November 2021

30 November 2021
BusinessDay
Accessibility to food is human right
On 16 October 2021, the World Food Day was celebrated with the theme “Our Actions Are not Our Future – Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment and a Better Life.” Before this year’s World Food Day, statistics show that more than enough food is produced globally, to feed the world’s growing population. And that the fight against hunger has seen some improvement over the past 15 years…

29 November 2021
Premium Times
ANALYSIS: Why Buhari’s plan to replace subsidy with transport grant may be misleading
For years, the Nigerian government has walked on eggshells in its moves to end the payment of fuel subsidy. Often trapped between cutting costs and sparking public anger, and using cheaper fuel to keep its approval ratings up, the government repeatedly adopted the latter despite promises not to…

28 November 2021
Al Jazeera
Horrors on the Plateau: Inside Nigeria’s farmer-herder conflict
Mary Hommes wiped her face with a red scarf as she recalled the August day when attackers ambushed her village in central Nigeria’s Plateau state…

The Will
Hard Times Await Nigerian Families Over Rising Food Prices
Like the ocean’s rising waves, the astronomical rise in the prices of goods and services in recent times has become a worrying situation, particularly for low and middle-income families in Nigeria…

26 November 2021
Premium Times
For fallen Nigerian soldiers, families risk suffering socioeconomic woes
After Leebart Olalekan waited for months to hear from her husband, she suspected the worst, and she was right. Isiaka Dauda, the corporal she married seven years earlier, was declared dead last March, becoming another of Nigeria’s frontline fallen heroes fighting to stave off the insurgency of extremist groups in northern Nigeria…

25 November 2021
Guardian Nigeria
Kidnappings: The new normal killing Nigerians
Life cannot be meaningful and peaceful if people are living under threats and uncertain of their safety. Defence is one of the most pertinent sectors that responsible governments in different countries of the world are giving much attention to in their budgets and personnel…

24 November 2021
Bloomberg
Nigeria plans $5.8bn in cash handouts to replace fuel subsidies
Nigeria is planning to give cash handouts to the poor, that may cost the government 2.4 trillion naira a year ($5.8 billion) in a bid to replace fuel subsides…

22 November 2021
Al Jazeera
Small businesses bear the brunt of Nigerian separatist lockdowns
During the last three months, Newman Nwankwo has heard friends, relatives and others across southeastern Nigeria complain about a general disruption to life every Monday, and at least one other day some weeks, from a sit-at-home order announced and enforced by separatists in the region…

The Cable
N30k for bag of rice, crate of eggs now N2k… traders grapple with low sales amid rising food prices
The prices of food items continue to soar across major markets in Lagos, as traders complained of low sales amid declining purchasing power…

Punch
FG rehabilitates 15,000 terrorists, 366 soldiers, policemen killed in two years
At least, 366 soldiers, policemen and members of the civilian joint task force were killed in ambushes laid by terrorists in the North-East and the North-West between 2019 and 2021…

Ripples Nigeria
SPECIAL REPORT… TELECOMS BLACKOUT: Nigeria’s latest tactic against banditry grounds businesses, forcing residents beyond borders
The fight against notorious bandits raining terror and kidnapping students in Northwest Nigeria took a new dimension in September as the government explored shutting down telecommunications networks to enhance security operations…

ThisDay
366 Soldiers, Policemen Killed in Two Years
About 366 soldiers, policemen and members of the civilian joint task force (JTF) were killed in ambushes laid by terrorists in the North-east and the North-west between 2019 and 2021,according to a report by SBM Intelligence…

Vanguard
367 soldiers, 29 policemen killed in 2 years by Boko Haram, armed bandits – Report
A geopolitical research group SBM Intelligence has said that between 2019 and 2021, a total of 337 soldiers, 29 cops and civilian JTF members were killed in in ambushes in the north east and bandits in the north west…

21 November 2021
The Nation
In a season of scarcity?
Panegyricists of the Muhammadu Buhari administration – among them two highly regarded pals of mine – I shall be writing a lot more about them in this piece – are so very eager to put to flight from these shores, those of us who contend that given all we know about President Buhari before he assumed office: his ramrod intrepidity, incandescent integrity and can – do spirit – in April 1983, he expelled Chadian troops, under the command of the late Idriss Déby; in the process briefly invading Chadian territory – all the things they now seek to credit to him as achievements are not even half of what Nigerians expect he should have achieved, a whole 6 years into his 8- year tenure…

