Friday, March 12, 2021 Edition

Friday, March 12, 2021/ Rajab 28, 1442 AH

2508 Days after Malam Wada Maida (1950-2020), founding Chairman, Board of the Peoples Media Limited

Vol. 36 No. 019 N200

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. . . putting the people first

The nation awaits rescue of the remaining abducted Chibok schoolgirls

Buhari to traditional rulers: We’ll be harder on criminals >>PG 18

FG rules out mercenaries in fight against insurgents PG 5

Says negotiating with terrorists suggests weakness •Troops kill 2,403 insurgents in 10 months - NSA

NCC Executives during the Virtual Bullion Lecture yesterday, March, 11, 2021 in Abuja L-R: Mr. Hafiz Shehu, Chief of Staff to the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission(NCC); Engr. Bako Wakil, Director, Technical Standards & Network Integrity; Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, Director, Public Affairs ; Prof Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO,Nigerian Communications Commission; Mr. Usman Malah, Director, Human Capital and Administration;Engr.

Oluwatoyin Asaju, Director, Spectrum Administration; Mr. Yakubu Gontor, Director, Financial Services

Over N41.06b UBEC fund lies un-accessed - Official Reps to EFCC: Sell seized, abandoned properties now pAGE 5

3rd wave of Coronavirus begins in Germany – official pAGE 2

We are broke - Reps Spokesperson cries out pAGE 4

PG 6

Federal salary structure can’t be imposed on States, says Fayemi pAGE 3

PAGE 2

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

News CONTENTS News 6-18 Op.Ed

12-13

Politics 15-17 Stock Watch Business Metro

18 19-21 24

World Analysis 22 Africa News

23

World News

24

3rd wave of Coronavirus begins in Germany – official

G

ermany’s top disease control official says a third wave of Coronavirus (COVID-19) has already begun in the country.

Lothar Wieler, head of the Robert Koch Institute, said he was very worried and that there were clear signs the third wave has already started in Germany.

Thursday marks one year since the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a global pandemic.

It is still urgently necessary to remain strict when it comes to

protective measures such as maskwearing and keeping a distance in spite of vaccinations having begun, Wieler told UN journalists in Geneva on Wednesday.

The vaccine campaign is a race against the mutating virus, but the finish line is in sight, he said.

If there were no interruptions, for example from production downtimes, 80 per cent of Germany’s population could be immune to the virus by autumn.

If that happened, all measures can be lifted, Wieler said.

On the day the pandemic was declared, 118,000 infections and almost 4,300 deaths had been recorded worldwide.

A year later, WHO statistics showed almost 120 million infections and some 2.6 million deaths.

The WHO’s biggest concern is the unequal distribution of vaccines.

If the virus spreads unhindered in some parts of the world, mutations and variants can pose a threat everywhere, as WHO Chief

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had repeatedly warned.

Since wealthier countries have direct contracts with vaccine manufacturers, fewer doses were available on the market for the UN-backed vaccine solidarity alliance Covax.

An eighth attempt at the World Trade Organisation to demand that more than 100 countries temporarily suspend patents on coronavirus vaccines to boost production failed on Wednesday. (dpa/NAN)

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

News

News Editor, Tobias Lengnan Dapam

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

C

hairman of the Nigeria’s Governors’ Forum, NGF, and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, on Thursday, said that the federal salary structure can never be imposed on States, pointing out that federal and state governments do not have the same economic or financial situations.

The NGF Chairman said this when he played host to the Pro-Chancellors of state-owned Universities yesterday in Abuja, during which they presented him (Fayemi) with a bouquet of requests to for the governors which they hope would address the problems of state assisted tertiary education throughout Nigeria.

After listening to the Pro-Chancellors of the State

Federal salary structure can’t be imposed on States, says Fayemi Universities, Fayemi said, “You can’t impose a federal salary structure on states because we do not all have the same economic or financial situations. “ I, for example, do not have the resources of Lagos state, so you won’t expect me to earn the same salary as the governor of Lagos”, he said.

The NGF Governor went on to explain that “It’s true that no state has fulfilled payment of salaries to states universities, but states are not always solely responsible for this.

“The people you appoint as

Vice Chancellors need to speak truth to power, they need to be able to bite the bullet, and not just be a YES person”.

“We need to work together to confront these issues, we are running glorified secondary schools as universities by this system” and “you have to help us in insisting that the institutions too, do the right thing”, he added.

Fayemi agreed with the ProChancellors that Politics should not be involved in in the nation’s school system, even though he argued that there are very smart people in politics in Nigeria.

Earlier, the team, which was led by Mallam Yusuf Ali, SAN, and Pro-Chancellor of Osun State university, told Governor Fayemi that it is no longer news that education in Nigeria is in shambles, saying that the seamless educational progression that this country should be experiencing is being hampered by paucity of finances, the unions, like ASUU, SSANU, NASSU etc and the students themselves.

The team which represents all the 48 universities owned by states pleaded with governors to

take over the burden of payment of salaries of state universities, reintroduce scholarships for students for needy students and assist the Committee of ProChancellors of states universities to erect a secretariat of their own to facilitate their activities.

Barrister Yusuf Ali SAN also admonished the owners of stateowned universities to relegate politics to the backgrounds when considering their appointees and ensure that only the best and brightest with sound academic profiles are made to engage in matters relating to education.

PDP BoT members back Secondus, NWC, vow to work for party’s victory

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

M Gov Badaru relieves another special assistant on crop production Page 10

Digest

25

Feature 26 Sports 29-31 Back Page

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Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State being administered the COVID-19 vaccine by Dr. Nafiu Sabi’u Usman Funtua at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Lodge, General Muhammadu Buhari House, Katstina, yesterday.

Buhari commissions NDDC building 25 years after

By Egena Sunday Ode

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari Thursday commissioned the headquarters building of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), 25 years after the groundbreaking ceremony.

He commended the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, for steadfastness in ending many years of renting by the commission, and the attendant profligacy.

The President, who virtually commissioned the building from the Council Chamber of the State House, said the land was acquired by the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC) in 1996, and was abandoned after series of design amendments.

“In 2015, as part of our Administration’s cardinal objectives to kill corruption, some critical reforms were embarked

upon, part of which was a holistic reform of the NDDC for greater service delivery for the people of the region.

“To achieve this, I reassigned the supervision of the NDDC to the Hon. Minister of Niger Delta Affairs for administrative efficiency. Second, was the appointment of Forensic Auditors to review the operations of the Commission from inception to 2019 and to ensure that the appropriations made to the NDDC are commensurate with what is on the ground,’’ he said.

While commending the minister for ensuring the historic completion of the building, President Buhari urged the management to commit the amounts used for renting to more rewarding benefits.

“I, therefore, use this opportunity to commend the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, for providing the

required leadership that saw to the completion of this edifice.

“Today, we are handing over to the people of Niger Delta, a befitting Head Office Complex for present and future use.

Consequently, huge yearly rentals would now be saved and deployed to other areas of needs in the region.

“I commend the management and staff of the NDDC for staying the course and keying into the Reform Agenda of our Administration. I am particularly pleased to note the cordial relationship between the NDDC and the National Assembly and hope that this relationship will be strengthened further for the benefit of the people of the Niger Delta region,’’ the President added.

The Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, thanked the President for the completion of the building, promising that the nine governors under the NDDC would continue to support his bold steps

in development.

In his remarks, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs noted that the completion of the NDDC building signals the President’s commitment to the development of the oil producing region, and ending of activities of corrupt public officials, who also negated the connection of the offices to national grid over many years in order to seek rent on fueling of generators.

“You will be remembered by this gesture, and generations will never forget you,’’ the minister said.

Sen. Akpabio urged leaders, traditional rulers and youths in the region to support President Buhari’s administration so that it would complete most of the abandoned projects by previous administrations, which include the Second Niger Bridge, warning that the persistent fights and petitions among leaders must be shelved for development.

Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio(Right) NDDC Interim Administrator, Effiong Okon Akwa(Left)and President, National Youth Council of Nigeria, Solomon Adodo, inspecting the newly commissioned NDDC Headquarters in Port Harcourt, yesterday in Rivers state.

Abuses, personality attacks never win elections- Waya From Kano

A

Mustapha

Adamu,

Kano-based aspiring politician, Alhaji Inuwa Waya has said that raining abuses and attacking personalities is inimical and will never win election.

Waya stated this in a powerful message he had sent to his teeming supporters and well wishers as part of his preparation to venture into active politics in the second most populous state in the country.

In the five-minute long message, being aired on radio stations in the state this week, Waya called on his supporters to imbibe the culture of peace and

tolerance in politics.

He said “abuses, insults and smear campaign lead to nowhere, but a direct path to rejection.

