The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, has clarified that he used the name “Sadiq Abubakar” for his West African Examination Council (WAEC) exam, as controversy trails the name discrepancy on the certificate.

His statement came as clarification following what appears like a retaliatory move by the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC), alleging that Atiku forged his senior school certificate.

Dele Momodu, the Director of Strategic Communications for the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council, clarified on Tuesday that some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had raised concerns about the name “Sadiq Abubakar” on Atiku’s WAEC certificate in contrast to his other credentials.

He stated that he forwarded the accusations to the former Vice President, who provided an explanation for the discrepancy. Atiku explained that he used “Sadiq Abubakar” for his WAEC exam, and after passing, he legally changed his name to Atiku Abubakar.

He said: “The APC busybodies have been bombarding me with allegations of forgery against my Principal, ALHAJI ATIKU ABUBAKAR (GCON), which I immediately forwarded to him and here is his copious response:

“’ Yes I used Sadiq Abubakar to sit for my WAEC and after passing my exams I went to swear an affidavit to say I am the same person as ATIKU Abubakar. I went to ABU as Atiku Abubakar and passed my Exams as Atiku Abubakar. Interviewed as Atiku Abubakar by the Federal Civil Service Commission and hired into the Customs Service as Atiku Abubakar. So where is forgery there?’

“CAN THE APC social media bullies forward the deluge of questions in circulation to their boss and get instant and direct response…”

“I SALUTE ALHAJI ATIKU ABUBAKAR…” the statement added.

In August, Atiku filed a lawsuit in the USA seeking an order to compel Chicago State University (CSU) to release the academic record of President Bola Tinubu, whose educational background is deeply buried in controversy.

The US court ruled in favor of the applicant despite objections by Tinubu, who claimed that the release of the document would cause him irreparable loss.

The documents released by CSU show that the certificate Tinubu presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission was forged.

With the saga hitting the roof, the APC is believed to be desperately looking for dirt on Atiku. The former Vice President, who is contesting the outcome of the presidential election at the Supreme Court, has included the forged certificate as part of the evidence that he is seeking Tinubu’s disqualification.

Nigeria should get the message on the latest report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF): “Nigeria’s economic growth is projected to decline from 3.3 per cent in 2022 to 2.9 per cent in 2023, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said”. Sure, many agencies and banking institutions, including IMF, Goldman Sachs, and JP Morgan Chase praised the changes made in early June 2023. But over the last few days, we are reading different takes. 

The Financial Times recently wrote: “In removing a costly fuel subsidy and in shifting towards a market-driven exchange rate, which has sharply weakened a previously overvalued currency, he has gone some way towards persuading investors he is serious about reform. But four months into his presidency, there are signs of things going awry.”

Across all indicators, most of these foreign institutions misjudged the double whammy of floating Naira (without adequate US dollar to support the policy) at the same time one of the nation’s key imports (petrol) is cut-off from subsidies. While the exuberance was evident in the financial market as some assets yielded huge paper profits for banks, the impact on manufacturing was fatal. That is what IMF is reporting there.

The government is adjusting for some of these challenges, and we do hope it gets things right. Specifically on inflation, I call the government to soft-pedal on raising rates because our inflation is not driven by too much consumer demand. Our inflation is mainly due to low supply and with limited consumer credit in the nation, higher rates punish companies which actually need more capacities to produce more (when rates go up, borrowing costs go high, and companies reduce production which then affect supply, which ideally should be expected to go high to reduce inflation). 

 This is different from the US and Europe where changes in rates can influence consumer spending (they have huge consumer lending/credit), pushing inflation to new positions. When you raise rates in Nigeria, most of the time, only corporate borrowers are affected and interestingly they are the entities you need to boost supply. So, instead of using raising rates as a tool, we need to see if we can even make cheaper loans to producers. 

In the past few years, the apex bank had raised rates even as it lent free cash (yes, Ways and Means window) to the government which flooded the nation with easy Naira. So, while corporations were struggling with high rates, the government was injecting huge liquidity canceling out the very reason the central bank raised rates. We raised alarms on the stupidity of those own-goals and we do hope the new CBN team must stop them, so that Naira can breathe.

Inflation has remained high in Africa’s largest economy, prompting the apex bank to hike interest rates to their highest levels in nearly two decades. In July, the CBN raised its benchmark lending rate to 18.75 per cent. The bank said, “hiking the interest rate has made a lot of difference in moderating the rate of inflation”.

It noted that the option to continue the hike in the policy rate, albeit moderately, also presented a strong alternative premised on the expected liquidity injections into the economy from the recent efforts to unify the nation’s foreign exchange markets.

Also, the country has in recent years faced severe revenue problems, pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft in its oil-producing region.

For Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) & Individual/Corporate Donors :- Provisions Of The NAFDAC Guidelines For Donated Medical Products in Nigeria

The National Agency For Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) guidelines on donated medical products in Nigeria are for the interest of the general public, donors and recipients of donor medical products.

It is necessary to emphasize that no donated medical product shall be imported into Nigeria unless it has undergone due processing with the NAFDAC in accordance with the regulations for drug donation.

