Tuesday, March , 2020 Edition

Tuesday, March 10, 2020/ Rajab 15, 1441 AH

Vol. 33 No. 077 N150

2157 Days after

@pmlonline

peoplesdailyng

. . . putting the people first

The nation awaits rescue of the remaining abducted Chibok schoolgirls

MDAs awarded contracts “Armed Forces Service 600 Air Force personnel based on old 5% VAT rate Bill unconstitutional, deploys to Birnin-Gwari taboo�

- FIRS tells Reps to battle bandits

Aminu Ado Bayero th is 15 Emir of Kano pAGE 2

pAGE 6

pAGE 10

page 5

As Ganduje dethrones Sanusi Lamido, ex emir heads to exile

The New Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero

Reps give ex-FMBN boss 48 hours to render account, summon CBN gov, others >>>page 8

The Dethroned Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sunusi II on his way to exile.

Buhari sets up Presidential Task Force on Coronavirus

>>page 5

FG to cut $57 oil benchmark, 2020 budget

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PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

News CONTENTS News 2-14 Op.Ed

12-13

Politics 15-17 Stock Watch Business Metro

18 19-20 21

World Analysis 22 Africa News

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World News

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Armed Forces Service Bill unconstitutional, taboo - group insists

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

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he Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM) has called on Nigerians to reject the Senate’s proposed bill on the Armed Forces Service Commission, describing it as a “taboo”.

The group described the bill sponsored by the lawmaker representing Abia-South Senatorial District, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe as unconstitutional.

By the bill, the Senate will have authority to appoint Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Air Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, Director of Military Intelligence and heads of other arm-bearing security agencies.

The bill will also provide for the establishment of Armed Forces Service Commission, which shall have the power and authority pursuant to section 219 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

Speaking on behalf of the group, National President, Mr. Sabo Ode argued that Abaribe and his cohorts would have to amend the constitution for this to happen.

In clear terms, the coalition rubbished the bill to be “repugnant to

the principles of democracy; a satanic wish to curtail the powers of Mr. President on security matters, and a despicable plot to hamstrung the Presidency”.

They, however, called on Nigerians to rise and defend their democracy and not allow selfish politicians manipulate the constitution in their favour.

The statement reads in parts; ‘’Nigerians cannot pretend aloofness on certain issues. The 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) spells out clearly areas that the National Assembly is empowered by the same supreme document to make laws. And majority of these parliamentarians are conversant with the cliché recited like national anthem everywhere that any law which contradicts the Constitution of Nigeria is null and void to the extent of the contradiction. ‘’That Senator Abaribe relied on Section 219 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, but aligned its intendment wrongly gives us a serious cause for concern and not to remain silent. And so, it is obvious that the Senators are attempting to wrest the powers of Mr. President in deciding who makes up the list of his Service and Security Chiefs through the backdoor. ‘’We wish to elucidate that the 1999

Constitution of Nigeria which Sen. Abaribe and his co-travellers relied upon to smuggle a Bill very obnoxious to the interest of Nigeria states is Section 219. But Sections 217 and 218 of the same Constitution have already settled the supremacy of Mr. President in deciding who to appoint into Service Chiefs leadership, in compliance with the Federal Character Principle. And Federal Character principle is also not same as ethnic or religious character. ‘’Section 219; Sub-section (b) states that “With respect to the powers exercisable by the President under section 218 of this Constitution, by an Act, established a body which shall comprise such members as the National Assembly may determine, and which shall have power to ensure that the composition of the armed forces of the Federation shall reflect the federal character of Nigeria in the manner prescribed in the section 217 of this Constitution.” ‘’However, Section 217: subsection 3; earlier stipulated that “The composition of the officer corps and other ranks of the armed forces of the Federation shall reflect the Federal Character of Nigeria.” ‘’Also, the Constitution in Section 218; Sub-Section 2; explicitly states

R-L: Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Mustapha Lawal Sulaiman, Member ,”Save our Youth Campaigns” Committee, Mr. David Apeh, Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission.

Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Arc Sonny Echono and the Representative of Executive Secretary, TETFund, Muhd Sani Sulaiman, when the Minister receive the Plague award from the Save our Youth Campaign Committee , during the celebration of the 2020 commonwealth day . Theme: “delivering a common future, connecting, Innovating Transforming”, held yesterday in Abuja.

MDAs awarded contracts based on old 5% VAT rate FIRS tell Reps Page 6

Digest

25

Feature 26 Sports 30-31 Back Page

that “The powers conferred on the President by subsection (1) of this section shall include power to appoint the Chief of Defence staff, the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff, the Chief of Air Staff and heads of any other branches of the Armed Forces of the Federation as may be established by an Act of the National Assembly. ‘’The Coalition wishes to explain that the phrase in the clause (218) stating that “…as may be established by an Act of the National Assembly,” refers directly to the Armed Forces of Nigeria as may be determined or approved by NASS. It does not suggest the enactment of a fresh law which will whittle or usurp the powers of Mr. President in deciding who to appoint into the hierarchy of Service Chiefs. ‘’In other words, the Section 219 of the 1999 constitution (as amended), as cited by the sponsor of the Armed Forces Commission Bill, Senator Abaribe does not confer such powers on the National Assembly. If NASS finds provisions of Sections 217 and 218 defectives, it must first amend the relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution or may be riding against the tide by this Bill,’’ the statement said.

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Ortom threatens to drag defaulting road contractors to EFCC From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

B

enue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has frowned at failure of contractors handling various road projects in the State to complete them.

He therefore, threatened to drag the defaulting contractors before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The Governor who made the threat at the weekend after inspecting ongoing work on the Terwase Agbadu -Yaikyo/ Apir, Customary Court of Appeal

through Logo 1 to George Akume Way and Atoato Igirgir Street, particularly expressed displeasure at the inability of the contractor handling the DauduGbajimba road project to execute the contract saying “we have given him a deadline to bring back the money he collected for the contract failure to do so, we will hand him over to EFCC.” He also, cautioned the contractor handling Igbo-IkpaWannune road project to ensure thoroughness in the execution of the contract “or the government might be forced to terminate the

contract and ask for refunds.

“We have given them enough money and I expect that project to move speedily. They must know that I have no time to joke with anyone at this time because it is all about Samuel Ortom’s administration and I will not allow anybody make a mess of our efforts to impact on the lives of our people,” he added.

While expressing delight at the quality of job done on the projects inspected, the Governor said, “As a government we are going to sustain this to ensure that aside Makurdi, Otukpo and

Gboko including other major towns are also reached.

“Like I said, our second term is the last opportunity that Benue people have given to us and we are not going to rest but ensure that we provide them the dividends of democracy despite the very tasking financial challenges that we are facing”.

He posited that the move of the government was to ensure that the roads open up new development areas and ease movement, particularly in areas with difficult terrains during rainy season.

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PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

News

Teachers’ verification exercise not for witch-hunt -Council

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rof. Segun Ajiboye, Registrar, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has said that the nationwide verification of teachers’ professional certification is not to witch hunt anyone, but to sanitize the teaching profession.

Newsmen report that the TRCN monitoring teams have begun the verification exercise targeted at rooting quackery out of the profession in Oyo and other states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Ajiboye, in an interview with newsmen on Monday, stated that the nationwide monitoring exercise received the support of states and schools.

According to him, no serious country will allow its future leaders to be taught by quacks and charlatans.

He said that the monitoring of compliance with the Federal Government’s directives commenced in 33 states on Monday, with state monitoring leaders moving from school to school.

Ajiboye, who maintained that the quality of teachers would affect the quality of education and learning outcomes, stated that the Federal Government would not trade teachers’ professionalism for anything.

He said: “The TRCN monitoring of compliance commences nationwide today (Monday) in 33 states and the FCT, with TRCN officials and state monitoring team leaders moving from school to school.

“The exercise is not aimed at witch hunting anybody, but primarily to sanitize the teaching profession.

“This is because no serious country will leave the education of its future leaders to charlatans. If we want to get our education right, we must first get it right with the teachers.

“Quality teachers will translate into quality education. The reports reaching us across the states indicated that people are ready to ensure standards in the profession.

“Indeed, some have picked professional qualifying examination forms.”

Ajiboye said that TRCN had received reports from Kaduna, Delta, Lagos, Rivers, Plateau, Jigawa and Aba, among other states, on the verification exercise.

“We are stepping it up and quality will not be mortgaged.

Teaching is for professionals and will not be allowed to be a dumping ground for quacks,” he said.

News Editor, Ese Awhotu

Buhari hails Justice Adesola Oguntade At 80

By Egena Sunday Ode

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resident Muhammadu Buhari has joined the Nigerian Body of Benchers and Nigerian Bar Association in celebrating former Justice of the Supreme Court and High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Justice George Adesola Oguntade, on his 80th birthday, March 10, 2020.

This was contained in a statement on Monday by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina.

The statement noted that in a tribute to Justice Oguntade, also a former Chancellor, University

of Lagos, President Buhari said the High Commissioner earned his respect while serving at the Supreme Court, before his retirement in 2010, by the way he conducted himself with “virtue, honesty and conviction to do the right thing.’’

The President, in his letter to the legal luminary, was quoted to have said: “What a sterling character!

A man with the courage of his convictions, a jurist of the Puritan kind, and a great patriot.

Justice Oguntade, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, is a man who made a name and a reputation in his

chosen career of legal practice. No wonder, he rose to the very peak, retiring as Justice of the Supreme Court.

“To be an outstanding jurist, you must be ready to be different, even if it means standing alone. I will never forget my legal challenge of the presidential election of 2007.

It was such a disorderly, chaotic and badly manipulated poll, that the man declared winner, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, himself admitted the process was highly flawed.

“However, the Supreme Court, in its judgement, upheld the election, except for a minority position maintained by three justices, led by Justice Oguntade.

He nullified the poll for not complying with the Electoral Act. It was a split of four against three.

You don’t have too many like this great jurist anymore.

“He was not afraid to stand alone, when it came to upholding the truth. For that display of virtue, honesty and conviction to do the right thing, Justice Oguntade earned my respect. And as he turns 80, I wish him a grand celebration.

“To Justice Oguntade, I say good health, longer life and service to our country. Happy birthday, and may the Oguntade clan continue to increase.’’

L-R: Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele; Minister of State Budget and National Planning, Clement Agba; Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed; Minister of State Petroleum Resource, Timipre Sylva, and Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mallam Mele Kyari, Briefing State Correspondents on the Effect of COVID-19 Committee on the Nigeria Economic at the Presidential Villa, yesterday in Abuja.

Gunmen kill one, kidnap six in Sokoto

T

he Sokoto State Police Command one Monday said one person was killed and six others kidnapped by unknown gunmen in three communities in Shagari Local Government Area of the state.

The police spokesperson,

Muhammad Sadiq, told journalists in Sokoto that the incident occurred about 3:30 am on Monday at Gidan Shikkau, Gidan Tsamiya and Kajiji communities.

Sadiq said no arrest had been made, but a team of policemen was on the trail of the gunmen.

Newsmen report that the communities are about 57 Kilometres from Sokoto.

A source, who pleaded anonymity, told newsmen that the bandits, fired gunshots indiscriminately, killing one person and abducting six others

to unknown destination.

A member, Sokoto State House of Assembly, Maidawa AlhajiKajiji (APC-Shagari), condoled with the family of the deceased and expressed sympathy for the kidnapped victims.

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News

Court strikes out suit by deceased exCustoms’ widow

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he National Industrial Court, Abuja, on Monday struck out a suit filed by Dr Jemila Aruna, widow of a dismissed deceased officer of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Isiaka, challenging the termination of his appointment after his death.

The judge, Justice Oyejoju Oyewumi, struck out the suit following an application

by Dr Aruna’s counsel, Mr Abdulganiyu Shuaibu, for the withdrawal of the suit.

Shuaibu said the application for withdrawal was made on grounds that parties had reached some form of agreement and that they had decided to settle out of court.

Defence counsel, Mr Umar Lawal, aligned with the position of the claimant’s counsel and said he had no objection to the application.

Justice Oyewumi therefore said; “in pursuant to the application made by the claimant’s counsel for withdrawal, this case is hereby struck out”.

Newsmen report that Aruna, in her statement of claims said that a year after her husband‘s demise, she went to inform the defendant officially about the incidence and to also claim his benefits, but instead was served with a letter, terminating the husband’s appointment.

She then approached the court to seeking for a declaration that the appointment of her husband who died on September 16, 2013 while in active service was valid and subsisting.

The widow also sought a declaration that the appointment of her husband as a staff of NCS via a letter dated Sept. 24, 1992, was still extant and subsisting, until his death Aruna further prayed the court to void the dismissal of her husband from service on Nov.4, 2014, a year after his demise.

The claimant also sought an order of the court, directing the defendant to reinstate the deceased husband to the position he occupied before his death and pay his salaries, emoluments and entitlements.

In addition, she urged the court to direct the defendant to pay her N300 million as exemplary and aggravated damages.

PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

Public awareness, good hygiene curbs Lassa fever- WHO official

D

r Clement Peter, the Officerin-Charge of World Health Organisation (WHO) in Nigeria, has emphasised the need for public awareness and good hygiene to prevent the spread of Lassa fever in the country.

Peter told newsmen in Abuja that information was fundamental for people to be aware of what they should do to prevent the fever.

He said “people need to know what Lassa fever is. People need to know how to protect themselves.

A lot of these can be done through awareness.

“It is a pattern; in other countries that we have seen, rats tend to produce more when food is available, when food is not covered or stored very well. They feed on it and multiply.

“Also, when houses are not clean, it provides opportunity to interact with rats and the

population; other thing is the hygiene aspect of it; sometimes food is not covered properly.

“So, let people know about it,’’ he said.

The officer commended the Federal Government for building the capacity of health workers to prevent the spread of the fever.

He said that from the international health score capacity that the country assessed in November 2019, the country recorded some progress in capacity building.

The official added that WHO had been working with Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to activate emergency operation centres.

He noted that “we have been supporting NCDC to activate emergency operation centres in Abuja and affected states, and coordinating responses to curb

spread of the fever.

“We are strengthening surveillance, the contact tracing and the laboratory component.

Already, government is stronger with the stuff they have.

“We are just to give guidelines and minimum capacity in terms of training for those states that are aware of what the disease is.

“We are supporting NCDC to have such team, we are trying to mobilise resources because government has gotten Action Plan respond to Lassa fever.

“The good thing is that Nigeria has the laboratories, the reagents are there; the medicines are there, we have centres for Lassa fever.

“We are trying to advance the area of research, Nigeria hosted a big conference in terms of Lassa fever in 2019, the first-ever global conference and the international community rallied round Nigeria,’’

he said.

Peter said it was one drug that was presently used for the treatment of Lassa fever in the country, saying “how long do we continue with it? is it the best drug?.

“We are thinking in the next five year, will there be rapid diagnostic test that people can do and get result immediately and also availability of medicine?”, he asked.

According to him, Lassa fever is endemic in Nigeria.

The WHO officer said that majority of the cases of Lassa fever were from Ebonyi, Ondo, Edo. As at March 8, 2020, the epidemic, which escalated right from the second week of the year, had by the end of the ninth week seen 774 cases and 132 deaths, spread across 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory. (NAN)

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PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

News

Aminu Ado Bayero succeeds Sanusi Lamido as 15th Emir of Kano Dethroned ex-Emir flown into exile

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

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ollowing the dethronement of the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi ll, by the Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the State has announced one of the Sons of the late Emir Ado Bayero, Aminu Ado Bayero as the 15th Fulani Emir of the State.

Until his selection and subsequent appointment by the four Kano Kingmakers, Aminu Ado Bayero was the Emir of Bichi Emirate, one of the four new Emirates created by the Ganduje administration.

The four Kingmakers, Makaman Kano, Abdullahi Sarki Bayero, Sarkin Bai, Mukthar Adnan, Sarkin Dawaki Maituta, Alhaji Bello Tuta, and Madakin Kano Yusuf Nabahani Cigari

were present when the State Secretary to the Government , Usman Alhaji announced the appointment of Bayero.

Bayero was appointed the Waban Kano by the dethroned emir after becoming the 14th Emir of Kano five years ago.

He was elevated from the rank of Sarkin Dawakin Tsakar Gida by Emir Sanusi, who was appointed by the former government of Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso late 2014.

The Secretary to the Government said the appointment was done sequel to the powers conferred on the Governor in the Emirate Council section 11 subsection 1 of the Kano Emirate Council Law 2019.

He said the appointment was done following recommendations made by the four Kingmakers and approved by

the State Executive Council.

Announcing the removal after an emergency Executive Council Meeting, the Secretary to the State Government, Usman Alhaji Usman, said the emir was deposed due to disobedience to lawful instructions from the office of the governor and lawful authorities.

The emir, according to the SSG, was persistently refusing to attend official meetings and programmes organized by the government without any lawful justification which amounted to total insubordination.

The SSG said the Kano State Executive Council under the chairmanship of His Excellency, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje had unanimously approved the immediate removal) dethronment of the emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi ll.

According to him, “it is on record that in so many instances, Malam Muhammadu Sanusi ll has been found breaching part 3 section 13(a-e) of the Kano State Emirate Law 2019,and which if left unchecked will destroy the good and established image of the Kano emirate. “ This removal is made after due consultation with relevant stakeholders and in compliance with part 3 section 13 of the Kano State Emirate Law 2019 and other reasons stated above,” he said Usman added that the removal was effected in order to safeguard the sanctity, culture, tradition, religion and prestige of the Kano emirate built over thousands years.

He further stated that governor Ganduje calls on the general public

to remain calm, law abiding and to go about their normal businesses, while the new emir would soon be appointed.

As at the time of filing this report, our reporter observed that tight security has been put in place in some places around the metropolis, especially around the government house and elsewhere to prevent any possible threat to law and order.

Unconfirmed information suggested that the dethroned emir was flown out of Kano yesterday into exile believably in Nasarawa state.

Recall that crisis between Ganduje and Sanusi has been raging immediately after the 2019 governorship election where the governor accused the immediate past emir of supporting his main opponent, Abba Kabiru Yusuf of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Buhari sets up Presidential Task Force on Coronavirus FG to cut $57 oil benchmark, N9tr 2020 budget As Nigeria records 2nd confirmed case

By Egena Sunday Ode and Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

A

L-R: Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina, presents a souvenir to the Minister of State, Ministry of Science and Technology, Barrister Mohammed Abdullah as Dr. Dan’azumi Ibrahim, the DG, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) watching, yesterday in Katsina.

Plateau to resume monthly sanitation in May

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he Plateau State Government will resume its monthly sanitation in May, according to the Commissioner of Environment, Alhaji Yakubu Usman.

Usman, who made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen on Monday in Jos, said the exercise was earlier suspended because of security challenges in the state.

He said the State Government would engage in public private

partnership for the smooth takeoff and sustenance of the exercise. ” We have written a Memo on the need to resuscitate the normal monthly sanitation. We are hoping to resume it in May when the rainy season starts, at least we should be able to have cleared all the drains before then,” Usman said.

He said special sanitation days for markets were halted because the exercise was “bastardised” as money was being collected indiscriminately from traders.

He said that private waste operators would be engaged to clear dumps in markets, hospitals and some hotels to ensure effective service delivery.

“One of our focal areas is that we intend to have specialists who will be responsible for all the market areas including abattoirs, which will extend to addressing sanitation challenges in markets,” the commissioner said.

He said that the ministry was working toward acquiring 25

operational work trucks by the end of 2020, to facilitate efficient disposal of refuse in the state.

He said the government currently had 12 operational trucks and was working to repair its excavators and wheel loaders, which were critical for clearing and conveying dumps.

Usman urged residents of the state to keep their environment clean in order to live a healthy and productive life. (NAN)

s the health authorities announced the discovery of a second case of Coronavirus in the country, President Muhammadu Buhari has established a Presidential Task Force for the control of the deadly disease otherwise known as COVID-19.

A statement by the Presidency Spokesman, Garba Shehu, on Monday said the President’s action was sequel to the current global outbreak of the novel Coronavirus and its potential of causing significant disruption to health services in the country as well as impacting negatively on the economy.

“This action is in preparation for the unlikely but probable major outbreak of the disease in the country which will require a multi-sectoral intergovernmental approach as advised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) similar to that adopted for the HIV epidemic in the last two decades,” Shehu noted in the statement.

Membership of the start and finish task group which would be expected to deliver within a maximum period of six months, comprises Mr. Boss Mustapha (SGF) – Chair; Dr. Sani Aliyu – National Coordinator; Hon. Minister of Health and Hon. Minister of Interior.

Others are: Hon. Minister of Aviation, Hon. Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Service, Hon. Minister of Education, Hon. Minister of Information and Culture, Hon. Minister of Environment, Director-General, State Services, Director-General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and WHO Country Representative.

And in response to the falling oil prices at the International market owing to the ravaging Coronavirus, the Federal Government has announced its readiness to cut down oil benchmark as well as the current national budget.

A five-man committee has been set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to that effect.

The 2020 nine trillion naira budget is predicated on an oil benchmark of $57 per barrel.

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, who

L-R: General Manger, Refineries and Projects, Niger Delta Refineries LTD (ND), Mr Femi Olaniyan; Deputy Governor of Rivers, Mrs Ipalibo Harry-baigo; member, House Committee on Environment, Rivers House of Assembly, Mr Lolo Opuende and Chairman, House Committee on Environment, Rivers House of Assembly, Mr Dumle Maol, during the Deputy Governor’s facility visit to ND Refineries Ltd, yesterday in Port Harcourt . Photo: NAN disclosed this after a meeting with the President at the Presidential Villa, Abuja Monday heads the committee.

Other members of the panel are Minister of State (Petroleum) Timipre Sylva; Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele; Group General Manager of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari and the Minister of State (Budget and National Planning), Clement Agba.

