Nigeria's annual inflation rose in September to its highest level in about two decades at 26.72%, amid a worsening cost-of-living crisis in Africa's largest economy.

The September inflation rate rose for a ninth straight month from August's 25.8%, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Monday, with millions of Nigerians impoverished due to the impact of President Bola Tinubu's economic policies.

Food inflation, making up the bulk of Nigeria's inflation basket, rose to 30.64% in September from 29.34% in August.

Tinubu has been under pressure to ease economic hardship after scrapping a decades-old petrol subsidy that tripled prices and allowed the naira to depreciate more than 50%, sending prices surging in Africa's top oil producer and most populous nation.

The central bank "has an unenviable inflation task and will need to respond with aggressive monetary tightening," said David Omojomolo, Africa economist at research firm Capital Economics.

"Our expectation is that the inflation picture will continue to worsen. The impact of the removal of fuel subsidies will continue to push up on inflation while the naira’s devaluation will also continue to feed through," he said.

Inflation in Nigeria has risen to double-digits since 2016, eroding incomes and savings, and may prompt the central bank to raise interest rates, which are already at their highest in nearly two decades, at its next meeting. Annual inflation is at its highest now since 2005.

"The rise in food inflation on a year-on-year basis was caused by increases in prices of oil and fat, bread and cereals, potatoes, yam and other tubers, fish, fruit, meat, vegetables and milk, cheese, and eggs," the NBS said.

Economic analysts said naira depreciation, higher food and energy prices and logistical costs were some of the key drivers of Nigeria's inflation.

Last week the central bank, under new Governor Olayemi Cardoso, pledged to intervene in the country's foreign exchange market occasionally to boost liquidity, after ending an eight-year restriction on 43 items, including rice, poultry and cement, from accessing foreign exchange on the official window.

The central bank hiked rates by a smaller-than-expected margin at its last meeting in July, contrary to analysts' forecast.

Some analysts expect a more hawkish stance under Cardoso at the bank's next rate-setting meeting.

Tinubu has defended his policy reforms and vowed not to go backwards despite strong opposition from labour unions who say they have hurt the poor and should be reversed

Reuters

With humanitarian aid blocked at Egyptian border, Gaza draws closer to total collapse

Truckloads of aid idled at Egypt’s border with Gaza as residents and humanitarian groups pleaded Monday for water, food and fuel for dying generators, saying the tiny Palestinian territory sealed off by Israel after last week’s rampage by Hamas was near total collapse.

U.S. President Joe Biden planned to travel to Israel on Wednesday to signal White House support for the country and to Jordan to meet with Arab leaders. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the trip early Tuesday in Tel Aviv during his second visit to Israel in less than a week amid fears that the fighting could expand into a broader regional conflict.

In Gaza, hospitals were on the verge of losing electricity, threatening the lives of thousands of patients, and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced from their homes searched for bread. Israel maintained punishing airstrikes across Gaza as a ground invasion loomed, while Hamas militants kept up a barrage of rocket attacks, and tensions mounted near the Israel-Lebanon border.

More than a week after Israel cut off entry of any supplies, all eyes were on the Rafah crossing, Gaza’s only connection to Egypt. Mediators were trying to reach a cease-fire that would let in aid and let out trapped foreigners. Israeli airstrikes forced the crossing to shut down last week, but it remained unclear Monday which of the regional actors was keeping the crossing closed.

Blinken, who returned to Israel after a six-country tour through Arab nations, said the U.S. and Israel had agreed to develop a plan to enable humanitarian aid to reach civilians in Gaza. There were few details, but the plan would include “the possibility of creating areas to help keep civilians out of harm’s way.”

“We share Israel’s concern that Hamas may seize or destroy aid entering Gaza or otherwise prevent it from reaching the people who need it,” Blinken said.

Israel evacuated towns near its northern border with Lebanon, where the military has exchanged fire repeatedly with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group.

Speaking to the Israeli Knesset, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Iran and Hezbollah, “Don’t test us in the north. Don’t make the mistake of the past. Today, the price you will pay will be far heavier,” referring to Israel’s 2006 war with Hezbollah, which operates out of Lebanon.

Soon after he spoke, the Knesset floor was evacuated as rockets headed toward Jerusalem. Sirens in Tel Aviv prompted U.S. and Israeli officials to take shelter in a bunker, officials said.

Iran’s foreign minister, meanwhile, warned that “preemptive action is possible” if Israel moves closer to a ground offensive. Hossein Amirabdollahian’s threat followed a pattern of escalating rhetoric from Iran, which supports Hamas and Hezbollah.

This has become the deadliest of the five Gaza wars for both sides. At least 2,778 people have been killed and 9,700 wounded in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry there. More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed, the vast majority civilians massacred in Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault.

The Israeli military said Monday that at least 199 hostages were taken into Gaza, more than previously estimated. Hamas said it was holding 200 to 250 hostages, including foreigners whom it said it would free when it was feasible.

Also Monday, Hamas’ military wing released a hostage video showing a dazed woman having her arm wrapped with bandages. The woman, who identified herself in the video as Mia Schem, 21, rocked slightly as she spoke, the sound of explosions reverberating in the background. In her statement, Schem said she was taken from Sderot, a small Israeli city near the Gaza border where she had attended a party. Hamas said she had undergone a three-hour operation.

The Israeli military said Schem’s family was told of her abduction last week, and officials dismissed the video as propaganda.

The plight of the hostages has dominated the Israeli media since the attack, with interviews of their relatives playing almost constantly. Israeli officials have vowed to maintain the siege of Gaza until the hostages are released.

The head of Israel’s Shin Bet security service, in charge of monitoring militant groups, took responsibility for failing to avert Hamas’ surprise attack. As agency head, “the responsibility for that is on me,” Ronen Bar said.

“There will be time for investigation — now is a time for war,” he wrote in a letter to Shin Bet workers and their families.

The combination of airstrikes, dwindling supplies and Israel’s mass evacuation order for the north of the Gaza Strip has thrown the tiny territory’s 2.3 million people into upheaval and increasing desperation. More than 1 million have fled their homes, and 60% are now in the approximately 14-kilometer-long (8 mile) area south of the evacuation zone, according to the U.N.

The Israeli military says it is trying to clear civilians for their safety ahead of a major campaign against Hamas in Gaza’s north, where it says the militants have extensive networks of tunnels and rocket launchers. Much of Hamas’ military infrastructure is in residential areas.

