August 2022

30 August 2022
Guardian Nigeria
Kidnapping is Nigeria’s fastest-growing industry – SBM Intelligence
Kidnapping has been a growing menace in Africa’s most populous country. The first major kidnap incident in the country made the headlines in 2014 when Boko Haram jihadists kidnapped 276 schoolgirls in Chibok town, Borno State…

26 August 2022
The Cable
Petrol subsidy: Reps summon auditor-general over discrepancies in NNPC documents
The house of representatives has summoned the auditor-general for the federation to provide evidence of an audit on the payments of fuel subsidy between 2013 and 2022…

Nairametrics
Reps summon Auditor-General of the Federation over fuel subsidy payments
The Nigerian House of Reps has agreed to summon the Auditor General of the Federation, Mr Okolieaboh Sylvia over documentary evidence on the audit carried out on the monies spent on fuel subsidy…

NPR
It’s definitely not a good year to be a motorcycle taxi driver in Nigeria
In Lagos, Nigeria’s suburb of Yaba on the morning of June 1, motorcycle taxi driver Obaji Samson wasn’t sure if he should go to work or not…

Ripples Nigeria
OVERVIEW: Constitutional hindrance, four other reasons Buhari may not approve Gov Ortom’s application for AK-47 licences
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State recently revealed that he would submit an application to President Muhammadu Buhari seeking the president’s approval for arms and ammunition licenses…

25 August 2022
FSSPX
Nigéria : les religieuses enlevées ont été libérées
Les quatre religieuses – Johannes Nwodo, Christabel Echemazu, Liberata Mbamalu et Benita Agu – qui avaient été enlevées alors qu’elles se rendaient à une messe d’action de grâce le dimanche 21 août ont été libérées…

Guardian Nigeria
Multiple taxes inimical to telecoms sector’s growth
Earlier in the year, a report by SB Morgen, titled “Inside Nigeria’s Subnational Fiscal Crisis, “revealed that the telecommunications industry appears to suffer disproportionately from the problems of over-taxation in Nigeria…

23 August 2022
CNBC Africa
Addressing Nigeria’s food security challenge
Analysts at SBM Intelligence have attributed rising food insecurity to fuel scarcity, poor electricity and storage, and protracted insecurity to reactionary control policies…

ThisDay
A nation marinating in mental health crises
“They raped me! I was raped! They raped me!” The woman in the hijab screamed. Over and over. Each scream louder than the last, her head spinning maniacally, she was almost incoherent with grief. A few moments before, this obviously well-educated, middle-class woman had been talking animatedly about her experiences in a kidnapper’s camp after she was abducted…

22 August 2022
Hollywood Unlocked
Four Catholic Nuns Kidnapped By Gunmen In Nigeria Amid Growing Abduction Crime Rates
Kidnapping continues to be a major problem in Nigeria, and things were no different on Sunday when four Catholic reverend sisters were abducted in Imo State, according to reports…

Le Monde
Le Nigeria s’enfonce dans le marasme économique
Les mauvaises nouvelles s’accumulent pour l’économie du Nigeria. Lundi 15 août, le Bureau national des statistiques a annoncé que l’inflation avait bondi pour le sixième mois consécutif, atteignant 19,6 % en juillet en glissement annuel, son plus haut niveau depuis presque dix-sept ans…

21 August 2022
The Cable
Of reptiles, primates, insects and statecraft
By the time the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari winds up on Monday, May 29, 2023, it would have taken our country through every conceivable insanity and ridiculousness. Beyond the time-worn, tripodal possibilities of the good, the bad and the ugly, Nigerians have gone through what the iconic afrobeat musician, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, described as experiences in ‘Craze World’…

Tribune
Nigeria Faces More Gloomy Economic Future
When President Muhammadu Buhari and stalwarts of the now-ruling All Progressives Congress travelled from state to state canvassing for votes in late 2014 and early 2015, their message was clear: the then government of Goodluck Jonathan had failed on all fronts, especially security and the economy. Nigeria’s development indices were poor and would eventually get worse if Jonathan was not removed, they harped…

20 August 2022
Arise TV
My exposure & experience will guarantee trust and good leadership in Enugu – Frank Nweke
APGA governorship candidate, Frank Nweke speaks on his dreams and ambitions with Charles Aniagolu as he prepares to formally start his campaign to be Enugu governor…

