When people say that politics is a dirty game, it is not a cliche because politics is really dirty and stinking, and for you to be a politician (a politician in the limelight and not some backyard honorable) you will need to get dirty or play dirty. 

The amount of money that gets wasted in the quest for political ambition and campaigns, the amount of betrayal and backstabbing that goes on in politics and political campaigns, the level of lies, dishonesty and fake promises that men who are expected to be upstanding and exhibit the highest level of integrity in the society tell just to grasp power and satisfy their political quest and ambition is ridiculous. 

The amount of money that flowed in Abuja yesterday during the PDP presidential primaries makes one wonder if Nigeria is really suffering economically, sharing of money for the purchase of votes was done openly, and delegates are bought or paid for their votes. It is no longer the contest of who is the fit and right candidate based on ideologies, agendas, and track record but a contest of who is the highest paying candidate or the highest bidder.  Some candidates are said to have smiled home with an accumulative sum of 50k USD which was paid for the purchase of their votes.

A government that is built on corruption will definitely be corrupt. A government that is formed through electoral malpractice which is a form of corruption will be corrupt but we no longer want to accept the fact that vote-buying is a form of electoral malpractice and a form of corruption. It is now a norm in Nigerian politics. 

After all of these, every politician is expected to exhibit the spirit of sportsmanship and play fair to win, and if he loses he is to bury the hatchet and support whoever wins and be a nationalist and join in rebuilding the nation because politics is a democratic process used in selecting better and fit individuals to take the society from one level of glory to another or from grass to grace. 

On this note, if you are yet to get your PVC you have a few days left to do that, your vote counts and you can now apply to get a PVC online through https://cvr.inecnigeria.org

In a joint statement issued by the South African government and the African Development Bank (AfDB), it has been revealed that the countries of the United Kingdom (UK), the United States (US), France, and Germany, among others in the European Union (EU) have pledged an initial amount of $8.5 billion to South Africa.

The said fund is targeted to finance the country’s long-term ‘just transition’ process to reduce the carbon intensity of her electricity system, while also developing new sectors such as green hydrogen and electric vehicles.

South Africa submitted an ambitious Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) prior to COP 26. At COP26, the South African government also forged the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) jointly with the aforementioned western powers.

The objective of the JETP is to ensure a just transition for workers and communities that had historically relied on South Africa’s coal-based value chains for their livelihoods.

The scale of the challenge means that partnerships, including with the private sector and development finance institutions, would be indispensable to achieving desired outcomes, according to both the AfDB and the country’s government.

As part of its commitment to the development of Africa’s energy sector in line with its New Deal on Energy for Africa (NDEA) strategy, the AfDB is playing a leading role in supporting African countries on their energy transition journeys with policy advice, technical assistance, and financing.

In this context, the Minister of Finance of the Republic of South Africa, Enoch Godongwana formally requested the AfDB to support South Africa with technical assistance on its Just Energy Transition process.

The AfDB had responded favourably to the request of South Africa and had agreed to provide the demanded support through the COP26 Energy Transition Council Rapid Response Facility, financed by the Bank’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA).

The technical assistance would be targeted at enhancing the capacities of relevant institutions in South Africa – primarily the Asset and Liability Management (ALM) Division of the National Treasury and the Presidential Climate Finance Task Team (PCFTT) – to engage and negotiate with external and internal partners of the South African Just Energy Transition process.

This technical assistance is reportedly independent, separate and not in any way linked to any further financial support that the AfDB may contribute towards South Africa’s just transition in the future.

The broad scope of the technical assistance had been agreed upon between the ALM Division and the PCFTT, which allows them to draw on financial, technical and other skills that enable them to fulfil their respective mandates and responsibilities to develop recommendations for the financing package offered under the JETP.

According to the AfDB, the details of the implementation of the agreed-upon technical assistance were currently being finalized with a launch of the assistance expected in the coming weeks.

The government and the AfDB had also reached an in-principle understanding that this rapid assistance may be followed by a larger SEFA technical assistance programme, supporting the medium-to-longer term needs of South African institutions in the Just Energy Transition process, once such needs become more apparent.

“This technical cooperation builds on a long-term partnership between the AfDB and the South African government, that is based on the recognition of the important emphasis that energy security and just transition play in the country’s climate response as well as the need to meet economic, environmental and social development objectives.” the joint statement concludes.

