The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFund) has disbursed over N5.093 billion in institutional fees to 59 federal and state tertiary institutions, even as it has commenced sensitisation campaigns to schools.

This comes as 45,440 beneficiaries have received institutional fees from the Fund.

The Guardian reports that NELFUND has so far visited 10 tertiary institutions including Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Anambra State; Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Imo State; Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State; Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho and Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt.

Institutions visited are the University of Calabar; Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Ekpene; University of Port Harcourt; Niger Delta University, Amasomma, Bayelsa State as well as Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, Delta State.

The Fund indicated that the sensitisation campaign jointly organised with the leadership of NANS, was intended to enlighten the schools and their students about the programme, its intended objectives, and how they could leverage it to improve access to education.

Speaking at the University of Port Harcourt, NELFUND Managing Director, Akintunde Sawyerr, highlighted the importance of the programme in helping Nigerian students overcome financial barriers to education.

Sawyerr said the sensitisation programme was to encourage students who may be hesitant to apply due to a lack of understanding of the scheme.

He said the Fund has been empowered to reach every nook and cranny of the country, ensuring that no region is marginalised.

He stressed the need for students to take full advantage of the loan scheme, which provides both tuition and monthly stipends for applicants.

The MD who was accompanied to UNIPORT by staff of the Fund including Executive Director Operations, Mustapha Iyal; Director Corporate Communications, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi; Special Assistant to the MD, Nasir Ayitogo as well as Senate President of NANS, Babatunde Akinteye; reiterated the Fund’s commitment to equitable distribution of the facility.

“This is about investing in your future, not just providing loans. It is an opportunity for you to focus on your studies without the distraction of financial concerns,” he said.

“Together, we can build a brighter future for our nation, one student at a time. NELFUND is here to ensure that your academic journey is not hindered by financial limitations.”

The first phase of the interest-free student loan scheme which commenced on May 24, 2024, is expected to benefit no fewer than 1.2 million students.

As of the time of filing this report, 45,440 applicants from 59 federal and state institutions have benefitted from the scheme, while over N5,093,110,671 has been disbursed as institutional fees.

Some of the institutions include Alex Ekueme Federal University, Anambra State; Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Imo State; University of Ibadan; Delta State University, Abraka; Federal University Gusau Zamfara State; Bauchi State University; Yaba College of Technology, Lagos State; Niger State Polytechnic among others.

On his part, the Vice-Chancellor, University of Port Harcourt, Prof Owunari Georgewill lauded the Federal Government’s efforts to support students in furthering their education with ease.

While noting that the loan scheme was a significant step towards alleviating students’ financial burden, the Don encouraged them to take advantage of the opportunity and spend their monthly upkeep wisely.

The Ugandan Minister of Works and Transport, Katunba Wamala, has called on the Federal Government to review the visa regime between the two nations to promote inter-Africa connectivity.

The minister made the appeal at the inaugural launch of the Nigeria-Uganda Business Forum at the weekend in Abuja.

He applauded Nigeria for joining the Single Africa Air Transport Market, but said the visas were still expensive and represented a significant barrier to travel.

He said: “For instance, a Ugandan needs to pay about $200 to acquire a visa to Nigeria. This, on the average, represents two to four bed nights for someone wishing to visit and explore new places in Nigeria. Without visa fee, this money can still enter our respective economies due to increased travel and business.

“Therefore, we request a review of the visa regime between our respective nations so as to promote Inter-Africa connectivity.”

While applauding the commencement of direct flight from Uganda into Lagos and Abuja, Wamala said there was an urgent need to address the huge connectivity gaps that still plagued the African continent.

He pointed out that a study on underserved markets that was published recently by Airbus spotlighted West Africa as one of the most underserved markets by air services in Africa, saying the study exposed an existing air connectivity gap between East Africa and Abuja, as there had been no direct air service between the capitals of the East African community and Abuja.

He said the commencement of flight had opened a gateway for the people of Abuja and Nigeria in general to travel through Entebbe to other parts of Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, and called on Nigerians to harness the opportunities and develop cultural exchanges.

Nigeria’s Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr Doris Anite, in her address also noted that the direct flight would unlock the economic potential between the two countries and reduce travel time, increase efficiency, and foster greater collaboration between businesses, and enable them to tap into new markets, access new customers, and explore new opportunities that abound in both countries.

Dangote Refinery has denied a report that it sold premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited at N898 per litre.

Dangote refinery described NNPC’s claim as “misleading and mischievous.”

The dispute follows NNPC’s disclosure that it purchased PMS from Dangote Refinery at N898 per litre. NNPC’s spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, confirmed the price to TheCable on Sunday.

“We successfully loaded PMS at the Dangote Refinery today. The claim that we purchased it at N760 per liter is incorrect. For this initial loading, the price from the refinery was N898 per litre,” Soneye said

But Dangote Refinery, in a statement through its spokesperson, Anthony Chiejina, said NNPC claims deliberately aimed at undermining the milestone achievement recorded today, September 15, 2024, towards addressing energy insufficiency and insecurity, which has bedevilled the economy in the past 50 years.