According to Ahmed, the committee’s mandate is to do a quick examination of the coronavirus on the economy with respect to its effects on the crude oil price.

She said all things considered, it would be imperative to reduce the oil benchmark of $57 per barrel, adding that the overall size of the budget would also be necessarily cut down as revenue flow would be affected.

She said: “We just met with the President to discuss the matter of the impact of the Coronavirus on our economy and Mr President has formed us into a committee, with the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, the Central Bank Governor, the GMD NNPC and myself as members.

“Our mandate is to make a quick assessment of the impact of this Coronavirus on the economy, especially

as it affects the crude oil price. We will be writing a report and brief Mr President tomorrow or Wednesday morning and after that we’ll also have more substantial information for the press.

“But it is very clear that we will have to revisit the crude oil benchmark price that we have of $57 per barrel, we have to revisit it and lower the price. Where it will be lowered to is the subject of the work of this Committee.

“What the impact will be on that is that there will be reduced revenue to the budget and it will mean cutting the size of the budget. The quantum of the cut is what we are supposed to assess as a committee.

“This is just an initial update to inform you on the directives that we have and subsequently we will be sending a report to the President, after which we will be briefing the press on the actions that government will be taking.”

On suggestions that Nigeria was in talks with Russia and Saudi Arabia with a view to persuading them to cut down on oil production so as to force the prices up, Sylva said such an engagement was beyond the country as an individual member of OPEC. Sylva said: “On the issue of engaging Russia, we as a member of OPEC are not in a position to take that engagement

on our own unilaterally. There was a disagreement between OPEC and OPEC+, it’s not just Russia, but the biggest producers within OPEC and OPEC+ are Saudi Arabia and Russia.

“We believe that in the coming days when all of us would have begun to see effect of the reduction of prices, OPEC and OPEC+ might need to meet again and reconsider our positions.

“Meanwhile, we expect also that a lot of discussions are going on at the level of Saudi Arabia and Russia, but as Nigeria, we are not in a position to begin to engage members on this matter.”

The Federal Government had hinted last week after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting that it was considering a review of the budget in view of the falling oil prices at the International market which is a Coronavirus: FG set to slice $57 oil benchmark, budget The federal government had earlier yesterday recorded another case of Coronavirus in Nigeria making it a total of two in the Country.

Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire disclosed this in Benin during a press briefing with newsmen at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, (UBTH).

Dr. Ehanire said the new case was the person who had a contact with the Italian man, the index patient.

“On the 8th of March, scientists confirmed the presence of Coronavirus in one of the contacts.

“It is my duty to announce a new case of the Coronavirus disease in Nigeria and the newly confirmed case is an Ogun State contact of the index case but he has no significant clinical symptoms.

“It brings the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nigeria today to two.

“Since the beginning of the outbreak in China and its subsequent spread to other countries, one of the importance response strategies at the containment stage, has been to identify all contacts, ensure their strict isolation, and follow up the way you check for every symptom of the disease”, he said.

The Health Minister said all contacts of the index case in Ogun and Lagos will remain in isolation and testing will be carried out on those not yet tested including some in other States.

He said the federal ministry of health and Lagos and Ogun State ministries of health assure citizens of their commitment to do all needed to control spread of the outbreak.

He also said since the first case was confirmed in Nigeria on the 27th of February 2020, the National Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Abuja, continues to work closely with Lagos and Ogun State EOCs to coordinate response activities.

He said the federal government has committed about N1 billion in fighting the course and have also gotten promises of cash donations from private individuals and organizations.

“The government of Nigeria has committed about N1 billion to this response and every amount that was requested by NCDC has been granted by the President with no delay at all.

“The money is available and is being used and utilised.

“We also have promises of donations from several of organizations, private sectors and we got a letter the other day that we can apply for the global funds that has been allocated to Nigeria for this response”, he said.

He warned against spreading misinformation to cause fear and panic as the federal ministry of health and NCDC will continue to provide prompt and reliable updates and initiate all measures required to protect the citizens of the Country.

PAGE 6

News Delta govt. to investigate fire incidence at water project From Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

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elta state Government on Monday announced measures to ascertain the root cause of the fire outbreak that razed a multimillion naira water scheme project in Warri/ Effurun few days ago.

The state Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu who spoke to Journalists in Asaba, said that the state government would leave no stone unturned to ensure the cause of the fire outbreak is ascertained, adding that the water scheme project started 28 years ago with huge sums of money pumped into the project for the purposes of providing water for the People of the area.

Noting that the fire outbreak was a major setback to one of the state government projects, Aniagwu said that investigation was ongoing with a view to bringing those responsible for the inferno to law, adding that the state government action was informed by the nefarious activities of those who may have allegedly set the water project ablaze..

It was gathered that the fire outbreak that razed the multi million naira water Scheme Project in Warri/Effurun

by Airport road in Warri South West and Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta state, was allegedly caused by some Hausa labourers who were hired to clear the overgrown weeds within the Premises which also housed the popular College Of Education, Edjeba, Warri of the fateful day The labourers were said to have left the scene when the fire outbreak spreads to the section housing the multi million naira water scheme project for their dear lives before some spirited individuals attempted to put out the inferno but no avail The state Commissioner for Water Resources, Barr Martin Okonta who also spoke to Journalists in Asaba, said that the project currently undergoing 28 years old, is being handled by the government in partnership with the World Bank, adding that the state government would do everything possible to know how the fire outbreak razed the project.

PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

MDAs awarded contracts based on old 5% VAT rate - FIRS tells Reps

By Christiana Ekpa

T

he Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) yesterday disclosed that some Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies have insisted that the contracts awarded by them was based on the old 5 percent VAT rate and therefore cannot pay 7.5 percent at the point of consumption.

Executive Chairman of the FIRS, Mohammed Mamman Nami who revealed this at a meeting with members of the Finance Committee of the House of Representatives equally disclosed that some business premises in the country were also resisting efforts by the Service to deploy technology in the collection of government revenue by connecting them to a common server where it can monitor their transaction as is done across the globe.

Nami also accused some multinational companies operating in the country of not paying the required tax to government, but fake the issue of pioneer status to get tax exemption for a period of five years instead of the three years contained in the laws.

The FIRS is also seeking the support of the National Assembly to amend the laws dealing with pioneer status for companies, insisting that several companies in the country were abusing

the law and getting tax waivers they don’t deserve.

He said FIRS has sent an executive bill to President Muhammadu Buhari through the office of the Attorney General of the Federation to allow them deploy technology in generating revenue, saying when the order is applied, the FIRS will be able to generate huge revenue for the government.

Nami said one of the problems in the FIRS was the issue of revenue leakages, adding that even though Nigeria is the number one economy in Africa, it ranked far behind South Africa in terms of tax to GDP growth as a result of leakages in the system.

He said while tax to GDP growth in Nigeria stands at about 6.3 percent, tax to GDP in South Africa is 27 percent, adding that Nigeria’s tax rate stands as the lowest in Africa, while the average tax to GDP growth in sub Saharan Africa stands at 17 percent.

As a result of the leakages, he said, the service is was not able to generate revenue for government to fund the budget, adding that several Nigerians who are supposed to pay tax in the country were avoiding payment of tax.

He said private companies recruited by the FIRS to help collect revenue on its behalf were poorly remunerated as they are entitled only to 1 percent they collect

which he said may not enough to off set their expenses.

As a result of this, he said, some of the tax consultants resort to under hand dealings, negotiating with tax payers on reducing their declaration so that they can get more money to off et their expenses.

The FIRS boss also spoke of under payment of revenue in the oil and gas sector and some multi nationals who hide under the pioneer status clause in the laws to evade paying taxes, adding that while the law allowed for a three year tax holiday based on the pioneer status, these companies now resort to retooling the factories and apply for another two years tax holiday.

He alleged that some companies have been operating in Nigeria for several years without paying a single kobo as tax as they were granted tax incentives they don’t deserve.

He said these multinationals have not been paying tax in Nigeria, adding that the FIRS is deploying technology to get the e-commerce sector to be involved in the payment of tax.

He also disclosed that since the Finance Act has given the FIRS the express power to collect stamp duty, it intends to deploy technology in carrying out the function, adding that it is seeking to connect the money deposit banks, the

Central Bank of Nigeria with technology so that the 50 kobo stamp duty will drop immediately into government account.

“When you make a transfer of money above N10,000 to somebody, the 50 kobo stamp duty is deducted. But this money does not drop into government account as it ought to. These monies are being kept by the bank. What we are working on right now is to ensure that the stamp duty drops into government account immediately. That is the practice across the world.

Nami said on assumption of duty, he discovered that about 1139 staff were recruited and posted to tax offices across the country to administer tax matters without adequate training, adding that “some of these people are graduate of Engineering, law and other discipline.

“They are not graduate of taxation.

But they were posted to administer tax for government. We have begin the process of training these people in tax administration as a way of improving our operations.

He said that as a result of the clause in the Finance Act which exempt companies below the threshold from paying Value Added Tax, some companies have started devising means of evading payment of VAT, by claiming that their capital base is less than N25 million.

Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State (R), inspecting health facility at quarantine centre for Covid-19 at the Yola Specialist Hospital, with him are health officials of the centre, yesterday in Adamawa

Cleric appeals to Kebbi govt to appoint SA on religious affairs From Ahmed Idris, Birnin Kebbi

A

n Islamic Cleric Sheikh Abubakar Abdullahi Giro Arugungu has made a passionate appeal to the Kebbi State Governor Senator Atiku Abubakar Bagudu to appoint Special Adviser on Religion Affairs.

He made this called yesterday at the lunching of N62,755,000.00 million organized by the Hisbah which was held at presidential lodge Birnin Kebbi adding that

appointing the SA on religion affairs will bring a synergy between the Government and the religions leaders.

Giro who his the guest speaker and also an Islamic scholar said that there is a lot of challenges behind the request, urge the Governor to pay more attention to the request for the successful governance.

“There is a lot of advice we have to offer but if there is no SA on religion affairs it will not work, this will be a link between the

two parties, without that nothing would be done in terms of good governance” he added.

Responding, the Kebbi State Governor Senator Atiku Abubakar Bagudu who also charge all the religion leaders to used their positions to advice Governments on good Governance, adding that it is the responsibility of the religions leaders to preach for good governance and ensured quality leadership in the country.

He explained further that religion leaders has right to

question any governments on how he expanded their expenditures “you are supposed to asked government on the positions of revenues and expenditures, people are ignorant on what we are receiving and how we are spending it” he added.

He then thanks the organizer of the programme for bringing unity among the ullamas and government, assured them that government will look into all their request.

PAGE 7

PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

A

human right group, Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Liberation (CALSER) has thrown its weight on the Federal Government’s decision to investigate and prosecute Boko Haram sponsors in the Northeast.

According to the group, the move confirmed the FG’s “unalloyed commitment to preserving the sanctity of lives and properties of all Nigerians.’’

Speaking in Abuja, yesterday, the convener of the group, Princess Ajibola hailed the Nigerian military for its tremendous feat in the war against terrorism despite conspiracy by desperate politicians and their cohorts in foreign countries.

News

Group backs FG on probe of Boko Haram sponsors, fingers INGOs They maintained that the groups of people have continually engaged in acts that undermine the efforts of the military, from supplying food, drugs, to arming Boko Haram terrorists.

Consequently, the center backed the FG to investigate and prosecute these Nigerians who have formed a deadly alliance with international non-governmental organizations as it will mark the final victory over the terrorist group.

The Centre equally urged

relevant security agencies to begin the process of profiling and identifying these individuals and organizations that have elected to enemies of our great country.

The statement reads in parts; ‘’This is also on the heels of the ongoing rehabilitation and resettlement of displaced persons back to their communities and their loved ones by the Nigerian Military as a part of its strategic objective of ensuring that all displaced persons are reunited with their families and loved ones.

‘’We also call on the judiciary to embrace this worthy initiative by setting up special courts that will dispense justice and in record time. The judiciary must also not allow itself to be manipulated, as in the case in the past. ‘’President Muhammadu Buhari must, as a matter of national interest, ensure that anyone found guilty gets maximum punishment as it would serve as a deterrent to others and an avenue for them to repent from their evil ways. ‘’We indeed in support of the

Groups laud Service Chiefs over curbing insurgents

L-R: Publisher, Healthcare, Dr Bola Olaosebikan; Minister of State for Health, Sen. Adeleke Mamora and wife of the Convener, Mrs Kofoworola, during the 34th Anniversary of Healthcare, Innovative Conference and Awards, yesterday in Lagos.

By Albert Akota

T

he coalition of Civil Society Groups have lauded the superb performance of the Service Chiefs in the fight against insurgency in Nigeria The president of the groups, Etuk Bassey Williams who disclosed this yesterday during press briefing said the bodies came up with a position of over five hundred representatives of various Civil Societies at a meeting to appraise the situation surrounding the fight against the Insurgents, particularly in the Northeast.

He noted that the bodies observed the dexterity with which the Military is curbing insecurity in the Northeast and other parts of the country has yielded laudable achievements.

According to him, the incidences of bombs detonating at our Worship Centres, Market, Motor parks, Government buildings and other strategic places has disappeared and is no more a recurring event except for very few insignificant cases.

“The obvious fact is that the ugly incidences that overwhelmed Nigerians have seized to reoccur and we are happy for it, frequency of attacks was phenomenal in the past but that has become a history today since the coming of the present service chiefs, he said.

“Today we have witnessed high enthusiasm and confidence been expressed by the gallant solders in the battle field as instilled in them by the Commanders.

“We celebrate your gallantry, commitment and patriotism to your fatherland; the successes against the insurgent are testament to the capacity of the service chiefs, especially Lt Gen, Tukur Buratai the chief of the Army Staff.

decision of the Muhammadu Buhari administration to investigate and prosecute the sponsors of the Boko Haram group in the light of the prevailing circumstances. ‘’We are indeed convinced that this line of action will mark the final victory over the terrorist group as their sponsors have continued to use falsehood, mischief, and propaganda to manipulate the minds of Nigerians and diverting attention from their evil acts.’’

Photo: NAN

Police secure release of three kidnap victims in Delta

From Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

D

elta state Police Command on Monday said it has secured the release of the three victims Kidnapped at Issele Azagba Community

by Suspected Fulani herdsmen at the weekend.

The Police Commissioner in the state Hafiz Mohammed Inuwah who Confirmed this to Journalists at a media briefing in Asaba, said that the Police Operatives were on top of the situation to ensure the release of the remaining two that were also abducted by the hoodlums, adding that the three victims were released without ransom as those released are male and female. But Sources within the Community alleged that the Sum of N300, 000 was paid as ransom before the victims were released The traditional ruler of the

Community, HRM Obi Jideuwa Ijeh had told Journalists in the Community that the Kidnappers before accepting the offer to release the Victims, demanded for Suya, Pepper Soup, water and Six packs of take away, adding that the three victims released were Currently being admitted in the hospital for treatment, and appealed to Federal and state governments to Come to their aid The police boss noted that there had been a remarkable Improvement on police public relations since he assumed Office in the state, and acknowledged that a higher level of peace and harmony had been attained in no small measures, especially in the area of Crime and its related activities Also speaking to Journalists, the state Chairman of Council of Traditional Rulers, HRM, Obi Emmanuel Efeziomor

11, however urged Deltans to give information on Criminal elements and other situation likely to cause a breakdown of law and order to the police and other Security agencies He challenged the security agencies to be up and doing in their game by evolving new strategies geared towards curtailing the activities of Criminal elements in the state and acknowledged with deep sense of satisfaction the efforts of government to protect the lives and Property of the people as exemplified with the establishment of 63 Nigerian Army Brigade headquarters in Asaba by the Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai On Lassa fever, Coronavirus, the traditional ruler Called on Deltans to observe simple health hygiene of regular hand wash as instructed by health experts and Commended

the proactive measures of the state government to halt the disease from spreading to Delta state.

Investigation revealed that Issele Azagba Community is almost in desolate for fear of the unknown, especially during nightfall as unidentified Gunmen are alleged to be shooting sporadically into the air to keep residents awake with their two eyes open, while many these residents who for fear of not being Killed or Kidnapped, have fled the Community to Benin City, Edo state and abandoned their houses The women who are mostly farmers have also abandoned their Farmlands to restrict themselves into their houses as no one is too sure at practice what might turn out to be with the Suspected Fulani herdsmen who suddenly turned their Community into Mecca of Sorts for nefarious activities

Commander urges for dialogue to end feud between Narguata community, Unijos From Yusuf Shekarau, Jos

T

Mairiga

he Commander of Operation Save Haven (OPSH), MajorGeneral Augustine Agundu, has called for a dialogue over the land dispute between the Narkuta community and University of Jos.

OPSH is a multi-security task force saddled with the responsibility of maintaining peace in Plateau, part of Bauchi, Kaduna and Nasarawa states.

General Agundu ordered that “demolition of structures in the disputed area should be put to halt by the University of Jos, pending

negotiations towards amicable resolution that provides lasting solutions to the contest”.

The Commander made the declaration during a meeting held Monday, in Narguta community, Jos. He said the matter will be referred to Governor Simon

Lalong, in order to peacefully arrive at position that is most convincing, fulfilling and promising to all parties involved.

Reacting, the traditional ruler of Narguta community, Eng. Muhammad Bello, lamented that the demolition has caused a great havoc on the community, pleading

however, that those whose houses were demolished be sympathized and compensated.

Engr. Bello assured the commander that his people will continue to remain law abiding.

The meeting was attended by many dignitaries within the affected community and even be

PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

PAGE 8

News

Unaudited Accounts: Reps give former FMBN boss 48 hours to render account or face sanction

By Christiana Ekpa

T

he House of Representatives on Monday gave the immediate past Managing Director of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, FMBN, Mr Richard Esin, a 48 hours ultimatum within which to render the Accounts of the Bank or face severe sanction The Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Wole Oke gave the directive in Abuja at the resumed hearing into refusal of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs of government to render their Accounts to the office of the Accountant General of the Federation from 2014 to date when the Management of the Bank appeared before it along with the

Summon CBN gov, others

former MD. Also, the Committee summoned the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr Godwin Emeifele, the Director of Finance and Administration, of the Bank over the development, saying that it was disheartening the ways and manners public officers were playing with tax player’s money put in their care by not rendering proper Accounts as an when due.

The management of the Bank represented by Mr Abiye Yagboyaju had told the Committee that the CBN queried some infractions in the audited accounts submitted to it

twice and that necessary corrections had be effected and was only waiting for the approval of the board of the Bank before submitting same to the office of the Accountant General of the Federation as required by the law of the land In a swift reaction to this, the Committee described it as unacceptable and sought for the opinion of the representative of the Auditor General of the Federation on the implication of the action of the former FMBN boss and its management who described it as a gross violation of the law which should be seriously sanctioned to

serve as a deterrent to other MDAs The former FMBN boss in his own defense claimed that he met the situation on ground o assumption of office which the Committee also dismissed as unacceptable and directed him to do all things possible within the next 48 hours to get the Accounts ready, transmit to the office of the Accountant General of the Federation and the proof of same to be brought before the Committee.

The Committee had placed the Bank on status enquiry two weeks ago when its management first appeared before it following the

various infractions noticed in the audited accounts submitted to it.

The Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Oke who vowed that the Committee would pursue the matter to a logical conclusion said that the Committee would also report the ugly development in the MDAs to President Mohamodu Buhari through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, and the Chief of Staff to the President so as guide the government while considering people for future appointments to public office.

NDDC Advisory Committee: Buhari be wary of South-South PDP Governors- Group From Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

V

anguard for Transparent Leadership and Democracy (VATLAD), a good governance advocate, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to be very wary of the antics of the South-South PDP governors over their clamour for the constitution Advisory Council of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

VATLAD in a statement signed

by Comrade Engr Igbini Odafe Emmanuel, National President, said that President Buhari is still being misled to delay the inauguration of the Senate’s screened and confirmed members of the Governing Board of NDDC which is in line with NDDC Act. According to the statement: “Our attention has been drawn to Media Reports to the effect that President Buhari has succumbed to demand made few days ago by PDP Governors of the South- South that the Advisory Council of NDDC be immediately constituted by President Buhari in order that they be appointed into this Council which, by provision of section 11 of the NDDC Act is only to advise duly and lawfully appointed and inaugurated Governing Board of NDDC, screened and confirmed by the Senate of Nigeria.

“Few days ago, Nigerians were greeted with rude shock and highest level of disappointment when these Governors met in Delta State under the pretense of urgently establishing a South-South Regional Security Agency like Amotekun to put an end to the continued slaughtering of our people of South-South by suspected Herdsmen only to end up announcing their decision and determination to get President Buhari to appoint them into the Advisory Council of NDDC. “This announcement by the Governors so devastated our people who now live in perpetual fear of insecurity leading them to asking the question: Why has the Advisory Council of NDDC become the most important desire of the PDP South South Governors in an APC controlled Federal Government and NDDC? “How does mere participating as advisers to an illegal Interim Management Committee of NDDC

solve the rising cases of herdsmen slaughtering of our people in their farms and Communities? The people of Uwheru, Abraka, Izelle-Asagba in Delta State and other parts of the region are yet to return home while others are daily living in fear of being killed by killer herdsmen.

“While our South-West Governors are patriotic and courageous to place Security and Safety of their people uppermost on their agenda, the South-South Governors appear more interested in just being part of the ongoing illegalities and unconstitutionalities in NDDC that President Buhari is regrettably being misled to perpetrate in the Commission.

L-R: President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, Chairman of Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Opeyemi Bamidele and Senate’s Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, during the public hearing of the social media bill, at the National Assembly, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Appeal court hears Ifeanyi Uba appeal March 12

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

T

he Court of Appeal, yesterday, adjourned till March 12, 2020 to hear the appeal filed by Senator Ifeanyi Ubah against the judgment of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that nullified his election.

