Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Wednesday, August 11, 2021/ Muharram 2, 1443 AH Vol. 37 No. 031 N200

2639 Days after Malam Wada Maida (1950-2020), founding Chairman, Board of the Peoples Media Limited

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peoplesdailyng

. . . putting the people first

The nation awaits rescue of the remaining abducted Chibok schoolgirls

Dangote still richest African in new report

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…As fortune increases by $3bn

Secondus survives as PDP fixes convention for Oct He must resign, protesters insist

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Party says NWC members can re-contest

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14 teenagers, 31 others who quit ISWAP-Boko-Haram, and surrendered to troops at Konduga. They claimed they were forcefully conscripted in joining the terror group. Source: PR Nigeria

NARD strike: Reps ask FG to grant waiver to hire stand-in doctors

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Why we Civil registration centers Cholera redeployed senior undergoing digitization claims 4 in staff -NNPC - NPC boss Gombe pAGE 19

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COVID-19: Lagos sees upsurge in infections as NCDC records 442 cases pAGE 18

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PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

News CONTENTS News

2-10, 14

Editorial

11

Op.Ed

12-13

Politics 15-17 Health Business

18 19-20

Feature

21

World News

22

Africa News

23

World News

24

Failure to develop solid mineral sector cause of insecurity- Masari

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overnor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State has attributed the persistent spate of insecurity bedeviling most parts of the country to the failure to fully exploit the solid mineral resources with which the nation is abundantly blessed.

The Governor stated this when he paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Architect Olamilekan Adegbite in Abuja, yesterday.

A statement yesterday by Abdu Labaran, Director General on Media, said Governor Masari also asserted that the agitations for resource control and restructuring would be out of fashion when the nation’s other resources, such as solid minerals, are

fully exploited and harnessed.

Governor Masari said that many youth have found a calling in criminality because of the failure to develop other sectors of the economy to keep them fully engaged in viable undertakings.

According to the Katsina State Governor, every state in the nation was sufficiently endowed with one mineral resource or the other, which if fully utilised, there would be sufficient engagement for the youth to render criminal activities unnecessary.

Similarly, he expressed the belief that “agitation for resource development and restructuring will all away go away with the development of the various mineral resources each

state is endowed with”.

While soliciting for the cooperation of the Mines and Steel Development Ministry in assisting Katsina to harness its huge deposit of various solid minerals, the governor told the minister that his administration had provided all the necessary ground to make Katsina an investor friendly state.

In his response, the minister, Architect Olamilekan, reminded state governments that mineral resources, wherever they may be found in the country were vested on the Federal Government to exploit on behalf of the Nigerian people, adding that it is wrong of any state to claim ownership of mineral resources found within its

territorial jurisdiction .

He also cautioned state governments against enacting legislation vis-a-vis the mining of mineral resources, in addition to the ones enacted by the Federal Government, saying that there must be unified legislation across board from the federal government down to the local government.

Architect Olamilekan also charged state Governors to provide the enabling environment fir investors to find the ease and confidence to do business in their state, even as he implored investors to always carry the host community along in whatever business they conduct.

COAS launches welfare flight for troops Page 7 Environment 25 Feature

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Sports 30-31 Back Page

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Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State, 2nd right, Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Architect Olamilekan Adegbite, 2nd left, Senator Bello Mandiya, left and Alhaji AbbdulLahi Imam Commissioner of Mineral and Resources Development, when the Governor paid a courtesy call on the minister in Abuja, yesterday,

Gov Yahaya tasks Gombe intending pilgrims to imbibe spirit of prayer From David Hassan, Gombe

G

ombe State Governor, Muhammadu Yahaya has called on intending pilgrims to kingdom of Jordan to imbibe the spirit of prayer while in the Holy land.

Governor Yahaya who was represented by the deputy governor Dr. Manassah Daniel Jatau said their visit to the Holy land is to seek the face of God through prayer for COVID-19 pandemic that affected the economy of nation.

He said the challenges confronting people in the country is COVID-19 which virtually destroyed nation’s economy.

According to him, it is only prayer that can deliver people from numerous challenges affected them.

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PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

News

FG spends N8m in daily feeding of pupils in Enugu State

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he Federal Government, on Tuesday, said it spends about N7,998,270 in daily feeding of a total of 114,261 pupils in public primary schools within Enugu State.

Hajiya Sadiya Farouq, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, said this during an ongoing Monitoring and Enumeration of Beneficiaries of the National Home-grown School Feeding Programme at Igbariam Primary School 1, Achara Layout, Enugu.

Farouq, represented by Ms Adanne Wadibia-Anyanwu, Team Lead, Enugu State Monitoring and Enumeration of the programme, said that the government had engaged 1,532 cooks who supply the daily meals to the pupils in the state.

She noted that the programme has greatly impacted pupils in classes between primary 1 and primary 3 in 799 public schools within the 17 council areas of the state.

“We are here to get more details on the ongoing programme. We are doing enumeration and biometric data capturing of the pupils enrolled under the programme, getting feedbacks from cooks and head-teachers within the programme.

“We want to keep an up-to-date record of the programme and make it more responsive as well as meet the beneficiaries to get real-time feedback from them as well.

“The current enumeration and bio-data capturing is a building block towards the expansion of the programme to include more pupils and schools in the state.

“President Muhammadu Buhari had earlier announced his laudable intention of an additional 5 million pupils to be enrolled in the programme nationwide.

“The ministry also wants to know how the programme is being managed on daily basis, the resources available and if there are shortfalls before the expansion would be done in order to tighten loose ends,” she said.

The minister said that the programme, which started on Feb. 8, 2017, in the state, had pushed up enrollment figures in public schools and increased the daily attendance to school.

“The programme has helped in the concentration of the pupils during classes since some of them do not feed or are underfed at home before coming to school each day,’’ she said.

Farouq said that currently, the programme is having 9,196,823 pupils nationwide, with a total of 107,000 cooks supplying the food, which is indigenous and home-made for the pupils nationwide.

“The programme has a lot of multiplier effects. It has assisted farmers to expand food production and employ more hands in the farms as well as the cooks also employing more hands to assist them,’’ she noted.

Speaking, the Headmistress of the primary school, Mrs Salome Obi, said that the pupils were ‘very happy’ to be part of the programme, adding that apart from increasing enrollment, “it has helped in pupils’ retention ability”.

“After eating the meals each day, you see the pupils enlivened and eager to continue with their learning rather than feeling dull or hungry,’’ Obi said.

(NAN)

Ag News Editor, Tobias Lengnan Dapam

NARD strike: Reps ask FG to grant waiver to hire stand-in doctors

By Christiana Ekpa

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s part of the demands by the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors(NARD) the House of Representatives on Tuesday asked the Federal Government to grant waver for the immediate engagement of locum doctors to avoid further casualties.

The Chairman House Committee on Health Services, Hon. Yusuf Sununu, disclosed this at the Committee hearing with members of NARD, the Minister of Health and other government officials in Abuja.

The Chairman disclosed that, the casualisation of doctors was unacceptable, adding that it had been agreed that the issue would be resolved and payment of arrears would soon commenced According to him, we must see government establishment as ours,

so that it will not affect our service delivery to the citizenry.

Mr Emmanuel Meribole, the Perm Sec. Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), said that there was need to follow due process in any recruitment exercise.

He said that the waver to employ must passed through the Ministry of Health, adding that for a waver to be granted there must be a document to back it.

According to him, the process of employment is very clear, we must get a waver from the Head of Service of the Federation and we must ensure that it meet with the requisite need.

He added that such waver must be in line with the principle of federal character, stressing that “it does not take more than four weeks to get a waver for recruitment from our own office.”

Sen Olorunnibe Mamora, the

Minister of State for Health, noted that NARD should understand that the Federal Government was making sacrifice to ensure the impasse was brought to an end.

“Just an hour ago, I lost a friend to COVID-19, so the pandemic is real, just to alert those who think it is not real.

According to him, the ministry was aware that there were some outstanding arrears to be paid to NARD and the government would not hesitate to pay it.

Mr Ben Akabueze, Director General, Budget Office, said that at no time did the office criminalise locum, adding that what the office criminalise was the abuse of staff where six lawyers were engaged as locum staff.

He said,” there is none that has not received approval to recruit in the last one year, so if people are on locum, we need to situate that.”

He said that the Budget Office

would not process approval for locum, adding that there was no reason a doctor should stay at locum for two years.

Dr Jaff Momoh, the Chief Medical Director, National Hospital Abuja, said it usually took a minimum of six months for appropriate authority to respond to when application was made for recruitments.

He stated that when it comes to emergency recruitment of medical doctors, the country was in deep trouble.

According to him, in the last COVID-19 pandemic, four out of nine consultants left for Arab country. We advertise their positions but we could not get, we had to bring retired hands.

Prof Ahmed Ahidjo, CMD, University Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, proposed emergency staff replacement policy and health work force requirement as the solution to the incessant strike.

Some pupils of Commnity Primary School, Tombia, dance and jubilate as a new block of five classrooms and two offices constructed by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs in their school, were inaugurated by the Minister, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa on Tuesday (10/8/21).

Pollution: ERA/FoEN fear for 31m impacted Nigerians in Ogoniland

By Osaigbovo Iguobaro

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he Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth (ERA/FoEN) said the outcome of the remediation programme for Ogoni cleanup will determine the survival of 31 million people who depend on the natural habitat for survival in Niger Delta region.

The recommendations was contained in ERA/FoEN comprehensive report titled, “No clean up, no justice: a decade of failure, endorsed by Dr. Uyi Ojo, Executive Director of the Organization.

The group claimed in the report that Prof.

Shekwolo, being a senior member of Shell, should have no place in the HYPREP which is undertaking the cleanup of Ogoniland pollution earlier caused by Shell.

According to the organization, the National Assembly should step up its oversight function on the HYPREP project.

It stressed that the implications of Prof.

Shekwolo headship of the project is an indication that Shell is in control of the Ogoni cleanup, adding that the possibilities are there that the cleanup exercise if not checked may end up as

another academic exercise.

“This cleanup, if well managed, could rightly be described as a turning point in the history of the people of Ogoni and the entire Niger Delta region. It could also provide the yardstick to determine whether the over 31 million people who call this region home will live or die.”

The Human rights group also questioned the delay over “the release of at least US$200 million yearly for initial five years period which should have amounted to US$1 billion by 2021”, and queried if the money been fully paid and wondered what the funds used for.

NWC members not barred from contesting at Oct national convention, says PDP

By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja

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embers of the current National Working Committee, NWC, of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, are nor barred from exercising their rights, under the constitution of the party, to contest in the forthcoming

National Convention of the party, the National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan has said Ologbondiyan said this in a statement yesterday, shortly after the stakeholders fixed the party’s National convention for October this year The explanation, according to

the PDP’s national spokesperson, has become imperative given misrepresentations of the outcome of the intervention by elders and leaders of the party on the challenges that faced the PDP recently.

According to the statement by Ologbondiyan, “Sequel to barrage of enquiries from members of the

public regarding the status of current members of the National Working Committee (NWC), the NWC wishes to clarify that no decision was taken to bar any member of the NWC from exercising his or her rights under the constitution of the PDP to contest in the forthcoming National Convention of the party.

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

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News

Cholera claims 4 lives in Gombe LGA -Commissioner N

NPMCN produces over 6000 medical Consultant -Official

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

From David Hassan, Gombe

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o fewer than 4 lives were said to have been lost as a result of cholera in Gombe Local Government Area.

The commissioner of health Dr. Habu Dahiru stated this on Tuesday in Gombe while briefing Journalists.

He said the cholera outbreak in the area

that claimed the lives of 4 people also affected 6 wards in the hospital.

Dr Dahiru said 77 cases were recorded as Gastroenteritis which 48 out of the number was confirmed to be cholera that killed 4 people.

According to him, cholera is characterized by severe diarrhea and vomiting and can be rapidly fatal if prompt action are not taking.

ational Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria( NPMCN) has produced over 6000 medical consultants specialist who are serving in many key hospitals, Universities, Colleges of Medicine and research institutes in Nigeria and abroad.

The president of the College, Prof. Musa M. Borodo disclosed this during the opening ceremony of the 15th Annual Scientific Conference

and All Fellows’ Congress( ASCAF) of the college in Kaduna yesterday According to him, the College has also saved Nigeria Billions of Dollars that would have been spent in the training of personnel abroad He explained that the college established in 1979 (Cap.N59 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004) has continued to fulfill its mandate in postgraduate training activities of resident doctors despite the constraint imposed by the existing national pandemic protocol.

PDP crisis: Protesters call for Secondus’ removal By Folorunso Abuja

Alagbede,

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or the second time within 48 hours, protesters on Tuesday stormed the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), demanding the resignation of the National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus for alleged anti-party activities.

It will be recalled that on Monday, some protesting youths stormed the party headquarters, Wadata Plaza, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja, asking Secondus to resign.

The protesters, consisting of men and women of Arewa PDP Support Group were seen holding banners and placards with inscriptions like: “red card Secondus”, “Secondus should resign”, “ Secondus must go now” while chanting “Secondus Must Go”.

While speaking to journalists, the National Coordinator of the group, Hon Yahaya Salisu explained that they were demanding the National Chairman’s removal over his inability to manage the party well.

Reading a letter addressed to the Chairman, PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) dated 10th August 2021, signed by the National Coordinator and National Secretary, Hon Desmond Minakaro, the leader stated that “ the National Leadership of Arewa PDP Support Group met with its 19 Northern States Coordinators in Kaduna on 5th August 2023 and deliberated extensively on the state of affairs of our party, PDP. He explained that “after hours of deliberations and overall assessment of the crisis rocking the party and a possible way forward, we arrived at the following decisions”.

Continuing, the letter reads “ that, our beloved PDP is currently bleeding and that is unacceptable to us. It must not be allowed to continue bleeding.

“That with the information available from both factions within the NWC and the recent resignation of about seven National Officers of the party, it is obvious that someone is trading with the integrity and soul of our party.

From left: Head of Programme, Nigerian Emergency Support Programme, Duke Benjamin; Minister of Environment, Mohammad Mahmood-Abubakar; and representative of the Head of European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Godfrey OsawuyiOgbemudia, during a workshop on the Draft National Policy on Waste Battery Management in Nigeria, in Abuja on Tuesday (10/8/21).

Disability: FG restates commitment to care for, support women, girls

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he Federal Government has restated its commitment to care for and support women and girls living with disabilities across the country.

Alhaji Bashir Alkali, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, stated this at a oneday meeting on the development of strategies for care and support for women and children with disabilities in Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja.

Alkali was represented by Alhaji Ali Grema, the Director of Humanitarian Affairs in the Ministry.

Alkali said there were still significant gaps in operationalising the mainstreaming of gender and disabilities at field levels.

He said the specific needs and capacities of women and girls with disabilities were often under presented.

According to him, they are often excluded in decision-making processes as well as in coordination activities.

“Women and girls with

disabilities have attitudinal barriers from community members, their families and service providers alike, as well as environmental and communication barriers.

“These barriers have not only reduced their voices and participation in programme planning, but also their access to essential services, including sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence.

“No single actor or stakeholder, working alone, can implement the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Prohibition Act of 2018 effectively.

“Thus, the Minister, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq last year inaugurated the Coalition of NGOs for the care and support of women and girls with disabilities in order to promote and advance their rights and we are 100 per cent committed to that,” Alkali said.

Also, Mrs Nkechi Onwukwe, the Director of Special Needs in the ministry, said the meeting was aimed at evolving strategies on holistic care and support for women and children with disabilities.

Onwukwe said it was in line

with Social Developmemt Goals numbers 1, 3 and 5, adding that the ministry would continue with its concerted efforts towards addressing issues that relate with persons with disabilities in Nigeria in general.

In his remarks, Executive Secretary of the Commission for Persons Living with Disabilities, Mr James Lalu, said issues of women with disabilities were of priority attention to the commission.

He said he was aware that the minister was doing a lot to ensure that the commission had a huge budget next year to help take care of a lot of programmes for all persons living with disabilities in the country.

Lalu encouraged all persons living with disabilities to always report issues of harassement, discrimination and stigmatisation against them to the commission.

“We have about five lawyers who are always ready to take up any legal issue concerning persons with disabilities in the country.

“Also, our engineers have done assessment work in Uthman Dan Fodio University of

Sokoto, ABU Zaria and others on disability friendly structures in the institutions. A lot of good things is coming to us soon,” he said.

Mr Jack Epelle, the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Albino Foundation, said “Churches and Mosques in the country are not disability friendly.

“It is good to have structures that are friendly to all spheres of the society. This will enhance inclusion that would enhance the lives of persons living with disability”.

Similarly, Mrs Mariam Abbas, Gender and Social Inclusion Specialist (ESPID) of Save the Children, said the NGO had programmes to strengthen protection for children and women.

“Inclusion would enhance active participation of persons with disabilities. However, we need a legislation to support that,” she said.

Mrs Patience Dickson of Advocacy for Women with Disabilities, said she would want people to see and address them as Nigerians and not persons living with disabilities. (NAN) (www. nannews.ng)

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PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja

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fforts by the various leaders and chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to proffer solution to the crisis that has been rocking the party recorded a huge success as it (the party) has decided to fix its National Convention for October as against December this year.

With yesterday’s decision, the national chairman of the main opposition party in the country, Prince Uche Secondus has survived being sacked, while the National Working Committee, NWC, which he chairs, remains till the next convention.

The various leaders of the party have also empowered its National Executive Committee (NEC) to constitute the National Convention Planning Committee and the Zoning Committee without delay.

Rising from an expanded meeting of the party yesterday in Abuja, all the PDP governors, Board of Trustees (BoT), and the National Assembly Caucus members, former governors, ministers and others stakeholders, all resolved that there was the need to give peace a chance in the party.

The meeting was held to resolve the lingering crisis rocking the party, sequels to calls by some members of the party National Working Committee (NWC), some groups from the party and others calling for the sack of Secondus.

While addressing journalists at the end of the stakeholders meeting that lasted for two and half hours, the Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum and Sokoto state governor, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, disclosed that they have decided to fix the party National Convention for October as against December.

The stakeholders have also empowered the National Executive Committee (NEC) to constitute the National Convention Planning Committee and the Zoning Committee for Disclosing the resolution of the stakeholders’ meeting, Tambuwal said, “there were extensive consultations with all major stakeholders in the Party including the Governors, members of the Board of Trustees, former Presiding Officers and current Principal officers and Leaders from the National Assembly, former Governors, former Ministers, and indeed other leaders of the Party with a view to bringing all tendencies within the Party together in view of the urgent task facing the Party as the only viable vehicle to checkmate the abysmally poor governance of the APC led Federal Government.

“The meeting deliberated extensively on the issues thrown up and resolved as follows: *That the Constitution, traditions and practices of the Party should be strictly adhered to in finding solutions to any problems. *That all parties should sheath their sword in the greater interest of the PDP and the need to RESCUE Nigeria from the avoidable National malaise and drift occasioned by the APC administration. *That all processes leading to an early National Convention in October be immediately activated by relevant Party organs, especially National Executive Committee (NEC). *That the Party should redouble efforts to provide a credible alternative leadership for Nigeria as

News

Secondus survives as PDP fixes convention for Oct ......Harp on giving peace a chance

it still remains the only hope for the Nigerian people for good governance.

The meeting requested the NEC of the party to “immediately constitute a Zoning Committee for Party Offices and another Committee for National elective Offices” It added, “So, we thank members of the National Working Committee for holding up. We thank them for their prayers and support. We also thank well-meaning Nigerians who have been waiting patiently for the resolution of these issues.

“The NEC of the party shall meet most likely next week and all the

issues will be addressed.

“The NEC will be convened by the Chairman of the party, who is constitutionally endowed to do so.”

It was, however, gathered that even though the National Convention would hold in October, Secondus and his NWC would still be allowed to complete their tenure, which ends in December 9, 2021.

A source however said that Secondus disagreed with October date on the ground that it is practically impossible.

The source also added that Secondus explained at the meeting

....PDP targets 40m members via E-registration that the NWC had mapped out plans between now and October to resolve issues in the party, including party congresses across the country.

Notwithstanding the explanations, the party stakeholders went ahead to fix October for National Convention.

Speaking earlier before going into closed door meeting, Tambuwal berated the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), saying non of PDP leaders is defecting to APC. He said: “You can see clearly that 13 over 13 of your governors, your Ambassadors are in this

meeting, fully committed to not only to resolving the issues at hand, but also working assiduously towards delivering good governance in our respective states and moving our party forward.

“Speaking on behalf of my colleagues, we have resolved, we are committed to remaining in PDP. Disregard any rumour, every rumour that any of these distinguished leaders are going anywhere. We are in PDP, we are going to remain in PDP and by the grace of God who shall be working together to salvage Nigeria.

Minister of Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Adamu (middle) flanked by the the Executive Director and Chief Executive, Nigeria Integrated Water Resources Management Commission (NIWRMC), Engr. Magashi Umar Bashir (right) and the Director of Press, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Mrs KeneChukwu Offie (left) during the opening of a two days conference on the Finalization of the National Water Source Protection Policy Document, held yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-owo

Dangote still richest African in new report

By Stanley Onyekwere

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frica’s richest man, Aliko Dangote has significantly moved up in the World billionaires’ list as his fortune increased to $17.8 billion as against last year’s $14.8 billion to emerge as the only Nigerian in the Bloomberg’s yearly top billionaire lists.

Other Africans on the lists are three South Africans. They are Johann Rupert and family, worth $10.1 billion; Nicky Oppenheimer with a worth of $7.80 billion and Natie Kirsh who is reputed to worth $7.15 billion. Nassef Sawiris from Egypt is also among African billionaires with a worth of $6.93 billion, a statement from Dangote’s office in Lagos said yesterday.

The Bloomberg Billionaires Index is a daily ranking of the world’s richest people. In calculating net worth, Bloomberg News strives to provide the most transparent calculations available, and each individual billionaire profile

…As fortune increases by $3bn

contains a detailed analysis of how that person’s fortune is tallied.

