News
SUBSIDY REMOVAL: NEC SETS UP AD-HOC COMMITTEE TO LIAISE WITH LABOUR UNION LEADERSHIP
SUBSIDY REMOVAL: NEC SETS UP AD-HOC COMMITTEE TO LIAISE WITH LABOUR UNION LEADERSHIP
Urges State Governments to upscale distribution of palliatives
Mourns military personnel killed in Niger State
By: Our Reporter
In a bid to create a forum for dialogue towards resolving issues surrounding the petrol subsidy removal across the States, the National Economic Council (NEC) has constituted an Ad-hoc Committee to engage with the leadership of labour unions.
The decision was reached at the 135th meeting of NEC chaired by the Vice President, Sen. Kashim Shettima in Abuja on Thursday.
The committee comprises the Nigerian Governors Forum Chairman, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; Governor of Anambra State,Chukwuma Soludo; Chairman of Progressives Governors Forum, Hope Uzodinma of Imo State; PDP Governors Forum Chairman, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti.
Vice President said the committee will liaise with the leadership of labour unions in the country to find a way forward on the emerging issues in the interest of the nation.
Council also received progress reports on the ongoing nationwide distribution of rice, grains, fertilizer, other items to States and N5 billion financial support, provided by the Federal Government and commended the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for their interventions.
Council then noted various interventions by State governments and urged them to upscale the distribution of palliatives towards alleviating the suffering of citizens especially the vulnerable groups.
NEC also mourned the death of some military personnel in Niger State and observed a minute silence in honour of deceased, while commiserating with their families.
Below are other highlights of the meeting:
Excess Crude Account from 19th July to 14th August, 2023, $473,754.57
Stabilisation Account from 18th July to 14th August, N30,346,557,405.12
Natural Resources Account from 18th July to 14th August 2023, N115,175,616,159.65
PRESENTATION OF PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF IMPACT OF FLOOD DISASTER ACROSS THE STATES IN NIGERIA BY GOVERNOR OF KOGI STATE
The Governor at the 128th NEC Meeting held on 20th October, 2022, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governor’s Forum and Executive Governor of Sokoto State, Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, drew attention of Council to the devastating effect of the 2022 flooding which affected about 31 States of the Federation that had resulted in the loss of over 600 lives, displacement of millions of people, destruction of hundreds of thousands of houses and submersion of thousands of hectares of farmlands and appealed for urgent intervention from the Federal Government to address the impact of the menace on the people and infrastructure.
Consequently, Council resolved to setup a 5-man Ad-hoc Committee on flooding comprising of Governors of Jigawa, Kogi, Anambra, Bayelsa, Lagos and Yobe State. The following were also coopted into the Committee:
Honourable Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning
Honourable Minister of Water Resources
Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development
Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management
Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria
Director General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)
The Terms of Reference of the Committee was to “Review the current flooding situation in the country and design a template for compensation of victims”.
The Committee had its inaugural meeting on Thursday 10th November 2022 at the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) Secretariat. Highlight of the Meeting were as follows:
The Committee acknowledged the urgency of the assignment and hence the need to expedite action in order to table a draft report at the next NEC Meeting.
A sub-committee was constituted to propose modalities to address imminent food crisis due to the flooding and possible source of funding for palliatives to victims. The Sub-committee was to be Chaired by the Executive Governor of Kebbi State and the following as Members: Ministries of Agriculture, Humanitarian, Finance, NEMA and CBN.
NEC Secretariat to develop and forward a Template with accompanying letter to all the affected States to collect data on Preliminary Assessment of the impact of the flood in the affected Communities, harmonize the data and produce report of their findings to the Committee.
LIMITATIONS
The exercise would have been more successful and effective if all the affected States had responded as and when due and according to provisions made in the template. Some of the limitations include the following:
Delay or Non-submission of filled template by some States. Only 16 out of the total number of affected States forwarded their submissions to NEC Secretariat to date as expected. About 15 others were yet to do so. The submission from defaulting States are awaited to update the database.
Some of the States that submitted did not fully complied with requisitions of the template thereby making some of their submissions difficult to process by the automated system. There is the need for compliance with laid down processes to allow for higher degree of uniformity especially considering the huge volume of data involved.
Only few States reached out to the Council Secretariat’s Technical Team for possible guidance and assistance in the exercise. States are encouraged to take advantage of the Secretariat’s personnel to address important concerns where necessary.
Only few States indicated financial implication for the damages caused thereby making it difficult to proposed a required amount of intervention.
Some submissions were not done according to the template which makes difficult to ascertain the financial implications of such states.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The plight of victims of the unfortunate flood disaster across affected States of the Federation could be alleviated if the much needed intervention from the Federal Government materialized without further delay.
