Wednesday, April 7, 2021 Edition

Wednesday, April 7, 2021/ Sha’aban 24, 1442 AH

2543 Days after Malam Wada Maida (1950-2020), founding Chairman, Board of the Peoples Media Limited

Vol. 36 No. 047 N200

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. . . putting the people first

The nation awaits rescue of the remaining abducted Chibok schoolgirls

NAFDAC alerts Nigerians as US places sanitisers on watch list

page 6

Why Buhari appointed Baba as Ag. IGP - Minister page 5

President charges new police boss to prioritize reforms

Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State, left receives a letter of sympathy yesterday from his Kano State counterpart, Dr. AbdulLahi Umar Ganduje, who led a powerful delegation to sympathise with the government and people of Katsina State over the fire incident which razed the Katsina Central Market, two weeks ago.

JUSUN strike grounds Abuja courts Unpatriotic elements encouraging insecurity – FG pAGE 2

Atiku not Nigerian by birth, Malami tells court pAGE 4

>>PG 6

Again, bandits kill 8 in Kaduna Official pAGE 5

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PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

News CONTENTS News

2-10, 14

Editorial

11

Op.Ed

12-13

Politics 15-17 Health

18

Business

19-20

Feature

21

World News

22

Africa News

23

World News

24

Unpatriotic elements encouraging insecurity – FG

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he Federal Government says some unpatriotic elements are encouraging insecurity in some parts of the country.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed stated this at a news conference on Tuesday in Abuja.

Mohammed, however, assured that government was resolutely tackling the situation and security “will improve drastically in the days ahead.’’

“The truth is that the insecurity in some parts of the country is not organic, so to say.

“Some unpatriotic and disgruntled elements are definitely catalysing them.

“But these people do not constitute the critical mass that can influence the course of our country’s history, and we must not cede the space to them.

“Nigerians must be forthcoming with information that can lead to the arrest and prosecution of these anarchists.

Security is the business of all,’’ he said.

Mohammed said the security agencies, acting on the directives of President Muhammadu Buhari

were taking concrete actions that will significantly reduce the level of insecurity nationwide.

He assured that the citizens will feel the impact of the security agencies’ actions in the days ahead.

The minister said the attack on the police headquarters and a correction facility, in which hundreds of inmates were freed, in Imo State on Monday “is most unfortunate, dastardly, condemnable and unacceptable.’’

“This attack fits into the growing pattern of inexplicable

and anarchical acts by some malcontents, who seem bent on triggering chaos across the land,’’ he said.

He called on all persons of goodwill, especially traditional, religious and political leaders, to speak up against the anarchists before they throw the country into chaos.

“Nigerians must fish out those who are acting as ‘agent provocateur’ for reasons best known to them.

“We must not allow them to win,’’ the minister said. (NAN)

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PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

News

Ag News Editor, Tobias Lengnan Dapam

Bandits’ ambush troops in Benue From: Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

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roops of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), were yesterday ambushed at Bonta, Konshisha local government area of Benue State.

The soldiers according to report from the area, were said to be on routine patrol in parts of Konshisha and Oju local government areas of the state on Monday afternoon when they came under severe armed bandits attack at about 5pm.

The troops are reportedly on the trail of the suspected armed bandits whom our correspondent gathered from sources in the area go by a gang name “Bonta Tivs”. They were said to have attacked the soldiers for destroying the illegal road blocks they had mounted.

According to a source who pleaded anonymity, the soldiers were on patrol around Bonta village when they were ambushed by some armed bandits, who saw the patrol troops coming and suddenly opened fire on them.

However, our source disclosed that OPWS troops quickly responded to a distress call and swiftly repelled the armed bandits as they could not withstand the higher fire power of the troops.

“When it happened, we immediately alerted members of Operation Whirl Stroke, who responded swiftly, but before their arrival, the gunmen fled. However, troops of the OPWS are already on the trail of the bandits. The source further hinted that the OPWS troops slept

overnight in Konshisha and are continuing with the operation yesterday.

“I believe this was carried out probably to intimidate the military who are doing a great job in the state”, the source said.

When contacted, the OPWS force commander, Major General Adeyemi Yekini said he can’t comment on an ongoing operation and referred Journalists to the Information Department of the Defence Headquarters, Abuja.

DMO offers 2 new FG savings bonds for subscription at N1,000

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Delta govt to reconstruct Oyede internal roads PG 14

From right: Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo; Minister of Youth and Sports Development. Chief Sunday Dare; Chairman, House Committee on Sports, Olumide Osoba; and the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Nebeolisa Anako, at the Edo State Government House, before the opening of the 20th National Sports Festival (Edo 2020), in Benin yesterday.

Environment 25 Feature

26

Sports 30-31 Back Page

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Vice President, Sub-Saharanpur Africa Region, Tecnimont SPA, Davide Pelizola (L) and Managing Director, Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited (PHRC), Ahmed Dikko, sign an historic sign-off ceremony of Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Contract for the rehabilitation of PHRC between the NNPC group and Tecnimont SpA, at the NNPC Towers in Abuja yesterday.

Public Health: Association demands monitoring of live birds markets

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he Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA) has called on governments to stop illegal slaughtering of live birds at supermarkets, eateries, shops and other illegal slabs across the country to promote public health.

Dr Bala Muhammad, the Chairman FCT Chapter of NVMA, who made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja, described such activities as illegal.

Muhammad frowned at the rate at which animal slaughtering are springing up at elite centres not monitored by the government describing such menace as constituting great public health challenge.

He further identified

number of illegal slaughtering slabs in the country as a major mixing vats for highly infectious disease causing organisms that does not affect the practice of preventive veterinary practice in the country, but huge menace to the public health.

The chairman, however, called on the government to discourage the practice in all its entirety in the society and encourage hygienic practices geared towards improving the health of the populace.

The chairman explained that there are laid down rules and procedures for whoever intended to operate a private abattoir, adding that abiding by such rule will ensure sanity in those abattoirs and improve public health.

Muhammad specifically noted that whoever wants to operate private slaughtering slabs or abattoirs must be licensed by government and engage the services of a qualified veterinary doctor.

According to him, the veterinarian is trained to inspect each of the animals before and after slaughtering to ascertain whether such animals are healthy for consumption.

“We have some illegal slaughtering slabs springing up in elite centres not controlled by the government like shops, super markets or even residences.

“These are illegal because what they do is go to the market, take this cattle or other animals undermining their health status process

and pass for human or public consumption.

“Such act is illegal and dangerous and are major issues that threaten public health.

“We are appealing to the government to look out for these dark spots because they constitute great health challenge to the public and should not be allowed in the society,” he said.

The chairman, however, warned the public against buying meat from illegal abattoirs, saying “what you eat becomes who you are”.

He emphasised that consuming such unwholesome livestock products could lead to transmission of zoonotic and highly infectious diseases like TB, among others, to human.

(NAN)

he Debt Management Office (DMO), on Tuesday, opened two new Federal Government of Nigeria’s savings bonds for subscription at N1,000 per unit.

According to information obtained from the DMO’s official website, one is a two-year savings bond due on April 14, 2023, at an interest rate of 5.522 per cent per annum.

The second offer is a three-year bond due on April 14, 2024, at an interest rate of 6.522 per annum.

The bonds are opened at N1,000 per unit, with a minimum subscription of N5,000 in multiples of N1,000 thereafter and subject to a maximum of N50 Million.

“The bonds qualify as securities in which trustees can invest under the Trustee Investment Act. “It is backed by the full faith and credit of the Federal Government of Nigeria and charged upon the general assets of Nigeria,’’ DMO explained.

It urged interested investors to contact the stock-broking firms appointed as distribution agents by the DMO. (NAN)

2021 WASSCE for school candidates may not hold in May/June – WAEC

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he West African Examinations Council (WAEC) says its 2021 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates, earlier scheduled for May/June, may not hold.

The Council’s Head of National Office (HNO), Mr Patrick Areghan, gave the hint while announcing the release of results of the 2021 first series of the WASSCE for Private candidates on Tuesday in Lagos.

According to Areghan, the effect of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is still much felt in the education sector.

He noted that the entire education calendar has been distorted and, therefore, may not be possible to conduct the examination as scheduled.

“Let me use this opportunity to dispel rumours, being peddled about by some people regarding the conduct of the WASSCE for school candidates, 2021.

“The effect of the COVID-19 is still very much felt in the education sector and this has taken its toll on the academic calendar in the country.

“It is, therefore, not going to be possible to have the examination in May/June this year.

A convenient international time table for the conduct of this examination will soon be released.

“To this effect, all stakeholders are, therefore, requested to keep their fingers crossed until they hear directly from WAEC,’’ the WAEC boss said.

He, then appealed to all the school principals and proprietors to keep to the stipulated timelines for the enrolment of candidates for the examination.

According to him, it is important to re-emphasise the role of Continuous Assessment Scores (CASS) in the computation of candidates’ results.

“All schools are advised to get this aspect of the registration process right, in order to make the entry processes seamless.’’

Giving a breakdown of the results, Areghan said that 7,690 candidates entered for the examination which conducted between Feb. 15 and March 11.

A total of 431 examiners participated in the coordination and marking exercise.

He noted that of the figure, 7,289 candidates actually sat for the examination at 252 centres across the country.

According to him, the drop in the figure is attributable to the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said that out of the 7,289 candidates that sat for the examination, the results of 599 were withheld in connection with various reported cases of examination malpractice.

“The cases are being investigated and reports of the investigations will be presented to the appropriate committee of the council for determination in due course.

“This low number is as a result of

the rigorous monitoring/inspection of centres by the Council’s staff throughout the duration of the examination,’’ Areghan said.

According to him, 7,174 candidates had their results fully processed and released while 115 others had a few of their subjects still being processed due to some errors traceable to them.

He said that efforts were being made to complete the processing to enable all the affected candidates to get their results fully processed and released subsequently.

Analysis of statistics of performance of candidates showed that out of those that sat for the examination, a total of 3,938 obtained credit and above in a minimum of any five subjects with or without English Language and/or Mathematics.

A total of 2,195 others obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects including English Language and Mathematics.

Twenty-three candidates with

varying degrees of special needs registered for the examination.

Out of this number, six are visually challenged, two with impaired hearing, five others are albinos, one spastic cum mentally challenged and nine physically challenged.

Areghan said that all the candidates with special needs were adequately provided for in the administration of the examination.

He added that their results had also been processed and released along with those of other candidates He advised candidates who sat for the examination to check details of their performance on the council’s website – www.waecdirect.org.

The collection of certificates for the WASSCE for private candidates, he said, would be based on request online via the Electronic Certificate Management System platform (e-certman).

Areghan said details of the simple procedures had already been made available to the public. (NAN)

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News Stop gloating at disappearance of NAF fighter jet – FG

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he Federal Government has condemned the malicious celebration of the disappearance of Nigeria Air Force (NAF) fighter jet in Borno on March 31, by some “unpatriotic’’ Nigerians.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed at a media briefing on Tuesday in Abuja admonished those that were gloating over the incidence and called for support for the military.

“I have read, especially on the social media, some deadenders who are gloating at the disappearance of the NAF aircraft.

“This is abhorrent and condemnable, and couldn’t have come from true-born Nigerians.

“No patriotic citizen will denigrate his or her country’s military for fighting to protect the nation’s territorial integrity and ensuring peace and security.

None,’’ he said.

The minister called on all Nigerians to support the troops and to continue to remember them in their prayers.

He said the incidence of the missing fighter jet was a confirmation of the sacrifices the military were making for the country.

“While we await word from the Air Force on the ongoing search and rescue efforts, this development has once again accentuated the huge sacrifices being made by our men and women in uniform to keep our country safe and to make sure we sleep well at night “Every day, these valiant men and women put their lives on the line, in the ultimate act of sacrifice and patriotism, for the sake of our nation.

“When they leave their homes, there is no guarantee they will return.

“Yet, they soldier on! This is one of the reasons why we launched a national campaign to seek support for our military and other security agencies in February 2019,’’ he said.

Mohammed, on behalf of the Government, condoled with the NAF on the disappearance of the fighter jet involved in the war against insurgency.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports NAF had reported the fighter jet lost contact in Borno state while on a mission to support ground troops.

The Boko Haram terrorists had released a video purporting they shot down the jet.

The Airforce had, however, refuted the claim by the terrorists contending that the video was doctored Air Force Spokesman Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet had said in a statement that the Alpha-Jet lost contact with radar in Borno “while on interdiction mission in support of ground troops.”

He said the plane which had two crew members might have

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

Atiku not Nigerian by birth, Malami tells court

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

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he Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubukar Malami SAN, has told a federal high court in Abuja that the former vice-president, Atiku Abubakar, is not eligible to run for president in Nigeria.

Malami said this in an affidavit in support of a suit marked FHC/ ABJ/CS/177/2019 and filed before the court by the Incorporated Trustees of Egalitarian Mission for Africa (EMA) challenging Atiku’s eligibility to contest for president.

The plaintiff, on the strength of sections 25(1) &(2) and 131(a) of the constitution and the circumstances surrounding his birth, posited that the former vice-president cannot contest for

the office of the president.

Malami, through his legal team led by Oladipo Okpeseyi agreed that Atiku is not a Nigerian citizen by birth.

“The first defendant (Atiku) is not qualified to contest to be president of the federal republic of Nigeria,” Malami submitted.

“The first defendant is not a fit and proper person to be a candidate for election to the office of president of the federal republic of Nigeria.

“The first defendant was born on the 25th of November, 1946 at Jada, at the time in Northern Cameroon. By the plebiscite of 1961, the town of Jada was incorporated into Nigeria.

“The first defendant is a Nigerian by virtue of the 1961 plebiscite, but not a Nigerian by birth. The first defendant’s

parents died before the 1961 plebiscite.”

Malami said the effect of the June 1, 1961 plebiscite was to have the people of Northern Cameroon integrated into Nigeria as new citizens of the country, even after Nigeria’s independence.

“This qualified all those born before the 1961 plebiscIte as citizens of Nigeria, but not Nigerian citizen by birth.

Consequently, only citizens born after the 1961 plebiscite are citizens of Nigeria by birth,” he added.

Citing the provisions of 1960, 1963, 1979 and 1999 constitutions Malami said the “reasoning of the lawmakers in ensuring that the persons to be the president of Nigeria is a citizen of Nigeria by birth is because such a person is the number one citizen and the

image of the Nigerian state.

“This is even more so where his parents do not belong to any tribe indigenous to Nigeria until their death.

“The facts of his (Atiku’s) birth on the Cameroonian territory to Cameroonian parents remain unchallenged.

“At best, the first defendant can only acquire Nigerian citizenship by the 1961 plebiscite.

The citizenship qualifications under Section 26 and 27 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999), by implication, has limited the first defendant’s privileges or rights and cannot be equal or proportional to the privileges of other citizens who acquire their citizenship status by birth,’’ the AGF maintained.

The Bishop of Kaduna Anglican Diocese ,Rt. Rev’d Timothy Yahaya[m] with the Alter Boys Biodun Akingbade [l] and Toyole Olusa [r] after the Easter Sunday service at the Cathedral of St.Michael Anglican Church, Kaduna on Sunday.

ASUP insist strike continues, despite meeting with FG Maryam Abeeb, Abuja

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espite the meeting with the Federal Government, the National President of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Mr. Anderson Ezeibe, has insisted that the strike by the union which commenced 12 midnight of April 6 still continues despite meeting with the federal government.

The ASUP president, made this known at the Federal Ministry of Education after the union’s meeting with the minister, Mallam Adamu Adamu, said the strike has not been suspended as it is just a few hours old, adding that meeting with the minister is just the beginning of a resolution and until it has been satisfactorily resolved, the strike must go on.

He said it is not too late to convert the strike as it is a union that believes in dialogue, hence its ultimatum of 15 days which was issued in March 2020, calling on the government to look into the negotiations and do the needful.

His words, “The expiration of the union’s ultimatum issued since March 2020, as well as the development of new issues of concern in the sector due to the negligence of the government.

“Today therefore marks day 1 of the execution of the resolutions of our union. The strike has not

been suspended as it is just a few hours old,” he said.

The national president said the non-implementation of NEEDS Assessment report of 2014 in the sector, as well as the inability to release any revitalization fund to the sector despite assurances since 2017 is one key factor serving as catalyst to the strike.

Also, the non-reconstitution of governing councils in federal polytechnics and many stateowned institutions which has led to the disruption of governance and administrative processes in the institutions since May 2020 is yet another, he said.

According to him, “This has also undermined the renegotiation of the union’s 2010 agreement with the government as such was unilaterally suspended by the government for over 2 years now. Our union has continued to demand for the deployment of developed capacity from the sector over the years in this process and need to reconstitute the councils in line with the Amendments in the Polytechnics Act.” Other issues serving as a bone of contention are the “nonrelease of the 10 months arrears of minimum wage owed our members in Federal Polytechnics and nonimplementation of the same in several state-owned institutions.

This is despite the presidential

directive for the payment of the arrears since December 2019”. ‘’The non-release of the 10 months arrears of minimum wage owed our members in Federal Polytechnics and nonimplementation of the same in several state owned institutions.

This is despite the presidential directive for the payment of these arrears since December 2019.

Nonpayment of salaries in some state owned institutions as our members are owed their legitimate emoluments ranging from 5 to 24 months in Abia, Ogun, Osun, Edo, Benue, Plateau etc. ‘’Continued victimization of officials of our Union as seen in Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu, Federal Polytechnic Mubi as well as Rufus Giwa Polytechnic Owo. This situation has degenerated to the clamping down and brazen illegal seizure of the properties of our Union by the Rector of Federal Polytechnic Nassarawa.

Establishment of a commission for the sector to bridge gaps in regulatory activities, as well as match the expansion of the sector while positioning the institutions towards fulfillment of their mandate to the country. ‘’Non implementation of the approved 65 years retirement age in the sector by some state governments notably Kano as well

as the continued appointment of unqualified persons as Rectors of Polytechnics in some states.

In his response, the Minister stated that nothing is impossible in reaching an agreement with the union while disclosing that the governing council has been selected and will be inaugurated in no distant time.

Adamu assured that he will not go into specifics of the document handed over to him by the national president, which was a detailed brief of the negotiations.

He questioned why the Rapid Response Committee has abandoned its meetings, and went ahead to assure the union that all points raised will be carefully looked into and will be attended to.

He said: “Today, I will not go into specifics or give you any answers. If I’m not mistaken, I have 13 points that you have read out. The permanent secretary is not here, or else I would have asked him why the Rapid Response Committee is no longer holding its meetings. The committee can solve eight of the issues raised.

“For the governing council, I can assure you that it is set already. We were just waiting for the break to be over and they will be announced and inaugurated.

All the points will be looked into carefully and I give you assurance that all will be attended to.”

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PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

Again, bandits kill 8 in Kaduna Official From:Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

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t was a black Tuesday in kaduna yesterday as bandits’ killed eight persons in separate incidences in Kajuru and Kachia Local Government Areas of kaduna state.

Commissioner, Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan stated this in a statement made available to media in kaduna yesterday.

The Statement stated that armed bandits barricaded the Kaduna-Kachia road around Kadanye village in Kajuru LGA, and opened fire on a bus, as well as a truck carrying firewood.

The Statement added that five people were killed in the attack, stating the names as:Alfred Makinde the driver of the bus ,Abdulrahman Dela, Dauda Adamu, Umar Dauda and Abdulrasheed Musa .

“Three persons were injured, and are currently receiving treatment in hospital. They are: Murtala Ibrahim Ali Manager and Abdullahi (full name unknown) “Similarly, armed bandits barricaded the Kaduna-Kachia road at the Doka axis of Kajuru LGA and shot at a truck, killing the driver.

“Furthermore, in Kachia LGA, armed bandits invaded a herders settlement in Inlowo village, and killed one Ibrahim Alhaji Haruna, before carting away 180 cows.

“At Akilbu village in Kachia LGA, armed bandits shot at a vehicle, injuring two persons, Mansur Ibrahim and Muhammadu Aminu. Mansur Ibrahim later died in hospital while Muhammadu Aminu continues to receive treatment. “ Governor Nasir El-Rufai noted the reports with sadness, and sent condolences to the families of the deceased, while praying for the repose of their souls. He also wished the injured a quick recovery, “ the statement said.

News Why Buhari appointed Baba as Ag. IGP

• President charges new police boss to prioritize policing reforms

By Egena Sunday Ode

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he selection of DIG Usman Alkali Baba as the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) by President Muhammadu Buhari followed a thorough check on eligible police officers with particular attention to seniority, professionalism, record of service and competence in which he was found to be most suitable.

This was disclosed on Tuesday by the Minister of Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi, who announced Baba’s appointment at a press conference at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to him, the President in giving approval to the choice of DIG Baba as Acting IGP handed a charge to him to prioritize ongoing reforms in the police in order for its personnel to attain optimal performance.

Dangyadi also noted that with the appointment of a new IGP, President Buhari has fulfilled his determination to rejig the security architecture with a view to bringing the multifarious security challenges confronting the country to an end.

The appointment which takes immediate effect, according to the Minister, was made while the outgoing IGP, Mohammed Adamu was said to be in Imo State on official engagement, following the attack on Custodial facilities by unknown gunmen in Owerri, the state capital on Sunday.

Reports said over 180 inmates were released and about nine vehicles set ablaze by the gunmen.

Recall that Buhari had on February 4th, amid criticisms,

extended Adamu’s tenure as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) by three months.

However, Adamu had spent only two months and three days when his replacement was announced on Tuesday Dangyadi who said the extension of the tenure of the former IGP was to enable a detailed process of selection, stated that the appointment of the Acting IGP was made after a thorough check, paying attention to seniority,

professionalism, record of service and competence.

He said: “Distinguished gentlemen of the press, the tenure of the IGP Mohammed Adamu, which ended on February 1, 2021, was extended by Mr. President to enable a detailed process of appointing a new IGP, in line with section 15 (A) of the 1999 Constitution.

“After a thorough check of a shortlist of suitably qualified police officers from the rank of DIGs

and AIGs, who are eligible police officers, eligible for appointment as IGP, in line with Section 7, subsection 2 of the Nigeria Police Act (2020), and having regards to seniority, professionalism, record of service and competence, Mr. President has approved the appointment of an acting IGP, in the person of Usman Alkali Baba, PSE, FDC, with immediate effect.

“These changes are in line with the determination of Mr. President to rejig the security architecture of the country, to ensure that the security challenges bedeviling the nation are brought to an end. ‘”Mr. President has therefore charged the new appointee to rise to the challenge to ensure policing reform policy of this administration are fully prioritised and implemented to enable the police perform most effectively for the peace and security of lives and property of all Nigerians.

“Mr. President thanks the outgoing IGP, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, for his professionalism and dedication to duty during the period of his tenure. He wished him all the best in his future endeavours. “ On why the President didn’t allow the outgoing IGP to last the three months of extension, the Minister said: “Mr. President is aware of this and you cannot take away that responsibility from him; he’s the one who is in charge of appointing or extending tenures. He has now decided to appoint a new person. So please allow him that responsibility and we cannot do anything about it.”

Meet the new IGP: Usman Alkali Baba

B

orn on 1st March, 1963 on Gaidam, Yobe State, the Acting IGP enlisted in the Nigeria Police on 15th March, 1988.

He was until his appointment a Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Force Criminal Investigation Department, Force

Headquarters.

He holds a Teacher’s Grade II Certificate (TC II) from Teachers College, Potiskum, Yobe State in 1980.

He obtained a BA (ED) Political Science from Bayero University, Kano in 1985.

The Acting IGP also has

a Masters Degree in Public Administration (MPA) obtained from University of Maiduguri, Borno State in 1997.

His Policing Vision To enhance police primacy in Nigeria through the provision of a motivational and credible leadership driven by professional

knowledge, ethics, emotional intelligence tools, and strategic planning and operational models that are directed at stabilizing internal security and modernizing police operations, facilities and standards within the framework of citizens, consent, trust, and rule of law.