Those fleeing northern Gaza still faced airstrikes in the south. Before dawn Monday, a strike in the town of Rafah collapsed a building sheltering three families who had evacuated from Gaza City. At least 12 people were killed and nine others remained buried under rubble, survivors said. The strike reduced the house to a vast crater blanketed with wreckage.

Hospitals are expected to run out of generator fuel in the next 24 hours, meaning life-saving equipment like incubators and ventilators will stop functioning and putting thousands of lives at risk, the U.N. said.

People grew increasingly desperate in their search for food and water. With taps dry, many have resorted to drinking dirty or sewage-filled water, risking the spread of disease.

More than 400,000 displaced people in the south crowded into schools and other facilities of the U.N. agency for Palestinians, UNRWA. But the agency can’t provide them supplies. UNRWA said it has only 1 liter of water a day for each of its staff members trapped in the territory.

“Gaza is running out of water, and Gaza is running out of life,” said UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini, calling for a lifting of the siege. “We need this now.”

The few operating bakeries had long snaking lines of people. Ahmad Salah in the city of Deir al-Balah said he waited 10 hours to get a kilo (2 pounds) of bread to feed 20-30 family members.

In northern Gaza, unknown numbers remained, either unwilling or unable to leave.

UNRWA said 170,000 people were sheltering at its schools in the north when the order to leave came. But it couldn’t evacuate them and doesn’t know if they remained. More than 40,000 have crowded in and around Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital, hoping it will be safe from bombardment.

Hamas urged people to ignore the evacuation order. The Israeli military on Sunday released photos it said showed a Hamas roadblock preventing traffic from moving south.

Doctors and many hospital staff have refused to evacuate, saying it would mean death for critically ill patients and newborns on ventilators. The aid group Doctors Without Borders said many of its personnel decided to stay to treat wounded. They ran out of painkillers, and staff reported “wounded screaming in pain,” it said.

On the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing, crowds of Palestinians with dual citizenship waited anxiously, sitting on suitcases or crouched on the floor, some comforting crying infants.

“They are supposed to be a developed country, talking about human rights all the time,” Shurouq Alkhazendar, whose two children are American citizens, said of the United States. “You should protect your citizens first, not leave them all alone suffering.”

After increasing cross-border exchanges with Hezbollah in the north, the Israeli military ordered residents to evacuate 28 communities within 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) of the Lebanese border.

“Israel is ready to operate on two fronts, and even more,” said Daniel Hagari, a military spokesman.

Hezbollah released video showing snipers shooting out cameras on several Israeli army posts along the border, apparently to prevent Israel from monitoring movements on the Lebanese side.

The U.S. government began evacuating some 2,500 American citizens by ship from the Israeli port city of Haifa to Cyprus. Commercial airlines have largely stopped flying into Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport.

AP

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russian air defenses down two Ukrainian MiG-29 fighters, Su-25 attack plane in past day

Russian air defense forces shot down two Ukrainian MiG-29 fighters and a Su-25 attack aircraft over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Monday.

"Air defense capabilities shot down two Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 fighters and a Su-25 attack plane in areas near Arkhangelskoye in the Kherson Region, Dmitrovka and Zvonetskoye in the Dnepropetrovsk Region," the ministry said in a statement.

Russian forces repel 10 Ukrainian attacks in Kupyansk area over past day

Russian forces repelled ten Ukrainian army attacks in the Kupyansk area over the past day, the ministry reported.

"In the Kupyansk direction, units of the western battlegroup supported by aircraft, artillery and heavy flamethrower fires repelled in their active operations ten attacks by assault groups of the Ukrainian army’s 68th jaeger, 32nd, 44th and 115th mechanized brigades in areas near the settlements of Sinkovka, Ivanovka and Novoyegorovka in the Kharkov Region and Makeyevka in the Lugansk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

Russian forces also struck manpower and military hardware of the Ukrainian army’s 112th territorial defense brigade, 14th mechanized and 95th air assault brigades in areas near the settlements of Petropavlovka, Kupyansk and Petrovskoye, the ministry said.

"The enemy lost as many as 85 Ukrainian personnel, two tanks, two armored combat vehicles, a D-20 artillery gun and two 2S1 Gvozdika motorized artillery systems," the ministry specified.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russia aims to pierce Ukraine defences in northeast, general says

Russia is aiming to break through Ukrainian defences in the northeastern Kupiansk-Lyman area after a sharp increase in fighting, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces said on Monday.

Footage released by Ukraine's ground forces showed their commander, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, meeting troops at an undisclosed location in a wooded area. It quoted him as saying fighting in Kupiansk-Lyman had "significantly escalated".

"The enemy is preparing, seriously preparing for offensive actions, bringing in staff," Syrskyi said in the footage posted on the Telegram messaging app. "The main goal is to break through our troops' defences and recapture our territory."

Retaking the towns of Kupiansk and Lyman last year near Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv was a key step in the Ukrainian military's drive to evicting Russian troops from some parts of the country's Donbas industrial heartland.

Russia's Defence Ministry acknowledged intense military activity in the area, saying its troops had repelled 10 Ukrainian attacks in the Kupiansk area and two more in adjacent Lyman.

A spokesperson for Ukraine's eastern forces said Russian forces in the Kupiansk area were encountering stiff resistance from well-entrenched troops and had been forced to retreat.

"Our fortifications there are quite reliable. We have a powerful, dug-in position," Ilia Yevlash told Ukrainian television. "So the enemy got it right in the teeth and retreated in order to regroup."

Ukraine launched a counter-offensive in June focusing on retaking ground in the east, mainly around Bakhmut, which was seized by Russian forces in May, and on pushing south to the Sea of Azov.

The Ukrainian military has registered mainly incremental gains, but has dismissed some Western critics who say the offensive is moving too slowly.

LULL IN AVDIIVKA

The focus on the eastern front has shifted in the past week from Bakhmut to Avdiivka, a town further southwest known for its large coking plant.

The top local official in Avdiivka said a lull had taken hold in the city, but predicted a new onslaught soon.

"Shelling has diminished, there was less today," Vitaliy Barabash, head of Avdiivka's military administration, told national television, while noting two people were killed in a nearby village.

"We expect there will be new waves of heavy attacks in the days to come."

The town, like Bakhmut, is largely destroyed. Strategically important, Avdiivka is located about 20 km (12 miles) west of Donetsk, the region's main city, held by Russian forces since 2014.

