From pot to frying pan
Nigerian army denies claims of detaining Chibok girls after their rescue
Happy democracy day to all who still celebrate. I’m celebrating like mad because I get to enjoy my cozy sheets and finally finish my new read. Anyways, we don’t take breaks from reading important news over here so let’s get into it.
- Margaret
Word count: ~1,200
Reading time ~4 mins
Let’s get into today’s edition:
Military denies Amnesty’s allegations of detaining rescued Chibok girls
Petrol distribution from Dangote refinery pushed to mid-July
Fidelity Bank secures $40 million from Afreximbank to acquire Union Bank UK
Apple enhances iPhones with ChatGPT in AI transformation
The Big Deal
Military denies Amnesty’s allegations of detaining rescued Chibok girls
In 2014, the abduction of about 300 Chibok girls shook Nigeria and the rest of the world. While close to 176 of these girls were rescued by the Nigerian army, Amnesty International has proposed that the girls were never as free from captivity as the world assumed they were.
On Monday, the international human rights group accused the Nigerian army of illegally detaining girls and young women who escaped Boko Haram, suspecting them of being loyal to the terrorist sect.
They also said that 31 of the escaped girls shared with them that they were unlawfully detained in military barracks for periods ranging from a few days to up to four years between 2015 and mid-2023 due to the suspected ties to the terrorist group.
Some of the young women were allegedly held in captivity with their children while some—-who were pregnant—were forced to have their babies in detention. Some reported that soldiers called them “Boko Haram wives” and described being subjected to beatings or kept in terrible conditions that can be compared to torture or other forms of abuse.
One of the girls Amnesty interviewed said, “When they [soldiers] brought food…they gave us a portion in our hand and soup in one bowl for all of us to share…As a toilet, they gave us a plastic bag.”
Major General Edward Buba, Director Defence Media Operations, has now denied these allegations on behalf of the military. He said they follow humanitarian law and have a fair system to punish any wrongdoing.
He added that Amnesty International should have proven their claims through proper channels instead of making it public. He also called Amnesty International’s “sources”, who were mostly survivors, “intrinsically unreliable”.
Why is this a big deal?
Amnesty International has been promoting justice for over 60 years now. Their work is globally respected and referenced so it is difficult to imagine why they would want to raise false accusations for a case as sensitive as that of the Chibok girls. The Nigerian army on the other hand does not exactly have a track-record of integrity and transparency. So to many Nigerians, Amnesty’s allegations hold more water.
If these allegations are proven to be true, it would raise concerns about the army's ability to protect vulnerable people in conflict zones, especially in the North.
The allegations also have implications on Nigeria’s international reputation and may affect our relationship with other nations and international organizations.
Petrol distribution from Dangote refinery pushed to mid-July
The street is saying that Dangote is going easy on the hustle and the street may be right.
The richest man in Africa who raised the hopes of Nigerians when he promised to end fuel imports in June has now moved the supply date to July.
How it started
Last month, Dangote revealed at the African CEO Forum Annual Summit in Kigali that his refinery was getting ready to start supplying fuel and gasoline to Nigeria with the hope of spreading its offering across Africa.
He said, “We have enough gasoline to give to at least the entire West Africa, and diesel to give to West Africa and Central Africa. We have enough aviation fuel to give to the entire continent and also export some to Brazil and Mexico.”
He also added that in the next three to four years, “Africa will not import any more fertiliser from anywhere. We will make Africa self-sufficient in potash, phosphate, and urea. We are at three million tonnes and in the next twenty months, we will be at six million tonnes of urea which is the entire capacity of Egypt. We are getting there.”
For an oil-producing country that spent about ₦12 trillion importing petroleum products in 2023, Dangote’s offering sounded like an absolute need and Nigerians have been anticipating.
How it’s going
Dangote refinery's President and Chief Executive Officer, Aliko Dangote, explained that the delay was due to a minor setback but promised that the premium product would be available in the market by the second or third week of July.
Oil marketers are hopeful that the petrol price from the Dangote Refinery will be significantly lower than the current retail prices of imported fuel, which range from ₦568 to ₦700 depending on the region.
Fidelity Bank secures $40 million from Afreximbank to acquire Union Bank UK
It’s been a very interesting year for the Nigerian banking sector. In March, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced new minimum capital requirements— ₦500 billion for commercial banks with international authorization and ₦200 billion for those with national authorization. A decision that likely inspired Fidelity bank’s latest move.
The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has given $40 million to Fidelity Bank Nigeria Plc to help the bank expand across Africa.
This funding, split into two payments of $20 million each, allowed Fidelity Bank to buy all the shares of Union Bank UK and add more equity to the bank, with approval from the UK’s financial regulator.
Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, the CEO of Fidelity Bank, said that buying Union Bank UK will add more value and create better services for trade businesses in Africa and for Africans living abroad.
The first of many mergers…
Financial experts have predicted that this merger is probably not going to be the last we’ll see in 2024. As banks follow CBN’s new capital requirements, we should see more banks forming partnerships, and expanding internationally. This will likely make the banking sector stronger and create new chances for economic growth.
Apple enhances iPhones with ChatGPT in AI transformation
“Hey Siri, order a cold bottle of Zobo for this reader” - this is probably what we’ll be able to do on our iPhones soon because Apple is giving Siri a makeover.
To get some of that AI money, Apple is upgrading its Siri voice assistant and operating systems with OpenAI's ChatGPT technology.
This is part of the plans for their new smart system called "Apple Intelligence" to help people use their Apple devices more easily. This system includes a feature created with the help of OpenAI that can understand and respond to users' needs. It's like having a helpful assistant built into your phone and computer.
This ChatGPT tool can do more than just chat—it can also help with writing and creating content. A trial version will be available in September for people to try out.
During the announcement at the Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook said this partnership will take Apple products to exciting new levels.
But haters are lowkey hating…
Not everyone is thrilled about this news. Elon Musk, who owns Tesla and X has made it clear that he’s not impressed.
"Apple has no clue what's actually going on once they hand your data over to OpenAI. They're selling you down the river." Musk said.
Apple hasn't responded to Musk's comments, but smartphone rival Samsung took a dig at Apple, saying that just adding "Apple" to something doesn't make it groundbreaking. Once again, iPhone users have won new bragging rights and android users have gotten another “iPhone is just for aesthetics” point for their X banger points.
This Week’s Big Question
“What do you do to spark joy when life gets too much?”
Kunle’s response -”In 2023 BT (this means Before Tinubu btw), I used to go to a nearby bar when I face the slightest inconvenience and order their special turkey pepper soup. But now, I just complain on X and sleep it off.”
You can also share your response here and if it’s as interesting as Kunle’s response, we’ll feature it in the next edition.
The Big Picks
Malawi Vice President killed in plane crash along with 9 others: Yesterday, the government announced that Malawi's Vice President Dr. Saulos Chilima, along with nine others, died in a plane crash in the Chikangawa mountain range.
President Biden’s Son Convicted On All Charges In Gun Case: A jury convicted Hunter Biden of federal gun charges yesterday, making him the first child of a sitting US president to be criminally prosecute
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