Nigerian youths set to produce surgical grade face mask

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Tech Start-up, Naija Force, has evolved a mechanism to produce a surgical-grade face mask that would solve global challenges and sustain crucial public health preventive measures.

Ifedayo Ojo, Team Lead, Naija Force, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.

NAN reports that the Naija Force team won the ‘Mass’k Appeal Award’ and came runner-up in a global contest by XPRIZE Next-Gen Mask Challenge, winning a grant of $250,000 for the mask production.

The competition is a $1M challenge, which aims to re-imagine protective face masks used to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by making masks more comfortable, functional, accessible and stylish.

The contest received about 1,000 entries from 76 countries.

It encouraged the teams to design a face mask that overcomes at least five of the top ten barriers to maskwearing.

Common barriers to the use of mask include: fogging of glasses, getting too hot, discomfort, difficulty breathing, making conversations challenging and prohibiting exercise while wearing.

Other barriers are improper fit, pain, blocking facial expressions, preventing eating or drinking, not being eco-friendly, looking ugly or boring and difficulty acquiring the mask.

Naija Force team members are Ifedayo Ojo, an Industrial Product Designer; Samuel Akinola, a UX Researcher and Designer and Arotiba

Ayobami, a Business Relation Manager.

Ojo said that the team would work with top pulmonologists, the John Hopkins University, the U.S. and other partners in the production of the mask which would be useful beyond COVID-19.

He said that utilising innovative technology to upgrade masks would redefine the norm of mask-wearing behaviour and assist maintain crucial non-pharmaceutical public health measures to mitigate the risk and impact of the pandemic.

“Masks have been proven to lower the transmission of COVID-19, reduce the total number of infections, severe cases or deaths.

“Naija Force mask features a soft malleable flange that can conform to the shape of the wearer’s nose.

“This mask is not intended to be a one-fit-all kind but comes in different sizes to fit unique facial contours and forms.

“Not being able to exercise with face masks is as a result of a combination of problems including breathability, fit and comfort which our mask addresses effectively,’’ he said.

According to him, the mask has an openable drinking inlet, through which straws can be inserted for drinking, thus ensuring minimal contact to the bare face.

Ojo noted that adapting to life with COVID-19 was a challenge faced by all globally, saying that evolving solutions that would assist people to live normally and reduce their risk of contracting COVID-19 were crucial.

Specimen of Naija Force maskAccording to him, as the

COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues globally, adhering to nonpharmaceutical interventions is critical to minimise the disruption that might arise from a third or fourth wave of COVID-19.

He added that the Naija Force’s mission was to provide solutions to global challenges, acquaint the world with the potentials of Nigerian youths and increase the country’s competitiveness.

Ojo appealed to the federal and state governments to increase funding for research and development.

He stressed that local solutions and innovations needed to be applied to challenges in all sectors.

“Doing that will enhance scientific advancement, innovation, product development, poverty reduction and socio-economic growth.’’ (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

PAGE 6

News

NAFDAC alerts Nigerians as US places sanitisers on watch list

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he National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has alerted Nigerians that the US has placed all alcohol-based hand sanitisers, manufactured in neighbouring Mexico, on its watch list.

The information is contained in a public alert signed by NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, and issued to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday.

The public alert with No: 001/2021 stated the US Food and Drug Agency (USFDA) had placed all alcohol-based hand sanitisers from Mexico on a countrywide import alert to help stop product falsification.

According to the alert, the products appear to be in violation

of rules from entering the US and that until the agency is able to review the products’ safety they will be on the watch list.

“The USFDA has seen a sharp increase in hand sanitiser products from Mexico that were labelled to contain ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol) but tested positive for methanol contamination over the course of the ongoing pandemic.

“Methanol or wood alcohol is a substance that can be toxic when absorbed through the skin and lifethreatening when ingested.

“Methanol is not an acceptable ingredient in hand sanitiser or other drugs.

“Under the import alert, alcohol-based hand sanitisers from Mexico offered for import are subject to heightened FDA

scrutiny and the shipment may be detained.

“This marks the first time the FDA has issued a countrywide import alert for any category of drug product,” the public alert said.

It also disclosed that substantial methanol exposure could result in nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, permanent damage to the nervous system or death.

The alert said that all persons using these products on their hands were at risk of methanol poisoning.

It said that young children, who accidently ingested these products and adolescents and adults who drank these products as an alcohol (ethanol) substitute, were most at

risk.

The alert said that Methanol was not an acceptable ingredient for hand sanitisers and must not be used due to its toxicity The alert warned consumers, who had been exposed to hand sanitiser containing methanol and were experiencing symptoms, should seek immediate treatment for potential reversal of toxic effects of methanol poisoning.

NAFDAC implored importers, distributors, retailers, and consumers to exercise caution and be vigilant to avoid the distribution, sale and use of methanol alcoholbased hand sanitisers.

It also warned those in possession of methanol alcoholbased hand sanitisers to discontinue the sale or use and to submit the stock to the nearest

Official debunks reports on alleged domestic rift in Kogi Govt. House

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he Kogi Government has described as “malicious” social media reports alleging that the governor’s wife, Rashida Bello, has moved out of the government house.

Mr Onogwu Muhammed, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said in a statement on Monday that the allegation was baseless.

Mohammed, who described the publication as a mere piece of mischievous antics given life by idle, disgruntled and undesirable elements, said that the governor was in full control of his household.

“Our attention has been drawn to an online publication titled ‘Trouble in Kogi State as the First Lady, Rashida Bello, allegedly moves out of government house’.

“For lack of formidable tool of distractions, the online medium struggling hard for traffic has come out with a concocted falsehood alleging a crack in the household of Gov. Yahaya Bello.

“The said publication laced with lies and crooked fallacy detailed how the First Lady, Hajia

Rashida Bello, has moved out of the Government House in what the merchants of mischief painted as a revolt against the governor.

“This reaction is coming out not in reverence of the amorphous medium but a call to the general public to disregard as tissue of lie the malicious fabrication,” he said.

He said, “Bello is in full control of his household, the same way he holds in firm grip the affairs of the state.”

Mohammed said that rather than resorting to such satanic antics, the medium and the sponsors should have taken on the governor’s development agenda.

He maintained that there was no crack whatsoever in the home and government of Gov. Bello of Kogi, urging the general public particularly citizens of Kogi to discard the information.(NAN)

NAFDAC office.

NAFDAC encouraged the public to wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

According to it, if soap and water are not readily available, the use of an alcohol-based hand sanitiser that contains at least 60 per cent ethanol or 70 per cent isopropanol should be used.

The agency said it was part of the measures put in place to mitigate the possible risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

NAFDAC, however, encouraged health care professionals, consumers and patients to report adverse events related to the use of any hand sanitiser to its nearest office. (NAN)

A

s Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), embarked on the nationwide strike, yesterday, activities were grounded at various courts in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

JUSUN had in April 1, 2021, directed all its states and zonal heads to comply with the proposed strike as from Tuesday, April 6th.

The union is demanding the implementation of constitutional provisions granting financial autonomy to the judiciary.

They are asking for the compliance to a January 2014 judgment ordering its enforcement.

Meanwhile, the Chief Justice of Nigeria CJN, Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, has called on the striking JUSUN to call off the

ongoing strike.

The CJN met with some national and local officials of JUSUN in his Supreme Court chamber to explore solutions and ways to mitigate impact of the ongoing strike in the Judiciary.

Earlier, the body, had in compliance with the strike directive issued by the union’s national leadership, shut the gates to the Supreme Court, Federal High Courts and other courts in the FCT. Workers of other two key judiciary institutions – the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) – which share the same premises with the Supreme Court are also affected.

Staff buses were also seen making detours upon arriving at the barricaded gate of the Supreme

NSCDC impounds 37,100 litres of diesel in Ondo

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he Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) said it impounded 37,100 litres of diesel at an illegal depot in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State.

The Commandant of the corps in the state, Edenabu Eweka, made this known in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the command, Mr Olufemi Omole, on Tuesday in Akure.

Eweka said the discovery and seizure were in line with the Commandant-General of the corps’ vision of zero tolerance for vandalism and destruction of critical national

assets and infrastructure.

He said the command, through sustained and credible intelligence, burst an “illegal surface” storage facility for Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), also known as diesel, in Ore. Eweka said some criminal elements and economic saboteurs used the arena as a storage base after engaging in oil pipeline vandalism on the high sea and the creeks in the Niger Delta region.

He said the suspects transported the illegally refined products through badges and boats to the coastal areas of Ondo state, mostly through Agadagba, Ijaw and

Ido Osun.

He said investigations further revealed that Ore was fast becoming the headquarters of illegal surface depots of AGO in the South West.

“Most tankers do load adulterated AGO via surface tanks and thus distribute for sales across Nigeria.

“The command’s Antivandal Squad tactically invaded the scene of the crime.

The suspects, however, ran away on sighting our men.

“These unscrupulous elements convey the product using buses, jeeps and cars to where it would finally be

stored in the surface tanks located in Ore town.

“Some of the exhibits recovered from the scene are a Toyota Sequoia Jeep, a Toyota Camry car, one pumping machine, two industrial hose pipes, 70 kegs of 30 litres AGO and 35,000 litres of suspected adulterated AGO,” Eweka said.

He vowed that the command would combat and eradicate all forms of economic criminalities in the state.

He warned oil pipeline vandals and those bent on destroying critical national assets and infrastructure in the state to desist or face the full wrath of the law.

Director-General, Cross River Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Janet Ekpenyong (R), giving COVID-19 vaccination to the Vice-Chancellor, University of Calabar, Prof.

Florence Obi, at the Vice-Chancellor’s office in Calabar yesterday.

By Sunday Ode

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resident Muhammadu Buhari has sent sincere greetings to the Itsekiri nation on the announcement of a new Olu of Warri, as pronounced by the Iyatsere of Warri Kingdom.

This was disclosed in a statement on Tuesdayby the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Fwmi

Adesina.

The President also condoled with the Itsekiris on the passage of the immediate past Olu, His Royal Majesty Ogiame Ikenwoli, which was equally formally announced.

President Buhari prayed that the Olu-designate, Prince Utieyinoritsetsola Emiko, will have a peaceful reign, signposted by massive development of Itsekiri land.

Court.

Speaking on the situation, An official of the workers’ union says the strike will not be called off until its demand for financial autonomy for the judiciary is met.

Legal Adviser to the JUSUN in Abuja, Maryam Gusau, said the executive branch of government at both the federal and state government tiers, had turned staff of the judiciary to slaves by interfering in the third arm of government’s affairs.

She opined that separation of powers amongst the three arms of government in Nigeria is a mirage, especially at the state government level, where governors operate as tin-gods; lording themselves against Chief Judges of the state.

She vows that JUSUN officials will resume enforcement of the

strike action as early as 4.a.m every working day and leave the court premises at 6p.m. ‘’We won’t call-off the strike until our demands are met,” she concluded.

A statement by Malam Ahuraka Isah, Special Assistant to the CJN on media and publicity strategy indicated that the meeting lasted some minutes.

The CJN however at the end asked the JUSUN to call off the strike while the process of making the state government to obey Order 10 and various court judgments on the autonomy of the Judiciary are being implemented.

“The unintended sufferers of this strike are better imagined than seen. It has spiral effects, including our children, the Federal Judiciary which is a lesser culprit.

Bandits: Niger community decries Military withdrawal From Yakubu Minna

Mustapha,

A

llawa community, one of the most bandits affected areas in Shiroro local government of Niger state has decried the withdrawal of military operations following the recent killing of five Nigerian Army and a Civil Defense Corps in the area.

The President of Lakpma Youths Assembly, Jibrin Abdullahi Allawa made this known yesterday in a press briefing in Minna.

He said that the bandits since the withdrawal are having a field day by attaking over 100 communities and looting their properties to their camps in the forest.

Alawa hinted that Allawa and Gyaramiya communities are bing invaded on daily basis and ransacked by the bandits, making the people hopeless and stranded.

He further appealed to the federal government for the establishment and reinforcement of Joint Task Force in Kushaka, Kurebe, Manta,Galkogo and Kwaki respectively.

P

He counseled love and reconciliation after a pulsating race for the throne, noting that peradventure any dissension exists, such should be resolved through due process.

As the Itsekiri nation mourns their departed Olu for three months, President Buhari prayed godly comfort for them, and a smooth ascendancy for the incoming monarch.

“Ordinarily, I would say let me talk to individual 36 state governors, which amount to asking for their favours.

“But some of them would ask me to do ten favours in return.

This is why as a judge I am prohibited from asking for favour.”

The National Treasurer of JUSUN, Mr Jimoh Musa who led the delegation on behalf of the JUSUN President, Marwan Adamu said out of 19 members of the NEC, only three of them were present.

Their president, Musa said had an accident on his way to attend the meeting with CJN. “We have to table the CJN’s fatherly advice before our NEC meeting and consequently get back to his lordship,” Musa said.

News

Buhari commends NAF troops for fighting crimes

Buhari greets Itsekiri nation on Oludesignate, mourns departed monarch

Nationwide strike: JUSUN grounds Abuja courts ...Call-off strike, CJN urges JUSUN

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

PAGE 7

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

Supreme Court under lock and key as the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JASUN) begin an indefinite nationwide strike to press for financial autonomy for the judicial arm of government, in Abuja yesterday.

Combat Proficiency: Army organises inter-brigade sports competition

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he 1 Division of the Nigerian Army based in Kaduna says that the ongoing interbrigade sports competition for its corporal and below officers is to enhance their proficiency in fighting insecurity in the country.

The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 1Division, Maj.-Gen. Danjuma Ali-Keffi, said this on Tuesday when he declared the five-day competition opened in Kano.

He added that the competition was to boost the officer’s morale to counter security challenges.

According to him, the participating officers were drawn from 1Division Garrison, Kaduna; 31Artilary Brigade, Minna in Niger and the host, 3 Brigade, Kano.

He said, “The event could not have come at a better time than

now when there are growing concerns on the numerous security challenges confronting the nation.’’

He added that security challenges had made the Nigerian Army increasingly engaged to counter the threats.

“The current security challenges in the country have brought to the fore the need to continuously reinvigorate our training and operations, especially, in the aspects of physical and leadership trainings.

“Thus, your physical and emotional preparations are of paramount importance and can only be achieved through regular training.

“It is, therefore, necessary for all of you to adequately train in order to ensure optimal performance at all times,” he said.

The special guest, Maj-Gen Mukhtar Imam, the Commandant, Nigerian Army School of Infantry Kaduna, explained that the objective of the competition was to improve the officer’s physical fitness.

According to him, it is also to enhance their leadership capabilities, organisational abilities and use of initiative to promote esprit de corps amongst them.

He said that the exercise was also intended to prepare them for battle in view of the present security challenges.

“Therefore, the importance of this exercise to the overall vision of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) which is to have a professionally responsive Nigerian Army in the discharge of its constitutional roles’ cannot be overemphasised.

“I, therefore, implore you to conduct yourselves professionally throughout the competition.’’

The Commander, 3 Brigade, Kano, Brig.- Gen. Bamidele Alabi, said that a team of impartial and professional officials had been carefully selected to ensure no team was unnecessarily favoured or victimised.

“I am glad to note that all necessary measures for a hitchfree competition have been put in place,” he said.

He, therefore, urged all the participants and officials to take the competition seriously and abide by the rules.

The events to be competed for would include: half marathon, drill, combat swimming, and skill-at-arms and shooting, map reading and obstacle crossing.

(NAN)

resident Muhammadu Buhari has commended the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) special troops operations for fighting banditry, kidnapping, cattle rusting and other criminalities.

Buhari made the commendation in a message to Operation Hadarin Daji in commemoration Easter in Katsina on Monday.

Represented by the Air Officer Commanding the Special Forces, AVM Charles Ohwo, Buhari thanked the troops for their sacrifices for sustaining peace in the north-western part of the country.

He stated that the celebration was an opportunity not only for bonding with frontline troops but also to promote comradeship and regimentation in the service.

“Unfortunately, we are observing this year’s Easter in a sober mood as we are still searching for two of our colleagues who were involved in an air crash on March 31 and are still missing.

“As you might be aware, we also lost some of our colleagues at the Minna axis in the fight against banditry.

“This makes the event more significant as we use the occasion to remember our colleagues who have paid the supreme price in the service of our fatherland,” he said.

In a remark, the special guest of honour at the iccasion, Gov. Aminu Masari of Katsina State, thanked the troops for not relenting in the fight against banditry in the state and the country in general.

Masari pledged that he would continue to assist the troops in their operation to ensure a safe society.

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

PAGE 8

News Buhari appoints Usman Jonathan gets traditional Wase title in Bauchi Baba as Ag. IGP express

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resident Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Usman Baba as Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP).

The Minister of Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi, confirmed the development when he addressed State House correspondents in

Abuja on Tuesday.

He said that the appointment was with immediate effect.

Buhari had on Feb. 4 extended the tenure of Mohammed Adamu as the Inspector General of Police for three months.

Adamu spent two months and three days during the extended period. (NAN)

From Mohammed,Bauchi

T

Ahmad

he Emir of Bauchi Alhaji Rilwanu Suleimanu Adamù has conferred a Traditional title, Jigon Bauchi to former President Good Luck Ebele Jonathan.

The Emir gave the title to jonathan on Tuesday when he paid him a courtsey call in his Palace.

Jonathan was in Bauchi on a one

day working visit to commission a road project executed by Governor Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir and named the road after Jonathan.

Emir Rilwanu who spoke on behalf of the Traditional Council of the state commended the former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan for making Bauchi his home saying that, “this is the fourth time you are visiting this Palace officially. We, in Bauchi State are proud of you.”

shock over Rep Lere death

By Christiana Ekpa

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he Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Ahmed Idris Wase has expressed shocked over the death of Rep Sulaiman Aliyu Lere, who passed on today 6th April 2021.

In a condolence massage by his Chief Press Secretary, Umar Muhammed Puma, the Deputy Speaker described Rep. Lere as a disciplined and upright politician who contributed immensely to the development of his constituency and the country at large.

The Deputy Speaker said he and late shared a special bond that he will personally miss.” We had a special bond of friendship. He shall be sorely missed”.

According to him, Rep Lere was a patriot and an exceptional politician whose dream was always about making his constituency and Nigeria a better place.

“My condolences go to his immediate family, the Kaduna state government and the good people Lere federal constituency. I pray that God accepts his good deeds and forgive his shortcomings and Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JASUN) shut down the Federal High Court during an indefinite nationwide strike to press for financial reward him with Jannatal Firdaus”, autonomy for the judicial arm of government. in Abuja yesterday.

Maduekwe urges mass mobilisation for nation’s innovative entrepreneurship D r Chidia Maduekwe, the Managing Director, Nigerian Film Corporation, has advocated mass mobilisation of the citizenry for the promotion of creative and innovative entrepreneurship.

Maduekwe said this on Monday in a keynote address at the third edition of Isingwu Summit held at Umuda Okorocha Isingwu in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia.

He spoke on the theme: “Harnessing creative and innovative entrepreneurs from grassroots for community development.”

He said the country must embrace the concept of creative and innovative entrepreneurship for it to experience rapid development.

Maduekwe described the concept

as “the low-hanging fruits for economic emancipation and accelerated national development”.

He said the country must bridge all existential gaps as well as widen support structures that promote entrepreneurship.

According to him, this must start right from institutional engagements, policy frameworks and implementation, including the provision of appropriate incentives.

He said that the needed attention must be given to training and capacity building to improve the knowledge base and increase the capability of the country’s creative and innovative entrepreneurs.

“We must consciously provide the enabling policy environment, without necessarily re-inventing the wheel but by deliberately implementing provisions of

policies and laws,” Maduekwe said.

The Convener of the Isingwu Progressive Forum/Summit, Rev. Chuks Alozie, described it as “a platform, where people assemble to harness ideas and exchange views with comparative advantage for community development.

“In furtherance to our development drive, we will also be focusing on human capacity building and encouraging emerging entrepreneurs,” he said.

Earlier in his address of welcome, the President-General of the community, Mr Sam Onyesoanyi, thanked the organisers for bringing the developmental initiative to the community.

Highlight of the event was the commisioning of some prominent Nigerians as national and international chaplains by

the Divine Institute of Chaplaincy Corps International/United Chaplains State of New York.

The ceremony was performed by Prof.

Chris Nwanne, the Commissioner/President of the corps, African Region.

The event witnessed the conferment of awards on some personalities Nigerians in recognition of their positive contributions to community development.

The list of the awardees included Alozie, who was decorated as the Maj. Gen., and Mr Chris Akachukwu (otherwise called NwaAbia), as Brig. Gen. of the corps.

Others were the Traditional Ruler of Avu, Eze Michael Okere, Maduekwe, the Commissioner for Finance, Dr Aham Uko, Chief Kingsley Megwara, Mr Aham Eluwa and Mrs Chidinma Uwajumogu. (NAN)

PAGE 9

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

Jonathan commissions road project in Bauchi From Ahmad Mohammed, Bauchi

F

ormer President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has commissioned Sabon Kaura to Jos road Federal Highway bye pass named after him by Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State.

Commissioning the road on Tuesday, while on a one day working visit to Bauchi State, former President Jonathan commended Governor Bala Mohammed for standing by him even after he left office as President.

He said that from his experience in leadership, most political associates usually deserts a leader after he leaves office.

Jonathan said that Governor Bala invitation to him to commission the first legacy project in the state and immortalizing his name via the road project was a big honour to him which he will always live to remember.

The former President commended the people of the state for voting for Governor Bala Mohammed during the 2019 general election, urging them to continue to support the administration in order for it to succeed.

The State Governor, said that former President, Jonathan impacted his life greatly by teaching him the art and science of leadership as it has manifested in the results he has achieved within the two years of his administration.

He said at the inception of his administration in May 2019, the government hit the ground running by embracing good governance as a deliberate policy for development.

News

Zamfara market fire: Gov Matawalle receives N5m donation by group From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau

Z

amfara State Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle has received and commended Khadimiyya for Justice and Development Initiative (KJDI) for donating N5 million to the victims of Tudun Wada Gusau Central Market fire incident.

Receiving the donation, Matawalle said Khadimiyya for Justice and Development Initiative is the only Non-government organisation that visited him and

donated generously to the victims of the Tudun Wada market fire victims where over 60 shops were destroyed.

He further stated that “Donation to the victims of any kind of disaster occurred in Zamfara especially by an organisation such as KJDI needs to be commended in order to encourage them to do more in that aspect.

The Governor urged them to extend their humanitarian services to the people affected by waves of banditry that caused large number of orphans and thrown many

married women to become widows especially in the northern parts of the country.

Matawalle further called on the organisation to also extend its area of support in education and health care especially to the orphans and less priviledged children in order to support government in that efforts.

Matawalle immediately directed that the money should be handed over to the market damage assessment committee for prompt action.

Earlier, presenting the cheque

to the Governor, the National Treasurer of the organisation, Alhaji Muhammad Bello Nasarawa, said they were in Gusau to formally present their little support to the victims of Tudun Wada Gusau Market fire disaster in order to reduce their bitter feelings and to commiserate with the government and the people of the state.

He described the fire disaster as an act of Almighty God and urged victims of the fire to accept it as a divine test in good faith as God will surely provide more for them.

L R: Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr Dayo Apata; Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; and Special Adviser to the Minister on Financial Crimes and Contracts, Abiodun Aikomo, during a news conference stating the position of the AGF on some media write ups regarding judgment debt and Paris Club Refund, in Abuja yesterday.

Doctors’ strike: Aremu sues for dialogue

From:Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

T

he Kwara state Gubernatorial Candidate of Labour Party in 2019, Comrade Issa Aremu said ongoing indefinite strike by resident doctors points to the dangers of persistent crisis of poor delayed

compensation and the urgent need for social dialogue and collective bargaining process in the country’s public sector.

