Average national income now N.05m, expenditure N.03m
2005-02-22 09:22:48
BusinessDay Feb 23 2005
The average national income in the country is N53, 287.69, while the average national expenditure is N39, 154.97, says the Federal Office of Statistics (FOS). This means that Nigerians would be saving N14, 132.72 every year on the average. According to the FOS, total income is made up of cash income, which includes consumption from own production, income in kind and imputed rent. It, however, said the results show that there is no even distribution of income among the states. It said the results also show that the following states have average income that is about double the National figure: Lagos State N133, 286.12, Bayelsa State N109,217.55 and Rivers State with average income of N100,633.34. On the other hand, Yobe State with, N22, 934, 94; Jigawa State N21,064.19 and Benue State, N27, 474 have average incomes, well below the national average. In the urban and rural sectors, the corresponding figures are N89,885.46 and N46, 641.46 respectively. This indicates that the average income of the urban dwellers is more than double the average income of the rural dwellers. At the national level, the total average household expenditure is well above the national average in these states: Lagos State N76, 722. 45 , followed by Benue State N64, 739.91, and Imo State N63, 340.75. Considering the mean expenditure by gender, the survey shows that the mean expenditure for the female is N46, 463. 83, higher than that of the male N37, 928.05. Bauchi State recorded the highest mean expenditure at about N140, 600.36 for the female followed by Imo N72, 208.29 and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) N68, 660.83 among males. Lagos State recorded the highest average expenditure of N78, 105. 71 followd by Benue N65, 802.69 and Imo State N59, 334.33. It added that considering the highest education level of the head of the household, there appears to be an upward trend on total household expenditure, with improved education. Household heads with doctorate degrees recorded the highest level of expenditure at N105, 307.80 followed by those with Masters Degree at N81, 9384.4 and first degree holders at N74438.3. Recording the least household expenditure are those with no education N32,. 208.70. It added that the results show the mean expenditure of the household head by marital status. According to the FOS, it was found that the average expenditure of household heads that have never married at N72, 357.05 was the highest average when compared to other status of marriage. Separated heads of household were next with N57, 492.50 followed by divorced household head with N54, 636.90. The result follows the same pattern when gender is considered. The overall result shows that Nigerian households spend N20, 195 on food per capita. Benue State N35, 751 recorded the highest expenditure on food than all other states, followed by Imo State with N31,649 and Anambra State N22, 029. The least expenditure on food was recorded for Jigawa State at N11, 417, followed by Kebbi with and N20, 509) and Yobe States N13, 514.
You are collecting cursed money, AIG tells highway patrolmen
DAILY Independent February 23 2005
By Chris Agbambu
Deputy Bureau Chief, Abuja
Acting Inspector-General of Police (AIG), Sunday Ehindero on Tuesday chided officers and men of the Federal Highway Patrol saying they were collecting cursed money in form of extortion.
Addressing a joint meeting of the executives of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the sector commanders of the Federal Highway Patrol, Ehindero said that there is no way such money can be useful in any meaningful way.
According to him, “we will not embezzle your money, we are here to serve you, I will empower you to do your job, though we have failed in the past, but we are here to right the wrongs.”
Ehindero announced the decentralisation of the Federal Highway Patrol, which is now to be answerable to the commissioners of police in the areas of their jurisdiction. Also to show his good faith to ensure that the highway patrol does not extort money from people on the highways, he directed that the sum of N500, 000 be released to each of the sector commanders.
On the alleged extortion going on along Onitsha-Enugu road, Ehindero disclosed that he spoke to the Anambra State Commissioner of Police,Felix Ogbaudu on Tuesday to stop the worrisome trend immediately.
Also the IGP, alerted the highway patrol sector commanders of the extortion going on between Owo-Akure Road, Kabba-Okene Road, and Epelle to Akure Road, warning that he has given directives that all those involved in these illegal activities be arrested.
Contributing to the interactive session, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of training, Abdulkadir Musa said that if he had his way, he would charge all the men of the Federal Highway Patrol for armed robbery, because what they are doing on the road is only comparable to robbing with guns.
He said all the elements of robbery are in their actions, because many of them had shot innocent citizens in the past simply because they refused to part with N20 adding their actions have pushed Nigerians to the height of reacting by setting police stations and vehicles ablaze.