Justice Bello Kawu of the lower court, had on January 17, 2020, ordered Uba’s removal from office as Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District at the National Assembly.

A three man panel of Justices of the appellate court led by Justice Stephen Adah, adjourned the matter to enable parties respond to a fresh application filed by Ubah.

Anani Chuka, Young Progressive Party (YPP), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Dr Obinna Uzoh were mentioned as the respondents in the matter.

The hearing would be coming barely five days to the expiration of the suit before it becomes academic exercise.

Political matters, according to the law, have a life span of 60 days at the Court of Appeal, following which the case automatically becomes statute barred.

At the proceeding, yesterday,

Ifeanyi Uba, through his counsel, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu SAN, informed the court that he filed a motion before the court this morning and have also served all parties.

Responding, counsel to the second and third respondents J. B. Marshall and M. Danbaba admitted being served, but they said they would not be responding to the motion.

However, counsel to the first and fourth respondents, N. A. Mohammed and Professor H. A. Olaniyan, asked for time to respond to the motion.

Consequently, Justice Adah gave the two respondents two days to file their responses and one day to the appellant to reply on point of law, if any and adjourned the matter till March 12 for hearing of both the motion and appeal.

Justice Bello Kawu had on January 17, 2020 affirmed his order which nullified Ubah’s election on the premise that he allegedly used a forged National Examination Council (NECO), certificate to contest the senatorial election that held in Anambra South on February 23, 2019.

The court had on April 11, 2019, after sacking ubah ordered the Independent National Electoral

Commission (INEC), to withdraw the certificate of return it issued to Ubah and issue a fresh one to Dr. Obinna Uzoh of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who came 2nd at the election.

Not satisfied, Ubah had on same day approached the Court of Appeal to set-aside the judgment which he insisted occasioned grave miscarriage of justice against him.

In the appeal predicated on four grounds and filed by Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu SAN, the Senator insisted that he was denied fair hearing by the trial court.

Ubah claimed that he was neither served with the Originating Processes nor hearing notice with respect to the suit that led to his sack from the Senate.

Besides, he argued that the Abuja court lacked the territorial jurisdiction to hear and determine a pre-election matter that arose from election that held in Anambra State.

However, in his further affidavit in support of his motion on notice filed on March 6, 2020, Ubah is however asking the court of Appeal to set aside the judgment of Justice Kawu on the grounds that the entire proceedings and the judgment emanating there from are manifestly incompetent being a nullity.

According to him, the proceedings

amounts to a nullity on the grounds that, “As at the time the judgment in suit no: FCT/HC/CV/3044/2018 was purportedly delivered, the suit had not been filed as filing fees had not been paid.

“That as at the date of filing of this action the appellant/ applicant had been duly elected as the Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District and his election has been affirmed on September 9, 2019, by the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Awka, Anambra State.

“That having regard to the date of payment of filing fees, suit no: FCT/HC/CV/3044/2018 was a postelection matter and the lower court had no jurisdiction to entertain same.

“That by the above, the suit, the entire proceedings and the judgment emanating there from are manifestly incompetent being a nullity.

Meanwhile the appellate court has reserved ruling in the suit filed by a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP’s) senatorial candidate, Chief Chris Uba. Chris Uba is challenging the judgment of Justice Kawu, which had dismissed his application seeking to be joined as an interested party in the substantive suit filed by an electorate in the state, Mr. Anani Chuka.

PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

Youth Ministry Partners African Development Bank on job creation

By Albert Akota

T

he Minister of Youth and Sports Development Mr. Sunday Dare, has said his administration remains focused on finding ways to engage Nigerian youths productively.

He made this assertion when he received a delegation from the African Development Bank (AFDB), yesterday in Abuja.

He revealed that plans have been ongoing with the Bank which had seen the positives in Ministry’s DEEL initiative aimed at ensuring that the Nigerian youth are employable and are equipped with skills necessary for the 21st century.

Speaking at the meeting, the Minister said the initial worry on youth development funding triggered his administration to seek partnerships to its objectives.

“From the point of the mandate that we have as a Ministry, the youth bond in this country worries us, primarily because this Ministry has an unfunded mandate when it comes to youth development.

“Our National Youth Policy (NYP) gives us Eleven thematic areas: youth and sports development, youth and science and technology, youth and technology, etc. and in looking at all these with the percentage of budget, we have to implement then you know how tough it is for us which has made us aggressive in seeking out for partners.”

He expressed optimism that the goals of the DEEL initiative will be achieved as soon as the programme kicks off.

In their response, the leader of the delegation pledged that the Bank would work hand in hand with the Ministry to foster development in ICT, Agriculture and Industrialization.

Page 9

News

FG set to enforce 70% local content in radio, TV production - Minister

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

T

he Federal Government said it is set to enforce the provision for 70% local content in all radio and television programmes in the country.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who announced this at a meeting with the Electronic Media Content Owners Association of Nigeria (ENCOAN),yesterday in Lagos said the measure was part of the reforms being implemented in the broadcast industry.

“Now if you take a copy of the new Broadcasting Code, you will see that we have done a lot of work.

We have broken the monopoly in the industry and we are going to

ensure that we enforce the 70% local content in our broadcasting.

“The reforms that we have undertaken will promote local content and will give value to your creative work,” he said.

Mohammed, who described the reform as a revolution in the country’s broadcast industry, urged members of EMCOAN to take advantage of the new policy and look at new frontiers in content production, especially for women and children programmes “I believe that we are entering a new dawn for local content producers like you. We are revamping the Broadcasting Code in a manner that will favour you.

“We are instituting the audience measurement system for your

benefit and we are working also on getting a more virile APCON that will take care of the interest of all stakeholders,” he said.

This was contained in a statement signed by Segun Adeyemi Special Assistant to the President Office of Information and Culture said the Minister stated that the Central Bank of Nigeria is making funds available for the creative industry and urged EMCOAN to work with the government with a view to identifying the priority programmes that will enjoy funding, promotion or subsidy from the apex bank.

He commended the tenacity of purpose of members of the association and encouraged them to continue to produce the

local content that reflects the nation’s diverse cultures in order to inculcate values and ethics in children.

President of EMCOAN, Mrs. Jibe Ologeh, said the association, which is responsible for more than 85% of the content in the nation’s broadcast industry, is excited by the reforms, which give priority to local producers.

She said Nigeria is blessed with rich cultures and scenery which will positively project the image of the country, particularly when they dominate the content in radio and television.

The Association presented its four-point agenda to the minister and sought his support to actualize them.

L-R: Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Finance James Faleke, Deputy Chairman of the committee Saidu Abdullahi and a member of the committee Mukhtar Ahmed, during continuation of an interactive meeting on non- remittance of revenue generated by Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Plc to the Federal Government at the National Assembly, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

PDP urges Nigerians, NASS leadership to resist anti-social media Bill in Senate

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

T

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on Nigerians, including the media, organized civil society and all pro-democracy groups, to unite against moves to pass the obnoxious anti-social media bill at the National Assembly.

The PDP equally urged the leadership of the National Assembly to resist all pressure from those who do not love Nigeria to pass this unconstitutional and anti-people bill.

The pa rty ma de th e ca l l yesterday in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan in Abuja.

The leading opposition party

predicated its call on what it called “the decision by the Senate to commence a public hearing on the bill, which is being pushed by anti-democratic individuals in the Buhari Presidency”, who seek to gag Nigerians, suspend our constitutional provision of free speech and foist a dictatorial system on our country.

The PDP said it is time for Nigerians to eschew all political, sectional and religious differences and stand in unity against a bill that is clearly designed to suppress and silence the people, emasculate institutions of democracy, particularly the media, take away the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech of citizens and turn them into conquered people

without a voice, in their own country.

According to the party, “It is clear that this bill is part of the anti-democratic moves to further emasculate the 1999 Constitution (as amended) ostensibly as a prelude to foisting a full totalitarianism in our country, where citizens will no longer have the right to freely hold or support opinions.

“It is obvious that the reason for this bill is to suppress democratic rights and prevent Nigerians, the media, civil society groups, pro-democracy organizations, the opposition and dissenting voices from freely criticizing the atrocities, abuses, incompetence, corruption, security compromises,

nepotism and general misrule that have pervaded the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

“The frenzy to pass this bill further exposes the intolerance of the Buhari-led administration as well as the desperation to cover its atrocities for which it is mortally afraid of public criticisms”, it said.

The PDP expressed worry that the Senate listed the unconstitutional and antipeople bill for second reading procedures even when Nigerians across board had reached a consensus in rejecting the bill, given its underlying fascist intendments.

The party held that “our nation

already has appropriate laws guiding the boundaries of free speech and opinion, which the authorities can enforce within the ambits of constitutional provisions, in the case of any violation”.

Continuing, it said, “Our party insists that Nigeria is a democratic state governed by the provisions of our Constitution.” Our citizens will therefore not allow any attempt by anybody to foist fascist laws tailored to suppress their rights and freedom as a people”, it stressed.

The PDP therefore urged the leadership of the National Assembly to resist all pressure from “enemies of our democracy” to pass this unconstitutional and anti-people bill.

PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

PAGE 10

News

Fire destroys 47 houses in Nasararwa, says NEMA From Gambo Ahmed, Lafia

T

he Executive Secretary of Nasarawa Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Barrister Zakariah Zamani Alumaga has said that, so far 47 houses were raised down across the state as a result of fire disaster ranging from the month of January – March, 2020 as according to him “This is an unfortunate incidence that has ravaged some households in the state.”

Barrister Alumaga who made this known in an interview with our correspondent in his office along Shedam Road, Lafia, the State Capital yesterday.

According to him “Fire disaster hit nearly every local government council in the state. We have 47 reported cases of fire incidences which razed down automatically houses. We have some unknown cases. Others are as a result of electricity and Gas Explosions.”

He continued “Most cases are caused by electricity and Gas Explosions. We are conducting Biometric of the affected houses now.”

The State Government is working earnestly to ensure that the affected persons would have some assistance. We are compiling the list for effective record of properties cremated in all the affected homes in the state.”

The Executive Secretary further opined that the Agency has so far embarked on an extensive sensitization on the causes of fire disaster and its preventive measures aimed at educating the residents to adopt precaution measures in order to avoid further occurrences.

“Fire is not our friend, but it is a necessity. Once if you use it, put it off whether electricity or gas. If it is a naked fire, pour water to put it off. You need fire only when it is necessary. We should be watchful by maintaining our electrical appliances in order to avoid fire outbreaks in our respective homes” Alumaga maintained.

600 AirForce personnel deploys to Birnin-Gwari to battle bandits T From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

he Nigerian Air Force is to deploy more 600 to BirninGwari and environs, to combat bandits terrorizing the area.

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Saddique Baba Abubakar stated this at the commissioning ceremony of 20 by 1 Block of bedroom at 271 NAF Detachment in Birnin-Gwari yesterday The CAS disclosed that, the force will review the tactics of its operation in the troubled Birnin-Gwari, as part of effort to rid the area of armed banditry, terrorism, cattle rustling and kidnapping.

He said since the establishment of the 271 unit, there has been remarkable improvement in the

security situation around the BirninGwari axis, as NAF is constantly reviewing Tactics Techniques and Procedures in order to ensure the security of lives and properties, while preserving the territorial integrity of Nigeria.

“Our desire is to build more of these. We want to increase the number of personnel in Birnin-Gwari to at least nothing less than 600 personnel.

“We also want to ensure that we increase the aviation fuel storage in Birnin-Gwari to enable our helicopters land and pick fuel and continue with their operation to protect our communities.”

Abubakar recalled that, “NAF embarked on the construction of befitting accommodation in all NAF

locations within the 6 Geo-political zones of the Country.

“The personnel of 271 NAF Birnin Gwari are equally not left out of this development, hence, the provision of this 20 x 1 bedroom accommodation built to provide a place of rest after a hard a day’s job. Let me state, that this project we are about to commission today is a product of our commitment to improve on personnel welfare.

“I am pleased to note that this building and other projects yet to be commissioned would be named after those personnel that paid the supreme price in line of duty. While we pray for the repose of their souls, I urge officers, airmen and airwomen to continue to display the values of selflessness, bravery and dedication in the conduct of their respective duties.

“Let me also commend the efforts of our personnel involved in Operation DIRAN MIKIYA for a job well done so far. It is our duty to protect the citizenry and critical assets as well as bring succour to the despaired as we discharge our constitutional responsibilities to the nation.

“We need to keep up the high morale and maintain the momentum so that the local communities are free to go about their lives without fear of molestation form bandits.”

He said.

Speaking with newsmen shortly after the event, Emir of BirninGwari, Alhaji Zubair Jibril MaiGwari II commended the Nigerian Air Force, saying that, their presence has reduced the terror meted on his people by the bandits

L-R: Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe state receiving the report of the committee on Mega park, Petroleum Tankers Bay and International Conference Centre, Gombe from the Chairman of the committee and Deputy Governor, Dr. Manassah Daniel Jatau at the Government House, yesterday in Gombe.

Northern Christian Elders insist on overhaul of security apparatus From: Femi Oyelola, kaduna

T

he Christian Elders Forum of Northern States (NOSCEF), has stressed the urgent need to overhaul the security apparatus in the country to reflect the diversity of the nation with a view to win the confidence of the people.

This is as NOSCEF expressed disappointment over the seeming inability of the federal government to remedy the situation by taking far reaching steps to address it.

Rising from its meeting in Kaduna, yesterday NOSCEF expressed concern over the increasing activities of bandits and terrorists occasioned by widespread killings across the

country.

NOSCEF also said that it has not seen any attempt by the federal government to remedy the skewed appointments that have failed to reflect the religious and ethnic diversity of the nation.

It noted that rather, it has continue to witness the replacement of even the few appointees outside the nepotistic enclave by those already dominating, stressing that the appointments have been particularly unfair to the Northern Christians.

In a statement by its chairman, Elder Ejoga Inalegwu at the end of its executive meeting noted that the most recent of the killings took place in Garkida, Adamawa state, Igabi and Giwa

in Kaduna state and Kwande Local Government Area of Benue state, among others.

Inalegwu further states; “NOSCEF joins other patriotic Nigerians in condemning the unending insecurity which has resulted in so much loss of lives and destructions of property.

“The failure of security apparatus in place, calls for a complete overhaul of the security architecture, reflecting the diversity of the nation that will win the confidence of the people.

“Ironically, almost all the security chiefs are from a section of the country which is worst hit by the criminals who are unleashing mayhem on the people.

“The spate of killings and

insecurity has continued to worsen thereby destroying economic and social activity of the people.”

Participants at the meeting commended the Governor of Borno state, Prof. Babagana Zulum for identifying and standing with his people against terrorism, his openness to all and commitment to good governance.

NOSCEF therefore appealed to the Northern Governors to emulate their South West counterparts, that recently established a joint security outfit, known as “Amotekun” to address security challenges facing their region, by setting up a similar outfit in the north to put an end to the menace of terrorism and banditry, which is ravaging the

north and destroying her socio economic activities.

The statement further said; “Since the federal government has failed in carrying out its constitutional responsibility of securing lives and properties of its citizens, the governors must evolve ways of providing security for their people.

“Furthermore, we expectantly, still await the federal government to facilitate the release of Leah Sharibu, who has been in captivity in the hands of Boko Haram for over two years, without forgetting the fate of the remaining Chibok girls also in their custody.”

Members of the Executive appealed to all Nigerians to continue to pray for God’s intervention for the nation.

PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

PAGE 11

EDITORIAL

A welcome exercise

T

certificate an optional requirement for recruiting teachers. “TRCN takes exception to some states making TRCN certificate optional in their recruitment of teachers.

This practice must stop because it is mandatory for anyone who wants to profit from the job of a teacher to be registered with the regulatory authority.

It is, therefore, considered absurd for any state TRCN’s registrar, Prof. Josiah to say the TRCN certificate is an Ajiboye, said for that purpose, “a added advantage, whereas that is supposed to be the crack team” had been number one criterion. raised. He said, however, This is the global best that because of the Boko practice. There is no Haram reign of terror serious nation that in Borno, Yobe and allows just anybody Adamawa, those three states would carry out the TRCN’s registrar, into its classrooms to Prof. Josiah teach their children. exercise on a later date.

According to him, the Ajiboye, said for There must be proof of professional searchlight was on private to schools reportedly hiring that purpose, “a certification teachers that did not have crack team” had practise as a teacher.” the requisite certification. been raised. He We welcome “As the December 31, said, however, this TRCN move to 2019 deadline given by that because of make teaching truly professional. Just like the National Council on Education for anybody the Boko Haram all other professions in who wants to practise as a reign of terror the country, teaching from deep teacher in the country to in Borno, Yobe suffers rooted quackery. get qualified, registered and licensed by TRCN and Adamawa, Anything that will has passed, the regulatory those three states be done to sanitize it is highly welcome. authority is embarking on a verification of would carry out The TRCN initiative Kaduna compliance in all the the exercise on a vindicates State government’s states of the federation later date decision two years ago and FCT,” read the to take out some 3000 statement Ajiboye sent unqualified teachers from the school out Sunday. system. It was, however, opposed by “The TRCN team, in each state, the teachers’ union, supported by the will be led by a professor of Education Nigeria Labour Congress. Today, the or a provost of a College of Education. same agency called for by teachers The first leg of the exercise will is doing exactly what the Kaduna start on March 9 and end on March government did.

17. However, this exercise will be However, there is a sticky point. continuous as TRCN has created a Compliance and Enforcement Unit at TRCN is doing the verification at a its head office for routine monitoring. time when Nigeria unarguably has a Prior to the commencement of the plus 200,000 shortage of qualified monitoring, a technical team was set teachers in primary and secondary up by TRCN and a meeting was held schools. The exercise is sure to reveal with all the state coordinators where a much wider gap. So we believe the issues of logistics were discussed and starting point for making teaching truly professional is to produce more harmonised.” qualified and competent teachers.

Ajiboye said it was not right The right number will certainly slam for some states to make TRCN the door against quacks. he verification of certificates of teachers in public and private schools began yesterday almost nationwide, and will end March 17.

The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) that is doing the verification said Sunday that “only qualified, registered and licensed” teachers would be allowed into the classroom.

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Letter to the Editor

Post Covid-19 period and the Communist Party of China

By Charles Onunaiju

I

n the national despair and frustration that followed the 1911 revolution that swept away the over 2000 years of imperial dynasty in China, the Communist Party of China was born, on July 23, 1921, with only a handful of 12 delegates from inside China and oversea, attending its founding national congress in the city of Shanghai.

The fruits of the earlier 1911 revolution have fallen on the palms of Northern Warlords and neither democracy nor prosperity which the revolution has pledged to the Chinese people were forth coming. Even the icon of the 1911 revolution, the highly revered Dr. Sun Yatsen could not hide his disappointment and disenchantment at the dissipation of the revolutionary gains to narrow circle of warlords, bureaucratic bourgeoisie and their foreign masters, who continued to extract privileges and concession. In bitterness, Dr. Sun Yat-sen said “The political and social darkness and the corruption of every description are even worse than in the Qing dynasty and the people are becoming increasing impoverished.”

Against the background of a nearly forlorn national condition, the Chinese Communist Party took a center stage and vanguard role in restoring hope to the Chinese people and nearly a century after it went through arduous struggles, has also brought to the Chinese people unprecedented prosperity for which the world is meaningfully engaging. Even in the flashes of unprecedented prosperity and other notable achievements, the Communist party has never lost its vigilance, its inner strength to engage challenges and obstacles or ever allowed its victories which are numerous to sedate it, to complacency and vain glory.

In its characteristic and nature of strictly engaging challenges, the outbreak of the novel coronavirus or covid-19 as the disease was formally designated by the world Health organization, (WHO), the leadership of the Communist party and the government took on, frontally the fight against the spread of the disease. In the two months, after its outbreak, the virus and its spread has been nearly brought to a halt, with normal life almost re-established in all parts of China.

At a leadership meeting to study the major tasks in preventing and controlling the novel disease and stabilizing economic and social development held on the 4th march, President xi Jinping who also the general secretary of the Communist party of China (CPC) made an important speech to the standing committee of the political bureau of the central committee of the party, urging an all out efforts to consolidate and expand the hard won positive trend as the epidemic prevention and control has seen steady improvement and the resumption of the order of work and normal life has been accelerating throughout the country.

Along with entrenching a trend of complete restoration of normalcy president Xi Jinping called for accelerating the condition for securing a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and eradicating poverty, and additionally pointed to a clear understanding of the complexity of the current situation for epidemic prevention and control as well as the economic and social development.

He further reminded his colleagues that while the task of containing the epidemic remains arduous and onerous in the outbreak epicenter Hubei province and

its capital city, Wuhan, the risk of potential outbreak in other regions as more people move around and crowds gather, the situation demands no relaxation in the epidemic response preparedness. The General Secretary of the CPC further called for targeted and solid measures to push for work resumption to minimize the loss caused by the outbreak and exhorted party committees and governments at all levels to implement the policies and decisions made by CPC central committee, and uphold the party’s fine tradition of seeking truth from facts,” and resolutely guarding against the practice of formalities, for formalities sake and bureaucratism.

The leadership of the Communist party of China (CPC) shines with uncommon impact at all the critical junctures in China’s national life, be it at the core project of economic modernization through reform and opening up in the late 1970s, when the party had to abandon the “Two whatevers,” and re-establish the mainstream theoretical outlook of “seeking truth through facts” and that the “criteria for truth is practice,” to the mortal challenge of avoiding the fate of the Communist parties in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe that imploded under the yoke of theoretical inertia and political paralysis. In the face of the mortal challenge posed by the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the leadership of the Communist party of China, demonstrated vitality in the theoretical resourcefulness of the Jinping thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristic in the New Era demonstrated a quick grasp in the dimension of the disease by arousing the scientific community to getting grip with its nature and structure and galvanizing a worldwide solidarity in the fight against the virus, while containing its devastating impact by the openness, transparency and elaborate information-sharing.