He stated this in a statement made available to media in kaduna yesterday.

Aremu who is the Vice President of Industriall Global

Union, added that National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), last week gave the federal government an ultimatum to improve the wages and allowances of doctors to avert the indefinite strike.

According to him, Dr. Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and

Employment had stated that if Resident Doctors failed to resume work after FG’s interventions, “no work, no pay” would be invoked.

He went further to urge federal hospitals to hire local doctors if the need arose.

The frontline labour leader observed that neither indefinite

strike on the part of striking doctors nor lock out by the government would solve the problem.

He therefore canvassed for sustained negotiations and dialogue for what he called “mutually binding agreements by all parties in disputes”.

Insecurity: NSCDC trains 200 officers on CCTV surveillance

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he Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Oyo State Command, on Tuesday began training of 200 officers on the use of ClosedCircuit Television (CCTV) to tackle insecurity.

Mr Iskilu Akinsanya, State Commandant of NSCDC, who declared the training opened in Ibadan, said it had became necessary as a result of the increasing crime rate in the society.

He said the training would assist officers on how to use CCTV

for surveillance and analysing situations in order to address insecurity in the state.

According to him, security issues have become very dynamic and gone are the days when officers only pursue criminals with rifles.

He said that security agencies must adopt the use of technology in order to effectively tackle the increasing insecurity in the society.

Akinsanya said that it was essential for officers and men to be alert to their responsibilities

and be able to gather and analyse information through the use of technology.

The commandant called on the officers to take advantage of the training and pass the knowledge gained to other officers in their various units.

“The NSCDC Commandant General (CG), Abubakar Audi, has emphasised that all the commands nationwide will be connected technologically.

“So, from Oyo State Command, we will be reaching and relating directly with them

on what is happening in the state and this is why the training is very compulsory and important.

“At the end of the training, we expect that the officers will be able to analyse, digest any information gotten accurately,” Akinsanya said.

Also speaking, NSCDC Head of training in Oyo State, Assistant Corps Commandant (ACC), Olusola Omotajo, said the training would enhance the performance of the officers on the field.

Omotajo said that the training would educate the officers on

how to connect CCTV with internet surveillance and be able to monitor happenings in the society.

According to him, there are some CCTV protocols that are also wireless and can be monitored on the phone with installation of the Apps.

Omotajo said that it was very important for all security agencies to acquire the knowledge to be able to know the happenings in the society and nip crime in the bud. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

PAGE 10

News

JUSUN proposed strike devastating - NBA

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he Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has described the planned strike by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), as devastating, saying it will have adverse effect on judicial process in the country.

The President of the association, Mr. Olumide Akpata, expressed worry over the planned industrial action.

The association said despite the clear provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as altered) which consecrate the autonomy of the Judiciary, the Executive arm of Government, particularly at the State level, has customarily refused to comply with the provisions of the Constitution, The NBA said a situation where the judicial arm of government

literally beg for what belongs to it cannot guarantee independent of the judiciary.

Mr Akpata said ‘’The NBA is deeply worried that despite the clear provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as altered) which consecrate the autonomy of the Judiciary, the Executive arm of Government, particularly at the State level, has customarily refused to comply with the provisions of the Constitution, which are targeted at safeguarding the independence of the Judiciary. ‘’The NBA is aware of the judgment of the Federal High Court of 13th January 2014 which unequivocally confirmed the autonomy of the Judiciary in line with the spirit and letters of the Constitution. While that judgment was followed by a Memorandum of Understanding between JUSUN and relevant

stakeholders under which parties agreed to conscientiously give effect to the judgement of the Court, that has not been the case for seven years after the landmark judgment. This situation does not augur well for our constitutional democracy, as it suggests that members of the Executive arm of Government, who swore to uphold the principles of the Constitution, can flout it, with impunity. ‘’The Judiciary is an equal arm of Government relative to the Executive and the Legislature, and its independence is fundamental to the effective discharge of its mandate under the Constitution.

A situation where the Judiciary literally begs for its resources from the Executive arm, as is currently the case across several States, cannot guarantee its independence, andconstitutes an affront to the Constitution and the Rule of Law.’’

The association further said as commendable and laudable as the proposed strike action may be, the NBA is concerned about its timing and the potentially devastating consequences it would pose for justice administration in the country, particularly coming on the heels of prolonged lull in judicial activities owing to the Covid-19 pandemic and the enforced lockdowns. ‘’Across the country, the Courts are trying to play catch-up for lost time, and it would be catastrophic for the administration of justice for the Courts to be shut down again. This is not to mention the adverse economic consequences for families and lawyers alike, who earn a living in one way or the other, by providing various support services to the Court system’’, he said.

From Yakubu Minna

JUSUN proposed strike devastating - NBA FRSC returns N716,800 found at crash site

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he Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has returned N716, 800 found at an auto-crash site at Ozubulu along the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway, to the family of the deceased.

Mr Bamidele Ayanwale, the Unit Commander in Oraifite, handed over the sum on Tuesday.

He said that the amount was recovered when the FRSC officers were on a rescue mission

after the accident.

Ayanwale said that the money belonging to late Mrs Oparaocha was returned to her son, Mr Chibueze Oparaocha, after a written undertaking with full identification by the Unit’s intelligence officer.

According to him, the FRSC contacted the relatives through the mobile phone of the deceased.

The FRSC boss said that the accident involved a Nissan bus with registration number

LSH-517YG and a truck with registration number GGU-83XA. According to him, seven persons: three males and four females were involved in the crash that happened on March 22, at Ozubulu in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra.

He added that the driver and a passenger in the bus later died.

The FRSC boss said that the crash occurred due to speeding.

He, however, urged motorists to always be patient when driving

on the highways in order to avert loss of lives and property.

Chibueze Oparaocha, the son of the deceased, thanked the FRSC for the kindness and honesty.

“I was surprised when we got the call to come and collect the money found on my late mother. I did not believe that such a gesture can still happen in Nigeria of today.

“I thank the FRSC for their efforts and honesty,” he said.

(NAN)

Mustapha,

ellinium Global Initiative, a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) has graduated another set of trained 250 youths consisting of both males and females in different vocational training skills in their fields of endeavor.

The National Coordinator, Marshal Okoro while speaking during the event in Minna at the weekend, said that his organization has so for trained over 5,000 people since its inception in the last few years of it existence.

Okoro explained that they are in to capacity building, skills acquisition as well as culture and tourism hence the need to develop the youths potentials to enhance economic self reliant and sufficiency.

Insecurity: Taraba varsity students organise peace summit

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At turbaning ceremony of Alhaji Bello Kagara As Sarkin Yakin Daneji Mahuta

PAGE 11

Letter to the Editor

EDITORIAL

NGO trains 250 youths in Niger State

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

tudents of Taraba State University Jalingo on Tuesday organised a peace summit aimed at addressing insecurity through social change.

Mr Dennis Shima, the Students’ House of Representative Speaker and Chairman organising committee, said that the event is to create a peace advocacy forum that would educate citizens in rural areas on the need to live harmoniously with one another.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the summit is tagged ‘Easter lunch’.

Shima said the summit is to contribute their quota to end the security challenges in the state and the nation.

According to him, the summit became necessary following escalating insecurity in their different forms across the country.

Shima said that as students, they thought it wise to put in place the summit to complement the peace efforts of Gov. Darius Ishaku to collectively foster unity and ensure development in the state.

“We are launching a network that would reach out to rural citizens where the crisis usually starts and we believe it would be easy to foster peace those communities.

“We believe our academic certificate would not be useful if there is no peace among our various ethnic groups and that is why we think an advocacy forum is the key,’’ he said. Prof. Patrick Oromarike, Head, Department of Political Science and International Relations of the university commended the students over the move towards ending insecurity in communities.

Oromarike, who was represented by Dr Julius Ngomba, the department’s Examination Officer, commended the students for their efforts in tackling insecurity in communities across the nation

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Doctors’ ill-timed strike

igerian resident doctors last week Thursday began a nationwide strike after an ultimatum they served the government expired without the latter meeting their demands. A reconciliatory meeting called by labour and employment minister, Dr. Chris Ngige, Wednesday did not reach an agreement.

The doctors, under the auspices of Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), are demanding “immediate payment of all salaries”, including March salary, owed to all house officers, before March 31.They also want an “immediate payment of all salary arrears,” including March, for members in all Federal (GIFMIS platform) and State Tertiary Health Institutions, especially ASUTH, IMSUTH, and UNIMEDTH. NARD is seeking an upward review of the current hazard allowance to 50 per cent of consolidated basic salaries of all health workers and payment of outstanding COVID-19 inducement allowance, especially in stateowned-tertiary institutions. It calls for the abolition of “the exorbitant bench fee” paid by members on outside postings in all training institutions across the country “with immediate effect.” According to the doctors, salary shortfalls of 2014, 2015, and 2016 should be paid to their members in all federal institutions, including stateowned institutions as earlier agreed with the government.

They are demanding the payment of death in service insurance for health workers who died as a result of COVID-19 infection or other infectious diseases. in the country.

The doctors demand the reintroduction of medical super salary structure and specialist allowance for all doctors as already approved for other health workers. This will go a long way in ensuring peace in the health sector. They also want NEC the Registrar of MDCN sacked “for failure to demonstrate competence in the handling of the central placement of house officers.” According to them, his removal “will give room for smooth implementation of the central placement of house officers without further delay.”

“

The insolvency of most of the 36 states in the country invalidates their viability claim when they demanded to be created in the first place.

They all said they would sustain themselves with little or no financial support from the central government

Other demands made at the meeting of the NARD’s national executive council Saturday last week at the National Hospital, Abuja, include: “universal domestication/ implementation of the 2017 MRTA by all Federal Government and State-owned Training Institutions to ensure proper funding of Residency Training; immediate payment of the balance of 2020 and 2021 Medical Residency Training Funds (MRTF) to our members including those under state government employ; mmediate implementation of September 2017 Memorandum of Terms of Settlement (MOTOS) between NARD and the Federal Government of Nigeria in order to bring lasting peace to the health sector and curb the ongoing ugly trend of brain drain from the health sector; immediate review of the Act regulating Postgraduate Medical Training in Nigeria in line with International Best Practices to remove the unnecessary rigors in Residency Training in Nigeria, one of the factors attributed to brain drain in the

OUR MISSION

health sector; immediate commencement of employment into all Government-owned hospitals to improve service delivery to Nigerians, enhance Residency Training, and curb the attendant brain drain in the health sector.”

NARD President, Dr. Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, said after the meeting with labour minister that the union was used to the government’s proposal to discuss its demands.

He stressed the need for the government to take more responsibility, saying that the decision to go on strike was for the benefit of all healthcare workers in the country. “We had a meeting with the Minister of Labour; we insist that the implementation of what we wrote on the strike notice should be initiated immediately. We are not just doing this for resident doctors, we are doing this for all health workers … the government needs to be more responsible,” the NARD president stated.

We have no problem with the demands of NARD. Workers are entitled to their wages if they have earned them through hard work. They also deserve the right tools and environment to be productive. However, the timing of the strike isn’t just right. Firstly, the nation is still gripped by the Covid-19 pandemic. As doctors, they are front line workers. Withdrawing their services at this time will undo what success has been made in the fight against the pandemic. Secondly, it is disrespectful of the office of the President of the nation to have called the strike when he is out of the country on medical grounds. Thirdly, the long list of things the doctors want done “immediately” is simply unrealistic. Even if an agreement were reached today, its implementation could not be immediate, what with the massive paper work that has to be done. Fourthly, it is not as if the government has been unresponsive.

No. The labour minister has asked for more time to talk the matter over. The least the union can do is call off the strike and go back to the negotiation table.

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Uprising in the east; uproar in the north – but Nigeria’ll survive

By Fredrick Nwabufo

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igeria is at a tempestuous crossroads. It will be a failed attempt at casuistry to play down the multi-pronged encumbrances the country is contending with. All is not well. It appears when attention is turned to one problem, another irritation materialises angling for notice.

Nigeria has never been this tried and tested by in situ tribulations since the return of democracy in 1999.

Troubling times. While the country is still held in solitary grief by the violent pursuits of Boko Haram, bandits and kidnappers, another deadly insurgency rises, like the sun on its most vexed day, in the south-east. Nigeria is at war on all fronts. The country is like the biblical Israel hedged about by hostile neighbours. However, Nigeria’s case is quite peculiar.

Those assaulting the nation are not aliens but citizens born and raised in the country.

One of the most fragile defence operations to prosecute is that involving the state and its citizens -- because in this case the adversary is an insider who blends with the civil population. Also, there are limitations in the application of force in dealing with internal crisis.

A government must not be seen to be ruthless against its own people.

It must be seen to be measured in its response to internal threats.

An escalation of state force could tick off the alarm of humanitarian agencies and wary citizens. So, it is a tough call dealing with internal conflicts.

We cannot excuse our own role in this cataclysm. Years of directionless, insensitive, duplicitous and reactionary leadership from the 1960s to date led us down this primrose path.

It will be uncharitable to stack up the blame for the parlous state of things on any single Nigerian leader. All the leaders, past and present, have a sizeable share in the blame pile.

For example, we cannot excuse the disingenuity of those who poisoned Nigeria’s federal structure by abrogating regionalism and foisting a unitary system on the country in the 1960s. We cannot obviate the duplicity of those who created states to be unequal and who carved out portions of the country in a quest for vengeance and native politics in the late 60s; 70s, 80s and 90s. States were not created out of economic viability but for concerns by the prevailing insular interests.

We cannot also dismiss the underhandedness of those who infected the federal civil service with the virus of corruption and who polluted the political system with

the introduction of the presidential system of the government in the 1970s.

And of course, we cannot consign to oblivion those who palmed off a military document to the nation as constitution in 1999. It took years of cancerous growth and attrition decay to get us here. There is enough blame to go around.

Nigeria is like a beat-up Danfo at which different drivers take turns. Each driver comes with his own manual and cannibalises the vehicle without care for the passengers on it. The drivers leave with a part of the jalopy at every turn until nothing but the carcass is left. The leaderships over the years have butchered and cut up the country so violently that it will take an outlier to do the healing.

Really, it is puzzling that some brilliant minds who pontificate on leadership find themselves in government but end up going against everything they once gospelised. And when they are out of government they return to their pastime of attacking another government and retailing ‘’sound ideas’’. There must be something in government that addles the mind.

But, Nigeria is not a lost cause.

It is salvageable. Like I said earlier it will need an outlier to retool the country. The good news is there are many outliers who can provide leadership for the country. Leaders are not in short supply here. There is a need for mass mobilisation of consciences and citizens’ engagement on electoral choices ahead of the 2023 elections. We end up with mediocre leaders because the followership is equally deficient, divided, corrupt, and vacuous. The task to save Nigeria must not be left to a select group – everyone must put their hands on the wheel.

Yes, Nigeria needs leadership.

A surgeon-leader to perform lifesaving debulking; it needs an architect-leader to redesign the structure; it needs a mechanicleader to rework the engines, and it needs a physician to heal the divided country. It needs an outlier – not messiah.

I recall the song by Veno Marioghae, ‘’Nigeria go survive’’.

Growing up in Lagos I would listen to the song boom from the stereos at barber shops and nostalgic corners: ‘’Nigeria go survive, no matter all the trial, Nigeria go survive; my people go survive o, Nigeria go survive’’.

Nigeria survived a civil war; it survived militancy; it survived many civil unrests and riots, it will survive this current crisis.

Nigeria go survive.

Fredrick Nwabufo is a writer and journalist Twitter @FredrickNwabufo

PAGE 12

Opinion

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

Curbing the menace of drug trafficking and substance abuse

By Jerome-Mario Utomi

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here is one recent event in Abuja that again brought to the fore that the global fight against trafficking in drug is far from being won. It is the statement on Sunday April 4 2021 by Femi Babafemi, Director of media and Advocacy, National Drug Laws Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), that the agency at the departure lounge, Abuja International Airport, during clearance of an Ethiopian Air flight going to Italy via Addis Ababa found N564Million worth of heroin in the possession of one 40year old Nigerian.

While meditating on the damage such volume of illicit drug could have done to the future leaders of this world, the statement more than anything reminds me of how participants at a focused group discussion held in Lagos, a few years ago, bemoaned infestation of our nation by social problems perpetrated consciously and unconsciously by her own people. Warning that under this condition, it may be thought audacious to talk of creating a better society while we are still battling with the problems of battered economy arising from corruption, social vices and decay of institutions.

Among these social challenges, it was clearly stated at the meeting that the consumption of drugs in amounts and methods not authorized by medical professionals has become but a silent reality that Nigerians should worry about.

Noting that though the act cuts across all strata, powerful statistics make it abundantly clear that the youths-majorly males with a sprinkle of females remain undefeated in this act. The gathering concluded that drug which is any substance other than food or water which when taken into the body affect the way the system functions, have in the past led to mental disorder, disrupted the abuser’s education and future, poor attitude to work, health problems such as lung disease, heart disease and deaths among others.

Even as the above commentaries look ugly, the situation says something more and frightening.

Going by what medical experts are saying, evidence has since emerged and it demonstrates how uncensored intake of junks in the name of food, has placed humanity at a higher health hazard than the conventional health risks

associated with drug abuse.

There is equally a new revelation that living with an active drug abuser –for example, a husband automatically makes the wife a passive substance abuser, of which the adverse effect resulting from such an arrangement in most cases appears more pronounced on the passive abuser.

In view of the above reality, we have all, like J.P Clark, the late literary giant noted in his poem; ‘the casualty’, become casualties of drugrelated abuses.

So what does this mean to our nation where every day ‘exciting progress” is made in the consumption of these substances without recourse to prescription?

This stunning question has made getting to the cause of this social challenge more compelling.

But before then, let’s cast a glance on the main forms of drug abuse.

From reports by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), there are but three main forms of drug abuse. They include the use of; mood-altering or psycho-active drugs, performance-enhancing drugs and dependency drugs.

While mood-altering or psychoactive drugs such as Codeine, tramadol affect people’s reasoning ability and give the abuser the wrong sense of wellbeing, performance-enhancing drugs such as cocaine, heroin drug give extra stamina or energy to the abuser.

Dependency drugs on its part typify drugs people abuse in the course of trying to overcome some health issue or challenges or taken to maintain a particular lifestyle. In physical dependence, the person using a drug over a period of time would have developed an intense reliance on drugs, often to avoid difficult withdrawal symptoms. The person will often crave (strong desire) to use the drugs despite the damaging consequences to their physical, mental and social wellbeing. Drug users can also experience psychological dependence in which they believe it is necessary to use a drug to function sometimes just at social gatherings or all the time.

This challenge from what experts are saying is further nourished by our not being ready as a nation to confront the underlying cause(s) of drug dependency and other associated

behaviours. Our unwillingness to collectively assist the abusers to focus on un-learning such negative behaviours and in its place develop the required skills and positive attitudes to achieve a drug-free society as currently preached the world over.

Very regrettably, in abandoning this responsibility, one fact we fail to remember is that drug dependence is not based on a personal weakness or lack of morals on the part of the abuser but a chronic relapsing medical condition- a reality that, in my opinion, qualifies these people for our love and not vilification or abandonment.

For a better understanding of the plights of the abusers, we must begin to imagine what it would look like if those drug abusers were to be from our families. We can imagine ourselves participating in the funerals of our dear ones that passed on, no thanks to substance abuse.

Sincerely, our failure to love and care for these drug addicts in our society, make us more socially sick than the abusers.

In all, for us to win this war, all hands must be on decks. We must learn to be good role models and empower young people to deal with life challenges and stay away from substance abuse. We can achieve this by forming drugfree clubs in our schools and also making drug education part of the curricula of primary and secondary schools in Nigeria. Teenagers need to get accurate and detailed information about substance use from trusted and reliable adults, be it a parent or a teacher.

While this is ongoing, we need a renewed emphasis on feeding habits and style.

On the factors fueling the habit, it will by no means be an exaggeration to state that apart from negative peer influence, unemployment and a continuous avenue to escape problems and worries are the major reasons why Nigerian youths in particular take to the drug. This, however, may not be the only explanation fueling this social evil.

Specifically, the deliberate desire by these youths to hide their weaknesses, failure on the part of the family to train the youths on the way they should go, broken home influence, and pressure to succeed at all cost also promotes this social menace.

Regrettably, a common fact that abusers fail to remember is that aside from the wide

belief that throughout history more people have silently been destroyed by substance abuse than any other cause, drug abuse according to psychologists, has never helped any individual involved.

From this standpoint, it is a clear socioeconomic problem that we collectively as a nation will have to determine how to solve- as the future strength of our nation depends on these young people.

To succeed in this job, there are but two important sets of information. First, to the government; with current poor funding, poor personnel in number and training, this war against drug abuse may continue to be a difficult one unless something drastic is done by the government at all levels to reverse the trend.

Secondly, the abuser must recognize that drug abuse has both short and long term effects, but unfortunately, both lead to one destinationdeath.

Re-orientation on our cultural values by faith-based organizations and the civil society groups will assist the youths to drop illicit consumption of drugs and unwholesome behaviours that endanger their lives and threaten the society. Parents and guardians must strive to influence which people capture their children’s imaginations and always be aware of who their friends are and what places they frequent. And always put the youths in the presence of people of great accomplishment whom they want them to emulate.

These in the words of Ben Carson are things that used to be done quite routinely by caring guardians but now many young people derive their identity from their peer groups and their social network which can be extensive.

Youths on their part must recognize that ‘the future is full of promises as it is fraught with uncertainty. And should, therefore, develop the capacity to seek activities laced with the highest values Utomi is the Programme Coordinator (Media and Policy), Social and Economic Justice Advocacy (SEJA), Lagos. He could be reached via;jeromeutomi@ yahoo.com Curbing the menace of drug trafficking and substance abuse

China’s Five-Year Plan mirrors socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics

By He Yin

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hina’s five-year plan is a window from which the international society can seek opportunities for cooperation with China, and learn the achievements of the country’s socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics.

The making of China’s Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035 vividly mirrors the country’s practice of the Chinese democracy. It turned from proposals to a draft version, and was delivered this year to the “two sessions,” the annual meetings of China’s top legislature and political advisory body for deliberation.

General secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Xi Jinping remarked that under China’s socialist system, deliberations help when a problem crops up, and matters involving many people are discussed by all those involved; to reach consensus on the wishes and needs of the whole of society is the essence of people’s democracy.

The essence is fully demonstrated by how China made the Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National

Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035. The process also mirrored a fact that the CPC has always considered people as its top priority, regard as its goal the people’s aspirations to live a better life, and rely on the people to move history forward.

Pooling wisdom and forming synergy, China’s socialist democracy integrates people’s advice into top level design.

During the drafting stage of the Outline, Xi went for multiple inspection tours to different parts of China to listen to the wills of the people, and convened seven seminars to hear advices from different areas and social strata. When the two sessions were held in Beijing, he also deliberated on the draft version of the Outline with deputies and representatives for multiple times.

Last August, China started soliciting online public opinion on compiling the 14th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development, and a total of over one million comments were received, 1,000 of which were sorted out. The drafting group analyzed these 1,000 advices piece by piece, and absorbed all that could be adopted. The group made 366 amendments and took 546 advices and proposals from the Chinese society. During the two sessions, the draft version was deliberated on by deputies and

representatives and 55 amendments were made.

These figures and facts well explain China’s “whole-process democracy,” which indicates that the Outline, containing 19 parts, 65 chapters and 192 sections, is a combination of the wisdom and aspiration of the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups in China.

Why does Chinese democracy work?

That is a frequently asked question from the international society. Practices, both Chinese and foreign, modern and ancient, prove that it’s important to ensure that the people determine their own future and to have people’s representatives join the management of the country and society.