“You must see your participation in politics as a call to service and also seeks to build bridges and not walls” he added In the inspiring message, aired in Hausa language, Waya urged his supporters as well as anyone who believes in championing the cause of development through politics ti refrain from making provocative comments against any person or group of people.

He added that he would never support any action that would debase society, breaching the

law, which he said unavoidably resulted in a disastrous end.

The soon-to-be-born politician added that “he who believes to bask under the euphoria of an amicable approach in politics, can only sell his candidate through persuasion, and respecting the right of others to sell theirs, not the other way round through the means of forceful candidate imposition.”

In relating with people, Inuwa Waya admitted that, despite having experienced the worst form of provocation in life, still he wasn’t a short-fused person, very accommodative, and thickskin to the extent of acquiring of shock-absorbers capable to withstand the test of provocation

from any political angle, an approach which he employed his teeming supporters and wellwishers to follow the suit.

He noted that based on his life-long understanding that patience is a virtue of human being and equally realized that anger is the worst form of punishment one can give to himself.

“By the virtue of the amended provision of section 40 of the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria i assure all and sundry, particularly my teeming supporters of accepting their mammoth calls and will fully participate and even contest in an elective office as soon as INEC gives a nod.

embers of the Board of Trustees, BoT, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, rose from a crucial meeting in Abuja yesterday with a vow to continue to work hand-inhand with other organs of the party with a view to ensuring victory for the party in future elections The BoT members of the main opposition party, similarly pledged their loyalty to the party’s National Working Committee NWC, led

by Prince Uche Secondus till the December 2021 national elective convention when new leaders are expected to emerge.

The Secretary of the BoT and former President of the Senate, Chief Adolphus Wabara said these while addressing Journalists at the end of the meeting in Abuja.

The BoT, Wabara insisted, will work hand-in-hand with other organs of the party to ensure victory for the PDP in future elections.

On the issue of zoning, particularly the 2023 presidential ticket of the PDP, Wabara pleaded for little patience, saying it is rather premature to discuss the matter now.

His words, “This party is not owned by any person, so by the time we resolve all the issues in the party, we shall come up with a zoning formula.

“As you know, if you go through the constitution, you will realise that PDP is a party of zoning.

“But when it comes to political exigences, you will realise that anything can happen.

“That is why we can amend our constitution at will to win an election.

“I cannot place my finger on this zoning thing. I don’t have the authority. The relevant organs of the party will come up with their position when the time comes”, he said.

Also speaking, former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu noted that as a party affair, zoning would be dealt with appropriately at that level

PAGE 4

News

By Christiana Ekpa

T

he House of Representatives has again confirmed that it is facing financial crisis, which is negatively affecting its activities, even as it stressed that the House is very broke financially.

Spokesman for the House, Hon. Benjamin Kalu who confirmed this in Abuja at a press conference also said the lower chamber was owning contractors and consultants.

“Yes, the House is broke, I have said it before and I am saying it again and I am not afraid to say it.

The House is broke and it is afraid to appropriate the sufficient amount for them to do their job.

“The House is broke and is afraid of your complaints as Nigerians to make provision for what will make them run the activities of the House effectively. That is why today, here is hot; that is why the hearing rooms are not fixed; that is why the house is indebted to contractors who provide one form of service or the other”, he stated.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

We are broke - Reps Spokeperson cries out Explaining why the N128 billion National Assembly budget is inadequate, Kalu said “This is the fact. Until Nigerians believe that the appropriation that was made for the running of the National Assembly, which happened when naira was 160 to the dollar, is less now than what it used to be.

“The dollar equivalent of naira today has gone up to over N400.

The purchasing power of the budget as it is now is weaker than it was 10 years ago. The budget of the National Assembly is supposed to be reviewed, in view of its purchasing ability, of the services that will help the parliament to move forward.

“At the moment, it is a weak budget and that is the truth. I have actually fought with the leadership of the House and I have asked the question, ‘Why are you afraid to raise the budget of the National Assembly that will enable us to

conduct our services efficiently and effectively?’

“We appropriate for agencies to run effectively, yet we are in penury to our own constitutional mandate.

It is a disservice to Nigerians; the poor budget of the parliament is a disservice to Nigerians” The House mouthpiece who insisted that the National Assembly was underfunded said “Let us be fair in our analogy; let us wear the right spectacles when we analyse and you will find out that this N128bn of the National assembly, that is divided among all the agencies of the National Assembly; that is divided among all the staff – over 3000 to 6000 members of staff; that is divided among all the aides, five aides per lawmaker.

“Sometimes, people wonder if we really need those aides. How do you think we will function is making good laws? You need solid

expert to work for you. If you go to America, you see professors who are consulting and working directly with members of the parliament.

“That is why when they come out with their laws and their bills and motions; it is what addresses the problems of the country. But can we afford that as we are? The answer is no, we cannot. So, if you ask me 20 times, whether the National Assembly is broke, until they improve the budget of the National Assembly, I will say, ‘Yes, we are broke.”

On the seeming sour relationship between the House and the Senate, Kalu denied that all was well between both chambers.

“First of all, I don’t want to agree that the 8th Parliament was better than the 9th Parliament. I speak for the 9th Parliament and I can assure you that the image, when done comparatively through the

spectacle of an unbiased observer, the 9th Assembly has so far fared well on so many fronts.

“It is not self-serving to say that; it is not blowing our trumpet. We strive to push nation-building and good governance from the stage where it is at the moment. Are there gap? Do we have space for more?

The answer is yes. And we will keep moving; we will keep covering the gaps until we get there.

“On the issue of the relationship between the two houses of the parliament, people have always imagined that there is a superiority kind of status between the Senate and the House of Representatives.

“The Constitution did not say so. If it said so, you would see the House of Representatives always seeking concurrence (from the Senate) while the Senate will not seek for concurrence (from the House).

Rotary Governor tasks members on giving to the poor

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

T

he District Governor-Elect for Rotary International District 9125, Rotn. Ayo Oyedokun yesterday asked Rotarians to give more to execute projects for the needy in the world.

He also urged them to attract more members in order to attain the 1.3m target by the organization.

But he charged Rotarians to maintain high sense of propriety and conduct.

Oyedokun gave the charge while declaring open a training session for all Club PresidentsElect in the district in Abuja comprising 21 states in the country.

He said: “Let it be known that the songs on our lips or simply put our Must Win Battle would be to: do more, give more, serve more positively, carry out big, bolder, and better projects. “ Our donation to the Rotary Foundation donation must reach $750,000. We can achieve this if we give more and encourage others. “ Our Club Presidents, | hereby emphasis the charge by the RI President 2021-22 Shekhar Mehta about the singular goal of attaining the 1.3million mark in membership come June 30, 2022. “ Our membership at the district level must grow to 6,000.

He advised Rotarians to always live above board in whatever they are doing. He added: “Let me tell you that it doesn’t matter who gets the credit. It’s not about the things we do, but about the work that gets done! just imagine and leave your club stronger than you found it. “ In so doing, being prepared and imaginative, We need to embrace the Core Values of Rotary ( Fellowship, leadership, Integrity, Diversity, Service-FLIDS), memorize them and understand that it is vital to our continued service to our Ciubs & District, “ Please let us maintain high sense of propriety and conduct’ and our club would be better of for it.”

Gov. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano state of takes his first jab of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, in Kano yesterday.

Dantata sponsors 100 less-privileged students to study at varsity From Kano

T

Mustapha

Adamu,

he chairman of Dantata Group of Companies and an elder statesman, Alhaji Aminu Dantata, has awarded 4-year full scholarships to 100 less-privileged students to study different courses at the newly established Al-Istiqama University, Sumaila in Kano state.

Al-istiqama is a newly established private university, founded by former member, House of Representatives for Sumaila/ Takai constituency, Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila.

In a statement signed by him yesterday, Sumaila said Dantata, who said the scholarships were part of his contribution to address educational challenges in the society, promised to make full

payment at once.

He said, during a courtesy visit by the Governing Board and the Planning Committee of the university in Kano, Dantata expressed delight at the establishment of the university, which he said would create a lot of employment for the people and address admission difficulties faced by students.

He was particularly elated that Al-Istiqama University was established in Sumaila, Kano State, with Prof. Salisu Shehu as the pioneer Vice Chancellor, and commended the manage of the institution for introducing meaningful courses in its first year of operation.

He said the introduction of Islamic moral education as general studies would help in curtailing the challenge of moral

decadence in the society, while various entrepreneurship courses would aid self-reliance among students.

“While commending the founder and promoter AlIstiqama University, Rt. Hon. Suleiman Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila (OFR), Dantata called on other wealthy individuals to emulate him.

“He thanked the National Universities Commission (NUC) for approving Al-Istiqama University, alongside 19 others, noting that their establishments would address the myriad of challenges in gaining admission into higher institutions of learning,” the statement reads in part.