Ukraine's general staff, in its evening report, reported heavy fighting in other areas, saying its forces had beaten back 16 attacks near the long-contested town of Maryinka, also west of Donetsk, and three more near Bakhmut.

Whichever angle one looks at it, there is no way Nigeria can escape a crisis from the ongoing certificate conundrum involving President Bola Tinubu. From what has come to light so far, which has been the subject of discussions in the public sphere, our president, Tinubu, has a past strewn with all kinds of unedifying deeds at different times and at different locations which collectively cast unflattering light at him. These deeds appear so tardy and questionable leading one to wonder how our president with his loud claim to brilliance and intelligence would allow himself to get caught in these serial, unintelligent acts. 

Going through Tinubu’s records now in the public domain, one finds several ‘’smoking guns’’ that easily puncture the valiant attempts at deodorising them by his publicists. One can only pity them on the impossible job they are doing, but the facts still remain that from what we have seen and know so far, Tinubu’s credentials just do not add up. 

On a closer look at the whole saga, what should concern us more is not that our president appears to have dodgy credentials, but the fact that due to the position he occupies, extricating Nigeria from this imbroglio will be as difficult as the proverbial camel to go through the eye of the needle. 

Let us look at the various scenarios.  

The immediate one on which there are great expectations both within Nigeria and outside is on what the Supreme Court verdict will be on the case now that new evidence on the president’s past is available with all the evidence now available.    

Most people are inclined to agree that the apex court has its work cut out in this regard. Will the judges reach a verdict, admit and base their judgement on the evidence most recently procured on the president’s credentials or decide otherwise? 

It is a Hobson’s choice really and with the heightened interests in the case both here in Nigeria and abroad whichever way the court decides there are bound to be consequences. One of the consequences is that indeed the Judiciary itself is on trial on this one. 

If the court admits the new documents, then it is almost likely that the weight of the evidence available will tilt the verdict against Tinubu, resulting in his having to resign as president. 

If on the other hand, the court decides to refuse admittance of the evidence and upholds the verdict of the lower court that ruled in favour of the President, a school of thought will emerge that the president was saved by technicality, not by merit of evidence available. But with the damning evidence already in the public space, it will be difficult to shake off the impression that the president was allowed to escape despite the hard, overwhelming evidence against him. 

Under the circumstances, the argument and agitation would shift to the public space and the National Assembly. The social media and some mainstream media platforms will be awash with negative and incendiary comments on the president and there will be calls on the National Assembly to impeach him based on the evidence available.  

The arguments and agitations here will not be based merely on legality but also on the propriety and morality of the president remaining in office with such heavy baggage of serial infractions weighing on him. And the National Assembly will be called frequently to save the country from the further indignity and embarrassment of having a president with such a dodgy past representing Nigeria in the comity of nations.  

In considering whether to impeach the president or not the National Assembly will likely face the dilemma of political, regional and ethnic partisanship as against the need to protect the overriding national interest which some members will vigorously canvass.  Like the Judiciary, the National Assembly will also be on trial. 

So with the president already on trial, the judiciary having to make a crucial judgement on this landmark case and the National Assembly expected to decide whether to do its constitutional duties we will end up having all three arms of government on trial before the Nigerian public. 

The palpable tension all this will engender in the country can be best imagined.  

If against all this Tinubu manages to hang on, he is likely to face enormous multi-dimensional challenges. The simple fact is that even if he escapes the judicial hammer of the Supreme Court, and impeachment from the National Assembly with the dodgy documents about him, it is unlikely he will seek a second term in office. Tinubu’s hold on the party and administration will be weakened as his government will face all kinds of moral and political challenges.  

Seeing that he is a damaged good and mortally wounded politically he will face an internal revolt from within his party the APC. This will certainly set the stage for the realignment of political forces on the back of issues around Tinubu in the coming months. 

Tinubu’s problems will also be exacerbated by the tough socio-economic situation in the country which from all indications is likely to get worse in the coming months. 

On the whole, even with its chequered history of political development, Nigeria faces a very uncertain future with the issues surrounding the Tinubu certificate saga and it is hardly surprising that this has engendered unease among many people.  

‘’I fear the worst’’ says a retired top security officer among the many I spoke to on this subject. ‘’I have been involved in issues of conflict resolution in this country but the much I can say looking at the issue is that only God can see us through in the coming months”. Most people expressed similar views. 

As Nigerians, Muslims and Christians alike, are known to always call for God’s intervention in the affairs of the country in order for things to be made right, this is perhaps the moment that God has finally decided to answer that abiding call.  

As well may that be, what we have to bear in mind is that in making the call for God’s intervention the consequences and lessons as we have seen in other climes may not turn out the way we wish. 

Stay on your grind. Hustle harder. Sleep is for the rich.

You’ve heard those phrases promoting the idea that success, achievement and happiness are all enabled by a hefty bank account. That couldn’t be further from the truth, says Laurie Santos, the psychology professor behind Yale University’s most popular course and host of the podcast “The Happiness Lab.”

“So many of us think, ‘I’m going to put my head down and avoid social connection, whether it’s at work or in my life, and I’m just going to hustle and get stuff done,’” Santos tells CNBC Make It. “That’s just totally wrong.”

Working too hard can increase stress, depression and burnout, a Mayo Clinic blog post notes. It can even have “deleterious effects” on your occupational health — in other words, it’s bad for both your health and your job performance — according to a 2019 meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

“We have an intuition [that] I’m going to earn a million dollars, and I’ll be happy. Then you hustle, you get there and you’re not happy,” says Santos. “You think, ‘I’ve got to hustle more ... Now I need $5 million to [be happy].’ That hustle culture misconception winds up doubling down on itself.”

You need sleep, rest and connection

Hustle culture has been around for a while. Workaholism has existed for even longer: The term was coined in 1971 by psychologist Wayne E. Oates, meant to characterize how work can become an addiction.

More recently, social media influencers pointed to Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs as role models: If you optimize every moment of your day for maximum productivity, you can become rich just like them. Some took it a step further — if you don’t sacrifice sleep and relationships for the sake of work, you won’t ever be successful.

Yet people who get more quality sleep have greater life satisfaction than those who don’t, found a 2018 study published in Frontiers in Psychology. The same is true for people who have strong social connections with others, Stanford Medicine reported in 2019.

“You need sleep, you need rest and you need connection with other people” to be happy, Santos says. “Those are the things that are going to matter.”