It’s also important to have the people join the management of the country and society through mechanisms other than election.

In some western countries that exercise democracy, people only have the right to vote, but are not allowed to broadly participate in national governance. They are activated during elections, and put into rest mode after voting. Such democracy is formalism, and leads to obvious and even unavoidable restrictions in national governance.

To make democracy work, countries must be committed to the principles of

serving the people and relying on the people.

Facts prove that Chinese democracy has not only ensured that the people determine their own future, but also practically turned the wisdom of the people into effective governance. It offered a stronger sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security, and guarantees people’s rights in a more sustained manner.

International observers said that Chinese democracy has overcome the flaws of western democracy, and is the most authentic and effective democracy that safeguards the widest fundamental interests of the people.

Democracy is one of the values jointly cherished by all mankind. There are various forms to practice it. No universal standard shall be adopted to judge whether democracy is implemented.

At present, global challenges, such as COVID-19, are posing a series of tests for governance, which is prompting the world to think deeper the essence of democracy and the ways to achieve it. The vitality shown by Chinese democracy is attracting increasingly more attention from the international society.

He Yin is an Int’l Affairs Analyst.

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

PAGE 13

Comment

To end gender-based violence in Kenya, we must allow both divergent and convergent opinions

By Ohaga Ohaga

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ince the advent of COVID-19 in Kenya, there has been a spike in gender-based violence (GBV) in the country.

For instance, barely a month after the first lockdown on April 2, 2020, the National Council on Administration of Justice (NCAJ) released a statement saying sexual offenses had risen significantly following the government’s announcement of the 7 PM -5 AM curfew.

But it is the most recent GBV incidences that have emphasized the immediate need to relook at how we approach gender-based violence and its connection to other human rights such as freedom of expression, right to an opinion; freedom of the media, and human dignity in Kenya.

On Thursday, March 25, Radio Africaowned Homeboyz Radio presenters were accused of “victim-shaming” a sexual violence survivor during the morning show. Shaffie Weru, Neville Musya, and Joseph Munoru alias DJ Joe Mfalme were referring to an incident where Eunice Wangari Wakimbi 20-year-old woman whose boyfriend, whom she met on Facebook, allegedly threw her from the 12th floor of a building while they were drinking on their first date.

It’s this occurrence that provided Kenyans with the best opportunity to relook and rethink how to approach GBV. It is also this incidence that Shaffie premised his comments and asked his radio audience if they think such ladies are “too lose” and “too available. “Do you think Kenyan chiles (slang) are too available? Are they too loose, too willing, too desperate and that’s why they get themselves caught up in such situations?” Shaffie had asked. However, what was lost in the entire debate is what Shaffie said after that… He told the audience that women should play hard to get and occasionally be unavailable and urged women to stop going out to drink with men whenever called upon.

Opinion is heavily divided on whether these comments were meant to start up a debate or to victimize a sexual violence survivor. Shaffie’s remarks soon drew nationwide debate and created two groups. The Left and the Right.

To the left, were men and women who quickly assumed the role of high priests and chief moralists. They knew everything about genderbased violence and anyone with divergent opinions was regarded as a rape apologist, GBV enabler, male supremacist, or a ”whataboutism” purveyor. The Left was the prosecutor, judge, and juror in the matter.

To the right were men and women who felt Shaffie and company were right. That women must no ‘eat fare’ and that Eunice shouldn’t have

been in the building with a man she barely knew.

They regarded the Left as marriage washouts, toxic feminists, and boy-child emasculators.

They were the defense and witness in the matter.

A matter that was supposed to be a conversation starter was immediately turned into a gender war. Daggers were drawn and guns were cocked. Sober opinions were drowned by the loudest speakers. Only those with lethal and sharp tongues thrived. The debate was chaotic, disorderly, and dramatic.

Gender issues in this country are like land matters. Often emotive and highly flammable.

In practice nonetheless, best laws aren’t made when people are comfortable but when they are not. This was an uncomfortable moment but it offered us the best chance to tackle GBV issues.

It was supposed to be a conversation starter.

Especially because the matter was touching on the media practice and had gained a lot of traction on social media.

This was the time to unpack Shaffie’s comments and interrogate them. This was the time to talk to our girls about ‘eating fare’ and our boys about not expecting sex after sending fare.

This was the time to tell our girls, listen danger lurks where you least expect it. This was the time to remind the men that sexual consent is nonnegotiable. This was the time to ask Shaffie; why do you think such acts by women warrants them to be termed as ‘’too loose’’ or ‘’too available’’?

But we didn’t take that opportunity rather we wanted instant justice. Indeed, the justice prevailed but did this further the agenda on the GBV campaign? What message have both sides taken home?

We lost a chance that would have turned into opportunities like civic education on gender sensitivity, and trainings for all media practitioners, because let’s face it, Shaffie’s thoughts are shared by many men and women outside the parameters of Homeboyz Radio.

These are daily conversations amongst Kenyans.

These are daily conversations on social media.

According to the 2014 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS), 45 percent of women aged 15-49 have experienced physical violence since 15. 14 percent of women aged 1549 report having experienced sexual violence at least once in their lifetime. Overall, 39 percent of ever-married women age 15-49 report having experienced spousal physical or sexual violence.

This a confirmation that GBV is a serious going concern here.

Lessons Shaffie’s comments offered us a chance to relook at the ways of the man and how he thinks of women. We needed to stop for a moment and ask ourselves, why is Shaffie saying this? Is there a basis for his comments?

For us to end GBV in Kenya we must allow men to speak their minds. It’s until we achieve this that we will end GBV. Look at it this way, men are the custodian of culture in this country.

In many communities, they are the opinion leaders. Also, they are the leaders in most households. Over and above that, GBV doesn’t only affect women. It affects men too. We must therefore look at it from both sides.

Unless we indulge men to tell us how they feel about the same in an uncensored, unedited, and unfiltered manner we will make policies that exist only in paper but not in practice. It is through these ‘’insensitive’’ thoughts that we can then develop the best policies and have the same entrenched in our daily lives and workplaces.

Disallowing the people to share their opinions means that you have policies that work for only one side. Victimization of men for saying something is the reason many have cowered in silence and finds it difficult coming out even when they are the victims of GBV. Two, for us to amplify our voices in the fight against the GBV, we need media as allies. To be an effective ally, it must feel free to offer that platform. The media is supposed to bring to fore issues that make us uncomfortable while still observing the law. To censor it for doing that is essentially killing the conversation.

Because we attached so many emotions to the matter and blew the entire conversation out of proportion, we missed the opportunity to address the many grey errors that exist in the fight against gender-based violence in this country.

Three, we suffer from over legislation of media laws. We have so many bodies with attachment to media practice. Whereas we have a journalism code of conduct that is enforced by the Media Council of Kenya, it’s the Kenya Communications Authority of Kenya that rushed into penalizing the presenters and the media house. On this matter alone, three bodies had interest. The Communications Authority, Media Council of Kenya, and National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC).

Alternative approach Communications Authority of Kenya had an opportunity to turn the punishment meted on Homeboyz Radio into an awareness creation, sensitization, and civic education moment for not just the station but to all the media practitioners and general public. We could have achieved so much by keeping the radio on-air teaching Kenyans than closing it down.

The punishment is a deterrent but it doesn’t stop the gender insensitivity talks. That apart, the station was fined 1million shillings but this is almost the same salary as Shaffie’s in a month. The licenses have been suspended but

the thoughts haven’t been. Homeboyz is off air but many other radio stations thrive on explicit and adult-rated content still on air.

This was a moral and ethical issue rather than a legal one. And that is why, even the MCK noted in its statement saying… “in line with the enforcement process, the MCK issued a notice demanding retraction and apology for violation of clauses 21, 23 and 24 of the journalism codes of conduct, that speak to use of pictures and names, acts of violence and editor’s responsibility’’.

Presently, the debate has gone silent, and conversation has largely been forgotten except for the victims and their families.

Rights violated Every person has inherent dignity and the right to have that dignity respected and protected as is envisaged under Article 28 of the Constitution. But the same Constitution provides for freedom of expression under Article 33 and freedom of the media under Article 34.

One law doesn’t outweigh the other. That is to say that we can’t uphold someone’s right to human dignity by violating another right to an opinion. We must not use the law selectively but decisively? GBV victims have suffered loss of dignity but does this mean that any thought regarding them should be suspended because of their loss? Who decides what is a right or a wrong opinion? Was Shaffie and company wrong for expressing their opinions? How do we strike a balance between the right of speech and respect for human dignity? Does the right to speak outweigh the right to human dignity?

Moving forward We must learn to be tolerant of other people’s views even if we don’t agree with them.

That’s is how democracy works and is nurtured.

In this case, we missed the chance because the issue was blown out proposition and the issues that emerged were swallowed by non -issues, and sober voices were drowned by the loudest speakers.

These gender wars in Kenya can either aggravate the problem of GBV or can lead to a solution. To succeed, we must stop with the mixed messaging and double standards in fighting GBV. We can’t blow hot when it’s about the woman and cold when it’s the man. Women’s rights are human rights. Men’s rights are human rights. None is superior to the other. It’s about agreeing that the energy we use in dealing with violence against women is the same we apply when the man is the victim.

Executive Officer of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev told Russian President Vladimir Putin during an early April meeting to review developments as well as production and promotion of Russian vaccines.

In addition, he informed the president that RDIF and its partners are actively working with Russian manufacturers, it took three months to build Sputnik Technopolis, one of the largest plants to produce the vaccine, and together with R-Pharm. Russia is setting up international production per agreements with 10 countries and 20 manufacturers, including the world’s largest producers.

Beyond that, the Russian Direct Investment Fund is actively implementing a programme, of course, with a focus on vaccinating Russian citizens, but part of the vaccine produced abroad will simultaneously be delivered to foreign markets and external countries that show interest in using them, according Dmitriev.

According to his assessment, Russia is not only one of the current leaders in the world in terms of vaccination rate, but it can provide vaccines to all people in Russia who want to be vaccinated before June using the production capacities in Russia and abroad.

“As I understood from talking to experts, our vaccine is effective against all known strains of the virus,” Putin commented during the discussion, and Kirill Dmitriev smartly added that “due to the two jabs, it is better than the other vaccines as relates to mutations. We believe that our vaccine is one of the best in the world, including against new strains of Covid-19.”

In an official statement, the Russian Direct Investment Fund and Panacea Biotec, one of the leading vaccine and pharmaceutical producers in India, have agreed on cooperation to produce 100 million doses per year of Sputnik V. “Production of Sputnik V at Panacea Biotec sites will help facilitate global supply of Sputnik V to international partners of RDIF. Vaccine partnerships are the only way to overcome the pandemic. Cooperation with Panacea Biotec is an important step to produce the vaccine in India and to supply our international partners around the world,” Dmitriev was quoted by local news agencies as saying.

To date Sputnik V has been registered in 59 countries globally with total population of over 1.5 billion people. Efficacy of Sputnik V is 91.6% as confirmed by the data published in the Lancet, one of the world’s oldest and most respected medical

journals.

Reports show that Russia has produced 20.1 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine as of March 17, while 4.3 million people, out of a population of 144 million, have received both shots of the vaccine.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, at 225,572, the total coronavirusrelated death toll places Russia third after the United States, which has reported over 553,000 deaths, and Brazil, with over 325,000.

According to the Russian Statistics Service, this April Russia has recorded over 225,000 deaths related to coronavirus since the start of the pandemic. That Russia has the third highest death toll in the world.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is Russia’s sovereign wealth fund established in 2011 by the Russian government to make investments in leading companies of high-growth sectors of the Russian economy. Its mandate is to co-invest alongside the world’s largest institutional investors – direct investment funds, sovereign wealth funds and leading companies

Fighting Covid-19 pandemic: The Russian way

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

W

ith a strong structured plan and that includes President Vladimir Putin weekly meetings with regional governors and related ministry officials, Russia is indeed making headway in mobilizing first its own domestic resources in fighting and controlling the coronavirus pandemic.

Under these time-testing conditions, the Russian government also ponders on the necessity to adopt a concerted approach to the economic sectors related to public health system, making efforts to strengthen fundamental research in all health disciplines and close the pitfalls in its policy.

Arguably, Russia is really moving with innovative orientations, exploring to find lasting solutions. Without doubts, Russia is far ahead, both in terms of medical tests and vaccines.

Currently, it is partnering with India and South Korea in manufacturing vaccines for immunization of both foreigners and Russians.

“India and South Korea are already producing the vaccine, and many of these enterprises will reach full capacity in April. Thus, this is truly the greatest achievement of Russian science, which is widely acknowledged by the entire world,” Chief

The author is a Kenyan journalist, writer, and communication specialist with a special interest in media law and political communication.

Kester Kenn Klomegah is an Int’l Affairs Analyst.

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PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

N ews

Kogi takes Kebbi governor donates N50m delivery to Zamfara market fire victims T of 16,900 doses of COVID-19 vaccines he Chairman, Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) and Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, has donated the sum of N50million to the victims of fire disaster in Gusau Market of Zamfara State.

This is contained in a statement by Bagudu’s Special Assistant on Media, Mr Yahaya Sarki, in Abuja.

Bagudu on behalf of his colleagues, announced the donation when he led some members of the forum on a sympathy visit to Gov. Bello

Matawalle of Zamfara in Gusau. ”This incidence affected the livelihood of not only the traders but others who patronage the market have become victims of the inferno.

“The fire incident is tragic and it sadden me, we therefore found it necessary to show our concern and sympathy to the victims’.

“So, we are here to express our sincerest sympathies and show our deepest concerns as regards the tragic incident .”

He said that the gesture was to compliment the effort

of Zamfara State Governor in assisting the victims to restart their business activities as they had lost everything they had laboured for.

“This devastating incident regrettably struck at a time when the Zamfara State Governor was working on all fronts to reinvigorate the economy of the state .

Responding, Matawalle commended the Progressives Governors forum for the immeasurable gesture to the government and people of the

state .

Matawalle, who took the visitors around the Tudun Wada section of the Market that was most affected by the inferno, thanked Bagudu and his team.

He said that the gesture would go a long way in alleviating the losses of the victims of the inferno.

He said: “This is what brotherliness is all about which says , blood is thicker than water.

This is an exemplary show of love, friendship, commitment and solidarity” he said.(NAN)

T

he Kogi Government on Monday night took delivery of about 16, 900 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and the inoculation exercise will be flagged off in the state on Tuesday, April 6.

Dr Abubakar Yakubu, Executive Director, Kogi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (KSPHCDA), led a team of officials from the agency and the Kogi Ministry of Health to receive the vaccines at the Central Medical Store, Lokoja.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after taken delivery of the vaccines, Yakubu said the most awaited COVID-19 vaccines arrived the state from Abuja at about 7:40p.m., saying Kogi was well prepared for it.

“The first line of recipients of the vaccines are the health workers…

The vaccine administration will be followed by the first line workers like the police, military, NSCDC, Customs officials, among others,” he said.

Yakubu said that the ministry intended to carry out the campaign as efficient as it could because the state was behind scheduled compared to other states which had almost completed their 10day mandatory campaign for the administration of the vaccines.

The Executive Director noted that the state was initially expecting about 45,000 doses of the vaccine from the NPHCDA, which accounted for one per cent of the state’s total population.

“However, to our surprise we are being supplied with 16,900 doses now. I think there will be further reconciliation to send the balance of the doses as soon as possible,” he said.

Also speaking, Alhaji Acheku Yusuf, Kogi Health Promotion Officer, said the ministry had solicited the support of all relevant stakeholders and is running jingles to ensure adequate sensitisation of the people about the vaccine.

On her part, Mrs Bilikisu Adagiri, the State Cold Chain Officer, said the state was fully prepared for the administration of the vaccines to people above 18 years.

Mr Olumide Ade-Yeye, the Vaccine Security and Logistic Consultant, UNICEF Kogi, said they were happy as a state to be part of those who would participate in COVID-19 vaccination.

From left: Director-General, National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha; Minister of State for Science and Technology, Alhaji Mohammed Abdullahi; Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu; Vice Chancellor, Nile University of Nigeria (NUN), Prof. Osman Nuri Aras; Deputy Vice Chancellor Academics, NUN, Prof. Abdurrahman Isik; and Dean Faculty of Sciences, Prof. Moussa Boukar, during the visit of the NUN delegation to the Minister’s Office in Abuja yesterday.

Delta govt to reconstruct Oyede internal roads

By Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

D

elta Governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, on Monday announced that his administration would reconstruct internal roads in Oyede community in Isoko North Local Government Area.

Okowa made this known at the resumed ward-toward campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of Saturday House of Assembly by-election for Isoko North

constituency.

He said that the state government would also award contract for the perimeter fencing of Oyede Boys’ Primary School..

“By the special grace of God, we will add to existing infrastructure in this Ward.

“Everybody should work together in Isoko North to ensure overwhelming victory for our party, the PDP, in the forthcoming Isoko North constituency by-election.

“I don’t want to see faction in Isoko North. Everybody should continue to work together,” Okowa said and lauded leaders of the party in the local government for their sustained commitment to the party.

He assured that his administration would continue to execute people-oriented projects across the state within the limit of available resources, adding that the 26-km Ellu-OvrodeOfagbe-Orie-Okpe-Isoko-UroAda road would be completed by

the administration.

The governor expressed delight with the mammoth crowd that received the PDP campaign train in each of the wards visited, and charged members of the party in the area to continue to work as a team and ensure that the party emerged victorious in the byelection.

He urged them to shun factional politics in all its ramifications, and reiterated his charge to leaders of the party to work assiduously in the interest of members.

Monarch drums support for Nigerian security agencies From:Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

W

orried by the recent attack on security agencies by some mischievous elements, Chairman of Yoruba Council of Obas and Chiefs in the 19 Northern

States and Abuja, Ambassador Muhammad Arigbagbuwo has called on Nigerians to support the security Agencies to overcome the challenges.

He made the assertion while speaking with our correspondent in kaduna yesterday.

The Monarch said the actions is a deliberate move to instill fear in the mind of the citizens.

Ambassador Arigbagbuwo further said creating a state of anarchy is the aim of the criminal elements and must be resisted by all.

He specifically called for prayers for the troops to succeed in the fight against the bandits’, kidnappers and insurgents.

The Royal Father urged the service Chiefs not to be discouraged rather remain focus as Nigerians are behind them.

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PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

APC governors tricking me into party – Gov Matawalle

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

T

he Governor of Kebbi State, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu has told Governor Bello Mohammad Matawalle that he has the intention to end the long dominated banditry and economic backwardness in his state but forces against him have always been the setback.

Governor Bagudu made this remark when the APC Governors forum visited him in Gusau, the state capital where the forum donated the sum of N50 million to the state government over the inferno that consumed 63 shops in Tudun Wada market in Gusau, the state capital.

According to him, the many sad events faced by Governor Matawalle, which have affected him psychologically, have turned his attention away from his plans.

“You can never be a man until you have solved the problem much larger than his life. Difficulty is the test of manhood,” he lamented.

He noted that the sad events were brought by God to test his faith and to strengthen him for the tasks ahead of him, saying that if he relaxes, he has failed in his constitutional responsibility.

But in his response, Governor Matawalle swiftly replied that the APC Governors were using tricks to lure him into the All Progressive Congress (APC), pointing out that he has not even made up his mind to defect to APC, albeit the rumour of his defection to APC has been circulating round the State.

However, the Director-General, Press Affairs to the Governor, Comrade Yusuf Idris Gusau, said to the best of his knowledge, the Governor has no plan to defect to APC, saying that it was just an empty propaganda that can be thrown into another waste-basket.

2023: INEC needs restructuring, blame Buhari for electoral bill – Sen. Jang

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

A

former presidential aspirant in the 2019 general elections under the platform of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and former Governor of Plateau State, Senator Jonah Jang, has said for Nigeria to have credible and successful elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must be restructured.

The former Governor also said the National Assembly should not be blamed for the lacuna in the country’s electoral system, since the 8th Assembly had passed the Electoral Bill but President Muhammadu Buhari has refused

to sign it into law.

The immediate past Senator who represented Plateau North equally decried the non delineation of constituencies in the country, saying it’s over 20 years since it was last done.

Jang disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Jos, the Plateau State capital.

He said, “The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is very clear about delineation of constituencies; that after every ten years, INEC is supposed to revisit the delineation exercise and they are supposed to do it according to the population of the area.

According to him, “This is the way they are handling the nation’s constitution.

“The areas that suits the powers that be, they use, while the one that doesn’t suit them, they don’t touch it,” he lamented.

“When was the last delineation of constituencies done in this country?” he asked.

“It’s over 20 years now, nobody wants to talk about it, because they know that it is helping their injustice over other areas,” he maintained.

The former Governor further explained that, “If INEC is truly independent, they are not supposed to take orders from anybody before embarking on any delineation, because it is a constitutional function; but because they have to go with the powers that be, they will not do

it.

“That is why I have said, INEC is one of the areas that badly requires restructuring if we are going to have credible and successful elections in this country,” he stressed.

Speaking on the Electoral Bill, Jang who was the immediate past Senator that represented Plateau North in the 8th Senate, said, “Before we left the 8th Senate, and the House of Representatives, we passed the Electoral Bill, but the President refused to sign it into law, so don’t blame the National Assembly.

“Now I heard they are talking about Electoral Law again; what happened to the one we passed?” he asked.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan (M) being received

by Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State (R) and Deputy Governor, Sen. Baba Tela, during his visit to Bauchi yesterday.

Atiku’s citizenship: AGF Malami blinded by 2023 presidential ambition – Support group

By Musa Baba Adamu

A

socio-political group, Amalgamated Atiku Support Group, has lambasted the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN) for allegedly casting aspersions on the Nigeria citizenship of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.

The group accused Malami of being blinded by his ambition for the 2023 Presidency by insinuating that Atiku is not eligible to vie for the exalted office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In a statement by its Director of Media, Remi Adebayo, the

group said it was laughable for a Chief Law Officer of the federation to behave the way Malami did on the citizenship of Atiku.

The statement reads “In accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Attorney General of the federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami is expected to be the Chief Law officer of the entire nation.

“As the Attorney General of the Federation, it becomes a huge source of concern when the occupant of the exalted office is acting as if he is the Attorney General of the ruling APC. “For Malami to join the suit filed by a hurriedly put together

group known as Trustees of Egalitarian Mission for Africa (EMA) begs the question as to what the interest of Malami the AGF is.

“The suit before the court challenging the citizenship of Atiku Abubakar, it would be recalled, has been exhaustively dealt with by the Court of Appeal and same affirmed by the Supreme Court at the final judgment during the Presidential election petition tribunal.

“It is therefore laughable and inconceivable to see the Attorney General of the Federation putting his weight behind such an exercise in futility.

“For the avoidance of doubt,

Atiku’s Nigeria’s citizenship is a settled matter and anything contrary to that is a figment of Malami’s warped imagination.

“However, it must be expressly stated that Malami’s action is predicated on his ambition to run for the office of the President to take over from Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.

“This inordinate ambition of Malami can be glimpsed from how desperately he moved against some of his own party men who have indicated interest to run against him in the APC, but ultimately, Atiku Abubakar is seen as the biggest threat hence this heinous move to stop the former Vice President.

“But we have no doubt that this plot shall fail. Malami’s belief that he can use his position as the chief law officer and the instrumentality of the courts to achieve his vaulting ambition will also collapse on his face.

“We urge the courts not to allow itself to be a pawn in the hands of AGF Malami, even as we ask Nigerians to speak up and rise against this evil machination as it is capable of denying them (Nigerians) the much-needed good governance that would be brought by Atiku Abubakar when God willing he is elected into the office of the President come 2023.”

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

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POLITICS

Commercial activities kick-off at some sections of Araromi Spare Parts Market, Agodi Gate in Ibadan following last Thursday’s midnight fire, yesterday.