There is therefore the need to expedite release of fund to affected States as recommended by designated Committees constituted by the Federal Government to that effect. This would go a long way in addressing the needs of the victims as well as offset debt incurred by some States to assist their citizens.
COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS
NEC Secretariat and officials of the Office of the Vice President to visit the affected states for on-the-spot assessment of the situation on ground. The exercise will authenticate the date submitted by state to determine needed intervention.
That Federal Government’s immediate intervention to be expeditiously carried out by NEMA, Ecological Fund Office and other relevant agencies. States to assure maximum cooperaton.
NEC resolves that all hands should be on deck to assure appropriate submission and data presentation. The quality of data collected should be enhanced to meet international standard. That the challenges of flooding deserves concerted and collective effort.
There is need to strengthen NEMA as a structure and sustainable adaptation measures for the citizens. In mobilizing resources to tem the tide of flooding, there is need to look beyond NEMA.
NEC Secretariat to come up with recommedations on the roadmap towards addressing the flood situtation.
PRESENTATION ON EXPLORING A NEC AGENDA FOR MACROECONOMICS STABILITY & SHARED PROSPERITY BY DG NESG
The Presentation was to inform the council on achieving low Inflation and stimulation Growth and Macroeconomic Objectives.
MACROECONOMIC STABILITY OBJECTIVES:
- High and stable economy
- Low Inflation Growth Price level
- unemployment Account
- Favourable Current low balance and stable exchange rate account balance
CURRENT MACROECONOMIC LANDSCAPE
- Investment inflows have dwindled since 2019, likewise the country’s investment/GDP ratio; Crude Oil exports and refined petroleum products imports dominate Nigeria’s trade structure.
- Nigeria’s Naira position against major trading currencies deteriorated
- Weak FX supply and heightened demand for imports remains core drivers of exchange rate instability; market volatility persists despite recent FX alignment, driven by pressure on FX demand that widens the gap between official and parallel market rates due to inadequate supply and speculative tendencies; external reserves remain under pressure as external reserves fell by 8.3 percent from 37.1 billion in January 2023 to 33.9 billion in July 2023.
KEY CONSIDERATION FOR IMPROVING THE OUTCOMES OF FUEL SUBSIDY REMOVAL - Inflationary impact: Fuel subsidy removal will increase inflation. So, there is a need for robust social programmes.
- Efficiency in government spending: There has been a lack of clarity on how the government spends subsidy savings. This issue must be addressed.
- Investment in the downstream and midstream segments of the industry: Achieving this will reduce huge dependence on petrol imports and strike out the need to pay subsidies on fuel.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
The NEC must insist on pushing a national legislative reform agenda for national competitiveness. It is essential that nigeria resolves the legislative binding constraints to our national competitiveness, the nesg through nassber, our partnership with national assembly and nigerian bar association has identified over 115 legislations that hinder growth, in the last few years, 10 legislations have been passed (including the cama 2020 and the pia 2021.
COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS:
- Council commended NESG for its presentation especially on pragmatic roadmaps for tackling current economic challenges.
- It was noted that the recommendations contained in the NESG’s roadmap needs to be reviewed to align with existing economic agenda at the national and sub-national levels for pragmatic purposes.
SUBSIDY REMOVAL: NEC SETS UP AD-HOC COMMITTEE TO LIAISE WITH LABOUR UNION LEADERSHIP
News
Army troops restore calm after farmers, herders clash in Sokoto
Army troops restore calm after farmers, herders clash in Sokoto
By: Zagazola Makama
The troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA have restored normalcy to Karangiya and Danjawo villages in Silame Local Government Area following a violent clash between farmers and herders on Sunday.
Zagazola reliably informed by sources that the clash erupted at about 9 a.m. over alleged cultivation of farmlands along cattle routes.
According to the sources, the altercation between Hausa farmers from Karangiya and Fulani herders from Danjawo escalated into violence before security operatives intervened.
The troops swiftly moved to the scene to restore order.
Nine people from both sides five farmers and four herders sustained varying degrees of injuries. Five were treated and discharged at the Silame General Hospital, while three others are still receiving treatment.
The Chairman of Silame Local Government Area has convened an emergency stakeholders’ meeting to find a lasting solution to the dispute.
Intensive patrols and surveillance have been intensified in the affected communities, while calm has been restored.
Army troops restore calm after farmers, herders clash in Sokoto
News
WANEP Hosts National Briefing on Rising Concerns of Religious Radicalism•Highlights risks of unregulated Madrassas in Nigeria
WANEP Hosts National Briefing on Rising Concerns of Religious Radicalism
•Highlights risks of unregulated Madrassas in Nigeria
By: Michael Mike
The West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), under the EU-supported Research and Action for Peace (REcAP) program, hosted a national deliberative briefing to present key findings from two studies exploring the ideological, cultural, and security implications of madrassas in both Northern and Southwestern Nigeria.