The index is a dynamic measure of personal wealth based on changes in markets, the economy and Bloomberg reporting. Each net worth figure is updated every business day after the close of trading in New York. Stakes in publicly traded companies are valued using the share’s most recent closing price.

Valuations are converted to U.S. dollars at current exchange rates.

Dangote, who remains the richest man in Africa for the 8th year running, was the only Nigerian on the list of the top 120 billionaires, as released on Monday by Bloomberg in its yearly billionaires list.

Ellon Musk and jeff Bezos are the richest in the world with $194 billion in their respective kitty while Bernard Arnault and Bill Gates followed respectively with $174 billion and $148 billion. Mark Zuckerberg was the fifth richest with $135 billion on the world’s

billionaires chart.

Bloomberg is a global information and technology company, that connect decision makers to a dynamic network of data, people and ideas – “accurately delivering business and financial information, news and insights to customers around the world” Bloomberg L.P. provides financial software tools such as an analytics and equity trading platform, data services, and news to financial companies and organisations through the Bloomberg Terminal.’

Africa’s richest man, with his improved worth of $17.8 billion, controls Dangote Industries, a closely-held conglomerate. The Lagos, Nigeria-based company owns sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest cement producer, Dangote Cement. It also has interests in sugar, salt, fertiliser and packaged foods.

It would be recalled that Aliko Dangote, was also recently named as the sixth most charitable man in the World

by Richtopia, a digital periodical that covers business, economics, and financial news, based in the United Kingdom. This recognition came after he endowed his foundation, the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) to the tune of $1.25 billion.

Aliko Dangote started his Foundation in 1981, with a mission to enhance opportunities for social change through strategic investments that improve health and wellbeing, promote quality education, and broaden economic empowerment opportunities.

Aliko Dangote Foundation was however incorporated in 1994 as a charity in Lagos, Nigeria. 20 years later, the Foundation has become the largest private Foundation in sub–Saharan Africa, with the largest endowment by a single African donor. The primary focus of Aliko Dangote Foundation is health and nutrition, supported by wraparound interventions in education, empowerment, and humanitarian relief.

Buhari wishes Nigerians happy New Year

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resident Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday congratulated Nigerians, as well as the Muslim world, on the New Year 1443 and the commemoration of the migration (Hijra) of Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wassalam) from Makkah to Madinah.

A statement by the Senior Spacial Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, quoted President Buhari to have said.

“On the occasion of the Islamic New Year, and the commemoration of the Hijrah, I urge Muslims and other citizens to imbibe the lessons

of compassion, peace, and support for one another. I wish all Muslims a blessed year.”

President Buhari, the statement said, urged Muslims to reflect on the importance and historic significance of the Hijrah and the overall teachings of the Holy Prophet and follow his

examples.

As directed by the Presidency of Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs, Tuesday which is the first day of the Islamic month of Muharram, marks Prophet Muhammad’s journey from Makkah to Medina in 622 AD, the statement noted.

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

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News

Coalition demands NASS motion on labeling sugar drinks be implemented

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he Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya, has inaugurated welfare flight for troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) who are proceeding on pass to and fro the theatre of operations.

The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement on Tuesday, said the inaugural flight was part of COAS’ efforts to cater for the welfare of troops and boost their morale.

While performing the symbolic ceremony at the Nigerian Air Force Base Maiduguri, on Monday, Yahaya said that troops’ welfare was one of his cardinal focus for the Nigerian Army He said it was in that regard that the initiative was birthed in order to ease the movement of personnel of OPHK.

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

A

Coalition of nong o v e r n m e n t a l organisations, The National Action on Sugar Reduction (NASR), has demanded the National Assembly to implement the motion on labeling of sugary drinks and proposes health tax to fund diabetes treatment.

This was contained in a statement jointly signed and issued in Abuja by the Coalition Representative, Omei BongosIkwue.

The Coalition specifically called on the Minister of Finance to introduce an excise duty of 20% on sugar-sweetened beverages such as carbonated sugary drinks and energy drinks.

The statement explained the need to crest a fund for the prevention and control of NCDs associated with the excessive consumption of sugar-linked diseases such as type II diabetes.

“Financing for this fund will come from the revenue obtained from the taxation of sugarsweetened beverages.

“There is a need to ensure that sugar-sweetened beverages carry front-of-packaging labels with nutritional information warning consumers of the sugar content and the health risks of excessively consuming these drinks.”

The statement noted that with its recent milestones and upcoming plans, Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart disease are on the rise in Nigeria.

Nigerians urged to embrace agriculture

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

A

People’s Redemption Party (PRP) Gubernatorial candidate in the 2019 election in Kaduna state, Alhaji Ahmed Tijjani Umar has called on Nigerians especially those in the north to be actively involved in agricultural aactivities to ensure food security and wealth creation.

He made the assertion during the launching of the maiden edition of Demak Agribusiness Magazine in Kaduna yesterday.

According to him, active engagement in agricultural activities will help to cushion the effect of food insufficiency.

He noted that the whole essence of life revolved around food and shelter.

Alhaji Tijjani added that the production of the Agribusiness Magazine anchored around President Muhammadu Buhari’s promise to Nigerians about selfsufficiency in food production.

From right: Representative of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr Sabo Adamu; The Headmistress, Community Primary School, Tombia, Mrs Abigha Undutimi; Representative of Bayelsa Ciommissioer for Education, Mr Smon-Peter Okene; Member of Tombia Community Development Committee, Mr Woyengikro Igbori; and Acting Chief of Tombia, Chief Martison Akanga, during the inauguration of a new block of five classrooms and two offices constructed by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa on Tuesday (10/8/21).

Civil registration centers across Nigeria undergoing digitization -NPC boss

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

T

he Chairman of the National Populations Commission (NPC), Nasir Kwarra has said that all the civil registration centers in the 774 LGA headquarters in the country are undergoing the digitization and automation process in line with the vision of African Union leaders.

Speaking yesterday in Abuja, during a press conference to celebrate 2021 CR&VS themed:” Leadership for an essential services: Building resilient Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System in Africa that provides innovative, integrated and decentralized services for the post covid -19 period”, Kwarra said recently, the Commission, in collaboration with critical stakeholders held an important meeting in Abuja to design a Roadmap for full automation of the vital registration system in

Nigeria by the year 2025.

“To this end, the Commission wishes to call on all our development partners, particularly UNICEF and the World Bank, not to relent in their collaborative effort with the Commission in the provision of technical and material support towards achieving the desired goal in civil registration and vital statistics system in Nigeria. We thank the health and education sectors in the country whose personnel and facilities have been placed at our disposal in this national task to ensure that every child born in the country is registered and given a legal identity.”

He said the theme speaks to the imperative of a strong institutional and effective leadership and strategies to strengthen and transform the civil registration and vital statistics

systems in the continent. “This year’s celebration is aimed at demonstrating the essential role civil registration and vital statistics system plays in facilitating the recognition of the legal identity for all person as well as providing key data for planning, policy formulation, decision making and good governance.

“In doing so, conscious effort should be made to ensure that the Civil Registration and Vital Registration System enjoys a broad-based support that leverages the development in information technology, interoperable and easily accessible to the generality of the people.”

Speaking earlier, Ibrahim Sesay Chief, Child Protection, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Abuja, said Civil Registration and Vital Statistics are multisectoral and multidisciplinary in nature and can be strengthened only through

a holistic and integrated approach and strong political commitment.

“As a continuous and complete record of births, deaths and the marital status of citizens, Civil Registration and Vital Statistics are essential for modern administrative systems, creating an inclusive society, protecting human rights, ensuring proper delivery of public services and tackling inequalities among other related issues. A reliable and well-functioning civil registration system are instrumental for monitoring the progress of several targets on the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

“Almost all the SDG goals could be calculated using data from a functional civil registration and vital statistics system and the vital statistics gained from a civil registration system can provide up-to-date and accurate population data that is disaggregated by sex, age and geographic location.”

World Humanitarian Day: Foundation donates to women, children in FCT community

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

A

head of the World Humanitarian Day, a foundation, Always Sisters, has called on Nigerians to remember the poor and the needy in the country.

She said the government and some privileged Nigerians should not look the other way while so many Nigerians, especially, women and children are in need.

August 19, every year, has been set aside as World Humanitarian Day.

The Chief Executive Officer of Always Sisters Foundation, Mrs Chika Kate Obiechina, while on a humanitarian visit to Lokotiye, a border community between the Federal Capital Territory and Nasarawa state, advised Nigerians to try and be their brothers’ keeper, no matter how privileged they may be.

She said, ‘’We are all about developing children, young girls and women, most especially, indigent women because we know that in the society, women are the hands that cradle the children. So, we thought

it would be nice to intervene in the lives of these women. ‘’These are some of the things we take for granted because we are a bit privileged. What some of these women need is a little push to aspire to be someone.’’

According to her, this is not the first outreach the foundation, which was registered in 2011 has done. ‘’In 2019, we did something like this in Nyanya. Last year, we couldn’t do anything because of COVID 19. We just want to do something a little to make these women’s lives better’’, she also said.

She said the organisation has not enjoyed sponsorships from anyone, adding that for three years now, the programme has been funded from personal pockets and donations from friends, families and well wishers. ‘’All these gift items we came here with, were made possible by these women that came with me. One thing with people is that, when they see you are consistent and passionate about what you are doing, they will key in. The bottom line is, we want to help out as much as we can, when we can.

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PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

Gunmen kill 4 in Benue From: Uche Makurdi

News

COAS launches welfare flight for troops He said the initiative was aimed at addressing problems such as distance and other associated challenges, while proceeding on pass to see their families and loved ones.

The COAS said the ongoing joint operations in the theatre had further strengthened the synergy between the services and other security agencies.

This, according to him, informed the decision of Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Amao, to provide the Nigerian Air Force Charlie-130 aircraft to airlift troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN).

He added that personnel

of other security agencies, as well as civilian staff of the AFN would also benefit from the arrangement when on pass from Maiduguri to other parts of the country.

According to him, the flight will be twice a month to meet the two weeks duration of leave passes in the theatre.

He added that personnel leaving on pass would be granted two weeks.

The COAS further directed that all security measures be strictly adhered to, as troops will be thoroughly searched, cleared and documented before boarding the flight.

He urged all troops to

utilise the opportunity to promote synergy amongst all the services and security agencies in the theatre, in order to achieve success in ongoing and future operations.

Yahaya thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for his guidance, directions and the confidence reposed in the AFN. He also plegded his unalloyed loyalty and commitment to defending the constitution of the country.

He also extended his appreciation to the Minister of Defence, retired Maj.-Gen. Bashir Magashi, the Chief

of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, and other service chiefs for their support and collaboration.

Earlier, the Chief of Operations (Army), Maj.Gen. Olufemi Akinjobi, said the welfare flight had been scheduled to cover three main hubs, namely Lagos, Abuja and Maiduguri.

According to Akinjobi, troops from Lagos will be housed and managed at Ikeja Cantonment, while those in Abuja will be at the Nigerian Army Forward Operational Base and those in Maiduguri will be at the Headquarters Theatre Command. (NAN)

Nnorom,

A

t least four (4) persons have been murdered in a settlement called; Okokolo in Apopogolo, Ado Local Government Area of Benue State by suspected militia men from Ngbo Ebonyi State.

Chairman of the local government area James Oche who disclosed this in a telephone chat with our Correspondent yesterday, said a child less than 1 year old, two(2) children of less than five years including their mothers were murdered and their house burnt down by the militia men.

According to him, the militia carried out the attack in a guerilla fashion, maintaining that hostility along the border between Ngbo and Akpopogolo has been there over time. “ We have always experienced this guerilla attack. You know the history of crisis between Ngbo and Ohaukwu and how we have always cried out that there should be a Police presence in the whole of that area.

“Our military (Operation Whirl Stroke) and other security agencies have been overstretched.

The Ebonyi government has established a Police post and we are appealing to Benue State government to do same”, Oche appealed.

Director of Sports Rivers State, Mrs Mildred Hart (R) presenting trophies won by female athletes from Rivers State to the Commissioner for Sports, Rivers State, Mr Boma Iyaya, during the presentation of trophies to the commissioner in Port Harcourt on Tuesday (10/8/21).

With them is the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Sports, Rivers State, Mr Honour Sirwaoo.

Niger new CP resumes office From Yakubu Minna

T

Mustapha,

he mew Niger state Commissioner of Police has resumed office.

This was contained in a press statement issued yesterday in

Minna, by the State Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun.

The new CP succeeded the immediate past Police Commissioner, now AIG Adamu Usman who was recently promoted and redeployed.

Group says children, women more vulnerable during crisis

From: Femi Oyelola Kaduna

A

group under the auspices of Save the Children International (SCI) has lamented that children, girls, and women are more vulnerable at times of attacks and displacement

in the ongoing insecurity menace in the country.

This was contained in a statement by the acting country director of the group, Shannon Ward.

The statement signed by the Director of Advocacy and

Campaign of the group, Amanuel Mamo said the sad incident has resulted in family separation and lack of basic social services.

The statement added that due to the situation, desperate measures were taken by people to survive.

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

PAGE 8

News

PAGE 9

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

UN chief makes case for 476m indigenous people A

lthough some countries have begun to rectify their “heinous legacy” of discrimination against indigenous people, more action is still needed, UN SecretaryGeneral António Guterres said on Monday.

In his message marking the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the UN chief called for ending to the “grievous inequalities” affecting these communities.

“Indigenous peoples around the world continue to face overwhelming marginalisation, discrimination and exclusion.

“Rooted in colonialism and patriarchy, these profound disparities are sustained by a deeply held resistance to recognising and respecting the rights, dignity, and freedoms of indigenous peoples,” he said.

According to him, there are more than 476 million indigenous living in some 90 countries worldwide, representing just

over six per cent of the global population.

They have a special relationship with their lands and reflect a vast diversity of unique cultures, traditions, languages and knowledge systems.

The secretary-general recalled that throughout modern history, indigenous people had been robbed of their lands and territories, and much more.

In some cases, they have been robbed of their own children.

Some have also been stripped of political and economic autonomy, while their cultures and languages have been “denigrated and extinguished”.

Guterres noted that in recent months, the world had again learned about some of the horrors indigenous communities faced at the hands of colonisers.

“Some nations have begun to address this heinous legacy through apologies, truth and reconciliation efforts, and legislative and constitutional

reforms. But much more needs to be done.

“We need a new social contract – one that restores and honours the rights, dignity and freedoms of those who have been deprived of so much for so long. Central to this must be genuine dialogue, interaction and willingness to listen.”

The secretary-general pointed to the 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the outcome document of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples held seven years later, as the “tools” to bring about the new social contract.

“There is no excuse for denying the world’s 476 million indigenous peoples self-determination and meaningful participation in all decision-making “Free, prior and informed consent is central for indigenous peoples to exercise their own vision of development,” he said.

Additionally, even though recognition of the importance

of indigenous knowledge grows, particularly in relation to solving global challenges such as the climate crisis and preventing emergence of contagious diseases, the UN chief stressed that this knowledge must be owned and shared by indigenous communities themselves.

“On this International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, let us show true solidarity by working to end the grievous inequalities of indigenous peoples worldwide, to fully recognize the abuse they have endured, and to celebrate their knowledge and wisdom,” he said.

In a related development, while the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated inequalities affecting people worldwide, a UN independent expert warned that even recovery efforts are having some negative impacts on indigenous communities.

Special Rapporteur José Tzay said economic recovery measures

had prioritised and supported the expansion of business operations at the expense of indigenous peoples, their lands and the environment.

“To avoid making the situation even worse, I urge States to involve representatives, leaders and traditional authorities of indigenous peoples, including those living in urban areas, in the design and implementation of recovery policies,” he said.

Tzay further urged governments to support solutions which put indigenous peoples’ rights to self-determination and land at the core of post-pandemic recovery efforts, in line with 2007 UN Declaration.

Special Rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

They operate in their individual capacity and are neither UN staff, nor do they receive a salary from the Organisation. (NAN)

Destitute wants to contribute in fight against insecurity From Ahmad Mohammed, Bauchi

T

he Northern Nigeria Destitues coalition for peace and Security has offered to help the country in the fght against insecurity.

National Chairman of the Association Comrade Yerima Suleyman Ibrahim stated this at the end of their congress meeting in Bauchi.

He said security of lives and property is a responsibility of all and sudry but destitute suffer neglects from the governments and the society despite that fact that they are the worst affected during insurgency.

Copyright commission returns 75,000 pirated copies of books to author

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

N

igerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has handed over 75,000 copies of seized pirated books titled ‘’Computer Studies Guide for primary Schools” to the author, Mr. Kamal Olayiwole Giwa.

The Commission’s director of Operations, Mr. Obi Ezeilo disclosed this while handing over the seized books in kaduna yesterday.

According to him, the Nigerian Copyright commission is ever determined to fight the battle of piracy to a stand still owing to its activities sabotaging the economy of the nation.

4 Founder, Mercy Angels Foundation, Pastor. Tunde Bolanta (R), inspecting a 5years patient, after surgery, during Free Medical Diagnoses and Treatment in Kaduna on Tuesday (10/8/21).

TETfund charges IAR&T on problem-solving research

By Maryam Abeeb

A

s part of efforts towards making Nigeria a knowledge economy and attaining food sufficiency, the Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Prof. Suleiman Elias Bogoro has called on the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T) of Obafemi Awolowo University in Ibadan, to develop a new focus of conducting “problemsolving and nation-fixing multidisciplinary research that responds to national aspiration

with forex earning potentials”.

Prof. Bogoro made the call while delivering a paper titled Research for Development in Agriculture Sector: The Role of Research Institutes in Innovative Value Chain Transformation at the first annual lecture of IAR&T in Ibadan recently.

He stated that multicommodity value chain agricultural research institutes such as IAR&T have some responsibilities to lead value added, innovative and transformative research in top food and cash crops in collaboration with other relevant

institutes across the country.

According to the Executive Secretary, IAR&T could attain global competitiveness through focus on the institutionalization of R&D in the agricultural sector of the economy, by leading the implementation of the recommendations of global, continental, regional and national development requirements.

“The core mandates of Research and Training of IAR&T should be leveraged to lead Nigeria’s agricultural sector towards becoming the pivotal sector of the new knowledge economy.

“It is worthy of note that the traditional outputs of agricultural activities include food for humans, feed for animals, raw materials for industries, job/income for the citizens and revenue for government. The rejuvenation of these outputs using R&D tools will reposition IAR&T as a national and global reference institute,” he said.

Prof. Bogoro called for a more robust relationship between Obafemi Awolowo University, IAR&T and the Department of Agriculture of the university for greater efficiency.

SIGNED: MANAGEMENT

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

PAGE 10

News

By Ochiaka Ugwu

T

he Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation (OSGoF) has received over 26 different awards in recognition of its performance and contributions to issues of national security and development in the last 2 years of the incumbent leadership.

In a press statement released Tuesday and signed by the OSGoF Head of Press and Public Relations, Mr. Abu I. Michael, it noted the disclosure was made by the Surveyor General of the Federation (SGoF), Surv.

Samuel Adeniran Taiwo during

Death of CJTF member: FCT commander debunks media report

OSGoF bags over 26 awards on national dev’t – Surveyor-General

his decoration for the Fellowship Award of Environmental Management and Disaster Risk Reduction Institute of Nigeria (EMDRRI) in his office recently by officials of the Institute led by Dr. Stephen Oboli.

According to the statement, “Surv. Taiwo said he was humbled by the array of credible organizations that have been monitoring the

salient transformation in the performance of OSGoF since he assumed office as the SGoF in January 2020. According to him, 3 surveyors from OSGoF have also been awarded by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation for their dedication to national development.

“He noted that such recognition of performances and commitment would encourage

productivity in the public sector” it noted.

Earlier, the National President/ CEO of EMDRRI, Dr. Stephen Oboli said the Fellowship Award for the SGoF was in recognition of OSGoF’s contributions to the geospatial space in the country.

He maintained that OSGoF’s commitment to environmental issues and especially the advocacy garnered to endear geospatial

technologies under the leadership of Surv. Taiwo was commendable and exemplary.

Dr. Oboli pointed out that EMDRRI has been monitoring and following the activities of various professional organizations towards boosting commitment to physical and general development of the Nigerian Environment, stressing that the SGoF was found worthy of their prestigious award.

PAGE 11

Letter to the Editor

EDITORIAL

T

L-R: Member House of Representatives Committee on Health Services Hon. Joseph Asuku Moses, Chairman of the Committee Hon. Tanko Sununu, and Clerk of the Committee, Alhaji Atiku Mohammed Kalgo, during a meeting with the National Association of Resident Doctors, at the National Assembly, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

CVR: Delta Govt charges appointees to relocate to constituencies

By Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

D

elta Government on Monday charged all its political appointees to relocate to their constituencies to mobilise and sensitize eligible voters to register in the ongoing voters registration exercise.

The State Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, who briefed newsmen on the position of the government, had earlier met with

the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in his office in Asaba.

Aniagwu said that the action would enable a political millage in the state chapter of the party to entrench electoral integrity and capture eligible voters who had crossed 18 years.

He also said that the stateowned media outfits had been directed to grant free-to-air on the ongoing voters registration.

He said that the state with

a population figure of over five million people had not availed themselves of the opportune speed of the exercise.

“It is our duty as a government to mobilise our people for registration for future elections in the state.

“INEC alone may not have what it takes. We have directed all political aides to return to the local government areas, and our media establishment, including the Directorate of Orientation, to

offer free publicity to INEC for the registration exercise,” he said.

The commissioner, however, berated the Senators and members of the House of Representatives who voted against the controversial electronic transmission of election results.

“INEC is all about Nigeria and not PDP, All Progressive Congress (APC) or any other political party, transmission of election results should be based on integrity of the body polity.”

Groups demands review of Kyari’s suspension T From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

he Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) and other Arewa Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have demand a review of DCP Abba Kyari’s

suspension and immediate transfer of his case to the Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA).

The group in a communique read at the end of the meeting stated that the joint CNG, CSOs, and NGOs meeting was called

out of concern about the deteriorating security situation and other threats to education and personal integrity and liberty of eminent northerners.

