The federal government has released N90 billion to subsidise the 2024 pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

An impeccable source within the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) revealed this to Daily Trust on Thursday.

The source, who asked not to be named, noted that without this intervention, each of the intending pilgrims would have been requested to add at least N3.5 million to the initial fare which was pegged at N4.9 million.

A top official at the Presidency also confirmed that the federal government “actually provided some financial support for the hajj exercise”.

Recall that the NAHCON had, in December last year, fixed a fare of N4.9 million per pilgrim based on the exchange rate of N897 to a dollar.

In announcing the fare at that time, the commission had quoted the sum of N4,899,000 for southern pilgrims; N4,699,000 for those from the North; while pilgrims from Yola and Maiduguri centres were asked to pay N4,679,000.

Through a statement issued on Sunday by its spokesperson, Fatima Usara, the hajj commission had raised the fare by N1, 918,032.91, jacking up the total amount to N6.8 million.

The commission had also said intending pilgrims had up to March 28, 2024 to make payment for the spiritual exercise.

NAHCON had attributed the latest hike in hajj fare to the foreign exchange crisis which Nigeria has been battling for months.

The NAHCON’s source told Daily Trust that if the commission had received up to N230 billion as support from the federal government, there would have been no need to ask intending pilgrims “to add a dime.”

“The forex crisis has caused a lot of problems. That is why the Hajj Commission has asked intending pilgrims to pay the extra amount of N1.9 million each. The commission actually needed N230 billion to sort out the fare differential caused by the forex crisis.

“The N90 billion support which was provided by the government was announced in the presence of reporters during the inauguration of the board and management of the Hajj Commission which was held at the Office of the Vice Presidency on February 28, 2024. But they (reporters) were asked not to report it. That was why no newspaper carried the report. Or did you see it in any reports?”

“If the intending pilgrims pay ₦1.9 million, it is then it can be balanced,” the source further stated.

He said NAHCON had also contacted state governors “to subsidise the hajj fare for the intending pilgrims in their respective states. Kano has responded by subsiding it by N500,000 for each pilgrim.

“By the previous calculation, the N90 billion given by the federal government can only subsidise 19,000 intending pilgrims by ₦3.5 million. But by spreading it on 50,000 pilgrims, it reduces it to N1.9 million; meaning that the federal government has subsidised each pilgrim by ₦1.6 million before each intending pilgrim was asked to add the remaining N1.9 million,” he said.

A presidency source, who also spoke to Daily Trust yesterday, said it was true that the federal government had provided what he called a “huge financial support” for this year’s hajj exercise.

Asked to confirm whether the federal government released up to N90 billion as support for the pilgrimage, the official simply said: “that might not be far from the truth.”

He added, “Of course, the federal government has offered support for the pilgrims because the pilgrims have been lamenting.

“Normally, any support that the government is giving to any faith, whether the Christian faith or the Muslim faith, the government does not like to announce it openly so that it will not appear as if the government is favouring one faith.”

Daily Trust

Residents of Oje area of Ibadan in Ibadan North East local Government of Oyo state yesterday rushed out to catch a glimpse of a crocodile which died after 84 years.

The crocodile, before its death on Thursday, was tamed at the popular Delesolu’s Palace, Ibadan.

During its lifetime, it attracted many tourists to the ancient city of Ibadan as a result of its uniqueness.

When speaking about the mysterious crocodile, head of the family and a very respected Chief in Ibadan land, Raufu Yusuff Delesolu, said it was brought to the “Igbejo Delesolu in 1940 after the first one was bought by some white men. Since then, it has been in Delesolu’s compound until its demise today.”

Raufu further explained that, the white people from all walks of life including Africans loved seeing and feeding it with all sorts of food.

He said, “I grew up to know the pet as it had been in existence before I was born, It was about 84 years”.

“Historically, the crocodile had never been reported to be a god as our fathers did not at any moment worship it.”

“They only visit it every day to feed it and to be sure of its well-being.”

Still quoting his father, the head of the family stated that, “In the olden days before its house was adequately constructed, the crocodile used to crawl out whenever there was heavy rain and men in the compound would now start searching for it. There was a day when it was found in the muddy gutter very close to the palace, at Ojo-Ibadan compound to be precise. It was later brought back to its house.”

He however reiterated that, the crocodile was not a god as being speculated by many people. It is just a pet cherished by their forefathers and the onus is on them to preserve this important heritage.