“He called on government at all levels as well as wealthy Nigerians to imbibe the habit

of awarding scholarships to the children of the less-privileged,” Sumaila, who is the immediate past Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Reps), thanked Dantata for his gesture.

Kawu, a former two-term Deputy Minority Leader of the Green Chamber, said the university was ready to give discounts to students, especially during its first admission exercise, which will commence any moment from now.

Some of the courses introduced by the university are Islamic Studies, Economics, Accounting, Taxation, Entrepreneurship Studies, Political Science, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Physics with Electronics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, among others.

Page 5

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

NCoS to partner agencies to implement non custodial measures

T

he Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) has enjoined all staff of the Non Custodial Directorate to ensure high level partnership with other stakeholders to effectively implement the non custodial measures.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports President Muhammadu Buhari had on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019, assented to the bill changing the name of the Nigerian Prison Service (NPS) to Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) , which birthed the Custodial Service and Non Custodial Service.

The Non-custodial service entails suspended sentences, community service, fines, curfews, parole orders, binding over among others.

Mr John Mrabure, Acting Controller General, NCoS, made the call during a one day stakeholders consultative workshop on effective implementation of non custodial measures on Thursday in Abuja.

A statement by the NCoS, FCT Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Chukwuedo Humphrey, quoted Mrabure as saying the workshop was aimed at enlightening all stake in the criminal justice system and the society in general on the need to be supportive of one another.

The Acting C-G NCoS, who was represented by the Deputy Controller General, Non Custodial Directorate, Mr Tunde Ladipo, said that non-custodial sentence was an effective means of prison decongestion in Nigeria.

He added that this would also give access to Justice Initiatives, the Presidential Committee on Prison Reforms, Prison Decongestion Unit, Legal Aid Council, and the Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy.

“The foregoing will positively enhance administration of criminal justice in Nigeria, ” he added.

Mrabure further encouraged all participants to stop seeing themselves as rivals, but as a family with the same agenda, as this would go along way in ensuring full implementation of the Non Custodial measures.

The Executive Director, PRAWA, Dr Uju Agomoh explained that President Muhammadu Buhari had empowered the NCoS to be in charge of non custodial measures, saying all hands must be on deck to ensure its success. (NAN)

News

FG rules out mercenaries in fight against insurgents

• Says negotiating with terrorists suggests weakness • Troops kill 2,403 insurgents in 10 months

By Egena Sunday Ode

A

midst calls to engage mercenaries in the fight against insurgents and bandits in the country, the Federal Government on Thursday said it is not considering that option.

It emphasized that the Nigerian military has the capacity to successfully prosecute the war against terrorists and other firms of criminality, even as it ruled out any form of negotiation with criminal elements, going forward.

Besides, it equally noted that negotiating with insurgents or bandits among other criminal elements is indicative of weakness or incapacity on the part of government.

The National Security Adviser, Maj Gen Babagana Monguno (Rtd) said this at the third edition of weekly media briefing organized

by President Muhammadu Buhari’s communication team.

The NSA while responding to a question on renewed calls

by North-east governors on the Federal Government to engage foreign mercenaries in routing Boko Haram terrorists in Sambisa forest and other insurgents’ enclaves, said: “The President’s view and directive is that we will not engage mercenaries when we have our own people to deal with these problems. We have the personnel and resources, and the President has given a new lease of life to the Armed Forces.”

While ruling out negotiation with terrorists, the NSA added, however, that the government will deploy all necessary force to eliminate them, saying that the government would not succumb to blackmail and the use of criminals

by proxies to harass innocent citizens.

“While government is not averse to talking with these entities, it also has to fully apply its weight. You can’t (negotiate) with people who are unreliable and who will continue to hurt society. We will apply the full weight of the government to deal with these criminals.

“These are not people looking for anything that is genuine or legitimate, they’re just out to take calculated measures to inflict pain and violence on innocent people. We must deal with them the way they need to be dealt with. We will fully assert the government’s will.

“We are also focusing on the associated dimensions of the banditry and terrorism: Illegal Drugs, the flow of small arms & light weapons, and Illegal mining in places like Zamfara. These are some

of the scenarios fueling the violence, and we are already tackling them decisively.”

Monguno also disclosed that between March and December 2020, the military successfully took out 2,403 insurgents in the North East.

Commenting on Sheik Ahmad Gumi, an Islamic cleric, who has been calling on government to grant insurgents amnesty, Monguno said he had met and interacted with him briefly in Kaduna at the zonal town hall meeting with service chiefs but that he was still waiting for the cleric to come forth.

He also said the recent changes made by President Buhari to the security architecture “gives us a ray of hope that things will be adjusted, so that whatever we do as regards securing Nigeria will be in conformity with the aspirations of the people.

L-R: Clerk of the House of Representatives ad-hoc Committee on abandoned properties, Mr. Oscar Okoro, Chairman of the committee, Hon. Kuye Ademoren and a member of the committee, Hon. Linda Ikpeazu, when the EFCC appeared before the committee, at the National Assembly, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Reps to EFCC: Sell seized, abandoned properties now

By Christiana Ekpa

T

he House of Representatives Adhoc Committee on Abandoned Properties yesterday tasked Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to commence immediate sales of seized properties by it agency.

This was just as the Committee want the Chairman of the EFFC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, to appear before its panel in person to explain why his agency left some of the abondand and seized properties in the hands of the Attorney General of the Federation’s office for sales.

The chairman of the Adhoc

committee Ademorin Kuye, said this at the investigative hearing on sales of abandoned properties on Thursday in Abuja.

According to the Lawmaker, as long as the EFCC kept the properties in its custody they would keep losing value and deteriorating, adding that such would not augur well for the country.

He said that the Federal Government has said that part of the 2021 budget would be financed from sales of properties, adding that if these properties were kept without selling them, it would affect the budget.

The Federal Government had on Jan 15 said in addition

to borrowing locally and internationally, it would sell some government-owned properties to fund the 2021 budget.

The arrangement was contained in the public budget presentation made by the Finance Minister, Mrs Zainab Ahmed Kuye however said the EFCC should ensure a diligent prosecution of any properties still undergoing prosecution by the anti graft agency before offering them for sale He queried the conditional right and purposw of transferring some assets to the the Attorney General of the Federation.

Kuye said that the AGF was also invited to appear before the

committee but failed, adding that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had also been summoned to answer questions.

The committee was dissatisfied with some of the documents brought by Mr Aliyu Yusuf, EFCC Acting Director of Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Management.

Yusuf however pleaded that he should be given three weeks to come with other supporting documents but was turned down by the committee.

The committee however agreed that the EFCC should come back in a week with other documents to marshall his argument before it.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

PAGE 6

News Niger Assembly invites 5 commissioners over N3bn extra-budgetary spending

T

he Niger State House of Assembly has directed five commissioners to appear before the lawmakers on March 16 to explain the alleged extrabudgetary expenditures by their ministries in the 2020 budget.

This was the resolutions of the house after a motion on matter of urgent public importance was presented at the plenary

by Mr Malik Madaki, member representing Bosso Constituency, who raised the issue.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the motion for invitation of the commissioners was seconded by Malam Abba Bala, member representing Borgu in Minna on Thursday.

Those directed to appear before the legislators are the commissioners of finance, planning, justice, works and sports.

Speaker of the House, Mr Abdullahi Bawa, while reading the resolutions of the house, directed the five commissioners to appear before the house and explain the alleged unconstitutional act and why administrative action should not be taken against them.

Earlier, Madaki had raised concern that the state government carried out expenditure outside what was approved in the appropriation law of 2020.

He said that the ministry of works expended over N2 billion while that of sports spent N360 million and justice spent N450 million which was above the approved 2020 budget of the ministries.

The lawmaker said that the additional expenditures of the ministries were not authorished by the house through supplementary appropriation as required under section 120; subsection two of the 199 Constitution as amended.

He described such acts as unconstitutional and unlawful, adding that the monies spent were out of public funds of the state.

Masako said that the lawmakers could not fold their hands and allow public funds to be spent without following due process as the monies were not approved in the 2020 budget or in a supplementary budget. (NAN)

Over N41.06b UBEC fund lies un-accessed Official

T

he Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr Hamid Boboyyi, says over N41,06 UBEC matching grants is lying unaccessed despite the poor state of many primary schools across the country.

Boboyyi disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday, while presenting the 2020 Capital Budget Performance to the Senate Committee on Basic and Secondary Education.

Giving a breakdown of matching grant implementation by states since 2017, he said while 32 states and the FCT implemented the 2017 projects, four states had yet to implement them.

The executive secretary listed the four states as Anambra, Imo, Kaduna and Kwara.

He also said that 30 states and the

FCT implemented matching grants projects in 2018, but six states – Anambra, Imo, Kaduna, Kwara, Ogun and Plateau – had yet to implement them.