Reading the communique signed by leaders of CNG and eight other

organizations, the CNG spokesman, Abdulazeez Sulieman said, the round table deliberated primarily on three key issues that involve Abba Kyari/FBI saga, current security challenges and voter registration apathy.

Appraising FG/ ASUU face-off

A robust response to rascality

T

he Anambra State statement added: “All markets, Government has said it will schools, motor parks, airports, and not pay August salary to any public places in Biafra land should worker who abstains from duty shut down from morning to evening in obedience to the sit-at-home every Monday.”

In Ebonyi, governor David Umahi directive from the proscribed countered the IPO Baid directive by Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). asking residents to “feel free to go Neighbouring Ebonyi has directed about their lawful businesses” on people of the state to ignore the sit- Monday, August 9, 2021, promising at-home order. that his administration was committed The Anambra government, in to developing all sectors of the state a a circular issued by the Head Of and could “not afford to be dragged Service (HOS), Harry Udu, asked backward under any guise.” The public service workers to report governor, in a statement signed by his to their duty posts last Monday, Special Assistant (SA) on Media and “unfailingly or be sanctioned”. The Publicity, Francis Nwaze, emphasized circular directed commissioners and that Monday remained a working day across the state, adding that “markets, permanent secretaries to monitor the banks, schools, etc, will operate situation and report their findings. normally.”

The circular read in part: “The While the governor appealed to the Government of Anambra State has youth to desist from engaging in acts directed that all workers in the state capable of leading to the breakdown (that they) must attend to their duties of law and order, he directed security agencies to “”be on Monday 9th August on the alert and 2021. Failure to do so ensure that all lawwill result in severe abiding citizens go sanctions including about their duties loss of salary for the unmolested.”

Monday sit-at-home month of August.

We commend All Hon. order is sacrosanct.” the positions Commissioners and of Anambra It said the Southeast Permanent Secretaries and Ebonyi are to monitor and governments would be locked report compliance, on the order by down from 6 am to IPOB for people please.”

6.pm every Monday, in the Southeast to stay at home.

IPOB over the beginning August 9, This banned weekend declared a terror group has sit-at-home protest 2021until its leader constituted itself every Monday in the into a parallel Southeast beginning “Nnamdi Kanu who g o v e r n m e n t , August 9 to prevail was abducted in challenging the on the Federal legitimacy and Government to release Kenya and brought authority of democratically its leader, Nnamdi back to Nigeria e l e c t e d Kanu from detention and locked up in governments for treasonable in that of the felony. The group, in DSS dungeon in Nigerian nation. a statement issued by This impunity clear violation of its media and publicity has gone on for Secretary, Emma Powerful, said that the international laws is too long. It must “Monday sit-at-home be stopped now. freed order is sacrosanct.”

What Anambra It said the and Ebonyi have done is a step Southeast would be locked down from in the right direction. We call on 6 am to 6.pm every Monday, beginning August 9, 2021until its leader “Nnamdi the rest of the governments in the Kanu who was abducted in Kenya and geopolitical zone to do the same. brought back to Nigeria and locked They should show that they are up in DSS dungeon in clear violation in charge there, not some rogue of international laws is freed”. The organization.

“

By Usman Shuaib

he Federal Capital Territory (FCT) commander of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), Mr Musa Ahmadu, has debunked the report carried by some media organizations that one of the members of the task forces was napped and killed by kidnappers in Gwagwalada.

Ahmadu who reacted to the report while speaking to Peoples Daily correspondent in Gwagwalada on Sunday, disclosing that one of their members was crushed to death along Abuja- Abaji express road while coming back from duty post in Chukunku around 5am in the morning.

He charged reporters to always cross-check their facts before going to press, saying that the men of the CJTF are ready to combat crimes in the territory.

He therefore, appealed to newsmen to contact the office of CJTF in Gwagwalada whenever they have an information concerning the task force organization.

The FCT CJTF commander said that his office is open twenty-four hours for useful information and suggestions that will better the security situation in the FCT and Nigeria as a whole.

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

OUR MISSION

OUR PEOPLE

“To be the market Chief Operating Officer place of ideas and /Editor, the leading player Hameed M. Bello, PhD in the industry by putting the people first, upholding the Manager, administration Hassan Hammanyaji truth, maintaining the highest professional and ethical standards while HEAD, ADVERT delivering value to patrick UGAMA our stakeholders”

OUR VISION

“To be a reputable, profitable, innovative and technologically reliant media company offering world class services and products”

By Musa Ilallah

B

y way of providing a background one needs to refresh our memory of the FGN/ASUU 2009 agreement entered into between the Nigerian Government and the country’s University Teacher’s union, ASUU. Presently, the Federal Government has 43 Universities; state governments have 48 Universities and Private individual and organisations have 79 Universities.

Among other things, the agreement included details such as the breakdown of lecturers’ salary structure, staff loans, pension, overtime, and moderation of examinations and the funding of Universities where both parties agreed that each Federal University should get at least N1.5 trillion between 2009 and 2011 among others.

Other aspects of the agreement also include setting up a re-negotiation committee to ensure that at least 26 percent of Nigeria’s annual budget was allocated to education and half of that allocation should go to Universities; amendments to the 2004 Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB and the National Universities Commission Acts 2004 and amendment of the Education, National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions..

The agreement was signed by Bolanle Babalakin, the then chairman of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of Federal Universities; Gamaliel Onosode, chairman of the Federal Goverent’s re-negotiation committee; and Ukachukwu Awuzei, then President of ASUU. The agreement demanded a heavy financial commitment from the government and was an adaptation of an earlier agreement reached in 2001.

Though it was unclear how much of the agreement has been implemented by the government. The then Secretary to the government of the Federation, Pius Anyim, after one of the failed negotiations, said that most of the issues contained in the 2009 agreement, had been fully met except for the earned allowances estimated at N92 billion.

Anyim had disclosed that some of the issues which border on amendment of pensionable retirement age of academics in the professorial cadre; consolidated peculiar allowances (CONPUAA)exclusively for University teaching staff and National Health, Insurance Scheme, NHIS. However, setting up of budget monitoring committee in all public universities has been fully implemented.

It is on record that the Nigerian government led by President Buhari is working round the clock to once and for all implement the agreements reached by previous PDP governments which they deliberately failed to honour.

A strategic meeting was held to avert further strikes, with the Senate Leadership intervening and led by Senate President Ahmed Lawan in October last year during which the Minister of Labour and Employment committed to engaging ASUU and other stakeholders to iron out the outstanding issues.

Genuinely committed to full implementation of the issues at stake, PMB set up a panel to deal with the issues at stake.

On funding for revitalization of Public Universities, government in spite of the Economic downturn in 2020 as a result of COVID-19 pandemic approved

N20 Billion and also followed it up with sources of alternative funding for revitalization to facilitate the process of additional funding of the University system. Similarly, on earned Academic Allowances, EAA and ASUU’s demand for the payment of N40bn over-due since November 2019, the Accountant General of the Federation pledged the release of N30bn and balance of N10bn to be paid after..

On State Universities, Federal government and ASUU agreed that the NUC Act would be amended in order to strengthen its regulatory capacity.

Other measures taken by government to enhance University education includes Setting up of Tetfund .

To further re jig its commitment in this regard, PMB administration went a step further by releasing N163 billion to the Universities from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund since 2017 and also offered N30b to all the unions in the Universities and another N20b as revitalization fund, totalling N50b during their meeting last year.

The Federal Government has said that the recent evaluation implementation meeting as a follow to last year’s meeting with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU early August this year was described as very successful.

Chris Ngige, Nigeria’s Minister of Labour and Employment who disclosed this while addressing journalists at the end of a closed-door meeting in Abuja had explained that the meeting evaluated seven main issues with both parties expressing satisfaction with the completion stages, adding that “work is still in progress”.

According to him, some of the items in the MOA were nearly done 100 percent within the timeline.

It is very heart warming hearing the Minister saying that in addition to resolving most of the contentious issues with ASUU by as much as 100 per cent, “Government has instructed the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA to expedite action on the integrity test on the University Transparency Accountability Solution, UTAS”. If found to be more fullfillng than IPPIS, universities in the country wil go for UTAS as their platform for the payment of salaries.

He said, ”If successful, it will eliminate the challenges posed by the peculiarities of the University system to the current payment platform.”

Minister Ngige had said the government had also paid the N30 billion as the University Revitalisation Fund contained in the MOA since January 2021.

He said, “The report has been turned in, deliberated upon and both the Education Ministry and the NUC have promised to write to the Accountant General of the Federation soon for the release of funding the NEEDS Special Account for onward disbursement to universities shortly.”

Indeed the Federal Government has undoubtedly demonstrated its committment to putting to rest the agitations by ASUU towards making University education in the country better and affordable.

Emeka Anyaoku Street, Abuja musahk123@yahoo.com

PAGE 12

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

Opinion

The Nigeria’s youth unemployment challenge

By Jerome-Mario Utomi

F

or a nation to move forward both politically and socioeconomically, the leaders must demonstrate esteem for talents, actively encouraging able individuals, and honouring those who excel in their profession.

And encourage their citizens so that they can go peaceably about their business, whether it is trade, agriculture or any other human occupation.

Going by these words of Niccolo Machiavelli, it hardly needs to be said that Nigeria has an urgent challenge that it needs to find some answers to and soon.

To shed more light, Nigeria is a vast country with vast problems that disrupt its progress, namely, corruption, insecurity, unemployment, and lack of energy.

But I need not pause to know that the most pernicious of all these problems, in my views, is youth unemployment.

Although Nigerians have in the recent past seen some job creation initiatives from the Federal Government with N-power, an initiative under the Social Investment Programme for the creation of employment and empowerment of Nigerians as most recent.

These widening strides notwithstanding, from the growing concerns and frustrations among the youth, it’s evident that youth unemployment is rapidly on the increase and may not end suddenly unless something drastic and

dramatic is done by the government.

Further providing a link to the above claim is the just concluded general elections where jobless Nigerian youths flooded every political campaign grounds in their numbers for illicit electoral responsibilities while looking up to the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.

This is ‘a tragedy deepened by the awareness that it was avoidable’.

As I sympathise with these youths whose shoulders rest on the crushing effects of the fallen standard of education in the country, which has rendered many unemployable, I must confess also that instant gratification and other negative influences emanating from the social media have conspired to render some of them lazy and morally bankrupt.

However, these unruly behaviours by some youths do not in any appreciable means exonerate the government of the blame for the frustration and agonising moments the youths are passing through. The lack of political will to tackle the challenge from its roots, or seeing the urgent necessity to cease politics and turn outwards to look for constructive and creative channels to fight the enemy called unemployment in the country contributes to the ever increasing number of both the unemployed and the underemployed.

To explain; if the government has done anything substantial in this direction, Nigerians will not have to look very far to see the impact. And my concern is not what

the Federal Government intends to do or is capable of doing. Rather, my concern is about what they are presently doing, and if it’s in the best interest of the Nigerian youth.

Now, look at the danger of such wicked neglect.

First, aside from the fact that youth unemployment has put us in a position of appearing before the world as a people that lack a plan for their future leaders, the situation impels the watching world to conclude that government is unmindful that youth unemployment comes with challenges that cut across, regions, religions, and tribes.

Of which such had in the past led to the proliferation of ethnic militias as well as youth restiveness.

Notably, this threat has become even more pronounced not just in the oil-rich Niger Delta region of the country with the chunk of the proponents spearheaded by the large army of professionally-trained ex-militants currently without a job but in the northern part where the Almajiris are on the increase by the day.

Very instructive also, our leaders may be ‘winning political positions’ but their inability to turn these victories into better life for the youths through job creation and other social programmes is beginning to generate questions about their integrity.

Thankfully, with the electioneering period over, it will be highly rewarding to remind these leaders (both the returning and new) of valuable options waiting to be accessed in controlling this appalling

situation and the impending danger of their failure.

I hold the opinion that the government must do something to help the youth come out of this challenge. It Is in the interest of the government and the nation at large to create jobs for the youth as a formidable way of curbing crime and reducing threatening insecurity in the country. It should be done not merely for political considerations but from the point of views of national development and sustenance of our democracy.

To get started, it will translate to great steps taken in the right direction if the Federal Government could overhaul agencies such as the Niger Delta Development Commission, the Presidential Amnesty Office to be more responsive in job creation and youth capacity building.

In the same token, getting both the nation’s academic curricula and the National Youths Service Corp scheme to accommodate entrepreneurship and skill development with the like of the National Industrial Training Fund and the National Directorate of Employment equipped to handle youth skill training with startup funds made available.

Very importantly also, creating a productive collaboration between the government, private organisations and civil society groups during this window of vulnerability that will act as both a crucial enabler as well as a means to an end should be another urgent task before the government.

To take one example of why such measures are necessary, consider

the impact the recent decision by the Kukah Centre to introduce skill acquisition centres in the Northern part of the country where about 10 million Almajiri children will acquire vocations of their choice would make in solving the present challenge if other organisations come up with similar initiatives and supported by the government.

The youth on their part must recognise that ‘the future is full of promises as it is fraught with uncertainties. That the industrial society is giving way to one based on knowledge’. They must, therefore, learn to be part of the knowledgebased world.

While this is ongoing, the Federal Government should as a matter of urgency take steps to address the current energy challenge in the country. Achieving a stable power regime will guarantee the peaceful existence of both the medium and small scale industries. It may also bring back multinationals that fled this country at the wake of the nation’s energy crisis. This will go a long way in throwing Nigeria’s monster youth unemployment which breeds all manner of restiveness into extinction. A stitch in time, definitely, will save Nigeria’s dangerously bourgeoning “unemployment nine”!

Utomi is the Programme Coordinator (Media and Policy), Social and Economic Justice Advocacy (SEJA), Lagos.

He Could Be Reached Via; jeromeutomi@yahoo.com Or 08032725374.

Legal Aid Council and Custodial Centre decongestion

By Amaka Agbaih

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he Legal Aid Council which was established in the year 1976 with the mandate of rendering free legal assistance to the down trodden in the society who are at conflict with the law, is a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of justice. It has had series of Director-Generals at the helm of its affairs, but this current DirectorGeneral, Aliyu Bagudu Abubakar with his team of board members management has determined to put the issue of decongestion of custodian centres in front burner.

This was a decision taken after a board meeting which saw fruitful deliberations towards bringing sanity and stability in custodian centres.

In ensuring that the less privileged in the society feels the impact of the council, the Director of Decongestion Unit, Mr. Kenneth Mozea recently led a team of lawyers to Kuje custodian centre.

At the centre, 20 inmates were interviewed by the team and were found worthy of benefitting from Council’s legal representations.

These inmates’ offences range from theft, armed robbery, Illegal possession of arms, Criminal breach of trust and conspiracy, culpable homicide and so on.

However, examining the cases

from human angle, the issue of Awaiting Trials Persons (ATP) should be a source of worry to the relevant stakeholders. Majority of those interviewed have stayed in custody for close to eight months without sighting the four walls of the court. Another source of worry is the bail condition which were very stringent and beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians. Some inmates were granted bail but could not meet the stringent bail conditions.

It is not good enough for a court to be demanding a huge sum of money on a case of theft and a surety in like manner.

Again, Awaiting Trials Persons (ATP) should not be detained outside the state where the offence was committed. There are instances we saw some inmates with charge number of Niger state in Federal Capital Territory. This is unfortunate as such cases are difficult to handle.

The team brainstormed to think out possible solution to this anomaly and resolved that a letter should be written to the Chief Justice of Niger State making it possible for the inmates to be transferred back to Minna. The action will enable Legal Aid Council’s Niger State office in Minna to handle the matter to a logical conclusion.

It is important to note that upon paucity of fund, Legal Aid Council is seriously making impact in the

Justice sector particularly in the area of decongestion. The management has vowed to vigorously pursue issue of prison decongestion by coming to the aid of those with all kind of offences who may not afford legal representation.

Predicated on this, Council visited both Keffi and Suleja custodian centres and a total of 51 inmates were granted legal representation. The council also in the bid to ensure that it lives up to expectation has drawn a comprehensive timetable indicating time and date for each lawyer to visit custodian centres.

On a lighter note, the new Keffi medium security custodian centre with a capacity of 340 inmates was outstanding when it comes to cleanliness and management of inmates. The (DCC) Suleman Saidu and his team should be commended for the very good work they are doing. In fact, the level of discipline in the centre is unprecedented and should be recommended for other centres. Kuje custodian centre is also in good shape. This cannot be said of Suleja centre, but for the health of the inmates and the image of our dear Country, the government should as a matter of urgency remodel Suleja custodian centre.

The Kuje Custodian Centre is in good shape probably because

it is located within the Federal Capital Territory. The environment is neat and the atmosphere very calm. The inmates look well fed and have certain level of freedom within the premises. Worthy of note is the high level of Covid-19 protocol compliance as seen in the sitting arrangement during the interview with the inmates.

The Suleja Custodian centre on the other hand, is an eye sore.

The Government and the relevant stakeholders should as a matter of urgency assist in bringing it up to standard for the interest of the inmates and image of our dear country. The Staff, I guess are doing their best, but there are basic things that should be done. Renovating the place will boost the morale of workers to improve more on the level of Cleanliness.

Recall that the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria is known as the official Voice for the oppressed and particularly to the indigent citizens of Nigeria who cannot afford to hire a counsel for representation in court of Law. The council through her criminal Justice department in fulfillment of her mandate covers the following cases: malicious or grievous bodily harm, murder, manslaughter, Robbery, Stealing, rape, assault occasional bodily harm and affray.

Under her Civil Justice department, cases like Tenant/ Landlord matter, Husband wife Palaver, etc are covered. The Council also through her Oscar Unit assists accident victims to get their claims from insurance companies.

A host of clients have smiled home with their cheques courtesy of legal Aid Council.

The Council no doubt is doing her best but a source of worry is Nigerians’ attitude when it comes to reporting rape matters. Women shy away from it either due to stigmatization or the frustrations from the courts that ingredient of rape could not be established.

However, Kudos should be given to state governments, who have come up with stiffer penalty for the perpetrators of this ugly act against Women, girls and babies.

Legal Aid Council has offices in all the 36 states of the country including Federal Capital Territory.

Equally, the council has offices in about 45 Local Government Councils, but the initial plan was to have it in all the 774 local council.

This move was hampered by lack of funds. The general Public should therefore contact any of the offices across the country and lay out complaints if need be.

Amaka Agbaih writes in from Legal Aid Council.

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PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

Comment

U.S. no longer has the position of strength for its arrogance and impertinence

By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily

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s an important platform for promoting solidarity and cooperation among countries in East Asia, the East Asian cooperation mechanism is supposed to focus on development and pragmatic cooperation. Unfortunately, certain countries outside the region always attempt to seek geopolitical interests through this platform.

At the recently-concluded foreign ministers’ meetings on East Asia cooperation, the U.S. frequently stirred up enmity and caused discord on the South China Sea issue, and attacked and defamed China regarding China’s internal affairs.

Clichés of the U.S. haven’t been echoed by ASEAN countries, but instead made more people see clearly how the country has gone against the trend of global cooperation and its hegemonic mindset, arrogance and impertinence have fallen long behind the times.

Recently, the U.S. has arranged intensive activities concerning the ASEAN region, and claimed that these well-designed activities are aimed at showing greater attention of the current U.S. administration to the ASEAN. However, judging from the country’s frequently hyping up the so-called “China threat” and wantonly attacking and smearing China, the “attention” to the ASEAN claimed by the U.S. has nothing to do with cooperation and development, but is

merely a disguise. The true purpose of the “attention” is to incite division in the region and use ASEAN countries as a “chess piece” to serve the strategic goal of suppressing China, which ASEAN countries have been well aware of.

It was not until after Washington positioned China as its major foreign policy challenge that Southeast Asian countries with more than 600 million people got attention from the U.S., pointed out a recent article published in Singaporean newspaper Lianhe Zaobao.

Attempt of the U.S. to stock bloc confrontation among countries in East Asia shows the country’s disregard of the current situation and general trend of cooperation among countries in the region.

Over the past decades, ChinaASEAN relations have been constantly deepened and enjoyed all-round development, become a fine example of the most successful and vibrant bilateral relations in the Asia-Pacific, and served as an important pillar for peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

The fruitful cooperation between the two sides after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has been an example of international cooperation on fighting the pandemic and promoting economic recovery.

China has by far provided over 190 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for ASEAN countries. Trade volume between China and the ASEAN during the first half of this year surpassed $410

billion, up 38.2 percent year on year.

ASEAN has remained China’s largest trading partner, and the accumulated two-way investment between the two sides has exceeded $310 billion.

The entry into force and implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement has brought more powerful driving force to the economic and trade cooperation between the two sides.

Secretary-general of the ASEAN Lim Jock Hoi pointed out that the ASEAN-China strategic partnership has become one of the most substantive and dynamic partnerships in the region.

It serves the common interests of all countries in the region to accommodate the aspirations and interests of all parties, promote common security, and achieve lasting peace and stability in the region.

What the U.S. has done poses a risk of the return of geopolitics to the region, and therefore naturally won’t win the support of ASEAN countries.

“Many U.S. friends and allies wish to preserve their extensive ties with both powers (China and the U.S.),” stressed Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recently.

The U.S., however, turns a blind eye to such desire and still thinks it is able to create a ring of encirclement against China in the region. Such wishful thinking has revealed the arrogance and bigotry of the U.S. and proven that the Cold War mentality the country has stuck to is outdated.

At the recent foreign ministers’ meetings on East Asia cooperation, foreign ministers of many countries in the region have echoed and supported China’s position, which has fully demonstrated that as time goes by, the region no longer has “lecturers” or needs “saviors”, and that countries are well aware that they should grasp their future in their own hands and jointly create the prospect of the region.

After its attempt to suppress and contain China was rebuffed constantly, the U.S. should have known that it needs to alter its fundamental strategy toward China and abandon the wrong mentality of viewing China as an imaginary enemy.