As at the time of gathering this report, the members of the family were grieving and there is ongoing burial arrangement for the dead reptile as it would be buried in the family compound.

“But trust me, there are still other tourist attractions in the family compound and Oje community at large; and there is also high tendency of getting another pet in order to continue preserving the heritage of their forefathers”, he said.

Several objects were seen on the ground in preparation for the burial of the crocodile.

Vanguard

In Jerusalem, Palestinian Christians observe scaled-down Good Friday rituals

Hundreds of Christians participated in a customary Good Friday procession through the limestone walls of Jerusalem’s Old City, commemorating one of the faith’s most sacred days with noticeably thinner crowds amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

The procession, which normally draws thousands of foreign visitors, was unusually local — mostly Palestinian Christians, joined by some foreigners living in Jerusalem and a few undeterred tourists.

The procession passes along the Way of the Cross, or Via Dolorosa, the route believed to have been walked by Jesus to his crucifixion. Squads of Israeli police set up barricades along the path, rerouting shoppers in the Old City’s bustling Muslim quarter to make way for hundreds of pilgrims.

A young group of Palestinian Arab scouts led the day’s procession, past the 14 stations, each marking an event that befell Jesus on his final journey. Hundreds of Palestinian Christians walked in their wake. Behind them was a small parade of the Franciscan religious order, composed mainly of foreigners who live in Jerusalem.

“We wait for this every year,” said Munira Kamar, a Palestinian Christian from the Old City, who waved to the cross-bearers who stopped to give her young daughter a kiss on the cheek. “Of course, this year we are unhappy because of the situation with the ongoing war.”

Thousands of Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s ongoing offensivein Gaza, launched after Hamas’ Oct. 7 killings and hostage-taking in Israel.

The impact of the war was clear at the procession’s final stations are inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Jesus is believed to have been crucified and laid to rest before his resurrection on Easter. There, instead of the crowds who normally queue for hours in the church courtyard, entrance to the site was easy.

The city’s streets were noticeably devoid of Palestinian Christians from the West Bank, who normally flock to the Holy City for Easter. Since Oct. 7, Palestinian worshippers have needed special permission to cross checkpoints into Jerusalem.

Despite the thinned crowds, shopkeepers, whose heavy metal doors are usually closed on Fridays, threw them open for tourists seeking Catholic memorabilia. But shoppers were few and far between.

“Comparing last year’s Easter festivities with this year is like light and day,” said Fayaz Dakkak, a Palestinian storeowner whose family first opened the shop in 1942. His shop stood empty.

“Usually people are joyful today and kids are excited,”he said. “But when you compare children here who have water and food and a family to what’s happening in Gaza, how can you be happy?”

An estimated 50,000 Christian Palestinians live in the West Bank and Jerusalem, according to the U.S. State Department’s international religious freedom report for 2022. Approximately 1,300 Christians lived in Gaza, it said. Some Christians are also citizens of Israel. Many Palestinian Christians live in diaspora communities.

A few tourists braved the day. Carmen Ros, a lawyer who lives in Jerusalem, had managed to corral a group of pilgrims from Spain to visit the country for a religious tour. The group rested in the shade outside the church.

“They were afraid of the situation at first,” she said, “but I told them here in Jerusalem, it’s safe, we don’t have violence. We are close to Gaza, but the Christian people are not the target of terrorism.”

The celebrations coincided with the third Friday in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, with worshippers once again flocking to the revered Al-Aqsa mosque for prayer. Despite fears the ongoing war would spark clashes at the revered Al-Aqsa mosque, Ramadan has so far been peaceful, under tight Israeli security.

Sister Harriet Kabaije, a pilgrim from Uganda who moved to Jerusalem three weeks ago to live in a monastery, said she was holding the people of Gaza in her prayers. She said she believed that peace could be achieved in the region.

“Many people think that the war here is natural,” she said. “But when Jesus was in Bethlehem, it was peaceful. We know that people are suffering in Gaza so we carry them in our prayers and pray that peace can return to this land.”

Elsewhere, Pope Francis skipped the traditional Good Fridayprocession at the Colosseum in Rome, the Vatican said, to “conserve his health in view of the vigil tomorrow and Mass on Easter Sunday.”

It was the second time Francis had skipped the traditional procession in his 11-year papacy, an event that St. John Paul II famously skipped just before he died in 2005. Francis had also skipped the event in 2023 because he was recovering from bronchitis and it was a particularly cold night.