Nigeria’s situation getting worse – Obasanjo laments fate of LGs F

By Christiana Ekpa

ormer President, Olusegun Obasanjo has called for fervent prayers for Nigeria, warning that things are getting worse daily.

Obasanjo made the call when he hosted the new President of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Akeem Olatunji Ambali, at his Presidential Library Penthouse residence.

He said the situation in the 774 local governments had become worse, observing that they are no longer able to fulfil functions highlighted by the 1976 Local Government Reform.

He said “I am of the view that the situation needs prayers.

A situation whereby a local government cannot even afford

a grader to make local roads motorable.

“They can not build a hospital or provide for the educational needs of their people. This is not what we wanted the local government to be when we were creating the 1976 Reform.”

The former Nigerian leader said the rot started under the military, who wanted to have such local councils in their respective areas.

He recalled that after local councils were increased to 774 from about 300, the politicians made matters worse with corruption.

“Local governments are expected to provide overall quality of life for the people who reside in their communities, but is that what we have now?”, Obasanjo queried.

Ambali updated the former President on the recent happenings in the union. He sought Obasanjo’s intervention and contribution on the planned delisting of local government from the 1999 constitution by the National Assembly.

The NULGE leader described the bill as an attempt to kill local government administration in the country.

The labour leader disclosed union leaders have been mandated to visit members of the lower chambers in their constituencies as part of advocacy and engagement to ensure they stand with the people.

Ambali said delisting the local government from the constitution is grievous, noting that despite being functional, the executive capitalises on the lacuna in section

7 (6 A&B), which permits the Houses of Assembly to legislate and appropriate funds for local governments, “to mismanage local government funds”.

“If they can perpetuate this illegality despite the constitutional provisions, it will be worse when the local government is delisted.

“This is because money meant for development at the grassroots will be credited to the state government and governors, and nobody will be responsible for the growth and development of the local government.

“We decided to come and inform you about this inhumane step, which you genuinely created in 1976. It will rubbish the good intentions that you had and completely mess up the councils,” Ambali added.

Shehu Sani warns Tinubu against northern conspiracy, reminds him of Abiola

Imo prison break: Defend yourselves against IPOB – Uzodinma tells policemen

By Musa Adamu

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

F

Baba

o l l o w i n g speculations that Bola Tinubu, the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will be running for the presidency in 2023, Shehu Sani, a former Kaduna Central Senator, has warned him against trusting northern politicians.

Sani warned that Northern politicians may sabotage Tinubu’s presidential ambition as they did to MKO Abiola.

The former lawmaker who spoke in Osogbo,

Osun State capital, said Tinubu should learn from the story of Abiola, who the Northern elites conspired against.

He said: “Well, the person of Asiwaju is the one I know in the field of struggle. We worked together for MKO’s project and for the resistance against the annulment.

“I know him personally. But what I tweeted is more of a Biblical/Shakespearian allegory or whatever one can use in sending a message to someone and what I am trying to say is that as he is allegedly

moving towards contesting for the presidency, he should try to know the actual feeling on the ground as far as the North is concerned because I know what Abiola went through.

“Abiola served the North more than any other businessman from the western part of Nigeria. He printed the Quran and shared it with many Muslims.

But how did he end up? They (northerners) conspired against him and sabotaged him and at the end of the day, he was gone.”

I

mo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, on Tuesday, urged policemen to use their rifles to defend themselves against members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Uzodinma spoke at the Police Command headquarters when the Inspector General of Police, Muhammed Adamu, visited the state to assess the level of harm done on the police facility by unknown gunmen on Monday.

“If you can’t attack them, you can at least use your rifles to defend yourselves. Any attack on police formation is

an insult to us as a government.

“It is also an attack on the integrity of the government.

We must take charge, take control and ensure discipline, ”the governor said.

Recall that some unknown gunmen had attacked the police headquarters and the Correctional Centre in Owerri and freed hundreds of inmates.

The gunmen who operated from 1 am to 3 am on Monday freed suspects in almost all the cells at the State Criminal Investigation Department of the command.

Meanwhile, Uzodinma had already set up a commission of inquiry following the incident on Monday.

Continue to hold politicians accountable - APC charges religious leaders

T

he ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked Nigerian clerics not to succumb to blackmail but continue to hold public officials accountable at all times.

The party said “Clerics should not be silent when politicians go wrong,” adding that religious leaders should continue to “holding the political class accountable to the people that we can have the kind of society we desire.”

Speaking at the 80th birthday thanksgiving and book launch of Venerable Emmanuel O. Ajayi (rtd) held at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Oboroke, Ihima Kogi state, Secretary of the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Committee, Sen. James John Akpanudoedehe, also charged the clerics to uphold Biblical injunction to pray for their leaders.

Akpanudoedehe, who was represented by the APC Assistant Director of Media, Hon. Edegbe Odemwingie, said “May I use this opportunity to urge religious leaders in the country to continue to talk to those of us who are politicians, to do the right thing.

“Clerics should not be silent when politicians go wrong. For, it is by holding the political class accountable to the people that we can have the kind of society we desire. Religious leaders must be true examples to their followers.

“Also, I want to appeal to Christians to continue to uphold the biblical injunction to pray for their leaders. Power comes from God alone and He gives it to whoever He wills. As leaders, we do not know it all. We certainly require your prayers at all times for spiritual strength and divine wisdom to navigate the very complex art of governing a diverse nation like Nigeria.”

While declaring the event open, former governor of Akwa Ibom, Victor Attah, called on religious leaders to be united in forging the way forward for Nigeria.

Attah said: “This is the time for religious leaders to be united in forging the way forward for the country. I want to urge them to support the calls for the Devolution of Powers or True Federalism or Restructuring, whichever way we want to call it. For, that is the surest way out of the present quagmire we have found ourselves as a country.”

Many speakers at the event described the celebratory Ven. Emmanuel O. Ajayi, as true man of God who should be emulated by the upcoming clerics.

The book, The Gardner Chronicles the practical experiences of Ven. Emmanuel O. Ajayi (rtd).

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PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

POLITICS

Anambra deserves better than PDP, APGA can offer - APC guber aspirant

George Moghalu is the current Managing Director of Nigeria Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), and also an All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant in the forthcoming governorship election slated for November 6 in Anambra, in this interview with journalists, he boasts of manifesto to revolutionise governance in the State more than PDP and APGA can offer. Correspondent, Ikechukwu Okaforadi, was there. Excerpts: Why are you stepping out of NIWA to contest Anambra governorship election?

My aspiration to serve as Governor of Anambra state is not a new thing. I am sure you know that I ran for the governorship seat in 2003. If I had stepped in then and still stepping in 2021, then that is almost 18 years back. It is only that there is a desire to change the narrative. I believe very strongly that I have the capacity, ability, and determination to change the story of my State. I want to play an active role in getting the state back to where it should be. I think quite a lot of things have not been done right. I believe there are better alternatives. Better ways to do a lot of things and change the story. But, as we get along, when I will be able to unfold my manifesto, people will be able to understand the driving force. So principally, there is a desire and determination to serve our people at the level of a Governor. That is without prejudice to the fact that I have a responsibility now which I am doing my best to justify the confidence of the President who appointed me. My ministers who nominated me and my family that has confidence in me. And, my friends who expect much from me.

Because I believed very strongly that to whom much is given much is expected. At this level, I believe much has been given to me. Then I have the responsibility to deliver much to society. For me, it is about the service at another level. Because even before I became the MD of NIWA, by the grace of the President, I was chairman of a board of federal parastatal; National Communication Satellite (NIGCOMSAT).

APC is not popular in Anambra, how do you intend to make a headway?

APC as you know is a national party and there is a new reawakening across the country, particularly in the South East about the party. The fundamental point is not necessarily about the old narratives.

It is about the new consciousness. I keep telling people that we are going into the election with our report cards. We are going to present what APC has been able to do in the South East and in Anambra.

We will put it side by side with what others have done. Again, we will also have to put side by side the credibility, character, capacity and ability of whoever is going to fly the flag of the party. That is why it is important that the party takes into cognizance the experience, exposure, capacity and ability to contest and win an election without baggage. We have very great personnel. Our people are not satisfied with the governance of the state with what it is today. It is like having married these men for some time, let us try this husband. PDP has ruled our state.

APGA has ruled our state. Why don’t we try APC now and see whether the narrative will change and see the differences, so that we can do comparative analysis. As to whether we have the chance. I can tell you, without sounding immodest that, it is our best chance.

Given an unwritten understanding in the State, are Chief George Moghalu, MD (NIWA) you for zoning to South?

Truth be told, there is no place what he or she wants. So, when we get an agreement was reached in terms to the bridge, we will cross it. But, what I of everybody sitting down to sign an can tell you without fear of contradiction, agreement that it must be zoned to the is that finance won’t be an issue.

South. Truth also be told that for justice and fairness, Anambra South should Must you be Governor of benefit. And, more so if you look at the Anambra and what can you do narrative of key players like the traditional differently if you win? rulers, critical stakeholders, they will tell What I don’t know is whether because you that for things to work properly, the I have tried it two times, I shouldn’t go for right thing to do is to zone the position of the third time. I will give you examples of the governorship seat to Anambra south. those who have tried three or four times This is without prejudice to the fact that and they weren’t doing well before God every street in Anambra state has the answered their prayers. So, the truth capacity to generate a complete cabinet. about it is that I am not desperate. I have I can tell you that we are well-schooled. said that because I believe very strongly You can have the kind of person you that all powers belong to God. And he want in all the three senatorial zones of gives it to whoever he pleases at his the state. But, for equity and fairness, own time. But, you must make yourself the tide favors the South and that is why available for God to use you. If it is the will everybody appears to be singing the song of God that I will be governor, nothing that this time around, the ticket should can stop it. If it is His will that I will not be in the South. be governor, nothing can also make it possible. So, that fact is very clear. I will Anambra is acclaimed to have like to say that at this stage that for every highest number of billionaire opportunity that you have, serve, that politicians, are you one of them? posterity will remember you. And, that I don’t know whether in the criteria is my guiding principle. In any position, for election now, if being a billionaire I give it my best shot, so that when I leave is part of it. I also know that when you office, I will be remembered. In offices collect your nomination and expression I have held in the past and in NIWA of interest forms, there is no column presently, I have done everything I can to there that says you should attach your serve the people. For example, you may bank account. That I know. But, what I be aware that for about 42 years, Onitsha will tell you is that I am comfortable by Port was designed and built under my the Grace of God. It is not about money administration as the first commercial now. I am a contented person because I badge. And we are doing everything we know contentment is great riches and it can to make sure that our river port and gives a lot of peace of mind. As to whether those that are under construction are I will run against billionaires, it depends completed and that they are functional, on what Anambra people are looking because I believed very strongly that the for. If we are looking for billionaires, only way you can address port congestion we know where to find them. If we are and infrastructural decay is by making the looking for someone who can deliver in waterways functional. All over the world, terms of service, we know where to find bulk cargos are either moved by water them. One thing I can tell you about our or by rail. Our roads are not designed to people is that we know what we want. carry the pressure they are carrying. And, The Anambra man and woman knows if the waterways are functional over 60 to

“

The issue of stepping down does not even arise. I wonder who will look at me and ask me to step down. My decision to run for office was taken in my closet. And, you come out and say I should step down. Such will not even arise. I can assure you that such won’t arise.

70 containers that arrived in Lagos today have their final destination in Onitsha or Aba. So if we can take those going to Onitsha and move them by water, like an example, we take 50 containers out of the roads, what we have done is that we have taken 100000 trailers out of the roads.

50 going and 50 coming with emptiness.

And, if we can do this and achieve it, I can assure you that we are good to go.

So, I want to be governor because I want to serve. You cannot give what you don’t have, they have given you what they have.

I am confident and convinced that I will do better.

We learnt that APC leaders held a meeting to impose a candidate at the primary?

This question should not have come to me but to the party. Because I was not part of a meeting to impose a candidate.

But, I agree with those who are saying that for any democratic process to be credible, for it to be peaceful and to achieve success at the end of the day, the primary process must be credible and acceptable. One thing for a credible primary is that it encourages unity among members after the primary. It is easier to lose and the person reconciles with the party and the establishment and moves on. But when you feel shortchanged and deceived, that the process was schemed abinitio with the intention to get you out of the way, if eventually you are gotten out of the way, there is a likelihood and a tendency for you to fight back. And, that is not usually in the interest of the party.

Just like you on the outside. My appeal is let the process be free, fair, and credible.

Over 11 contestants are contesting, what if you are asked to step down in the primary?

The issue of stepping down does not even arise. I wonder who will look at me and ask me to step down. My decision to run for office was taken in my closet. And, you come out and say I should step down.

Such will not even arise. I can assure you that such won’t arise.

Will Anambra people trust APC? Why will they not trust APC when the facts are on the ground. I just use one example. In 16 years they were flagging off the Niger bridge. Every four years they flag it off. And, after flagging it off they dismantle the canopies. And the story ended there. Until Buhari came into office and we are talking of the completion date. Is that not enough story to tell? Let me also draw your attention to the fact that there was a time in this country that an Igbo son as Deputy Senate President and a son was Deputy Speaker.

An Igbo was chairman Senate committee on works. An Igbo son was committee chairman on works. He was secretary to the government of the federation. Igbo daughter was Minister for Finance. And Coordinating Minster of the economy.

And, no one kilometer of the road was tarred in Anambra or southeast states.

Enugu to Onitsha collapsed completely.

But, today work is ongoing. That is why I said we are going to go to the election with our report cards. If we have refused to sing our songs, we are going to sing them during the election.

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PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

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PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

Stock Watch: Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Low

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2.80 3.15 0 1.94 3.94 0 0.27 0.27 0 0.64 0.64 0 4.60 8.60 0 37.00 68.30 0 3.79 4.21 0 9.65 10.05 0 31.50 34.00 0 1.90 1.92 0 18.45 18.45 0 1.72 1.84 0 23.25 23.25 0 0.20 0.20 0 0.20 0.20 0 6.10 6.10 0 1.75 1.75 0 186.00 186.00 0 6.00 6.65 0 14.60 14.55 0 1.80 2.00 0 3.37 3.37 0 4.30 4.70 0 14.00 14.00 0 7.35 7.80 0 1.62 1.65 0 1.91 1.96 0 4.95 4.95 99 0.33 0.33 0 21.85 21.85 0 29.60 30.70 0 0.20 0.20 0 12.20 13.05 0 32.60 32.95 0 72.00 72.00 0 1.18 1.18 0 1.53 1.53 0 31.50 31.50 0 0.51 0.54 0 0.20 0.20 0 23.25 23.25 0 0.44 0.44 0 0.30 0.30 0 1.36 1.36 0 0.72 0.72 0 0.52 0.49 0 1.83 1.83 0 2.45 2.45 0

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5.80 6.00 ACCESS -0.35 3.94 3.94 AFRIPRUD 0.00 0.27 0.27 AGLEVENT 0.00 0.64 0.64 AIICO 0.00 8.60 8.60 BERGER 0.00 67.00 67.00 BETAGLAS -1.30 3.79 3.79 BOCGAS -0.42 9.65 10.05 CADBURY -0.40 31.50 31.50 CAP -2.50 1.90 1.90 CAVERTON -0.02 18.45 18.45 CCNN 0.00 1.72 1.72 CHAMPION -0.12 23.25 23.25 CONOIL 0.00 0.20 0.20 CORNERST 0.00 0.20 0.20 COURTVILLE 0.00 6.10 6.10 CUSTODIAN 0.00 1.75 1.75 CUTIX 0.00 186.00 186.00 DANGCEM 0.00 6.00 6.25 DANGFLOUR -0.65 14.60 14.60 DANGSUGAR 0.05 1.80 2.00 DIAMONDBNK -0.20 3.37 3.37 EKOCORP 0.00 4.30 4.30 ETERNA -0.40 14.00 14.00 ETI 0.00 7.45 7.60 FBNH -0.35 1.62 1.67 FCMB -0.03 1.92 1.98 FIDELITYBK -0.04 4.95 4.95 FIDSON 0.00 0.33 0.33 FIRSTALUM 0.00 21.85 21.85 FLOURMILL 0.00 29.60 29.60 FO -1.10 0.20 0.20 FTNCOCOA 0.00 12.20 12.20 GLAXOSMITH -0.85 33.50 33.50 GUARANTY 0.55 72.00 72.00 GUINNESS 0.00 1.18 1.18 HONYFLOUR 0.00 1.53 1.53 IKEJAHOTEL 0.00 31.50 31.50 INTBREW 0.00 0.53 0.53 JAIZBANK -0.01 0.20 0.21 JAPAULOIL 0.00 23.25 23.25 JBERGER 0.00 0.44 0.44 JOHNHOLT 0.00 0.30 0.30 LASACO 0.00 1.36 1.36 LEARNAFRCA 0.00 0.72 0.72 LINKASSURE 0.00 0.52 0.52 LIVESTOCK 0.03 1.83 1.83 MANSARD 0.00 2.45 2.45 MAYBAKER 0.00

Stock Close Gain UPL 1.14 0.13 LIVESTOCK 0.52 0.01 SOVRENINS 0.21 0.03 OKOMUOIL 60.00 1.80 GUARANTY 23.50 0.55

Low 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

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0.11 0.21 0 0.21 0.21 MBENEFIT 0.00 0 0.43 0.43 0 0.43 0.43 MCNICHOLS 0.00 0 1.05 2.05 261 2.05 2.05 MEDVIEWAIR 0.00 0 124.80 184.80 0 184.80 184.80 MOBIL 0.00 0 0.20 0.20 970 0.20 0.20 MULTIVERSE 0.00 0 3.50 3.50 0 3.50 3.50 NAHCO 0.00 0 18.00 18.00 0 18.00 18.00 NASCON 0.00 0 78.50 78.70 0 79.50 79.50 NB 0.80 0 0.78 0.78 0 0.78 0.78 NEIMETH 0.00 0 2.60 2.60 0 2.60 2.60 NEM 0.00 0 552.20 552.20 150 552.20 552.20 NESF 0.00 0 1,475.00 1,475.00 0 1,475.00 1,475.00 NESTLE 0.00 0 1.60 1.65 0 1.60 1.60 NPFMCRFBK -0.05 0 4.60 4.80 0 4.60 4.75 OANDO -0.20 0 80.00 76.20 0 80.00 80.00 OKOMUOIL 3.80 0 64.00 64.00 0 64.00 64.00 PRESCO 0.00 0 0.50 0.50 0 0.50 0.50 PRESTIGE 0.00 0 12.30 12.30 0 12.30 12.30 PZ 0.00 0 4.20 4.20 0 4.20 4.20 REDSTAREX 0.00 0 0.20 0.21 0 0.20 0.21 REGALINS -0.01 0 0.50 0.50 0 0.50 0.50 RESORTSAL 0.00 0 0.21 0.23 0 0.21 0.22 ROYALEX -0.02 0 640.00 640.00 405 640.00 640.00 SEPLAT 0.00 0 0.20 0.20 0 0.21 0.21 SOVRENINS 0.01 0 46.50 46.00 0 46.50 46.50 STANBIC 0.50 0 102.00 102.00 122 102.00 102.00 STANBICETF30 0.00 0 1.97 1.96 0 1.97 1.97 STERLNBANK 0.01 0 203.00 203.00 0 203.00 203.00 TOTAL 0.00 0 6.10 6.10 632 6.10 6.10 TRANSCOHOT 0.00 0 1.15 1.21 0 1.16 1.18 TRANSCORP -0.05 0 9.60 9.60 0 9.60 9.60 UACN 0.00 0 1.74 1.92 0 1.74 1.74 UAC-PROP -0.18 0 7.60 7.80 0 7.90 7.95 UBA 0.10 0 6.00 6.05 0 6.00 6.05 UBN -0.05 0 2.89 2.94 0 2.89 2.91 UCAP -0.05 0 36.30 37.00 0 36.30 36.30 UNILEVER -0.70 0 0.27 0.27 0 0.27 0.27 UNIONDAC 0.00 0 1.00 0.99 0 1.00 1.00 UNITYBNK 0.01 0 2.04 1.97 0 2.14 2.14 UPL 0.17 0 0.23 0.23 0 0.23 0.23 VERITASKAP 0.00 0 4.50 4.99 0 4.50 4.50 VITAFOAM -0.49 0 11.30 11.50 0 11.30 11.65 WAPCO -0.20 0 0.40 0.40 0 0.40 0.40 WAPIC 0.00 0 0.59 0.61 0 0.59 0.61 WEMABANK -0.02 0 21.20 22.70 0 21.70 22.50 ZENITHBANK -1.00 0 Copyright © 2019 NgTradeOnline

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NNPC signs $1.5bn Contract for Rehabilitation of P/Harcourt Refinery

By Etuka Sunday

T

he drive by the Management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to boost in-country refining capacity was bolstered on Tuesday with the signing of the Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation and Commissioning (EPCIC) contract for the rehabilitation of the 210,000 barrels per day capacity Port Harcourt Refinery in Alesa-Eleme, Rivers State.

The rehabilitation project which has a completion timeline of between 18 and 44 months under a three-phase arrangement was awarded to Milan based Tecnimont SpA at a lump sum contract price of US$1.5 billion, inclusive of VAT and other statutory payments.

An elated Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari, described the PHRC rehabilitation project as a dream come true, noting that the project was in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s promise to the Nigerian people to make the refineries work.

Mallam Kyari reiterated that in arriving at the choice of Tecnimont SpA, the Corporation embarked on a transparent tender process which can withstand any forensic audit, noting that NNPC was ready and open to answer any question pertaining to the project.

He assured that the same transparent process has been emplaced for the rehabilitation of the Warri and Kaduna Refineries whose EPCIC contracts would be awarded in June 2021.

The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Dr. Kennie Obateru in a statement said, the GMD explained that the rehabilitation exercise was very different from a routine TurnAround Maintenance as it would entail a total retrofitting of the plant with major part and equipment replaced with new ones.

Providing further insight into the project, Managing Director of Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited, Engr. Ahmed Dikko, explained that Phases 1 and 2 of the project would get the refinery ready to receive hydrocarbon, while Phase 3 will focus on the start-up the refinery for operation, stressing that the entire work shall be delivered in 44 months from today.

In his remarks, Vice President, Sub-Saharan Africa Region of Tecnimont SpA, Davide Pelizzola, pledged the readiness of his company to work assiduously with the NNPC to comply with the terms and obligations of the contract.

The signing ceremony of the PHRC rehabilitation project was witnessed by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers NUPENG amongst others.

IMF projects global economy to grow at 6% in 2021

By Etuka Sunday

T

he IMF announced an upgrade to global growth in its World Economic Outlook on Tuesday (April 6) in Washington, DC. The global economy is projected to grow at 6 percent in 2021, moderating to 4.4 percent in 2022. That is a big turnaround from an estimated contraction of –3.3 percent in 2020 when the world was hit by pandemic.

“So relative to our January forecast, we are upgrading growth to 6% for 2021 and 4.4% for 2022.

This reflects the additional fiscal support provided in the United States, vaccination efforts that are going to lead to a strengthening of recovery in the second half of this year, and also the continued resilience of economic activity to the pandemic in many parts of the

world,” said IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath.

Gopinath stressed that a high degree of uncertainty surrounds the IMF’s projections as the pandemic is yet to be defeated and virus cases are accelerating in many countries.

That’s leading to diverging recoveries both across and within countries, as economies with slower vaccine rollout, more limited policy support, and more reliant on tourism do less well.

“The biggest risk right now is still the pandemic, if there are new virus variants that evade the vaccine, then that could lead to a sharp downgrade. But if, on the other hand, there’s faster roll out of vaccinations, then that could uplift the outlook,” said Gopinath.