With China almost restoring to normalcy, the world wide disruptions of supply chains and markets whose ripples would have had more terrible effects than economic recessions are almost averted, largely due to the constructive role of the leadership of the Communist party and government of China.

Even as the Chinese leadership of the Communist party and government take measures to contain the novel virus and minimizing its impact, it sets its eye on the lofty goal of eliminating poverty, one of its cardinal policies to achieving a construction of moderately prosperous society before or during the centenary of the founding of the CPC. At a symposium last week, president xi Jinping reiterated that lifting all rural residents living below the current level of poverty line by 2020 is a solemn promise made by the party central committee and that it must be fulfilled on time.

For Africa, where poverty is a menacing scourge ravaging rural communities and urban centers in equal measure the decisiveness of the Communist party and government of China in carrying out the world best known strategic assault on poverty and its twin pang of hunger must be mainstreamed in the ongoing dialogue and cooperation between China and Africa, especially as the phenomenal mechanism for partnership and engagement by the two sides, the Forum for china-Africa cooperation, FOCAC, clock, 20 in a few months, this year.

Mr. Onunaiju, is director, centre for china Studies, (CCS) Utako, Abuja.

PAGE 12

Opinion

PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

Rape: Terrorism against feminism

By Owolabi Kuburat Omobolanle

F

rom time immemorial, women have always been the major victim of our society ills. They have always been considered as weaklings, subjecting them to various barbaric act and injustice.

They have always been discriminated and considered unequal to the men, and as such, they face series of cruel and unjustifiable acts such as sexual assault, domestic violence, harassment everywhere they go; either on the street, workplace, schools, family etc, trafficking, Prostitution among others.

However, the prevalent among all these barbaric and cruel acts against women is rape. Rape, also considered sexual assault, in some part of the world such as Australia, Canada etc, is so alarming that it has become a daily occurrence in our society.Rape according to Oxford English Dictionary, is the act of forcing sexual intercourse upon another person without their assent or against their will; Originally coitus forced by a man on a woman.

Ightisaab is an Arabic word for rape, meaning to take something wrongfully by force. Rape is sometimes defined and classified differently by some countries.

While some believed marital rape is a form of rape and so illegal, some countries like India, Iran, Ghana and northern part of Nigeria, believe marital rape is legal and not a type of rape.

Rape is sometimes differed in terms of it’s victim. While it is believed that unlawful sexual intercourse with an under age child below 12 is defilement not rape, it is also believed that unlawful sexual intercourse with an adult above 12 or 15 is rape, as contained in section 218 of the Criminal Code Act 2004. Regardless, it can’t be denied that both the act of rape and defilement are criminal and barbaric act that is done mostly to the women notwithstanding the age. It is sometimes argued that men fall victims of rape however it is wildly known that 7 out of 10 victims of rape are women and what’s more is the believe of some countries that it’s impossible for a man to be raped.

For instance the Nigeria Federal Capital Territory’s Violence against Persons Prohibition Act believe a rape is a criminal act done to the women alone.Therefore, it is wildly known that Rape is a cruel and injurious act done mostly to the women and because of it’s dangerous effect on the lives of many aspiring females, rape stands as an act of terrorism against women irrespective of the age, race or color.

Rape is an act of terror that has been destroying the lives and future of many ambitious and talented women. Different women with great dreams to become a doctor, lawyer, banker, surgeon, mother, wife etc have watched their dreams and

dignity shattered and taken away before their eyes by some maniac paedophile or rapist.

Rape is an act of terror and war against feminists. Rape isn’t only a traumatic experience for the victims, it is an act that hurt women in a physical, psychological and sociological way for as long as you could imagine. Women who have been raped irregardless of the age, suffers different form of health problems such as Vaginal Bleeding or Infection, Hypoactive Sexual Disorder, Unwanted Pregnancy, Vagina Inflammation, HIV/AIDS and even death in some cases. Women who have fallen victims of rape also experience anxiety, fear, depression, restlessness, feelings of uneasiness, panic attack, self blame, anger, isolation, aggression, feeling of shame and suicide as psychological effects of rape. As if that’s not enough, rape victims have to live the rest of their lives being stigmatized and being pitied for being raped. They have to live the rest of their lives with the huge scar of being raped and taken advantage of.

Now people start to question, ‘Why do we have so many ladies in prostitution today?’, ‘Why do we have a very high rate of premature pregnancy and child mortality in the world?’, ‘Why do we have a larger ratio of young, vibrant ladies committing suicide?’, ‘Why do we have a higher percentage of women as victims of AIDS and HIV?’, Why this, why that?

Not considering the Fate of over 50% of women, child/ adult being raped in our world, forgetting how dangerous the effect of rape is and how it poses as a great threat to our women. Most ladies venture into prostitution because of Hypoactive Sexual Disorder caused by rape and the feeling of worthlessness people made them feel. Many women are now in the business of armed robbery, kidnapping, assassination and other atrocities due to anger, aggression and vengeance as psychological effects of rape. Cases of suicide is so alarming that it has become a daily occurrence, having most of its victims as females. The society’s approach towards rape is one of the major reasons, women resort to suicide after rape due to the stigmatism and shifting of blame.

We live in a world that focus more on what the victim was wearing and where she was when she was raped rather than the need to punish the rapist. A society where the testimony of the victim is useless against that of the perpetrator because he belongs to a high class. A society where the perpetrator go Scot free due to lack of evidence by the victim.

Now, women don’t just face the horrible reality of being raped alone but the society uncultured believe which tends to trivialize and normalize rape. That’s

why women keep falling victims because they couldn’t speak out and fight against being raped due to society’s approach of stigmatising the victims and trivializing rape.

I couldn’t help but cry when I saw the picture of an eight year old girl going viral on social media after she has been raped. In that picture, she was wearing a white T-shirt up to her knee, stained with blood. Everybody keep dropping comment, giving all sort of savage and pitiful comments. And that’s all we care to do, just for a few comments and likes on social media, not minding the future of that little girl. Not minding how she’d live the rest of her life as a girl whose picture once went viral for being raped. Forgetting how hypocritic people can be, that these same people pitying and posting soothing comments are the same set of people that’d mock her if she becomes a HIV/AIDS patient or stop her from getting married to their sons. Isn’t that the cruel world women find themselves trying to survive?

In the ancient time in some part of the world such as Libya, Afghanistan etc, rape victims are sometimes killed because they believe the victims have lost their dignity, therefore the need to kill them in order to restore the family lost honor. In one of Shakespeare drama titled Titus Androniclus, Titus killed his raped and maimed daughter, Livinia for what he believed to be a mercy killing.

These are few out of the list of horrifying things women faced for being raped in our society.

Considering how harmful and scary the act of rape is to the women and society at large, different laws have been passed by different countries and different treaties codified to punish the rapists and protect the victims. Imprisonment is the most common punishment given to rapist and death penalty in some cases. Countries such as France, Irelsnd, Nigeria etc gives imprisonment for rape. While countries like India, Iran, United Arab Emirates etc give death penalty as a punishment for rape although some factors are to be considered in some cases. For instance death sentence is given in India if the victim dies or is put in a persistent vegetative state or if the rapist is a repeat offender.

Generally there’s no uniform law for rape although different laws and treaties have been codified in order to protect the right of child and women, different countries still haven’t adopted such laws. For example, marital rape which is included in the 1993 declaration on the elimination of violence against women still haven’t been accepted by countries such as India, Lesotho, Ghana and Northern part of Nigeria as they still accept marital rape as legal. The same thing with Child Right Act, which was adopted by Nigeria

Mr. Osuji on Africa Slave Trade

By Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba

M

r. Osuji,Your position on Slave Trading has been clear for a long time because you have been consistent. You have placed the blame, 100% of it, on the Africans.

Your position is that the Europeans / Arabs did not go into the interior of Africa to capture Africans. (https://mail.aol.com/ webmail-std/en-us/suite) That the Africans did that yeoman’s job. My positions which are different from yours are (a) that in any transaction where buying and selling occurs, the seller and the buyer are equally guilty (b)

that what made Slave Trade really bad was slavery, the use made of their purchased commodity. It is this use that make me place the Europeans as guiltier than the Africans.

The Africans did not know how the slaves would be used and did not participate in slavery. African slaves captured during wars by Africans were treated much more humanely than they were treated in America.

By the way all people sold their people as slaves. Europeans sold fellow Europeans; Arabs sold fellow Arabs as slaves. I am sure that you know of Joseph’s brothers selling their younger upstart to the Egyptians.

Even though Europeans did not

capture Africans they sailed their ships to African Coasts for the sole purpose to buy Africans, they instigated wars that resulted in capturing slaves and offered the then attractive prices (not attractive by today’s standards) for the slaves.

I can honestly say that while the Africans share the guilt in the Slave Trading the foreigners have a greater share. You also assert that Africans claim a share of all civilizations around the world. I want to also assert that the claim is with merits. If we accept that real man started in Africa where he discovered fire (main energy supplier) domesticated plants and animals

in 2003, still haven’t been accepted by some states in Nigeria like Sokoto. The inconsistency in rape laws is one of the reasons rape remain persistently on the increase. Nigeria alone has four laws put in place to address the issue of rape against children and women. We have the Criminal Code Act; which is applicable in the Southern states, The Penal Code; which is applicable in the Northern states, The Violence against Persons Prohibition Act and The Child Right Act. I believe this isn’t enough strategy to curb Rape, a global collaboration is needed to create a hostile environment and punishment for rapist in all countries.

Furthermore, we all need to focus more on the preventive measures rather than the curative measures. Prevention they say, is better than cure. Life imprisonment, castration and even death penalty are all curative measures which only focus on the perpetrators and not the future of the victims and women. Punishing the offender isn’t enough, after all India gives death penalty as a punishment for rape, yet, remain one of the top 10 nations of the world where women are being abused. To curb rape, we need to uproot it from the root so it doesn’t grow anymore. And we can start from the family. The first agent of socialization is the family. To stop the barbaric act of rape, we need every family hands on deck to take the pain of educating their child irrespective of the sex about sex education. Parents should make time for their kids and ensure the safety of their kids. There’s also the need to curb drug abuse in our society. Most of these rapists are on drugs thereby making them do things they wouldn’t have done in their right sense. Another preventive measure to be taken is advocating against gender inequality. Discrimination and violence should be shunned and made unacceptable. Also, preventing cultural values that support, commonize and tolerate sexual assault is another major measures to be taken.

In conclusion, women whom I believe to be the pillars holding our world deserves a better treatment. They deserve a safe environment where they are being cherished and protected. Rape is a threat to feminism, a threat to the bright future of every women in our world and a bigger threat to our world. I believe we all need to come together to protect our women from the uncultured act of rape and it’s dangerous effects that comes with it.Rape isn’t just a common crime, it’s an act of terrorism against our women whether young or old and together we need to fight it.

Owolabi Kuburat Omobolanle is a Public Affairs Analyst.

(sure food supplies), invented crude (now) but sophisticated (then) equipment for agriculture and hunting and that these were transferred to other civilizations, the claim of contributing to other civilizations seem much more solid. Would you doubt the claim that the slaves helped in no small measure the development of America?

Slave Trade has come and gone. All peoples should bow their heads in shame for this man’s inhumanity to man.

There are no angels here.

Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba, Boston, Massachusetts.

PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

PAGE 13

Comment

Marginalization: It’s unconstitutional to exclude South-East from fruits of $23bn loan

By Aloy Ejimakor

A

ccording to several credible news outlets, the South-East is excluded from the proceeds of, or the spending plan proposed for the $23bn foreign loan recently approved by the Nigerian Senate.

That’s unconstitutional and wrong, to boot.

First, it’s mischievous to suggest that the loan was approved for the Federal Government. It’s not. Instead, the loan was, as a matter of law, approved for Nigeria or the Federation of Nigeria and the proceeds must be bound for the federation account, not the account of Federal Government.

If it’s the Senate that is characterizing the proceeds of this loan as belonging to the Federal Government alone, that too is unconstitutional. It’s not the Senate of the Federal Government but a Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or of the federation.

Second, it’s not the separate resources of the Federal Government that will be used in repaying the loan. It’s the resources of Nigeria or the Federation of Nigeria, particularly oil, of which a substantial portion comes from the South-East.

Third, loan or not, the $23bn should count as revenue (or proceeds) accruing to

the Federation of Nigeria, not the Federal Government of Nigeria, which is merely a tier of the three tiers constituting the Federation of Nigeria. The states and the local governments are the other two tiers.

They cannot be excluded from the till.

Fourth, Section 162(1) of the constitution provides that “The Federation shall maintain a special account to be called “the Federation Account” into which shall be paid all revenues collected by the Government of the Federation, except the proceeds from the personal income tax of the personnel of the armed forces of the Federation, the Nigeria Police Force, the ministry or department of government charged with responsibility for Foreign Affairs and the residents of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja”.

As can be seen from above, loans are not one of the ‘proceeds’ exempted from the Federation account. To be sure, the same constitution defined “revenue” at Section 162(10) by stating that “For the purpose of subsection (1) of this section, “revenue” means any income or return accruing to or derived by the Government of the Federation from any source and includes- (a) any receipt, however described, arising from the operation of any law…”.

As can easily be gleaned from the

plain texts of above provisions, ‘loans’ can comfortably fall under the category of ‘any source’ or ‘any receipt’, howsoever described.

Further, Section 162(3) of the same constitution provides that “any amount standing to the credit of the Federation Account shall be distributed among the Federal and state governments and the local government councils in each state on such terms and in such manner as may be prescribed by the National Assembly”.

This mean that the constitution is concerned with any amount, which plain meaning is simply that loans are not excluded from amounts or monies ‘standing to the credit of the Federation Account’.

And the said ‘prescription of the National Assembly’ that the constitution strictly requires before such amounts are distributed was promulgated as an Act, known as “Allocation of Revenue (Federation Account, Etc) Act”.

Under this Act, the amount standing to the credit of the Federation shall be distributed as follows: Federal government – 52.68 percent, States – 26.72 percent, local governments – 20.60 percent, with 13 percent derivation revenue going to the oil producing states, of which South-East currently has 2 States.

It is pertinent to note that the ‘13 per cent derivation’ underscores the prime role oil plays in the revenue of the Federation of Nigeria. So, in the reckoning of how this loan is to be distributed or spent, Nigeria must be mindful of the unarguable fact that most (if not all) of the interest and the ultimate repayment of the principal will come from oil revenue generated from States that includes 2 South-Eastern states but excludes most of the States where a lion share of this loan is proposed to be spent.

Taken further, and as is surely the case in societies guided by ordinary fairness and justice, this loan should have been subject to a 13 per cent ‘first line charge’, to be distributed to the oil-producing states in the recognition that they will, to the exclusion of all other States, bear the entire brunt of repaying this loan.

To be sure, it is only after complying with the constitutional sharing formula that the Federal Government shall be free to spend its statutory share anywhere and anyhow it likes, and it may then decide to exclude the South-East, as it often does.

Aloy Ejimakor is a legal practitioner based in Abuja.

Amnesty boss appointment: Tasks ahead of FG

By Jerome-Mario Utomi

I

t is general knowledge that President Muhammadu Buhari, precisely on Friday 30th February, 2020 approved the suspension of the Coordinator, Presidential Amnesty Programme, and Professor Charles Dokubo, with a promise to set up a caretaker committee to run the affairs of the agency.

As expected, this development has elicited reactions from stakeholders and the public at large, While some hsils the action of the president others view it with scepticism.

The boundaries between these two spheres has been shifted back and forth for some days and in some cases been a source of tension.

Indeed, this sort of feelings is not only inevitable but eminently desirable. Many would have expected the experience of these past years to continue. It is an ‘objective’ concern. Yet despite these widening feelings, there appear a gap prompted by lack of comprehension that the amnesty challenges have led to a tragic condition in the region.

Hence, the luxury of leisurely approach to an urgent challenge is no longer permissible.

Though I sympathize with Professor Dokubo on who’s shoulder rests the burden of piloting the amnesty programme affairs since March 13, 2018,when he was appointed

by President Muhammadu Buhari, However, there comes into view some legitimate reason to believe that the present administration may have a sincere desire to move not just amnesty programme but the Niger Delta region forward in such a way that both protects the rights and opportunities of coming generations and contributes to compatible approaches.

This voiced opinion is predicated on the events of the past months.

Specifically, more than anything else, the suspension of Dokubo which shares similar attributes and virtues with that of his predecessors, has again become a canonical proof that FG needs a change in strategy in making such appointments There are historical examples with vivid images to support this fact.

First, the appointments of Timi Alaibe, Kingsly Kukuh, Boroh and Professor Charles Dokubo, enjoy similar characteristics. They were Niger Deltans but not connected to the grassroots, particularly the people at the coastal areas. Like other Nigerians with critical interest, I believed and still believe that the viability of such office depends on the appointment of a personality that is not just familiar with the region and the people but a development-minded fellow that lives within the creeks and respected by the people of the region.

Of course, there is nothing new about this proposition. And ,i hope Mr. President , The National Security Adviser(NSA) and the Secretary to The Federal Government(SFG), will see the distinction this opinion article is trying to make.

Let’s turn to a more concrete example that will further convince all that ‘the rule of reason is the natural sovereign of a free people’.

While working as the foot soldiers of the Foundation for Ethnic Harmonya Non Governmental Organization in 2002, some Niger Delta youth leaders in different communities/ kingdoms, with sincere effort to promote Martin Lurther Kings Jr’s non-violence philosophy/ education, among other things led the solid foundation for what is today celebrated as amnesty programme. The initiative precisely in 2006, caught the attention/ support of an oil giant in the region, the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), who as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).supported the initiative with both local/foreign training of youths from the region. And like a wild fire, the support base increased with Chevron Nigeria, Government Parastatal and other International Oil Companies (IOCs).

Some of these youths as noted by the account includes; Pullah Ekpetuayerin, now an Honourable Member of the Delta House of Assembly representing Burutu constituency; Comrade Shedrack Adediga, currently an Executive Director,Planning, Research and

Statistics, Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission(DESOPADEC),; Comrade Mulade Sheriff, presently, the Executive Secretary, Egbema/Gbaramatu Communities Development Foundation, Chevron Nigeria Limited Regional Host Communities Development initiative; Sixtus Obinna Nwoke, Global President, African Youth Parliament, Gen Abiye Harry, Mr Jonathan Akatakpo, Sir Jonathan Lokpobori, Mr Presley Igalagha, Mike Odili , presently an Itsekiri High Chief, and Mr. Victor Ikoma from Ogoni Rivers state among others.

Under this condition, strategic thinkers will do well to understand this background and search out for well-foresighted but quietly influential creek residents that will help control what we have been smart enough to create as a nation. Mr. President and his handlers, must, as they have demonstrated in past, understand that the old conception of amnesty programme-with focus almost solely on ex-militants-and geopolitics has to be enlarged and follow a policy of forward engagements that accommodate chunk of the large army of professionally-trained ex-militants currently without job-as well as many youths of the region who were not of age as at the time amnesty was being proclaimed.

As noted in a similar intervention, more important than the above point is that, assuming a decision is made today by the FG to formally remove Dokubo, there is urgent need for the FG to appreciate the next appointment from a rights-based perspective. Government must desist from the current non-participatory approach to such appointments, but rather embrace a broad-based consultative approach that will give the Civil Societies Organizations operating in the region and people of the Niger Delta, some sense of ownership over their own issues.

This suggestion is based on a very simple reason. Aside from the age-long believe that if one wants to know about the road ahead, he/she must ask those coming back, the Non-Profitable Organizations working in the

region have been able to establish beyond reasonable doubts that NGOs provide platforms for pursuing the truth, peace and the decentralized creation and distribution of ideas; in the same way, that government is a decentralized body for the promotion and protection of the people’s life chances.

All things being equal, there is a need to step beyond party affiliations and academic qualification. And take a look at the region’ fundamental obstaclesunderdevelopment. As clarified by the United Nations Independent Expert on the Right to Development, for a programme to be tagged development, it must directly or indirectly, require a particular process that allows the realization of economic, social and cultural rights, as well as civil and political rights, and all fundamental freedoms, by expanding the capabilities and choices of the individual.

Regardless of what others may say, it will be rewarding in economic and sociopolitical terms if organizations such as; The Foundation for Ethnic Harmony; The Partnership Initiative in the Niger Delta (PIND), Center for Peace And Environmental Justice(CEPEJ) and AA PeaceWorks among others, are consulted for recommendation and inputs, and possibly help identify personalities in the region that have stood with the people, participated in their struggle, accepted by all and most importantly, that can do the job.

Accordingly, the level of success on this job will be determined by how holistic in approach the Federal Government could be in appointing someone into this position.

Finally, “The destiny of the ship is not in the harbor but in sailing the high sea’’ likewise, the destiny of the coastal dwellers of Niger Delta is not in the hands of the ‘city boys’ as coordinator, but on FG’s development of political will to appointing someone who is from, and lives with the people.

Utomi, a Lagos-based Media Consultant writes via; (jeromeutomi@ yahoo.com),

PAGE 14

NEWS

Street begging continues despite ban in Niger State From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna

M

ost streets and strategic areas in Minna and environs have continued to witnessed street begging barely one week after a law banning the menace was announced by the Niger state government after the state executive council meeting.

It was reliably gathered that the Niger law seems not stiffed enough to end street begging as most of the beggars claimed not to be aware of any law stopping them from duh activities.

Although, government claimed the persistent insecurity situation behind the ban, our correspondent report that is still business as usual as beggars especially Almajiris have dared the Niger state government as they seen at every strategic places begging.