The recipient organization must demonstrate the capacity to handle the type and quantity of the drug product e.g. for cold chain products.

The recipient organization must also liaise with the NAFDAC State Co-ordinator in the location of project/program execution.

Products deleted from the application during assessment must not be imported and all approvals should be forwarded to the Heads of Ports of entry and respective state coordinators.

Heads of Ports of entry should under the NAFDAC Guidelines, get the contact of the focal person of the recipient organization for monitoring of program activities.

The recipient organization after obtaining approval and having successfully imported and cleared any donated drug, shall invite the NAFDAC state and or zonal offices in the area where the donated drugs are to be used to witness the event.

The NAFDAC state and/or zonal offices would periodically monitor and evaluate the level of compliance with the conditions of approval for each consignment of donated drugs. 

A report should be generated regarding the donation exercise and the utilisation of the donated items and submitted to PVG/PMS state coordinators.

The Pharmacovigilance and Post Marketing Surveillance directorate of the agency shall also be involved in monitoring the public for any unexpected adverse drug reaction associated with the use of donated drugs.

The following important further provisions of the guidelines will thus be highlighted in detail.

Applications/Recipients/Donors

– An application for drug donation shall be made by the recipient organization in Nigeria to the Agency before the drug leaves the country of origin. The recipient organization must be an entity registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission(CAC). 

– The application shall be in form of letter addressed to the Director General, NAFDAC,  stating the type and quantities of the medical supplies or drug(s); including the generic name, strength, dosage form, manufacturing and expiry dates. The inventory list should be submitted in a soft editable copy (Ms Word/Excel).

– The identity and contact address of the donor and expected date of arrival at the port of entry shall be stated.

– The applicant should provide information on the port of arrival of the consignment before shipping.

– In addition, the following documents shall be attached:

i. Evidence of correspondence between the recipient and donor showing how the donation was initiated.

ii. Detail plan on how the program will be executed which must include: date, venue and details of its Nigerian contact/focal person must be included.

iii. Evidence that the donated drugs are relevant for the purpose and shall be of maximum benefit.

iv. Evidence of skilled professionals (Pharmacists) in the organization, be they volunteers or validly contracted by the organization (with evidence attached proving such engagement) who can handle the drugs safely.

v. The premises (warehouse) where the donated drugs will be kept pending usage must be licensed by the Pharmacist council of Nigeria (PCN) and evidence should be attached alongside the application form.

 iv. The premises must not necessarily be owned by the recipient organization but could  be owned by a third party which it has an understanding with a copy of an agreement to this effect attached.

Products

All donated drug products shall meet the following requirements:

-Be of good quality, safe and efficacious.

– The presentation, strength and formulation shall be as much as possible similar to those used in this country, unless specifically requested for by the recipient.

– Be labelled in English language and bear the generic name, batch number, dosage form, composition, strength, name of manufacturer, quantity in each container, storage condition and date markings.

– Shall be obtained from reliable sources and must comply with quality standards in Nigeria and donor country. (Evidence of complying with the quality standards of the Donor country should be attached).

Port Clearance Of Donated Drugs

– Upon arrival in the country, the following documents are required before clearance at the ports.

– A copy of the approval letter from the agency to import the donated drugs.

– A letter of undertaking as required by the port inspection Directorate attaching the following documents:

1. A Single good declaration (SGD) form, if applicable.
2. Certificate of analysis.

3. Packing list.

4. Clean report of inspection/evidence of destination inspection (if applicable).

5. Narcotics permit to import and clear (if applicable).

6. Bill of lading/Airway bill.

7. Pre-Assessment Arrival Report (PAAR).

8. Invoice or letter transferring the donated drug from the donor to the recipient containing the name and quantity of drugs. 

Tariff

Donated drugs are exempted from all processing fees, however where the need for product laboratory analysis arises, the recipient may bear the cost.

Report

– On completion of the proposed program, the recipient organization is required within thirty (30) calendar days to provide feedback to the Agency’s Pharmacovigilance and Postmarketing Surveillance (Pv/PMS) Directorate and a copy to the Drug Registration and 

Regulatory Affairs Directorate by forwarding a detailed report that must include:

• pictorials, 

• detailed distribution record,

iii. stock utilization record of the donated drugs,

• any other pertinent details.

 – Failure to do so may result in denial of future requests.

Conditions For Destruction

– Where drugs donated do not comply with requirements, or are expired upon arrival, the NAFDAC shall seize and destroy the drugs. 

– The recipient shall bear the cost of destruction as stipulated in the appropriate guidelines with the Investigation & Enforcement Directorate.

Notes

– Donated medical product are drugs, drug products and medical devices sent by a Donor to a Recipient in Nigeria in the face of a disaster and suffering or on humanitarian basis which may or may not be on request.

– A copy of the approval letter issued by Drug Registration and Regulatory Affairs Directorate should always be forwarded to the Ports Inspection Directorate, the Directorate, Pharmacovigilance and Post marketing Surveillance and the Director-General’s Office.