She also added that multispeed recoveries could pose financial risks if interest rates in

the United States rise further in unexpected ways. This could cause inflated asset valuations to unwind in a disorderly manner, financial conditions to tighten sharply, and recovery prospects to deteriorate, especially for some highly leveraged emerging markets and developing economies.

“The second big risk is to financial conditions. We see multispeed recoveries and we have seen interest rates go up. If interest rates go up even further in a more disorderly fashion than that could have negative implications for several countries, especially for some highly vulnerable emerging and developing economies,” said Gopinath Policy makers will need to continue supporting their economies while dealing with more limited policy space and higher debt levels than prior to the

pandemic, Gopinath added. This requires better targeted measures to leave space for prolonged support if needed.

“Given that we are not out of the woods, it is very important for policy support to be continued in this crisis. Of course, countries are dealing with high debt levels, so they’ll have to make sure this support is better targeted and well-tailored to countries specific economic conditions, the stage of the recovery they are in and the structural characteristics of the economy,” she added.

She also urged central banks to keep access to money easy in the current environment.

“Monetary policy should also remain accommodative while proactively addressing financial risks that we do see using macro prudential tools,” Gopinath said.

A cross-section of participants at the sensitisation meeting on the implementation of the Graphic Health Warning of the National Tobacco Control Act and Regulations in Abuja yesterday.

Dangote reiterates resolve to boost agriculture via startegic investments

By Stanley Onyekwere

T

he Pan-African Conglomerate, Dangote Industries Limited has reiterated its commitment towards partnering various tiers of Governments in the country, in building sustainable and inclusive economy for the benefit all Nigerians.

This is just as the company announced its partnership with the Ogun State Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OGUNCCIMA) for the 10th Gateway International Trade Fair 2021, themed “Remodeling Agriculture, Commerce and Trade beyond Nigerian Borders with Modern Technology” and holding in Abeokuta between April 2 and 12, 2021.

In a statement announcing the Company’s participation at this year’s Gateway Trade fair, Group Chief Branding and Communication, Mr. Anthony Chiejina disclosed that the Conglomerate has concluded plans to scale up investments in the agricultural sector, in response to the on-going public policy focus of federal government.

Chiejina said as part of the Company’s support to the development of agriculture sector, the 3 million ton per annum

Fertilizer Plant it is currently constructing at Ibeju Lekki, Lagos will be commissioned soon to boos agricultural activities in the country.

He explained that all the subsidiaries of the company would be at the trade fair and urged members of the public to take advantage of this year’s fair to strike partnership with the Group for business opportunities.

According to him “the Group has also kick-started the development of six Large Scale Rice milling plants in six states namely Kano, Jigawa, Zamfara, Niger, Kebbi, and Sokoto, with a combined total milling capacity of 1.5 million per annum.

He said Dangote’s growing investment in the agricultural sector, is to complement the existing and continuing investments being made in other sectors, such as: cement, salt and other consumer products.

“We are also significantly involved in the Oil and Gas sector, with an on-going construction of one of the World`s Largest Petroleum Refinery.

“This will not only put an end to the embarrassing importation of products into our crude oil rich country but will also significantly boost our intra-African trade position”, he stressed.

He commended Federal Government’s policy, as efforts to bring Nigeria back on track, adding that such policy initiatives are necessary, if the nation is to attain sustainable economic development and poverty alleviation.

“We must also commend the leadership of OGUNCCIMA for the very apt theme of this year’s edition of the Fair: “Remodeling Agriculture, Commerce and Trade beyond Nigerian Borders with Modern Technology.

“Clearly, given the current focus of both the Federal Government and Ogun state and indeed most other states in the country on the Agricultural Sector as the only incontestable route for the revival and sustained growth of the Nigerian economy, there can be no more pertinent subject matter to which we should direct the attention of all the participants at this Fair.

“This is especially so in Ogun which had in the past been recognized as the leading AgroIndustrial hub not only in Nigeria, but indeed for the entire Southern sahara of Africa.

“President Buhari’s insistence that we cannot expect to achieve development and modernization until we create the capacity to produce what we consume. It is

only by developing our agriculture along its various value chains that we can ensure sustainable, inclusive economic growth that create jobs for the teeming youthful population”, he stated.

It would be recalled that the President of OGUNCIMA, Alhaji Wasiu Olaleye had while briefing the newsmen on the fair had named Dangote Group as one of the leading sponsors which have announced that it would hit the fair in grand style with the array of its products at reasonable prices.

Olaleye said the Fair would serve as a catalyst for the economic growth and development of Ogun State in particular and Nigeria in general which will unleash our strong development and innovative potential.

“The Fair is an lnternational event that will attract over two hundred people from within Ogun State, Nigeria, lnternational participants/Exhibitors from around the world.

“Also top Government Officials, Businessmen, Researchers, lnvestors, all Local Governments councils, representatives of the Organized Private Sector and indeed the general public will be in attendance”, he explained.

PAGE 20

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

N ews

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

T

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared that the routine overseas medical checkup embarked upon by President Muhammadu Buhari is a direct indictment of his presidency over its failure to fix the nation’s healthcare system, which has been wrecked by his administration.

The party said this in a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan in Abuja.

The PDP said that it is indeed worrisome that under President Buhari, even the hitherto highly rated State House Clinic, has be-

Unknown gunmen kill Catholic Priest in Benue

PDP chides presidency over Buhari’s London medical trip come so moribund that it cannot provide a simple medical checkup service for the President.

According to the statement, “While the PDP has nothing against where any person, including President Buhari, seeks his or her medical services, our party is worried that the Buhari Presidency is taking no decisive steps to fix our health care system, ostensibly because Mr. President can afford overseas medical treatment at tax payers’ expense.

“The PDP is disturbed that while

Mr. President jets out for medical treatment in well-equipped hospitals abroad, our hospitals and medical personnel are in very sorry situation while millions of our compatriots suffer, with many dying on daily basis from conditions that have simple medical solutions.

“It is indeed heartrending that Nigerians are suffering this huge misfortune of having this highly insensitive, incompetent and corrupt leadership of very selfish individuals who do not care about the welfare of

other citizens.

“More saddening is that all the institutions, policies and programmes established by the PDP, which hitherto ensured access to affordable healthcare for Nigerians have been wrecked by the Buhari administration.

‘Our party urges President Buhari to show leadership by reflecting on the fact that millions of Nigerians cannot afford overseas treatment and have become despondent by his failure to take de-

cisive steps to address our national healthcare needs”, it said.

President Buhari, the PDP maintained, must know that his duty as President is not only for his personal needs but more importantly for the needs of the generality of Nigerians.

The main opposition party however called on Nigerians to remain calm and not resign to despondency “as we collectively work to rescue our nation from the stranglehold of misrule”.

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

A

Catholic priest Rev. Fr. Ferdinand Fanen Ngugban and three(3) parishioners were yesterday murdered by bandits in Mbatyula/Mberev council ward in katsina Ala local government area of Benue State.

Chairman of the Council Alfred Atera who confirmed this in a text message, said the unknown gunmen invaded the area and burnt down a village called Agu Centre.

He said in the process they also, killed the priest and three (3) others whose names were given as Mfave Tumachihi, Mbangohor Tsebo and Orlukaa Ulu.‬ A source from the area who spoke on grounds of anonymity, said the priest had finished morning mass and sat outside when the assailants shot him.

Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations’Officer DSP Catherine Anene in a statement said there was an attack on St. Paul’s Catholic Church , Sai, Katsina-Ala council by bandits during which Rev. Fr. Ngugban Fanen was killed.

According to her the corpse of the priest has been deposited at General Hospital Kastsina-Ala while a joint operation of Police and other security agencies are on the trail of the hoodlums.

S

Page 21

Resumption of work: FCTA grounded as workers begin strike against Perm Sec deployment

By Stanley Onyekwere

G

overnment activities at the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) were yesterday grounded by angry workers, who complied with a 3- day warning strike against deployment of Permanent Secretary from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

Our correspondent reports that the FCTA staff chose the first day of resumption of work after the 2021 Easter holidays, to obey the no- work directive by leadership of Joint Unions Action Committee ( JUAC ) in FCTA and FCDA, which

was initiated to press home their demands.

Checks revealed that customers and visitors were left stranded at some of the strategic FCTA agencies, like Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB ) Department of Development Control, Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS ). And it was also learnt that school teachers and health workers would join the ongoing strike.

Recall that the workers had accused the administration of double-standards, saying that government that claim to be transparent cannot continue to retain a Permanent Secretary

deployed from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, against the spirit and intent of FCT Civil Service Commission Act, already signed by the President three years ago.

They alleged that the serving Permanent Secretary who was deployed from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation is occupying an illegal position, because the Act provides for an FCT Head of Service instead.

According to the JUAC’s Chairman, Matilukoro Korede, the administration had ignored the workers agitation for the implementation of the Act and other issues that border on workers

welfare for too long.

Korede noted that the strike actions is likely going to be indefinite, until the administration heeds the call to implement the Act. Insisting that JUAC had severally called the attention of government and other stakeholders to the existence of Executive Order 1 of 2004, even before the passage of the FCT Civil Service Commission Bill by National Assembly and it’s subsequent signing into law, the union leader said refusal to implement the law, has a very adverse effects on workers.

“This is three years down the

line, the big question is why has it been difficult to implement it till date? “, he added.

However, it was gathered that the angry workers’ outrage over non-implementation of the FCT Civil Service Commission Act, is becoming louder now because the Permanent Secretary who is perceived to be occupying an illegal position is also stifling administrative procedures.

It was equally revealed that the current Permanent Secretary, Olusade Adesola has adopted several beaurecratic bottlenecks, as well as procedural obstacles which the workers are not very comfortable with.

From left: Director General, Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA), Mr Henry Awuregu-Nduka; Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Chief Uchechukwu Ogah; First Vice President of ECCIMA, Sir Jasper Nduagueke; and ECCIMA President, Sir Emeka Nwandu, during the closing ceremony of the 32nd ECCIMA International Trade Fair in Enugu on Tuesday (30/3/21). NAN

Accessible gas key to industrial competitiveness – Minister ustainable access to gas is significant in Nigeria’s quest to make the manufacturing sector a key driver in job creation for the teeming youths.

Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment made this known on Monday in Abuja.

Adebayo stated this at the pre-summit virtual conference of the Nigeria International Petroleum Summit on Decade of Gas Mandate.

A statement by Ifedayo Sayo, Special Assistant to the minister on media, said Adebayo stressed the need to harness the potential that

METRO

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

gas presented for Nigeria’s industrialisation.

The Minister who was represented by his Technical Adviser, Kamal Bakrin, said gas could become a source of competitive advantage for Nigeria’s manufacturing sector.

“We believe that gas can become a source of competitive advantage for Nigeria’s manufacturing sector and a strong lever for its positioning as the preferred manufacturing hub in Africa.

“This is especially important as we implement measures that can leapfrog us to the front of the line as the destination for manufacturing for the rest of

Africa,” he said.

The minister said the manufacturing sector could be a source of foreign exchange for the country and the channel for long-term economic security.

According to him, an affordable source of gas is one of the enablers for realising this vision.

“We have been in deliberations with the Ministry of Petroleum Resources on how to improve the availability and cost of gas for the manufacturing sector.

“And I trust, this is one of the issues this conference will discuss and hopefully address,” he said. (NAN)

Police arrest 2 over female corpse found in Enugu

T

he Police Command in Enugu State has arrested two suspects over the corpse of a young lady found in the gutter along Presidential Road, Independence Layout of Enugu metropolis.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Daniel Ndukwe, said in a statement on Tuesday in Enugu that the deceased had been identified as Miss Chiamaka Orji, 20 years old.

Ndukwe said that the Command was appealing to the general public to aid the police with useful information that would lead to the arrest and prosecution of all perpetrators involved in the crime.

He said that the body was evacuated to the hospital, following information received in the early hours of March 29 by police operatives attached to New Haven Police Division, Enugu.

The police spokesman said that she was confirmed dead by a doctor on duty at the hospital and her corpse was deposited in the mortuary for preservation and autopsy.

“The Commissioner of Police, Mr Mohammed Aliyu, has ordered the state’s Criminal Investigation Department to carry out a full scale investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding the death of the young lady.

“To this end, the Commissioner also advised young persons in the state to be wary of whom they go out with to avoid becoming victims of such despicable acts.

“He enjoins the general public, especially residents of Enugu metropolis, to assist the police with useful information that will lead to the arrest and prosecution of all the assailants,” Ndukwe said. (NAN)

Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Bala Ciroma (L) receiving cartons of Hand-Surface Sanitizer and Face Mask from the Founder, A. A. Zaura Foundation, Alhaji Abdulsalami Zaura, during the latter’s visit to the Commissioner’s Office in Abuja yesterday.

Vandalism: NSCDC boosts surveillance in Abuja

By Stanley Onyekwere

I

n furtherance to measures at mitigating the menace of vandalism of public infrastructure in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) has commissioned seven highpowered bikes and two vehicles, aimed at boosting surveillance and patrols in the Territory.

Making this disclosure while answering questions from newsmen in Abuja, the Commandant, FCT Command

of the NSCDC, Mathias Ohieme, explained that the bikes are specially designed for patrols in areas where hoodlums especially those who vandalise and cart away manholes from the roads.

Ohieme said the bikes will be round the city, moving and observing activities, to make sure that critical national assets especially the manholes, road signs and bridge reelings are protected.

He reiterated that anybody who engages in vandalism if arrested, will be prosecuted, as there is no going back on efforts

to protect critical public assets in the Territory.

His words: “Anybody who engage in vandalism if arrested, you will be prosecuted, there is no going back on that, because it has become a common thing. we are looking out for them.

“Scavengers have seen it as a common thing, and we are on the lookout for them. Any scavenger we see, we stop and search what he is carrying in his truck.

“And the ones we have arrested, it was because of what we discovered in their trucks, and collect the things back from

them. So we are looking out for them, and we are trying our best to protect critical assets.”

On whether there have been any conviction so far, the NSCDC boss in FCT said : “no, the cases are still in the court. So we are still in the prosecution process and the exhibits are in tact.”

According to him, “Already, the Corps has launched a Taskteam. The laws are there, if you are arrested, because our men are going out for enforcement now. “So everyone living within the FCT as the gateway to this nation should comply with the

set regulations, and if not if the hands of the law catches up with anybody, that person will be prosecuted. And the mobile Courts are already on ground and everywhere functioning.

“Comply with COVID-19 PTF guidelines, stay away from crimes and report any act of vandalism or any other criminal acts within your neighbourhood to any of the security agencies.”

He however assured the personnel of the Corps that the authorities will always support them in the discharge of their duties as assigned to them.

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

Page 22

world news Covid: Child jabs halted in trial

international_peoplesdailyng@yahoo.com

as adult clot link probed

P

rof Andrew Pollard from the University of Oxford told the BBC there were no safety concerns with the trial itself, but its scientists were waiting for further information.

Around 300 volunteers signed up.

Earlier, PM Boris Johnson said people should get their jab when invited.

More than 31.6 million people in the UK have had a first vaccine dose.

A total of 5.4 million people have received a second dose.

Two vaccines - developed by OxfordAstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNtech - are being used in the UK, while a third - from Moderna - has been approved.

The trial of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on children, which started in February, is assessing whether the jab produces a strong immune response in those aged between six and 17.

Its suspension comes after a European Medicines Agency (EMA) official, speaking in a personal capacity, said there appeared to be a link with the jab and rare blood clots.

Confirming that the trial on children was being paused, Prof Pollard said: “Whilst there are no safety concerns in the paediatric clinical trial, we await additional information from the MHRA on its review of rare cases of thrombosis/thrombocytopaenia that have been reported in adults, before giving any further vaccinations in the trial.”

Participants are advised to continue to attend all scheduled visits and can contact the trial sites if they have any questions.

Updates from the EMA and the UK’s regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), are expected in the coming days.

The EMA said its safety committee had “not yet reached a conclusion and the review is currently ongoing”.

The MHRA says the benefits of the jab continue to outweigh any risk.

More information is needed Analysis box by Nick Triggle, health correspondent All medicines, from vaccines to paracetamol, have the potential to cause severe side effects.

The seasonal flu jab has around a one-

A trial of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine on children has been paused while the UK’s medicines regulator investigates a possible link with rare blood clots in adults. in-a-million chance of causing the nerve disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome.

The key question is whether the risks are worth the benefits.

Even if the vaccine was the cause, and this is still not proven, the numbers suggest around one death in every 2.5 million people vaccinated in the UK. For everyone over the age of 75 infected there is one death per eight Covid infections.

For those in their 40s it is one death per 1,000.

On the face of it, the risk-benefit ratio is clearly in favour of vaccination if you assume you are going to be infected at some point.

But what is needed now is more information about who has been suffering from these rare blood clots. How old are they? Do they have any underlying health conditions that could explain what happened?

This will help narrow down the scale of any potential risks.

More information is needed All medicines, from vaccines to

paracetamol, have the potential to cause severe side effects.

The seasonal flu jab has around a onein-a-million chance of causing the nerve disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome.

The key question is whether the risks are worth the benefits.

Even if the vaccine was the cause, and this is still not proven, the numbers suggest around one death in every 2.5 million people vaccinated in the UK. For everyone over the age of 75 infected there is one death per eight Covid infections.

For those in their 40s it is one death per 1,000.

On the face of it, the risk-benefit ratio is clearly in favour of vaccination if you assume you are going to be infected at some point.

But what is needed now is more information about who has been suffering from these rare blood clots. How old are they? Do they have any underlying health conditions that could explain what happened?

This will help narrow down the scale of

Handan city has seen its number of mines exceed 3,000 for a time. Long-term and high-intensity mining activities have caused many problems for the city, including land occupation by steel slag and ground surface subsidence.

Since 2016, Handan city has unswervingly promoted management and ecological restoration of mines, and has so far closed 240 solid mines and restored ecology in 250 mines.

The city’s endeavor to advance transformation through environmental protection has boosted improvement and upgrading of traditional industries.

In June 2019, Handan’s iron and steel industry and coking industry took the lead in Hebei province in completing organized ultra-low emission transformation, and the transformation of other industries, including cement industry and ceramics industry, was all completed by the end of 2019.

Last year, the number of good air quality days in Handan increased significantly.

“In the past, there were large pits everywhere in this area, and those mountains of waste rocks smelled very bad. Now the dirty and disorderly diggings have become a scenic spot,” said Li Shuang’an, a worker who prunes plants for Jiulongshan scenic spot in Wu’an.

Thanks to an ecological restoration project kicked off in 2019, abandoned mines were replaced by lucid waters and lush mountains, and the newly created Jiulongshan ecological restoration park built on the sites of those mines has not only attracted numerous visitors from all over the country, but provided jobs for residents in a nearby village named Kangdong village. Li is right one of the villagers who found jobs in the scenic spot.

During the National Day and Mid-autumn Festival holiday last year, the scenic spot received 50,000 to 60,000 tourists every day.

In Fengfeng Mining Area in Handan, many residents in Zhangjialou village, Pengcheng township of the area, have benefited from the development of cultural tourism ahead of others.

As many young people went out to bigger cities to work, old residences and buildings in Zhangjialou village gradually decayed and were left unattended. After the situation attracted the attention of Zhao Lichun, a local scholar in the cultural field, Zhao suggested to the local government that the old village should get protection.

Zhao proposed that the protection for Zhangjialou village, which has the typical features of that of traditional villages in

any potential risks.

During a visit to the AstraZeneca manufacturing plant in Macclesfield, Cheshire, earlier on Tuesday, Mr Johnson defended its vaccine.

“On the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, the best thing people should do is look at what the MHRA say, our independent regulator - that’s why we have them, that’s why they are independent,” said Mr Johnson, who has received the first dose of the vaccine himself.

“Their advice to people is to keep going out there, get your jab, get your second jab.”

The prime minister added: “The best thing of all is to vaccinate our population, get everybody out getting the jab, that’s the key thing and that’s what I would advocate, number one.”

The MHRA is investigating reports of a very rare and specific type of blood clot in the brain, known as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), occurring together with low levels of platelets (thrombocytopenia) following vaccination.

A number of countries have suspended the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab among younger people, including in Germany, which has paused it for people aged below 60, and Canada, where the jab is not being given to those under 55.

In total, the UK has secured 457 million Covid vaccine doses, of which 100 million are from AstraZeneca. Vaccines from Moderna will be deployed in the UK “around the third week of April”, Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi has said.

The MHRA has said it identified 30 cases of rare blood clot events out of 18.1 million doses of the jab administered up to and including 24 March. There have been seven deaths among the 30 cases.

But the regulator’s chief executive Dr June Raine said: “People should continue to get their vaccine when invited to do so.

“Our thorough and detailed review is ongoing into reports of very rare and specific types of blood clots with low platelets [the cells involved in clotting] following the Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca.

“No decision has yet been made on any regulatory action.”

Source: BBC

North China’s Hebei province brings better life to citizens by promoting green transformation of traditional mines

By Xu Yunping, Feng Hua, People’s Daily

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ow who can imagine this place was full of waste residues and discarded materials from iron and steel company,” said Kong Chao, head of the greening department of Hebei Xinjin Iron & Steel Co., Ltd., referring to an ecological park in Wu’an, a county-level city under Handan city, north China’s Hebei province.

The site of the ecological park covering an area of more than 500 mu (about 33.33 hectares) was originally idle ground and barren mountains. In 2018, Hebei Xinjin Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. started to tame and landscape mountains, build cofferdams and farmland, and gradually created the ecological park featuring idyllic scenery and sea of flowers.

“The 100-meter-long passage was built with waste steel tubes from our company; the source of the water system for the aquatic plant garden is treated industrial wastewater; and the fruits and vegetables in the ecological park can be supplied to the canteens of our company. We have realized organic cyclic utilization of resources in various links of our company,” Kong said.

As one of the old industrial bases of China,

northern China where many people made a living in the parceling industry, should not only focus on old buildings, but also the wellestablished kiln culture.

The unique culture heritage has attracted many artists to the village. While preserving the original charm of the old village, these artists have established studios and exhibition rooms in the old residences of Zhangjialou village, and local villagers have started to run various businesses, such as tea shop, ceramics store, and homestay hotels, injecting vitality into the old village.

Today, the village sees an endless stream of visitors coming to see and feel the charm of the ancient village. The number of visitors to Zhangjialou village reaches 300,000 persontimes a year, bringing the village more than 3 million yuan ($456,300) in tourism revenue.

Hebei’s efforts to prioritize ecological protection and green development have been proven successful. Such efforts have enabled the province to advance ecological restoration, improvement in rural residents’ living environment, and construction of tourism infrastructure in a well-coordinated manner, and facilitate the boom in cultural tourism and other emerging industries.

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Covid in Kenya: The woman who refuses to be defeated by the virus A

t the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Josephine Muchilwa was working as a cook, but like many others in Kenya and around the world, she lost her job. Over the past year, BBC World Service Business Daily presenter Ed Butler has been hearing how she has coped.

“I don’t have any job, I don’t have a life, I don’t have any food for my kids.”

The stark reality contained in Josephine’s description of the impact of coronavirus containment measures imposed a year ago struck home.

Just days after the government had announced tough curfew measures to restrict the spread of Covid-19, this single mother, living in the overcrowded Nairobi neighbourhood of Kibera, set out the plight that so many were suddenly facing.

Her low-paid job in the kitchen of a local school went when pupils were told to study at home. She was left wondering how she was going to feed her family of four children.

“I’m just bargaining with God,” the 31 year old told Business Daily. “I don’t know what to do.”

But after hearing about her plight, a couple of generous listeners stepped in with a donation.

It was not a huge amount - about $150 (£110) - but it was enough to allow Josephine to launch herself into a fruit and vegetable business.

Travelling by bus to a big wholesale market in the centre of Kenya’s capital, she bought 25kg sacks of onions, tomatoes and more, bringing them back to Kibera where she began renting a small, wooden kiosk.