“Eight states have implemented the 2019 matching grants projects, 28 states and FCT have yet to implement them. In 2020, no state implemented the matching grants projects,” he said.

Bobboyi further explained that states had yet to access the 2020 grants because it was only opened for access towards the end of the year.

He said over N29.75 billion was received by the commission, representing 99.92 per cent as at Dec. 31, 2020, while contracts worth over N27.57 billion were awarded for the 2,895 constituency projects.

The executive secretary added

that out of the 2,895 constituency projects awarded, 939 had been completed as at March 8, 2021 while a total of 1,956 projects were ongoing.

On fund utilisation, Bobboyi said over N5.35 billion representing 18 per cent had been utilised as at March 2021.

He, however, lamented that many challenges, including disruption of academic activities due to COVID-19 pandemic, delayed the release of capital allocation during the year.

He also said general insecurity in some parts of the country militated against successful implementation of the budgets.

A member of the senate committee and senator representing Imo West, Rochas Okorocha, urged UBEC to ensure that school children adapted to the technologically

advancing world.

Okorocha stressed the need to place more emphasis on ending insecurity in the north where attacks on schools had become the order of the day.

He further lamented the persistent out-of-school children challenge which he said required a new approach to tackle.

Meanwhile, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Basic and Secondary Education, Sen. Akon Eyakenyi, said the team was at UBEC to assess its activities in line with its mandate.

“UBEC is a major agency under this committee because the foundation of education begins with UBEC. If we miss it at this level it will be difficult to get it right,” he said.

(NAN)

3

0 extension agents in Edo State have been trained by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), ahead of farming season.

The four days training programme which started on Monday, March 8, was aimed at exposing and equipping the agents with best global agricultural practices.

Speaking at the closing Ceremony of the programme in Benin, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, said the training would build the capacity of youth

GOC warns bandits, others of impending doom From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

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he newly appointed General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division of the Nigerian Army ,Major General Danjuma Ali-Keffi has warned bandits and other criminal elements to desist from their nefarious activities saying, “their days are numbered”.

He stated this shortly after he took over from Major General Usman Shehu Mohammed who has been moved to Defence Headquarters, Abuja, as Director of Research and Development Bureau.

The new GOC who acknowledged the security challenges bedevilling the

division’s area of responsibility had earlier expressed determination to restore peace in the area in line with the Chief of Army’s vision.

Commending the immediate past GOC for taking the division to greater heights, Major General Ali-Keffi promised to consolidate on the successes recorded, as well as justify the confidence reposed

PHOTO; State House

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Polling units expansion won’t give advantage to any state, says INEC

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

he Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has declared that the expansion of polling units will not confer any advantage to any State of the Federation.

The electoral body equally disclosed that no Voting Point will be moved from one Local Government to another.

The effort, the Commission explained, will only help in decongesting existing polling units, degrading overcrowding, aid increase of voter turnout and improve the quality of legal services rendered by the Commission.

The National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education of INEC, Barr Festus Okoye said this at the INEC/IFES workshop on validation of the Commission’s

voter Education manual yesterday in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.

Similarly, the Commission has reiterated its determination to surmount whatever the challenges may be, in order to conduct elections that will receive the overwhelming endorsement of majority of Nigerians at all times.

The Commission, Okoye said, has prioritized the changes and innovations that will be cascaded to the conduct of off-season Governorship elections and the 2023 general election.

Stating that the changes and innovations will be challenging, he said that they (changes)are necessary to enhance the standard of our electoral process.

According to Barr Okoye, “The Commission has prioritized the changes and innovations that will be cascaded to the conduct of off-season

governorship elections and the 2023 general election.

“The changes and innovations will be challenging but they are necessary to enhance the standard of our electoral process.

“The Commission is therefore poised to surmount whatever the challenges may be, in order to conduct elections that will receive the overwhelming endorsement of majority of Nigerians at all times.

“At each stage of the envisioned changes, the Commission will endeavor to consult widely and build a national consensus around the changes and innovations in the electoral process.

“Expansion of access to polling units consultation and building of national consensus around the expansion of access to polling units and the movement of voting points

to unserved and underserved areas as stand-alone Polling Units are currently going on.

“In the next few days, the Commission will conclude the consultative phase and release clear guidelines for the movement of Voting Points to decongest the existing ones.

“It is pertinent to explain here that no Voting Point will be moved from one Local Government to another.

“It is also important to underscore the fact that the expansion of polling units will not confer any advantage to any State of the Federation other than decongesting existing polling units, degrading overcrowding, aid increase of voter turnout and improve the quality of legal services rendered by the Commission.

“The primary object of all this is to make the voting experience more pleasant and less tedious for Nigerians”, he said.

and existing practitioners in agricultural Extension delivery system.

Nanono who was represented by the State Director of Agriculture, Wellington said the training became necessary in other to expose and equip the agents with best global agricultural practices .

Represented by the State Director of Agriculture, Mr. Wellington Omoragbon, Nanono at the training that ended on Thursday.

“This training is the first in series of batches that will empower you with knowledge that will enhance service delivery to farmers both in terms

of production practices and equipment for technical support.

“Over the year, the fortunes of the agricultural extension system has declined majorly due to decreased funding, policy changes, reduced manpower and lack of interest in agricultural entrepreneurship.

“This situation has affected food production exposing the country to danger of unemployment, youth restiveness and economic instability.

“So this training is one of several strategies planned by the ministry to halt the drift in the agricultural extension system with the aim of pursuing the revitalisation agenda of

the economic by the Federal Government,” he said.

“To ensure we have adequate food for our population and some to argument foreign earnings,” Nanono added.

The Permanent Secretary, Mr. Ernest Umakhihe who was also represented by the Deputy director, extension service, Mr Adekule Okunlaya, urged the participants to take advantage of training to improve the agricultural sector.

Umakhihe noted that the training was being held in all the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory.

“The drive by the present administration to revitalise

agricultural extension services is to help farmers and value chain actors improve the livelihoods of rural populations,” according to him.

The Programme Manager of Edo Agricultural Development Project (ADP), Mr Peter Aikhuomobhogbe, said, “even though this training is going on in the 36 States of the federation including the FCT, Edo is unique because we have been given inputs to support the training,” he said.

According to Aikhuomobhogbe, the Edo ADP work plan for 2021 is to boost food production by 30 percent.

And we would need your services to achieve the target.

T

In him as new sheriff for the Division.

Earlier, immediate past GOC, Major General Usman Shehu Mohammed, after commissioning several projects inside Ribadu Military Cantonment, Kawo, Kaduna, expressed confidence in the new GOC to deliver on his new responsibility.

Chairman,Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Ekiti state Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi (middle) discussing with the Chairman,Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State Universities Mallam Yusuf Ali(left) and Pro-Chancellor Chairman,Governing Council Adekunle Ajasin University, Akunbga Ondo Sate, Dr. Tunji Abayomi when the Committee paid a courtesy visit to the Chairman,Nigeria Governors’ Forum, yesterday in Abuja.

R-L; President Muhammadu Buhari, SGF, Mr. Boss Mustapha, Chief of Staff, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, NSA to the President Maj Gen Babagana Mongonu and State House Permanent Secretary, Alh Tijjani Idris Umar during a virtual commissioning of the NDDC New Building held at the Council Chambers State house, Abuja.

Ministry trains 30 extension agents in Edo Osaigbovoan Iguobaro

PAGE 7

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

Bill to reserve 1 female senatorial seat per state for 2nd reading – Chairman

A

bill to make it compulsory for every state to reserve one seat for female senator will soon come up for second reading in the House of Representatives.

Rep Taiwo Oluga, who is the Chairman, House Committee on Women in Parliament, made this known when receiving the Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP), a coalition partner to Advance Gender Equality (SAGE) in Abuja.

She said that the bill is an initiative of the committee and part of the efforts being made to increase women representation in government.

“What we are proposing in the bill is to have at least a senator from every state, it can be two out of the three.

“It is not just because the female want to occupy positions, we want to complement the efforts of the men; we are not in competition, just to complement them.

“Why is the committee advocating this? It is because we know we have women who are intelligent and are capable in this country.

“We have females that have the ability, they have demonstrated the ability; we are just 12 in this 9th House but our contributions on the floor cannot be swept under the carpet, the house recognises that.

Oluga commended the contributions of female lawmakers to national issues such as security, health and in reducing the number of children out of school.

The lawmaker said that the issues in the country today cannot be addressed without the participation of women.

She said that women, with population of about 100 million cannot be ignored or left out in the scheme of things.

Oluga said that following the interventions of the committee all 20 female lawmakers in the National Assembly were included in the Constitution Review Committee.

“My own personal opinion is to have 360 members divided by two; how we are going to do it, let the political parties and the INEC cooperate and let everyone

be on the same page and make it a reality.

