A bag full of doings
United Nations has created extra 16,300 km space for Nigerians to be Nigerians
Good morning, Big Brains. Can I speak freely? I’m actually curious to see how President Tinubu’s reforms will affect Nigerians in a year. The country’s inflation rate has risen up to 33.69% and the Labour Union blames this surge on the President's reforms. So are the President’s reforms working? Let’s read and see.
- Margaret
Word count: ~1300
Reading time ~5 mins
Let’s get into today’s edition:
Nigeria Acquires Ocean Territory Five Times Larger Than Lagos
Federal Government Introduces Software to Display Nigeria's Mineral Wealth to Investors
Bauchi State Signs Access To Education Bill Into Law
UN Says 5.9 Million Nigerian Children Are Affected By Severe Food and Nutrition Crisis
ICYMI: If you’re an avid TBD reader, you’d know that EFCC has been actively pursuing financial offenders to ensure they face the law. Among these individuals are notable figures and dignitaries in the country. Here are the most prominent EFCC charges filed against former governors in Nigeria this year.
The Big Deal
Nigeria Acquires Ocean Territory Larger Than Lagos
President Tinubu took a “break” from the country and came back with a bag full of doings handed to him by the presidential OGs who walked so he could fly. The United Nations just handed Nigeria a big win, granting the country an extra 16,300 square kilometres of ocean territory. If calculation is not your strong suit, that's like having almost five Lagos States put together.
How it started
The discussions leading to the country’s latest achievement started in 2009 when Nigeria applied to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf to expand its ocean boundaries, playing by the rules of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). After years of careful scientific study and diplomatic moves, Nigeria's dream of expanding coasts became a reality.
How it’s going
Surveyor Aliyu Omar, the secretary of the High Powered Presidential Committee (HPPC) revealed that former President Buhari, who was also an All Progressives Congress (APC) member, was carried along in 2022 when the United Nations was still considering Nigeria's request.
He said, “When the HPPC briefed former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022 on the status of the project, the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) was still considering Nigeria’s submission and having technical interactions with the HPPC. These interactions and consideration have now culminated in the approval for Nigeria to extend its continental shelf beyond 200m (200 nautical miles). As it stands now, the area approved for Nigeria is about 16,300 square kilometres, which is about five times the size of Lagos State.”
Professor Awosika, a marine scientist and a member of the committee, told President Tinubu about the science behind this victory. According to him, “Deep studies in geography, geology, and geophysics over several years, along with calculated diplomatic moves, led to the approval.”
In response to this, President Tinubu commended the scientists for their dedication to this achievement. He also added that achieving great feats like this has caused loss of lives and economic opportunities in different countries but somehow Nigeria was able to gain great benefits without losing anything.
Why is this a big deal?
With the new expansion of ocean territory, Nigeria has a higher chance of discovering valuable resources like oil, gas, and minerals. This could bring more money into the country and improve the quality of life for citizens. The new territory also makes more room for economic activities like fishing and shipping - two things that can boost trade and commerce in the country. The potential benefits are endless and the best part is that the expansion benefits both present and future generations of Nigerians.
Federal Government Introduces Software to Display Nigeria's Mineral Wealth to Investors
As part of his goal to bring global attention to the solid minerals sector and improve the country’s economy, the Tinubu-led administration has launched a software system for investors and potential investors interested in Nigeria’s solid minerals.
This software will provide information about the geological and urban aspects of the mining industry. “It answers questions with electronic diagrams and maps, enabling you to develop scenarios to project your mining investments, plan your budget and hit the ground running,” the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake said.
Alake believes that the mineral sector with a software system like this can bring more revenue into the country compared to oil which is currently Nigeria’s top money making sector.
Bauchi State Signs Access To Education Bill Into Law
The Governor of Bauchi State , Bala Muhammed, has signed a new bill which is expected to increase school enrollment in the Northern state into law. Bauchi, which has a 34.1% literacy rate, is one of the Northern states with the highest number of out-of-school children. The percentage of women between 15-49 years that are literate in Bauchi is 20.1% while the percentage of men between 15-49 years that are literate in Bauchi is 50%.
By signing the Access to Basic Education bill, the literacy rate in the state is expected to increase.
But marriage still trump's education in the Northern Central
Recall that the Minister of Women Affairs petitioned the Inspector-General of Police to put a stop to the mass marriage of 100 orphan girls in Niger state, promising to send the girls to school instead. Well, the speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Abdulmalik Sarkindaji aka “the man behind the bright idea”, is insisting that the mass marriage will go on as planned, sparking the anger of many concerned Nigerians.
Niger state currently has a 37.5% literacy rate and a 76% rate of child marriage. Even though the Speaker insists that the girls are not underage, Nigerians suspect that he’s not being honest. Some concerned Nigerians have started a petition to stop the mass marriage for good.
UN Says 5.9 Million Nigerian Children Are Affected By Severe Food and Nutrition Crisis
The United Nations' Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Mohammed Fall, said that Nigeria currently has the highest number of children affected by shortage of food and proper nutrition. He mentioned that around 5.9 million children in Nigeria are affected by this food crisis.
He also pointed out that 700,000 children under the age of five are identified as malnourished in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States. As a call to action, he urged Nigerians to be conscious of the warning that 4.8 million people in the country are likely to be affected by the food crisis during this year's lean season (June to September).
In April, weather experts also predicted that over 50 million people in West Africa and the Sahel region may experience a food crisis between June and October 2024. Food inflation has now risen to 40.53% in Nigeria, contributing to the number of children affected by the food crisis. This new report raises a major concern for the cognitive development of young Nigerians, the possible widespread malnutrition and other health concerns.
This Week’s Big Question
“If you could have one superpower as a Nigerian, what would it be?”
Glory’s response - “I live in Lagos so the superpower that makes sense to me is super speed. It will come in handy the next time a conductor tries to run away with my change.”
You can also share your response here and if it’s as interesting as Glory’s response, we’ll feature it in the next edition.
The Big Picks
Minimum Wage: Labour rejects FG’s N48,000 offer: The Labour Union stormed out of the minimum wage committee meeting with the Federal Government over the offer of N48,000 new wage, asking “whether the N45,000 is for transport, food, clothing, housing or for what.”
CBN Launches Strategy To Double Remittances, Grants AIP To 14 New IMTOs: The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has initiated measures to increase foreign currency remittances through official channels by approving 14 new International Money Transfer Operators (IMTOs) with Approval-in-Principle (AIP).
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