THE formation, last month, of the Northern Union came as a surprise to some prominent Nigerians. This was because of the belief by many Northerners that nobody from the North would want to leave the apex socio-political organisation in the area, the Arewa Consultative Forum.
But for some, the formation of NU did not come as a surprise. This was based on their understanding of the problems facing ACF. When on March 7, 2000 prominent Northern elites, among them influential traditional rulers, converged on Kaduna to form the Arewa Consultative Forum, they all had one thing in mind: A genuine intention of charting a new direction for the North and its people.
The ACF, they declared, was going to be a Pan-Northern group committed to the restoration of the well known Northern values of honesty, integrity and hard work, as well as the promotion of the unity and welfare of Northerners in particular and Nigeria in general irrespective of tribe, religious or political belief. The organisation, they said, “would leave the idea of tribal politics to those who wish to live in the past and those who wish to roll back the gains of national integration on account of which Northerners have continued to pay a disproportionately heavy price.”
But barely one year after its formation, it appeared to many that the leaders of the organisation had jettisoned the basic reasons for its formation. The ACF, which had told the public that it would remain apolitical and non-religious, suddenly turned itself into a formidable opposition political party. In what appeared as apparent dissatisfaction with the kind of opposition displayed by the opposition parties, ACF took on the Peoples Democratic Party-led government head-on. It fought President Olusegun Obasanjo relentlessly. It opposed virtually every government policy.
Shortly after Obasanjo appointed new Service Chiefs, the ACF condemned the action. In a communiqué at the end of one of its meetings in September 2000, the ACF accused the Federal Government of marginalisation and discrimination against the North. It wrote, “…inspite of the good faith with which the North supported power shift, the Forum notes the incessant retirement, dismissals and sidelining of Northerners in the security services, the civil service and parastatals. Similarly, it noted the manner in which they have been discriminated against in recruitment into these services in breach of the federal character. We therefore urge the government to be just and equitable in its policies and programmes.”
Indeed, many believe that by 2002 and 2003, the activities of the of the body and certain pronouncements of its prominent members had reduced the ACF to a full fledge political party. These made quite a number of its members to lose faith in the organisation. Former President Shehu Shagari; former Kaduna State Governor, Alhaji Lawal Kaita; and former Minister of Transport, Alhaji Umaru Dikko, among others started distancing themselves from the organisation. In fact, in June 2003, Kaita accused the ACF and its leadership of partisanship and bias in favour of the All Nigeria Peoples Party and its presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari.
Things became so bad that, some of its key members and major financiers of its operations, including Dr. Olusola Saraki, began to stay away from its activities. At that point it became clear to some that the ACF was on its way to the grave.
Things became compounded when the members of ACF became divided politically because of alliances with presumed presidential candidates for the 2007 election. Not even the vibrancy brought into the leadership of the group by its new leader, Chief Sunday Awoniyi, last year could bring back those that had left the fold.
The Punch, Wednesday February 23, 2005
10:17:13 AM comment []
At least 30 persons including 85-year old traditional ruler were feared killed and 200 others badly injured in a communal conflict between Odioma and Obioku communities in Brass local government area of Bayelsa State last Saturday. Briefing newsmen in Port Harcourt yesterday, the Head of Erise Group of Houses, Odioma, Chief Mathew Akono-Erise said the latest clash between Odioma and Obioku communities took place February 19, 2005. He said on February 19, the combined team of the military task force with local militia in 14 speed boats and three gunboats stormed the Odioma community for undisclosed reason. He said when the gunmen in full military attire arrived the village, the first point of call was the palace of the paramount ruler, His Royal Majesty, Cadbury George Omieh, for prompt arrest. He stated that when the paramount ruler aged 85 refused to surrender himself, his palace was set ablaze with the probability that he may have been killed as his whereabouts is unknown . The combined military task force comprising the army, navy and local militia was said to have invaded the community, setting houses on fire while many people were killed, others seriously wounded in the process. The community leader disclosed that the team, numbering more than 200 persons killed six persons in a particular house set ablaze, stressing that a art from churches and schools other structures in the village have been brought down. Presently, he said the community is under seige as most of the inhabitant are now in the swamp to avoid being killed, adding that a 75 -year old Deputy Chief of the community, Chief Nowman Obed Ogiri, died of gun shot wound sustained during the attacks. Erise attributed the cause of the crisis to the compensation Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) paid to Basambiri community that falsely claimed Owukubu land, which belongs to the Odioma community. He said the community was shocked to discover that SPDC had awarded a land clearing and surveying contract of the area for oil exploration activity to one James Jesfer of Basambiri, a younger brother to present Speaker, Bayelsa State House of Assembly.