In Spain, several Good Friday street processions were canceled due to storms that provided some much-needed rain to areas battling a prolonged drought. Seville’s brotherhoods were forced to call off the processions of their giant floats bearing sculptures of Jesus of the Virgin for the first time in over a decade due to bad weather.

In Chicago, hundreds of spectators flocked to the city’s Pilsen neighborhood to witness a Good Friday tradition — the 47th Via Crucis procession reenacting scenes from Jesus’ final days.

“It’s the story that we all know from when we were little kids,” said Jason Rodriguez, a Pilsen resident and event volunteer. “This reenactment drives home the suffering, the strength and the passion that our Lord had.”

AP

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Zelensky changes stance on talks with Russia

President Vladimir Zelensky has indicated that a return to Ukraine’s 1991 borders is no longer a precondition for holding peace talks with Moscow, even as he continues to push forward with his so-called peace formula, which has been dismissed by the Kremlin as absurd.

Zelensky banned all negotiations with the current leadership in Moscow back in 2022, after four former Ukrainian regions overwhelmingly voted to join Russia. Since then, he has been rallying Western support for his 10-point ultimatum, which includes the full withdrawal of Russian troops and a return to Ukraine’s 1991 borders, including Crimea, holding Moscow accountable and forced to pay reparations, among other conditions.

However, in an interview with CBS this week, Zelensky suggested there was no need to recapture the territory “exclusively by military means,”claiming that the Ukrainian forces should at least restore the 2022 status quo.

“We will not have to de-occupy all of our territories exclusively by military means… I am sure when he [President Vladimir Putin] loses what he has occupied since 2022, he will fully lose the confidence even of those countries which are still in doubt whether they should support Ukraine or not,” Zelensky said.

The Kremlin has repeatedly stressed that it remains open to meaningful discussions and has blamed the lack of a diplomatic breakthrough on the Ukrainian authorities, who refuse to accept “reality on the ground.”

Despite the failure of Ukraine’s counteroffensive last year and recent gains made by Russian forces along the frontline, Zelensky claimed that once Russia suffers battlefield setbacks, Putin will “lose the power within his country” and will be forced to seek dialogue.

“And when he will be ready for the dialogue, undoubtedly the international conditions should be the liberation of our territories, the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Zelensky added.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba suggested on Friday that Kiev could engage in diplomacy with Moscow following the Swiss-hosted peace summit, a date for which is still to be announced. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Kiev is contradicting itself, and that Moscow will not accept a set of rules “developed by someone else.”

The last meaningful negotiations between Moscow and Kiev were held in Istanbul in the spring of 2022 but broke down, with each side accusing the other of making unrealistic demands. President Putin said the Ukrainian delegation had initially agreed with some of Moscow’s terms, but then abruptly reneged on the deal – allegedly after then-UK PM Boris Johnson advised Kiev to reject a truce and “continue fighting,” promising full Western support.

Ukraine’s Western backers insist that a peace settlement can only be achieved on Kiev’s terms and have vowed to continue weapons deliveries for “as long as it takes.” Russia, meanwhile, has stressed that no amount of foreign aid will change the course of the conflict.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Kyiv's top general says Ukraine needs fewer troops than expected

Ukraine's military will need to mobilise fewer people than initially expected to fend off Russia's two-year-old invasion, Kyiv's top general said on Friday.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in December that his military had proposed mobilising up to 500,000 more Ukrainians into the armed forces as Russia stepped up attacks along the 1,000-km (621-mile) front line.

Commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, who was appointed last month, said in an interview with Ukrainian media published on Friday that the figure had been "significantly reduced" after a review of resources.

He did not name a new figure.

"We expect that we will have enough people capable of defending their motherland," told the Ukrinform news agency. "I am talking not only about the mobilized but also about volunteer fighters."

Ukraine's mobilisation effort has been hobbled by waning enthusiasm and reports of corruption and abuse at draft offices. A bill that would allow officials to call up more troops is currently winding its way through parliament.

Syrskyi added that an audit of non-combat units had allowed military planners to send "thousands" of service members to the front, and that combat-support roles were "equally important" in Kyiv's defence effort.

"The war that we are forced to wage against the Russian invaders is a war of attrition, a war of logistics," he said. "Therefore, the importance of the effectiveness of rear units cannot be underestimated."