The refinery, however, urged Nigerians to disregard the NNPC’s announcement, regarding it as “this malicious statement,” and await an official pricing declaration from the Technical Sub-Committee on Naira-based crude sales to local refineries, appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

It also disclosed that the refinery sold products to NNPC in dollars with a lot of savings against what they are currently importing.

With this action, the refinery stated that there will be petrol in every local government area of the country, regardless of their remote nature.

The company, however, assured Nigerians of quality petroleum products and an end to endemic fuel scarcity.

The statement reads; “Our attention has been drawn to a statement attributed to NNPCL spokesperson, Mr. Olufemi Soneye, that we sell our PMS at N898 per litre to the NNPCL.

“This statement is both misleading and mischievous, deliberately aimed at undermining the milestone achievement recorded today, September 15, 2024, towards addressing energy insufficiency and insecurity, which has bedeviled the economy in the past 50 years.

“We urge Nigerians to disregard this malicious statement and await a formal announcement on the pricing, by the Technical Sub-Committee on Naira-based crude sales to local refineries, appointed by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, which will commence on October 1, 2024, bearing in mind that our current stock of crude was procured in dollars.

“It should also be noted that we sold the products to NNPCL in dollars with a lot of savings against what they are currently importing. With this action, there will be petrol in every local government area of the country regardless of their remote nature.

“We assure Nigerians of availability of quality petroleum product and putting an end to the endemic fuel scarcity in the country.”

As Nigeria joined the global community to commemorate International Democracy Day, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi has expressed regret over the country’s democratic setbacks.

Obi in a post on X highlighted the erosion of democratic ideals, citing leadership failure, systemic corruption, insecurity, and human rights violations.

He described Nigeria as a “captured state” where citizens suffer while the political leadership benefits.

“As we join the global community to commemorate International Democracy Day today, we remind ourselves, as a nation, of the need to uphold the tenets of democracy,” Obi said.

“These include free speech, observance of civil liberties and the rule of law. It also includes the upholding of the ideals of democracy that are embedded in ensuring accountable institutions and the protection and promotion of human rights.

“Democracy in Nigeria has continued to suffer untold setbacks, heavily burdened by leadership failure which has brought about uncontrolled systemic corruption, high levels of insecurity, lack of freedom of speech, increasing poverty and unprecedented levels of hunger and hardship,

“These problems have not only remained unsolved but are growing geometrically. The democratic ideals of the nation have, sadly, continued to erode with time, and today, we can be classified as a captured state where the citizens have continued to suffer untold hardship, deprivation, and insecurity while the political leadership feasts on state resources.

“In every measurement of true democracy, we have continued to rank low and perform badly, signaling a critical deficiency in our democratic system.

“With a democracy index score of 4.23, Nigeria ranks low on the Global Democracy Index, and in other indices of democracy.

“In the Corruption Perception Index, we are ranked 145th among the 180 countries measured, showing a high level of corruption in Nigeria.

“In Rule of Law Measurement, we are ranked 120 out of 142 countries measured in the World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index, showing that Nigeria suffers from gross disobedience to the rule of law.

“The 2024 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) described Nigeria as one of West Africa’s most dangerous and difficult countries for journalists.

“Freedom of speech is grossly suppressed and citizens are gagged from expressing their civic rights.

“On a day like this, may we pause and examine our democratic journey as a nation and strive to build our nation on the solid rock of true democracy where every Nigerian is given a voice and a fair hearing, irrespective of tribe, religion or political affiliation.”

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has listed six universities where its members are being “victimised, maltreated, and illegally dismissed” and resolved to go tough on the institutions.

The Bauchi Zone of the Union, which comprises universities in Bauchi, Plateau, and Gombe, while briefing journalists at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, on Saturday, the Zonal Coordinator, Prof. O. A. Timothy Namo, said: “These universities include Lagos State University (LASU), Ojoo; Kogi State University (KSU), Anyigba; Ebonyi State University (EBSU), Abakaliki; Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma; Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Igbariam.”

He said the briefing was to draw the attention of all critical stakeholders to the “unjustifiable and excruciating” hardship being meted out to their colleagues in the universities.

According to him, the union is worried that the respective visitors and administrators of the universities have continued to victimise ASUU members through “wicked actions, including termination of appointments, suspension from work, withholding of salaries and allowances, denial and delay of promotion, exclusion from statutory meetings, and non-remittance of union dues and other third-party deductions.”

“Permit me at this point to give a rundown of the issues in the respective universities as follows: Lagos State University (LASU), Ojoo: In LASU, there has been a running battle against our union, which resulted in the victimisation of five leaders of the Union who have been sacked. Despite the submission of the Visitation Panel report more than two years ago, the State Government has refused to release and implement the White Paper.