Countries in the region have formed close cooperative ties with China, and therefore the U.S. must take into consideration the interests of its partners when making foreign policies, and couldn’t just impose its own desires on them, said former U.S. Ambassador to China Stapleton Roy. The diplomatic agenda of the U.S. has been totally plunged into the mire of suppressing and containing China, which has not only impacted on regional and international landscape, but caused tremendous damage to the interests of the U.S. itself.

At present, the U.S. is faced with deteriorating COVID-19 situation at home, with the daily tally of new COVID-19 infections exceeding 100,000 on average. The U.S. government should focus its energy on coping with the pandemic,

safeguarding the health of American people, and intensifying international anti-epidemic cooperation, rather than the vain attempt to suppress China.

Joseph Nye, a professor at Harvard University, recently warned in an article that the concept of great-power rivalry provides an insufficient alert to a new type of threat the U.S. faces, and that the current U.S. strategy results in a Pentagon budget that is more than 100 times that of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although the U.S. frequently claims that it deals with China from a “position of strength”, the so-called “position of strength” can be supported by neither domestic nor global realities.

The U.S. can never change China, and will by no means obstruct or interrupt China’s course of modernization.

The world needs China and the U.S. to find through dialogue a way of peaceful co-existence and even mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation though the two countries are so different in their social systems, culture, and development stages.

The U.S. side should change its course as soon as possible, choose to meet China halfway and pursue mutual respect, fair competition, and peaceful coexistence with China.

(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on China’s foreign policy and international affairs.)

Dissecting Ugwuanyi’s supports for budding talents

By Samson Ezea

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overnment and governance are not only about providing basic infrastructure, peace and security which Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s administration has provided for Ndi Enugu in quantum, especially in the long neglected rural areas. They also entail catering for the immediate welfare of the people and impacting directly on their lives in several ways, and not about catering for the wellbeing of the privileged ones or those in government. They are indeed about giving everyone a sense of belonging and responsibility in the affairs of the state and encouraging those with exceptional talents or potentials to excel and add value to themselves and the society at large.

As a personality that has always had flair for philanthropy, details and understands the little things that matter in the society and to the people, Enugu state Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi had since assuming office in 2015, consistently and sincerely demonstrated knack for fishing out, supporting and encouraging budding talents in the state without minding their states of origin, religion or political leanings.

Governor Ugwuanyi, who usually meets and interfaces with these talented kids through periodic tech fairs that are organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology at Michael Okpara Square, Independence Layout, Enugu, has continued to motivate, encourage and propel them to the next level with his administration’s unflinching supports. In addition

to the above, his administration established two Enugu State Tech Hub and Youth Information Centres in Enugu and Obollo to provide opportunity and enabling environment for the budding youths in the state to continue to sharpen, improve and expand their knowledge and keep tab on modern Information, communication and technology innovations. Under Ugwuanyi’s administration, many dilapidated and moribund technical schools have been rehabilitated, equipped with material and manpower resources.

In continuation of his wonderful and appreciable work in this direction and keeping faith with strong belief in human empowerment, Governor Ugwuanyi recently offered scholarships, up to University level, to the Enugu and Anambra-born young students of Government Technical College (GTC), Nsukka and Enugu, Master Emmanuel Maduabuchi Chukwu and Master Chukwuebuka Udoye, who locally manufactured two aircraft (helicopter and jet fighter) and an MP3 radio set, respectively, in the state.

The Governor announced the scholarships when he received the two students at the Government House to appreciate their talents, skills and sheer dexterity in promoting technology-based innovation in the state.

In addition, the governor gave the inventor of the two aircraft, Master Chukwu, an indigene of Nnewe in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State, the sum of N1 million, and N500,000.00 to the student

of GTC, Enugu, Master Udoye, an indigene of Aguata in Anambra State, who produced the MP3 radio set, to enable them advance their inventions.

Expressing his delight, Ugwuanyi disclosed that he is very proud of the students and the many feats the educational system has brought to Enugu State since the inception of his administration, stressing that “all the money being spent in education is a worthy investment”.

Appreciating the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Uche Eze, the Executive Chairman of the Science, Technical and Vocational Schools Management Board (STVSMB), Dr. Gabriel Ajah, the Principal of GTC, Nsukka, Peter Ugwuokpe, and other stakeholders in the education system for the achievements being recorded in the sector, Ugwuanyi requested the Commissioner to immediately present to the State Executive Council (EXCO), a memo for the approval of the sum of N100 million for the construction of more classroom blocks in Government Technical Colleges (GTCs) in the state.

The governor equally directed the Executive Chairman of STVSMB, Dr. Ajah, to apply for the sum of N50 million for the construction of more technical workshops in GTCs Nsukka and Enugu, and also request for employment of additional technical teachers, for the EXCO’s approval.

“I am proud of all of you; I am proud of the education system in Enugu State; I am excited. The young student from Anambra State, we give you N500,000.00 and scholarship for manufacturing a radio set in our

state”, Gov. Ugwuanyi said.

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Eze, applauded Gov. Ugwuanyi for the premium his administration places on education in the state as well as his gesture to meet with the students to encourage and appreciate their talents.

“We are so happy, and we appreciate this honour given to us to come and make this presentation. Your Excellency, your schools are working; this is just one of the many things that are going on in our technical colleges.

Thank you for encouraging our young talents. This is part of the legacies you are leaving behind for posterity”.

Responding, the two students, Chukwu and Udoye, expressed their deepest joy and gratitude to Gov. Ugwuanyi for honouring them, adding that the encouragement and support from the governor, which they never expected, will spur them to fully actualize their dreams. They asked God to continue to bless the governor.

Although the duo of Udoye and Chukwu were the latest beneficiaries of Ugwuanyi’s largesse in the area of talents supports and encouragements, it would be recalled that on May, 26, 2021, Gov. Ugwuanyi rewarded winner of the 2020 edition of the Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs’) national mathematics competition for girls, Miss Chinwe Mary Blessing Onodagu.

Miss Chinwe, an SS1 student of Federal Government Girls’ College, Lejja, Nsukka Local Government Area, Enugu State, and from Aku in IgboEtiti LGA of the state, was crowned the “Nigerian Mathematics Queen 2020,” in March, 2021, in Abuja, after

emerging the overall best student in the mathematics competition among Nigerian girl students.

Receiving the SDGs’ award winner at the Government House, Gov. Ugwuanyi congratulated her for making Enugu State proud, describing her “a special gift and blessing from God”.

The governor first thanked God for the feat and went further to commend her parents and the entire management of the school, stressing: “I can confirm that Federal Government Girls’ College, Lejja, is a success story”.

Gov. Ugwuanyi therefore announced a cash donation to the girl for achieving the feat and another donation to the school to encourage them to produce more award winners.

The governor equally gave her scholarship.

Responding, the visibly elated ‘Queen’ expressed gratitude to Gov. Ugwuanyi for the recognition, saying: “I am very happy; I pray that God will continue to help him (Ugwuanyi) in all he is doing. He will be prospering in everything he lays his hands.

“I am also thanking God for making it possible for me to emerge the winner of the competition. I am equally thanking my parents and the school. I am hoping that more students will get this kind of opportunity”.

On her advice to other students, Miss. Chinwe said: “If you read hard and pray hard, your dreams will come true”.

Ezea writes from Independence Layout, Enugu cater

PAGE 14

N ews

NSE President urges youths to focus on education

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

School feeding: FG enrolls over 600,000 pupils in Jigawa From Mika’il Tsoho, Dutse

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he federal government has enrolled over 600,000 primary school pupils into the home grown school feeding program in Jigawa state.

The minister of humanitarian and disaster management

Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouk, who was represented by the assistant director in the ministry Badayi Mukhatar, announced the figures during the flag-off of the enumeration of pupils enrolled into the school feeding program at Fagoji and Shuwarin LIP

primary schools.

He explained that, the program was organised to feed primary one to three classes with total number of 641,295 pupils from 27 Local Government Areas of Jigawa state.

Mr Badayi maintained

that, the enumeration exercise is aimed at having a data to capture all benefiting pupils in 2,211 primary schools in the state.

The assistant director maintained, that about 5,024 cook vendoors are engaged in the program.

Appeal Court Judgement: APGA hails judiciary for sticking to justice

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

T

he All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) has commended the judiciary for standing firm in defence of the country’s Constitution and its statutes.

While reacting to the unanimous judgment delivered by the three Justices of the Appeal Court, Kano Judidcial Division on Tuesday, the National Chairman of the party, Ozonkpu Victor Ike Oye, through the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Tex Okechukwu, described the judgment as a watershed in Nigeria’s political life.

He praised the Justices that sat over the case for their courage, uprightness and commitment to the promotion of justice, equity and fairness.

Oye said that the judgement had renewed the hope of the

T

he President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mr Babagana Mohammed, on Monday urged Nigerian youths to focus on their education to have a better future.

Mohammed gave the advice at the opening ceremony of the 2021 NSE National Engineering Games holding at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that criminal activities would reduce if Nigerian youths were gainfully employed.

“We want to encourage the youth to be serious and to focus on their chosen careers.

“They should work to earn a living for themselves; if the youths are kept busy, crimes such as kidnaping, rape, banditry and terrorism would reduce.

The games being featured at the competition include football, marathon walk, table tennis, volleyball and cycling.

Others are badminton, chess, scrabble, golf, tennis, monopoly and “ayo“.

The NSE president noted that participating in sports would help to reduce work tension.

“We came here to calm ourselves from the rigorous tensions of work and to grow sport activities in Nigeria,’’ he said.

Mr Olaolu Ogunduyile, Chairman, 2021 NSE National Engineering Games Committee, said the essence of the event was to unite and help younger ones in engineering.

“We need to meet in events like this; there is strength in unity and we need to unite so that we can help the younger ones,“ he said The games, which kicked off on Aug. 9, will culminate in the society’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) billed to hold between Nov. 22 and Nov. 26 in Enugu State with the theme “Energy Mix Development for National Economic Growth’ The AGM will, among other things, feature technical sessions, industrial excursion, group dynamics competition, engineering exhibition, cultural night, fellowship symposium and elections. (NAN)

L-R: Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Health Services, Hon. Tanko Sununu, Clerk of the Committee, Alhaji Atiku Mohammed Kalgo and a member of the committee, Hon. Abubakar Sarki, during a meeting with the National Association of Resident Doctors, at the National Assembly, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Christians in Nasarawa admonished to pray for gov. Sule’s administration to succeed From Lafia

Gambo

Ahmed,

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asarawa State Christians have been admonished to accord support to Governor Abdullahi Sule’s administration to succeed through their daily devotion.

The Immediate past Chairman Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Nasarawa State chapter Bishop Joseph Masin who made the admonition recently during a congregational prayers by Nasarawa State 2019-2020 Christian Pilgrims in Mount Nebo, Kingdom of

Jordan, added that Governor Sule’s administration within few months has brought relative peace and unity amongst the diverse tribes in the state, hence the need for Christians to support him.

According to him, “I want to call on Christians to pray for the unity of

Nigeria as well as the administration of President Buhari and Governor Sule’s administrations to strive positively. Let us pray for an end to all the negative circumstances happening to our nation. Let us unite as one body for the growth and development of our society”.

Nigerians urged to embrace agriculture From: Kaduna

A

Femi

Oyelola,

People’s Redemption Party (PRP) Gubernatorial candidate in the 2019 election in Kaduna state, Alhaji Ahmed Tijjani

Umar has called on Nigerians especially those in the north to be actively involved in agricultural activities to ensure food security and wealth creation.

He made the assertion during the launching of the maiden

edition of Demak Agribusiness Magazine in Kaduna yesterday.

According to him, active engagement in agricultural activities will help to cushion the effect of food insufficiency.

He noted that the whole essence of life revolved around

food and shelter.

Alhaji Tijjani added that the production of the Agribusiness Magazine anchored around President Muhammadu Buhari’s promise to Nigerians about self-sufficiency in food production.

PAGE 15

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

people of the country in the judiciary and appealed to the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the Disciplinary Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association to ensure that any judge or lawyer found guilty of professional misconduct was brought to justice.

He used the opportunity to call on the Independent National Elelectoral Commission (INEC) to do the needful without further delay by publishing the name of Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo as the rightful candidate of APGA for the November 6 Anambra State Governorship Election.

While congratulating millions of APGA supporters across the country, especially those of them

in Anambra State, Oye thanked them for their steadfastness and support.

He also “thanked the members of the National Working Committee (NWC), NEC and the BOT of APGA for their individual and collective role in stabilising the party while the distraction lasted, and appealed to them not to relent”.

The APGA national chairman urged all those still feuding with the party to embrace common sense and peace and return to the fold, so that “together we will win the forthcoming governorship election as one united family.”

The Court of Appeal Kano had dismissed the judgement of the Jigawa Hgh Court on the

leadership tussle in APGA saying it has no territorial or substantive jurisdiction to hear the suit.

According to APGA, the Appeal Court also took judicial notice of the High Court of Awka affirming Chief Victor Ike Oye as National Chairman of APGA. “It affirmed that any suit in any court in Nigeria without Oye being a party as the incumbent National Chairman is a nullity.

In setting aside the judgement of the Jigawa High Court, the Appeal Court said that all the proceedings at lower court was a nullity.

According to statement issued by the party, the Appeal Court described the Appeal by Mr. Jude Okeke and Garba Aliyu as

Director-General, BPP, Mamman Ahmadu, FNIQS 2nd left; World Bank Procurement Specialist, Chief Bayo Awosemusi 2nd Right; Director, Special Procurement, BPP, Engr. Eze J. Obasi 1st Right and Head, Agric & Water Resources, BPP, Engr. Isaiah Yesufu 1st Left at the Stakeholders Meeting on e-GP Requirements Specifications (SRS) Document Review in Abuja

2023: Get your PVCs ready – YPP chieftain tells Nigerian youths

By Christiana Ekpa

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chieftain of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, Emmanuel Degema Ophiemu, has urged Nigerian youths to get their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) ready ahead of the 2023 elections in the state and Nigeria.

The legal practitioner made the call while fielding questions from journàlists, during which he vowed never to support the youths in voting for “old blood” into power.

According to Ophiemu,”those without PVC should try as much as possible to get themselves registered, and also plan to protect their votes against the planned rigging arrangements of those crass ineptitude leaders.”

While noting that the future of Nigeria lies in the hands of the youths,Ophiemu said the old leaders who have nothing to offer the citizens should start packing out of government before the “youth wind” waves them out with disgrace.

worthless, undeserving of precious judicial time and accordingly struck out.

“The Appeal Court further warned lawyers and Judges against desecrating the temple of Justice, adding that lawyers and judges should be guided by the oaths they have taken as officers in the temple of Justice,” it said.

APGA further described the Appeal Court ruling as, “A judgement against forum shopping, a judgement against impostors trying to pervert the course of justice and a judgement against judicial officers desecrating the temple of Justice”.

It further described the outcome as a judgement for justice and truth.

Strike: APC Governors tell Resident Doctors to call off nationwide strike

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

A

ll Progressives Congress (APC) Governors have called on the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), with immediate effect, to suspend the ongoing nationwide strike which it said is taking a toll on the healthcare of Nigerians.

The APC Governors, however asked the Resident Doctors to negotiate with individual State Governments, saying that issues affecting Resident Doctors in Federal establishments should be negotiated with the relevant structures of the Federal Government.

Resident Doctors last Monday began indefinite nationwide strike over demands for improved

conditions, payment of salaries ranging between 2 to 19 months by some state governments, failure to domesticate Medical Residency Training (MRT) Act 2017 in states, among others.

The ongoing indefinite strike

by NARD is dispute largely with state governments and specifically, Abia, Imo, Ondo and Ekiti States, which have been identified as the states with poor conditions for the Doctors.

To this end, APC Governors, under the ageis of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) at the end of their meeting in Abuja, adopted the initiative of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) to hold consultations with the leadership of the Resident Doctors and the Federal Government.

The PGF, in its resolutions signed by the Chairman and Governor of Kebbi State, Abubakar Atiku-Bagudu, reaffirmed support for the APC Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee under the leadership of Governor Mai-Mala Buni of Yobe State and called on all party members and leaders to continue to support them to conclude the task of reorganising the leadership of the party.

The Forum expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for his leadership and further reaffirmed support for the implementation of initiatives of the APC Federal Government in line with provisions of APC manifesto.

“The meeting formally

welcomes His Excellency, Bello Muhammad Matawalle as the twenty-second member of the Forum. Forum also congratulated His Excellency, Babagana Umara Zulum for being awarded the second highest National Honour of de Grand Dans I’Ordre of Niger Republic, which is equivalent to Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).

“Members commiserate with His Excellency, Dapo Abiodun, Governor of Ogun State on the death of his father, Pa (Dr) Emmanuel Adesanya Abiodun.

Members pray to God Almighty to reward all the good works of Pa Abiodun, forgive his limitations, bless what he left behind and grant the family the fortitude to bear this heavy loss”, the resolutions read in parts.

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

PAGE 16

POLITICS You can’t sack Secondus without national Convention - Dickson tells Wike, others

By Musa Baba Adamu

T

he immediate past Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, who currently represents Bayelsa West in the Senate, had said nobody can remove the embattled chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, without recourse to national convention of the party.

Recall that the PDP Chairman has been facing challenges over alleged plans by some Governors elected on the party’s platform, led by Rivers State Governor, Nyesome Wike, to remove him and install an interim Chairman But in a statement he issued in Abuja, Dickson said according to PDP Constitution, only a national convention can remove the PDP Chairman, calling on the leaders of the party to act wisely.

“Let me also bring to the attention of all that by the PDP constitution, a vote of

no confidence even by a duly constituted NWC or other organs of the party does not remove a Chairman. The chairman is voted for and can only be removed by the National Convention unless on his own volition, he chooses to resign.

“So I call on all leaders of the party that this is perhaps their last effort to save the PDP. Like me, most of us have paid dearly and have paid our dues since 2015 when we lost the Presidential elections and like me, we should all not rest on our oars or leave any stone unturned in the bid to strengthen and reposition the party including calling people to order and standing up against illegality when we have to”, he said.

He similarly dismissed a statement issued by the PDP House of Representatives caucus calling on Secondus to resign, saying the recognized leader of the PDP House of Representatives

caucus is not Hon. Kingsley Chinda, but Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, whom he said has already denied the alleged press statement asking the PDP Chairman to quit.

Speaking further, the lawmaker lamented the action of some members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) whom he claimed went outside the PDP’s Constitution to convene a meeting in a hotel room without the knowledge, consent and presence of the chairman.

He said the meeting was was the action of a few party officers and does not represent a valid resolution or decision of the National Working Committee known to the PDP constitution.

“By the PDP constitution, only the national chairman of the party can summon and preside over meetings of the organs of the party, especially the NWC of which he is chairman. So the purported meeting and the outcome therefore are part of the

plot to contrive a needless crisis in the PDP. “It is part of the scheme to call a dog a bad name to hang it. The general public should note that the statement signed by some members: three members of the working committee and three Vice chairmen of the party does not constitute a valid resolution of the National Working Committee.

“By the way, the NWC has 19 members and only 6 of them signed the statement, leaving out the majority of 13 who were not at the meeting and the chairman, who was not aware, who did not attend, who did not authorize and who did not preside over the said meeting and therefore it is not only a nullity but an act of gross misconduct.

“It is all an effort to contrive a crisis in the party to further the ulterior objective of those who are funding it, the intent of which is to cause a major crisis in the PDP”, he said.

While pointing out that all these are to create a media frenzy backed up by the sponsored demonstrations at the party secretariat on Monday which are designed to force the chairman to resign in order to set up an illegal caretaker committee which is illegal, Dickson expressed joy that the National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, has issued a statement that he will not resign.

“There is no crisis in the party. What is happening is only a contrived media crisis orchestrated and funded by some people with a motive to hijack the party without subjecting themselves and their cronies to a democratic vote at the convention which is due in less than 4 months.

“I call on the National Chairman to utilize all options and powers available to him under the constitution and to take steps to ensure that no officer or member no matter how highly placed usurps, or impedes the exercise of his rights, powers and duties as national chairman or is allowed to plunge the party into another needless crisis”, he said.

Anambra guber: South South APGA caucus backs Oye, Soludo

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

T

L--R: Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Muhammed, River State Nyesome Wike PDP Chairman Governor forum, Aminu Waziri Tanbuwal, Benue State, Samuel Orton, Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa and Governor of Enugu State, Ifeayi Ugwanyi, during the meeting to resolve the inter party Crisis, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Constitution amendment report to be ready September - Senate President

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

T

he Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, yesterday gave a hint that the report of Constitution Amendment Committee headed by the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, will be ready when the red chamber resumes plenary in September, after its annual vacation which commenced in July.

In a happy Islamic new year message issued yesterday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ola Awonoyi, Lawan said to ensure that the report is ready, the various Senate standing Committees have continued their works despite

their annual summer vacation.

“It is noteworthy that our various committees are continuing their work despite our annual summer vacation. This will ensure that reports on issues like the review of the 1999 Constitution are ready for consideration as soon as plenary resumes after the vacation,” Lawan said.

Speaking further, Lawan assured Nigerians that as lawmakers, the senators will continue to work to make the country better for all its people and to leave an enduring legacy for future generations.

“The ninth National Assembly will continue to provide legislative

interventions in line with our Legislative Agenda, which we carefully developed towards taking our country to the Next Level in its determined march to greatness and prosperity”, Lawan said.

While felicitating with Muslim Ummah as they join the rest of the Islamic World in marking the commencement of the Islamic New Year, 1443 AH, Lawan said it is appropriate to use the occasion to thank the Almighty Allah for the privilege He mercifully granted them to witness the New year.

According to him, “This is a privilege for us as individuals and as a Community of the Faithful and

deserves our gratitude to Allah.

“As we begin the New Year, I enjoin us all not to relent in living in accordance with the injunctions of our Faith and in our prayers for peace in our country and the world over.

“We should continue to fervently seek the intervention of Allah in our affairs as we seek an end to the challenges facing our country and time.”