Consequently, Government is aimed at bringing to the barest minimal the menace of street begging, most especially the Almajiris were found in some strategic areas like filling stations, restaurants, traffic lights, banks, junctions and other places rather than be in their schools.

Speaking to beggars (Almajiri), who is an indigene of Katsina state who simply gave his name as Rilwan said “Begging is our only means of feeding and my Mallam sent us out to beg after our Quranic lesson in the morning and nobody told us that there is a law stopping us” he stated.

In same vein, a source told our reporter that, “the parents of the beggars (almajiris) are supposed to provide for their upkeep while in the Almajiri School but because they failed, their wards are left with no options than to invade the streets begging for survival” he said.

A furious15 year old beggar identified as Abubakar called ‘Abacha’ in an interview stated that, “the government cannot stop us because this is part of the north and Almajiri system is acceptable here. Moving around and seeking for alms is part of us; not everyone can go to Tsangaya schools”.

However, the state Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Alhaji Mohammad Sani Idris during the press briefing noted that credible reports from security agencies has necessitated government to begin the vigorous enforcement of law on street begging in the state.

PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

FG restates commitment to science, technology devt From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

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he Federal Government has stressed that policies and programmes to enhance the development of science and technology are being implemented in the country.

The Minister of state for science and technology, Dr. Muhammad Hassan Abdullahi made this remark during a courtesy call on Governor Aminu Bello Masari at Government House, katsina.

Dr Muhammad Abdullahi told Governor Masari that he was in katsina to launch a new teaching aid for science and technical schools.

The Minister acknowledged the contributions of katsina state towards producing manpower for technology and bio-research centres.

He commended katsina state government for putting in place structures that would enhance the learning of science and technical education in schools.

He expressed optimism that Katsina state will in the not too distant future compete favourably with other states in technical education.

The Minister used the visit to invite Governor Aminu Bello Masari to be the special Guest of honour during the forthcoming science and technology Expo scheduled to hold from 15th to 20th of this month in Abuja..

Responding Governor Aminu Bello Masari expressed the resolve of the present APC administration to develop science and technical education in the state.

The Governor told the minister that Katsina state government would continue to support the newly upgraded ministry of science

and technology, the state science and technical education board and the Youth craft center to enhance science and technical education in the state.

Masari commended the series of Programmes and innovations being introduced by the federal ministry of science and technology geared towards taking the nation to the next level of development.

He observed that the technology story board was introduced to serve as a teaching aid for the imparting of knowledge in science and technology for the young ones to know how goods and services are being produced.

He said making the facility available through the involvement of PZ company would take Nigeria to higher pedestal in modern technology.

He also appreciated the minister for selecting katsina to host the

launching of the technology story board in the North West Geo political zone.

In a remark, the state commissioner for science and technology, Dr Rabe Nasir announced that the state has synergy with the federal ministry of science and technology for the development of science and technology in the state.

Dr Rabe Nasir spoke at length on various efforts with other agencies and bodies for the development of science and technology.

He therefore hopes that teachers of science and technology will find the technology story board a companion in the running of their Programmes.

The commissioner explained that each state in the North West will have nine selected secondary schools that would receive the technology story board free.

L-R: Managing Director Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Plc Ms. Marlyn Amobi, Director Finance and Account NBET, Mrs. Adenike Azeez and Finance Manager NBET Mrs. Nwanne Ikejibe, during continuation of an interactive meeting on non- remittance of revenue generated by Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Plc to the Federal Government at the National Assembly, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

52 corps members to repeat service year in Delta From Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

A

uthorities of the National Youth Service Corps, (NYSC) Delta state, said that fifty two Corps members will repeat their service year ranging from two weeks to five months.

The state Coordinator NYSC, Mrs Olutayo Samuel who confirmed this to Journalists in Asaba at a news briefing, said that the press conference became necessary to put records straight in the media, adding that Service Scheme had been disturbed with the Conflicting reports in the

recent times about the 2019 Batch A Corps members Mrs Olutayo Samuel said “Those whose cases have hit the ascondment marks were forwarded to our National Directorate Headquarters, Abuja, for ratification towards repeat of their service year to serve as deterrent to other serving Corps members, We have been disturbed with the media reports that are Conflicting, and we deem it fit to Come out with the records Straight, we have a total of 3,011 Corps members, made up of 1,304 male and 1,707 female passed out in Delta, and many of

them performed very well” She however Commended the Corps Members during their service year, adding “those who were not found wanting performed remarkably, especially in the area of Community development including social economic development of the state, and in the area of education, health and agriculture as well as touched many lives within urban and rural areas” and assured that the Scheme would be disposed to assisting dedicated Corps members in the state at all times On indiscipline, Mrs Olutayo Samuel said that two

of the Corps Members who were found in alleged sex Scandals, were disciplined, adding “we did our best to instill discipline in the Corps Members, we found two of our Corps in sexual mess and as adults, we disciplined them and advised them to marry rather than messing up themselves in scandalous ways, it’s our duties to instill discipline on our Corps members to ensure that they had good orientation their one year Service, and the reason we are Correcting some areas that the media wrongly reported”.

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PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

Amidst tension: Anti Social media Bill hits brickwall in senate

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi and Musa Adamu

T

he Anti Social Media Bill yesterday met stiff resistance and outright rejection by members of the Civil Society Organisations, media outfits, government regulatory agencies and the general public, who in unison re-echoed ‘kill the Bill now, kill the Bill now’.

This was the fall out from a one day public hearing on the Bill titled “Protection from Internet Falsehoods, Manipulations and Other Related Matters Bill, 2019 (SB132)”, which was sponsored by Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East).

This is even as, apparently sensing the dangers awaiting the Bill and the sponsor owing to the charged and unfriendly atmosphere against the Bill in the senate venue for the public hearing, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and other ranking senators, including Abdulahi Adamu, Enyinnaya Abaribe, Oluremi Tinubu, all abandoned the sponsor of the controversial Bill, Sani Musa, to torrents of attacks and knocks by the public who attacked the senators for being puppets of the President Muhammadu Buhari let government.

The Senate President had set the stage for the Bill and its sponsor to receive their first baptism of fire when he declared the public hearing open by saying that matters or freedom and human rights should not be comprised.

He said however that the decision of the senate on the Bill will be enriched by the submissions by the CSOs, media and the general public on it as submitted to the committee on Judiciary and Human Rights.

According to Lawan, the internet which has become central in the lives of Nigerians, has its positive and negative sides, including making communication easier, though he said it makes accuracy of such information questionable.

While pointing out the needs to interrogate the usage of internet in spreading information, Lawan admitted that the National Assembly is fallible, hence he called for open-mindedness by the interested parties in consideration of the Bill, given that there are different sides to the argument.

At this juncture, senator Sani Musa, who sponsored the Bill, apparently overwhelmed by the grievances which the citizens have nurtured against the Bill, when called on to explain why he chose to sponsor such Bill, said categorically that he is not desperate for the Bill to be passed into law. He said he will withdraw it and continue to push and try his best.

He said his interest was to suppress internet falsehood and sanction offenders who use internet to manipulate and misinform Nigerians. He said fake news has become a virus and an epidemic that the world is trying to cure.

According to him, the concern is about sustaining national security and preventing of breakdown of law and order, adding that it is an enactment of a law that is reasonable for the Nigerian society. He said the proposed legislation is not another form of censorship, and not aimed to muzzle public opinion, arguing that if the extant laws are no longer

Sen. Lawan effective, there is need to make new ones.

Earlier, the chairman of the senate Committee on Judiciary and Human Rights, senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, armed that the National Assembly will not shy away from its responsibility of making laws that will be acceptable to the society and stand the test of time.

He said it is the constitutional duty of the parliament to make laws for the peace of the country, which he said is sacrosanct and non negotiable, as such duty is performed through bills, oversight, and public hearing.

Senator Bamidele observed that through public hearing the legislative committee receives commitment to make laws, adding that the senate is aware of the interest the anti social media Bill has generated from members of the public, as it has come to dominate the public space.

He said the essence of the Bill is to prevent the transmission of false stories and enable corrective measure taken to suppress the effect of such transmission. He said also that the Bill seeks to criminalise negative use of the internet and to sanction offenders.

Nigerians and civil society groups, at this point began to pour in torrent of opposition, demanding that the Bill be withdrawn.

Firing the first attack against the Bill, the National President of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Chris Isiguzo, said the bill seeks to pigeon hole Nigerians from freely expressing themselves.

According to him, democracy is imperiled when citizens’s rights are trampled upon.

He said “This bill going by its provisions, is an unnecessary proliferation of laws since targeted offences are already covered by the criminal code or penal code and even latest legislations like the Cybercrime law of 2015.

“Proliferation of laws is not a unique ingredient of democratic governance, one of the reasons the Senate should discard the bill.

“Though fake news is worse than Coronavirus but people should not be stopped from their inalienable right of freedom of speech.

“Rather than seeking to regulate endusers of the various social platforms, the

platforms should be the focus of such regulation as obtainable in other countries”.

Also kicking against the bill, Lanre Arogundade, Executive Director of International Press Centre (IPC), said provisions of the bill negates that of African Chatter of Peoples and Human Rights, Nigeria is signatory to.

He specifically condemned section 3(1) part 2 of the bill which according to him , seeks to criminalise criticisms of Public Officials.

The Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), Professor Umar Dambata, declared that provisions of the bill are difficult to implement even if passed into law.

NCC according to him, only provides infrastructure for social media platforms and not in any way, regulates their contents.

“Provisions of the draft copy of the bill were thoroughly dissected by our legal department with submissions that many of them are infracting on extant laws like the Cybercrime law of 2015, Data Protection law etc.

“Besides, as submitted by our legal department, provisions of the bill seek to give too much power to the Police which will invariably lead to infringement or violation of citizens rights aside drafting anomalies inherent in all the provisions.

“On account of the afore stated reasons, the NCC seeks for its withdrawal for the purposes of completely redrafting it in a way that will not trample with constitutional rights Nigerians”, he said.

In his own submission, the Convener not Too Young to Run and the Executive Director of YIAGA Africa, Samson Itodo, said the bill is nothing but legislative overkill.

According to him, the bill seeks to remove food from the table of young people and must be killed. “Kill this bill and Nigerians will be happy for it”, he said.

The publisher of Sahara Reporters, and Convener of #RevolutionNow, Omoye Sowore, in his submission said the Bill was plagiarised from Singapore without considering the fact that what works in Singapore may not work in Nigeria.

He said how can the senator copy a Bill from a country where things work to a country like Nigeria where things does not work. He asked how can the government determine what information is false or not, except when it does not like such information.

The bill, he alleged, seeks nothing but to protect those in power, adding that government today is the greatest purveyor of false fake news, given that the economy and security are not working yet government claims that they are working.

He said the senate, rather than waste time and resources on such useless Bill, should get the constitution correct by convening a referendum to get a true peoples constitution.

Other contributors like the Chairman of DAAR Communications , Raymond Dokpesi (Jnr), said the it is opposed to the Bill like other stakeholders. He said it should be trashed now, saying that having gone through it, no single item in the Bill advocated for the public interest as being claimed by the sponsor.

He said the Bill takes away the rights to fair hearing and gives government the monopoly to determine what is falsehood or not.

According to him, the Bill is seditious, reminding the lawmakers that the law of sedition ended with colonialism in Nigeria, even citing instances that democratic countries are repealing their laws on sedition that were borrowed from colonial rules.

Chairman of Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (BON) Sa’ad Ibrahim, Executive Director of Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), Clement Nwakwo, who vehemently kicked against the bill, said it is totally unnecessary.

He said though people are worried about abuse of internet, it has both negative and positive effect, adding that there are existing laws that can take care of the negative effects of the internet but only needed to be amended.

However the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, represented by the Deputy Chief of Policy and Strategy, Defence Headquarters, Solomon Udomwa, said the Bill is commendable as it will go a long way to ensure national security.

He said that in some advanced countries, when the time is necessary, human rights are curtailed to advance national security.

Speaking also, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), represented by Esan Onoja, said the omission is neither against nor against the Bill, but assured that if it is passed into law by the National Assembly, it will abide by the provisions.

Speaking also, the Acting Chairman of Nigeria Law-reform Commission, Prof.

Jumai Audi, warned that Nigeria should not be in a haste to criminalise every action by the citizens, saying the prisons are already contested.

She further lamented that the Bill givens enormous and sweeping powers to the police to arrest and prosecute suspects, making them the judges in their own court. She said the Bill seeks to create a missing link between the government and the citizens in the feedback chain.

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PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

politics Insecurity: Gov Zulum approves June 13 Lawan advocates constitutional for Borno LG polls role for traditional rulers

By Musa Adamu

P

resident of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan on Monday advocated for a contitutional role for traditional rulers in the fight against insurgency and other security challenges.

Lawan made the call when a delegation of traditional and political leaders from Taraba state paid him a visit in his office.

The delegation was at the National Assembly to participate in a public hearing on a bill to establish Federal College of Education, Mutum Biyu, Taraba state.

The Senate President said, “there is no way we can succeed in the fight against insurgency or any insecurity without the support and cooperation of traditional rulers.

“One thing is obvious, when traditional rulers had the mandate and official responsibility to administer their places before the local government reforms of 1976, I think our security situation was better because our security architecture included them.

“That is not the situation today, and when we face such very profound security situation that we have today, it is time to look at giving traditional rulers more formal responsibilities in the administration of our country.”

The Senate President said the present security challenges made it more auspicious for the Senate to look at the possibility of giving constitutional responsibilities to traditional rulers during the forthcoming constitution review exercise.

“We need to do that so that we do not need to run to them only when we have issues. They should always be there to support any administration that is in power to administer the country,” he said.

Lawan said the Senate is working hard to come up with far reaching resolutions on how to address the security challenges facing the country.

He recalled that the Senate after its resumption from recess, set up an adhoc committee under the chairmanship of the Senate Leader, and promised that the report of the committee would be debated “hopefully this week and come up with solutions and views on how to end the insecurity”.

Earlier, the leader of the delegation and Taraba state commissioner for Tertiary Education, Mr. Edward Baraya thanked the Senate President for his support for the bill.

Bararaya said Taraba state lacks higher institutions particularly those of training teachers, saying that the College of Education if established would improve aceess to education for the people of the state.

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

F

ollowing the approval of Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, the Borno State Independent Electoral Commission (BOSIEC), has announced Saturday, June 13, 2020 for election of chairmen and ward councillors‘ across the 27 local government areas of the state.

Special Adviser on public relations and strategy, Malam Isa

Gusau, said in a statement released on Monday, that Professor Zulum is committed to continually release all necessary funds to the BOSIEC which will independently organize a hitch free and credible election.

He said the governor had earlier instructed that elections should be held for chairmen and councils in all the local governments and wards across the state.

“Elections are expected to be held in all 27 local government

areas and 312 wards in the state among all registered political parties”, the statement said.

Gusau said, in response to the commitment demonstrated

by Governor Zulum, the BOSIEC had on Monday, published on newspapers, an approved timetable for the local government election, which was signed by the commission’s chairman, Alhaji Abdu Usman.

He said according to the

published timetable, the commission will on Thursday meet registered political parties and stakeholders to fine tune the process, with the parties scheduled to hold primaries between 16 to 18 April and campaigns commencing on May 15 through June 11.

The Special Adviser noted that Governor Zulum is committed to peaceful electoral processes across the state and enjoins citizens to participate fully and lawfully.

PAGE 17

PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

politics

NWC not factionalized - APC says

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

T

he All Progressives Congress (APC) has denied the news making the rounds that the party is factionalized, saying the nature of crisis as being reported in the media is above the reality on ground.

A statement made available

to journalists by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Lanre Issa-Onilu, it said in a political organisation such as the APC, contestations are not unusual and are not necessarily intractable.

“The issues being alluded to in the media reports are matters before the courts and should be allowed to run their normal and

legal course. The exaggerated story foreboding Armageddon is far-fetched.

“We call on members of the National Working Committee (NWC) and the Party’s secretariat staff to resume at their offices and continue carrying out their scheduled roles and responsibilities without any fear”, the statement said in part.

The party, therefore thanked the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, personnel of the Police, Department of State Services (DSS) and other Security Services for their professionalism.

It said this professionalism manifested in the process of maintaining the peace and preventing hoodlums from

fomenting trouble at the APC National Secretariat.

To this end, it the party assured all of its members in Nigeria and across the world that its leaders are capable of resolving any contestations that may arise, bearing in mind the best interests of the party and in the pursuit of progress and development of Nigeria.

L-R: Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State in a handshake with the Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, during his courtesy visit to the Governor, yesterday in Imo state.

Members of the Awareness for Good Leadership, Peace and Development (APGDA), during a peaceful protest and submission of a petition on the need to adopt more proactive security measures and demand for open policy in Katsina state, at the state Governor’s Lodge, yesterday in Asoko, Abuja

Abia PDP set to implode as party organizing secretary turns party to family business

By Christiana Ekpa

S

igns of trouble have emerged in the Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), as the party prepares for its Zonal, State, LGA, and Ward Congresses.

The Abia State caucus of the PDP had in a meeting held on February 18,2020, resolved to set up a Congress Committee that will make recommendations on the path the party will toe in carrying out congresses in the state.

The committee’s recommendations that zoning formula would be adopted for all the positions in the party from the state level down to the ward level, and consequently zoned the chairmanship of the party to Abia South, while stating that positions in the 17 LGAs of the state should be rotated in line with the zoning formula already on ground, were wholeheartedly adopted on Sunday, March 1, 2020, during a follow up caucus meeting of the party.

Strictly in compliance with the resolution of the party caucus, almost all the LGAs in Abia State have begun to implement the zoning formula, with the chairmanship moving from Alayi to Umunnato in Bende LGA, Olokoro to Ubakala in Umuahia South LGA,

while in Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s LGA, Obingwa, where it alternates between East and West zones it has moved to the next zone which is Uhie, in accordance with the resolution of the party caucus.

In a bizarre twist however, the National Organising Secretary of the party, Colonel Austin Akobundu RTD., has decided that the existing zoning policy in his own LGA, Ikwuano Local Government Area, will not be honoured as he bears down with the intent of handpicking the party’s chairman in his LGA. Those close to him say that Col. Akobundu’s intention is to use the foisting of LGA party executives on the people as a platform for deciding who occupies any elective position from the LGA, starting with Executive Chairmanship position of the LGA later this year— a position he has said will be taken by his in-law who is from the same clan as him, Oloko.

Meanwhile, in an emergency meeting held on Sunday, the 1st of March, 2020, the PDP youths of Ibere clan had stated clearly that the clan is only interested in the LGA chairmanship of the party, and had threatened that if this right of theirs is not honoured by the party, they would decamp to another party that will take into account the interest of the clan.

As the plot thickens, the Ariam/Usaka wards of the party in a unanimous resolution passed during their meeting on Saturday 7th March, 2020, suspended the outgoing LGA chairman of the party, Elder Obioma Igwe, for antiparty activities, and affirmed the clan’s decision that they are only interested in taking their position as the clan that will produce the next Executive Chairman of the LGA and not the party’s next LGA chairman.

Recall that in his position as the National Organising Secretary of the PDP, Col. Akobundu had forced his nephew, a young man who was not actively involved in PDP activities in the LGA, on the people of Ikwuano as the member representing them at the Abia State House of Assembly thus shortchanging loyal and effective party members; allotted the LGA’s lone slot for the position of the Special Adviser to the Governor to his younger brother; and made his cousin the Deputy Transition Committee Chairman of the LGA. All of these people are from his clan Oloko, thus leaving the other clans feeling marginalized and disgruntled following the Colonel’s annexation of positions due to them to his family members.

Embittered by the National

Organising Secretary’s new plans to play God and continue to force down his personal wishes on the people, sections of PDP members from Ikwuano have expressed their dissatisfaction with the Colonel’s actions and have vowed to carry out a mass desertation of the party if the Colonel is allowed to continue to run the party as his family’s property.

Some of the PDP faithfuls from Ikwuano LGA and Umuahia who spoke to our correspondent likened the situation to what happened in Rivers State where Chibuike Amaechi’s efforts to play God with the party led to far-reaching detrimental consequences for the All Progressives Congress. They stated that if Col. Akobundu is not called to order, the consequences will be devastating for not only PDP Ikwuano, but PDP Abia.

While some PDP youths from Ikwuano have begun to stage protests against the conversion of PDP Ikwuano to the Akobundu-family property, they have also called on the National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, and the entire PDP leadership at the state and national level to call Colonel Akobundu to order, so as to forestall the destruction of the party in Ikwuano and Abia State.

How NASS won’t pass Social Media Bill, says Lawan

By Musa Adamu

P

resident of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has said that the National Assembly would not arrogate to itself the power of exclusively passing the social media bill into law without inputs from the Nigerian public.

Lawan stated this in an address delivered to declare open a Public Hearing on the Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulations Bill, also known as the Social Media Bill, presently under consideration by the National Assembly.

The Public Hearing was organized by the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters.

According to the Senate President, freedom of speech and the inalienable rights of man are issues which should not be compromised under any guise.

He added that it was in the spirit of ensuring the protection of individual rights in Nigeria that

the Senate referred the bill to its Committee for legislative work, so as to get the input of all concerned Nigerians.

Lawan, therefore, urged all stakeholders present at the hearing to be open-minded, dispassionate and tolerant of opposing views on the bill.

“This hearing is a crucial one because the Bill has generated a lot of passion. The passion is not unexpected because the Bill relates to the Internet. The Internet has become central to our lifes, as it has reshaped how we live, work and how we interact.

“Like every other innovation, it has had its positive and negative sides. While it has somewhat made communication easier, faster and even cheaper, it has also affected our ability to easily trust some information.