The former ground forces chief also said "powerful" defensive lines were being prepared "in almost all threatening areas" as Russia keeps up its attacks.

The eastern city of Avdiivka fell to Moscow in mid-February after a months-long assault in which Ukrainian defenders had been outgunned and outnumbered.

In the Ukrinform interview, Syrskyi said his forces would have "definitely" kept their positions if Kyiv had received more ammunition and air defence capabilites from its Western partners.

RT/Reuters

The times are tough.

It is therefore just appropriate that President Bola Tinubu has shunned all forms of celebration of his 72nd birthday.

He has great dreams. And a proverb says a man who wants his dream to come true

does not sleep. That is a proverb Asiwaju has lived all his life and is living even more, now!

That is one man who, literally, never sleeps!

The least we can do as Nigerians is to join hands with him by staying awake to our

duties and responsibilities as citizens. An appropriate birthday gift we can give him,

everyday!

Nigerians must deploy their long-held values of hard work, resilience in battles, love

of one another and unity of purpose as a people to overcome the challenges the

nation currently faces.

Nigeria needs the best energies of all Nigerians, talented, patriotic, young and old,

men and women, across all divides in order for the dreams we all nurse to come true.

No one wants to harness all these more than Tinubu.

When we are conscious of the fact that we are enriched by our diversity as a nation, blessed by our resources and united in our pursuit of the goal of being the African lodestar, Nigeria’s journey to a great future, which has begun anew with Tinubu in charge, will be quickened in pace. The banner of Renewed

Hope he waves is comforting not only in its symbolisms but in the substantive actions he is

taking to make Nigerians look forward to a greater tomorrow.

By jettisoning short-term conveniences and taking the necessary tough path towards

life-long prosperity, Nigerians have only one thing to say in tribute to the President

and to themselves: tough as the times are, we get you! How might we help?

With a Tinubu, who intrinsically believes in and genuinely works for prosperity for all, the flight may be a bit rough now but the landing, in good time, will be smooth. And the journey will be worth the turbulence we may be facing now.

I once wrote that the laws of economics have never been truer than they are now.

Nigerians’ needs are unlimited but the means of satisfying those needs are extremely

limited, much more so than was envisaged when he took over power some months ago.

So, sacrifice is not something we have the luxury of weighing, it is

a choice already made for us by history and our quest for a good place in it.

The great luck our nation has is: Tinubu is nothing if not

courage personified and compassion embodied! A man of ideas and action, no one

wants the best for all Nigerians more than he does and no one is willing to burn the midnight

oil in the quest for solutions more than him.

These, no doubt, are very tough times for Nigeria. But these are also times calling for the best

and boldest in all of us as we have a country to build and a dream to fulfill.

Tinubu is asking us, all Nigerians, to get out of wringing our hands over Nigeria’s

challenges but, with individual commitment and a high sense of

responsibility on the part of all, setting those hands on the plough, in the belief that

no one ever commits fully to hope anew, takes the tough but right actions, and fails!

All Nigerians, as much as we can positively affect our spheres of influence, should be

committed to renewing the hope of all, in the words we speak, the deeds we do and in the faces we

show the world!

There are many things for which Nigeria needs monetary resources. But beyond

that, to renew our hope and build a prosperous nation for all Nigerians, the President has

found the appropriate currency: the courage, the will to act and his signature compassion to do

the best in the interest of the greatest number.

As he turns 72, Tinubu’s commitment to building a

rainbow nation in which all find shelter and all prosper is crystal clear!

Let every Nigerian ask for his or her part in the job at hand.

And just do it!

** Debo Adesina is a former Ambassador of Nigeria to the Republic of Togo

Pay attention to these if you're in a conflict.

Getting into a disagreement with another person is never easy. It often brings up uncomfortable feelings like stress, anger or sadness. But while arguments are generally uncomfortable with just about anyone, they are extra difficult with narcissists. 

Narcissists are manipulative and have a desire to control others, making disagreements really, really frustrating, said Monica Cwynar, a licensed clinical social worker with Thriveworks in Pittsburgh.

Just because you have an unpleasant interaction with another person doesn’t make them a narcissist. Just .5-5% of the U.S. population has narcissistic personality disorder, or NPD, according to Manahil Riaz, a psychotherapist in Houston and the owner of Riaz Counseling in Texas. So while someone can have narcissistic traits ― such as self-centeredness or a lack of empathy ― it does not mean they have NPD, Riaz added.  