“If you cannot do that, in 2023 give us the 35 per cent affirmative action, and that is what we are doing in collaboration with all stakeholders,” she said.

Earlier, the Senior Programme Manager, Ms Pamela Okoroigwe, said that there was need to strategise on how to increase women representation in government.

Okoroigwe said that such strategy was most necessary as the Constitution was being amended by the National Assembly.

She also recommended that the Constitution should be amended to change the language to reflect all gender.

She said that “He” as used in the Constitution should be removed and let ‘Chairman’ be replaced with ‘Chairperson’.

Okoroigwe said that the Constitution should be amended to ensure 35 per cent affirmative action for women was reflected in political parties’ candidates.

According to her, INEC can be

empowered by the Constitution to enforce it by deregistering political parties that fail to conform.

Okoroigwe said that the Constitution should be amended to make it mandatory for the offices of chairman and secretary of political party leadership be occupied by a man and woman at all times.

She said that the Constitution should also be amended to reflect 35 per cent affirmative action in ministerial appointments and in the Judiciary.

The Programme Manager, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Mr Okeke Anya, said that the SAGE is a USAID supported project.

He said that the aim was to drive a campaign to increase the number of women in governance across all tiers.

Anya said that a political party advisory group was being worked on to engage political parties on the need to produce more female candidates.

He said that a Civil Society group was also in place to help amplify and increase the momentum of the SAGE. (NAN)

News Gunmen kill Policeman in Benue

From: Uche Makurdi

Nnorom,

S

ome gunmen suspected to be loyal to late notorious Benue warlord, Terwase Akwaza alias Gana yesterday morning reportedly attacked Tse Harga community in Katsina-Ala Local Government area of Benue State killing a Police Officer.

This was even as troops of the Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), in collaboration with the Police neutralized one of the suspected attackers who was caught with over 200 rounds of ammunitions.

It was gathered that the gunmen invaded the sleepy community and launched an attack on the people in the area without provocation.

Tse Harga is part of Sankera axis where the loyalists of the deceased militia kingpin have been holding sway, a development which made the state government to place a dusk to dawn curfew as well as ban the use of motorcycles and Toyota Camry popularly known as Duck Nyash to avert further criminal and armed banditry activities in the axis.

The Sankera axis comprises of three local government areas of Logo, Ukum and Katsina-Ala which had been hotbed of violent attacks for sometime now.

Sources from Harga community who spoke to newsmen by telephone but pleaded anonymity said the attackers arrived at about 4am while the people were still sleeping.

Covid-19: Oyetola, wife, deputy, others get vaccinated From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

T

he Governor of the State of Osun, Adegboyega Oyetola, yesterday took the AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccine at the Government House, Osogbo.

This was contained in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary Ismail Omipidan and made available to media in Kaduna yesterday.

The vaccine was administered on the Governor by the Chief Medical Director, Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Prof. Peter Olaitan.

The vaccine was also administered on the wife of the Governor, Kafayat, and the Deputy Governor, Mr. Benedict Alabi, and some senior officials of the government.

Recall that the State on Tuesday evening formally received 64,240 doses of AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccine.

The State government had earlier administered the doses of the vaccine on the frontline medical personnel in line with the protocol and schedule by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

PAGE 8

News

Pandemic will be kicked out Zamfara receives 55920 doses like polio, Ganduje assures of covid-19 From Kano

Mustapha

Adamu,

G

overnor of Kano state, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has been vaccinated for COVID-19.

At the flag-off ceremony of the vaccination exercise, held at Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital yesterday, Ganduje took the shot of the vaccine at exactly 2: 49pm The vaccine was administered to the governor by Dr Fakhraddeen Yahaya Muhammad, in the presence of some members of the State Executive Council, representative of Kano Emirate, frontline health workers, a select

of development partners and other critical stakeholders.

This marks the beginning of vaccination exercise in the state.

Before today’s event, two days back, the governor had series of sensitisation/stakeholders meetings with different sections of stakeholders, ranging from security agencies, health professionals and others.

In his remark, Ganduje said the coming of the vaccine is the beginning of the end of COVID-19 in Kano state, calling on the people to register and make themselves available to be vaccinated at the nearest designated centres.

“We have done what we can to ensure this exercise is successful.

We have provided facilities for the exercise. We have provided effective equipment for the storage of the vaccines. “ We have good and professional health workers who would complement the success of the exercise. I urge them to double their efforts. I am sure that COVID-19 would be eradicated as we eradicated polio in Kano state,” Ganduje assured.

Earlier in a remark, the state Commissioner of Health, Dr Tsanyawa said the state has provided 509 facilities for the vaccination exercise.

According to him, the government had also provided effective storage equipment at

state, local and ward level in order to keep the potency of the vaccine.

He described the vaccination exercise as an important intervention in the fight against the pandemic, adding that the state’s Ministry of Health is fully ready to commence the vaccination in order to decimate the virus in the state.

Others that were vaccinated include the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Usman Alhaji, former Deputy Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Ali Abubakar Jatau, state’s Commissioner of Health, Dr Aminu Ibrahim Tsanyawa, Coordinator Technical Response Committee, some health workers, some commissioners, among others.

vaccines

From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau

Z

amfara State Government has received 55920 doses of covid-19 vaccines alongside number of other accessories including syringes, septic boxes and packages of cotton.

Receiving the items in Gusau the Zamfara State capital, the State Commissioner of health, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, said the vaccination exercise will commence soon with the vaccination of the State Governor, Bello Muhammad Matawalle.

Alhaji Abubakar further informed that, each of the 55920 distributed doses will be enough to vaccinate ten persons bringing the total number of those to be vaccinated to 27960.

He said, immediately after the flag off ceremony of the exercise, health personnel will be deployed to strategic places including filling stations, motor parks, government establishments.

The Commissioner reiterated the State Government commitments towards ensuring that the targeted number of people in the state were reached out, adding that, “The ages started from the 18 to above”.

FG advises capital market operators on retail investments

T From left: Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina; National Security Adviser (NSA) retired Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno and the Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu during the weekly State House Briefing at the Presidential in Abuja on Thursday (11/3/2021)

CODE lauds El-Rufa’i for appointing more women From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

A

group under the auspices of Connected Development, (CODE), has commended Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufa’i for his astuteness in appointing women of substance into his cabinet.

Chief Executive of CODE, Hamza Lawal, disclosed this when he led a team to the office of the Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Architect Fausat Adebola Ibikunle in Kaduna yesterday.

According to Hamza, El-Rufa’i has proven himself by enabling a woman to become first Deputy governor in the north.

The CODE boss lauded Architect Ibikunle for her strides as the pioneer commissioner in

the ministry.

He added that the role played by the ministry during the Covid-19 pandemic cannot be easily forgotten.

The programme manager of CODE, Lucy Abagi, said the team was in the ministry to appreciate the role Arc. Ibikunle is playing to bring women to the forefront.

Doctors urge NAFDAC to encourage production of infants’ formula Some neonatal doctors have advised the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to encourage more local production of infants formula as alternative to expensive imported ones.

They gave the advice in a communiqué in Kaduna,

after a sensitisation workshop for neonatal doctors on the International Code for Marketing of Breast Milk Substitute and national regulations.

The communiqué was signed

by Dr Lamidi Audu and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday.

The doctors said support was needed to ensure breastfeeding was promoted in health institutions while urging donors, stakeholders, and governments at all levels to provide the support.

They also recommended that breast milk banks be created to aid children who had no immediate access to breast milk whenever there were delays in flow of breast milk. ‘’If mothers are chronically sick and unable to feed their

children or when a nursing mother dies leaving behind a young child, some babies have difficulty adapting to the introduction of complementary feeds at the end of exclusive breastfeeding,” the doctors noted.

The doctors also expressed the need for more trainings and sensitisations on the importance of the code on breast milk for all stakeholders.

According to them, selected hospitals should be identified and re-designated as Baby Friendly Hospitals.

“Persons who work as partners to Save the Children must uphold the highest regards for children and not do anything that will harm them,” they said.

(NAN)

he Federal Government on Thursday advised capital market operators to consider retail investments, to enable ordinary citizens in the country to invest in the market.

Mrs Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, made the call at the 5th Budget Seminar webinar in Abuja.

The seminar was organised by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Ahmed said that retail investment would make citizens invest in the market in an easy and simple way.

She described the theme of the seminar:`Financing Nigeria’s Budget and Infrastructure Deficits through the Capital Market’ as apt, given the urgent need to build infrastructure in the country.

The minister remarked that the capital market served as an important channel through which government budget and economic infrastructure deficits could be financed.

“Past experiences have shown that the capital market has been supportive in providing the necessary funds to finance governments’ projects.