The Senate President reassured Nigerians that the Ninth Assembly will always strive to meet their expectations, even as he wished fellow Muslims a Happy, Peaceful and Prosperous New Year.

he South South regional caucus of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has thrown its weight behind Victor Oye and Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, as the authentic national Chairman and candidate of the party in the November 6 governorship election.

In a statement issued yesterday

by Anthony O. Eboka, APGA National Vice Chairman SouthSouth, Bar. Ita Ekpo Bassey, National Deputy Legal Adviser, Engr. Sokari, National Deputy Treasurer, among others, they said rising from the Zonal meeting of APGA South-South Region, which was held at Asaba yesterday, the party expressed confidence in the pending court of appeal judgement coming up soon.

While it joined others to wish happy birthday to Governor Willie Obiano on His 66th birthday, the regional caucus, led by Anthony O. Eboka, while addressing the party faithful, recalled that it is not the first time that political detractors jealously attempted to disrupt and fraudulently highjack the party structures.

However, he said because APGA is a party built on heavenly bricks, the detractors have been failing and will still fail again before the week runs out.

The zonal Chairman finally called for calm by members in south-south, Nigeria and APGA world wide, saying that Victor Oye and Prof. Soludo shall laugh last.

PAGE 17

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

POLITICS Ward Congress: Fracas in Enugu APC, faction emerges A

fresh crisis has hit the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Enugu State, following the split of the party into two factions.

The State Chairman of the party, Ben Nwoye, had earlier during a meeting at the Party’s Secretariat in Enugu on Tuesday, announced the suspension of four members of the party.

The suspended members include a former Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Eugene Odo, an aide to the foreign affairs minister, Mr. Flavour Eze, Ada Ogbu and ElAja. The said suspension followed a report of a disciplinary committee set up as an aftermath of the ward congress held on July 31.

According to the committee headed by the Enugu East zonal committee chairman of the party, Chief Anike Nwoga, the former Speaker and the three others were allegedly vested with responsibility of collecting fictitious names in their respective zones which they filed in as ward executives.

Specifically, the report claimed that the former speaker took the forged result to the INEC office on 3rd of July as directed by the

Ogun Assembly warns Asorota to stop parading himself as Itele Ota Oba-elect

By Christiana Ekpa

O

gun State House of Assembly, through its Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, has warned one Ademola Eletu Asorota, to stop parading himself as the Oba-elect of Itele Ota. Itele is in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of the state.

On Tuesday, the House Committee, led by Hon. Bolanle Ajayi, had a meeting with the representatives of Adogun Atele Family, led by Chief Taoreed Liasu; Legal counsel to Olota of Ota, Olaotan Ayodeji and Director, General Services and Administration, Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government, Dada Oloruntoba.

The meeting, held at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, was based on issues concerning the stool of the Onitele of Itele Ota, as part of the Assembly’s quasi-judicial function.

Ajayi, in company of other members of the committee, directed all parties concerned in the Obaship issue, including the State Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and Olota of Ota, Oba Abdulkabir Obalanlege to stop all ongoing actions, pending the delivery of judgment of a suit before the court.

The lawmakers admonished residents of Itele to allow peaceful co-existence and forestall any act that could lead to the breakdown of law and order.

Enugu Ward Congress committee chairman, Dr Ijeoma Arodiogbu.

Meanwhile, shortly after, some other members of the party met at a different location and announced the Deputy Chairman, Mr. Gilbert Chukwunta as their new chairman.

They said Chukwunta would remain the acting chairman pending the conclusion of the ongoing Congresses.

They said 42 members of the State Executive Committee, SEC, endorsed the removal of the chairman, which they supported with Article 21 (A) of the APC

constitution.

The resolution after their meeting was read by Chukwunta, who announced that he has stepped in as the Acting chairman of the party in the State.

Chukwunta alleged that Nwoye flagrantly assaulted the constitution of the party by unilaterally swearing in party officials who purportedly emerged victorious at the July 31 ward congress of the party.

“The conduct of Nwoye on Aug. 2, 2021 just two days after the congress is alien to the constitution of the party and a flagrant disregard of party guidelines for the ward

congress.

“The appeal panel of the party had not sat to look into grievances of party members when Nwoye purportedly inaugurated the ward officers,” he said.

“We are carrying out this obligation in order to rescue the party from further implosion.

Nwoye went against the constitution of the party which he swore to protect,” he added.

However, Nwoye has dismissed his purported removal, insisting that the said members had no such powers to convene SEC meeting.

He described the purported removal as a ruse, adding that those involved in the announcement were impostors.

“I will not respond to them because they are impostors. I just concluded a meeting with the real SEC members at the party office,” Nwoye said.

On his part, former Speaker, Odo responded that, “Ben Nwoye is our former Chairman. He was suspended by over 40 members of SEC this morning and as such couldn’t have had the power or the requisite number to suspend anyone.”

Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen (4th R); Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr Anthonia Ekpa (3rd, R); United Nations Population Fund’s Country Representative, Ulla Mueller (4th, L) and the recorded “First Babies of the Year” from 2012 to 2021 with their parents, during the commemoration of the 2021 World Breastfeeding Week in Abuja on Thursday (5/8/21).

Crisis in Ondo APC as aggrieved members head to court, seek nullification of congresses

By Musa Baba Adamu

S

ome aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State have expressed their dissatisfaction with the outcome of the recently concluded ward congresses in the state.

The aggrieved members of the party in Ifedore Local Government

Area of the state who described the wards congresses as a charade, on Tuesday approached the Federal High Court to challenge its conduct.

They alleged that the Ward Congress Committee failed to conduct any congress in the local government as stipulated in the party’s constitution.

In their prayers before the court, the aggrieved members urged the

court to set aside and as well nullify actions and decisions taken by the leadership of the party in the purported ward congresses held on July 31, 2021.

While threatening that if pushed away by the party, a leader of the party in the local government, Idowu Adebusuyi said APC will no longer be relevant in the local government.

Adebusuyi who spoke on behalf of

the aggrieved party members alleged that the Chairman of the party’s Caretaker Committee in the state had during the congress imposed the names of his loyalists on the members of the local government.

The party leader added that contrary to the claims of the Ward Congress Committee, there was no consensus or election in the purported ward congress.

Anambra guber: Legal battle against Soludo as APGA a distraction – Umeh

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

F

ormer National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Senator Victor Umeh, has said the legal battle waged against the candidature of Professor Chukwuma Soludo was only meant to derail his campaign.

Umeh, a member of Soludo Campaign Organization, spoke to journalists in reaction to the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Kano Division, which yesterday affirmed that Victor Oye, not Jude Okeke, was the authentic chairman of APGA. Umeh said the judgment of the Court of Appeal was without flaws, and that all along the party had never wavered about the authenticity of Oye’s leadership of the party.

He said “We were convinced that the High Court judgment of Burnin Kudu in Jigawa State should have been a nullity, but some people including the INEC used it to torment us.

“Not only has the judiciary redeemed itself, it has also shown that it is the hope of the people.

Nothing in that judgement(Jigawa State) should be allowed to be alive.

The judges of the Court of Appeal were thorough and there was no flaw in it.

“With this judgement, we have now rebounded. Previously we had said Soludo will contest and it has come to pass. He is our candidate and the person that the party nominated. As the chairman of peace and reconciliation committee in our party, I want to call on Umeoji to

come over to the party.

“We supported him when it was necessary to support him, but now the party has resolved that another person should be the candidate, and we are calling on him to come back.

We are not seeing him as being defeated, rather we are calling on him not to strain himself further by going to the Supreme Court.”

Umeh said save for the way Umeoji and his supporters carried along, losing an election should not have been an issue.

“We saw the judgement coming, and it was based on sound principles of law. The attempt was simply to derail the momentum of APGA, but the judiciary has intervened. Let’s not lend credence to non existing problems. Oye leadership has been in place all the time, and will always be.”

Umeh said there was no doubt that Soludo would be elected as the next governor of Anambra State, saying that APGA has been consistent in offering good leadership to Anambra people.

“Anambra people should understand why they should vote for APGA. We have solid achievements here in the state and I don’t see why any sensible person would want to vote out APGA. APGA may not have made everybody happy, but I can score APGA 85 percent.

“As for Umeoji and his people, it is normal for them not to want to accept defeat, but in the coming days the reality will dawn on him.

We are offering him the opportunity to return to the party, else he would look back one day and not see his supporters,” Umeh said.

PAGE 18

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

News

Delta 2023: COVID-19: Lagos sees upsurge in Put your infections as NCDC records 442 cases house L in order, Delta north monarchs

By Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

T

raditional rulers of Delta North Senatorial District under the aegis of Delta North Traditional Rulers Council has stated that the Urhobo people have contributed to the good and happiness of the people of Delta north divide.

The monarchs who spoke through the Chairman of Delta State Traditional Rulers Council, His Royal Majesty, Dr. Emmanuel Efeizomor II, Obi of Owa, stated rhetorically that a new broom sweeps well but old broom sweeps better on Sunday.

According to him, “when we say Urhobo wadoo, we know that we are talking to people who are part of us in this divide.

So your lobby across the state is an indication that we are already talking about peace and harmony of our great state come 2023, and that is what you are here for.

“We are very appreciative that you recognized us the traditional rulers from the Delta North extraction and for bringing this important message to us. We are happy to receive you for many reasons because It is not easy to serve humanity.

“Your people have done well, we have not forgotten the role of late General David Ejoor, Chief Jereton Mariere who lived with us here. I want to say new broom sweeps well but the old broom sweeps better. I just decided to call some of those names for you to know that we have friends that we cannot easily forget”.

While appealing to leaders and members of DC-23 present to support Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to finish well and strong, the monarch advised DC-23 to go home and put their house in order for easy politicking come 2023.

“This message you have brought is very vital but we will put it in prayers to enable us smile at the end”, he added.

Earlier, National Chairman of Delta Central 2023, Chief Senator Ighoyota Amori in his speech, told the monarchs that the visit was to seek for prayers from them.

He explained that DC-23 is a lobby group made up of card carrying members of the PDP in Delta Central Senatorial District with aim to lobby for the governorship seat to rotate to the Central come 2023.

agos state witnessed an upsurge in daily new COVID-19 cases as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), reported additional 422 infections on Aug. 9, 2021.

The NCDC made this known via its verified website on Tuesday morning.

It confirmed that the additional 422 cases were from nine states and the FCT. The agency said that Lagos state was standing at a dire inflection point, with the Coronavirus cases surging and most of its population not yet fully vaccinated.

Driving the latest wave was the highly contagious Delta variant with Lagos continuing to report more than half of the daily cases in

the country.

The state recorded the highest cases with 190 of the 422 additional infections.

The public health agency tracking the Coronavirus case surges in states across the country, said that the additional disease infections were rising across the country with 86 in Rivers.

Ogun recorded 85, Oyo, 22, while FCT had 20, Kwara had 7, Edo, 5, Abia, 4, and Bayelsa, 3.

The NCDC announced that 219 people had recovered and were discharged from various isolation centres in the country on Saturday.

It said that till date, 165,982 recoveries had been recorded nationwide in 36 states and the

FCT. According to it, the country had tested more than 2.5 million samples for the virus of the roughly 200 million population.

It stated that the country’s COVID-19 average test positivity rate was six per cent.

The agency said that five new deaths were recorded on Monday, raising the total number of fatalities in the country to 2,192 The NCDC said that a multisectoral national Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), activated at Level 2, continues to coordinate the national response activities.

According to it, the country’s COVID-19 infections continues to rise as the total number of

confirmed cases in Nigeria as of Aug. 9, 2021, is 178,508.

Meanwhile, the agency added that driving down infections starts by staying home and doing everything Nigerians can, to protect themselves and others from getting sick.

“Vaccines are just one part of our COVID response and we must continue to rely on public health measures to keep our populations and our country safe.

“While we have all been affected by this pandemic, we have not been impacted equally.

To fight COVID-19 effectively, we must address these inequalities and support the most vulnerable as they struggle to protect themselves,” it advised. (NAN)

Director, Trade Information, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mrs. Ifeyinwa Obidike; The Representative of the Executive Director NEPC and Director, Product Development of the council, Mr. William Ezeagu; Director, International Export Office NEPC, Mrs. Uduak Etokowoh and the Director, office of the Executive Director NEPC, Mrs. Estelle Igwe; at the opening ceremony and the Launch of level 4 Diploma in International trade, organized by the NEPC in Collaboration with the Institute of Export / International Trade and International Trade Centre (ITC), held on Monday in Abuja, Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Niger Journalists tasks govt, security on release of abductees From Yakubu Minna

Mustapha,

T

he Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Niger state Council has called on the state government to expedite action to ensure the safe release of abducted persons in the state.

The Chapel in a statement jointly signed by the Chairman, Yakubu Mustapha Bina and the Secretary Daniel Okpole Atori urged the government and security agencies to hasten their release The statement urged the Government and relevant agencies to put up required

strategies to ensure the timely release of the state Commissioner for Information Mohammed Sani Idris and the Niger state Zone C chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Malam Aminu Bobi who was abducted on Saturday in his farm in Mariga Local Government Area.

The statement added that

measures be put in place for the release of the 136 Salihu Tanko Islamiyya school children, in Tegina, Rafi LGA who have spent nine weeks in the hands of their abductors.

It however commended the government and joint task force for the success stories so far in repelling armed bandits.

Tiv stakeholders caution kinsmen against criminal activities From Gambo Ahmed, Lafia

P

resent, Tiv Development Association, TIDA, in Nasarawa State, Comrade

Peter Ahemba has admonished Tiv communities in Nasarawa against involvement in criminal activities in the interest of peace.

Peter Ahemba, gave the

admonition while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of new officials of Keana Local Government Area branch of the association.

He maintained that TIDA

under his leadership will not hesitate to expose and handover to the law enforcement agents, any member found indulging in criminal activities.

Page 19

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

By Etuka Sunday

I

n a bid to strengthen and reposition the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) towards attaining global excellence and profitability, the Management of the Corporation has announced the promotion and redeployment of some staff to fill key vacant positions.

In a statement released by the Corporation’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Dr. Kennie Obateru on Monday, Mr. Billy Okoye has been appointed the new Group Executive Director, Ventures & Business Development while Mrs. Aisha Ahmadu-Katagum has been promoted to the position of Group Executive Director, Corporate Services.

Until their new appointments, Mr. Okoye and Mrs. AhmaduKatagum were Group General Managers, Crude Oil Marketing Division (COMD) and Supply Chain Management Division in the Corporation, respectively.

Engr. Adeyemi Adetunji, formerly Chief Operating Officer, Business & Ventures Development, becomes the Group Executive Director, Downstream, while Mr. Mohammed Abdulkabir Ahmed, formerly Chief Operating Officer, Corporate Services, becomes the Group Executive Director, Gas & Power.

Other Chief Operating Officer positions in the Corporation have now been redesignated as Group Executive Directors (GEDs), in alignment with the rules of Company & Allied Matters Act (CAMA), preparatory to the new status of the Corporation as a Limited Liability Company, post-Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

The repositioning also saw the disengagement of Engr.

Yusuf Usman, formerly Chief Operating Officer, Gas & Power.

The new appointments

Why we redeployed Senior Staff -NNPC GMD

include that of Mr. Garba Deen Muhammad, who will take over from Dr. Kennie Obateru as the Group General Manager, Group

Public Affairs Division of the Corporation.

Speaking on the Development, Group Managing

Director of the Corporation, Mallam Mele Kyari, said the new appointments would enable the Corporation live up to the

expectations of Nigerians and achieve its vision of becoming a world-class energy company of choice.

Kaduna Electric Launches Customer App

A

s part of efforts to provide additional transaction channels to its customers, Kaduna Electric has recently launched a mobile App that enable the Company’s customers to make transactions from the comfort of their homes, offices and other business premises.

A statement by the Head, Corporate Communications,

Abdulazeez Abdullahi, said that the user-friendly mobile App named KE- Customer App has the unique feature of working on both android and IOS devices.

Another advantage of the new App, the statement said, is that customers do not get charged a “Convenience Fee” for transactions done on the App. According to the statement,

through the App, customers can pay their post paid bills, buy electricity token and lodge complaints.

Customers can also pay penalty for various electricity related offences such as meter bypass, loss of revenue and energy theft.

In order to keep customers regularly informed, they will also be able to receive updates as well

as notifications on the Company’s operations.

The statement said the App is available on the Google Play Store while the web version can be downloaded via the link: https:// www.kecustomercore.com.

The App is an additional electronic payment channel to the existing ones namely buypower and irecharge.

From left: Lagos Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Dr Wale Ahmed; Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; and Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, during the induction and retreat for the newly elected Chairmen of 57 Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas in Lagos on Thursday (5/8/21).

SEC holds Second CMC Meeting Thursday

By Etuka Sunday

T

he Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is set to hold the Second Capital Market Committee (CMC) meeting in 2021 from Thursday August 12 to Friday 13, 2021.

The meeting is scheduled to hold virtually through Zoom with key stakeholders in the capital market meeting on August 12, while the usual interface with the press, on the outcome of the CMC meeting, will take place on Friday August 13.

According to the SEC, “Attendance to both events is strictly by invitation. Invited participants

will be sent unique links with which to join the meeting”.

The CMC was primarily established to serve as a medium for exchange of ideas among market stakeholders as well as an avenue for providing feedback to the SEC on how to continuously address challenges, improve market operations and enhance the regulatory framework. It is an industry-wide committee comprising members of the SEC, representatives of capital market operators and trade groups and other stakeholders. The CMC meets every quarter.

During the meeting, issues bordering on implementation

of the Ten Year Capital Market Master Plan, implementation of the Fintech Roadmap, the commodities trading ecosystem roadmap as well as other salient matters relating to the capital market and the economy would be discussed.

Recall that the Commission had unveiled the ten-year Capital Market Master Plan (CMMP) in November 2014 and has continued to implement the initiatives, which are designed to reposition the Nigerian Capital Market as an attractive investment destination and a critical facilitator of capital formation for the accelerated growth and development of the Nigerian economy.

Some of the CMMP initiatives that have been implemented include; Direct Cash Settlement, regularisation of multiple subscriptions, dematerialization of share certificates, and the introduction of the e-Dividend Management System. The CMMP initiatives have helped in promoting transparency, protecting investors and enhancing market confidence.

The objectives of the CMMP are also in consonance with the Federal Government’s economic strategy, focused on encouraging a private sector-led economy to drive inclusive growth.

Expected participants at the CMC meeting include Chief

Executive Officers (CEOs) of all registered capital market firms (i.e. Broker/Dealers, Investment Advisers, Custodians, Fund/ Portfolio Managers, Receiving Banks, Issuing Houses, Rating Agencies, Registrars, Reporting Accountants, Trustees, and Capital Market Consultants, etc.); Chief Executive Officers of: Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX), National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD); FMDQ Group Plc; Africa Exchange Holdings (AFEX); Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NCX); Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS); as well as representatives of relevant financial sector regulatory agencies, among others.

PAGE 20

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

BUSINESS

LG extends Virtual Reality with OLED Televisions

By Etuka Sunday

W

elcome to a virtual universe – a world of immersive technologies. Augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and other extended reality (XR) technologies have been around for quite some time but are fast becoming a commonplace in everything from entertainment and online commerce to healthcare.

The steady growth of social apps, for instance, has extended the reach of AR with features like selfie filters on Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok. For novices, extended reality can be considered as simulated experiences, where a scenario is replicated in a digital environment and where users are able to interact with that virtual world using computerbased objects.

Leading Adoption of AR and VR Technologies LG is going big on AR and VR to change how customers interact with their products. There are two new solutions from LG, each using one aspect of AR and VR. LG Virtual Studio, allows customers to scan in their own room using their phone and place 360-degree rotatable renders of each model of LG’s Audio Visual products in the room to see how they would look and how much room they would take up.

The LG TV Simulator uses LG

designed default rooms to place their Audio Visual solutions within for users to experience.

The simulator offers three living room sizes for customers to choose from, six interior styles and every TV screen size and mount option from LG’s TV range (including OLED, NanoCell, UHD, and FHD).

The key to unlocking an unbelievable metaverse experience when gaming is immersion. That’s why LG’s OLED and NanoCell TVs are being updated to support Dolby Vision®HDR at 4K 120Hz, which will go a long way in ensuring that gaming in the metaverse at home is as immersive as it gets LG also has two islands within the popular Animal Crossing: New Horizons (ACNH) game that allows visitors to virtually experience and learn about LG OLED TVs while visiting special zones filled with LG products.

AR, VR & LG OLED Gallery Series TV For consumers more interested in upgrading their TVs than playing games, LG is employing virtual reality and augmented reality to help them choose the right product even when visiting the showroom is off limits. Thanks to AR technology, the LG OLED Gallery Series TV site instantly turns one’s living room into a fully furnished space enabling customers to visualize how LG OLED Gallery TV would look in one of four themed

environments – Gallery, Sports, Gaming and Cinema.

“Life is about more than having the latest technology, rather, it’s about the experiences technology creates that impact our lives. At LG Electronics, we are committed to delivering electronics through top-ofthe-line home entertainment,” explained Mr Mike Ahn, General Manager, Home Entertainment, TV Division, LG Electronics West Africa Operations.

Expanding upon Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, LG Virtual Studio

allows consumers to bring LG’s award-winning OLED TVs and innovative range of Audio Visual products into any room in one’s home virtually. With detailed, 360 degree rotatable renders of each model, visitors can clearly see how LG’s products would look in a given space and how much room they would take up.

By simply visiting the LG Virtual Studio website, consumers can get a good sense of which options are best suited to their homes and lifestyles.

What

makes

the

Gallery

Series special is that, not only is it beautiful to look at aesthetically, but it also packs LG’s immaculate OLED panel and powerful Alpha a9 Processor inside that helps the TV reach perfect black and dazzling colour accuracy. If you want a smart TV that’s both robust and easy to use the LG OLED TV is for you. WebOS is a seriously good smart platform. There’s no two ways about it. If you want a TV that has widespread support for your favourite apps plus every major smart assistant built right in, you can’t do better than this LG OLED.