Instead, narcissism is a continuum that ranges from healthy narcissism, which is defined as an “integrated sense of self and healthy self-esteem to pathological narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder,” Justine Grosso, a somatic trauma psychologist, told HuffPost via email.

“Someone with pathological narcissistic traits may meet some but not all criteria for NPD,” Grosso added. These criteria includes entitlement, a lack of empathy, a desire for praise and admiration, exploiting others, arrogance and grandiosity, Grosso said.

These traits are hard to deal with on a normal day, and are that much harder when a narcissist is upset with you. We asked therapists to share the phrases and behaviors narcissists commonly use in conflict. Here’s what they are:

1. “You’re overreacting.”

“When talking to someone with pathological narcissism or NPD, they may repeatedly dismiss, deflect, or invalidate your concerns or hurt feelings in order to avoid taking accountability for their impact on you,” Grosso said.

This can sound like phrases such as “you’re overreacting” or “you’re too sensitive,” which can be used to control the narrative, said Cwynar, and make you feel like you’re the one causing a problem.

Instead of doubling down on your stance, comments like this likely make you doubt yourself and your feelings, and withdraw your complaint, Grosso said.

2. “I’m not angry, you’re angry.”

“People with pathological narcissism or NPD use an unconscious defense mechanism called projection in which they disown their own emotions and believe they belong to someone else,” Grosso said. 

Say you’re in the middle of a fight with a narcissist, you may hear them telling you that you’re the angry one as they yell, scream and say condescending things, Grosso gave as an example.

“People with pathological narcissism or NPD deny their vulnerable feelings because of toxic shame and emotion phobia,” she said.

3. “I can’t believe you’re attacking me, I always get blamed.”

No matter how wrong your loved one is, they can never see themselves that way. Instead, they’re always the victim.

“Narcissists often see themselves as victims due to their deep-seated sense of entitlement, fragile self-esteem and lack of empathy for others,” Cwynar said. This victim mentality leads narcissists to believe they are “constantly being wronged or mistreated by others.”

You may hear a narcissist say things like, “I can’t believe you’re attacking me like this. I’m the one who always gets blamed for everything, even when it’s not my fault,” or “No matter what I do, it’s never good enough for you. I’m constantly being criticized and judged unfairly,” she said.

“By portraying themselves as victims, narcissists can manipulate others to gain attention, sympathy or control in relationships,” Cwynar said. “They may use their perceived victimhood as a tool to elicit support or to shift focus away from their own problematic behavior.”

As a result, they can deflect blame and responsibility, and instead put the blame on someone or something else, she noted.

4. “If you loved me, you would do this.”

During a conflict, it’s common for narcissistic people to lean into manipulation, according to Cwynar. This language is intended to control so they can get what they want.

“They will use strong language like ... “If you love me, [you’d do this for me] ... if you don’t do this, I might hurt myself ... if you leave here, then you never loved me,” Cwynar explained.

Statements like this make it hard to stand up to the person you’re quarreling with, likely leading you to retreat and put the control back in their hands.

5. “You should have known I was upset.” 

“While many people with personality disorders and relational trauma may believe that others should read their mind, this is especially prominent in people with NPD,” said Grosso.

So, you may hear someone with narcissistic personality disorder say, “You should have known I was angry,” fully expecting you to anticipate their emotions and understand what they’re feeling without any kind of communication.

“A phrase like this may lead the other person to feel hypervigilant, like they’re walking on eggshells,” Grosso explained.

Additionally, feelings of fear, guilt and obligation may bubble up, too, which takes power away from the wronged individual, she noted.

6. Long-winded expressions that don’t touch on the point.

“There’s this concept called ‘word salad,’ where they just might say things that don’t make sense,” said Riaz. So, they may spout statements that don’t connect just to confuse you, she added.

“Like, ‘I do everything for this family, you sit at home, and I’m thinking about the future and what we can do better, and I’m trying to get my education,’” Riaz said. “And they just go on and on and on and on.”

Eventually, you forget why you’re even fighting because the conversation has gone so far left, she added.

A bonus red flag: There’s often little or no negotiation or compromise.

When in an argument with another person, typically there is some sort of negotiation. Maybe after a fight about cleanliness, you agree to take the trash out more often while your partner agrees to wipe down the countertops after they cook.