The Cable
Before terrorists form a parallel government in Kaduna
Sadly, Kaduna state is gradually turning into an epicentre of banditry and terrorism in the north-west. Last week Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in a memo to President Muhammadu Buhari raised the alarm that terrorists are consolidating their grip on communities in Kaduna with a “parallel” government and “permanent operational base”…

Leadership
₦650m Ransom To Kidnappers
A new report has revealed that Nigerians paid ₦653.7 million ($1.2 million) as ransom to bandits and kidnappers between July 2021 and June 2022, a period of one year, for the release of their loved ones held in captivity. The report also disclosed that ₦6.531 billion ($9.9 million) was demanded in ransom in the year under review…

18 August 2022
BusinessDay
Food inflation to worsen as insecurity bars farmers from harvest
Nigeria’s food inflation could worsen in the coming months as insecurity forces farmers away from farmlands where they should be gathering ripened crops till the end of next month…

Influx of strangers into southern Nigeria
The southern Nigerian states have seen an influx of strangers in recent months, and this is causing a disquiet among the people residing in that part of the country. Most people in the affected states have expressed their displeasure, especially at a time of rising insecurity that has been acknowledged by the Nigerian security apparatuses most of whom recently sounded a note of warning that states such as Lagos, Katsina, Kaduna, and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja had been listed as the likely next places these dare-devil terrorists could strike…

17 August 2022
BusinessDay
States overwhelmed as Nigeria’s cost of living crisis escalates
Nigeria’s cash-strapped states are under growing pressure as their monthly allocation and internally generated revenue has shrunk, even as Nigerians struggle financially to survive amid escalating prices and dwindling income…

16 August 2022
Nigeria Politics Weekly
Wike v Atiku, Seplat & Elrufai’s memo
SBM Intelligence’s Head of Research, Ikemesit Effiong discussed important political and economic developments in Nigeria with the Nigeria Politics Weekly podcast…

RFI
Au Nigeria, le fléau du kidnapping coûte très cher à la société
Le kidnapping est devenu une industrie avec un coût économique élevé pour les familles, les commerces et les communautés dans les régions les plus touchées du Nigeria. Dans un récent rapport, le cabinet d’analyse SBM Intelligence a tenté de chiffrer le coût des enlèvements pour l’économie nigériane…

15 August 2022
TVC
Kidnappers in Nigeria Collect More Than ₦650 Million as Ransom in One Year
A new report by a Lagos-based security and political risk research firm has shown that About ₦653.7 million was paid as ransom in Nigeria between July 2021 and June 2022, for the release of kidnap victims…

Vanguard
Nigeria’s manufacturing sector risks imminent shutdown as gas supply shortages threaten continued operations
The operations of Nigeria’s manufacturing sector have come under severe pressure over the persistent unavailability of gas supply for continued day to day operations. At the heart of this imminent crisis are companies along the Lagos-Ogun axis which hosts over 2,000 industries and accounts for over 70% of manufacturing employment…

14 August 2022
360 News
Nigerian «bandit» violence leaves at least 564 dead and 3,400 kidnapped
Nigerian armed groups specialized in kidnapping and looting, the commonly called “bandits” in the country”, have caused 564 deaths and 3,420 abductees between July 2021 and June 2022 in at least 500 attacks and abductions across the territory, according to a report published this weekend by the group SBM Intelligence and picked up by the national daily ‘Premium Times’…

Leadership
Kidnapping Grows As Nigerians Pay ₦650m Ransom In 1 Year
A new report has revealed that Nigerians paid ₦653.7 million ($1.2 million) as ransom in Nigeria between July 2021 and June 2022, a period of one year, for the release of captives…

13 August 2022
BusinessDay
Over 3000 people abducted, ₦654m ransom paid in one year
Between the period of July 2021 and June 2022, no fewer than 3,420 people were abducted across Nigeria, with 564 others killed in violence associated with abductions, according to a new report by SBM Intelligence…

ICIR Nigeria
Why terrorism is spreading across Nigeria – Experts
Security experts have given insights on why terrorism is spreading from the North to the southern part of Nigeria, despite the federal government’s efforts to clamp down on the activities of insurgents…

Legit
Report Reveals How Over 3,000 Persons Were Kidnapped In One Year, ₦6.5billion Demanded
A new report has revealed that more than 3,420 persons were abducted across Nigeria between the period of July 2021 and June 2022…