Securities Issuers Forum will Aid Market Development – SEC

By Etuka Sunday

D

irector General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Mr. Lamido Yuguda has expressed optimism that the Securities Issuers Forum (SIF) will create a platform for issuers to engage the Commission in order to encourage more listings, improve contribution of issuers to the development of the capital market as key stakeholders, deepen and broaden the market and ultimately contribute to Nigeria’s economic development.

Yuguda who stated this in his opening address during the virtual inauguration of Securities Issuers Forum by SEC in collaboration with Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, said the SIF has the potential to act as a bridge between the SEC and issuers of securities.

According to him, it is also expected that with the establishment of SIF, the SEC will be better positioned to engage issuers on capital raising

opportunities to facilitate increased participation in the capital market, development of new products to meet funding needs and addressing issues relating to compliance with regulatory requirements.

The SEC DG disclosed that “The idea of a forum for issuers of securities is not novel as such fora exist in other parts of the world to cater to the interests of issuers of securities in the capital market. In Europe, the European Issuers acts as the voice of issuers of securities representing over 8,000 companies and national associations of issuers of securities. In the United States of America and South Africa, the American Securities Association and the Debt Issuers Association respectively serve as the associations for issuers of securities.

“In Nigeria, the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) the umbrella body for over 3,000 members seeks to protect interests and rights of businesses and ultimately influence policy making. By encouraging the

establishment of the SIF in collaboration with NECA, the SEC hopes to bridge the gap that exists between the expectations of issuers and the requirements of the regulator.

“While forums for issuers are not very common in the African region, they have proven to be veritable tools for capital market advancement in the UK, Europe and Asia. The inauguration of SIF today thus marks an important move by Nigeria to reap the benefits associated with its establishment”.

The SEC Boss stated that the objectives of issuers forums among others are to maintain regular contact with the regulator and policy makers: advise the regulator and policy makers on regulations affecting companies/issuers: conduct research, organize conferences, roundtable discussions and other events for the benefit of members and promote sound corporate governance and ethical conduct among members.

Other Objectives of the forum he said, are to promote

healthy competitiveness among members: maintain an enabling business environment by monitoring issues of direct relevance to members and protect the interest of members and present their views at various fora.

According to Yuguda, “The Commission had encouraged the creation of associations and trade groups for other capital market stakeholders such as shareholders and capital market operators.

Therefore, the Securities Issuers Forum (SIF) is expected to function seamlessly and attract members in line with precedence already established.

“The presentations which will be made today will reiterate further the important role which SIF will play in the Nigerian capital market and the resultant responsibility placed on members to ensure that the forum lives up to its expectation”.

In his remarks, Director General of NECA, Dr. Timothy Olawale expressed appreciation to the SEC on the initiative of inaugurating the forum saying

that the event is important to the business community especially coming during the current economic constraints being faced globally.

Dr. Olawale said regulators are expected to be business facilitators and expressed excitement that the SEC is working hard at facilitating the ease of doing business as well as bridge the gaps and aid companies meet expectations of compliance.

He said “This Forum is a good one by the SEC as it will help us to do what is needful and right and we are very excited about it. It is commendable and we recommend this form of partnership to others.

“The forum will serve as a medium of regular engagement between SEC and issuers of securities in order to address challenges, improve the business environment and enhance contribution of the capital market to the growth of the Nigerian economy. We might not achieve all we set out to do at once, but gradually we will get there” he stated.

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

FHIS tasked on inclusive healthcare services

By Stanley Onyekwere

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he management of the FCT Health Insurance Scheme (FHIS) have been asked to devise means of including terminal diseases and other life-threatening sicknesses in the health services of the agency.

The FCT Permanent Secretary, Mr Adesola Olusade, who gave the advice at the Public Presentation of FHIS Working Documents, yesterday in Abuja, also suggested that the aged be included as beneficiaries of the initiative.

Olusade, who noted that ailments, such as cancer, liver related problems, sickle cell, are highly expensive to manage, therefore called for the need to get donors and other stakeholders to support such expansion.

He said: “In order to adequately cover these broad spectrum of expansions, there will be need for managers of the Scheme to devise strategies that can woo in more Local and International Partners and Donor Agencies to identify with the Scheme.”

According to him, already, the Administration has set process in motion to give legal backing to the scheme to make i more inclusive in its coverage to wider spectrum of the FCT especially the poor, vulnerable and the disabled.

“In view of the importance of affordable and accessible healthcare delivery, it will interest you to know that His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari has also mandated the FCT Administration to ensure that the coverage of the health insurance scheme is expanded to cover all residents of the Territory, both formal and informal sectors.

“In a bid to actualize Mr. President’s mandate, we have on our part as an Administration, set in motion a process that will give the Scheme a legal framework in order to make the Scheme more inclusive in its coverage and operations, which will also capture the poor, vulnerable and the disabled. These categories of beneficiaries will also gain from the Basic Health Care Provision Fund(BHCPF). This Fund provides free insurance cover for them.

“It is important to bring to your notice that the BHCPF is a Federal Government Health Initiative which the FCT Administration has keyed into and met all the requirements for fund disbursement. “ Already, over 9,000 poor and vulnerable in the FCT are currently being enrolled on this programme,” he added.

The Permanent secretary therefore mandated stakeholders to come up with modalities that will guarantee improved service delivery to beneficiaries of the Scheme, warning that the administration will not condone any form of misappropriation of funds.

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FCTA begins demolishing homes, worship Centres, others in Iddo Sabo

By Stanley Onyekwere

In furtherance of it’s reinvigorated removal of illegal structures along the corridors of Abuja Airport road, officials of the FCT Administration yesterday stormed and demolished illegal structures in Iddo Sabo community, one of the fast growing indigenous settlements in the area.

The affected structures were worship centres, residential buildings, shops and shanties in Iddo Sabo community.

Others include; schools, vocational workshops, block making industries and uncompleted buildings.

The team, comprising

of security personnel and relevant agencies of the FCT Administration, also revisited and cleared one worship centre and residential buildings in Iddo Sarki community in the area, to finish what they have been doing in the community in recent weeks.

Explaining the exercise, Chairman, FCT Ministerial Taskforce on City Sanitation, Comrade Ikharo Attah, said it’s going to be a comprehensive removal of all the infractions in the community especially those near the road corridors.

Attah said: “We have started the exercise in Iddo Sabo. What we did today is like a demolition rehearsal, because we have not

really started doing what we are supposed to do here.

“We have to spend time to work here, because of the illegality committed here is really very ugly. “ A year and half ago, there were very few structures, which hardly see them from the Airport road, but as we speak now, the structures are very massive in their numbers, and it’s worrisome development. “ The land was hitherto been used by the locals for farming activities pending when they are fully resettled, are now converted into massive housing site . “ He however, advised property developers to desist

from acquisition of land from village chiefs, so as to escape consequences of contravening FCT land use Act. Similarly, Secretary Command and Control Centre, FCTA, Olumuji Peter, noted that the expansion of unplanned settlements in the Territory, poses serious security implications.

According to him, “like we have done in Iddo Sarki, we have come to Iddo Sabo now, and we are ensuring that all those unplanned settlements are being removed.

“Whenever you allow unplanned settlements to expand, it breeds more of criminalities and places for criminals to hibernate”.

The debris of one of the illegal structures demolished during the commencement of removal exercise in Iddo Sabo community, located along the Abuja Airport road.

Photo: Stanley Onyekwere

FCT Minister pledges support for FOCI to advance construction skills

By Stanley Onyekwere

T

he FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, has expressed the commitment of the FCT Administration to partner the Federation of Construction Industry (FOCI) in advancement of various construction skills.

Aliyu gave this assurance when the leadership of the FOCI paid her a courtesy call to brief the Minister on the outcome of its 65th Annual General Meeting and the unveiling of FOCI Skills Academy, in Abuja.

He said the FCT Administration was conscious of the potentials in the construction industry and has in line with the presidential mandates to work with the private sector to

create jobs, and contribute to the attainment of the objective of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.

According to her: “the FCT Administration through the Youth Development Department of the Social Development Secretariat has trained youths in various viable economic skills at the FCT Youth Support Centre, Nyanya.

“We are in active collaboration with the African Union (ECOSSOC) to establish a youth outreach mini centre at the Social Development Secretariat, where young people can meet our social services experts to engage and discuss their problems for positive solution. I want to assure you that we shall work hard together to attract investments

into this sector”.

The Minister also assured that the administration was leaving no stone unturned towards ensuring that skills and job creation are not encumbered with business support challenges, adding that the administration has strengthened the leading skills development agency, the Abuja Enterprise Agency, while the Youth Centre in Nyanya has been upgraded for skill acquisition training.

While commending the group for unveiling the skills academy in Abuja, the Minister noted that the academy was an attestation of FOCI drive to create job opportunities in the industry.

Earlier in her remarks, FOCI Director General, Engr.

Olubunmi Adekoje, informed the

minister that the Skills Academy was to provide a world class training in construction skills through training and certification of apprentices, up-skilling of artisans and craftsmen.

Adekoje, also revealed that the academy could train over 1,000 persons in various construction skills, stressing that the move could be one of the pathways for Nigeria to boost ongoing efforts at overcoming developmental obstacles in the pursuit of sustained inclusive growth.

She further opined that the Annual General Meeting of FOCI was a platform specially designed for and dedicated to protect the interests of member companies through advocacy and representation.

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world news

N international_peoplesdailyng@yahoo.com

Princess Latifa: Campaign to free Dubai ruler’s daughter disbanded

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he campaign to free Princess Latifa, the daughter of the ruler of Dubai, has been disbanded after she was pictured in Iceland.

The image was posted on Instagram on Monday by a British woman who has previously appeared in photos with her.

But it is unclear to what extent Latifa, who has not spoken publicly, is operating under her own free will.

The BBC broadcast footage earlier this year in which the princess said she was being held captive by her father.

It prompted an international outcry, with the UN calling for proof that the 35-year-old was still alive.

Several images of Latifa have since emerged. They were posted by Sioned Taylor, who was also in one such image in June that appeared to show the pair together at Madrid airport.

Others showed Latifa at a shopping mall and a restaurant in Dubai.

The Free Latifa campaign issued a statement on Monday confirming that the princess had met her cousin, Marcus Essabri - the third person in the photo - in Iceland.

“Following the meeting... it has been decided that the most appropriate step at this time is to close the Free Latifa campaign,” it said.

“The primary purpose of [the] campaign

This Instagram image posted in June appeared to show Princess Latifa, right, in Madrid was to see Latifa free leading the life she chooses for herself,” the statement added.

“We have clearly gone a long way towards achieving that goal.”

Mr Essabri, whose aunt is Latifa’s mother, said: “[We] had an emotional reunion... It was reassuring to see her so happy, well and focused on her plans.”

David Haigh, co-founder of the Free

Latifa campaign, told the BBC that the princess’s current situation was “the best position she has been in in terms of freedom [...] for two decades”.

But he added: “It’s quite right and understandable that everyone needs to look at everything that’s happening now with extreme caution and monitor the situation closely.”

This Instagram image posted in June appeared to show Princess Latifa, right, in Madrid Dubai’s royal family has not commented on the latest photograph.

Latifa, one of the 25 children of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, attempted to escape from Dubai in February 2018.

In a video recorded shortly before she left, she said her life was heavily constricted.

“I haven’t left the country since 2000. I’ve been asking a lot to just go travelling, to study, to do anything normal. They don’t let me,” she said.

But the escape went wrong: eight days into a journey across the Indian Ocean, the boat was caught by commandos who forcibly removed Latifa and returned her to Dubai.

Her father later said he considered this a “rescue mission”.

In February, BBC Panorama broadcast videos secretly recorded by Princess Latifa and passed to friends abroad, in which she describes her capture and imprisonment after her return to Dubai.

She said she was being held alone without access to medical or legal help in a villa with windows and doors barred shut, and guarded by police.

Source: BBC

US deserves to be called world’s biggest anti-pandemic failure, report says

By Global Times

C

hinese think tanks jointly released a report on Monday to reveal the truth about US’ fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, the first such kind to comprehensively show how the US ended up being a failed country in the battle against coronavirus and how it continues to prompt virus origins tracing terrorism in the world by evading questions and covering up the truth.

The report titled “’America Ranked First’?!The Truth about America’s Fight against COVID-19” was jointly released by the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at the Renmin University of China (RDCY), Taihe Think Tank and Intellisia Institute on Monday.

It analyzes five major aspects regarding US’ failure in response to the pandemic, including its highly politicized partisanship, its anti-science and abnormal measures in the epidemic prevention and control; the growing social inequality exacerbated by the pandemic and its willful destruction of global resistance to the pandemic.

The report says the US is well deserved to be called the world’s No one in eight aspects: failure in anti-pandemic response, political blaming, pandemic spreading, political division, currency abuse, pandemic period turmoil and the disinformation country, and the origins-tracing terrorism country.

Previously, the US jumped to the No.1

spot on Bloomberg’s COVID-19 resilience ranking under the title “The best and worst places to be as the world finally reopens.”

Wang Wen, executive dean of the RDCY, told the Global Times said it’s ridiculous to place the US as the top country in handling the pandemic, and it’s also a disregard to history and even human ethics. This report attempts to show the real history to the world as the world history should not be twisted by some individual voices or media.

During the past half year, the US has been shirking responsibility, not one single US official tried to rethink the US’ epidemic situation or resign over their failure in combating the epidemic, while this report serves to draw lessons from US’ failure and avoid them to happen in the future and calls for solidarity to fight the epidemic, Wang said.

The COVID-19 was probably the greatest test of governance the world has ever seen since the Second World War. The US and the West failed miserably, Martin Jacques, a Former Senior Fellow from Cambridge University, addressed the report-release meeting on Monday.

The geopolitics has usurped science.

The COVID-19 is mired in a sort of “Cold War” rhetoric, “Cold War” language, and “Cold War” assault by the US and this is going to continue, Jacques said.

The number of COVID-19 cases in a single day in the US exceeded 100,000 on July 30, which was the first time in six months since February 6, when the number

of new cases in a single day first exceeded 100,000. It marks the epidemic in the US entering the fourth wave of upsurge.

“Behind the cold numbers lies the domestic politics of the US - particularly the highly politicized partisanship, which has taken many lives of the Americans “who need not have died,” the report said.

The report said US’ systemic failure in the fight against COVID-19 is rooted in the profit-seeking nature of capitalism: paying lip service to the “supremacy of human rights” while acting in the interests of capital, and adopting the social Darwinian “law of survival of the fittest” in its response to public health crises.

While exporting the virus to the world, the US has also turned the global public health disaster into a major power model wrestling match by politicizing scientific issues such as the anti-pandemic model, the origins-tracing of the pandemic, and the effectiveness of vaccines, shifting the blame to the outside world and misleading the international community, the report said.

The former US President Donald Trump is probably the biggest promoter of COVID-19 misinformation as by May 26, 2020, Trump was mentioned in about 38 percent of the English-language media’s fake reports on COVID-19, it said.

The Biden administration intended to reshape the image of the US as a responsible power under the banner of “America is back,” but the Biden administration

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

actually lacks respect for science in many aspects, including tracing virus origins.

The administration is not only refusing to conduct multi-point and multi-dimensional tracing around the world but also rekindled the “lab leak theory” hype soon after taking office for political gains.

Failing to assume its international responsibility and bringing positive impact on global cooperation against the pandemic, the US government has been covering up the truth and manipulating global public opinion by practicing “origins-tracing terrorism,” the report added.

What was the outbreak of the so-called “respiratory disease” or “white lung disease” of unknown cause in the United States in the second half of 2019 really about? What kind of research is going on at Fort Detrick and other biological laboratories around the country? Is it related to COVID-19? How were the security measures implemented?

Is it related to the origins of the global COVID-19 outbreak?

Researchers from those think tanks called for the US to allow an international team of experts organized by the World Health Organization to conduct site visits and investigations of relevant biological laboratories in the US for the sake of effectively advancing scientific tracing efforts and dispelling external questions about the lack of transparency in the US. “We believe that the truth can only come late, but it will never be absent, ever,” the report said.

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UAE firm to refund Ghana $2m in failed vaccine deal

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UAE firm linked to a member of the country’s royal family has agreed to refund about $2m (£1.4m) to Ghana’s health ministry after failing to deliver 3.4 million doses of Russia’s Sputnik V Covid vaccine, local media outlets report.

The doses were to be supplied by end of June, but the West African country had only received 20,000 doses by early July, according to reports.

Health Minister Kwaku AgyemanManu has been under pressure to seek a refund following the findings of a parliamentary committee that highlighted alleged breaches in the procurement of the vaccines.

Sputnik V was unveiled last year as the world’s first Covid jab. But scores of countries say they’ve been let down by delayed deliveries.

There have been further difficulties for Africa after middlemen hike up prices.

Ugandan critic in Turkey to face 15 cases - police

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olice in Uganda say they have 15 complaints on file against Turkeybased Ugandan blogger and government critic Fred Lumbuye.

They have not disclosed the details of the complaints.

Mr Lumbuye, whose content is mostly in the Luganda language, is linked to igniting speculation in June about President Yoweri Museveni’s health.

The president subsequently ordered the arrest of people who use social media to publish misinformation and fake news.

Last week, Ugandan government officials said that the blogger, who is popular on Facebook, had been arrested and would be extradited home to face charges.

But both the police and immigration officials have told the media that Mr Lumbuye is not in their custody yet.

He was highly critical of Mr Museveni in the period leading up to the January 2021 elections, and used his social media accounts to campaign for opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine.

In one of his videos, he gave his followers tips on how to make petrol bombs to throw at the security forces who regularly violently dispersed opposition supporters.

He has also previously alleged in his tweets that the media had been paid “to promote Covid-19”.

Lawyers have told the BBC they are trying to fight Mr Lumbuye’s deportation.

It is the first that Uganda has tried to have a critic based abroad brought home for trial.

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FG condemns mishandling of Nigerian envoy in Indonesia

By Ochiaka Ugwu

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he Federal Government has in strong terms condemned the manhandling and arrest of a Nigerian diplomat by Indonesians officials.

In a statement released after a press conference addressed on the issue by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama in Abuja Tuesday and signed by the Ministry’s spokesperson, Mrs. Esther Sunsuwa, it stated after studying the report of the Nigerian Ambassador, the Nigerian Government condemns in the strongest terms what is in effect an egregious act of international delinquency

by Indonesian State actors against an

accredited representative of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with absolutely no justification and against international law.

According to the statement, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has received a comprehensive report from the Nigerian Ambassador in Indonesia on the manhandling and arrest of a Nigerian diplomat.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had previously summoned the Indonesian Ambassador to the Ministry to express outrage and to protest strongly.

“After studying the report of the Nigerian Ambassador, the Nigerian Government condemns in the strongest terms what is in effect an egregious act of

international delinquency by Indonesian State actors against an accredited representative of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with absolutely no justification and against international law.

“The Nigerian Government demands appropriate sanctions against the relevant officials and has recalled its Ambassador in Indonesia for consultations, including a review of bilateral relations.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirms its resolve to protect the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians wherever they are in the world and calls for calm as consultations continue” the statement concluded.

Marburg virus: Man who died in Guinea found to have disease

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uinea health officials have confirmed West Africa’s first case of Marburg, a highly infectious disease in the same family as the virus that causes Ebola.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said the virus needed to be “stopped in its tracks”.

Marburg virus disease is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads between humans through the transmission of bodily fluids.

Cases are extremely rare with the last major outbreak in Angola in 2005.

It is a severe, often fatal illness with symptoms including headache, fever, muscle pains, vomiting blood and bleeding.

No treatment yet exists for Marburg but doctors say drinking plenty of water and treating specific symptoms improves a patient’s chances of survival.

Samples taken from the patient in Guinea, who has since died, were tested in The Marburg virus was first detected in the city of Marburg in Germany in 1967 the country’s laboratories, and returned a week, the same region where recent Ebola The WHO’s Africa director Dr positive result for the Marburg virus.

It was identified in Guéckédou last cases were found in an outbreak which is Matshidiso Moeti said the virus had the now over. potential to “spread far and wide”.

Jailed Moroccan journalist ends hunger strike

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ailed Moroccan journalist Soulaimane Roussani has ended a hunger strike after being admitted to hospital, his lawyer said.

Roussani had been refusing food for 122 days as a protest against what he said was

the “injustice” dealt to him.

His lawyer Mohamed Messaoudi told the AFP news agency that the prison doctor warned Mr Raissouni on Saturday that he would die unless he started eating.

Raissouni was detained more than a

year ago and was sentenced last month to five months in prison for indecent assault.

He denies the charges, which his supporters say are politically motivated.

A number of journalists in Morocco have been prosecuted for alleged sex crimes.

Zuma’s corruption trial delayed for medical reasons

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outh Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma’s corruption trial - which was due to resume on Tuesday - has been postponed for medical reasons.

His legal team applied for the postponement after the 79-year-old was admitted to hospital on Friday for an undisclosed condition.

The trial relates to a $5bn (£3bn) arms

deal back in the 1990s.

It is the latest in a series of delays in the trial which also involved French arms company Thales.

Zuma, who is currently serving a 15-month sentence for contempt of court in a separate case, will be expected to present proof to the court of his illness.

The former president’s medical team have

been given until 20 August to file a report to the court.

The state will also appoint an independent doctor to examine him to establish his fitness to stand trial.

Zuma is facing a string of charges including fraud and racketeering.

He has pleaded not guilty to all the counts and says the trial is politically motivated.

Mozambique hopes for reopening of gas projects

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ilitary advances against armed groups in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province are “a very important step” for the resumption of natural gas projects, a Mozambican minister says.

Stability was crucial to bringing back activities in the region that were interrupted by jihadist attacks, Energy Minister Max

Tonela said.

In April, French energy giant Total suspended its $20bn (£14.6bn) natural gas project in northern Mozambique - the largest private investment in Africa - because of armed attacks in the region.

One of the conditions imposed by Total was the restoration of security in the project’s

zone in Rovuma basin, the minister said.