19 November 2021
Legit
‘Yan ta’adda sun kashe sojoji 337 a Nigeria cikin shekaru 2, Rahoto
Wani rahoto da cibiyar bincike ta SB Morgan (SBM) intelligence ta fitar a ranar Alhamis ya nuna cewa yan ta’adda sun kashe mutane 569, ciki har da sojoji 337 a hare-hare tun shekarar 2019, The Cable ta ruwaito…

The Sun
Terrorist groups ambush, kill 337 soldiers, 29 police officers in 2 years
No fewer than 596 persons among them 337 soldiers, 29 police officers and Joint Task Force have been killed in ambush attacks by various terrorist groups in the North East and North West since 2019…

18 November 2021
Africa Confidential
A new political launchpad
Former central bank governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo stormed to victory in Anambra state’s gubernatorial elections on 6 November in a blow to the two biggest parties and militant campaigners who want the south-east to secede from the rest of Nigeria.

The Cable
Report: 337 soldiers killed in ambush by insurgents since 2019
At least 569 people — including 337 soldiers — have been killed in various forms of ambush launched by insurgents since 2019, according to a report by SB Morgen (SBM) Intelligence.

CNBC Africa
Nigeria’s GDP grows by 4% in the third quarter
Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product grew by 4 per cent in the third quarter of 2021, lower than the 5 per cent recorded in the second quarter of this year. Lead Partner at SBM Intelligence, Cheta Nwanze discussed the implications of the new numbers.

17 November 2021
Bloomberg
African Central Banks to Hold Rates on Temporary Inflation Spike
Central banks in six of seven major African economies will likely look past a temporary spike in inflation and leave interest rates unchanged this month to support economies that remain vulnerable to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic…

HumAngle
Education Suffers Silently But Heavily As Terror Sweeps Through Northwest Nigeria
At first, the staff and students at Sultan Muhammad Tambari Arabic Secondary School in Illela, Sokoto State, were disappointed when the government instructed them to close their boarding facility and merge with a different school in the metropolis. But then, something happened that changed their minds…

16 November 2021
BusinessDay
#EndSARS: Evidence shows that we have been vindicated- Protesters
Nigerian youths who protested at Lekki Toll gate last year have said that the findings of the #EndSARS report released yesterday by the Lagos State government vindicate them. While feeling excited, Akinseloyin Emmanuel, one of the protesters, told BusinessDay that the finding confirms the truth about the Lekki massacre as against the federal government’s claims…

15 November 2021
Africa Legal
eNaira faces trust issues
Built on a central blockchain ledger technology that prevents duplication or creation of fake units, Nigeria’s digital currency was officially released on 25 October 2021. It is a partnership between the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Bitt. Inc, a fintech company based in the Caribbeans.

Bloomberg
Nigeria Inflation Slows to 10th-Month Low After Food Costs Ease
Nigerian inflation slowed to a 10th-month low in October, giving the central bank scope to leave interest rates on hold next week. Consumer prices increased 15.99% from a year earlier, compared with 16.63% in September, Statistician-General Simon Harry told reporters Monday in Abuja, the capital…

Plus TV Africa
2023: Lowering The Cost of Elections in Nigeria
SBM Intelligence’s Head of Research, Ikemesit Effiong talked about salient issues around the cost of administering elections in Nigeria and the influence of money in politics.