Josephine then started sending regular audio diaries from her one-room, mudwalled shack about her efforts to make the business work.

This was happening just as Kibera, which is a giant informal settlement in the heart of Nairobi, was being plunged into crisis.

Since most Kiberans work as housemaids, cleaners or drivers, they were disproportionately hit by the economic slowdown, as their wealthier employees asked them to stay away for fear they would bring infection.

‘The children can eat’ Nevertheless, at first, seemingly against the odds, Josephine appeared to be making it work. She would get eight, maybe 10

that the slums are their priority, to ensure we have roads, good health care, clean water” Officially there have been about 2,100 Covid deaths in Kenya although some experts believe the real figure could be much higher than that.

But for people in Kibera, there is a sense that their communities have been disproportionately hit by the government’s anti-Covid restrictions, and that police action to enforce the rules has often been violent and high-handed.

“These people who live [on] under $2 a day, they know if you get sick, you’re gonna get dead,” says Kennedy Odede, a Kiberaborn activist, and founder of the local Shining Hope charity.

customers a day.

“At least today I received a profit of 170 shillings ($1.50),” she told me in one conversation last May. “The children are fine, they’re happy, at least they eat.”

But she was always battling the odds.

Josephine had no experience as a businesswoman, the district was under curfew, there were regular and violent police raids on anyone caught out after the restrictions came in and travel outside the city limits was outlawed altogether.

Plus she had her four children to mind and there was growing criminality and fear of sexual violence in the slum.

“The rape cases are increasing,” she said. “If I leave the children alone anyone can come in and do anything to them.”

And also, few people now had any income to pay for what she was selling. Her neighbours like her were out of work, living off what savings they had.

A mural depicting Corona Virus on the streets in Kibera collective Masaai Mbili reminds people to wear a mask Then disaster really struck. Josephine contracted malaria and she had to borrow money for the treatment from a local money lender.

Rising private debt like this seems to be widespread in the informal settlements.

One local pawnbroker, called Rodgers, told the BBC that he had run out of money to

lend, such was the demand for his services.

Many were unable to repay the loans, he said, so he was selling on the household goods that they provided as security.

For her part, Josephine had nothing to trade.

Kiosk crushed To this day she fears that her unpaid loans, amounting to some $30, could land her in serious trouble.

The prospect of repaying her loans became ever more distant when in June last year, government bulldozers ploughed through the part of Kibera where her food kiosk had stood.

They were making way for a new railway development, they said.

The government claimed owners had been given plenty of warning. But as a tenant, Josephine said she had no idea.

Adding to the tragedy was that she had just put in a large amount of stock, which was crushed along with the timber structure. Once again, she was broke and her dream of making it as a businesswoman was at an end.

“That day I really cried - almost three days. I feel so painful. I was not able even to eat. And when I look at my life situation now, it became so hard.”

The pandemic itself has hit millions in Kenya and beyond in this way, it seems.

We want the government to make sure

“We want the government to make sure that the slums are their priority, to ensure we have roads, good health care, clean water.”

But the government is not about to lift restrictions. Last month, the nationwide night-time curfew was extended amidst alarming evidence of a third wave of Covid infections.

Josephine’s familyJosephine Muchilwa One day I dream of being a doctor.

Today I dream of food” Shamim Josephine’s 11-year-old daughter A year after the first outbreak of the disease, Josephine continues to struggle.

She still doesn’t have a regular source of income, and her children are having to live off a single bowl of porridge a day.

“One day I dream of being a doctor,” her eldest daughter, 11-year-old Shamim told me. “Today I dream of food.”

Josephine has managed to get occasional jobs as a cleaner, but one woman, she told me, has not yet paid her for three days work.

The police are killing us not coronavirus The doctor who helped children to smile But thanks to the Shining Hope charity, a new chapter in her life could start soon.

She is retraining as a seamstress, in order to get piecework which experienced co-workers claim can earn them several dollars a day.

Even though the lessons of the last 12 months have been extremely hard, Josephine remains stubbornly hopeful that she and the children will emerge stronger as a result of what they have suffered.

CAR militia ‘withdraws from Liberians seek end to Bozizé’s rebel coalition’ gender inequality in politics

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ne of the most powerful armed groups in the Central African Republic has vowed to withdraw from the rebel alliance whose main aim was to overthrow President Faustin-Archange Touadéra.

Government Spokesman Albert Yaloke told the BBC that investigations were still going on to authenticate the note.

The leader of the Union for Peace in CAR (UPC) has apparently, in a handwritten note, cited the suffering endured by citizens as the reason for leaving the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) rebel alliance.

The letter attributed to UPS leader Ali Darassa Mahamat added that continued attacks in several parts of the country had led to deaths, starvation and lack of access to humanitarian assistance.

The CPC is led by former President

François Bozizé and has six rebel groups that control most parts of the country.

It was formed in mid-December 2020, just over a week before presidential and legislative elections.

The attributed to Mr Darassa said he committed to stay true to the letter of the Khartoum Peace Agreement of 2019 signed between 16 rebel groups and the Central African government.

Key aspects of the agreement include the dissolution of armed groups, the formation of an inclusive government and the creation of a fund for victims who have suffered in years of conflict.

Mr Darassa’s apparent letter comes a few weeks after President Touadéra announced that his government would call a national dialogue, whose agenda is still unclear.

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omen have launched a campaign - Lappa Revolution - compelling men to correct gender imbalances in Liberia’s power structures.

More than 50% of Liberia’s population is female, as is the case in most of Africa, yet women are a minority in politics and other spheres of leadership. The country has had a woman, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, as president but activists say more needs to be done.

“We in Liberia we don’t have institutions that give us the basic services we need,” MacDella Cooper told the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme, adding that the Lappa Revolution initiative wants to

increase the representation of women in parliament.

“In 2021 we still have a very high maternal death rate. Because of lack of representation issues affecting the lives of women that could be easily resolved by having agencies of government functioning are not serving us,” Ms Cooper said.

She says gender-based violence and the rape have increased and the laws meant to protect women are not enforced.

“The women are on fire, the women are very upset - and they are now standing up and taking action,” Ms Cooper said.

Source: bbc.com

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Mainland, HK conduct technical tests on cross-border use of digital yuan

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hina’s central bank and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) have cooperated to conduct technical tests on the cross-border use of the digital yuan, an official said on Thursday, a further step in China’s wider push of the use of the digital currency.

The trial was a normal test for the digital yuan and more will be conducted in the future, Wang Xin, director of Research Bureau of the People’s Bank of China (PBC) said at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday.

Wang said that at present the digital yuan is basically used for domestic retail payments and several rounds of trials have been conducted in the country’s different cities. “PBC is also considering applying the digital yuan in cross-border payment when

the conditions are ripe, to meet market demands,” said Wang.

HKMA told Global Times that the trial is focused on the use of related apps, network connection and application scenarios.

Nearly 200 bank employees and business owners have joined the trial. HKMA said that they are discussing with the PBC about the next phase of digital yuan trial in Hong Kong to deepen its usage in cross-border payment.

“This digital yuan trial between Shenzhen and Hong Kong is helpful for the free flow of capital and the optimization of financial resources allocation in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. It will also create a communication platform for the development of Hong Kong and Chinese mainland,” Wang Peng, assistant professor

of the Gaoli Academy of Renmin University of China, told the Global Times.

Wang Peng said that the use of the digital yuan in cross border payments can boost the efficiency of international trade business and also enhance financial security. He believes that more functions of the digital currency, for instance, as a tool for macrocontrol of financial markets is likely to be tested in digital yuan trials in future.

“The use of digital yuan in Hong Kong and Shenzhen will not only benefit the local financial markets, but it is also a great step of China’s digital currency to be used in international markets,” said Wang Peng.

Meanwhile, a new round of trial of digital yuan among Hong Kong residents was also conducted recently in Shenzhen of South China’s Guangdong Province, according to

Shenzhen Special Zone Daily on Thursday.

The trial, which started on Tuesday, is mainly for Hong Kong residents in Shenzhen. Hong Kong residents can register a digital yuan wallet by using their Hong Kong mobile phone number. The daily consume limit can be adjusted to 50,000 yuan ($7,606) after connecting debit card of Bank of China with digital yuan wallet, according to the report.

Wang Xin, the PBC official, also mentioned that PBC is cooperating with HKMA, Central Bank of Thailand (BOT) and Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates to launch a multilateral research program on applying digital yuan in cross border payment.

Source: Global Times

“Internet-plus” connects better healthcare resources to remote areas Jiang Xiaodan, to better roads, and covered by phone

By He Linping, People’s Daily

confidence of local village doctors.

“This is an AI device package distributed by provincial authorities. It has a whole bunch of equipment, such as an ECG monitor and a glucometer,” said Huang, pointing to a bag on his hand. “It’s way more advanced than the traditional echometers, sphygmomanometers and thermometers,” he added.

Under the deployment of Guangdong’s

health commission, such packages were distributed to 2,277 impoverished villages in September 2019, with each village doctor holding one.

“All the devices in the package are connected to the internet, so the data and images can be uploaded to county- and provincial-level hospitals,” Huang told the People’s Daily.

Now, with the county being connected

and network services, health centers in its townships are getting busier, as telemedicine platforms are not only hospitals for residents living in remote areas, but also “classrooms” of further study for primary-level doctors.

Libu is a mountainous township in Yangshan County, where it’s easy for riders to get hurt because of the winding mountain roads. However, the township hospital could only treat single fracture of lower limbs.

Fortunately, a branch of Yangshan County’s telemedicine center was established in the township. It significantly benefited Yuan Xiaoming, an orthopedist of the township hospital. Now, weekly case discussion, on-demand online consultation and frequent telelearning have become a routine for him and his colleagues.

Now Yuan and his colleagues are more proficient. They are able to perform not only dearticulation and extra-articular surgeries, but also skin flap transplantation.

In recent three years, the county-level hospital of Yangshan has launched about 80 new businesses and technologies.

Today, it is able to perform many kinds of surgeries that it dared not to handle in the past, and some of its techniques are even in a leading position in the province.

In the next five years, the county will invest more in the facilities and human resources of township- and villagelevel hospitals, and work together with Guangdong province to offer better medical resources for the people at their doorsteps, said Deng Fei, Party head of the county.

24 production procedures, including selecting clay, making greenware, polishing, carving and glazing.

In the 1970s and 1980s, when Rongchang pottery witnessed booming business and was a pillar industry of Rongchang district, almost every household in Chongqing and its neighboring cities used pots and jars made through the craft of Rongchang pottery to store rice and vegetables or preserve pickles.

Meanwhile, ceramics produced in Rongchang district were also exported to Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa, Latin America and other regions, with the average annual export volume exceeding 100,000 pieces.

However, at the end of the 20th century, the once popular pickle jars fell flat on the market, as producers of Rongchang pottery failed to transform and upgrade their products timely when competitors rised and consumers’ tastes had also changed.

To break the stereotype of Rongchang pottery as pickle jars, craftsmen started to make innovations, and enrich the varieties of their products by shifting to artware, such as tea sets and vases.

At the same time, many young people have been attracted to the intangible cultural heritage,

injecting fresh vitality into Rongchang pottery and bringing the traditional craft to more and more people. Guan Yongshuang, who runs a studio in a quiet yard in Rongchang district, is one of them.

After graduating from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in Chongqing, Guan and his wife rented the yard to dedicate themselves to inheriting Rongchang pottery.

Over the past five years, they have innovated various ceramics that are different from traditional pottery products, such as small trays with orange skin-like patterns for washing brushes, life-like seedpods of lotus flowers, and plates made of both red and white clay.

Lv has hosted live-streaming shows to introduce pottery-related knowledge to netizens.

“Rongchang pottery can be baked both in woodfired kilns and electrical kilns, but the luster of the finished products made with the two kinds of kilns are different,” Lv said to his audience.

During the baking process, the heat and wood ashes would leave unique marks on unpainted clay pots, something that couldn’t be created through handwork, Lv added.

To help more people get to know Rongchang pottery, Rongchang district has shown via livestreaming the exact moment when freshly baked

ceramic products are taken out of kilns, allowing netizens to appreciate carefully baked and elaborately designed ceramics, such as teapots, tea cups and vases.

While demonstrating the making of Rongchang pottery via live-streaming, craftsmen have refreshed the memory of people for the glorious history of the pottery and won likes and complimentary remarks from netizens.

On a site near the Antao tourist town, a cultural and creative pottery industrial park is gradually taking shape. It will serve as a practice base for students of colleges and universities, an extracurricular practice base for primary and middle school students, and a center where ceramic artists can make innovations.

With more than 70 high-tech enterprises settling in the ceramics industrial park in the hightech industrial development zone of Rongchang district, the time-honored traditional craft have been brought closer to emerging technologies.

Pottery enterprises in Rongchang now see an annual output value of nearly 8 billion yuan (about $1.2 billion). Last year, the district was acknowledged as “the ceramic capital of western China” by the China National Light Industry Council.

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ighty-year-old Zhu Qundi was sitting in her yard in Yangshan County, Qingyuan, south China’s Guangdong Province, enjoying the warmth of the spring sunshine.

However, fears were still lingering on the mind of Zhu’s son Zeng Si every time he recalled what happened in January last year.

“It was cold that day, and my mother felt dizzy after getting up. She almost fainted,” Zeng said. Fortunately, doctor Huang Suying of the village arrived in time, who immediately tested blood pressure for the octogenarian and then consulted a “smart doctor” on a mobile application. After that, Huang contacted an expert with Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital and medicines were soon prescribed.

“Over the past year, my mother’s blood pressure has been well controlled, and she’s in pretty good health conditions,” Zeng told the People’s Daily.

Yangshan County, located in the eastern part of Guangdong, is surrounded by mountains. Many townships and villages there had to suffer underdeveloped healthcare due to the geographical position.

To see a doctor, local residents had to travel a long distance.

In recent years, thanks to the development of “internet plus”-driven health services, fellow villagers in the county are connected to high-quality medical resources.

“Internet plus” is also boosting the

Wang Yulian, a doctor of a health center in Datang village, Yangshan County, south China’s Guangdong Province, receives a patient. (Photo by Zhu Jian)

Time-honored Rongchang pottery in China full of new vitality

By Wang Binlai, Chang Biluo, People’s Daily

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ongchang pottery, a famous traditional craft originated in Anfu subdistrict, Rongchang district, southwest China’s Chongqing municipality and dates back to the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD), is brimming with fresh vigor.

With a history of over 2,000 years, Rongchang pottery has been acknowledged as one of the four most noted ceramic crafts in China, and has been listed among China’s national-level representative intangible cultural heritage (ICH) programs.

Today, visitors can see a shop making or selling Rongchang pottery every few steps they take in Antao tourist town, a characteristic town in Anfu subdistrict.

As the cultural heritage is known by more people, the studio of Lv Jicheng, an inheritor of Rongchang pottery at the district level, is often crowded with tourists. They have shown increasing interest in both Lv’s works and the techniques and steps in making Rongchang pottery.

Liang Xiancai, a national-level inheritor of Rongchang pottery, has spent his entire life working on the cultural heritage, which involves

Property

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESday, april 7, 2021

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Misuse of roads threatens lives, properties -FG

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

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he Federal Government has appealed to road users to stop the misuse of roads as it threatens their safety and leads to unnecessary loss of lives and properties.

The Director of Highway Construction and Rehabilitation in the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Engr. Funsho Adebiyi made this appealed Adebiyi speaking specifically on the Enugu - Onitsha expressway complained that drivers were using pavements of the highways which are being mistaken for a third lane while heavy duty trucks park on them sometimes for days to carry out maintenance work and change diesel thereby pouring some on the roads, a practice which he described as a threat to the safety and life span of the roads.

A statement signed by Boade Akinola Director Press and Public Relations.

Engr. Adebiyi said, “The Heavy duty trucks park on the shoulders of the road and carry out maintenance work thereby spoiling it. The parking on the road is a threat to the safety of our roads, in addition our people still over speed.”

The Director pointed out that from the reports of the Federal Road Safety Commission reckless driving accounts for about 35% of road accidents while bad roads account for only 1.3%.

Engr. Adebiyi said when the roads were bad people were clamouring for the repairs but now that they are being fixed over speeding, overloading and reckless driving have become threats to life.

The Director also spoke on the misconception by some members of the public that the Umuomi - Awka road in Anambra State was a 3 carriageway.

He explained that what makes it look like a 3 carriageway was the pavement which had been redesigned to strengthen the shoulders of the road into hard core due to heavy duty trucks plying the road.

He said “Because of the heavy duty trucks that pass there we now redesigned the pavement so that the shoulders are now hard core.” “They are designed to carry the same weight as the 2 carriageway.”

He further said, “What we have in the current situation is that the drivers now run on the shoulder but as they approach

the flyover, it closes down into 2 lanes, they don’t realize that what they were using was not actually a carriageway but a shoulder and erroneously conclude that the Engineers were reducing the width of the road to 2 instead of 3 carriageways.”

The Director who also noted that people were complaining that the pavement was not marked said binders are not marked until pavement is completed just as a house is not painted until plastering is done.

He explained further that the reason why the pavement is opened for use even as work is yet to be completed is to ensure smooth traffic flow and test running of the under laying materials while using it so that if there is any error it would be detected and promptly corrected while the engineers were still there.

He disclosed that the Ministry was taking steps to do the shoulder markings, adding that a mini speed breaker would also be put

in place to check over speeding.

He said that the Federal Ministry of Works and Housig had projects in virtually every section of the trunk a roads which run across the country with Engineers in each of the sections working simultaneously.

He added that every state of the Federation had a Federal Controller of Works who reports to the Zonal Controller who in turn reports to him, adding that the structure allows steady delivery of work.

HDMI: RFQ, e-portal for private sector open

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

T

he Federal Ministry of Works and Housing has today opened the e-portal https://hdmi.worksandhousing.gov.ng for the submission of Request for Qualification (RFQ) applications.

This was contained in a statement signed

by Boade Akinola (Mrs)Director, Press & Public.

The submission of the RFQ application for the Value-Added Concession (VAC) component of the HDMI, begins Monday, March 29.

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola had last week disclosed that the portal would ensure competitiveness and guarantee transparency in the process.

He had said that no staff of the ministry would interface with the public in the management of the HDMI conceived in 2020, from procurement to implementation.

The Value-Added Concession (VAC) component of the HDMI officially advertised today seeks to concession 12 federal highways to qualified individuals and consortia for management in the first phase.

The 12 highways which were carefully chosen to cover the six-geopolitical zones include the Benin-Asaba, Abuja-Lokoja, KanoKatsina, Onitsha-Owerri, Shagamu-Benin, Abuja-KeffiAkwanga and Kano-Maiduguri Expressways.

The others are Lokoja-Benin, Enugu-Port Harcourt, Ilorin-Jebba, Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta and Lagos-Badagry Expressways. They amount to a total of 1,963.24 kilometres, which

is 5.6 per cent of the 35,000km Federal road network.

The e-portal opened today contains all the information the public needs, including access to relevant documents, news updates, and videos.

The portal is vital for e-procurement as it allows the management of the PPP procurement process for the VAC category, and the process of approvals and permits under the unbundled Assets Approval (UAA).

In addition, it includes a Vendors Market Place for the promotion of local businesses and vendor partnerships with prospective

concessionaires.

The HDMI seeks to leverage private sector investment to improve facilities and operations on the selected 12 highways, maximize the routes' revenue-generating potential, and ensure international best practices in developing and managing the nation's highways.

It is also important to note that the Federal Government is currently executing over 700 different contracts, which aggregates to the rehabilitation and reconstruction of over 13,000 km of roads and bridges across all 36 states, including the Federal Capital Territory.

FG committed to Un- Habitat activities in Nigeria

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

T

he Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to contribute to the successful implementation of the Un- Habitat activities in the country.

Minister of State for Works and Housing, Engr Abubakar Aliyu, made the reaffirmation this recently when a delegation from the UN-Habitat Mission paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.

Aliyu assured the UN –Habitat that the Ministry of Works and Housing would continue to ensue more of Federal Government voluntary contribution to its activities.

Engr.Aliyu added that the agenda of establishing a regional Multi Country office, West Africa in Abuja for the organization was being pursued by the Ministry.

He expressed Nigeria’s desire to initiate the

establishment of a broad based Multi Sectoral National Habitat Advisory Committee that would be charged with the responsibility of advising the government on the domestication and implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) in Nigeria, seeking intervention programmes for implementation pertaining to the NUA and mobilizing sources of donor to UN – Habitat activities.

While urging the UN body to fast track the Yobe Project because of the slow procurement process, Engr Aliyu also stressed the need to coordinate the implementation of the HAPSO and African Urban Agenda Work plans. “ We are able to restore normalcy in the area, I urge you to fast track the Yobe project which we discussed earlier, the procurement process is slow “ he said Earlier, the leader of the delegation Mathias Spaliviero who is also the Senior Human Settlements Officer, Regional Office for Africa, informed the Minister that his team was

in the country to engage national partners with respect to the proposed and on-going COVID- 19 intervention projects and implementation of the New Urban Agenda as well as the Sustainable Development Goals amongst other activities.

He gave the status of the on-going Karu Swedish International Development Agency, SIDA/UN-Habitat project and its replication in the North East especially Yobe State before taking it to other areas of the country as a National Programme of intervention.

He stated that already the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) has made available a grant of USD220 to carry out emergency wash, health and other Urban Planning interventions in Karu peri-urban settlements in Nassarawa State to mitigate the negative health and social –economic impacts of COVID – 19 pandemic.

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, april 7, 2021

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Feature

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

Nigeria’s Efik queen wants to take royal meetings online

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n our series of letters from African writers, Nigerian journalist and novelist Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani reflects on the role of traditional rulers in the 21st Century.

With low expectations of elected politicians in Nigeria, Barbara Etim James is convinced that the solution to many of the country’s problems lies with its many chiefs, kings and queens.

Two years ago, the 54 year old was crowned a queen in the Efik kingdom in southern Nigeria.

Despite 20 years of living in the UK and founding a private equity firm, she says she is not a moderniser who wants to transform long-established African leadership structures to fit a Western model.

“Modernising suggests that you’re making something traditional more Western,” she says.

Ms James wants to turn that on its head.

“I’m bringing my global experience into a culture, not taking the culture into modernity.”

Ms James combines her role as the head of a private equity firm with that of queen, often travelling from her hometown of Calabar to cities like Lagos and Abuja for work.

“Calabar is my base but I spend a lot of time outside. But I have sort of field workers on the ground,” she says.

Members of the traditional council in her community are required to be physically present in Calabar for monthly meetings and she has to fly back home for these from wherever she is - a situation that she hopes technology can change.

“I am now having conversations with them about online meetings,” she says.

The suggestion may at first appear outrageous to people who consider it an insult to invite a respected person to an event by text message or phone - you have to send them a card, Ms James says.

“But they are very happy when people send them money online or by phone to their account,” she says, an argument she uses to support her point during discussions about enhancing culture with technology.

Politicians ‘only for short term’ The role of traditional rulers in Nigeria is not defined by the constitution and some see them as archaic institutions that have outlived their usefulness.

Cases where traditional rulers were ejected from their positions over accusations of not showing politicians support or respect have also highlighted that their roles are largely symbolic and raised

Barbara Etim James questions about how much real power they hold.

They also lack an independent source of finance.

But Ms James believes that people like her can be more effective than politicians in bringing about change.

She argues that traditional rulers are closer to the people than their elected representatives as through their network of informants they have more of a sense of what is really going on.

This means they can have more impact than the political class when addressing issues like security and poverty, especially as their involvement is more long term, she says.

“State governors usually spend the first year settling down, the second year getting to work, the third year preparing for reelection, and the fourth year on elections,” she says.

“They come and go so they have shorter interest but traditional rulers tend to be there for life.”