On Sunday, the military confirmed the seizure of the key port city of Mocímboa da Praia by Mozambican and Rwandan forces.

It said the troops were still advancing to consolidate “all the areas that are still critical”.

Rwanda sent a military contingent to Mozambique last month to assist in the fight

against armed groups in Cabo Delgado under a bilateral agreement.

The southern African regional bloc, Sadc, officially launched its military mission to fight “terrorism and violent extremism” in northern Mozambique on Monday.

Source: BBC

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PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

Health services to be a highlight of 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services

By Wan Yu, People’s Daily

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he 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), themed “Towards Digital Future and Service Driven Development,” is scheduled to kick off on Sept. 2 at the China National Convention Center and Shougang Park in Beijing.

The health services thematic exhibition of the six-day event is expected to receive huge attention as the world is grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The health services sector of the 2021 CIFTIS will include both online and offline activities, such as exhibitions and professional forums.

It will showcase China’s innovation capability in medical technology and services, innovation results of medical products, as well as the development of health services, with an aim to expand the opening-up of the Chinese health industry amid regular epidemic prevention and control, and build a sound situation featuring win-win results.

The thematic exhibition will include six sections of pandemic control, medical services, scientific innovation, traditional medicine, health of the seniors and international medical care services, covering innovative medicine, high-end medical apparatus and instruments, commercial health insurance and health services.

Traditional Chinese medicine will also be showcased at the exhibition.

The thematic exhibition will promote science-based pandemic control and healthy lifestyles, so as to help the public improve their health literacy.

The health services thematic exhibition will be held at revenue E5 of the Shougang Park, covering a total exhibition area of 6,600 square meters. It has already attracted a number of medical institutions, renowned pharmaceutical companies and medical apparatus manufacturers, as well as insurance and nursing institutions.

By Aug. 1, 52 enterprises and organizations have confirmed their participation, over half of which are industrial leaders or on the Fortune Global 500 list. Thirty-four percent of them are from overseas.

Telemedicine, 5G-enabled medical treatment, robot-assisted surgery and other frontier medical technologies are expected to be exhibited at the exhibition through videos and presentations. Besides, the latest technologies in the sphere will also be unveiled.

The exhibition will build an interactive area to bring better experiences to visitors. For instance, they can explore the mystery and fun of medical experiments through videos and audios in a mobile lab, and learn how to prevent AIDS, paediatric allergies, cerebrovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, they will also be able to acquire information about epidemic prevention, first

T

hanks to projects for improving roads and network coverage, Lianziyan village in central China’s Hubei province has increased the sales of local fruits and achieved vitalization.

Located in the depths of mountains, Lianziyan in Quyuan township, Zigui county, Yichang city of Hubei was connected with the outside world with only one waterway. Due to the poor transportation, local farmers couldn’t possibly earn a living by selling navel oranges, chestnuts and other regional specialties, and many left their hometown to work in cities.

“Villagers really hoped to see new roads in Lianziyan, which they believed would lead them to a better life,” said Du Bingxiang, a resident in Lianziyan.

Under China’s strategy of targeted poverty alleviation, a cement road that links Lianziyan to the country’s National Highway 318 was built. Besides, buses that run between Lianziyan and Zigui county and urban areas of Yichang city were also put into operation.

Just like capillaries that run through the human body, hardened roads stretch out to fields and households in Lianziyan, making it easier for villagers to transport local fruits to other regions of China.

However, as fruit industry

prospers, Lianziyan encountered new difficulties. The current 3.5-meter-wide roads could no longer satisfy locals’ needs as the planting area and sales of fruits grew, as pointed out by Yang Tao, secretary of the branch of the Communist Party of China in Lianziyan.

Yang explained that the 3.5-meter-wide roads, which are wide enough for the passage of tricycles, main vehicles for the transportation of local fruits in the past, can’t support large trucks which are needed nowadays.

Driven by a series of policies on fueling rural vitalization in China, authorities in Zigui county recently implemented a road expansion project in Lianziyan village, which is aimed at solving the problem troubling the village.

The project, which intends to widen the 4-kilometer mountain roads in Lianziyan, will be completed next year and is expected to bring new opportunities to local people, Du noted.

“Peaches that mature in June, plums harvested in July, upcoming seedless pomegranates and navel oranges, and other local fruits have now been guaranteed with decent sales channels,” Du said while picking and packaging fruits at his orchard.

Lianziyan is an epitome of China’s rural vitalization campaign, in which infrastructure

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FG assures motorists of road infrastructure development

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

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he Federal Government has assured the motorists and the Public of its commitment to infrastructure development in the country.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing Babangida Hussaini, stated that the Ministry was looking

into all the issues of flooding on the nation’s roads Speaking in the Ministry after receiving an interim report of onthe -spot assessment of the Abuja -Lokoja flash flood and the bridge in Gwaram Local Government Area of Jigawa State.

Hussaini said all roads affected by flash floods are noted and are receiving required attention.

On the Abuja -Lokoja road,he said the flash flood at the weekend was caused by excessive rain and that as soon as the rain subsided , the flood receded, and the road has been opened to traffic since Saturday.

This was contained in statement signed and issued by in Abuja by Boade Akinola Director (Press and Public Relations).

The Permanent Secretary also noted that bridge in Gwaram Local Government Area of Jigawa State will receive prompt response, saying that the Jigawa State is diverting traffic to an alternative route .

“Repairs works has commenced on the bridge immediately,“.

He commended the state governments and the stakeholders for their efforts in supporting Mr.

President’s commitment to road and infrastructure development.

He assured the Jigawa State Government of the Ministry’s technical support as at when needed. He said the professionals in the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing are always available to provide technical support to states in all the roads and bridges construction activities.

Fashola wants unethical engineers must be sanction

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

Photo taken on Nov. 19, 2020 shows the Shougang Park, Beijing. The Park was built in 1919 on the bank of Yongding River. (Photo by Qin Shiming/People’s Daily Online) aid treatment, and chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, arthrophlogosis, and gout.

Those who visit the interactive area will receive comics about medical science as gifts.

As of Aug. 1, 93 percent of the exhibition areas of the 2021 CIFTIS had been booked, and 48 percent of the areas were booked by industrial leaders or Fortune Global 500 companies. Twenty-eight percent of the exhibitors are from overseas.

A total of 165 overseas institutions and foreign institutions in China from 108 overseas countries and

regions have confirmed their participation online or offline in the CIFTIS, including 81 Belt and Road countries. Among the world’s top 30 countries and regions in service trade, 29 have said they would join the event except Norway.

The agenda of the 2021 CIFTIS will center on global hotspot issues including the digital economy, carbon neutrality and pandemic control. Alibaba, HP, Tencent and Pfizer have confirmed to launch new technologies, results and services at the event, covering carbon neutrality, internet of things, smart healthcare,

financial technology, cyber security, AI and internet media.

Sun Yao, head of the Beijing Investment Promotion Service Center and deputy director of Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau, introduced that apart from the China National Convention Center, the Shougang Park will be newly introduced as the venue of thematic exhibitions of the event.

The digital platform of the CIFTIS will be constantly optimized to offer regular exhibition, launching and negotiation services for merchants, Sun added.

Improving roads and network help vitalize village in central China’s Hubei province

By Yu Jingxian, People’s Daily

Property Feature

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESday, AUGUST 11, 2021

Farmers pick cherries at a hillside orchard in Qiukeyu village, Houjiazhai township, Zunhua city, north China’s Hebei province, May 26, 2021. (Photo by Liu Mancang/People’s Daily Online) modernization has played an important part.

So far, all administrative villages with the proper conditions have been covered by hardened roads, passenger vehicles, and mail service network. 83 percent of the villages in China have gained access to tap water and been guaranteed with safe drinking water, and over 98 percent of the villages in the country have been equipped with fiber-optics Internet and 4G networks.

China will continuously focus its efforts on the construction of public infrastructure in rural areas, and strive to extend infrastructure into households in villages, according to the country’s No.1 Central

Document for 2021.

Besides improving roads, rural areas are also seeing upgrading networks. In October 2020, Zigui county was included as one of the first batch of areas for China’s pilot project of digital villages. Under the project, Lianziyan has built two 5G base stations and two 4G base stations, and set up 252 fiberoptics broadband ports this year.

The village has been fully covered by wired and wireless networks.

“Each household has a doorplate with a QR code on it, which leads to the online stores of villagers.

Owners of agritainment restaurants even allow customers to order by scanning the QR code,” Yang said.

Hardened roads and network cables have given fresh impetus to the development of Lianziyan village, enabling special agricultural products of the mountainous village to be sold across China via online platforms.

This year, Du bought the use right of 6.67 hectares of land for growing tea. “Earlier a company came to the village for investigation as it plans to build a tea processing factory here.

If the factory is built, villagers like me can sell tea without leaving our homes,” Du said.

According to Kong Xiangzhi, a professor at the School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Renmin University of China, to improve rural infrastructure requires making traditional infrastructure including water, electricity, road, gas, housing and communications available to more rural households while advancing new type infrastructure construction to support the modernization of agriculture and rural areas.

To deal with the sluggish sales and large circulation loss in modern agriculture, China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs launched a project in 2020, under which the central government provided five billion yuan ($772 million) to support 16 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in building cold chain facilities for storage and preservation in a bid to reduce the postharvest loss of agricultural products.

T

he Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola,said unethical engineers must be promptly sanctioned.

He said this will be in accordance with the rule of law to prevent them from adversely affecting national prosperity objectives.

Fashola represented by the minister of state of works and housing,Mohammed Aliyu, made the disclosure at the 29th Engineering Assembly Organised by the Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN, yesterday in held Abuja.

According to him:”I learnt that some engineers were recently deregistered for proffessional misconduct to serve as deterrent for others.

“I believe these sanctions need to be carried out regularly and necessary to avoid infrastructure failures.

Speaking on the theme of meeting”Advancing the Frontiers of Engineering Practitioners and Entrenching Professionalism for National Developing”,he said the Engineer stands out as any deviation from absolute compliance to professional ethics or misconduct affects safety and security of lives.

“This is a call to all engineering practitioners to adopt international best practice in the provision of Infrastructural development, maintenance and management”,he said .

The Minister stated that COREN as the regulatory body has a critical role to play in this regard.

“Achieving the goals of this theme comes by continuously training in line COREN’s newly adopted out come based education (OBE) and continuous professional development (CPC) “.

He further explained how important the role of Infranstructure quantity and quality is to our national prosperity which makes the role of an engineer most competing .

“The level of professionalism that the engineer demonstrates is key .

He pointed out that,President Buhari is committed towards advancing the frontiers of engineering practitioners in Nigeria .

“Manifesting and demonstrated in “Executive order No 5 (EO5)” by which all ministries, departments and agencies of government were directed to engage indigenous professionals in the planning. “the president commitment to Infranstructure leaves no one in doubt about his desire to rapidly grows Nigeria economy”.

In his opening remarks, the executive governor of Ebonyi state,Engr .David Umahi said that there should be compulsory skills training for our engineers.

He said that engineers are very key to any country’s development.

Adding that the young ones we are bring today are the ones that will design our roads tomorrow.

“We have to have compulsory one year skills training of our engineers in institutions of learning”.

He stressed that,”It is Nigerians that will develop Nigeria.We have to retrain our engineers”.

He emphasized that “the cost of projects in Nigeria is the highest in the whole world why is it so there is need for us looking inwardly to use our

experts engineers.

“With that our indigenous engineers will handle project and built our infrastructures according to global best standards”.

“I like to say no to the cost of projects in this country. I myself to took up the practicallitization of engineering in my state.

“I discovered that,the use of concrete is cheaper than as the use of asphalt”,Engr. Umahi said .

Earlier,In his welcome address the president of COREN Engr Ali Rabiu, said COREN is planning to Institute Continuing Professional Development (CPD) as a compulsory requirement for all practitioners applying for practices licence.

Engr.Rabiu, said CDP is an

engineering context when introduced is particularly aimed at ensuring the systematic improvement and broadening of knowledge, skill .

“This will develop personal qualities for execution of professional and technical duties throughout a practitioner’s working life.

“The essence is to achieve knowledge and skills to keep abreast of the fast evolving technologies, especially in the engineering industry and, broadening of competencies to other areas of relevance and interest in which could be serve as an impetus for career expansion.

“CPD system has become important in today’s industrial environment where by the rapid evolutions of technologies demands

competencies in the relevant engineering fields should stay abreast via rapid and intensive learning modules which cannot be achieved through conventional learning modules which are time consuming.

“It is important to bear that at this juncture, the council will soon promulgate Regulations on the introduction of CPD as part requirement for obtaining professional and firm practice licence.”

The council president,said the Council overoll objectives is to encourage the engineering falculties to adopt Out Based Education in Engineering (OBEE) system and thus graduate globally recognized engineers.

Fashola inspects road projects in Yobe state

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

T

he Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, on Monday inspected the Nguru - Machina and Gashua - Yusufari, federal road projects that the Yobe State Government executed for which they are requesting reimbursement.

While speaking to journalists during the inspection, the Minister said President Muhammadu Buhari promised that refund would be made to all states that intervened in Federal Roads though such interventions took place before the advent of this administration in 2015.

He explained that some state governments got their own refund in the first term of this administration while some others got theirs late last year.

However, States like Yobe and Kebbi who were yet to get their own sent their requests to the Federal Government which led to the

reconstitution of the Presidential Committee to assess the claims by the State Governments and submit their reports for consideration.

Fashola said in response to a question on the possible amount being expected by the State. " You know that there are standard prices for materials and also standard design, we will file our report based on what we find, we have a method for making quantification and we will send it to the government Cost Control Centre and they will then advice government as to appropriate payment ".

Speaking on the impact of the ongoing special repair of the heavily flooded area in Zangwon Kanwa on Nguru - Machina road by the Federal Government, Fashola described the work as a relief measure for the Community because due to the excavation of some of the construction materials from the area. it was burrowed thereby turning

it into a pond which has become the lowest point in the place, a situation that brought a lot of challenges to the people.

This was contained in statement signed and issued by Director Press and Public Relations, Boade Akinola .

He said the current work by the Government is a temporary measure which would be followed by a permanent solution that would be considered by both the State and Federal Government.

The Secretary to Yobe State Government, Baba Mallam Wali expressed gratitude to the Honourable Minister for coming to assess the projects and hoped that he had seen quality work.

Earlier, the Federal Controller of Works in Yobe State, Engineer Olusegun Babalola Akinmade informed the Minister that the repair work in the flooded area in Zangwon Kanwa on Nguru - Machina road will intensify after the raining season.

Babatunde Fashola He said the water in the pond will be rechanneled while the capacity will be increased downward by 2 metres just as it is done in residential houses when Septic Tanks are emptied.

The Controller said the situation was so bad before work commenced in the area to the extent that some residents were evacuated.

Perm Sec work appeals against destruction of public utilities

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

T

he Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Babangida Hussaini has appealed to the public to desist from destroying public utilities.

He imploring them to help the government in it's effort to preserve them for the good of the nation Hussaini gave the warning over the weekend during a routine inspection of the ongoing Abuja - Kano road project

and coincidentally saw some women burning tyres under the bridge of a railway crossing along Zaria-Kano section of the expressway.

He queried " where are you destroying our bridges, our roads and public utilities, this is putting the government and public life in danger " The Perm Sec was on inspection of the ongoing reconstruction work of the road when he suddenly saw some women burning tyres under the bridge of the railway crossing along Zaria-

Kano section of the road and suddenly braked to address them.

This was contained in statement signed and issued by Director Press and Public Relations, Boade Akinola, she said Hussaini told them that their action was putting the citizens life in danger and a waste of resources of the government, thereby drawing back the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari at providing quality road infrastructure for the good of Nigerians.

While expressing his visible anger, he also sounded a strong warning to them to desist from such activities henceforth. He implored them to see government's properties as their personal property so that they protect and preserve them jealously In their reactions, one of the women caught in the act said that, they only saw some other people burning tyres under the bridge and that they only joined without knowing the implication.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESday, AUGUST 11, 2021

26

FEATURE

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

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Children’s home fire: ‘The souls of our daughters are still there’ V

ianney Hernández remembers how powerless she felt on the day in December 2016 when a gang came to take away her 13-year-old daughter Ashly.

Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of injuries and strong language.

Its leader, who was in a relationship with Ashly, threatened to kill the entire family if she did not let Ashly go live with him.

Ashly had met the boy at school in a poor neighbourhood of Guatemala City where they lived.

“He was handsome, a bit older than her,” Ms Hernández recalls, adding that her daughter was rebellious and with an appetite for adventure.

Vianney was determined to wrest Ashly from the hands of the gang. She told the police, and after they found Ashly, Vianney sent her to a state-run home for at-risk children so she would be far away from the boy and his gang.

Ashly had been to the home once before and Vianney knew that the rosy picture officials painted of the Virgen de la Asunción home in San José Pinula was far from the truth.

Before Ashly’s first stint in the home, Vianney had been told that her daughter would get food, clothes, an education and psychological care.

Instead, “supervisors would send older girls to beat Ashly up and when she resisted, they would punish her,” Vianney recalls.

The home was overcrowded and dirty, and the food was often spoiled. But with the gang unlikely to leave Ashly in peace, Vianney thought that sending her daughter back to the Virgen de la Asunción home would be the lesser of two evils.

Otherwise, “one day I would find her dismembered body on my doorstep”, Vianney says of her fears at the time.

Like Vianney, many families sent their children to the home with the best of intentions, unaware of the criticism it had come under from organisations in Guatemala and abroad, including the United Nations and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Some parents suspected that something was amiss at the home but did not know the full extent of the abuse.

Sixteen-year-old Mirsa was one of the girls too frightened to speak out.

“She never told me what went on there,” her mother Roxana Tojil recalls. “Once she said: ‘I can’t tell you anything, because they would beat me, lock me up in a dark room or leave me without food’.”

Mirsa had been sent to the home by a judge after she escaped from the gang which had tried to forcibly recruited her. The judge reckoned she would be safer there than in the gang-controlled neighbourhoods of

Ashly died in a fire at a children’s home in Guatemala along with 40 other teenage girls

The outside of the home resembled a prison more than a shelter

Roxana Tojil (left) is among the mothers who have been attending vigils Guatemala City.

Too afraid to tell their parents of the conditions in the home, Mirsa, Ashly and others hatched a plan.

On 7 March 2017, they were among about a hundred children who escaped from the home.

But it did not take long for the police to track them down

and return them to Virgen de la Asunción, where 56 of the girls were locked up in a classroom designed to hold 26 people.

An investigation later revealed that the girls were not even allowed to leave the room to go to the toilet.

If they wanted to relieve themselves, they had to do so in a corner. In the

morning, they were given breakfast in the same filthy room.

Desperate to get out, one of the girls lit a match. The flames quickly spread. The girls banged on the door in panic, but for nine minutes it remained locked.

“Let those sluts burn, let’s see if they can escape again,” the

PAGE 27

police officer holding the key said according to the testimony given by her subordinate officers.

Forty-one girls died, 15 others suffered life-changing injuries.

Roxana Tojil rushed to the hospital. “All the girls looked alike: bandaged, their skin carbonized.

One was without lips and nose.

Another one screamed: ‘Throw water on me!’ I saw them closing their eyes and dying.”

Eventually Roxana found Mirsa.

She was in the morgue, dead.

Ashly was also in the morgue but Vianney refused to view her daughter’s burned body.

“I wanted to keep her beautiful in my heart, not how the State had returned her to me,” Vianney says.

At the funeral, Vianney hugged the coffin. “I vowed that her death would not go unpunished,” she recalls.

Twelve public officials are on trial, facing charges ranging from manslaughter to abuse of authority, but the victims’ families say that the legal proceedings have been slow and frustrating.

Hearings were repeatedly suspended even before the Covid pandemic struck.

The judge in the case told the BBC that the reasons for the delays varied, including appeals being lodged by both parties, the temporary absence of a defence lawyer and a general work overload which meant that sometimes hearings for different cases were scheduled for the same time, resulting in the judge having to cancel one.

Vianney says she is livid that only three of the defendants are in pretrial detention with the remaining nine able to enjoy the comforts of their own homes after having been placed under house arrest. Meanwhile, she is struggling to find a job flexible enough to allow her to attend court.

The hearings have been painful for the mothers as the defence has tried to shift the blame for the deaths onto the girls, arguing that the students started the fire.

The mothers themselves have also been criticised, with some in Guatemala questioning why they would have sent their daughters to such a home in the first place.

Vianney wants to know what exactly went on at the home - not just in the run-up to the fire but in the years preceding it, after allegations of human trafficking surfaced.

She is also fighting for the evidence of the fire to be preserved.

On 14 June she petitioned a judge to stop the classroom where the fire happened from re-opening, which would have compromised any evidence inside the room.

“The souls of our daughters are still there, calling for justice,” she says, her voice breaking.

Source: BBC

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CHRIST KINGDOM SALVATION EMBASSY THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘F’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, ( CAMA 2020).

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘F’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, ( CAMA 2020).

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. OLAJIDE AYOOLA: CHAIRMAN 2.

ASEYEGE OLUBUKUNOLA OLUWADAMILOLA: SECRETARY 3. SHODIPO TOSIN 4. KUKUI GANIAT AJOKE THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : 1. TO FIGHT THE SPREAD OF SICKLE CELL IN NIGERIA THROUGH AWARENESS. 2. TO PROVIDE CARE AND FREE TREATMENT TO THOSE LIVING WITH SICKLE CELL ANAEMIA 3. TO PROVIDE FREE CONSULTATION FOR INTENDING COUPLES TO UNDERGO GENOTYPE TEST BEFORE MARRIAGE. .

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 : CHAIRMAN

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THE TRUSTEES ARE : (1) OLASUNKANMI IYANU ANNE - CHAIRMAN (2) EDET GODWIN (3) HAMMED YAQUB ADIO (4) LADIPO AKINLOLU OLUFEMI - SECRETARY THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : (1) TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST (2) TO IMPACT KNOWLEDGE OF GOD'S WORDS INTO THE LIVES OF EVERY INDIVIDUAL AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN (3) TO REACH OUT TO LESS PRIVILEGE AND SUPPORT THEIR WELFARE (4) TO PROVIDE BIBLICAL, CHRIST-CENTERED PREACHING THAT ENCOURAGES THE HEARERS TO SERVE AND HONOR GOD IN ALL OF LIFE. 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.