Taking breaks in the workplace and reaching out more often to your family and friends can also go a long way, says Santos. Research backs her up here, too: “Social fitness” is the No. 1 key to a happy life, Marc Schulz and Robert Waldinger, directors of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, wrote for Make It in February.

“Social fitness requires taking stock of our relationships, and being honest with ourselves about where we’re devoting our time and whether we are tending to the connections that help us thrive,” Schulz and Waldinger wrote.

Hustle culture may already be shifting, according to a recent GoDaddy survey of 1,000 U.S. small-business owners. Fifty-four percent of respondents defined the American Dream as “feeling happy in life,” marking a slide away from the more traditional response of wealth.

“The American Dream is changing, according to small-business owners,” Fara Howard, GoDaddy’s chief marketing officer, told Make It in July. “Economic conditions have resulted in homeownership being less attainable, particularly for members of Gen Z, while the pandemic and the Great Resignation have driven many to prize being their own boss and gaining more freedom, comfort and flexibility.”

CNBC

At least 21 states of the federation owe retirees N790billion inherited pensions and gratuities.

While Rivers State tops the list of states with a backlog of unpaid pensions and gratuities to the tune of N119 billion, Benue State comes second with N100 billion.

Similarly, the Southwest zone ranks first with a whopping N256 billion, while the Niger Delta is closely following it with N225 billion.

It was also learned that the pensions and gratuities were accumulated by successive governments in the states. Incumbent governments now grapple with liquidating their debts.

Only Kaduna and Kebbi states are up to date in the payment of pensions and gratuities to their retirees.

About 13 states at the time of this report, could not put a figure to the amount they owed their retirees in pensions and gratuities.

Ondo — N56bn

In Ondo, the state government owes over N56 billion in pension and gratuities.
Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, in the state, Johnson Osunyemi, said the unpaid benefits included that of local and state governments.

While local government pensioners have arrears from 2011 till date, arrears of state pensioners run from 2014 till date.

Ekiti —N40bn

Similarly, Ekiti State government owes pensioners about N40 billion in outstanding gratuities and five months of pension arrears.

Chairman of the state’s NUP, Mr. Joel Akinola, said the gratuity arrears are from 2014 till date.

Ogun — N64bn

Also, in Ogun State, the government owes N64 billion.

It was gathered that Governor Dapo Abiodun inherited N68 billion of gratuities for both state and local government retirees but had paid N4 billion, leaving a balance of N64 billion.

Secretary, Nigeria Pensioners Association, Ogun State chapter, Bola Lawal, however, said the present government has paid pension up to date.

Osun — N50bn

In the same vein, the Chairman, Osun State Contributory Pensioners, Gbenga Oyadare, said the state owed members N50 billion in pension as at 2022.

Oyo — N36bn

In Oyo State, NUP’s Secretary, Segun Abatan said: “Government was owing retirees N43 billion as at 2008.”
It was learned that Governor Seyi Makinde had paid N10 billion of the amount, in compliance with a court directive.

“N3 billion was the amount of gratuity owed retired primary school teachers and local government pensioners. He has paid from 2008 to 2014. He still has nine years to pay,” Abatan said.

Lagos — N10bn

In Lagos State, checks revealed that no fewer than 10,000 retired civil servants are yet to receive their pension rights worth over N10 billion.

However, the state government has disbursed N52 billion to pensioners in the state civil service from 2019 till date.

Recall that Babalola Obilana, Director-General, Lagos Pension Commission, LASPEC, had during the 95th Retirement Benefit Bond Certificates Presentation for Retirees in Lagos, said the commission also had about N10 billion to pay as outstanding accumulated debts for pensioners in the state.

Sources informed that there are an estimated 13,928 pensioners in the state, saying “this number covers those in the mainstream, local government, State Universal Basic Education Board, teaching service commission and other state parastatals.

“Government plans to clear the backlog of pension from 2022 till date so as to achieve the goal of ‘pay as you go’.

“Under the Defined Benefit Pension, there is a backlog from the middle of 2022 till date. Given the consistency of the payment, it is projected that by December, the backlog will be cleared.”

Rivers — N119 bn

The Rivers State Government is credited to owe pensioners in the country the highest unpaid benefit of over N119 billion, spanning between 2003 and 2023.

Officials were unwilling to speak on the debt but the chairman of the state NUP, Collins Iheanyi-Nwankwo, corroborated the report

C’River —N24 bn

Findings indicate that Cross River State owes pensioners N24 billion in gratuities.

Former Governor Liyel Imoke paid until 2012, and his successor, Ben Ayade, also paid until 2014.

The current governor, Bassey Otu, has indicated preparedness to offset the amount before the end of 2023, less than three months away.

Bayelsa — N28bn

Investigation revealed that while Bayelsa State owes over N28 billion in gratuities to retirees dating back to 2007, it is up to date in pension payments.

However, checks at the Pensions Board, Yenagoa, revealed that gratuity payment by the current administration from February 2020 to September 2023 was N14, 253,258,899.22

Akwa Ibom

There was no data on the accumulated arrears in gratuities in Akwa Ibom State, as nobody wanted to speak on it from the state government or among union leaders.

But it was gathered that the state is up to date in pensions’ payment.

State chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Sunny James, said: “Gratuity is still outstanding from August 2016 and they (government) are paying gradually now.

‘’Within the current administration, in the first one month, they released N1 billion for teachers, N600million for state workers.

“Last month, they released another N2 billion. This time around, the spread is NI billion to state workers, N500million to teachers and N500million to local government retirees.

A teacher in a public primary school and one of the union leaders, claimed: “Akwa Ibom State government has paid gratuities to retired teachers up to 2014 and 2018 for retired workers.”

Delta — N54bn

For Delta State, checks revealed that it owed over N54 billion pension/gratuities to retirees.

Not long ago, the state government facilitated and guaranteed a N40 billion loan on behalf of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria, ALGON, for the payment of accrued benefits of retired local government workers, primary school teachers, and staff of the Local Education Authorities.

The government runs a contributory pension scheme it entered into in 2007.

Recall, that the immediate past governor of the state, Ifeanyi Okowa, November, last year, released N5 billion for payment of pension arrears to retirees.

Benue —N100bn

In Benue, the state government is said to owe pensioners over N100 billion backlog of unpaid pensions and gratuity.

The state chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Michael Vember, who made this known in Makurdi, said “the government owes local government pensioners 96 months arrears, while the state pensioners are being owed 36 months arrears.