Nairametrics
Insecurity: ₦6.5 billion demanded in kidnapping ransoms in Nigeria since July 2021
A report on Nigeria’s rising insecurity has revealed that between July 2021 and June 2022, no fewer than 3,420 people were abducted across Nigeria, with 564 others killed in violence associated with abductions…

Premium Times
Kidnappers collected ₦650 million as ransom in one year
About ₦653.7 million was paid as ransom in Nigeria between July 2021 and June 2022, a period of one of year, for the release of kidnap victims, a new report by a Lagos-based security and political risk research firm has shown…

StratcomSummit
Strategic Communication and the Impact of Technology
What impact does technology have on strategic communication? Within the context of the influence of technology in West Africa, Cheta Nwanze analyses the benefits and drawbacks of utilising social media to strengthen the democratic space…

12 August 2022
BusinessDay
What to know about 12 Nigerian states owing salaries
A recent 2022 Nigerian Sub-National Salary Survey by BudgIT, a Nigerian civil tech organisation, identified 12 out of the 36 states in the country that owe their civil servants at least one month’s salary as at July 31, 2022…

10 August 2022
BusinessDay
Seplat-ExxonMobile saga sends danger signals to oil investors
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s (NUPRC) insistence that the ExxonMobil/Seplat Energy share acquisition deal cannot proceed, effectively contradicting the President’s approval, does not bode well for Nigeria’s troubled oil sector…

Punch
How technology can forestall jailbreaks
On July 5, 2022, terrorists broke into Kuje prison in Abuja and freed some 600 inmates after an onslaught on security operatives that lasted for hours. The rate of occurrence of jailbreaks in the country is increasing. Kuje’s attack was the third on a prison facility in 2022…

9 August 2022
Human Rights Watch
Insecurity Grips Nation’s Capital
A series of attacks and threats within close proximity of Nigeria’s seat of government in Abuja by Islamist and other armed groups are causing fear and apprehension among citizens in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and across the country, Human Rights Watch said today…

Sahara Reporters
Nigeria Ranks Fourth On World Bank Debtors’ List With $13bn Debt Stock
According to the newly released World Bank Fiscal Year 2022 audited financial statements for IDA, Nigeria has risen to fourth place, with $13 billion in IDA debt stock as of June 30, 2022…

8 August 2022
Channels TV
2023 Elections: Impact Of PVC Registration Ahead Of The Polls
SBM Intelligence’s Head of Research, Ikemesit Effiong analysed the company’s report on INEC’s just concluded Continuous Voters Registration and its implications for Nigeria’s national elections in 2023…

6 August 2022
Punch
Arms: Why Amotekun, Benue corps may not get AK-47 licence
There are strong indications that moves by some governors to secure licences for their respective volunteer corps to carry assault rifles and combat the raging insecurity in their domain may continue to hit a brick wall…

5 August 2022
AFP
From coffee to toothpaste, Nigerians buy small as hardships bite
From five grams of toothpaste to 10 millilitres of cooking oil, many Nigerians struggling with soaring prices now buy their basic necessities in small quantities packed in tiny plastic bags to be consumed on the same day…

4 August 2022
Nigeria Info
The CBN Needs to Stop Funding the Federal Government – Development Analyst
A report by the credit rating agency Agusto & Co. notes that the federal government’s borrowing from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will increase to ₦23.2 trillion by the end of 2022…

3 August 2022
BusinessDay
How poverty, insecurity crippling Nigeria’s economy and businesses
Last week, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said Nigeria’s debt service-to-revenue ratio has become the highest in the world, as the amount spent by the Federal Government on servicing debts exceeded what it earned in the first four months of this year…

1 August 2022
Business Insider
Popular Nigerian foods like jollof rice are getting more expensive —and it’s forcing locals to change their diets, and even eat less
On a normal day, Adeniyi Shoremi would eat three square meals. Breakfast for Shoremi who lives in Lagos, Nigeria would be bread, eggs, and a chocolate milkshake. For lunch, he would eat fufu (balls of dough made from cassava) with vegetable soup…

Pass Blue
UN Report Fails to Recognize Major Child Abductions in Parts of Nigeria
The United Nations verified the abduction of 4,278 children in 21 countries last year in its recent annual report on children and armed conflict, but it failed to acknowledge widespread kidnappings throughout northwest and north-central Nigeria that were recorded by one of its own agencies in 2021…