“The budget is N13.95 trn, capital expenditure of N4.37trn amounting to 32.2 per cent of the total expenditure and overall deficit of N5.6 trn to be financed by almost equally domestic and foreign sources.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

ABUAD hospital performs first abdominal Aortic aneurysm repair in Nigeria – Management

T

he management of Afe Babalola University, AdoEkiti, on Wednesday, said it has successfully performed the first Endovascular Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (EVAR) repair in Nigeria.

A statement by the institution, signed by Mr Tunde Olofintila, Director, Corporate Affairs, said the rare interventional procedure was performed by a multi-disciplinary team of experts at the institution’s Multi-System Hospital facility.

According to the statement, the procedure was led by Dr. Hammed Ninalowo and assisted by Dr. Yemi Johnson and Dr. Dave Dhiren on a patient with abdominal aortic aneurism.

The statement described aneurysm as a bulge in the wall of vessels in the body due to inherent weakness in the wall.

“This often results in the bloating of the vessels and subsequent rupture if left untreated and could lead to the death of the person.

“The aorta is a major blood vessel that takes blood from the heart to all the organs in the body at high velocity.

“A complex procedure, Endovascular Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (EVAR) is often resorted to in order to fix anaortic aneurysm in the abdomen percutaneously.

“It is called endovascular because a doctor repairs the aneurysm from the inside of the damaged blood vessel (the aorta) through a minimal access procedure.

“This has the inherent advantages of reduced patient’s stay in the hospital, morbidities and other incidental cost,” the statement said.

Page 9

News

Council of traditional rulers seeks constitutional role

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he Council of Traditional Rulers in Nigeria on Wednesday submitted a memo to the House of Representatives Committee on the Review of 1999 constitution.

Etsu Nupe, Dr Abubakar Yahaya, who led the delegation of the council said that traditional rulers must be given constitutional role in the country.

He said that traditional rulers were better place in handling communal clashes in view of security challenges facing the country.

He added that there was need

to accommodate traditional rulers by giving them the needed constitutional backing, adding that such would help to maintain the requisite peace in the country.

He said that the traditional rulers hoped that those in charge of the review of the 1999 constitution would acknowledge their roles and give them constitutional recognition.

“The council of traditional rulers had deliberated in so many sittings and came out with a prescribe status that should be allocated to its members.

“We are advocating

membership at the council of state as well as local government councils.

“We want to establish a national council of traditional rulers of Nigeria to be embedded in our constitution,” he said.

Mr Ahmed Wase, chairman of the committee on the review of 1999 constitution and the Deputy Speaker of the House, however, quarried the absence of representatives of South West traditional rulers.

He said that the memo presented showed that Alafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, Oba

Sikiru Adetona, the Awujale of Ijebu Ode and others did not sign the memo.

Wase pleaded with the traditional rulers to work with harmony so that those who had not signed would sign.

Wase assured that the committee was conscious of their role as traditional rulers, adding that he believed the traditional rulers had a role to play in stabilising the polity.

“I belief that you have a role to play in keeping us united as a country and in keeping the government functioning and providing adequate security in your domain,” he said.

(NAN)

I consistently kept Lobi on Nigerian Club Football, sacked VC From: Makurdi

I

Uche

Nnorom,

mmediate past Chairman of Benue State owned Nigeria Professional League side Lobi Stars Mike Idoko has stressed that he did his best to consistently place the club on the front burner of Nigeria club football.

Idoko was sacked on Wednesday by the State government after serving as the Executive Vice Chairman of Lobi Stars for 5 years.

A letter signed by the Secretary to the State Government Prof.

Anthony Ijohor and made available to Peoplesdaily, said “that Governor Samuel has approved the termination of the appointment of Mike Idoko as Vice Chairman, Lobi Stars with immediate effect”.

The letter also, asked the former chairman to immediately hand over to Secretary of the club even government and wish him well in his future endeavors.

Men work on a bridge across Yenagoa-Imiringi Road leading to Ogbia and Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa on Thursday (3/11/21).

PHOTO: NAN

45,000 people to benefit from N400m NHIS in Bauchi

From Ahmad Mohammed,Bauchi

4

5,000 people in the 323 wards in Bauchi State are to benefit from the allocation of support for healthcare services in the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Gateway services.

The Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed

Abdulkadir stated this in Liman Katagum when he flagged off the disbursement of funds to the center at the Primary Health Center in Liman Katagum. He said that his administration will continue to accord priority to effective and qualitative health care delivery services across the state.

Governor Bala said those to be enrolled in the scheme are under 5 children, the aged in the various communities, pregnant

and nursing women, students and other vulnerable individuals within the communities.

Represented by his Deputy, Senator Baba Tela, the Governor lamented that accessing healthcare services especially by the not too wealthy people has become a problem stressing that some even sell or mortgage their properties in order to access quality healthcare services.

He said that the COVID-19

pandemic outbreak has further compounded the health issues as it brought every aspect of life to a standstill thereby reducing access to healthcare delivery services across the country including Bauchi State.

Governor Bala said that the allocation to the state came nine months after its approval.

He said it has come and it must be utilised, assuring that it will be disbursed according to the guidelines by the NPHCDA.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

PAGE 10

News

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he Jigawa state governor Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar Badaru has relieved Dawaki A. Baima Kirikasamma of his appointment as Special Assistant to the governor on Crop Production with immediate effect.

This was contained in a Statement signed by the Secretary to the Government of Jigawa State, Alhaji Adamu Abdulkadir Fanini and issued to news men in Dutse the state capital.

According to the statement “with this development all rights and privileges attached to his office as

PAGE 11

EDITORIAL

Badaru sacks special assistant on crop production From Mika’il Tsoho, Dutse

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

The wage palaver all over again

T

he National Assembly is working on a piece of legislation to decentralize wage fixing. It is the federal government that has been responsible for deciding the national minimum wage. But now, federal lawmakers want state governments to negotiate with their workers what wage to pay.

Special Assistant to the Governor on Crop Production, have been withdrawn”.

The statement said “Any item(s) of the Government in his possession should be handed over to the office of the Secretary to the Government of Jigawa State with immediate effect”.

However, their move has got organized labour up in arms. Last Wednesday, the umbrella labour union, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), rallied against that move in all state capitals. Its president, Ayuba Wabba, addressed hundreds of workers at the National Assembly complex in Abuja.

He described removing the national minimum wage from the Exclusive Legislative List as a declaration of war on Nigerian workers.

part, Rep. Doguwa advised leaders and members of organised labour to engage and lobby their representatives in the National Assembly to kill the new bill.

“You are in the right hand and in the right place and the right institution which is a representation of the general membership of organised labour in Nigeria,” he told the protesters. “I want to assure you that the House of Reps will give a listening ear to your message... I want to advise, please, lobby members that you elected that you do not want the bill and members will make sure the bill is killed,” he said. However, Wabba said the issue of the minimum wage was not about lobbying the House of Representatives members.

To be sure, the wage issue will always be an emotive one in industrial relations - employers want to keep He said: “We are here today it as low as they can while labour (Wednesday) to make it clear and demands the right for amount of work unambiguous that the bill that seeks done. In Nigeria, the present national minimum wage was to remove the national agreed between the minimum wage from the federal government Exclusive Legislative List is and the NLC and was not accepted. If the right thing passed into law in 2019. is not done, the leadership of the NLC will have to declare a However, their It will be up for review in 2024. national strike.”

“

move has got

From left: National Secretary, Nigerian Legion, retired Group Capt. Kayode Abe; Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Adakole Akpa; and representative of the Director, Veteran Affairs Division, Defence Headquarters, Brig.-Gen. Odikiba Donibo, during the Nigerian Legion National Council Meeting in Abuja Thursday (11/3/21). PHOTO: NAN

NEMA cautions truck drivers against over speeding in urban areas

T

he National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has advised truck drivers to always be very careful when driving in urban areas to avoid accidents.

Mr Evans Ugoh, Head of Imo/ Operations Office of the agency gave the advice on Wednesday at the scene of a tanker accident along Wetheral Road.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a tanker, fully loaded with 30,000 litres of

fuel lost control along Wetheral Road, Owerri on Tuesday evening but was intercepted by the road barricade.

The tanker spilled fuel along the road, which caused panic within the capital city.

Motorists and business owners fled the area for safety.

The NEMA official, who spoke to newsmen, cautioned tanker drivers against over speeding, adding that the situation had been put under control.

“We have successfully transloaded the fuel into another tanker and no life was lost.

“When this incident happened yesterday, I mobilised the public safety unit in my office to join forces with the fire fighters to avert fire disaster.

“We kept vigil till today and have successfully concluded the operation, but there is need to monitor heavy duty drivers, especially in the metropolis,” he

said.

Ugoh said motorists were advised to apply alternative routes to their destinations during the operation and commended the public for adhering to instructions.