“In all, we are being owed over N100 billion in pension and gratuity at both the state and local government levels.”

The chairman explained that the backlog was accumulated by successive governments in the state.

Plateau — N21 bn

Plateau State is up to date in the payment of pensions, but owes over N21 billion in gratuities and death benefits.

The State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Musa Ashoms, said: “The gratuities are owed to the tune of N21billion, we met four months’ salary arrears which totaled N11 billion but we are doing well in reducing the burden.

‘’As we speak, almost all workers have received the September salary. Only a few of them are left and we are working at clearing that.”

Head of the pensioners in the state, Ben Bello, confirmed that the pensioners’ had been paid their pensions up to date.

“Since 2009, gratuities and death benefits are being owed to the tune of N21 billion. That is for the state retirees but the local government retirees are owed as far back as 2003/2004 and this stands at about N31billion.

‘’We have collected our pensions up to September 2023 but we also want the other aspects of the payments to be looked into too,” he said.

Bauchi — N23 bn

Despite settling over N4 billion without accumulating new ones, Bauchi State still has about N23 billion outstanding pension and gratuityn to pay. They were inherited from previous administrations since 2011.

Nasarawa — N50bn

Also in Nasarawa State, both state and local government retirees are owed over N50billion of unpaid benefits. No official of government was ready to speak on the issue as efforts to get their reactions proved abortive.

Yobe — N2bn

In the same vein, Yobe State government has about N2 billion outstanding payments of gratuities to pay.

Chairman of NLC in the state, Muktar Tarbutu, said: “Government of Governor Mai Mala Buni has continued to release N100 million monthly to offset outstanding payment of gratuities in the state.

Kwara

In Kwara State, while the government is said to be up to date in pension payments, nobody could give a figure to the amount the government owed in gratuity to pensioners due to a lack of updated data.

But findings revealed that gratuity was last paid in May 2011.

Kaduna not owing

Kaduna State Government, it was gathered, is up to date in pension and gratuity payment

Katsina — N10 bn

In Katsina State, pensioners have been paid up to date, it was gathered that it owes not less than N10 billion as at May this year.

Kebbi not owing

Kebbi State is one of the two states that are up to date in pension and gratuity payments.

Despite inheriting backlog of unpaid pensions and gratuities, Atiku Bagudu would go down in the history of Kebbi State as the only governor who never owed salaries, pensions and gratuities.

Adamawa — N4bn

In Adamawa State, pensioners are owed about N4 billion in gratuity and pensions.

Officials of government claimed the backlog of the indebtedness cam from successive governments since 2012.

Taraba mum

In Taraba State, nobody was ready to speak on the unpaid entitlements of the pensioners, but a source disclosed that “the backlog of gratuities for retirees in the state dates back to 2015 and inability to capture over 1000 retirees into the monthly pension is also another challenge.”

Niger N16bn

Also in Niger State, no government official or union leader was willing to speak on the pensions and gratuities issues in the state.

However, as of May this year, the backlog of unpaid gratuities was about a billion Naira.
But last year, the state chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, who is now the deputy governor, Yakubu Garba, declared at the Nigeria Union of Teachers state executive meeting that the state government was owing pensioners in the state a whopping N50 billion and vowed to fight through “constitutional means” for the payment to be effected.

No figure for Borno

Similarly, there was nobody to comment on the pensions and gratuities issues in Borno State.

But it is on record that due to the backlog of billions of naira gratuity owed pensioners in the state, the state governor recently announced a 100 per cent increase in monthly releases for payment of the backlog.

The payment was increased from N100 million monthly (N1.2 billion annually) to N200 million monthly which will amount to N2.4 billion.

The gratuities are lump sums paid to workers who retired from service, even as they become entitled to monthly pensions.

The government has released about N20 billion to drastically reduce the backlog.

Abia keeps mum

Abia pensioners are owed 48 months of arrears and 30 months of gratuity arrears.

Coordinator, Abia Pensioners, Emeka Okezie, who confirmed this in Umuahia, however, said the present administration of Governor Alex Otti has been paying monthly pensions since it came on board.

According to him, pensioners in the state are receiving half payment, pending the conclusion of the ongoing verification when the government said it would pay in full.

Anambra N10bn

In Anambra, the state owes N10 billion in outstanding pensions and gratuity arrears.
At the time Governor Chukwuma Soludo assumed office, the state owed about N14 billion in pensions and gratuity to its pensioners, including the local governments.

However, the new administration has been liquidating the inherited pension and gratuity.

Chairman of the state chapter of the NUP, Anthony Ugozor, said Soludo has been consistent in paying the pensioners their monthly pensions.

Apart from the amount owed before Soludo assumed office, additional pension and gratuity arrears have been accumulated.

It was, however, gathered that more than N10 billion is still outstanding. For instance, those on the queue for payment are workers who retired in 2018, while those who retired from 2022 when he became governor, have all been paid.

Enugu N30bn

In Enugu State, the figures are unclear but as at August, gratuity alone was N30 billion.

Chairman of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, Ben Asogwa, said: “If you are quoting figures, the figures keep varying in the sense that people keep retiring almost on a daily basis and when they retire, it means the figures will keep changing.

‘’So, even as we talk, we are working on a strategy to be able to arrive at an exact figure as at today.

“Some people may tell you it is up to N30 billion, but why I will not be specific on it is that when we talk about pension and gratuity, the one of state is different from that of the local government.

‘’We should be specific, so I would not want to start quoting figures that would not be correct. I am aware that even if the Accountant General should quote figures, he would be quoting estimated figures because we intend to do some level of verification where we’ll be certain that this is what is outstanding.

“As regards monthly pension, we have people that retired from core ministries that are up to date in terms of pension but those that retired from parastatals are not yet there, they are left behind.

‘’I don’t think anybody will be very accurate in giving a figures now because we want to check the figures in such a way that we should be able to say maybe for 2011 this is the exact figure so that at the end, we can be sure of the exact amount, but I’m sure its above N30 billion as at August 2023 for gratuity alone.

Ebonyi

Similarly, while no figure has been given as amount Ebonyi State owes in pensions and gratuities payment, the government recently approved payment of arrears of gratuity to retirees from 1996 to 2021, expending over N3.8billion.

Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Jude Okpor, who stated this in Abakaliki, explained that the present administration was making prompt payments of gratuities and pensions to retirees in the state.