This is not the case for someone in a relationship with someone with narcissistic personality disorder. “There’s typically no negotiation because their patterns are just so disagreeable,” Riaz said.

Additionally, negotiation isn’t a goal because this person just wants to get their way, Cwynar noted. “So, if they’re having a disagreement with you, it’s about them being able to control the narrative, control the situation,” Cwynar said, not to get to a solution or compromise. 

If you are in a relationship with a narcissist, it’s important to take care of yourself.

All in all, it’s really tough to frequently deal with someone who uses the controlling, manipulative behavior mentioned above. 

To cope, Riaz said it’s important to seek therapy. “A good therapist will help you recognize, ‘Wow, it sounds like you’re really struggling, you’re trying everything you can — maybe it’s not you,’” Riaz said. Therapy can help you decide what you want to do about this relationship while processing the impact it has on you.

“You need to set boundaries so that you can maintain a healthy relationship with the person,” Cwynar said. If this is a person you need to have in your life, it’s important to have boundaries to protect yourself from them.

It’s also important to have a support system, whether that’s family, friends or a church group, said Riaz. You need folks you can count on and talk to about the things going on in your life. If you don’t have this kind of support, it’s important to create it by joining local groups, signing up for clubs and meeting new people, Riaz added.

When it comes to the toxic relationship itself, “If you can walk away, I would definitely say walk away,” Riaz said. But she acknowledged that it’s not always possible to do so, like if you co-parent with someone who has narcissistic personality disorder or have a narcissistic boss at a high-paying job that you can’t leave.

“So, either we can walk away and do no contact, or we can have really strong boundaries and have low contact,” Riaz said.

In the end, it’s important that you take care of your physical and emotional needs. “Understanding the ‘why’ behind abusive behavior does not excuse the impact and harmful nature of the behavior on your well-being,” Grosso said.

HuffPost

FirstNews editor Segun Olatunji, who regained his freedom on Thursday after 14 days in military detention, has recounted his ordeals in the hands of his abductors.

Olatunji was abducted from his Lagos home on 15 March by the military, taken to Abuja and held incommunicado until his release.

While in detention, the journalists’ unions and his organisation relentlessly demanded his freedom.

His colleagues at FirstNews also went spiritual in the quest to get him released.

Shortly after his release, Olatunji gave a vivid account of his ordeals at a joint presser organised by the International Press Institute (IPI), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Abuja.

He said at dusk of Friday, 15 March, he and his seven-year-old son were watching a popular television programme on TVC, ‘Journalists Hangout,’ at home when armed military personnel broke into his living room in a Gestapo way.

He said the men were accompanied by his wife, whom they had taken from her shop and forced to take them to his home.

He said he was immediately arrested and whisked away to an air force base, also in Lagos.

“On March 15, I was at my house in Lagos, watching ‘Journalists’ Hangout’ with my seven-year-old son, when suddenly, soldiers burst into the sitting room.

“I saw my wife and one-year-old son amongst them, crying. I asked what happened, and she said they arrested her from her shop and asked her to take them to where I was,” Olatunji described how the soldiers used his wife as bait to arrest.

He would later learn while being incarcerated by the military that intelligence officers had lodged at a hotel near Olatunji’s wife’s shop days before the arrest.

Giving further insights into the event of 15 March, Olatunji said he identified a top military officer amongst the menacing soldiers simply called Colonel Lawal, whom he sought to know why he was being arrested.

“I asked an officer, whom I identified as Colonel Lawal if I could know why they were looking for me, and he said no, that they were from the military and they were there to arrest me.

“Immediately, he seized my phones as he had earlier seized my wife’s phones. I said okay, let me go in and dress up since I was only in my boxer shorts; some of them (soldiers) even followed me to my room as I took my shirt and trousers.”

The embattled journalist said he stepped out of his house into a waiting crowd of armed military personnel comprising the army, Air Force and Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).

“They handcuffed me and put me into the vehicle. At first, I thought they were taking me to the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) in Apapa (Lagos), but then we made a detour to the Air Force Base and straight to the office of the National Air Defense Corps (NADC) where we waited for about three hours. I didn’t know we were waiting for a military aircraft to come pick me up.

Journey to Abuja, cuffed and blindfolded

“After a while, when the aircraft came, someone came to me and asked me to hand over my glasses and then put a blindfold on me.