21 February 2005 Chinese the new economic imperialists in Africa Dianna Games
ANYONE travelling around Africa cannot have failed to notice the growing presence of Chinese business and companies. This invasion from the east represents something of a double-edged sword for Africans.
Concerns have been raised that African governments are so busy looking over their shoulders for signs of renewed “colonial peril” from the likes of the US and UK that they have missed the onrushing Sino train and its economic imperialist momentum. Indeed, many African countries have welcomed the Chinese, seeing them as a means of lessening dependence on the hoary old enemies in the west.
All over Africa, Chinese companies are doing lucrative deals with governments, many of them with major “sweeteners” thrown in — designed to clinch not just the contract being negotiated, but others down the line.
For example, in Kenya last month, China’s largest listed telecoms manufacturer, ZTE Communications, made a “gift” of equipment worth 144-million Kenyan shillings to Telkom Kenya. ZTE said the company would “continue to play a positive role in Kenya’s telecommunications industry”. After a gesture like that, it’s certain to get a role.
Investment company China Export and Credit Insurance Corporation plans to invest $7bn in Nigeria, China’s third-largest African trading partner after SA and Egypt, to fund projects in a range of sectors, including oil.
China is slowly widening its African oil footprint, with big contracts in Sudan and Angola. But it has sold itself to the Nigerian government by agreeing to invest large sums in nonoil sectors in what analysts see as leverage to secure the oil stake.
Zimbabwe is all but owned by China, say many Africa watchers. When President Robert Mugabe saw his biggest critics were also his biggest trading partners and tourism markets, he defensively turned to the east, lauding countries such as China as the true partners of Zimbabwe. In return for a rare hand of friendship in an increasingly hostile world, Mugabe has offered Chinese companies almost anything they want, regardless of the payback.
And payback there will be. Chinese telecoms supplier Huawei Investments last year demanded it be guaranteed a portion of Zimbabwe’s profits from minerals and tobacco — in addition to a hard cash payment — before it would supply $160m worth of telecommunications equipment for the second fixed-line telephone network.
The streets of Harare are awash with cheap Chinese goods, and Mozambique and Tanzania are increasingly in the grip of the Chinese economic expansion.
For Africa, it is not only the Chinese ability to undermine local economies through cheap goods — produced mostly without regard to international standards on labour — that presents an insidious problem, but the fact that most of the labour-intensive contracts Chinese companies sign include stipulations that Chinese labour be used.
There is nothing essentially wrong with China making inroads into global markets. Everybody tries to do it. What is different here is that some African governments seem to believe it’s not strictly a hard-nosed relationship, but one that is altruistically motivated. This is partly the result of China’s support for Africa’s independence struggles.
The Chinese practice of offering “gifts” to smooth the way for later ventures often serves to bolster this perception of magnanimous comradeship.
Trade volumes between China and Africa rose 53,9% year on year to $20,5bn in the first nine months of last year, according to the Chinese government. This includes a 33,2% increase in exports to Africa and a 78% increase in exports from Africa to China.
While a proportion of this is made up of manufactured goods from SA, it includes crude oil and unprocessed agricultural goods from other African countries — which simply replicates the traditional trading relationships with western countries that are so often criticised by Africa.
While some Africans point fingers at SA’s “recolonisation” of Africa and attack Europeans and Americans for dominating their economies, quite another dependency relationship is developing under their noses, with the possible exception of SA.
There are many benefits to the relationship — China is funding peacekeeping and other such efforts and could be an important champion for Africa in important forums. But the economic and trade relationship needs to be managed properly now to ensure that China’s economic strength does not end up ruining the potential for a true partnership in global affairs down the line.
- Games is director of Africa @ Work, a company focusing on research, publishing and events in Africa.