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The message house Christian centre

AL-BURHAAN FOUNDATION FOR WIDOWS AND ORPHANS

GRACE FAMILY TRIUMPHANT CHAPEL

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘F’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, ( CAMA 2020).

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. OTEME BLESSING ERHOMO (chairman) 2. OTEME DIVINE OBATARHE (sec).

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : To praise and worship Christ .

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

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THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. SULAIMON BOLAJI ABDULAI. 2. MIHKAIL ABDULFATAI ALAMU. 3. TELLA LATIFAT BOLANLE.

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : To Care For Widows and Orphans .

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

THE TRUSTEES ARE : (1) IKE KINGDOM IKEDICHUKWU - CHAIRMAN/PRESIDENT (2) OMEJE HELLEN CHINYERE - SECRETARY (3) IKE MIRACLE EBUBECHUKWU THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : (1) To bring souls into the kingdom of God through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

(2) Transforming ordinary men and making them an exceedingly great disciples for God and release into the field for the harvest of souls.

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.

This is to notify the general public that the above named has applied to Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja for registration under part F of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020.

TRUSTEES. (1) TEGA UCHERE - CHAIRMAN (2) OGHENEVWAIRHE OBOFUKORO (3) OBUZOR COLLINS (4) IGAH GLORIA (5) AJAFIA ROBERTA - SECRETARY AIMS AND OBJECTIVES. (1) TO PROMOTE THE PRACTICE AND TEACHING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. (2) TO ORGANIZE AND HOST CRUSADES AND REVIVALS FOR HEALING AND DELIVERANCE. (3) TO ENGAGE IN OUTREACH AND PREACH THE GOSPEL THROUGH AUTHORIZED NETWORKS SUCH AS RADIO, TELEVISION, CABLES, TRACTS AND PUBLICATIONS, CD AND DVD, ETC. (4) TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN BRANCHES AND MISSIONS IN NIGERIA AND ALL OVER THE WORLD. (5) TO PREACH AND PROPAGATE THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST. Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, 420 Tigris Crescent off Aguiyi Ironsi street Maitama Abuja within 28 days from the day of publication SIGNED: SECRETARY

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GREATER LIGHT ASSEMBLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH

RICHLOVE REHABILITATION & CHARITY FOUNDATION

NEW HOPE EMPOWERMENT CENTRE

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THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. Pastor Alphonsus Nduka Owelle 2. Pst (Mrs) Grace Okwudili Owelle 3. Deacon Ikechukwu Onochie THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : 1. To propagate the gospel of our lord Jesus Christ 2. To win souls for the kingdom of God through evangelism 3. To help the needy 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. Presented by Ibiteye Isaacs Ajayi Esq Plot 518 olu Awotesu street,jabi abuja 08065379428

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THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. ATOBATELE OLAYINKA OLUWASEUN 2. ATOBATELE ABIODUN OLALEKAN THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : TO PROVIDE SHELTER, FOOD AND SOME FORM OF REHABILITATION TO THE HOMELESS 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

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘F’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, ( CAMA 2020).

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. OLATUNJI SURAJUDEEN OLAKUNLE 2. OYELERE OLUWASEUN BUNMI 3. BAMIDELE DAMILARE ISAAC THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : TO ASSSIT THE LESS PRIVILEGED IN THE SOCIETY ESPECIALLY THE WOMEN. ETC .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

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AMINU

NIGERIAN COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION ADDITIONAL BENEFITS SCHEME

INCORPORATED TRUSTEES OF SURE STEPS CHILD HEALTHY FEET FOUNDATION CAC/IT/NO: 82622

I, formerly known as TIJJANI ABDULLAHI INUWA now wish to be known and addressed as AMINU SAIDU JIBRIL. All former documents remain valid. ALL AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND General Public take note.

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED BODY HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REMOVAL AND REAPPOINTMENT OF NEW TRUSTEES UNDER PART “C” OF THE COMPANY AND ALLIED MATTER ACT 1990.

REMOVED TRUSTEES : 1. BAYI MARYAM ABDULLAHI 2. MAGANDA ISHAYA MATHEW. NEW APPOINTED TRUSTEES 1. AKINLOYE YETUNDE OLAJUMOKE 2. GONTOR YAKUBU YUSUF 3. MALAH USMAN 4. OBI HELEN 5. MAMMAN USMAN AIMS AND OBJECTIVES REMAINS THE SAME. 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: D.A.N. NWOBODO ESQ. (SOLICITOR)

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE REGISTERED FOUNDATION IS REMOVING THE FOLLOWING PERSON AS A MEMBER OF ITS BOARD OF TRUSTEES; 1.BIODUN OGUNDIPE THE REMOVAL OF BIODUN OGUNDIPE AS A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES IS BY REASON OF HER RESIGNATION AS A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE FOUNDATION THE FOLLOWING PERSONS ARE HEREBY RETAINED AS MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE FOUNDATION 1. OLUKAYODE AJULO 2. ZAK BABAH 3. OMOWUMI ADEBAYO OLUKAYODE AJULO ANY OBJECTION TO THE CHANGE SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION,PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA P.M.B 198, GARKI ABUJA-FCT. WITHIN TWENTY-EIGHT (28) DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION SIGNED: SECRETARY

Ali I, formerly known as Ali jinjiri now wish to be known and addressed as Ali Jinjiri Tukur. All former documents remain valid. ALL AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND General Public take note.

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Sports

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sports@peoplesdailyng.com, SMS- 08142929046

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2021

Tokyo Olympics: NFF congratulates Dare, Sports Ministry

By Albert Akota

T

he Nigeria Football Federation has felicitated with the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and the person of the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Sunday Dare on Nigeria’s outing at the 32nd Olympics which ended in Tokyo, Japan few days ago.

Nigeria earned one silver and one bronze medals from the Games, with a slew of promising performances as a number of athletes reached the final of their events.

For the first time since 1996, a Nigerian athlete was in the final of the glamour event of the Games – the men’s 100m sprint. Young hurdler Oluwatobiloba Amusan narrowly missed netting a medal as she finished fourth in the women’s high hurdles final.

“The Nigeria contingent may not have returned with the harvest of medals that many hoped for, but there are bright lights all around and some brilliant individual performances that give hope for the next Games in Paris.

At the end of the day, the silver and

bronze medals earned in Tokyo make the just-ended Olympics Nigeria’s best outing in 13 years. That is commendable.

“The Sports Minister, in his personal capacity, and the Ministry of Sports as a body worked their socks off.

The Honourable Minister was exemplary; he explained, encouraged and empathized with the athletes as necessary and led the cheer at most of the venues where Nigerian athletes competed.

“He is such a wonderful breath of fresh air from the immediate Minister of Sports who rather constituted himself into a bulwalk and divisive force against Nigerian athletes at the last Olympics in Brazil.

We do not wish to recall his inglorious remarks against the football team when the team was camping in the USA. That football team eventually ended up winning Team Nigeria’s only medal – a bronze – at the Games.”

Pinnick was particularly delighted at the performance of multi-talented Ese Brume, who won the women’s long jump: “I am happy for Ese (Brume) because I played a role in her discovery

and nurturing. I am fulfilled at her career progression and I believe she will be there in Paris in three years’ time to win the gold medal.

“I also pledge that our football teams will return to the Games in three years’ time in Paris and compete favourably for the gold medals.”

Short putter, Enekwechi threatens to sue Adeleye over false claims

By Albert Akota

T

okyo 2020 Olympic ShotPut finalist Enekwechi Chukwuebuka has threatened to sue Mr. Sunday Adeleye over false claim that he received money to take down the video clip where he was washing his kits.

Adeleye in a video that has gone viral alleged that Enekwechi received the sum of $1000 USD to take down a video he was seen washing his T-shirt.

Enekwechi through his coach Gabriel Opuana denied receiving any money to take down the video clip, insisting that the video clip where he was washing his T-shirt was just to catch fun and not to ridicule or blackmail the government.

“Except Adeleye shows clear evidence or provide proof where the $1000 USD was given to Enekwechi and the person from whom he received the money

in Court, Enekwechi won’t rest.

Opuana said.

According to Opuana, the shot putter apologised to the sports Minister when the the video became the subject of controversy.

He said for Adeleye to accuse Ebuka of receiving money was the highest point of blackmail.

“Adeleye must proof in Court that Chukwubueka received money, otherwise he must tender an unreserved apology for the cheap blackmail.”

Ebuka, as he is popularly called does not have any issues with any one, but this won’t just pass like others.

Opuana insisted that the Athlete is bigger than $1000 USD and would not let this blackmail go without a good fight to clear his name.

“I don’t meddle in Nigerian sports politics, nobody should drag me into something I don’t know” said Enekwechi

AITEO Cup: Stakeholders to look forward to a more enhanced competition

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PEOPLES DAILY, wednesday, AUGUST 11, 2021

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AITEO Cup: Stakeholders to look forward to a more enhanced competition

By Albert Akota

S

ponsors, AITEO Group have promised to enable even more spectacle and glamour for the next edition of the AITEO Cup men and women competitions even as the euphoria of Sunday’s classic grand finale in Benin City is still to die down.

The company also felicitated with the deserving winners of the 2021 Aiteo Cup finals in the men and women competitions: Bayelsa United FC and Bayelsa Queens FC. The football firmament in Benin City had BAYELSA written all over it on Sunday as Bayelsa United FC and Bayelsa Queens FC became the first teams from the same State to claim both honours in Nigeria’s Cup competition.

Despite driving rain at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, all four teams fought hard for the gongs, refusing to allow the elements to affect their hunt for honours or dampen their enthusiasm.

“We are satisfied with the level of play and organization which has facilitated the discovery of fresh talent for the National Teams.

As a responsible and sustainable organization, we hope that as we continue to secure the nation’s energy future, the Aiteo Cup will continue to discover new markets, platforms and resources from the grassroots, enabling economic prosperity for all stakeholders involved,” AITEO Group’s Head of Corporate Communications, Media and Events, Ndiana Matthew told thenff.com.

Bayelsa Queens and FC Robo Queens displayed grit, guts and gumption in the women’s final, with both teams refusing to be discouraged by pouring rain.

The turf of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium also held firm and remained playable as all four teams wrote new chapters in the story of Nigeria’s oldest competition.

Super Eagles’ nifty forward Gift Monday exhibited the traits of a true leader for FC Robo Queens, with her remarkable football sense, guile and bravery.

But the queens from Yenagoa had free-scoring Mary Anjor – who emerged the competition top scorer with eight goals – and it was a bridge too far for the

Lagos girls. Anjor’s early goal and relentless push and assists earned Bayelsa Queens a 4-2 win.

The men’s final was no less interesting, producing four goals in 45 minutes as both Nasarawa United and Bayelsa United chased their first-ever national diadem and a ticket to represent Nigeria in the CAF Confederation Cup. Second-tier Bayelsa United took off from where they left off in the earlier rounds against more illustrious (firsttier) opponents, in which they downed Rangers International, Lobi Stars and Rivers United. A 19th minute goal by Inikurogha Okardi (brother of former Flying Eagle Blessing Okardi) set them on their way. But no so fast.

Nasarawa United responded immediately through Chinedu Ohanachom.

Aliyu Abubakar shot the Solid Miners ahead seven minutes later but with nine minutes to interval, Emo James nodded in brilliantly to draw level.

The second half produced fireworks but no goal, and NPFL goleador Silas Nwankwo was among those who failed to score from six yards in the ensuing penalty shoot-out.

Dignitaries included the Executive Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki; President of NFF and FIFA Council Member, Mr Amaju Melvin Pinnick; Deputy Governor of Edo State, Comrade Philip Shaibu; Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, Hon. Silas Agara; Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo ; Mr. Kola Daniel, Representative of the Minister of Sports; Mr. Ndiana Matthew, Representative of Executive Vice Chairman of AITEO Group; First Lady of Edo State; Members of the NFF Executive Committee and Management; top officials of the Edo State cabinet; special advisers and political and business bigwigs.

Extant Covid-19 protocols meant only 30 percent of the room in the stands of the 20,000 –capacity stadium was taken up, yet the fans loudly and joyfully made their presence felt.

“We congratulate every team tgat participated in this year’s finals as well as all stakeholders who facilitated the grand finale, the host government, Edo State and our partners, Nigeria

PEOPLES DAILY, WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

Page 31

CLASSIFIED MUHAMMED

Hamza

Hama

I, formerly known as YAHAYA MOHAMMED now wish to be known and addressed as MUHAMMED YAHAYA. All former documents remain valid.

Authorities concerned and the general public should please take note.

I, formerly known as Hamza Abdullahi Bichi now wish to be known and addressed as Hamza abdu Bichi. All former documents remain valid. Authorities concerned and the general public should please take note.

I, formerly known as Hama Chama Danladi Marcus now wish to be known and addressed as Hama Marcus. All former documents remain valid. ALL AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND General Public take note.

HAFIZ

Abdullahi

Luke

I, formerly known as Hafizu Muhammed andHafizu Mohammed now wish to be known and addressed as HAFIZ MUHAMMAD. All former documents remain valid. Authorities concerned and the general public should please take note.

I, formerly known as Abdullahi Hamza now wish to be known and addressed as Abdullahi pawa Hamza. All former documents remain valid. Authorities concerned and the general public should please take note.

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I, formerly known as USMAN MADAKI now wish to be known and addressed as SHEHU USMAN MUSTAFAH. All former documents remain valid.

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Authorities concerned and the general public should please take note.

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Football Federation,” Ndiana Matthew added.

President of NFF and FIFA Council Member, Mr Amaju Melvin Pinnick, said the Federation is happy

with sponsors AITEO and will continue to ensure the organization of the competition is top-notch.

AITEO, Nigeria’s leading energy solutions company

and diversified conglomerate, became NFF’s Exclusive Optimum Partner in early 2018, and the same year grabbed the sponsorship of the Federation Cup, renaming it AITEO Cup.

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WednesDay AUGUST 11, 2021

SPACE FOR SALE

SPORTS 2023 will be based on performance latest

Lionel Messi agrees Paris StGermain deal after Barcelona exit - Guillem Balague

L

ionel Messi has agreed a two-year deal to join Paris St-Germain following his shock exit from Barcelona, says BBC Sport columnist Guillem Balague.

The deal, which has the option of a third year, is subject to a medical.

The Argentina captain, 34, left Barca - the only club he has played for - as they could not afford a new deal under La Liga’s financial fair play rules.

A PSG news conference will take place in the auditorium of the Parc des Princes on Wednesday at 10:00 BST. Mauricio Pochettino’s PSG finished second to Lille in Ligue 1 last season.

“It’s all been confirmed.

Lionel Messi is going to be a PSG player,” Balague said on BBC Radio 5 Live. “That’s it, it’s done. It’s happened in the last few minutes.

“At the moment there are as much police as there are fans [at the stadium]. That’s going to change soon. There’s eight cameras here, again that’s going to change. It seems like it is a two-year deal, plus one.

“His idea was to do it at Barcelona but it’s going to be PSG. Then if he feels OK he will stay one more year maybe. But in any case his aim is to be at PSG and then to do well in the Qatar World Cup.” Messi and his family were pictured at Barcelona’s El Prat airport on Tuesday afternoon after news of the deal emerged.

When asked by reporters whether his son would be joining PSG, Jorge Messi answered “yes”.

Considered one of the greatest players of all time, Messi scored a record 672 goals in 778 games for Barca, the club he joined as a 13-year-old.

He won the Ballon d’Or a record six times and lifted 35 trophies with the Catalan club.

Advert: business: news: lagos:

P

erformance assessment is a normal consideration and the reality of every clime where periodic elections take place. A corollary to that is the gravitation of all activities toward permutations that throw up candidates for competitive elective positions and engagement of all means possible within rational acceptance to win elections. However, in our continent and country in particular, the evolved configuration, though abnormal, is to see individuals and political parties aggressively adopting apparently destructive propaganda and hostile rhetoric that are detrimental to national development, to misinform the public and the electorate in their bid to improve electoral chances.

This period is yet another huge concern for Nigeria as a country; the things we do and are most willing to do to win elections have been the most contributory factor to the ills that have befallen us overtime as a country, and unfortunately, one we are unwilling to let go because it works. Until the day we all come to the realisation that winning election on the back of conspiracy theories, lies and divisive propaganda would always make the country ungovernable, irredeemable, unstable, and politically and tribally divided, and refrain ourselves from taking the backdoors to attain electoral successes, we would continue to go down the path of communal struggles as a country and as a people.

Today, we are belaboured with so much insecurity; we expend so much resources securing the integrity of the country, yet the result is minimal and never at par with the security expenditure.

Why? Because the insecurity we face in the country is not only selfinflicted, but increasingly inflicted on the soul of the country because politicians’ need for political relevance and electoral wins that birth it doesn’t end. It is difficult to win a war that is fought in the subconscious emotional base of the people; we hate on ourselves in a way that cannot be resolved because the causative factor and source is permanently operative and fed by the selfish nonperforming politicians and political parties.

The coup of 1965, the counter coup of 1966, the disunity and tribal separation that were birthed and groomed by selfish political considerations of the politicians of that era; the 1979 and 1983 pre-elections, election and postelection events, in the annals of the history of crisis in Nigeria, would remain unforgettable; the “WETIE” of 1984 and all the destructions of life and properties that followed the

0806 564 8620 0704 385 9705 0814 292 9046 08074420617

WEDNESDAY COLUMN By

USSIJU MEDANER info@medaner.com, justme4justice@yahoo.com elections because they had to win by all means; the desperateness of PDP to win the 2015 elections at the expense of the nation’s sanctity, deploying all destructive and divisive mechanisms to diminish the overwhelming popularity of the contesting opposition party and its contribution to the socio-political discomfiture of Nigeria today would forever remain an indelible mark.

We cannot and would not allow this to define our politics and social interrelations any longer as a people and a nation; we cannot allow the reenactment of the Benue State saga of 2019, that is, a case study of what our system has become, in this country again. As part of the opposition preparation to win the 2019 election, the state was literally transformed into a huge killing field; tons of innocent citizens of the state were gruesomely murdered, displaced from their homes and businesses, all because the state governor, seeking reelection has no achievement to campaign with and the party had to choose the path of creating insecurity and thereby put the blame on killer herders and the APC Administration - a pure diversion and deceit.

Unfortunately, they succeeded; they won the state and the governor satisfies his political ambition but at the expense of the immediate safety of the state and the continuous safety of the entire country. The orchestrated insecurity in Benue state prior to the 2019 elections didn’t affect only the state but set a different level of tone in the interrelation of units in the country. The hatred for the Fulani nationality and the animosity toward the Islamic communities in the country was further strengthened by the makebelieve atrocities in the state. Who would not be angry?

Why did the Benue people suffer such in the hands of politicians who wanted to govern them;

“

politicians who vowed to protect them and develop the state? Why would a politician resolve to such a barbaric extent to win an election?

The fathers of democracy attach public popularity and acceptance rating based on performance as a major index of winning elections in a democratic setting. Campaign is a critical component of democratic elections, which provides the opportunity for candidates to give the electorate reasons to trust them with their votes and accord them the right to represent them in elective public offices.

Nigerians need to wake up and realise that at the local government, state and federal levels, voting in individuals with antecedents of high performance is the only thing that guarantees expected deliverance once elected. For nineteen years, we recycled PDP, but what do we get from it? Nothing! They have made corruption a way of life until Nigerians couldn’t differentiate between genuine wealth and illgotten wealth; infrastructure across the country lay bare and dilapidated; Nigeria became so deprived of access to energy in a way that has disrupted both industrialisation and domestic energy consumption. The country lost and has never made genuine attempts at resurrecting its agricultural sector to meet the nation’s food requirement at the least before consideration for industrial raw materials. Those years literally were dark days of the nation’s development and one we are yet to come out of it.

In 2019, PDP and Atiku lost because we were getting better at recognising deceit when we see one; but we have to do better, we must do the same across states to weed out non-performance and nonperformers in our political system.

A party of the caliber of PDP that faced Nigerians with rhetoric of islamisation, fulanisation, fabricated propaganda around age, qualification and humiliation

Why did the Benue people suffer such in the hands of politicians who wanted to govern them; politicians who vowed to protect them and develop the state?

Why would a politician resolve to such a barbaric extent to win an election?

of the opposition party and candidates, without presenting any credible list of what they have done for the country when they had the opportunity cannot be seen to be serious and in any way taken serious enough to be given our trust to hold sway at the helm of leadership. We didn’t do it in 2019 and we would not make the mistake of doing it in 2023.

Nigerians would vote in APC again in 2023 not because they are the ruling party, with access to power of incumbency or any other petty reasons; but because they see development in a way never seen before in the country in decades in these last years of President Buhari government. It would be because spreading seed of hatred about a working President and his party is not enough for the citizens to join the hatred spree; Nigerians are altogether not blind to see the changes that are both open and incontestable, and regardless of what magnitude of hate propaganda that greeted coming election, what will speak and drive Nigerians to the polls is the evidence of good stewardship rendered by the Buhari-led government since 2015.

What we will see and what we must vote for in 2023 is not sentiment, but the improvement in power generation in Nigeria; the improvement and expansion in the transportation sector of the nation’s economy across the railway, the airports, the road networks, and bridges. Nigerians will vote for social infrastructure of the kind and form alien to us until now; support for small businesses, farmers, and the youths in the most transparent manner possible.

We will vote for the continuation of N-Power and the sustenance of the nation’s rice revolution. We will vote for the seriousness we see in the onslaught against the enemies of Nigeria, regardless of where they are found.

GOD BLESS THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA!

DAN Dan GAYE gaYE

Secondus survives as PDP fixes convention for Oct - News

Protesters, can you hear that?

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