Chairman of NLC, Ebonyi State, Ogugua Egwu, confirmed that about N1.8billion has so far been paid to over 800 retirees in the state.

“I am aware that there are over 1,800 retirees who will be cleared for the exercise,’’ Egwu said.

Imo

In Imo State, there is no certainty of the amount owed, whether in pensions or gratutities.

Chairman of the state NLC, George Ofoegbu, said: “The most accurate person to do the calculations is the secretary of the congress, but he travelled out of the state. He is on leave.

“I will intimate him and request him to release the figures. You know this issue of arrears is neither here nor there because people are scattered. Anyway, let me leave it at that until I reach the secretary and get back to you about the figures.”

The state NUP chairman, Josiah Ugochukwu, said: “Ninety-five per cent of pensioners are receiving hundred per cent of pension. We appeal to Governor Hope Uzodimma to see that five per cent of pensioners, including the 2019/2020 pensioners, are accorded their due rights of receiving their pensions like their counterparts, as their hues and cries give the union sleepless night.”

Vanguard

Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last elections, says his change of name is well documented in an affidavit deposed to over 50 years ago.

In a statement on Sunday by Paul Ibe, his spokesperson, the former vice-president said President Bola Tinubu is attempting to drag him into “his drowning arena of forgery”.

On October 10, Abubakar clarified the discrepancy in the name on his West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) certificate which has “Siddiq” on it.

The development comes amid a certificate forgery allegation against Tinubu.

Describing Tinubu as a “forger-in-chief”, Abubakar said the president “has forged and lied about every aspect of his life, including “his heritage, name and date of birth, his education and certificates, and work experience”.

“Contrary to Bola A. Tinubu’s forgery shopping allegation against Atiku, it is on record that the change of name of the former vice president reverting to Atiku Abubakar from Siddiq Abubakar is well documented in an affidavit dated 18th of August 1973, spanning over a period of 50 years, (which incidentally is as old as the commencement of Tinubu’s life of forgeries and lies), is in the public domain,” the statement reads.

“Now, let’s put Bola A. Tinubu’s life of forgeries and lies in proper perspective.

“In 1999, Tinubu lied under oath in his form CF001 which he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that he attended St Paul’s Primary School, Aroloya, Lagos; Government College Ibadan, Chicago University (CU) and Chicago State University (CSU). 

“It has been established that he only attended CSU and that he secured admission into the university by impersonation.

“Through the discoveries of his records in the Chicago State University, we now know that Bola A. Tinubu forged a secondary school certificate of Government College Lagos, an HSC certificate from Cambridge  University and a transcript from Richard Daley College which belongs to a female owner.

“We also know, thanks to the discoveries, that the CSU few days to graduation in 1979, notified him of outstanding (or carry-over as it is known in Nigeria) pre-qualifying examinations in English, Mathematics and Comprehension, which never appeared on his transcript to have been retaken.

“After his odyssey in falsifying educational qualifications, Bola A. Tinubu claimed in his 1999 affidavit to contest for the position of Governor of Lagos State, that he had a working experience with Arthur Anderson Accounting, Deloitte and Mobil Nigeria.” 

Abubakar added that Authur Anderson and Deloitte have denied ever knowing or having any Tinubu in their employment, noting that “he has since stopped adding that to his official or public records since his exposure”.

“Curiously, handlers of this same Bola A. Tinubu have smuggled Adekunle, a middle name that magically popped up in his so-called National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate into his Wikipedia on the 6th of October, 2023. This may yet be another indication of a master forger at work,” he said.

Abubakar further stated that all the names he bears “are names that are traceable to his family tree”.

“He adopted Atiku Abubakar as his official name while in the employ of the Nigeria Customs Service,” the statement added. 

“Atiku’s life is an open book, and not the mystery or closed book that continues to define the life of Bola A. Tinubu.

“Conversely, Bola A Tinubu is a name that has no history nor social acquaintance until the late 1970s.

“We, therefore, urge Bola A. Tinubu and his handlers to desist from making any further attempt at comparing the career forger known as Bola A. Tinubu with an impeccable name that Atiku Abubakar has built over the years.”

Abubakar is challenging the declaration of Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 poll and the judgment of the tribunal that upheld the president’s victory on September 6.

The PDP candidate has consistently alleged that Tinubu’s educational records are fraught with discrepancies and forgeries.

His request for the US court for the northern district of Illinois to compel Chicago State University (CSU) to release Tinubu’s academic records has since been granted.

Abubakar has applied to the supreme court to file fresh evidence from his discovery of the president’s academic records against him.

The Cable

The appointment of Imam Ibrahim Kashim Imam as board chairman of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has continued to generate mixed reactions from Nigerians on social media.

FERMA is the agency involved in road construction, improvement and connectivity between states. The mandate of this agency which is under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Work, is also to monitor and administer road maintenance with the objective of keeping all federal roads in good condition.

On Friday, Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, announced that President Bola Tinubu had appointed the 24-year-old first-class graduate of Mechanical Engineering from Brighton University in that capacity.

The chairman, whose father is Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, is a politician, completed the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme in August 2022.

While some Nigerians are praising Tinubu for the appointment, others are criticising the president across social media platforms.

According to those who disagreed with the appointment, the newly appointed board chairman lacks the experience and expertise to head a strategic organization.

The few that supported the appointment noted that the young man would learn on the job.

Below are some of such comments:

@Haslawal87 said: “Appointing a fresh graduate with no work experience to such a high position is absolutely ill-advised.”

@fine_stefany1 wrote: “He will learn on the job.”

@kennyNuga: “This appointment is not worth it. A fresh graduate to oversee the entire FERMA board. Absolutely unworthy.”

@Dipo_Bello: “This doesn’t seem right. We want young for young-appropriate roles. This role seems the type that requires a lot of experience. A board member could be more suited to him.”

@aminsaad: “Political expediency should not be a factor in making appointments where experience and even expertise could be called upon.

“Ferma is all about construction. An experienced civil engineer could make a better choice. True, the mech engr could as well marshall channel knowledge into ensuring the heavy equipment of the agency are in top shape

“Those in authority should try to make the country work by prioritizing expertise and experience. These two are essential commodities to any struggling economy like ours.”

@peng_writer opined that, “This is not as good as people make it feel. Not in any way undermining the young man but he’s not ripe for this job. Apart from the fact that he doesn’t have any experience in public work, neither has he displayed any expertise in field work as it relates to Nigeria terrain.”