The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr Roland Onamusi told NAN that he mobilised his men to the scene to ease heavy traffic during the operation.

(NAN)

Delta Govt reiterates commitment to boost staff efficiency

By Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

D

elta State Head of Service, Mr. Reginald Bayoko, has reiterated the State Government’s overall quest to boost the efficiency and effectiveness of workers for enhanced service delivery.

Mr. Bayoko stated this during the opening ceremony of a one-day orientation course organized by the Management of the State Staff Training Centre for fresh students admitted into the Training Center for the 2020/2021 academic session at Asaba on Thursday.

He called on the 65 participants who enrolled for the various courses of the Staff Training Centre to work assiduously towards

bringing out the best in them in order to justify the State Government’s investments in the Staff Training Centre in terms of human and infrastructural development to ensure a conducive learning environment.

According to the State Head of Service, “You have to assure the state government that the huge investment being made in human capital development in the State will be reciprocated through greater loyalty, dedication and commitment to your studies to effectively acquire the knowledge, skills and character to be imparted to you.”

Mr. Bayoko who disclosed that it was the first time he was personally declaring the

orientation course opened, refers to the 2020/2021 batch of students as special even as he inspired the participants to be forward looking.

While emphasizing the relevance and importance of the training, the HoS further stated that given the track record of excellence in the field of middle-level manpower training, the new programme would meet government’s expectation and the students would benefit immensely from the training programme.

He thanked the State Government for the moral support in its determination to improve on the performance and productivity of middlelevel officers in the State civil service.

Earlier, the Director of

Training of the Staff Training Centre, Mr. Emmanuel Basime in his welcome address, disclosed that the essence of the one-day orientation course for the newly admitted students was to develop the capacity of both the Secretarial Assistants and Clerical Officers towards enhanced quality service delivery for the benefit of the State Public service.

“Our programmes are designed to offer you technology and management package aimed at equipping you with relevant knowledge, skills and attitude for improved performance on the job in consonance with the human capacity development effort of the present administration,” Mr Basime stated.

Kebbi Govt receives 57,810 doses of covid-19 vaccine From Ahmed Birnin Kebbi

T

Idris,

he Kebbi State Government has received 57,810 doses of covid-19 vaccine and devices.

Addressing journalists yesterday at the Malaria Store Center Birnin Kebbi, the Hon. Commissioner of Health Ja’afaru Ahmed said that the vaccine will be given to people free for the treatment.

He added that the vaccine will be used judiciously and it will be first given to the fronline workers such as Health workers, Traditional Rulers, journalists before any other individual.

Jafaru added that the vaccine will be shared to the various Local Government areas of the State.

He assured the public that everyone will benefit from the vaccine in order to ensure that people are covid free.

Now the proposed The protesters, who organized labour legislation will make marched from the Federal up in arms. Last that unnecessary if Secretariat to the National Assembly, chanted Wednesday, the passed. There will be no solidarity songs against the umbrella labour central authority fixing a national minimum bill, which, according to the union, Nigeria wage. States will have sponsor, House member Garba Mohammed (APC, Labour Congress it all clear to give what they can afford.

Kaduna), would allow (NLC), rallied both the federal and state Labour is saying governments to freely against that move that removing the negotiate a minimum in all state capitals power of the federal wage in line with Nigeria’s government to decide federalism. Wabba said the national minimum wage was not a the national minimum wage is “anti Nigerian standard, but an international workers”. But it is not challenging the standard, noting that 26 countries power of the National Assembly to of the world have minimum wage as make law and change it because this part of their exclusive legislative list, is what it is meant to do. Again, labour must accept that there is no point including the United States. forcing what cannot be implemented.

House of Representatives’ Majority It is all too obvious many state Leader Ado Doguwa and Deputy Chief governments have not paid the Whip of the Senate Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi N30,000 minimum wage because addressed the protesters, assuring them they could not find the money to pay. that the National Assembly would not Ultimatums came and went without pass any legislation against the interest anything giving. Now, perhaps, is the of Nigerian workers. Abdullahi said the time for labour to accept the reality NLC had made its point by staging the that the proposed law puts out. The protest, adding that the Senate would best it can hope for is to be allowed to continue to stand by workers to protect put forward its viewpoint. A platform their rights and privileges. For his has promised for that.

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Letter to the Editor

Wanted: A Salvation for Nigeria’s Education System

By Sadiq K. Dangogo

W

ith the end of ninemonth ASUU strike and the recent kidnapped and released of Kankara students in Katsina, one can only imagine the state of education in Nigeria.

It is clear that education has not been giving the deserved priority attention by those in authority, in terms of adequate funding and security.

The quality of our schools is dwindling. This is unlike when today’s leaders had the best of education in the past. Sadly, its future leaders are now contending with poor quality of education.

Decades ago, public schools were the only option for quality education, but today only those who can’t afford private schools can access such quality of education.

For those with resources, leaving the country is their only option to ensure proper education for their children, because even with private schools quality education is not guaranteed.

The way education keeps declining will make one think whether it is actually deliberate. Because its failure has created a window of opportunity to make money by setting up private schools, giving people the impression of better education, which comes with a higher price tag.

It is regrettable to note that, Nigeria is believed to have the highest number of out-ofchool children. Some believe it is a problem that is more rampant in the north, but from a general point of view it’s a problem for the whole nation.

The more people lose faith in formal education, the more impoverished we become, leading to frustrations that will manifest into violent crimes, drug abuse and lawlessness.

Since the outbreak of insurgency, education has been the number one target.

Pupils and students have been on the receiving end of it. They are the ones being kidnapped, raped and killed. Looking back at the Chibok girls abduction, and how it turned out and now the Kankara students suffering the same fate, it is clear that the government is not doing enough.

Though, insecurity is a contributing factor, Nigeria’s education sector has been facing many problems, long before the insurgents started making waves. Schools are poorly constructed, with close to zero facilities, and highlyunqualified and understaffed teachers.

From 1999 to date, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been on strike for about 51 months and still counting. This, alone, is a clear representation of how much failure education is.

If an average citizen has no access to proper education then will the future of the country be anything to look forward to? Will the future be any better than the past?

Will the country achieve any meaningful development?

We all seat and wonder why our country is going up in flames when we have abandoned the establishment of a proper foundation upon which a country is built. Until we wake up from our slumber and fix our education system, the country will continue to remain the butt of joke in the comity of nations. Now is the time for the government, most especially, to salvage our decaying education system. And it is surely not an onerous task, if only we will tell ourselves the bitter truth.

Sadiq K. Dangogo, a Photo Journalist writes from Abuja

PAGE 12

Opinion

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

The inefficiency of fighting insecurity without State Police

By Jerome-Mario Utomi

F

rom the dripping political and socioeconomic events in the country, it is abundantly obvious that the defective nature of the nation’s 1999 Constitution (as amended) that has discouraged and crippled development in the country and responsible for the mirage of problems confronting the nation. Its weak provisions has more than anything else conspired with other socioeconomic challenges to make it possible for us as a nation to keep ‘‘doing the same thing over and over again and expects a different result,’’ Take as an instance, when one takes a cursory look at insecurity in the country which includes but not limited to banditry, armed robbery, kidnapping among others, two things standout.

First, It did not start in the country under the present administration. Remember the kidnap of Chibok Schools girls on April 14th, 2014. But, it assumed large scale shape under the present federal Government. Remember also the kidnap of the University of Maiduguri Lecturers in July, 2017, Kidnap of six aid workers in July 18, 2019, the Kankara school boys kidnap on December 11, 2020 among others. Secondly and more painful is the awareness that the present administration is still in the habit of tackling the challenge which has morphed to the ‘next level’ with the same thinking used when they were created.

Without doubt, the painful part of the present discourse is that a peep into the present Federal Government (Executive and Legislative) will reveal that it is arguably gifted with the best trained and most highly skilled in various areas of endeavor. Yet, they have been able to recognize that ‘extraordinary conditions call for extraordinary remedies” or figure out what their real responsibilities are so as to go ahead and perform it in ways that enhance the life chances of Nigerians.

This failure is most visible in their inability to understand why banditry is on the increase, why

the existing police system no longer supports the original roadmap for crime control. Such failure is exacerbated by utter lack of political will to challenge the basic assumptions in the nation’s constitution in order to see why creation of state police has become the only way to fighting criminality not just in Nigeria but across the globe.

Aside from the new awareness that globally, leadership/governance can no longer be viewed in a unitary way as such thinking is both old school and out-fashioned, If objective analysis can replace emotional discussion regarding state police, it is glaring that, there are no federal police or state police models, but there are fundamental differences between the two. While cultural and geographical homogeneity which are strong factors and advantages of state policing are lost in federal policing, state police depend on these factors and more such as historical and friendship to keep the society orderly and without anarchy. This value no doubt makes a productive policing without disorder. And state governments have the capacity to fulfill this obligation.