This was disclosed in a statement made available on Monday by Mr Emmanuel Ami-Okhani, the representative of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) in Nigeria.
The session was attended by policymakers, researchers, civil society actors, and security stakeholders, focused on understanding how religious education intersects with radical ideologies, external funding, and youth identity in Nigeria.
The REcAP project, implemented by WANEP in partnership with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), aims to strengthen the role of civil society and research in shaping effective responses to conflict, violent extremism, and peacebuilding across West Africa and the Lake Chad Basin.
One of the working paper presentations of a major study titled “Madrasas, Charities and Religious Radicalism in Northern Nigeria: A Study of the Almajiri System,” authored by Prof. Freedom Onuoha, Dr Saheed Babajide Owonikoko, and Dr Chukwuma Okoli, explored the theological foundations and operational structures of the Almajiri system, particularly in Abuja, Kano, and Borno states, regions selected for their population size, security relevance, and Islamic education presence.

The research highlighted that the Almajiri system, rooted in the Arabic term al-muhajirun (meaning “to migrate for knowledge”), has historically served as a respected Islamic education platform but has since suffered neglect, a lack of regulation, and infiltration by unverified foreign actors.
According to Owonikoko, who presented the paper, the study found evidence of informal funding from foreign religious charities, mainly from the Middle East. Still, it warned that such support is largely undocumented, making it difficult to monitor for extremist influence.
He disclosed that, based on interviews conducted with school custodians, scholars, former Almajiri students, and security agents, a key concern is the lack of transparency surrounding financial donations and the ideological content introduced by some foreign-linked clerics.
He cited historical and contemporary cases where charities from countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran supported specific sectarian ideologies within Almajiri schools. However, direct links between this support and actual radicalisation remain hard to legally establish due to the clandestine nature of donations.
Owonikoko noted during the presentation that “most Almajiri schools are not documented or supervised, making them vulnerable to ideological manipulation through informal funding channels.”
“While the majority of Almajiri students are peaceful and focused on Quranic education, the lack of structure creates loopholes that can be exploited by extremist elements.”
A second study titled “Madrassas and Islamic Extremism among Teenage Muslim Students in Southwestern Nigeria” was presented by Dr Busari Dauda of the University of Ilorin. Co-authored with Dr Alatise Remi Kasalla from Osogbo, provided an empirical view of how madrassas are shaping youth religious identity in the South-West amidst growing ideological influences from the Middle East.
Unlike the Northern context, madrassas in Ilorin, Ibadan, and Osogbo were found to be more structured, often registered with education ministries and integrated into Yoruba Islamic cultural life, Dr Dauda revealed.
However, the study noted that sectarian interests and prestige-seeking among madrassa founders contribute to the proliferation of ideologically driven schools. Economic motivations and cultural acceptance also play significant roles in their expansion.
Dauda, during his presentation, stressed that, while the study found no widespread evidence of violent radicalisation, it did highlight growing perceptions of global injustice among teenage students, particularly around issues like the Palestinian conflict and Western treatment of Muslims.
He said, these sentiments, amplified by digital media and foreign ideological narratives, shape how young Muslims interpret their religious and social identity.
Dauda emphasised that “extremism is not part of the curriculum, but ideological influences can filter in through sect-based teachings and global narratives of Muslim victimhood.”
WANEP Hosts National Briefing on Rising Concerns of Religious Radicalism
•Highlights risks of unregulated Madrassas in Nigeria
News
Army troops recover 70 rustled livestock after gun duel with bandits in Katsina
Army troops recover 70 rustled livestock after gun duel with bandits in Katsina
By: Zagazola Makama
Army troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA in Katsina have recovered 70 goats and several sheep after engaging suspected bandits in a fierce gun battle in Bakori Local Government Area of the state.
Sources indicated that the incident occurred on Oct. 25, 2025, at about 11:50 p.m., when armed men suspected to be bandits loyal to a notorious leader known as “Abaku Aiki” who reportedly distanced himself from the recent peace accord invaded Ganjar and Alhazawa, two remote villages under Bakori LGA.
The bandits reportedly kidnapped an unspecified number of residents and rustled several domestic animals during the attack.
The troops in collaboration with other security agencies intercepted the bandits at Laila Forest. A sustained exchange of gunfire ensued, forcing the criminals to abandon the stolen animals and flee into the forest.
The sources confirmed that 70 goats and some sheep were successfully recovered, while efforts are ongoing to track the fleeing bandits and rescue the abducted victims.
The troops assured residents of continuous patrol and collaboration with security agencies to ensure peace and stability in the area.
Army troops recover 70 rustled livestock after gun duel with bandits in Katsina
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