@JALLO71424757: “This is an absolutely Silly appointment!.”

@adamsaleemm: “Good to see young and vibrant people occupy places of authority. Despite his inexperience, which raises ethical concerns, he could be the catalyst for the transformation we have longed for. May Allah grant him wisdom and strength to fulfill his duties.”

@AtahiruAbdulka1: “NYSC completed in 2022. Congratulations to you o. But if it’s me and another common Nigerian, they will ask us for 5 to 10 years working experience. I know that God will surely judge us all.”

On another platform, someone wrote, “His father is currently the chairman of the board of the TETFund. That’s not even the issue. Yes, it is good to appoint youths into positions of responsibility. Nonetheless, appointing a fresh graduate, with no cognate experience, into such a sensitive position is ill-advised. The truth is that Tinubu doesn’t seem to be getting it right with appointments made so far.”

On his part, All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Femi Fani-Kayode, said the appointment gives hope to the younger generation.

“I am deeply inspired and encouraged by the appointment of our son Imam Ibrahim Kashim-Imam as the Chairman of FERMA. This gives hope to the younger generation and clearly shows that Nigeria rewards and utilises the talents of those that are highly qualified and that have a good pedigree. I have known Ibrahim since he was born and I can testify to his ability, excellence and brilliance. His distinguished and highly respected grandfather, Ibrahim Imam, was a great force in the politics of the First Republic, Secretary of the then ruling NPC, one of the founders and patrons of the Borno Youth Movement and a leading member of the Northern House of Assembly. His equally illustrious father, one of my oldest and dearest friends and brothers, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, is a dogged fighter and first class politician and one of the those that contributed so much to the victory of Tinubu during the presidential election. He is also one of the most brilliant, forthright, reliable, honest, courageous and credible forces in Nigerian politics today, who served as Special Advisor and Senate Presidential Liason Officer in the Government of President Olusegun Obasanjo and who served as Chairman of TETFUND in President Muhamadu Buhari’s administration. I have little doubt that Ibrahim will follow in his grandfather’s and father’s footsteps and do exceedingly well.”

Daily Trust

Palestinians scramble to find food, safety and water as Israeli ground invasion looms

More than a million people have fled their homes in the besieged Gaza Strip in the past week, ahead of expected Israel invasion that seeks to eliminate Hamas’ leadership after its deadly attack. The enclave’s food and water supplies are dwindling, and its hospitals are warning that they are on the verge of collapse.

Israeli forces, supported by a growing deployment of U.S. warships in the region and the call-up of some 360,000 reservists, positioned themselves along Gaza’s border and drilled for what Israel said would be a broad campaign to dismantle the militant group. Israel said it has already struck dozens of military targets, including command centers and rocket launchers, and also killed Hamas commanders.

Israeli officials have given no timetable for a ground incursion that aid groups warn could hasten a humanitarian crisis in the coastal Gaza enclave.

A week of blistering airstrikes have demolished entire neighborhoods but failed to stem militant rocket fire into Israel.

The Gaza Health Ministry said 2,670 Palestinians have been killed and 9,600 wounded since the fighting erupted, more than in the 2014 Gaza war, which lasted over six weeks. That makes this the deadliest of the five Gaza wars for both sides.

More than 1,400 Israelis have died, the vast majority civilians killed in Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault. At least 155 others, including children, were captured by Hamas and taken into Gaza, according to Israel. It’s also the deadliest war for Israel since the 1973 conflict with Egypt and Syria.

About 500,000 people, nearly one quarter of Gaza’s population, were taking refuge in United Nations schools and other facilities across the territory, where water supplies were dwindling, said Juliette Touma, spokesperson for the U.N.’s Palestinian refugee agency. “Gaza is running dry,” she said. The agency says an estimated 1 million people have been displaced in Gaza in a single week.

The U.S. State Department said Secretary of State Antony Blinken would return to Israel on Monday after completing a frantic six-country tour through Arab nations aimed at preventing the fighting from igniting a broader regional conflict. President Joe Biden is also considering a trip to Israel, though no plans have been finalized. In a television interview Sunday night, Biden, who has repeatedly proclaimed support for Israel, nonetheless said he thought it would be a “big mistake” for the country to reoccupy Gaza.

Fighting along Israel’s border with Lebanon, which has flared since the start of the latest Gaza war, intensified Sunday with Hezbollah militants firing rockets and an anti-tank missile, and Israel responding with airstrikes and shelling. The Israeli military also reported shooting at one of its border posts. The fighting killed at least one person on the Israeli side and wounded several on both sides of the border.

An Israeli drone fired two missiles late Sunday at a hill west of the town of Kfar Kila in south Lebanon, the state-run National News Agency reported. There were no casualties reported in the strikes, which hit near a Lebanese army center.

Hezbollah said in a statement that it had fired rockets toward an Israeli military position in the northern border town of Shtula in retaliation for Israeli shelling that killed Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah on Friday and two Lebanese civilians on Saturday. A Hezbollah spokeswoman said the increased strikes represented a “warning” and did not mean Hezbollah has decided to enter the war.

With the situation in Gaza growing increasingly desperate, the U.S. named David Satterfield, the former U.S. ambassador to Turkey experienced in Mideast diplomacy, to be special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues. U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that Satterfield will focus on getting humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza.

Hospitals in Gaza are expected to run out of generator fuel within two days, endangering the lives of thousands of patients, according to the U.N. Gaza’s sole power plant shut down for lack of fuel after Israel completely sealed off the 40-kilometer (25-mile) long territory following the Hamas attack.

In Nasser Hospital, in the southern town of Khan Younis, intensive care rooms were packed with wounded patients, most of them children under the age of 3. Hundreds of people with severe blast injuries have come to the hospital, where fuel is expected to run out by Monday, said Mohammed Qandeel, a consultant at the critical care complex.

There were 35 patients in the ICU who require ventilators and another 60 on dialysis. If fuel runs out, “it means the whole health system will be shut down,” he said, as children moaned in pain in the background. “All these patients are in danger of death if the electricity is cut off.”

Hussam Abu Safiya, the head of pediatrics at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, said the facility did not evacuate despite Israeli orders. There were seven newborns in the ICU hooked up to ventilators, he said. Evacuating “would mean death for them and other patients under our care.”

Ahmed Al-Mandhari, the regional director of the World Health Organization, said hospitals were able to move some mobile patients out of the north, but most patients can’t be evacuated, he said.

