Nigeria Roundup: COP28, Boko Haram, pension stipends

COP28 delegation

The Nigerian government has said that the Federal Government of the West African nation funded a total of 422 delegates to the Climate Summit in Dubai following criticisms of the Nigerian government for allegedly funding 1,400 delegates. The Nigerian Ministry of Information in a statement on December 4 said “Nigeria’s representation is very much in line with our status as Africa’s leading Sovereign voice and player in climate action…It is imperative to point out that the overall Nigerian delegation to COP-28 comprises Government-sponsored (Federal and State Governments) and non-government-sponsored participants (from Private Companies, NGOs, CSOs, Media, academia, etc). The Federal Government-funded delegation is made up of a total of 422 persons.”

Boko Haram financiers

Four Boko Haram financiers were convicted and sentenced to prison in Nigeria on December 4. They pleaded guilty to charges against them during a special trial at a Federal High Court in Abuja. One of the convicts, Modu Aisami, sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, was accused of providing funds for the terrorist group by buying food products and knowing the proceeds would be used to commit a terrorist act, local media the Vanguard Nigeria reports. The other convicts were each sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, the Vanguard reports.

Increment of pension stipends

The National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) has submitted a report on pension harmonisation to the Nigerian Government, suggesting that federal civil service pensioners in the West African country may receive a raise in their stipends in 2024, local media Punch Nigeria reports. Punch Nigeria quotes the chairman of the NSIWC in a statement to the Nigeria Union of Pensioners saying “The chairman of the commission informed his guests that the commission had forwarded to the government sometime in May 2023, its report on the harmonisation of pensions for consideration after synthesising inputs from relevant stakeholders, including pension unions, and the availability of funds, and that the commission was regularly following this up since it would have a bearing in considering pension increases in 2024.”

Air force bomb attack

At least 30 people were killed when a military jet dropped a bomb at Tudun Biri village in the Kaduna state of Nigeria during Maulud, the celebration of the birthday of Prophet Muhammad on December 3, Punch Nigeria reported. The Nigerian Air Force denied involvement in the attack in a statement released on December 4. “The news making the rounds alleging that Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft accidentally killed innocent civilians in Kaduna is false. Please be informed that the NAF has not carried out any air operations within Kaduna State and environs in the last 24 hours,” the director of public relations for the NAF said. However, Punch Nigeria reports that the Nigerian commissioner of internal security and home affairs in a statement admitted that the incident was a result of a routine mission against terrorists.

National policy on welding

Nigeria's minister of innovation, science and technology, has said that the West African nation suffered a $10 billion annual revenue loss caused by the importation of welders with international certification due to the lack of accreditation of local welders. At the unveiling of the country's n National Policy on Welding and Welding-related Fields on December 4, the minister is quoted by Vanguard Nigeria saying, “It is concerning that the lack of internationally recognised – certification of industry practitioners has prevented our indigenous welding sector, which should be making a substantial contribution to Nigeria’s economy, from exploiting myriads of opportunities, particularly in the oil and gas industry and exporting them to an influx of foreign welding personnel.”