“When this kind of situation arises, we should interrogate all the sides in the divides on a continuous basis. Doing this will lead to a better understanding of

the dimensions and provide an agreeable way forward.

“The Senate, and indeed the National Assembly have never assumed the position of knowing it all. Our rules and procedures do not even envisage a position where we will arrogate to ourselves knowledge of everything,” the Senate President stressed.

He added that the Senate’s decision to refer the protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulations and for Related Matters Bill, 2019 (sb.132), to the relevant committee last November, was just so as to open discussion on the piece of legislation.

According to him, a public hearing of the sort as organized by the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, would avail the Senate the opportunity of sampling all shades of opinion on the bill which seeks to ensure the protection of individual rights from manipulations on various social networks.

He stressed that for the country

to experience peace, growth and development, Nigerians must engage each other on ways to address the excesses and limitations that are a consequence of the abuse of ‘freedom’.

“It is pursuant to our procedure to open up discussions that we have invited you all. In assembling here today however, we need to remember that there are multiple positions on every argument.

“This implies that we should not just be open minded and dispassionate, but should be ready to hear the other side, no matter how strong we feel about our own position.

“It is trite to say that information and knowledge grow in an atmosphere of listening and sharing. When we listen, we put ourselves on a better ground to reasonably agree or disagree, because our own understanding would have grown.

“When we are intolerant of an opposing view, we will not be able to relate with the message of

the speaker. Disagreement comes thereafter, and it will prevent us from having a clearer roadmap.

“I agree that matters of freedom of speech and the inalienable rights of man are issues we should not compromise. I also agree that the right of an individual ends where the rights of another individual begins.

“The rope between the freedom of an individual and the limits of that individual is often a tight one to walk. As a people however, we cannot stop discussing this freedom and its limitations for peace and harmony, growth and development.

“I am assured that with the people carefully invited here today, we are in a good position to proffer well-reasoned arguments on way forward on the Bill,” Lawan said.

He emphasized that, “Senate’s eventual position will be partly dependent on the Committee’s report,” adding, “the support of Nigerians in enriching this report is very important.”

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PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

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FCCPC warning: Jumia delists 390 products, assures of cooperation

By Miriam Humbe

J

umia Nigeria has delisted 390 products belonging to 168 sellers of hand sanitisers and face masks from its platform, following a warning issued by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, (FCCPC) to sellers engaged in price gouging and arbitrary increases in prices of protective and hygiene products in the wake of the recent outbreak of Coronavirus.

This was contained in a statement received by Babatunde Irukera, Chief Executive Officer, FCCPC from the Chairwoman, Nigeria & Head of Institutional Affairs, Jumia Group, Juliet C. Anammah, over the weekend.

The letter reads in part: “Let me reconfirm that at Jumia we want to work with your agency, most especially at a critical time like this.

390 products belonging to 168 sellers for sanitisers and face masks have been delisted. Unfortunately, this is an ongoing process as sellers can relist products. Thus, we will be doing hourly checks and clean up if necessary.

A further communication has been sent to ALL sellers to notify them that we will delist all SKUs with prices seen to be taking advantage of the situation We also asked the sellers with items delisted to review the prices if they would like to be relisted.

We have identified a seller that we can source from directly - this will ensure that we relist some of the essential items at better prices.

We have also partnered with Reckitt Benckiser across Africa (manufacturer of sanitisers) to reduce the prices of their products on our site while we take 0% commission on all their sanitisers sold on our site.

Additionally, since we have millions of consumers on our site and some are searching for “coronavirus” on our site, we can collaborate with you (FCCPC) by ensuring the first result they find when they search for coronavirus is a URL leading to a message from either FCCPC or the Minister of Health. Let me know and we can set it up.

This is the second time JUMIA is responding to FCCPC’s warning in the last one week.

The management of the online market had earlier written to bring to the attention of its vendors a release by the FCCPC. “It has been observed that some sellers may have engaged in the arbitrary increase of prices on protective and hygienic products such as face masks, hand sanitisers etc. on account of the Coronavirus with a view of taking advantage of consumers.

“Please note that sellers who are found engaging in this unwholesome practice will find themselves subject to investigations and penalties by the FCCPC”, it cautioned.

Recall that Babatunde Irukera had earlier issued a release on February 28, 2020, stating that “This unusual and inordinate practice of unreasonably increasing the price of these (protective and hygiene) products in an indiscriminate manner, on account of the national public health concern (Coronavirus) violates both moral codes and extant law.

AfDB invests $200m in REA to boost power supply in Nigeria

By Etuka Sunday

T

he African Development Bank (AfDB) is to invest 200 million dollars through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to boost power supply in Nigeria.

Mr Wale Shonibare, the Acting Vice President, Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth Complex (AFDB) said this when he led some management staff of the bank on a visit to the Minister of State for Power, Mr Goddy JedyAgba in Abuja..

Shonibare, also the Director, Energy and Installation in the bank said that the AfDB board had approved 200 million dollars for the sector through REA to support the roll out of mini grids.

“The AFDB is very active in the

power sector of Nigeria and we are ready to do more, the board has approved 200 million dollars to the sector through the REA. “We are supporting the programme to roll out mini grids across the country and also to encourage productive use of the grids to upgrade communities “We are also involved in energising education, a programme under which we are dedicating power systems to eight Federal universities,’’ he said.

Shonobare said that the bank was also very involved in the transmission sector of the country as it had a 410 million dollars project to support transmission.

According to him, 200 million dollars has already been approved

by AfDB board for phase one to improve transmission lines and provision of sub-stations.

“I understand that the agreement was signed last week and we expect the project to progress.

“We are involved in the Jigawa power project, we have approved a grant of one million dollars to support the feasibility study for phase one and the studies are almost completed.

“We are aware of the issues in the sector and we are working with all the players in the sector, the regulators, NBET all along the value chain looking at how we can make the sector efficient,’’ he said.

Responding, the Minister of State Jedy-Agba said that the Federal Government was willing to

do more in partnership with AEDB to provide electricity for Nigerians.

Jedy-Agba said that power was the bedrock of development, adding that if the country could get it right with technology, they could also do same with power.

He said that Nigeria was in the process of increasing its power generation capacity and the sector as it was keying into funds available by the AfDB to enhance further growth in the sector.

“AfDB had been investing in the sector and they planned to invest more by increasing their funding in development of the power sector,’’ he said.

He assured the AfDB team that any money given to the power sector would be judiciously utilized and accounted for.

L-R: Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment Abuja, Dr. Nasiru S. Gwarzo, Commissioner, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Technology Kaduna State, Mr. Idris Samaila Nyam and President of KADCCIMA, Hajiya Farida Muhibba during the closing ceremony of the 41st Kaduna International Trade.

Photo; BASHIR BELLO

NERC approves Kaduna Electric partnership with Konexa

K

aduna Electric and integrated utility company Konexa obtain green light to make investments in Kaduna that will enable 24/7 power for all.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has approved the sub-concession a greemen t b e t we e n Kad u n a Electricity Distribution Company (KAEDCO) and Konexa, an integrated energy distribution company registered as ECOF Kaduna Ltd. The agreement will enable Konexa to render electricity services in selected parts of Kaduna Electric’s franchise.

Under the approved arrangement, Konexa is expected to make investments in network infrastructure that will guarantee 24/7 supply of electricity within the sub-concession area to all customers, from large commercial and industrial off takers to low demand residential customers.

Konexa’s interventions will also see the roll out of new metering technology, the deployment of off-grid solutions such as mini grids and solar home systems to serve unconnected populations, and the installation of embedded generation capacity where required.

Konexa’s integrated distribution model is based on partnerships with existing utilities, bringing cutting edge technologies like smart meters to bear, and delivering a robust customer value proposition for access to reliable power for all.

A statement signed by the Head of Corporate Communication of Kaduna Electric, Abdulazeez Abdullahi, said the approval was contained in a letter sent to the Managing Director/CEO of Kaduna Electric by the Chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Prof. James Momoh

on Wednesday.

According to the statement, the sub-concession agreement shall be subject to all existing and other future regulations as may be determined by the regulator. “ECOF Kaduna Ltd. [Konexa] shall operate under the electricity distribution license of Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company Plc (KAEDCO) as a subconcessionaire. The rights and obligations of ECOF Kaduna Ltd [Konexa] under the agreement shall be derived from the existing terms and conditions of license issued to Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company PLC (KAEDCO)’’, the approval letter stated.

The Chairman of Kaduna Electric, Yusuf Abubakar stated “This is a win-win partnership that will bring investment, improve quality of service, and ensure Konexa meets remittances obligations and rolls out much

needed cost effective off-grid solutions. We have been working on this project together for almost two years now.

Konexa will bring investment and expertise that leverages our experience to deliver power to everyone in the sub-concession area without exception. Konexa’s technical teams have been on the ground for 18 months and they also have been working with the customers and communities from who they have full support.”

The CEO of Konexa, Pradeep Pursnani said “This is a big milestone, and a first step of many for the distribution sector in Nigeria and for the Kaduna Electric and Konexa teams.

We are grateful for the support from NERC, the Bureau of Public Enterprise and the Rural Electrification Agency and all other key stakeholders that have been part of the journey so far.

PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

Page 20

ICT

ICT: Four Ministers, Danbatta, Kashifu, Others, lead Abuja MIT-REAP Advisory Board

By Etuka Sunday

T

he Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami, the Minister of the FCT, Mohammed Musa Bello, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, the Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, the Executive Vice-Chairman Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, and the Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr Mr Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi and twenty others are to lead the Advisory Board of the Abuja Team for Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Programme (REAP), promoted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

MIT-REAP was part of Federal Government’s plans to leverage on Information Communications Technology (ICT) and Entrepreneurship skills as a way of addressing the increasing unemployment Rate in the country.

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami who disclosed this in Abuja while inaugurating members of the Board said, the undertaking was inspired by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s fight against Poverty and his focus on Economic Development.

As planned, the DG, NITDA, Mr Kashifu Inuwa who has been advocating for the adoption of digital technological skills in the educational sector was made one of the Co-Champions.

Dr. Pantami while analysing the number of graduates to that of the limited job vacancies in the country, disclosed that government employs 77,000 workforce.

“As you all know we have a huge challenge in Nigeria which is unemployment students are graduating everyday many are been admitted into our universities every day but jobs vacancies are very limited.

Some graduateed 15,10 years ago are still in the labour market if you look at the total number

of our graduates and the limited employment opportunities we have we will discover that the big strategy is to focus on entrepreneurs and this is the only way out.

“Only last week,I read 1.9 million person are going to sit for JAMB examination when they grauduate, therefore let’s assume that I million get admitted and eight hundred thousand grauduate on time ,where are you going to accommodate only grauduate of one year.I had a discussion with the Head of Service and asked her what’s the total number of civil servants in Nigeria she said seventy seven thousand (77,000 ),” he said.

The Minister said, although the focus was officially Abuja, the project would be replicated in all the states of the Federation.

“I must emphasize, at this point, that while the focus of this is officially Abuja, the aims of this

project transcend the FCT; and this is being done for Nigeria as a whole.

The learnings and principles applied through REAP, are transferable to any town, city, state or region of this dear nation of ours. And so it should be,” he said.

Pantami said, “in 2018, after a period of evaluating options on programmes that could help deepen the emerging innovativeness that we had observed among our youth; and catalyse economic growth and impact therein, a team of us decided that the REAP programme offered by MIT offered the best proven example of such. In January 2019, we decided to make the application to MIT as Team Abuja.

“Lagos had previously undergone REAP and, arguably, there have been benefits to its ecosystem; but little direct carry-over to the rest of the country. Therefore, there is an implicit aim, this time to make the effort more inclusive, even if doing

the programme for Nigeria as a whole would have been too cumbersome.

“A few months later, in May, MIT accepted Abuja’s application to embark on the programme after a competitive assessment of bidding regions from all over the world.

“Abuja is joined in REAP’s 7th Cohort by teams from regions in Denmark, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan (ROC). The Lagos team had colleagues from Canada, Iceland, Peru, Spain and the UAE; attesting to the importance that the world places on creating innovation driven ecosystems, and our aspiration to operate at global best standards,” he said.

According to him, the main purpose of the programme was to adopt, and adapt, MIT’s proven frameworks on accelerating innovation to create localized strategies for developing and sustaining enterprises driven by innovation (IDEs).

He said, “Lagos, for example, has inspired Abuja and other cities around the country to develop fledgling innovation hubs focused around various industries, like ICT, Retail, Fintech, Construction and Agribusiness. To this end, Abuja has emerged and is indeed recognized as a Tier 2 African Innovation Hub. “I have humbly taken up the role as Champion of the Abuja Team and have with me a talented group of people with varied but valuable backgrounds that have kept working hard towards implementing REAP for Abuja.

The partnership emanated from building a team; and to that extent I am grateful for the presence here of my brothers, the Honourable Minister for the FCT, our Chief Host and keen supporter, my Co-Champion, The Executive Secretary PEF(M)B and the DG NITDA, whose organisations shall spearhead the government stakeholder engagement,” he said.

L R Grans CarlMichael, Sweden Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Ali Isa Ibrahim Pantami Hon. Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof.

Adeolu Akande, Board chairman Nigerian Communications commission NCC, Prof.

Umar Garba Danbatta Executive Vice Chairman/CEO NCC, Kerstin Borglin, Director Spider, Oluwatoyin Asaju, Director Special Duties NCC, during the opening ceremony of the ICT Regulation Workshop held yesterday 9th Match 2020 at Main Auditorium Communications and Digital Economy Complex Abuja

Security: ATCIS lauds NCC, Danbatta for Emergency Communications Centres’ Implementation

By Etuka Sunday

T

he Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), alongside its Executive Vice Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Umar Danbatta, have been commended by the Association of Telephone, Cable TV and Internet Subscribers (ATCIS) for deploying Emergency Communications Centres (ECC) across Nigeria to enhance security of lives and properties.

The commendation was contained in a statement signed by the National President/ Spokesperson, Association of Telephone, Cable TV and Internet Subscribers (ATCIS), Prince ‘Sina Bilesanmi.

“At a time when insecurity is becoming prevalent in our country, it has become important to recognise the complementary the role of the Commission and its

leadership in enhancing security of lives and properties in the country,” Bilesanmi said in the statement.

According to Bilesanmi, through the Commission’s emergency communication centre across the country, “most of us that are telephone subscribers are now able to call the “112” toll-free number of the ECC to contact emergency response agencies (ERAs) for help during emergencies. This has continued to help to enhance security of lives and properties for us, as long as you telephone user.”

Bilesanmi stressed that by setting up the ECCs across the country, NCC has demonstrated a move that will boost subscribers’ confidence in the synergy inherent between telecoms sector and security arms of the state.

“As subscribers and citizens of the country, we know that security is not just a choice; it is a necessity.

And in time of need, people should be able to use their phone lines to get help. Over the years, there had been challenges for subscribers reaching security and emergency agencies real-time, because what we use to have are standard phone numbers that cannot be easily memorised and recalled at panic points or emergency situations,” he said By dialing a dedicated threedigit toll-free number, 112, telephone users in an emergency situation will be directed from their networks to ECC facility from where the distress call is channeled to relevant Emergency Response Agency (ERA) such as fire service, police, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), ambulance, and so on, whose primary duty is to handle the specific case at hand.

Bilesanmi, however, called on the NCC to collaborate more

with relevant agencies in order to further create awareness about the availability of the 112 emergency numbers which telecom subscribers can dial free of charge to report emergency situation and get prompt assistance to any issue threatening live and properties in the area while also urging telephone users to leverage the 112 emergency numbers made possible by the NCC to full advantage in order to save themselves from any emergencies.

Effective implementation of the ECC project and the populace access to the 112 toll-free number, which is helping Nigerians to handle emergency situation, has continued to earn NCC and its EVC, Prof.

Danbatta, laurels and recognitions.

In December, 2019, Danbatta received the ‘Nigeria’s Goodwill Ambassador for Security and Emergency Management Award’ while the Commission, as a

corporate entity, clinched the ‘Corporate Social responsibility Award in Security and Emergency Management’ in the country at the first-ever Security and Emergency Management Awards (SAEMA 2019) in Abuja.

The Award was organised by the Emergency Digest, a publication of Image Merchants Promotion Limited, in conjunction with the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC).

The Commission has subsequently been inducted, in January, 2020, into the membership of Forum of Spokespersons of Security and Response Agencies (FOSSRA) in the country. The recognition for the Commission and its EVC followed the appreciation of the significant contribution to the Federal Government’s agenda in improving security of lives and property through leveraging ICT.

PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

FCTA to support states improve land administration

By Stanley Onyekwere

T

he Federal Capital Territory Administration has pledged its support for States in their efforts to upgrade their Geographic Information System (GIS) for efficient land administration.

This pledge was made by the FCT, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, when a delegation led by the Commissioner of Lands and Survey of Adamawa State paid a courtesy visit to the FCTA. Bello noted that i has been the policy of the FCT to assist other sub-nationals in the country in the upgrade of their land management processes.

“The issue of digitalization and modernizing the land system has already been agreed by the National Council of Land, Housing and Urban Development and many states have gone very far. In the FCT, it’s common knowledge that we are now at a very advanced stage.

“So it has always been a policy of the FCT Administration to support other sub-nationals within the Nigerian federation to be able to upgrade their system. So, I assure you that we will also continue with that policy and provide you all the needed support,” he stressed.

According to him, land was one of the greatest assets that all governments across the country have by virtue of the Land Use Decree, it was very important that all land issues were well documented and digitalized.

Speaking earlier, the Adamawa State Commissioner of Lands and Survey Alhaji Ibrahim Mijinyawa Yayaji, said that his delegation was in the FCT to seek for technical support for the upgrading of the Adamawa State GIS. According to him: “we have our own baby GIS but we feel that definitely, we need to upgrade and there is no other place that we feel we can get this kind of assistance better than here in the FCT. That is why we are here to pay this call and also to make a plea to the FCT Administration so that we can have that assistance from you.”

Also present during the courtesy visit were the Director Urban and Regional Planning FCTA, Zaliha’u Ahmed, Director, AGIS, Dr Isa Jalo and other Directors of the FCTA.

METRO

Page 21

Minister hails NGO over fight against Sickle Cell anaemia

By Stanley Onyekwere

T

he Minister of special duties and intergovernmental affairs, Senator George Akume, has commended a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), LA’ Grace Sickle Cell Foundation (LGSCF), for taking up the initiative to mitigate the increasing rate of Sickle Cell anaemia in the society.

Akume also praised the NGO for ensitising people on the need to be more conscious of their genotypes and medical status before marriage.

Represented by a senior

staff of the ministry, Dr Lilian Ogbole, the Minister said that although the fight against sickle cell disease is not the primary role of the ministry, but it would collaborate with other ministries to ensure that Nigerians have nothing than the best in every aspects of life.

Making this assertion at the launch of LGSCF, in Abuja at the weekend, Akume reiterated that the government is worried that Nigeria has remained the country with the highest number of sickle cell disease in the world.

According to him, in the past, a lot of attention has not been

attached in creating the needed awareness and sensitization about the diseases in Nigeria, which he noted was responsible for the rising case of the disease in the country.

“We are concerned about sickle cell anaemia because as you are aware, right now Nigeria is ranked as the country with the highest rate of sickle cell patient in the world.

“So, we in the ministry have roles to collaborate with other ministries to bring the menace of sickle cell disease to an end,” he stated.

Earlier, the founder of the NGO, Abdulrazeez Abdul, had stressed

the need to take the awareness and sensitisation campaign on the disease to the rural areas, where people are not aware of what sickle cell is all about.

Abdul frowned at the little attention being given to the menace of sickle cell disease in the country, which he noted was responsible for placing Nigeria as the highest case of the disease in the world.

He noted that sickle cell disease deserves much attention, because so many Nigerians are suffering from it, but government and Nigerians do not know about this disease.

Srudents from Total Child Model School Dutse community, performing during the celebration of the year 2020 commonwealth day . Theme:: “delivering a common future, connecting, Innovating Transforming”, held yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Flood: Dev’t Control intensifies removal of structures in Logoma

By Stanley Onyekwere

A

s part of proactive measures to avert devastating flooding in Lokogoma District of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) officials of Development Control Department has increased tempo in demolition activities of obstructing structures in the area, even as the rainy season sets in.

In particular, the continued intensive demolition exercise planned for this week mainly affects structures built on sewage lines, road corridors, power lines

and green areas, in resulting to reoccurring flooding and death especially during rainy season in the District.

Recall that no fewer than one hundred and twenty one building situated in water ways through which Rivers Wumba and Kabusa navigate were marked for demolition by the FCT Administration which commenced in July last year by was stop as a result of heavy down pure.

However, the removal of illegal structures in the area was suspended by the development

control department last year due the heavy rains.

Several developers in Lokogoma District had allegedly built houses on flood plains and water channels, which often lead to severe flooding that affect lives and property.

Explaining the resumption of the removal exercise in Lokogoma, Director, Department of Development Control, Muktar Galadima noted that adequate sensitisation has been carried on the exercise.

Galadima noted that after the sensitisation the FCT

Administration is receiving adequate corporation from the residents noting that the demolition exercise will be completed before the rain commences fully.

He further explained that the clearing exercise which also affected structures around Galadima Roundabout was meant to make way for an ongoing expansion project of Ring Road 2, where there is are provisions for interchanges.

He added that the ongoing projects was also meant to make the area accessible and to make it

possible for the construction firm handling the project to continue with their project in safely and orderly manner.

He added that the exercise would be extended it up to Suncity and Sunny Vaile estates, to make sure that the corridor is free from all informal activities.

Not left out, one of the owners of recreational Parks, where structures were demolished in the area and Former International Footballer, John Fashnu noted that he requested for the exercise to enable better structure put in place.

PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

Page 22

world news

international_peoplesdailyng@yahoo.com

Coronavirus: Death toll jumps again in Italy’s ‘darkest hour’

I

taly’s coronavirus death toll has jumped by 97 to 463, as Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte described the outbreak as the country’s “darkest hour”.

The number of confirmed infections in Italy also increased to 9,172, up from 7,375 on Sunday, official figures show.

Italy is the worst-hit country after China, with cases of the virus confirmed in all 20 Italian regions.

Earlier on Monday, six inmates died amid riots at prisons across Italy over restrictions to control the outbreak.

Italy’s government has pledged to further increase spending to offset the economic impact of the outbreak as the country struggles to adapt to the most restrictive limits on movement since World War Two. Up to 16 million people in northern Italy now need permission to travel under quarantine rules.

In an interview with La Repubblica newspaper on Monday, Mr Conte said: “These days, I have been thinking about the old speeches of [Winston] Churchill it is our darkest hour but we will make it”.

The coronavirus causes the Covid-19 disease. In severe cases, patients have pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, and multiple organ failure that can lead to death.

What happened at the prisons?

The trouble began in the northern city of Modena after inmates at the Sant’Anna prison were told that all visits had been suspended.

Three people were reported to have died at the prison, while a further three died after being transferred from there.

It is thought that at least two of the dead lost their lives to drug overdoses after they raided a prison hospital for the heroin substitute methadone.

At San Vittore prison in Milan, detainees set fire to a cell block on one of the facility’s six wings, then climbed onto the roof through windows and started waving banners, officials said.

At a prison in the southern city of Foggia, about 20 inmates managed to break out of the building during protests. Many were quickly recaptured, Italy’s Ansa news agency reported.

There were also riots at several other prisons in northern Italy and at facilities in Naples and the capital, Rome.

How is the government responding?

On Monday, Mr Conte said the government would pump in more money to mitigate the impact of the outbreak.

Detainees protest on the roof of the San Vittore prison in Milan

Officers guard the entrance of the Sant’Anna prison in Modena as prisoners’ relatives protest He also said Italy would overcome the virus if people followed the rules, adding that the sacrifices required were for the good of all.

On Monday morning, the main share index in Milan, the industrial powerhouse at the heart of the

“

worst-affected area, opened down more than 8%.

What are the restrictive measures?

The strict new quarantine measures will last until 3 April, the government says.

They affect a quarter of the

The restrictions apply to Lombardy and 14 other provinces: Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia, Rimini, Pesaro and Urbino, Alessandria, Asti, Novara, Verbano Cusio Ossola, Vercelli, Padua, Treviso and Venice

Italian population, and centre on the rich northern part of the country that powers the economy.

The restrictions apply to Lombardy and 14 other provinces: Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia, Rimini, Pesaro and Urbino, Alessandria, Asti, Novara, Verbano Cusio Ossola, Vercelli, Padua, Treviso and Venice.

The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to these areas.

All schools and universities in the area are shut, as well as museums, cinemas and swimming pools.

The government says only those with a serious work or family reason that cannot be postponed will be allowed in or out of the quarantine zone.

Passengers departing on flights, except temporary visitors, will have

to justify themselves, as will all those arriving by plane.

There are controls at train stations to check temperatures.

Cruise ships are forbidden to dock in Venice.

The health system is under immense strain in Lombardy, a northern region of 10 million people where Milan is the main city. Regional hospitals are running short of beds and treating patients in corridors.

The health ministry says the average age of deaths from the coronavirus is 81.4 years.

Italy has one of the world’s oldest populations. The virus is particularly dangerous for the elderly and those with underlying health conditions.

World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has praised Italy for making “genuine sacrifices”.

Until Sunday only about 50,000 people in northern Italy had been affected by quarantines.

On Sunday, we drove up to the edge of the exclusion zone. We were expecting to see roadblocks or controls in place and we didn’t see anything at all.

Ca rs were goi n g i n b oth directions. It seemed as though the control of this restricted zone was quite loose, and that was a bit difficult to understand.

Is this simply too big an area to control and close off in the heart of Europe, or are the restrictions gradually coming into place?

We’ve seen pictures from inside the restricted cities, and the streets are very deserted, but we’re not seeing police checkpoints as such.

But perhaps this is going to be stepped up in the coming days because there are even penalties of three months in prison or a fine of €206 (£179; $235) for breaking the rules.

The real fear is that, in the hours between the quarantine being announced and it coming into effect, people have gone from more infected areas in the north down south.

There are healthcare facilities in southern Italy, far less developed than those here in the north, that are going to seriously struggle.

What is the situation elsewhere?

The number of infections worldwide is now more than 111,000, with about 3,890 deaths.

China, which has recorded the highest number of fatalities, reported just 40 new cases of Covid-19, the lowest since 20 January.

Although this indicates that the spread there is slowing, senior officials warned against reducing vigilance.

Source: bbc

PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

Page 23

N e w s F r o m A f r i c a Malawi police Sudan PM Abdalla Hamdok arrest human survives assassination attempt rights activists S

Gift Trapence (right) and Timothy Mtambo (left) during a demonstration

M

alawi police have arrested two human rights activists for threatening to shut down the president’s official residences just hours after the president warned them.

The two who were arrested, Gift Trapence and Macdonald Sembereka, are members of the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC).

They were arrested on Sunday night and police are looking for the organisation’s leader Timothy Mtambo.

They had threatened to close the president’s official residences in different cities across the country if he fails to sack the electoral body boss.

Nyasa Times reports that President Peter Mutharika warned HRDC on Sunday and quoted him as saying: “I’ll show them what I’m made of”.

Mr Trapence and Mr Sembereka have been charged with inciting violence according to HRDC member Luke Tembo.

The organisation has been organising protests against the handling of May 2019 presidential elections that the court ordered be repeated.

udan’s prime minister has survived an assassination attempt after his convoy was attacked in the capital, Khartoum.

“I would like to assure the people of Sudan that I am safe and in good shape,” Abdalla Hamdok has tweeted.

Mr Hamdok was appointed to head Sudan’s transitional government last August, a few months after the overthrow of long-time President Omar al-Bashir.

He said the attack only served as “an additional push to the wheel of change in Sudan”.

It is not yet clear who carried out the attack, but the political situation in Sudan remains precarious after last year’s political transition led to many once-powerful individuals, especially in the military, being sidelined.

What happened in the attack?

Pictures on state television show several damaged vehicles at the site of the blast.

Ali Bakhit, the director of the prime minister’s officer, said in a Facebook post that no-one was hurt in the attack, the AFP news agency reports.

Witnesses told the Reuters news agency that the attack happened near the north-eastern entrance to Kober bridge, which connects Khartoum North to the city centre, where the prime minister’s office is.

“I saw the moment of the explosion and the strike, and the strike came from a high building,” one of them said.

Information Minister Faisal Salih said investigations had begun to find out who was behind what he called a “terrorist attack”.

“Terrorist attempts and dismantling the old regime will be dealt with decisively,” Reuters quoted him as saying.

Who is Mr Hamdock?

Mr Hamdok, a respected former UN economist, was appointed in August by Sudan’s Sovereign Council, which is made up of six civilians and five military officers.

The make-up of the council was the result

Abdalla Hamdok became prime minister in August last year of months of negotiations between the military and civilian protesters, who demanded that the army return to barracks after ousting Bashir in April 2019.

It is intended to lead a three-year transition to civilian rule.

According to Reuters, since the appointment of Mr Hamdok, his government has come up against resistance as it tries to implement economic reforms.

The prime minister said the attack on his motorcade would not stop the road of transition.

“We paid a hefty price for this revolution for a better tomorrow and for sustainable peace.

Our revolution should always be guarded by its peacefulness,” he tweeted.

The 76-year-old former leader was arrested after the coup and sentenced in December to two years for corruption in a social reform facility - as people over the age of 70 cannot serve jail terms in Sudan.

Last month the government said it would hand him over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to face genocide and war crimes charges.

The commitment came at peace talks between the government and rebel groups from the Darfur region.

Bashir denies the accusations linked to the conflict that broke out in Darfur in 2003 and led to the deaths of 300,000 people.

It is not clear when he would be handed over, but it could upset his supporters, who have been angered at how he and his allies have been treated.

The BBC’s Ferdinand Omondi says the attack on the prime minister is a reminder of the volatile situation that still prevails in Sudan less than a year on from the coup.

There are concerns the transitional period could easily founder on the intransigence of the military or because of the faltering economy.

Egypt records first coronavirus death in Africa

A

German tourist has died from the coronavirus in Egypt, becoming the first fatality of Covid-19 to be recorded in Africa.

The 60-year-old had arrived in Egypt a week ago and complained of a fever.

He was taken to a hospital in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada for treatment where he was diagnosed with coronavirus.

The AFP news agency reports that his breathing was affected by “acute

pneumonia”.

The patient died after refusing to be transferred to an isolation ward.

On Saturday, Egypt’s ministry of health announced that there were 45 new cases of coronavirus involving travellers who were in a cruise ship, bringing the total to 48.

The ship was quarantined and the infected people were moved to an isolation facility in the north of the country.

Here are the latest numbers of confirmed

coronavirus cases in Africa: Egypt - 48 Algeria - 17 Senegal - 4 South Africa - 3 Morocco - 2 Cameroon - 2 Tunisia - 2 Togo - 1 Nigeria - 1

Zimbabwe makes school compulsory G u i n e a p r e s i d e n t until aged 16 appoints first female Z brigadier general imbabwe has amended its laws to make the first 12 years of schooling compulsory.

Children are now required by law to stay in school for an extra five years to 16 years of age.

It is also now an offence to expel children on the grounds of pregnancy or non-payment of fees.

It appears to be a bold attempt to force parents to prioritise education in the wake of an economic crisis.

They now face up two years in jail, or a $260 (£200) fine if they can afford it, if they do not send their children to school.

But some believe that the government is shirking its responsibilities amid broken promises to provide free basic education and a chronic shortage of state schools.

Parents are spending less on education in a struggle to buy food. National research shows drop out in some areas are as high as 20%.

The high drop-out rate has also been blamed on pregnancy, early marriages, the distance from school and a lack of interest.

G

uinean President Alpha Condé has appointed the first ever female brigadier general.

Mahawa Sylla was promoted on 8 March which was the International Women’s Day. During the announcement, President Condé promised to promote women’s empowerment saying, “women come first in Guinea”.

A tweeter congratulated Gen Sylla: Gen Sylla studied at the Command and Staff College in China and obtained

a diploma in 2014, according to Vision Guinee news website.

She was appointed to the position of Deputy Secretary General of the National Defence Council in late 2017.

She also served with the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI).

Guinea’s directorate of information and public relations of the armed forces said Gen Sylla was promoted based on proposals given by the national defence ministry.

PAGE 24

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PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

A SI A

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2020

Coronavirus: Iran reports leap in death toll

I

ran has reported 43 new deaths related to the coronavirus disease in the past 24 hours, as it struggles to combat one of the world’s worst outbreaks.

At least 237 people have died and 7,161 have been infected across the country since mid-February, although the real figures are believed to be far higher.

The authorities have tried to limit the spread of Covid-19 by closing schools and urging people not to travel.

But no hotspots have been put under lockdown, like in China and Italy.

Cases linked to Iran have also been reported by Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

What’s the latest from Iran?

On Monday, health ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpour announced for a second day in a row that more than 40 people with Covid-19 had died.

Tehran province is the worst affected with 1,945 cases of the disease, followed by Qom with 712, Mazandaran with 633, Isfahan with 601, and Gilan with 524.

Mr Jahanpour said the rate of new infections was dropping, but that it was “still too early to judge” when the outbreak would be brought under control.

Almost 2,400 people had so far recovered from the disease, he added.

Meanwhile, local media said the reformist politician Mohammad Reza and the high-ranking Shia Muslim cleric Ayatollah Reza Mohammadi Langeroudi were among the latest fatalities.

In a separate development, 16 Iranians died from methanol poisoning in Khuzestan province after false rumours spread that drinking alcohol would help prevent people getting the Covid-19 virus, the official Irna news agency

Tehran province is the worst affected by the new coronavirus disease

There is widespread fear and concern about the outbreak in Iran reported.

Some people believe the Iranian authorities are understating the

true extent of the outbreak, and members of parliament have publicly challenged their figures.

On Saturday, about 16,000

pe ople su spected of h a v i n g Covid-19 were being treated at hospitals in major cities, according to Mr Jahanpour.

A representative of Health Minister Saeed Namaki was also quoted by local news agencies as saying that “around 200 people have died” from Covid-19 in Gilan alone. But the official later retracted his statement, saying the figure included those who had died from other diseases.

What’s happening elsewhere in the region?

Saudi Arabia announced that anyone failing to declare correct health-related information and travel details as they entered the country would be liable to a fine of up to $133,000 (£102,000).

Officials have said that some of the Saudi citizens with Covid-19 failed to disclose that they had travelled to Iran on their return to the kingdom.

The Saudi authorities have also imposed a temporary lockdown on the predominantly Shia Muslim eastern region of Qatif, where most of the Covid-19 cases have been reported, and suspended flights from nine countries, including Italy, South Korea, the UAE and Egypt.

Egypt reported its first death linked to the disease on Sunday - a 60-year-old German tourist who tested positive after being admitted to a hospital in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada on Friday.

The tourist had previously visited in the southern city of Luxor, where 45 people suspected of having the Covid-19 virus were evacuated from a Nile cruise ship on Saturday and placed in isolation on land.

On Monday, a member of a French tour group, Philippe Gruwe, told AFP news agency that about 80 passengers and crew were being quarantined on board.

The tests were carried out after the World Health Organization informed Egypt that a TaiwaneseAmerican tourist who had been on the ship was infected.

Pixar’s Onward ‘banned by four Middle East countries’ over gay reference

P

ixar’s latest animation Onward has been banned by several Middle Eastern countries because of a reference to lesbian parents, according to reports.

The family film will not be shown in Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Hollywood media have reported.

Police officer Specter, voiced

by Lena Waithe, has been heralded as Disney-Pixar’s first openly gay character.

Her lines include: “It’s not easy being a parent... my girlfriend’s daughter got me pulling my hair out, OK?” Other Middle East countries like Bahrain, Lebanon and Egypt are showing the film.

And according to Deadline,

Russia censored the scene in question by changing the word “girlfriend” to “partner” and avoiding mentioning the gender of Specter, who is a supporting character.

Speaking to Variety, Waithe explained that the line about “my girlfriend” was her idea.

“I said, ‘Can I say the word girlfriend, is that cool?’

“I was just like, ‘It sounds weird.’ I even have a gay voice, I think. I don’t think I sound right saying ‘Husband.’ They were like, ‘Oh yeah, do that.’ They were so cool and chilled. And it ended up being something special.”

Waithe has also starred in Ready Player One and Westworld, and recently wrote

and produced Queen & Slim.

Set in a suburban fantasy world, Onward is about two teenage elf brothers (voiced by Chris Pratt and Tom Holland) who go on an adventure after their mum gives them special gifts from their deceased father, including a letter that can resurrect him for just one day.

violence.

Experts warned the current political rivalry would “gravely affect the government’s position in the upcoming intra-Afghan talks”, which are due to begin on Tuesday.

“Unity is the only way [forward] if they want to win on the negotiating table,” political analyst Atta Noori told AFP news agency.

Explosions were heard during the ceremonies, but there have been no reported injuries.

Mr Ghani, who has been president since 2014, held his

inauguration ceremony at the Presidential Palace in the capital Kabul.

The US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, charge d’affaires of the US embassy to Afghanistan Ross Wilson, Nato commander Gen Scott Miller and ambassadors of European Union, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Germany and Norway were all in attendance.

Mr Abdullah held his ceremony a short distance away at Sapedar Palace, which he used as his office during his tenure as Afghanistan’s

chief executive in the last government. The ceremony went ahead despite his team earlier saying they would be prepared to cancel it, following the intervention of Mr Khalilzad.

Mr Khalilzad is trying to work out a power-sharing arrangement between the two camps, with people on the ground clear-eyed about what two rival administrations would mean for Afghanistan.

“It’s impossible to have two presidents in one country,” one Afghan man told AFP. “Instead

of [both] holding oath-taking ceremonies they should talk to each other to find a solution.”

The political showdown comes days after Mr Abdullah escaped unharmed from an attack claimed

by Islamic State militants, which saw at least 32 people killed.

It was the first major attack in the capital since the US and Taliban signed a deal in late February, which required the Taliban will hold talks with the Afghan government.

Afghanistan: Rival ‘presidents’ hold two inaugurations

T

wo Afghan politicians - who both claim they won the presidential election - have declared themselves president at rival inauguration ceremonies.

The electoral commission says incumbent Ashraf Ghani narrowly won September’s vote, but Abdullah Abdullah alleges the result is fraudulent.

The old rivals both held positions in the previous government.

It comes as Afghanistan prepares to enter peace talks with the Taliban, hoping to end years of

Source: BBC

I

n our series of letters from African journalists, Ismail Einashe takes a trip to Ethiopia to find out about a lost community.

My search for the last Armenians of Ethiopia began in Piassa, the bustling commercial centre of the old part of the capital, Addis Ababa.

On previous visits to the city, I had always been intrigued by the snippets I had heard about the community and its history.

There had long been a connection between Ethiopia and Armenia through the Orthodox Church. But this developed beyond priests, to bring in diplomats and traders.

In the 19th Century, a handful of Armenians played a vital role in the court of Emperor Menelik II. And later, in the early 20th Century, a community settled that went on to have an economic and cultural impact in the country.

There are still church services on special occasions On a sticky afternoon, I stood outside the gates of the exquisite St George Armenian Apostolic Holy Church that was built in the 1930s.

It looked closed but I called out “selam” - “hello” in Amharic.

A confused-looking elderly security guard came out and after I explained that I wanted to look around, he went to fetch Simon, the Armenian-Ethiopian caretaker.

The quiet, dignified man came out and told me that they do not get many visitors.

Haile Selassie’s influence The church is rarely open, as there is no priest these days, and the community, of no more than 100, is mostly elderly.

Inside the church, the altar is ornately decorated and red Persian rugs cover the floor.

This was the heart of the community that began to grow in numbers during the rule of Haile

feature

25

Letter from Africa: Ethiopia’s lost Armenian community

Selassie who, as Ras Tafari, became prince regent of Ethiopia in 1916 and Emperor from 1930 to 1974.

Under his leadership, Ethiopia began to rapidly modernise and Armenian courtiers, businessmen and traders played an important role in this transition.

In 1924, Ras Tafari visited the Armenian monastery in Jerusalem,

where he met a group of 40 children who had been orphaned by the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War One. Moved by their plight, he asked the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem if he could take them to Ethiopia and look after them there.

The 40 orphans, or arba lijoch in Amharic, were all trained in music and went on to form the imperial brass band of Ethiopia.

Ismail Einashe Despite their small numbers the Armenian community had a crucial role in ushering Ethiopia into the

“

modern world” Ismail Einashe Journalist They were led by an Armenian, Kevork Nalbandian, who composed the imperial anthem.

The community reached its zenith in the 1960s when it numbered 1,200.

Despite their small numbers they had a crucial role in ushering Ethiopia into the modern world - from helping to develop the distinctive Ethiopian jazz style to working as tailors, doctors, business people and serving in the imperial

The church is rarely open, as there is no priest these days, and the community, of no more than 100, is mostly elderly.

Inside the church, the altar is ornately decorated and red Persian rugs cover the floor.

This was the heart of the community that began to grow in numbers during the rule of Haile Selassie who, as Ras Tafari, became prince regent of Ethiopia in 1916 and Emperor from 1930 to 1974.

Under his leadership, Ethiopia began to rapidly modernise and Armenian courtiers, businessmen and traders played an important role in this transition.

In 1924, Ras Tafari visited the Armenian monastery in Jerusalem, where he met a group of 40 children who had been orphaned by the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War One. Moved by their plight, he asked the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem if he could take them to Ethiopia and look after them there.

The 40 orphans, or arba lijoch in Amharic, were all trained in music and went on to form the imperial brass band of Ethiopia.

court.

Emperor’s overthrow But as the Armenian community was tied to the imperial history of the country, once the emperor fell the community declined.

Haile Selassie was overthrown in 1974 by the Marxist Derg junta, which went on to seize businesses and property, including that of the Armenians.

Their numbers tumbled as many fled to North America and Europe.

But a few stayed and some married within the local community, creating a unique blend of Armenian and Ethiopian cultures.

They can still be seen in the church for special religious celebrations.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The Armenian social club still serves traditional food But there is also the Armenian social club, which has a restaurant that reminds people of the taste of home.

Simon, the church caretaker, told me that I should go.

Delicious food It was a Tuesday night and, apart from my friend and myself, there was a group of three Armenian-Ethiopian women who were delighted to see strangers in the restaurant.

They admitted that the community was not what it used to be. But the social club remained as a way to keep it alive.

That night, as I tucked into delicious and sumptuous börek and lyulya kebabs, I felt I was tasting the history of the Armenians in Ethiopia.

Source: BBC

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PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

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PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

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This is to inform the general public that the above named initiative has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for addition and removal of trustees of Incorporation under Part C of the Companies and Allied Amtters Act No. 1 of 1990.

THE RETAINED TRUSTEES ARE: 1. PATRICIA J. DANMAIDA 2. FLORENCE TASALLA NYAM 3. ABDULLAHI MUKHTAR MOHAMMED 4. HAJIYA TALATU M. SHEHU 5. COL. SHEHU IBRAHIM (RTD) THE APPOINTED TRUSTEES ARE: 1. ABDULLAHI-BINCHAN RABI KUNDILI 2. BABAJO NAFOSATU NUHU 3. JUMARE AHMED GIDADO THE REMOVED TRUSTEES ARE: 1. AMINA YAKOWA 2.