This kind of cooperation is indeed commendable, hence deserves every needed support and encouragement. Other countries presently in need of such an energy transition are therefore enjoined to leverage the opportunities this rare platform provides.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has described the 650,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) Dangote Petroleum Refinery as a game-changer that is capable of driving the refining revolution in Africa.

Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who made this declaration during a media tour of the $19 billion Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals Plant at Ibeju-Lekki in Lagos State, opined the project would be a game-changer once it comes on stream.

The Minister, who also went on tour of the $2.5 billion Dangote Fertiliser Plant, listed the benefits of the Refinery to include huge value addition that would contribute to increase in Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP); conservation of foreign exchange as importation of petroleum products would be eradicated; generation of forex through export of finished product; availability of petroleum products thus ending petrol queues, and attraction of foreign capital investment.

He stated, “After visiting the facilities, one can conveniently say that Dangote is leading Nigeria’s industrial revolution. The coming into being of such huge industrial complex as the Dangote Fertiliser Company and the Refinery were made possible by the enabling environment provided by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Today, businesses are springing up in all sectors, thanks to a conducive business environment. Under this Administration, the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has implemented over 150 reforms, moving Nigeria up 39 places on the World Bank Doing Business index since 2016. Mr. President also signed the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020 (CAMA 2020) – Nigeria’s most significant business legislation in three decades.

“The result of this favourable business environment is the birth of new businesses such as the $2.5 billion Dangote Fertiliser Plant that will produce 3 million metric tonnes of Urea every year; the 650,000 barrels-per-day oil refinery due to open later this year; Lekki Deep Sea Port, one of the most modern sea ports in West Africa; the 5,000 barrels-per-day Modular Refinery in Ibigwe, Imo State, and three more modular refineries to be commissioned before May 2023 in Edo and Bayelsa states just to mention a few.”

Speaking on the benefits of Dangote Fertiliser to the economy, Lai Mohammed said prior to the inauguration of the present administration, Nigeria had a fertiliser shortfall of about 3.5 million tonnes per annum.

According to him, with the coming on stream of the Dangote Fertiliser Plant, Nigeria was now self-sufficient in the production of urea. “In fact, Nigeria is now the leading producer of Urea in Africa. The Dangote Fertiliser plant is already exporting to the US, India, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. We were fortunate to witness a ship being loaded with urea for export to Argentina,” he added.

Mohammed said the conducive business environment created by the government and its support had enabled the coming on stream of the $2.5 billion Dangote Fertiliser Plant which was inaugurated recently by the president. He said the 650,000 bpd refinery was due for opening later this year, adding both projects would guarantee food and energy security for the teeming Nigerians.

On his part, Group Executive Director, Strategy, Capital Projects and Portfolio Development, Dangote Industries Ltd., Mr. Devakumar Edwin, thanked the government for the support towards the completion of the projects.

Edwin said the refinery was the world’s largest single train petroleum refinery and was designed to maximise production of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) with a capacity of about 53 per cent compared to 20 per cent by other refineries.

He said, “The petroleum refinery can meet 100 per cent of the requirements of Nigeria, of all the liquid products – Gasoline (PMS), Diesel (AGO), Kerosene (DPK) and Aviation Jet Fuel (Jet A-1).

“While 60 per cent of the production of this petroleum refinery can meet the entire requirement of Nigeria, the rest 40 per cent will go for export, generating huge amount of foreign exchange.” he added.

Justifying the government’s decision to acquire a 20 per cent stake in the refinery, Edwin noted the project was of strategic national importance and a win-win for the nation and the Dangote Group.

Indeed, the upcoming Dangote Refinery is a ‘game changer’ for Nigeria, hence deserves every support from any well-meaning individual or entity, in or outside the country.

However, the government is enjoined to grant similar opportunities to other prospective investors in Nigeria, so the downstream sector won’t witness a monopolistic market, which wouldn’t augur well for the country.

There are other private investors who would want to follow suit, but unwholesome support from the government might trigger a deterrent. The Dangote Group got the needed support and encouragement from the government before embarking on this journey, hence the success recorded so far.

Such collaboration, as stated above, is required by other genuine investors. It ought to be given to them as requested by making the environment more friendly and enabling.