Nevertheless, apart from having some money allocated by local government, few traditional rulers have a thought-through economic plan for improving the lives of their people.

This is where the queen

believes her experience outside the traditional role can come in handy.

“We have strong social groups but they don’t think economically,” she says.

“It’s all social and consuming but not economic. Celebrations, ceremonies, events... But what can you do together? Can you own a farm? Can you own an enterprise?”

She has set up an enterprise fund, giving out small loans for people who want to start or expand their businesses, and organises entrepreneurship and finance training for different cultural groups.

She says she wants people to “think economically” - how to make money as well as spend it.

Inspirational father The Efik kingdom is headed by a king, known as an Obong.

Based in the coastal town of Calabar, capital of Cross River state, he presides over a layered network of 12 Efik family groups, and subgroups, including one called Henshaw Town In 2019, in recognition of the active role she had played in the Efik kingdom over the previous decade, Ms James was crowned the Obong-Anwan (queen) of Henshaw Town.

Her mother, who had been

Obong-Anwan, died in 2016, but the position is not hereditary.

“Every House can have a queen but mostly they don’t.

“First of all it’s a responsibility so you really need someone with the capacity to help people. It’s expensive.

“There’s a lot of patronage involved,” says Ms James, pointing out that she funds most of her community projects with personal, or privately raised, funds.

The queen’s love of her people and culture began when she was a child, watching her late father, Emmanuel Etim James - an assistant police commissioner who later worked for an international oil company - actively participate in his local community.

“He was very involved. He sort of brought all the things that he was involved in globally back home.

“He built a big house and got the whole community to build houses, bought cement for them, and I witnessed all that,” she says.

After she completed her studies in computer science at the University of Lagos, she moved to London for a master’s degree in business systems analysis and then settled in the UK. But she never lost the

In 2009, she got divorced from an Irish man after 12 years of marriage and moved back to settle in Calabar. Marriage is not a requirement for an Obong-Anwan.

“In Efik culture, the woman’s status is not derived from her husband,” the queen explains.

“The women, we are strong in our own way.”

Her - and her people’s - attachment to the past also means that they have not turned their backs on the connections with the British colonialists.

connection with home.

“Having travelled around the world, and being exposed to all sorts of things, it helps you value what you have.

“It is unique, it is special, and it needs nurturing,” she says.

“Many people grow up, get exposed, move to Lagos or Abuja, and they have little interest in or value in their life for their hometown or their village. I am very different.”

‘The women are strong’ In 2009, she got divorced from an Irish man after 12 years of marriage and moved back to settle in Calabar. Marriage is not a requirement for an Obong-Anwan.

“In Efik culture, the woman’s status is not derived from her husband,” the queen explains.

“The women, we are strong in our own way.”

Her - and her people’s attachment to the past also means that they have not turned their backs on the connections with the British colonialists.

The Efik acted as middlemen in the Transatlantic slave trade and the longstanding interactions between the people of Calabar and British merchants led to a high level of assimilation.

Many in the region bear English surnames, such as Duke, Henshaw and James. The traditional clothing of the men and women appears to be related to the fashions of the Victorian era.

People in some parts of Nigeria have tried to erase similar signs of the colonial presence and association by changing their surnames and street and town names, but Ms James does not see that as necessary.

“The Efik don’t feel the need for that replacement therapy.

“It is not because we are not enlightened or do not read about our colonial past. It is just that we think it is a reality and we are not ashamed,” she says.

“It happened. That is not to say we don’t recognise the negative aspects of colonialism and slavery… It’s just that we don’t hold it against the British.”

Instead, she believes that the focus for Nigerian ethnic groups should be on innovation that can sustain the culture rather than obliterate it.

“How can we revive our traditional dance groups? How can we save our languages from extinction? How can we make sure our cultures do not die but flourish into the next generation?” she asks.

These are the discussions she has been having with her people and the issues for which she wants her tenure as the Obong-Anwan of Henshaw Town to be remembered.

Source: BBC

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PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

Sports

PEOPLES DAILY

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sports@peoplesdailyng.com, SMS- 08142929046

WEDNESDAY, april 7, 2021

Edo Sports Festival under threat as athletes test positive for Covid-19

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here is serious doubt about the commencement of the 2021 Edo Sports Festival after two athletes tested positive for Coronavirus.

The Deputy Governor and Chairman, Local Organising Committee for the festival, Mr Philip Shaibu stated this while briefing journalists in Benin.

The two athletes that tested positive for the virus have been immediately moved to the Stella Obasanjo Hospital Isolation Centre for proper care and monitoring.

Recall that two states, Taraba and Oyo were disqualified from the showpiece after they failed the screening

as well.

“The contingents of Oyo and Taraba stand disqualified from the 20th NSF unless the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 gives a counter directive as both states failed to meet with the COVID-19 guidelines of the games.

“We have to be strict with the guidelines so as not to use the games as an avenue to spread COVID-19 in the state, which has already been flattened.

“Even if the PTF gives approval for both states to be admitted, the teams have to go through strict COVID-19 screening and testing before they will be allowed into camp.”

Edo 2020: Obaseki receives festival torch amidst fanfare

By Albert Akota

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overnor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State on Sunday received the festival torch of the 20th National Sports Festival.

The torch arrived at the premises of the Government House, in Benin, at about 3.30 pm.

The Governor received the torch from the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, represented by the South-South Director of Sports, Peter Nelson.

Receiving the torch, Obaseki described the national sports fiesta as a rallying point for the country and must be sustained.

“As you are all aware, the National Sports Festival is a festival of unity, the festival that brings the entire country together.

“More than ever before in our history, we need to come together at this time.

That is why the Edo State government decided that in spite of all the challenges and difficulties from the pandemic, to ensure that we still hold the 20th edition 9f the national sports festival in Benin City.

“I have received this touch and we will keep it alive and will pass it on to the next generation and the next state that Wil be hosting the 21st edition of the festival.

“On behalf of the citizens of Edo state, I received this touch from the Federal Minister of Sports,” he said.

He later passed the torch to the Deputy Governor who doubles as the Chairman of the local organizing committee, for onward transmission to the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, the main venue of the festival.

The Governor received the torch from the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, represented by the South-South Director of Sports, Peter Nelson.

Receiving the torch, Obaseki described the national sports fiesta as a rallying point for the country and must be sustained.

“As you are all aware, the National Sports Festival is a festival of unity, the festival that brings the entire country together.

“More than ever before in our history, we need to come together at this time.

That is why the Edo State government decided that in spite of all the challenges and difficulties from the pandemic, to ensure that we still hold the 20th edition 9f the national sports festival in Benin City.

“I have received this touch and we will keep it alive and will pass it on to the next generation and the next state that Wil be hosting the 21st edition of the festival.

Obaseki receives festival torch to commence National Sports Festival

Salah named Liverpool’s Player the Month CAFCC: Iwuala assists as Enyimba pip of ES Setif at home

PG30 >>>PG30 >>>PG32

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S p

Blessing Oborududu

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hree Nigerian Wrestlers have secured spots at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games. Commonwealth wrestling champions, Blessing Oborududu and Aminat Adeniyi, as well as youngster Adijat Idris displayed impressive performances at the ongoing Africa/Oceania Olympic qualifiers in Hammamet, Tunisia.

Ten-time African champion Oborududu made light work of Enas Ahmed of Egypt and Senegal’s Anta Sambou, winning 13-2 and 10-0 via technical superiority respectively, before sealing a place at her third Olympics with a 4-0 pinfall victory against Tunisian Khadija Jlassi.

On her way to booking a place in Tokyo, Adeniyi, a four-time African champion, recorded a 7-0 win over Amel Hammiche of Algeria, and then subdued Zineb Hassoune of Morocco 10-0 via technical superiority before overpowering Cameroon’s Berthe Ngolle 3-0.

Despite going down to her great rival Marwa Amri 3-1 in a keenly contested bout, Adeniyi secured her place in Tokyo alongside the Tunisian Olympic bronze-medalist.

Meanwhile, teenage sensation Idris shone like a million stars on her debut on the big stage with lots of eye-catching displays to book a place at the Olympics at the first time of asking.

The 19-year-old delivered two technical superiority wins against Egypt’s Nada Mohamed and Debora Ture of Guinea Bissau, scoring 11-0 and 15-4 respectively, before dismissing Ibtissem Doudou of Algeria in her third round-robin match and despite a 2-1 loss to home girl Sarra Hamdi, Idris, who claimed gold at the Baraza Champion of

r

t

Three Nigerian wrestlers qualify for Olympic Games in style Champions Wrestling tournament in Yenagoa in January, advanced to her maiden Olympics alongside the Tunisian.

It could have been a perfect day for Team Nigeria in Hammamet, however, Bose Samuel was stopped in the quarter-finals of the 53kg category by her Cameroonian rival Joseph Essombe Tiako, who won 2-1 via pinfall.

A bronze medal for the 2018 African champion was not good enough, as only the top 2 in each weight class qualify for the Olympics.

Oborududu, Adeniyi and Idris will thus join former World No.1 Odunayo Adekuoroye (57kg) to compete at the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Games, which will run from July 23 to August 8 this year.

CAFCC: Iwuala assists as Enyimba pip ES Setif at home

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nyimba rallied back from a goal down to beat Tunisian club ES Setif 2-1 in their CAF Confederation Cup matchday three encounter in Aba yesterday.

Monsef Bakrar gave the visitors the lead in the 13th minute after he was set up by Ahmed Kendouci.

The Peoples Elephant missed the chance to draw level four minutes later with skipper Austine Oladapo missing from the spot.

Oladapo make amend for his earlier miss with a left-footed finish from long range five minutes before the break.

Tosin Omoyele then scored the winning goal for Enyimba on the hour mark following a superb pass from Anayo Iwuala.

Fatai Osho’s side occupy top

Enyimba first in Group A with six points from three games.

Frampton retires after losing to Herring in WBO world title fight

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PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

arl Frampton announced his retirement in the ring after being stopped by Jamel Herring in the sixth round of their WBO super-featherweight contest.

The Belfast man was bidding to become Ireland’s first three-weight world champion.

Herring dropped Frampton, 34, a round earlier before another left uppercut in the sixth sent Frampton to the canvas.

Amid a flurry of shots and little defence, Frampton’s corner threw in the towel.

“I said before I would retire if I lost this fight and that’s exactly what I’m going to do,” an emotional Frampton said in the ring.

“I just want to dedicate my life to my family now. Boxing has been good to me, it’s also been bad to me.

“The last few years with these boys [trainers Jamie Moore and Nigel Travis], have been the best of my career.

“I just want to go home to my beautiful wife and kids and that’s it.”

Defeat draws curtain on Frampton’s career After losing to Josh Warrington in December 2018, Frampton seriously considered retiring but opted to continue in pursuit of another world title, firm in the belief he still had that level of performance in him.

The nature of the loss to Herring, given his assertion prior to the fight that such a result would signal an end to his career, has left Frampton with no doubt that the time is right to hang up his gloves.

Libya’s Al Ahli Benghazi will host South African side Orlando

Pirates in the other group game later yesterday.

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PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay april 7, 2021

W E D N E S DAY C O L U M N

Tackling food insecurity in Nigeria Cont. from page 32

theoretical subject in Nigeria. Once, we prided ourselves as the largest producer of palm oil in the world but what about now? The southern Nigeria that used to be the beacon of palm oil production does not remember how to plant and process palm oil any longer.

That was the time in the history of Nigeria when every Nigerians, regardless of their occupation, was also a farmer; when access to food was considered normal and natural because it was always readily available and cheap. The time in our history when government commitment to the sector was obvious; a time when the GDP and national income of the country was principally dominated by returns from agricultural exports to as much as 70 percent.

Then suddenly, beginning from the late sixties, at the emergence of crude oil, the attention of everyone including the government were off the sector; agricultural extension officers that were a common sight in all our villages gradually phased out until they do not exist any longer. We have lost so much abandoning the sector.

Today we grapple with the burden of unemployment when a flourishing agricultural sector alone can employ over 40 percent of our population along all its value chain.

Nigeria, a country of over 200 million people blessed with good arable soil that supports almost all crops suddenly becomes almost a zero producing and a major food importing nation. We were then until a few years ago consuming approximately 7 million tonnes of rice yearly yet we were not taking advantage of our capacity to produce rice. We ignore our capacity to be self-sufficient in rice production and still cater for almost all nations in our subregion and become the dumping ground for Thailand rice; from a country with one-third of our population.

The list is endless; for instance, we import rubber tyres to the tune of $309 million annually while our rubber producing capacity lay wasted; Nigeria, once a global palm oil giant, now imports palm oil to the tune of $199 million yearly. We import raw sugar to the tune of $406 million yearly; we even import wheat that we can plant in the north to the tune of $1.09 billion yearly; needless to talk about fish, pork, beef and poultry importation.

Between 1990 and 2011 only, records show that we spent about N1.0 billion per day on imported food and drinks, while at the same time groaning under the hard hit consequences of choosing importation of foods over home grown food.

Maintaining a strong and an efficient agricultural sector would have enabled the country to feed its growing

population, generate employment, earn foreign exchange and provide raw materials for industries. The benefits of the multiplier effect of the agricultural sector on the nation’s socio-economic and industrial sectors would have rubbed on the country, if well sustained.

Poor economic principles on the part of our past leaders led to the abandonment of the agricultural sector and all its potentials for our economy, at the emergence of crude oil. Managing the two at their maximum capacity would have meant effective diversification of the economy with the accompanying employment opportunity and economic stability; but instead, we chose to neglect the prospect of the fertile land that can support all crops, all season rivers and coastline bordering the Atlantic ocean, the livestock industry and others to the detriment of our economy.

The neglect of the agricultural sector began the paralysis of the nation industrial sector as raw materials production dwindle and are no more forthcoming; bringing about stagnation in the industrial sector performance. With the contraction of the economy and decline in disposable incomes, there came a substantial drop in demand (domestic) for more industrial goods, mass retrenchment of the industrial labour force and drop in the level of investment in the country.

The mistake that has been with us since the early 70s becomes more exposed as we allow unnecessary insecurity fetters and grows in the country; Boko Haram and the recent banditry, allowed by our actions and inactions, dealt a huge blow to freedom of movement of farmers in regions that have largely become the food base of the nation, and we become vulnerable to food insecurity as our insufficiency becomes largely exposed.

The problems of the herders-farmers that we prefer to politicise rather than solve have all returned back to haunt us all. We had the opportunity to take the herders off the streets and farms almost 3 years ago, as was already decided by the past administration of President Jonathan, but our political intolerance, hatred and fixation on political oppositions and selfish advantages would make us rally against the RUGA program. Today, the volume of food production in the country has massively and drastically dropped, leading to astronomical inflation on food products.

So, what is the way forward? What are the decisions that must be made? I think we must unanimously agree that we must at all cost attain sufficiency in basic food production, increase local processing of export crops, increase agricultural raw materials for industries, generate gainful

employment through agriculture and grow to rationally utilise all our agricultural resources among others.

And how do we achieve these?

First, we must know and agree that we can produce almost all the food we eat because we possess the capacity. We must all become serious, beginning from the government at all levels; we must identify all the food items we import; we must give a time frame for total stoppage of their importation; we must encourage and mobilise farmers to the farm, creating and allowing an enabling environment for safety of farmers and farm products.

The problems currently are twofold: one insecurity, and two extremely low agricultural practices in the country; and for any solution to be feasible, we must consciously and simultaneously address the two problems. Up till now, it remains that the only feasible and practicable solution to the affective herders’ problems is to take the herders off the streets and farms, like it is done in other developed nations, and while how this is achieved would be our challenge; we must recognise what our priority should be. If we keep musing on against government to take the responsibility of taking off the herders from the street, when we are conscious of the fact that the herders do not either posses the wherewithal to undertake such withdrawal on their own or the immediate will to do so, we will only succeed at perpetuating the problems we are facing, while creating room for more problems.

The constitution of the country as currently disposed allows the free movement of herders across the country, but a gazette of government executive order supported by the states and Nigerians across the board, in the form of pastoral settlements would take the cows off farmlands, and ultimately stopped the destruction of crops mostly in the north central region of the country and ultimately all over the country.

And then comes the urgency of a national resolution to the insurgency in the Northeast and banditry in other parts of Northern Nigeria. Last week, I suggested acting out of the normal; it is high time we respond simultaneously on all fronts to bring to a closure the menaces of the duo of Boko Haram and bandits in the country. The continuous perpetuation of these menaces has continued to prevent food production and movement in the affected regions, which coincidentally produce the bulk of food for the country, by as much as 60 percent; and forcing price increases that affect Nigerians daily.

The government cannot afford to delay these actions and responses any longer in the face of the biting hardship of hunger in the country.

And having taken off the impediments, we must find a way

to return Nigerians to the farm.

Operation Feed the Nation, a measure to increase participation in the agricultural sector and simultaneously create jobs for Nigerians must be prioritised by the government at all levels in the country. Declaring a state of emergency in the sector might just be the starting point; giving the states and federal agricultural departments the marching order to engage in and increase agricultural practices in their jurisdiction - taking cognizance of their endowed capacity. This will be achieved through the departments’ direct engagements in farming and animal husbandry, engagement of willing youths and others in a supervised farm program like in the days of the agricultural extension officers of the past.

We must make effective usage of graduates of departments and institutes of agriculture in the country. The nation boasts of colleges, universities and departments of agricultural sciences and related courses across our tertiary institutions, turning out tens of thousands of graduates every year. It is time, the country made use of this population as a tool for the nation’s agricultural revolution. Rather than roaming the streets looking for non-existing jobs, the government should restructure the mandatory NYSC scheme to annex the knowledge of these graduates. Instead of sending them to schools to teach, the NYSC system should mandatorily engage all graduates of agriculture related courses in agricultural practices.

The states and the federal government should make land available for massive NYSC farm settlements to be established across the country and all corps members with biases in agriculture should be sent to the farms to produce food for the nation on a farm and benefit agreement.

And after the end of service year, every graduate willing to go to the farm must be fully supported by the government; I suggest a partnership that guarantees land availability, resources, market, storage and conversion and processing facilities.

Then, we must be patient. I have seen Nigerians complaining that they prefer the imported products because they claimed locally produced items are more expensive and of lower quality.

Yes, they may be more expensive today but they are our own and if we persist, one day, the prices will come down and the quality will match any other and jobs would have been provided for our teeming unemployed youths. We will surely get there if only we will all agree to bear the pains of today.

GOD BLESS THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA!

. . . putting the people first

WednesDay april 7, 2021

SPACE FOR SALE

SPORTS Tackling food insecurity in Nigeria latest

French Open may be postponed over increase of coronavirus cases

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he French Open could be postponed because of a surge in coronavirus cases in France, the country’s sports minister Roxana Maracineanu says.

France entered a third nationwide lockdown on Saturday, which president Emmanuel Macron said he expected to end in mid-May. The Grand Slam is due to take place at Roland Garros from 23 May to 6 June, with qualifying the week before.

In 2020, it was postponed to the autumn because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are in discussion with [the French Tennis Federation] to see if we should change the date to coincide with a possible resumption of all sports and major events,” Maracineanu told France Info radio.

“Today, although high-level sport has been preserved, we try to limit the risks of clusters, of spreading the virus within professional sports.”

France is battling a peak of about 5,000 Covid patients in intensive care units. On Friday, the country recorded 46,677 new cases and 304 deaths

Advert: business: news: lagos:

I

t is quite inexplicable how Nigeria, enormously blessed with rich arable lands, aquatic resources and huge agrarian population to utilise for both farming and livestock production, will be groaning under the burden of food scarcity.

The reality of the food insecurity in Nigeria has overtime, since the abandonment of the agroeconomy, been that of a nation and its citizens struggling to afford three square meals a day. The citizens are at the stage where there is a heightened uncertainty about their ability to obtain access to food. The ability of Nigerians to obtain food has been reduced significantly reflecting in the quantity and quality of food they consume because of lack of access to preferred food materials due to the very high cost and low availability of the food material among several other factors that have made the food stuff inaccessible to the people. Consequently, the nation is highly at the risk of diminishing dietary quality, normal eating pattern, and increasingly hampered wellness of the citizens.

Summarily, hunger is fast increasing in the land, with all its attending consequences including vices.

Agreed, there is food shortage globally, arising from acute famine across some regions of the globe, and ravaging insecurity that has crippled agricultural practices. Yes, globally, it is estimated that over 2 billion people do not have access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food, while another 1.3 billion, representing 17.2 percent of the world population are experiencing moderate food insecurity; not having consistent access to nutritious and sufficient food.

The combination of the two, thus brings the population of starving people around the world to about 27 percent of the world population. But these are not supposed to reflect in

0806 564 8620 0704 385 9705 0814 292 9046 08074420617

WEDNESDAY COLUMN By

USSIJU MEDANER info@medaner.com, justme4justice@yahoo.com Nigeria the way it does; the blessedness of Nigeria is a factor that naturally should exempt the country from hunger, all things being equal.

However, today, the reality is a general lack of access to food premised on increasing cost of food materials across the country. In the last three years, the cost of food stuff in the country has increased by an average of 350 percent, and is still rising. The price of normal measure of beans increases from N200 to N650; garri from N120 to N450, and no other food ingredient or supplement is exempted from the trend that has refused to turn. In Nigeria of today, a family of five, that hitherto could manage N40, 000 on a monthly basis to meet the family food demand, now would not do the same with a N80,000 budgets in a system that is gravely fighting against salary increase, and is permeated with conditions that makes self sufficiency a herculean task.

The nation is largely becoming underfed; malnutrition becoming the reality, existing in multiple forms. We recorded as consequences of lack of access to normal feeding routine, an increasing number of death traceable to maternal and child undernutrition to the tune of 45 percent of the deaths of all children under the age of five in the country;

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then, low birth weight, child stunting which often result to overweight and obesity later in life.

But beyond the hunger crisis itself are the social vices and crimes precipitated by the desire to find alternatives to survive in a hunger prone society. The figure of crimes among the young population is in the increase in the country.

From petty theft, robbery to sophisticated crimes in the order of armed robbery, kidnapping and the likes; Nigeria has become embroiled in damaging vices and crimes that have continued without abating to engulf the fabrics of the nation. Nigerians have gotten to the point where they freely hate on the country, and would do anything regardless of its negativity and consequences on the country to meet basic survival needs.

The nation’s food problems started as a consequence of the total neglect of the very sensitive agricultural sector of the economy; a sector that, at a time, was producing as much as 70 percent of GDP of the country while accounting for the bulk of the nation’s export. We must all begin from the point of realisation that every developed nation did not become developed until they first attained agricultural sufficiency and development.

Agricultural development comes first with food sufficiency which is the

The nation’s food problems started as a consequence of the total neglect of the very sensitive agricultural sector of the economy; a sector that, at a time, was producing as much as 70 percent of GDP of the country while accounting for the bulk of the nation’s export.

primary need of individuals and nations but it does not end there; with food sufficiency comes tradable surpluses that become raw materials for industries. When a nation maximally develops its agricultural sector, processing industries naturally spring up to process farm produce into finished products; jobs are created; crimes are minimal and people generally complain less.

Going into independence, the major contributors to Nigeria GDP and individual incomes; the major employer of labour, the major source of raw materials to several industries was agriculture.

The federating regions were self-sufficient with incomes generated from agricultural practices. The West was the great cocoa producing region; every village in the region was a beehive of activities, the product turning out in tons and the cynosural Cocoa House in Ibadan completed the story.

Hundreds of thousands of westerners were doing really well. Today, we ask, where is the Cocoa House? Where are the acres of cocoa plantations all over the South West? What becomes of the value chain, the opportunities along the cocoa business? The jobs created and the prospect of the cocoa processing industry in Nigeria. They are gone, down the drain.

The groundnut pyramid of the North has become only a Cont. on page 31

DAN Dan GAYE gaYE

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