“They moved me into the aircraft, and we took off; when we landed, they took all my clothes. I was left with my boxer shorts. They also put leg cuffs on me in addition to the handcuffs and put me in a cell,” Olatunji narrated his perilous journey from Lagos to Abuja.

The pain of torture

Upon arrival in Abuja, the journalist was driven from the airport to a detention facility.

“At a point, one of the officers came and tightened the cuffs on my right hand and leg. I was there groaning in pain, and it was that way for three days. When they released it all, the right side of my body felt numb. As I’m talking to you, I can still feel the numbness in my right hand and leg,” Olatunji said as he tried clutching a microphone he was using to address journalists.

The next day, the journalist was presented at a military clinic where a doctor examined him, and his urine and blood samples were taken.

Allegations

Days after he was thrown into the dungeon, Olatunji was called into the interrogation room.

“They were asking me about certain stories that FirstNews had carried. One of them told me that I was one of those abusing the chief of defence intelligence. I said how? He said we did a story, and I replied that it was a general story. They didn’t say much on that.

“He also asked me about a story we carried about the chief of staff to the president, I think that was the major thing,” Olatunji said, attributing his ordeal “people in the corridors of power who are not happy with what FirstNews is doing and they are bent on taking their own pound of flesh.”

The military authorities equally accused Olatunji of terrorism.

Freedom at last

But talks about Olatunji’s release only began after a thorough search on his phone to ascertain the sources of his outlet’s stories and obtaining a statement from him.

“On Tuesday, they asked me to write a statement, they went through my phone and checked my source, then they left me in the cell till last night (Wednesday) when they asked me to call someone in Abuja who can guarantee my release. So, I called Mr Yomi Odunuga, a good friend and brother who brought me into journalism some 27 years ago when I joined ‘The Punch.'”

After that, the military authorities phoned Odunuga, a deputy editor at the Nations Newspaper, directing him to somewhere around the ECOWAS secretariat in the Asokoro area of Abuja.

Odunuga was accompanied by Iyobosa Uwugiaren, the general secretary of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), to secure Olatunji’s release from the military on Thursday.

“After lots of back and forth, they eventually took me somewhere under the bridge in Abuja here, where he was also asked to come, and he came. I was happy when he came. They asked him to sign some files, and when he did, they released me to him.”

‘My life no longer safe’

After his release, Olatunji expressed concerns about his safety.

The journalist said he had been trailed for weeks before his eventual abduction by the Military.

“I would like to say something. Given the series of events, I want to say that my life is not safe because they have everything about me, they know my house.

“I was even made to understand that they would have arrested me in my hometown on 8 March, I was there for an ICT programme by Olamilekun Adeola Yayi, my senator. One of them told me how they had been trailing me and watching me for about two or three weeks. They even lodged in a hotel close to my wife’s shop, and it was from there they arrested her and my one-year-old son,” he said.

Olatunji said the military’s baseless allegation of terrorism against him further fuelled his worry about his family’s safety.

He, however, expressed gratitude to individuals and organisations who relentlessly demanded for his release from the Gulag

“I want to thank everybody once again. I’m very grateful for being steadfast in asking for my release. God will bless you all, thank you.”

Journalists must unite to fight oppression

While speaking at the presser on Thursday, the Editor-in-Chief of PREMIUM TIMES and President IPI, Musikilu Mojeed, urged journalists to unite and be each other’s keepers.

He praised Nigerian journalists for standing up and demanding Olatunji’s release from the military.

Mojeed emphasised that journalism remains an essential component of every democratic society.

Earlier, Uwugiaren, while reading a press statement at the event, said the military’s initial denial of Olatunji’s abduction portends danger for the country’s democracy.

“The DIA’s action is a direct attack on press freedom. Without freedom of the press, our democracy is endangered.”

Uwugiaren said Olatunji’s release by the military was not the end of the matter.

“The Nigerian media community shall consult further in the next few days on the actions to take against the Chief of Defence Staff (Christopher Musa), the Chief Defence Intelligence (Emmanuel Undiandeye), and the military regarding this matter.”

He said Nigerians and the international community were horrified by the “lawlessness and fear-provoking” action of the Director of the Intelligence Agency.

PT

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced an upward review of the minimum capital requirements for commercial, merchant and non-interest banks.

In a statement on Thursday, CBN said the increase was necessary due to prevailing macroeconomic challenges and headwinds occasioned by external and domestic shocks.

The statement was signed by Haruna Mustafa, director, financial policy and regulation department.