3. LAWAL IDRIS 4.

Public Notice

CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD FOR LATTERN RAIN SAINTS

The general public is hereby notified that the above named is applied to Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for registration under part C of the Company and Allied Matters Act, Cap 59, 1990.

Trustees 1. ISRAEL IRIASE IMOKHEDEME 2. OMOTOSHO FOLOUNSHO 3. AJANAKU KENHINDE 4. ORIAIFO BLESSING

MUNIRA MOHAMMED MARWA COL. YOHANNA DICKSON

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES REMAIN THE SAME Any objection to this application should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: Secretary

Aims & objective 1. To preached peace the whole world 2. To preach salvation of Christ.

Any objection to the Registrations should be forwarded to the Registrar, Corporate Affairs Commission, plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, PMB 198 Garki Abuja within 28 days from the date of this publication.

Signed: SECRETARY

Public Notice

JERUSALEM LIVE MIRACLE SYNAGOGUE

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVENAMED INCORPORATED TRUSTEE HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF CAMA NO. 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. MEYER UZAN

2. ALON YOHANAN 3. SHAY CHERUTY

4. MENACHEM MENDEL STERNBACH

- CHAIRMAN - SECRETARY -TREASURER - MEMBER

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. To assist Nigerians in prayers and bring God’s promise about Jerusalem closer.

2. To provide Spiritual and Educational support to the Jewish Community in Nigeria.

3. To embark on charity work for humanity in general.

3. To promote general welfare of members of the Organisation.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMTA, ABUJA, WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: Solicitor.

SHOTOLA

ishola

IDRIS

I FORMERLY known as Friday Temitope Blessing now wish to be known and addressed as Shotola Temitope Blessing. All former documents remain valid. Authorities concerned and the general public should please take note.

I FORMERLY known as ABDULWAHEED NIKE OGUNTOLU now wish to be known and addressed as ISHOLA NIKE SAUDAT.. All former documents remain valid.

Authorities concerned and the general public should please take note.

I FORMERLY known as ABDULLAHI IDRIS now wish to be known and addressed as IDRIS, ABDULLAHI..

All former documents remain valid. Authorities concerned and the general public should please take note.

CLASSIFIED LOSS OF DOCUMENT

LOSS OF DOCUMENT

LOSS OF DOCUMENT

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC OF THE LOSS OF ORIGINAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND OFFER LETTER IN RESPECT OF PLOT NO. 2829D WITH OLD FILE NO. MFCT/LA/GO.140, AND NEW FILE NO. GO 10130 MEASURING ABOUT 3000SQM LOCATED AT CADASTRAL ZONE A04 BEARING ALH. H. HASSAN. THE SAID DOCUMENTS GOT MISSING WHILE ON TRANSIT WITHIN ABUJA.

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC OF THE LOSS OF ORIGINAL RIGHT OF OCCUPANCY (R OF O) IN RESPECT OF PLOT NO. 1962 WITH FILE NO AN10139 LOCATED AT CADASTRAL ZONE B07 KATAMPE DISTRICT ABUJA. BELONGING TO CHUKWUEMEKA ROMANUS OKOLI. THE DOCUMENTS GOT MISSING WHILE ON TRANSIT BETWEEN WUSE ZONE 5 AND AGIS GARKI AREA 11, ABUJA.

This is to inform the general public of the loss of C of O in respect of plot No 28A Road ‘D’ KAL/ B7842 bearing Alh Zubairu yusuf issued by Bello Mu’azu having transferred the title after purchase. The C of O belongs to Bilkisu Tanko of No 28A Road ‘D’ u/ Muazu layout.

All efforts to trace the said decument proves abortive.

General public to take note.

ALL EFFORTS MADE TO TRACE THE SAID DOCUMENTS PROVED ABORTIVE IF FOUND KINDLY RETURN TO THE NEAREST POLICE STATION OR AGIS. GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

Public Notice

ARISE AND SHINE CITIZENS OF CHRIST MINISTRY WORLD WIDE

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘C’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 1990, (CAP C20, LFN 2004).

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. AMINU MUHAMMAD ADAM - PRESIDENT 2. BASHIR BURGA - TRUSTEE 3. HABEEB ISAH HABEEB - SECRETARY 4. MUHAMMAD ABUBAKAR LADAN - TRUSTEE THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : 1. PROMOTE SOCIAL WELFARE DEVELOPMENT 2. YOUTH EMPOWERMENT THROUGH SKILL ACQUISITION AND STRENGHTHEN MUTUAL TRUST AND UNDERSTANDING ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : SECRETARY.

ALL EFFORTS MADE TO TRACE THE SAID DOCUMENTS PROVED ABORTIVE IF FOUND KINDLY RETURN TO THE NEAREST POLICE STATION OR AGIS. GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

TOMMY I FORMERLY known as Tommy Friday Sylvanus now wish to be known and addressed as Tommy Sylvanus Friday.. All former documents remain valid. Authorities concerned and the general public should please take note.

MOHAMMED I FORMERLY known as Mohammed abdulkarim now wish to be known and addressed as Mohammed abdulraman.. All former documents remain valid. Authorities concerned and the general public should please take note.

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PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

Sports

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sports@peoplesdailyng.com, SMS- 08142929046

tuesday, MARCH 10, 2020

Chineme Martins death: Minister orders no paramedics, no match rule

Stories by Amaechi Agbo

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he minister of youth and sports development, Sunday dare has directed the League Management Company, LMC, the body responsible for supervision, monitoring and administration of Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL, and the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, to henceforth enforce ‘no paramedics no league match orders’ in the league.

The minister gave the order on Monday in Abuja while speaking with journalists.

The minister’s order came in the wake of the sudden death of Nasarawa United FC defender, Chineme Martins who collapsed and died on Sunday during matchday 23 clash between Nasarawa UUnited and Katsina United in Lafia City Stadium, Lafia, Nasarawa State.

Mr Dare who spoke to journalists at the Conference Room of the ministry of youth and sports development, Abuja, said that the unfortunate death of Chineme Martins was avoidable were the management of the league and club owners proactive in taking actions by ensuring that all necessary medical equipment are provided before the match.

Mr Dare said that the decision to enforce the rule was taken after due consultations and calls made to the LMC,

NFF and other to relevant stakeholders with a view to finding a lasting solution towards avoid such ugly situation in Nigeria’s sports.

The minister added that the measure will commence from March 14, 2020 noting that any match played in the

league without full medical facilities will be declared illegal.

“Henceforth, from March 14th 2020, no league match would take place without paramedics personnel and necessary equipment as provided for in the NFF Club licensing Regulations. This

decision was reached to ensure prompt response in the event of any incident during matches.

“We don’t want any avoidable deaths in our match venues or any other sports for that matter.”

Under the arrangement, all match commissioners, host State FAs are to inspect all medical facilities at match venues, test-run it to confirm that they are working before the commencement of any league game.

Meanwhile, the Minister has offered his condolences to the family of the departed player and his club. He assured that adequate measures would be put in place to forestall future occurrences.

“The death of Nasarawa Utd FC defender Chineme Martins who slumped during NPFL’s Match is sad but regrettably avoidable. While registering my condolences with team/ family, Ministry will immediately work with NPFL to roll out mandatory conditions before any match is played,” the minister said Sunday after the incidence.

Martins before his death, played for FC Abuja, Gabros, then FC Ifeanyi Ubah before he joined Nasarawa United.

Nasarawa United’s 3-0 win over visiting Katsina side was overshadowed

by Martins death as the players, coaches and officials of the club cried profusely after the final whistle

Nasawara Governor promises to improve club’s medical facilities

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he governor of Nasarawa State, Engr. Abdullahi Sule has promised to improve the medical facilities of the state owned club, Nasarawa United FC. The governor made the promise Sunday while watching the matchday 23 encounter between Nasarawa United versus Katsina United in Lafia in which a defender of the home side, Chineme Martins slumped and died due to what many followers described as low medical attention.

Reacting to the sad news, the governor who was accompanied by other state executive council members to watch the match, commiserated with the family of Martins and the team and promised that the government will make effort to improve the medical facilities of the club.

Chineme Martins slumped and died after colliding with Katsina United player. The medical teams of both clubs made frantic efforts to revive him.

An ambulance car stationed at the field made the situation worse after it failed to start and was pushed into the filed.

The Nigeria Police immediately drove their van into the field for immediate response before the Press Crew bus of the governor drove in and rushed the player to Dalhatu- Araf Specialist Hospital in Lafia where he was later pronounced dead “First and foremost, it is terrible that the ambulance is bad but it was not because of the ambulance that we took him late (to the hospital).

“All those vehicles where there much earlier and stayed almost 15 minutes before he was taken. So it was not because the ambulance was not moving that he was taken there a little bit late, he was taken there late because other medical teams on ground were trying to do everything possible to revive him.

“As God is so kind, we have various options. Yes the ambulance was bad, which we are going to look into, but we had various options to covey the gentleman who slumped to the hospital.

“Our hearts are actually with the family. We send our sympathy to the team and the players over what had happened,” the governor said.

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Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Sule speaking to journalist on Sunday

FOSLA FC commiserates with Nasarawa United over Chineme Martins death >>>PG30

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PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

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Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Lighting Ceremony holds without spectators

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reece’s Olympic Committee said spectators would be excluded from both the dress rehearsal at the ancient site on Wednesday and the widely broadcast ceremony on Thursday.

This is the first time since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics that the ceremony will be held without any spectators lounging on the grassy slopes of the ancient stadium in the tiny Peloponesian hamlet. The ceremony — held both for summer and winter Games — usually attracts several thousand spectators, including Greeks and foreign visitors.

“The lighting ceremony of the Olympic flame will be done without the presence of spectators and only 100 invited and accredited guests,” the Greek Olympic Committee said in a statement.

“The dress rehearsal on March 11 will be closed to spectators and media.”

The Olympic torch will be lit in Olympia at a scaled-down ceremony on March 12 before a seven-day relay that culminates with a handover ceremony in Greece on March 19.

The number of people inside the ancient stadium will also be reduced with only a few dozen representatives of the Tokyo Games from a group of about 150 allowed access to the ceremony.

Organizers will also shut the press

centre following the ceremony to avoid the gathering of many people in an indoor area and will stage Wednesday’s dress rehearsal without the presence of media. Tokyo had already stopped 340 children from attending.

Greece on Sunday announced a two-week ban on sporting events with spectators and on school field trips, as its number of coronavirus cases rose by seven to 73. The prefecture of Ilia, of which Olympia is part, is among areas of the country hardest hit by the coronavirus.

The Mayor of Olympia has written to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, proposing the postponement of the ceremony until May. “The danger of staging the torch lighting with only a handful of spectators, limited number of officials and delegations, and under a cloud of fear and concern will damage the greatness and prestige of this event,” Olympia mayor Giorgos Georgiopoulos said in his letter.

“With a sense of responsibility, the municipal authority, all parties of the city council of Ancient Olympia, in order to secure the global radiance of the event asks the IOC which has the exclusive responsibility of organizing it to consider the possibility of moving the torch lighting ceremony to May of this year.”

NBBF promises financial support for ailing Onah Deborah

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he Nigeria Basketball Federation has promised to financially assist the family of budding basketball player, Onah Deborah who is currently battling Tuberculosis of the spine.

Speaking on Saturday when some members of the board paid her a visit at the Primus Hospital in Abuja, NBBF President, Engr Musa Kida said as a responsible federation, it is important that the federation play its role.

“The players are our clients and we will ensure that every Nigerian player whether home or abroad feel our impact. Although, we are not a financially buoyant federation, but we will see what we can do to contribute our quota.”

Represented by its North West Zonal Representative, Suraj Yusuf and Secretary General, Olabisi Omobola Afolabi, the board said it was unfortunate that Deborah was misdiagnosed and administered drugs that were unrelated to her ailment.

Suraj revealed that the federation got wind of her condition on Friday evening and made it a priority to visit

her on Saturday.

According to information gathered, series of tests have been carried out with results expected on Monday or Tuesday after which the financial implication for treatment and rehabilitation will be ascertained.

“We gathered that some Nigerians have contributed toward her treatment which was used to commence treatment. We are so grateful to them. We are still appealing for more so that Deborah can play basketball again.”

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FOSLA FC commiserates with Nasarawa United over Chineme Martins death

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The Tokyo 2020 Olympics torch lighting ceremony in ancient Olympia will be the first in more 35 years to be held without spectators after organizers on Monday introduced tighter measures to protect against the coronavirus.

r

he management of Nationwide League One, NLO side, Fosla Football Club, Abuja has expressed deep sadness over the death of Nasarawa United defender, Chineme Martins who collapsed and died while playing against Katsina United in one of the NPFL matches played on Sunday at Lafia City Stadium, Lafia, Nasarawa State.

Martins Death is a sad one in that the player died while playing football.

As a football club, we commiserate with Chineme Martins family, Nasarawa

United football club, players and management over this incidence.

While we believe that God gives and takes as when it pleases Him, we also hope that the management of the leagues in the country take effective measures to ensure that clubs comply with existing medical standard to avoid future occurrence.

The medical needs of the players, officials and everyone that connects with football should be paramount and effort should not be spared in ensuring full compliance by all clubs in all the league across the country.

24 Nigerians get certification in Netball coaching

Some of the coaches

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ow few than twenty-four Nigerians over the weekend received certification in netball coach from the International Netball Federation, INF Instructor, Mary Waya after a four-day intensive seminar held in Benin, Edo state capital.

The netball seminar which which was organised by Community Sport and Educational Development, CSED Initiative was supported by Edo State Ministry of Education, Sports Commission and Edojobs Agency.

Theoretical and practical aspect of the netball sport were taught and demonstrations carried out at the IDPs Camp Uhogua, Benin.

Six of the new netball coaches Izedomwen Kelvin Osazee, Dr Grace Ataha, Tidah Gabriel Kwedu, Bridget Anum, Okeke Chika Onyebuchi and Edith Anum Oku - received certification in the African Level 1 category.

Other coaches/umpires also got their certificates in the gold, silver and bronze categories. The new coaches were selected from primary and

secondary schools in Edo and Lagos States, as well as Abuja, The federal capital.

Dr Grace Ataha (University of Uyo) is the only university Lecturer that attended the free seminar in which the attendees and demonstration athletes Four of the new coaches were nominated by the Association of Former Female Athletes of Nigeria (AFFAN) and one of the new coaches represented Nigeria School Sports Federation (NSSF).

Some of the coaches who attended the seminar expressed gratitude to INF Instructor, Mary Waya for going beyond the call of duty to ensure that they grasp the fundamentals of netball. They expressed hope that with the knowledge acquired, it would equip them to discover and develop future netball stars for Nigeria. They also commended CSED National Coordinator, Edema Fuludu for the opportunity to attend the seminar and for the hospitality of the Trustees of CSED Initiative, who bankrolled the international seminar.

Lord’s Taverners and Kits for

the World provided kits used for the seminar; while Foundation for a Drug Free World, provided the free four thousand drug education brochures that were distributed to the seminar attendees.

The Management and demonstration athletes of IDPs Camp Uhogua played a major role in the success of the seminar, as their newly built netball court was used for the three day practical aspect of the seminar.

One of the demonstration athletes, Bethel Omigie received a bronze certification for her participation in the training course and for her leadership qualities in leading the core thirty girls at the IDPs Camp, who now play netball on a daily basis.

CSED Founder, Cornelius Ehimiaghe commended the coaches and teachers for their resilience adding that Nigeria will soon reap the benefits of the seminar but lamented that inactivity by the Nigeria Netball Federation, NNF is impacting negatively on the development of netball in the country.

PEOPLES DAILY, tuesday, march 10, 2020

PAGE 31

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SPORTS Women empowerment: A new view latest

U-17 Women’s World Cup Qualifier: Flamingos Return From Guinea

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igeria’s U-17 female national team, the Flamingos Monday returned from Guinea where they defeated their counterpart from the country 6-1 in the first leg second round of the 2020 FIFA U-17 Women Football qualifiers.

The rampant Flamingos earned a big away win at September 28 Stadium and were received on arrival in Lagos by the Nigeria Football Federation 1st Vice President, Seyi Akinwunmi They will host the Guineans on March 14 in Lagos for the return leg in Agege Stadium, Lagos.

USA female rejects federations offer as trial date over equal pay draws

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embers of the U.S. women’s national football team voiced frustration on Sunday in the ongoing back-and-forth with their federation over pay equality, as a May 5 trial date in their well-publicized lawsuit against U.S. Federation inched closer.

At issue was a letter to membership released on Saturday in which U.S. Federation President Carlos Cordeiro said the federation “offered to provide identical compensation to our women’s and men’s players for all matches controlled by U.S. Football.”

“They have repeatedly declined our invitation to meet on the premise that our proposal does not include U.S. Federation agreeing to make up the difference in future prize money awarded by FIFA for the Men’s and Women’s World Cups,” the letter said.

Advert: business: news: lagos:

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his week, precisely on March 8, Nigeria joined rest of the world to mark this year’s international women’s day. This is a date set aside by the United Nations world body to ostensibly focus attention on the role of women in national and I dare add, international development. I say international development because the world is now a global village, we now realise our interconnectedness, that what happens in one country reverberates and influences what happens in some other parts. An example is the Arab spring. It started in one country and then literally engulfed other countries in north Africa; a spontaneous mass protest bringing down governments despite the government’s military might.

Another example is the raging coronavirus, the lesson thereof being that no nation can afford to totally ignore happenings in other lands for none is an island unto itself.

Our world may yet learn a lesson beckoning to it over centuries, namely that only in cooperation rather than unilateralism can a solution be discovered to a universal problem with each bringing its unique perspective/ contribution to the table.

However, the greatest lesson for humanity would come when we can do away with the germ of distrust; when humanity can see everyone as being imbued with same talents and having same origin, the outward differences having come about from our natural habitat – the climate, vegetation, weather, etc., etc….

Let us return to the main topic – women, against the background of celebration of women’s day. A day is aside to reflect on importance of women because they were essentially viewed as being marginalized, discriminated against in many fields. At beginning the goal was for women to be respected as individual entities in their own rights, enjoying same rights as men, that is, to do away with the general notion that women are inferior beings that can be treated like a rag and disposed of into a trash can according to the whims and caprices of the man. Thus, we began to have slogans like ‘women’s rights are human rights’. Women then began to enjoy the right to education, right to vote and be voted for as well as

0806 564 8620 0704 385 9705 0814 292 9046 08074420617

Tuesday Column

By VICTORIA NGOZI IKEANO vikeano@yahoo.co.uk 08033077519 reproductive rights; in brief the right to have a say and to choose. Hitherto, women were to be seen not heard, regarded more or less as inanimate objects without a mind of their own or feeling and which can be treated disdainfully like a long of wood, pushed and shoved hither and thither.

Although not all countries in the world enjoy these rights in toto as there are some that still discriminate against women and implement some harmful traditional practices against them as in parts of Africa. Nevertheless, these are gradually decreasing and there is much awareness now about the need to empower women. The women advocacy movement has moved from the era of feminism, women’s rights to the new era of gender equality and sexism. Now the talk and advocacy is on gender equality, to have equal number of men and women in positions of authority and decision-making. It started with adoption of the Beijin conference affirmative action wherein countries were urged to ensure that 35 percent of members in spheres of authority, etc., are women the ultimate aim being to have some 50 per cent of women in all spheres of decision-making in the shortest possible time. Some 25 years after declaration of the affirmative action, this is yet to be achieved in many, many countries in

“

the world, although relatively more women are entering into public life.

While I agree that the role of women in national development, indeed development of the world itself cannot be overemphasized, I disagree with the notion of gender equality in the true sense of the word. Women can influence the world wherever they are, they do not have to be president, speaker or hold other positions of authority in public life to be able to do this. All they need is true knowledge of their sacred duty in creation and to be able to fulfil this task no matter where fate places them. A woman’s working which is quiet in nature transcends boundaries, space and time. Women are often referred to and indeed regarded as the weaker sex.

This is wrong, for between men and women there is no ‘weaker’ or ‘stronger’ sex as such. The difference between both sexes is in their activities/working as ordained by Nature. While the woman engages in fine, negative kinds of activities, the man’s is positive, coarse kinds. And their physical make-up corresponds to their type of activities – men with their more or less muscular build and women with a supple physique, etc.

In addition, woman has implanted in her something which the man lacks, let us call it a thread of substantiality

While I agree that the role of women in national development, indeed development of the world itself cannot be overemphasized, I disagree with the notion of gender equality in the true sense of the word.

which makes her better able to receive impressions from Above, the source of all knowledge and power that we make use of here on earth in diverse ways. Thus, it can be said that a woman is nearer God and Nature. Indeed, that one and only Power that streams down from the throne of the Almighty God into the universe, first strikes the woman who is then expected to pass it on to the man for his activities. Besides, in the gradations of Creation from higher (lighter) realms down to this gross (coarse) material earth, the woman has to be the first in each realm to make way for the others to follow or enter.

Notwithstanding the seemingly are passive nature of a woman’s activities or calling, it is far reaching and is in fact the leading one.

Technicians recognize that the negative (female) is the leading one in making electrical connection, etc.

Overall women are inherently gifted to lead, but their leading is not one to be thrown about in a loud obstructive manner; rather it manifests in silent, quiet working. They can be likened to the power behind the throne here on earth (men being the ones on the throne.)

And they can lead all those on the throne that is, those men in authority, in decision making positions who are their husbands, uncles, nephews, cousins, fathers to govern/ lead aright if they themselves stand aright as genuine women that truly fulfill their God-given tasks. Women need not be in positions of authority to contribute maximally to the world’s development.

Dan GAYE gaye DAN

Stop beating drums of war, Buhari group tells Obasanjo - News

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