14 November 2021
Independent
Kidnappings: The New Normal Endangering Lives Of Northerners
The existence of human beings could never be meaningful and peaceful if they are living under threats and uncertain of their safety. Therefore, security is one of the most pertinent sectors that responsible governments in different countries of the world are giving much attention to in budgets and manpower; without security, nothing could be possible. Nigeria as a country for years has undergone several internal insecurities and yet still facing a lot as insurgency, secession and mass abduction of people just for ransoms and a host of others are slowing its development…

Thisday
Outrageously Expensive Nigerian Ports
It is no longer news that the cost of doing business in Nigerian ports ranks amongst one of the highest in the world. This is why customs brokers operating at the Lagos ports recently declared war on terminal operators and shipping companies over the 4 billion demurrage that accrued as a result of a shelved industrial action by truck drivers…

12 November 2021
Dataphyte
AnambraDecides: Only 10.38% Voters Turnout, BVAS, IPOB Strengthen Apathy
The Anambra electorate has spoken, giving its votes and the highest seat of the land to Charles Soludo, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). But what counts as the voice of the people if about 90% of these voices never spoke?..

10 November 2021
AFP
Incumbent party wins key Nigeria state election
A former central bank governor won a key election in southeast Nigeria, results showed on Wednesday, beating President Muhammadu Buhari’s ruling APC party candidate in a ballot seen as a test ahead of the 2023 presidential race…

Premium Times
Anambra 2021 governorship election records ‘historic low’ voter turnout
Following Tuesday’s supplementary election in Ihiala Local Government Area, the much-awaited Anambra governorship election has been concluded with the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Charles Soludo, declared the winner…

9 November 2021
Al Jazeera
Separatist leader to appear in court for treason trial
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which is agitating for the breakaway of southeastern Nigeria, is due to return to a court in the capital, Abuja, on Wednesday…

7 November 2021
The Sun
Cross-carpeting: Nigerian politicians and political harlotry
There have been debates in the political circle as to whether Nigerian politics is anchored on any political ideology given the ease with which politicians cross-carpet to either the ruling party or the opposition party. In more advanced democracies, political parties are driven by ideology…

6 November 2021
Premium Times
#AnambraDecides2021: Anambra has a history of low voter turnout
Residents of Anambra State, on Saturday morning, commenced voting to elect the next governor of the state. There are over 2.5 million registered voters in the state while 18 political parties are taking part in the election. The state, with over four million residents, consists of 21 local government areas. There are about 5,720 Polling Units (PUs) across the state but the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said there would be no voting in 86 PUs because there are no voters there…

5 November 2021
AFP
Nigeria state votes in key test for presidential race
Voters in the restive southeastern Nigerian state of Anambra go to the polls on Saturday amid a massive police deployment, in a key test of electoral credibility ahead of a presidential race less than 18 months away…

Nigeria: élection dans le sud-est, un test grandeur nature avant la présidentielle
Les électeurs de l’État d’Anambra, dans le sud-est du Nigeria, se rendent aux urnes samedi dans le cadre d’un scrutin sous haute tension avant les élections présidentielles prévues dans 18 mois…

Development Diaries
Nigeria: SBM Releases Findings on Pre-Anambra Poll
SB Morgen Intelligence (SBM), a think tank in Nigeria, has reported a potential low voter turnout for the 2021 Anambra State governorship election. The election is scheduled to hold on 06 November amidst security concerns…

Legit
Anambra Election: Nigerian Army Denies Escorting Bus With Fake Voters
The Nigerian Army has denied a media report that it’s troops escorted buses allegedly filled with fake voters voters being moved into Anambra state…

Explainer: Two Serious Issues That Might Affect Success of Anambra Governorship Election
The permutation to win the contest is favouring three candidates — Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)…

Nigerian Tribune
Need To Tackle Kidnapping In Nigeria
Life is regarded as precious, sacred and held dear. Every human effort is primarily geared towards preserving and elongating life. Little wonder it is shocking, if not outrageous, the recent care-free manner in which lives are lost without any thought in the country. Life in Nigeria can be snuffed out at the snap of a finger. More disheartening is the brazen way in which crimes such as robbery, banditry and more especially, kidnapping are being carried out. The media is awash daily with reports of kidnapping-for-ransom and wanton destruction of lives and property. This ugly trend seems to be gaining grounds in almost all parts of the country without regard for gender, religion, class or creed…

4 November 2021
Nigeria Info
How Will The Anambra Election Go?
According to an SBM Intelligence survey, 68% of registered voters in Anambra State will not vote on Saturday. SBM Security Analyst Confidence McHarry spoke about the key issues from the company’s latest report…

