country.
The Punch says that the World Bank is rolling out an $800m (N329.53bn at official exchange rate) facility designed to fund a large-scale Conditional Cash Transfer programme in Nigeria, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum hinted in its 36th teleconference meeting communique released on Thursday.
It said the fund was made known to the governors by the World Bank Country Director, Shubham Chaudhuri, during the meeting, according to the communique which was signed by the NGF Chairman, Kayode Fayemi.
The communique read in part, “Forum members also listened to the World Bank Country Director, Shubham Chaudhuri, on the rollout of a World Bank financed $800m facility designed to fund a large-scale Conditional Cash Transfer programme across the country.
“The forum thereafter resolved that each state governor will establish and chair a steering committee to oversee the Conditional Cash Transfer initiative to ensure that the programme aligns with the vision of the state government.”
The Federal Government supports indigent Nigerians by giving them cash through the CCT programme, which is managed by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.
The newspaper reports that Nigeria has submitted a draft resolution to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption on the Use of Beneficial Ownership Information and Data Disclosure to identify, track, recover and return assets looted or stolen from developing countries.
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, announced this while addressing the 9th Session of Conference of State Parties in progress in Sharm EL Sheikh, Egypt.
He explained that the draft resolution was submitted jointly with the support and partnership of five other developing countries, namely, Kenya, Pakistan, Peru and Saudi Arabia.
A statement issued in Abuja by the Deputy Director/Head Communications and Advocacy, Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Obiageli Onuorah, said Malami informed the UN Convention that Nigeria had put in place institutional structures and legislations to protect its resources.
The minister conveyed Nigeria’s appeal to the Conference of State Parties of the UN Convention Against Corruption to consider the draft resolution on its merit in view of its strategic importance in recovering looted assets from developing countries.
This came as NEITI announced that a National Beneficial Ownership Register would be inaugurated by the agency and the Corporate Affairs Commission in January next year.
The Sun says that the Debt Management Office (DMO) has offered for subscription N250 billion road Sukuk instrument for N1,000 per unit.
A statement in DMO’s website indicates that the instrument was issued by “FGN Roads Sukuk Companies 1 Plc.” on behalf of the Federal Government. The offer is N1,000 per unit subject to a minimum subscription of N10,000 and in multiples of N1,000 thereafter.
“It qualifies as securities in which trustees can invest under the Trustee Investment Act. “It also qualifies as Government securities within the meaning of Company Income Tax Act (CITA) and Personal Income Tax Act (PITA) for Tax Exemption for Pension Funds, among other investors,” the DMO explained.
It added that the Sukuk instrument is to be listed on the Nigerian Exchange Limited and FMDQ Securities Exchange Limited. “Classified as Liquid Asset by the Central Bank of Nigeria, and certified by the Financial Regulatory Advisory Council of Experts (FRACE) of the Central Bank of Nigeria. “It is backed by the full faith and credit of the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
The newspaper reports that the World Bank has approved a 700 million dollar credit from its International Development Association (IDA) for the Nigeria Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Project.
It said this in a statement issued in Washington DC, USA on Thursday. According to the bank, the project will increase the implementation of sustainable landscape management practices in northern Nigeria and strengthen the country’s long-term enabling environment for integrated climate-resilient landscape management.
It said that the productivity of major crops in Nigeria had been steadily declining over the past two decades, due partly to climate change, forcing an expansion of the area under agriculture and increased imports to meet the food needs of Nigeria’s growing population.
The World Bank added that persistent water shortages, especially in the extreme north, has continued to exacerbate land degradation, desertification and habitat loss.
“Resource shortages, violent conflict, outdated agricultural systems not adapted to changing dryland conditions, lack of access to finance, weak value chain linkages, an uncompetitive environment for agribusiness, and poor market access are other key barriers to increased agricultural productivity in Nigeria.
“Better environmental and water resources management and resilience against disaster and climate risks (largely water-related) are needed to sustain economic growth and protect the most vulnerable.”
ThisDay says that the Nigerian government will next month make public the real owners of oil, gas and mining assets in the country through a National Beneficial Ownership (NBO) register.
The data to be jointly launched by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), was expected to further push the country’s preparedness to shine the light on the opacity in the extractive industry.
The Executive Secretary of NEITI, Dr. Ogbonnaya Orji and the Registrar-General of the CAC, Mallam Garba Abubakar announced this at the on-going Conference of State Parties on United Nations Convention Against Corruption in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
A statement by the Deputy Director/Head Communications and Advocacy of the initiative, Obiageli Onuorah, noted that when ready, the register would be merged with the CAC register of companies in the country.
“The NEITI executive secretary explained that under the joint inter-agency collaboration with the CAC, the NEITI beneficial ownership register filled with facts, information and data on who owns what in the oil, gas and mining sectors will merge with CAC beneficial ownership portal that covers all registered companies in Nigeria.
GIK/APA