“We hereby call on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to direct the immediate reinstatement of the unjustly sacked colleagues. NEC has resolved to immediately reactivate sanctions imposed on LASU. For the avoidance of doubt, the Union has blacklisted LASU and directed its members to avoid any engagement in LASU, such as external examination, Visitation Panel, sabbatical, conference attendance, accreditation exercise, resource verification, and any form of collaboration,” he said.

Namo said that “120 of our members in Kogi State University, some of whom have died, have been illegally and unjustly sacked. It is sad to note that these members have neither been accused of any infringements nor convicted of any crime. We hereby call on the Kogi State Governor to recall these colleagues in the interest of justice and the progress of the University.”

In Ebonyi State University (EBSU), Abakaliki, Namo said that there is an obvious lack of infrastructural development, erosion of the university’s autonomy by some political interests, and “our members are being victimised for speaking the truth to power by demanding that the owners and administrators of the University should live up to expectations. This has led to the unjustifiable suspension of the Chairperson of the Union and his predecessor. We demand their immediate recall.”

He said that in Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, there has also been a running battle between the State Government/University Administration and the Union, leading to the seizure of salaries of some of their members for many months, non-remittance of third-party deductions, and the autocratic running of the University using a Special Intervention Team (SIT), which is alien to the University laws.

At Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), Namo said the Vice-Chancellor of FUTO “and her cohorts have continued to unjustly punish our faithful members at the Branch because of their patriotic stand against the illegal appointment/promotion of one Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami to the rank of Professor,” he said.

Amaka Sonnberger, the 46-year-old Igbo woman arrested in Canada for allegedly making hate-motivated threats against Yoruba and Benin people, has broken her silence.

The 46-year-old, originally from Anambra State, reportedly threatened to poison Yoruba and Benin co-workers at her workplace, which has led to outrage within both the Nigerian and Canadian communities and led to her arrest by the Toronto Police on September 1, 2024.

“Put poison for una water, make una dey kpai (die) one by one. Una no go kpai one day o, una go sick, sick, sick. I go put otapiapia (insecticide) for inside una water and food. Una no go see better. This kind hate wey una get for una so, e go last forever,” Sonnberger dared her listeners.

“If I go work tomorrow, I go put am (rodenticides) for Yoruba people food. Go tell the government, oya e dey Canada, e dey Ontario. Hurry up, fast fast!”

However, Sonnberger explained in an audio interview that her threats were in response to hateful comments made about Igbos on her ‘For You Page’ TikTok recommendations.

The Igbo woman claimed that she was subjected to repeated hate-filled comments targeting her ethnic group when she joined the platform months ago, including claims that they ate humans and stole money during the civil war.

Sonnberger said that her TikTok For You Page (FYP), was consistently filled with anti-Igbo sentiments, particularly from users of Yoruba and Benin descent.

“Every FYP I saw was always people talking about Igbos and these were the Bini and Yoruba to be particular. They said so many things and I have these things on video,” Sonnberger said.

“They talk about how (Chukwuemeka) Ojukwu stole £5,000 from the bank during the (civil) war. So I joined these platforms and found out that the majority of these people there aren’t educated because as I’m going right, they are going left.

“Sometimes, I tried to debunk some of what they were saying. There was a time when they even said Igbos eat humans. They changed our history totally. There was a time I had to come back home and begin to search about my history because they say things that if you are not strong, will make you depressed.”

The most inflammatory comments, Sonnberger revealed, came from a user named Kingsley, a Nigerian of Edo descent based in Austria. Kingsley could be heard cursing Igbos, referring to them as “biafrauds,” and threatens to bury them in River Niger.

Kingsley, in an audio recording from a TikTok livestream, was heard saying, “You have to receive my curse. Are you listening to me? You and all your Igbo generation, the biafrauds you shall perish.

“You shall all die, yes, you shall die. That River Niger, we shall bury you in it. If you start that your protest, you people will see what will happen. You people will die and nothing will happen.”

A female voice speaking in Yoruba joined the conversation and praised the actions of street hoodlums in Lagos who attacked the Igbo, whom she claimed insulted them.

“You already gave me the name ndi ofe mmanu (people of oily soups) and I accepted it, but be thankful that (Babatunde) Fashola is no more the governor, otherwise, what he would show you, you won’t be able to bear it,” the lady said.

Sonnberger, if convicted under Section 319 (1a) of the Canadian Criminal Code, could face up to two years in prison for public incitement of hatred.

Canadian law states that anyone who communicates statements that incite hatred against an identifiable group, where such incitement is likely to lead to a breach of peace, can be charged with a criminal offence.

The section reads, “Everyone who, by communicating statements in any public place, incites hatred against any identifiable group where such incitement is likely to lead to a breach of the peace is guilty of (a) an indictable offence and is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or (b) an offence punishable on summary conviction.”