TRT World
Criminal gangs in Nigeria raise millions of dollars in ransoms
Kidnapping for ransom is a growing industry in Nigeria. It’s a lucrative source of income for criminal gangs. In the past decade, 19 million dollars has been paid in ransoms, and local security forces have failed to stop an increasing number of abductions. Cheta Nwanze, lead partner at SBM Intelligence, explains…

3 November 2021
Arise News
Anambra State Losing Investments On Security Concerns
Confidence Isaiah-MacHarry, Geopolitical Analyst at SBM Intelligence on the Global Business Report discussed recent activities in Anambra and how the government has failed to provide security for its people. He said there is a huge loss of investments in the state Investors have lost confidence in the potentials of Anambra…

Nigeria Info
Why Are Unpaid Salaries Such A Common Problem?
40% of informal sector workers in an SBM Intelligence nationwide survey were owed unpaid salaries. Why are unpaid salaries such a common problem? SBM Senior Analyst Ese Oikhala weighs in…

2 November 2021
BusinessDay
80% of Nigeria’s manufacturers won’t hire new staff on slow growth
Eight in 10 Nigerian manufacturers do not plan to hire more employees in the nearest future, the result of FBNQuest’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) survey has shown. This means there is no relief in sight for Nigeria’s unemployment rate that ranked the world’s second-highest in 2020…

Anambra election: 68% may not vote on Saturday over insecurity – survey
The Anambra governorship elections scheduled for Saturday may witness the lowest turnout as 68 percent of registered voters could stay away mostly out of safety concerns, a new survey report by SBM Intelligence has said…

The Cable
Report: Anambra governorship election will set new record in voter apathy
SBM Intelligence, a geopolitical research firm, says it is very unlikely that the November 6 Anambra governorship election will see a high turnout of voters. To ascertain the expected level of voter apathy in the election, SBM Intelligence carried out a survey among 663 respondents from the three senatorial districts in the state…

Legit
Trouble Looms in Anambra Election As Many Residents Are Reportedly Planning Not To Vote
SBM Intelligence, a geopolitical research firm, says it is very unlikely that the November 6 Anambra governorship election will see a high turnout of voters. To ascertain the expected level of voter apathy in the election, SBM Intelligence carried out a survey among 663 respondents from the three senatorial districts in the state…

Nairametrics
68% of registered voters in Anambra may not vote on Saturday due to IPOB, insecurity, others – Report
68% of respondents in a survey who are registered voters in Anambra State say they will not vote in the forthcoming Anambra gubernatorial election scheduled for Saturday, November 6, 2021…

Ventures Africa
SBM Intel’s survey shows preparing jollof rice in Nigeria now costs a fortune
This year, Nigeria has experienced an unbearable hike in commodity prices, and it shows no sign of slowing. The economic situation of the country is forcing citizens to empty their pockets to meet basic needs…

Washington Post
Gunmen kidnap six in rare attack on university in Nigeria’s capital
Gunmen kidnapped four staffers and two of their children from the University of Abuja early Tuesday, the university said, staging the first high-profile attack on a campus in Nigeria’s capital as the nation confronts a wave of mass abductions…

1 November 2021
The Nation
The e-Naira blues
Last week, Nigeria scored another first on the African continent. She became the first to launch a digital currency – the eNaira. The country joins Bahamas, the first to launch a general purpose central bank digital currency, known as the Sand Dollar, in October. Another world power, China, has ongoing trials and Switzerland and the Bank of France have unveiled Europe’s first experiment…

Leadership
IPOB Spreading Fear, Terror To Enforce Sit-at-home Order
The fear of being attacked or victimized by members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is forcing lethargic compliance with its sit-at-home order in the South East states despite its negative effect on economies of states in the region and residents’ businesses, findings by our correspondents in the region have shown…

TRT World
From Nigeria to Kashmir and Catalonia: The rising costs of separatism
Since August, Sunday Elom’s weekends have extended to Monday, leaving him to work four times a week. He’s adhering to a sit-at-home protest, a form of civil disobedience administered by the Independent Peoples’ of Biafra (IPOB), a secessionist group in Nigeria’s Southeast region, demanding independence…