Shifa hospital in Gaza City, the territory’s largest, said it would bury 100 bodies in a mass grave as an emergency measure after its morgue overflowed. Tens of thousands of people seeking safety have gathered in the hospital compound.

Gaza was already in a humanitarian crisis due to a growing shortage of water and medical supplies caused by the Israeli siege.

“An unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding under our eyes,” said Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees.

Sullivan told CNN that Israeli officials told him they had turned the water back on in southern Gaza. Israel’s minister of energy and water, Israel Katz, said in a statement that water had been restored at one “specific point” in Gaza. A spokesman said the location was outside Khan Younis. Aid workers in Gaza said they had not yet seen evidence the water was back.

Israel has ordered more than 1 million Palestinians — almost half the territory’s population — to move south. The military says it is trying to clear away civilians ahead of a major campaign against Hamas in the north, where it says the militants have extensive networks of tunnels, bunkers and rocket launchers.

Hamas urged people to stay in their homes, and the Israeli military released photos it said showed a Hamas roadblock preventing traffic from moving south.

Nevertheless, more than 600,000 people had evacuated the Gaza City area, said Israel’s chief military spokesman, Daniel Hagari.

The U.S. has been trying to broker a deal to reopen Egypt’s Rafah crossing with Gaza to allow Americans and other foreigners to leave and humanitarian aid amassed on the Egyptian side to be brought in. The crossing, which was closed because of airstrikes early in the war, has yet to reopen.

AP

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine’s offensive failed, even as it prepares to attack in some areas – Putin

The Ukrainian counteroffensive has failed, although Kiev is preparing new attacks in certain areas, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview to the television program "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin."

"As for the counteroffensive, which has allegedly been stalled, it has failed completely. We know that in certain areas of combat operations the opposing side is nevertheless preparing new active offensive operations. We see this, and we know about it. And we are also reacting accordingly," he said in the interview, according to a fragment that journalist Pavel Zarubin posted to Telegram.

** All eligble Ukrainians told to report to conscription offices

All Ukrainians liable for military service should attend local enlistment offices for an inspection of their documents, a spokesman for the country’s Ground Forces has recommended.

Vladimir Fityo made the remarks on Saturday live on Ukrainian TV's state-controlled “broadcasting marathon” which has been running during the conflict with Russia.

“Now I would like to remind everyone that the duty to defend their country is ingrained in the Constitution of Ukraine, and in order to be ready to fulfill one’s duty to protect Ukraine, one must come to one’s territorial recruitment and social support centers [enlistment offices] to update your credentials,” Fityo stated.

The visits are required in order to “properly use” the limited resources of the country’s recruitment machine, as well as to exempt those not fit for service, Fityo claimed. The ‘voluntary’ call-up concerns not only military-aged men, but female medics and women with military backgrounds, he added.

“If there are any grounds for a deferment – produce them so that the resources that are there are used properly. A person who, according to the database, is liable for military service and is healthy, but actually has an illness, but did not report it – we do not know that the person cannot serve,” the official explained.

It was not immediately clear to what extent Ukrainians are actually expected to heed the spokesman’s call, given Kiev’s chaotic mobilization efforts, which have been marred by instances of violence by draft officers against conscripts, as well as a vast number of draft dodgers being detained trying to leave the country.

Speaking separately during the “marathon” on Sunday, the head of Ukrainian border guard Andrey Demchenko revealed that the service has caught more than 22,000 draft dodgers at the country’s border since the beginning of the hostilities. On average, at least 20 would-be-servicemen are being caught daily, according to the official. A vast majority of dodgers, about 16,000, had attempted to leave the country by crossing the border in unpopulated areas.

“About 6,800 more were apprehended at border crossings as they attempted to pass through using fake documents,” Demchenko added.

Ukraine has sustained heavy casualties during its much-heralded counteroffensive against Russian forces, launched in early June. According to the latest Russian estimates, cited by President Vladimir Putin last week, Kiev’s forces lost “over 90,000 people,” 557 tanks and 1,900 armored vehicles since its operation began, with little to no tangible result. On Sunday, Putin said that the counteroffensive “has failed completely.”

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Biden to push Israel, Ukraine aid package well over $2 billion this week

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday that the Biden administration hopes to push a new weapons package for Israel and Ukraine through Congress that will be significantly higher than $2 billion.

Sullivan, in an interview on CBS's "Face the Nation," said U.S. President Joe Biden will have intensive talks with the U.S. Congress this week on the need for the package to be approved.

Republicans' struggles to pick a speaker for the House of Representatives after party hardliners ousted Kevin McCarthy nearly two weeks ago has delayed action on legislation, as Israel prepares a ground war against Hamas in Gaza and U.S. officials warn the regional crisis could escalate.

Biden has been considering a budget request lumping together aid for Israel, Ukraine and possibly Taiwan and the U.S. southern border to improve the chances of getting it approved amid calls from some Republicans to cut money for Kyiv.

Asked whether the request would be for $2 billion, as has been previously reported, Sullivan said: "The number is going to be significantly higher than that, but it will, as I said, certainly include the necessary military equipment to defend freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity in Ukraine, and to help Israel defend itself as it fights its terrorist threat."

Some Republicans have already said they would not back any Israel aid package that also contains aid for Ukraine.

How any bill moves through Congress without a House speaker is unclear. House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries suggested on Sunday that Democrats could work with Republicans to nominate a speaker.

"There are informal conversations that have been underway," about a bipartisan solution to the crisis, Jeffries told NBC's Meet the Press. "When we get back to Washington tomorrow, it's important to begin to formalize those discussions."

Ohio Representative Jim Jordan, founder of a hardline Republican party caucus with the backing of former President and likely 2024 nominee Donald Trump, has been nominated to be House Speaker.

It is unclear he has the votes necessary from his own party to get a simple majority in the House, which is narrowly controlled by Republicans. There is little chance any Democrats would back Jordan, a vocal supporter of Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was marred by widespread fraud.

"I believe at the end of the day that Jordan can get there and I’m doing everything I can to help him be able to become speaker," McCarthy told Fox News Sunday morning.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, speaking in Tel Aviv on Sunday, said the Senate could move first to pass an aid bill.

"We're not waiting for the House. We believe if the Senate acts in a strong bipartisan way, it may indeed improve the chances that the House, even with its current dysfunction, will act."

RT/Tass/Reuters