According to the apex bank, the upward review will enhance their resilience, solvency and capacity to continue to support the growth of the Nigerian economy.

CBN increased the capital base for commercial banks with international licences to N500 billion, while national and regional financial institutions’ capital bases were pegged at N200 billion and N50 billion, respectively.

Also, CBN raised the merchant bank minimum capital requirement to N50 billion for national licence holders.

The financial regulator said the capital base for national and regional non-interest banks is N20 billion and N10 billion, respectively.

To meet the minimum capital requirements, CBN advised banks to consider the injection of “fresh equity capital through private placements, rights issue and/or offer for subscription”.

CBN also suggested merger and acquisition (M&A), as well as upgrade or downgrade of licences.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS FOR EXISTING BANKS

• The minimum capital specified above shall comprise paid-up capital and share premium only. For the avoidance of doubt, the new capital requirement shall not be based on shareholders’ funds.
• Additional tier 1 (AT1) capital shall not be eligible for the purpose of meeting the new requirement.
• All banks are required to meet the minimum capital requirement within a period of 24 months commencing from April 1, 2024 and terminating on March 31, 2026.
• Notwithstanding the capital increase, banks are to ensure strict compliance with the minimum capital adequacy ratio (CAR) requirement applicable to their license authorization.
• In line with extant regulations, banks that breach the CAR requirement shall required to inject fresh capital to regularise their position.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS FOR PROPOSED BANKS

• The minimum capital requirement shall be paid-up capital.
• The new minimum capital requirement shall be applicable to all new applications for banking licences submitted after April 1, 2024.
• The CBN shall continue to process all pending applications for banking licences for which capital deposit had been made and/or approval-in-principle (AIP) had been granted. However, the promoters of such proposed banks shall make up the difference between the capital deposited with the CBN and the new capital requirement not later than March 31

CBN said all banks are required to submit an implementation plan, clearly indicating the chosen option{s) for meeting the new capital requirement and various activities involved with their timelines.

“The plan shall be submitted to the Director, Banking Supervision Department, Central Bank of Nigeria, not later than April 30, 2024,” the apex bank said.

CBN said it will monitor and ensure compliance with the new requirements within the specified timeline above.

The Cable

Nigeria was thrown into darkness on Thursday following the collapse of the electricity grid controlled from Osogbo, Osun State, around 4:32 p.m.

A source in one of the distribution companies (DisCo) said the feeders for most DisCos nationwide were out of supply.

The development, the source added, has left virtually all franchise areas for DisCos across the 36 states in darkness.

According to the source, as of 4p.m, the grid output was 2984 megawatts. But by 5 p.m., the 21 plants on the grid had zero output.

In February, a grid collapse also left the nation in darkness.

A last check with the source when filing this report revealed that Azura was the only plant on the grid with an output capacity of about 54 megawatts.

Egbin, Afam, Geregu, Ibom Power, Jebba, Kainji, Odukpani, and Olorunsogo, among other plants, all had zero output.

In November 2013, the federal government privatised all generation and 11 distribution companies, with the FG retaining the ownership of the transmission company. This was to improve efficiency in the sector.

However, since privatisation, the grid has collapsed more than 140 times.

PT

Two executives from Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, have sued Nigeria's national security adviser's office and the anti-graft agency for violating their fundamental rights and asked the court to set them free.

Tigran Gambaryan, a U.S. citizen and Binance's head of financial crime compliance, and Nadeem Anjarwalla, a British-Kenyan who is Binance's regional manager for Africa, flew to Nigeria following the country's decision to ban several cryptocurrency trading websites and were detained on arrival on Feb. 26.

Anjarwalla fled the country last week and now faces the prospect of an international arrest warrant.

On Thursday, Gambaryan appeared in a Federal High Court in the capital Abuja requesting Judge Iyang Ekwo declare his detention and seizure of his passport by the National Security Adviser and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) "amounts to a violation of his fundamental right to personal liberty" as guaranteed by Nigeria's constitution.

The executives, who said they had not been informed of any offences committed, requested an order to release them and return their passports, a public apology and a restraining order from further detention.

The judge adjourned the hearing to April 8 without making a ruling because lawyers for the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the EFCC were not in court.

Gambaryan and Anjarwalla were caught up in a crackdown following a period during which several cryptocurrency websites emerged as platforms of choice for trading the Nigerian currency, as the country battles a chronic dollar shortages.

Reuters