It was billed as a close contest between two septuagenarian heavyweights vying to lead Africa’s largest democracy. But after a one-week delay, accusations of political chicanery from both sides, and election-related violence that led to at least 39 deaths, incumbent Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari secured a second term in office over major opposition candidate Atiku Abubakar.
For Mr Abubakar, an against-the-odds legal challenge to Mr Buhari’s mandate is underway. Mr Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC) face the more straightforward task of governance after retaining the presidency and securing a majority in both houses of parliament.
Appointing a cabinet, which took more than six months in 2015, will now be Mr Buhari’s priority.
That delay was due to a lack of proper handover notes by the outgoing Goodluck Jonathan administration, and the process will run smoother this time as it’s a transition to himself, says Ayo Akanji, a presidential aide.
In a first term pockmarked by ministerial scandals, it is important for Mr Buhari to appoint quality officials to serve under him, says Tunde Leye, an economist at risk advisory firm SBM Intelligence.
But Mr Leye says if the re-appointment of Central Bank of Nigeria governor Godwin Emefiele for a second term is anything to go by, Nigerians can expect more of the same policies.
Nigeria’s economy is largely reliant on oil revenues – revenues that were hit by the 2014 global oil price crash that led the economy into a recession it only recently recovered from.
Although oil prices have seemingly stabilised, they are still far below the level Nigeria needs to provide adequate revenue for its spending, and with a fall in non-oil revenues in the latest government earnings, Nigeria keeps borrowing to stay afloat.
“For the first time in history, in 2018 oil revenues were not sufficient to cover Nigeria’s public service wages and that is a serious worry,” Mr Leye said.
Nigeria presently spends almost 70 per cent of its income servicing debt and has not significantly reduced spending to match diminished income. Public debt has nearly doubled in four years.
Economic indices paint a grim picture of Mr Buhari's first term, during which Nigeria slid past India to become the country with the most people living in extreme poverty. Almost half of Nigeria's estimated 197 million citizens live on less than $2 per day.
Unemployment is over 23 per cent and Nigeria remains a difficult climate for investors. Foreign Direct Investment dropped 36 per cent in 2018. Ghana, with a GDP about eight times smaller, attracts more.
Yet Mr Akanji is optimistic about Nigeria’s economic fortunes, saying Mr Buhari has led a “homegrown economic model” responsible for pulling the country out of recession.
“The diversification of the economy is in top gear as renowned companies are coming to set up factories and help spur the industrial complex in Nigeria,” he said.
For many in 2015, Mr Buhari’s reputation as a former military leader was proof that he was the man needed to root out the terror group Boko Haram in Nigeria’s northeast, where a decade of violence has killed thousands and displaced many more.
The group, which gained worldwide notoriety after kidnapping 276 schoolgirls in 2014, continues to attack towns, military bases and even a convoy carrying a governor. Five years later, more than 112 girls are still missing.
A splinter faction of Boko Haram - the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) - was formed in 2016 and both groups continue to wreak havoc.
But Nigeria’s security issues extend beyond terror groups. A pastoral conflict, largely over land-use disputes, between itinerant herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region, has also exacerbated security concerns. A 2018 report by conflict monitoring organisation International Crisis Group said the clashes were “six times” deadlier than Boko Haram-related attacks in the first seven months of last year, with as many as 1,300 people killed.
“The farmer-herder violence has not been handled well, and it seems there is no strategy in place,” says Gani Yoroms, a Senior Fellow at Nigeria’s National Defence College.
Mr Yoroms believes Mr Buhari’s administration needs to “undertake serious political and security reforms” and many observers have suggested that security chiefs be changed during his second term.
But Mr Akanji, the presidential aide, says Mr Buhari, as a former general, “believes in the philosophy of not changing your generals in the midst of a frontal war.”
Another sticking point will be Mr Buhari’s own health. He spent several weeks in London in 2017 receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment. Last year he was forced to deny he had died and had been replaced by an impostor. At 76, Mr Buhari is one of the oldest leaders in Africa, in a country where more than 60 per cent of the population is under 25.
For Mr Buhari, the path to leading Nigeria to the “next level” looks fraught with challenges as the economic and security issues of his first term dominate the headlines going into his second.
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,600hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.4seconds
0-200kph in 5.8 seconds
0-300kph in 12.1 seconds
Top speed: 440kph
Price: Dh13,200,000
Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,500hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.3 seconds
0-200kph in 5.5 seconds
0-300kph in 11.8 seconds
Top speed: 350kph
Price: Dh13,600,000
More on animal trafficking
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
More coverage from the Future Forum
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Director: Romany Saad
Starring: Mirfat Amin, Boumi Fouad and Tariq Al Ibyari
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Dubai World Cup Carnival card
6.30pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
8.15pm: Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
8.50pm: Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
9.25pm: Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
The National selections
6.30pm: Final Song
7.05pm: Pocket Dynamo
7.40pm: Dubai Icon
8.15pm: Dubai Legacy
8.50pm: Drafted
9.25pm: Lucius Tiberius
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Brief scores:
Manchester City 3
Aguero 1', 44', 61'
Arsenal 1
Koscielny 11'
Man of the match: Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company%C2%A0profile
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T20 SQUADS
Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan Shinwari, Hassan Ali, Imad Wasim, Waqas Maqsood, Faheem Ashraf.
Biography
Favourite drink: Must have karak chai and Chinese tea every day
Favourite non-Chinese food: Arabic sweets and Indian puri, small round bread of wheat flour
Favourite Chinese dish: Spicy boiled fish or anything cooked by her mother because of its flavour
Best vacation: Returning home to China
Music interests: Enjoys playing the zheng, a string musical instrument
Enjoys reading: Chinese novels, romantic comedies, reading up on business trends, government policy changes
Favourite book: Chairman Mao Zedong’s poems
Coal Black Mornings
Brett Anderson
Little Brown Book Group
WORLD'S%2010%20HIGHEST%20MOUNTAINS
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One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