To further arrive at the answer, one will again recognize that President Muhammadu is aware of this claim. The facts are there.

In August 2019, while he played host to the traditional rulers from the Northern part of the country led by the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Mr President going by reports stated that; the ongoing reform of the Police would include recruitment of more hands, cultivation of stronger local intelligence and networking with communities, traditional rulers and adequate training. This in specific terms will include recruiting more police officers from their local government areas, where they would then be stationed in the best traditions of policing worldwide. Working with the state governments; we intend to improve the equipping of the police force with advanced technology and equipment

that can facilitate their work.

From the virtues and attributes of his speech, he did not only underline the importance of but underscores the virtues and attribute of recruiting more police officers from their local government areas, where they would then be stationed in the best traditions of policing worldwide.

Precisely, this form of security design is what the pro-state police and nations’ restructuring advocates’ demands. Particularly as it is obvious that the vast majority of states can afford to equip their officers with the sophisticated security gadgets Mr. President listed above.

The next question is; having seen the usefulness of recruiting, and allowing officer’s work in their familiar environments, what alternative is opened to the nation?

In my views, there is no alternative to having state police that is adequately equipped and completely answerable and controlled by the state governors.

In fact, there are two major reasons that are President Buhari-specific to why the constitution urgently needs to be amended to accommodate state police.

First is that during his campaign in 2015, he promised to “Initiate action to amend the Nigerian Constitution with a view to devolving powers, duties, and responsibilities to states in order to entrench true Federalism and the Federal spirit,” notable Nigerians,. The second and very fundamental is that on Monday 1st, January 2018, Mr. President among other things noted that ‘no human law or edifice is perfect, whatever structure we develop must periodically be perfected according to the changing circumstances and the country’s socio-economic developments’.

From the above realities, nation restructuring vis-a -vis state police should be viewed as those structures that must periodically be perfected according to the changing circumstances and the country’s socio-economic developments.

Certainly, if providing adequate security for the masses is the government priority, it should be the collective responsibility of the country’s citizens to contribute to the success of the process.

What the masses are saying and wanting in my understanding is that the padding of the second schedule of the exclusive legislative list, of our 1999 constitution with about 68 items has made Abuja suffer ‘political obesity’ and need to shed some weight via power devolution.

As noted in my previous intervention, the over blotted exclusive list has made our nation to currently stand in an inverted pyramid shape with more power concentrated at the top and the base not formidable enough making collapse inevitable if urgent and fundamental steps are not taken.

What the proponents of state police/restructuring are saying is that majority of the items are too trivial for the Federal Government to handle and should serve the greater good of the people if left in the hands of both the state and the local government.

This is the hub of the masses expectation.

Items such as; Police and some government security services, mines and minerals; including oil fields, oil mining geological surveys, control of parks, stamp duties, public holidays, taxation of incomes, profits and capital gains, and insurance among others to my mind should find their ways back to the states and the local councils.

Above all, While we keep in mind these lessons learned from our nation’s politicization of law enforcement, and think about the broader threat of insecurity in the country which has obviously become a reality to worry about, I must quickly conclude that as a nation, we will be sadly mistaken if we feel that the nation will defeat criminal activities without state police.

Utomi is the Programme Coordinator (Media and Policy), Social and Economic Justice Advocacy (SEJA), Lagos. He could be reached via;jeromeutomi@yahoo.com

For businesses in Nigeria, perforating 2020 and its challenges for 2021

By Adeyinka Adebayo

I

n 2020, the world experienced the stark reality of a major health crisis and it ushered in a devastating impact on the entire global economy. In fact, the year brought in the steepest social, economic and financial meltdown ever since the great 1930’s recession.

The health crisis as an outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic came by with lockdowns around the globe, social distancing in the communities with a general synchronized slowdown in global economic activities and unarguably, the crisis chaperones a negative influence on the demand for and prices of crude oil in the international markets. In line with that, global oil market crashed as Brent prices fell to a record of $20 at the close of market trading in April, 2020. This evidently led to significant capital flight, dollar scarcity and naira depreciation in all segments of the country’s foreign exchange market. The monetary authority of the country in their response to this surge of volatile financial market and conditions advised financial institutions to restructure existing loans and slashed the MPR by 200 basis points from 13.5% to 11.5%. Moving forward from the emergency of this new variant of Covid-19, the recently developed vaccines records a significant milestone on the path of global economic recovery. Reliably, it could be said that in 2021, global economic growth would be led by a digital recovery in all fronts.

Meanwhile, as the infections keep unfolding, this crisis poses several risks to businesses.

Fiscal and monetary stance By the dip of 2% in the MPR from the monetary authority to 11.5%, reduction in the interest rate on intervention loans to 5% and introduction of liquidity to boost liquidity in the economy. Therefore, the monetary authority is expected to sustain its accommodative policy stance to cushion the impact of the second wave or possibly the third wave of the virus on businesses and Nigerians at large. Also, the support from the fiscal end of the FGN is expected to continue. However, the CBN may maintain the rate on intervention loans at 5% to targeted sectors of the economy and likely extend the deadline on loan forbearance, among other policy supports therefore, regulatory uncertainty still remains about the actions that could be taken by regulators to cushion the impact of pandemic in 2021.

A shot at demand in 2021 The general demand for goods and services is expected to drop with a significant decline characterized by; – The high rate of unemployment at 27.1 – Income inequality – Removal of subsidies and deregulation of the pump price of PMS – Recent hike in electricity tariff by about 100%, from N30.23/kwh to N62.33/kwh – The impact of naira depreciation on the purchasing power of the naira and the rising consumer price index, currently at 14.89%.

With all these, a synchronized drop in effective demand for goods and services in 2021 is certain. Albeit, the demand for essential goods and services, such as food, drugs, and other essential consumables are expected to be price inelastic. Businesses need to tweak models and factor in this prognosis.

dollar scarcity had limited the capacity of foreign investors to repatriate the proceeds of their investment. The pent-up FX demand in Nigeria’s foreign exchange market are being met through the CBN FX intervention, Investors’ and Exporters’ window and the parallel market segment.

In 2021, a sustained rebound in equities and commodity prices would sharply improve FX liquidity in all segments of Nigeria’s foreign exchange market. This would be driven by momentum from the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines and improving oil price fundamentals. If the current trend is sustained, it may encourage foreign investors to renew their confidence in the Nigerian economy. Therefore, further depreciation of the naira in 2021 is not expected, but advisably, both local and foreign investors should hedge against foreign exchange risk.

Oil and its bullish market The oil and gas market has been drastically influenced in the year, the crisis accompanied a negative impact on the demand for and prices of crude oil in the international commodity markets. On April 28, 2020, global oil market crashed as Brent crude prices fell to a record low of $20.37 a barrel. However, the development and rollouts of Covid-19 vaccines have provided fresh momentum for Brent crude price recovery, closing the year 2020 on a bullish note at $51.09 per barrel. This momentum is expected to be sustained this year on the heels of significant production cut by Saudi Arabia and Russia.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects global oil demand growth to rise by 5.6 mb/d in 2021 while crude oil price (Brent crude) is projected at $52.7 a barrel this year.

Although crude oil prices start on a bullish note, the resurgence of the pandemic could pose considerable risk to the oil price outlook and fiscal position of oil-dependent economies like Nigeria Hobbled FX For organization that desires foreign direct investment, there is a huge setback as the net foreign assets position of domestic money banks in Nigeria fell to a record low in 2020, as they seek means to cushion the impact of significant naira depreciation on their assets and earning quality. The twin-shocks of oil prices and global health emergency have led to significant margin calls and capital outflows. The resultant

Puncturing credit worthiness and counterparty risk Ongoing lockdowns of cities and economies around the world have considerably reduced the capacity of credit customers to meet their financial obligations. Despite a record policy support by global central banks to cushion the financial impacts of the pandemic. Even here in Nigeria, there was an extension of one year moratorium on CBN loans, tax rebates, intervention funds yet loan-loss is on the rise as firms deal with liquidity crisis and financial insolvency. The development could result in higher non-performing loans and impair the asset quality of both domestic and foreign banks. Consequently, in 2021, the real impact of Covid-19 related credit risk may likely appear on the mainstream. Also, as the virus bites harder, counterparty risk rises. The resurgence of the pandemic may further worsen corporate insolvencies this year, which may increase the risk of a counterparty default, rating downgrade of corporates, and impair regulatory capital.

Strategic reduction in the size of the credit exposures and monitoring counterparty limits would help to mitigate the risk.

Health, safety and wellness in the tough times Evidently, Nigeria is experiencing the second wave of this pandemic as the virus keeps ravaging cities globally and inevitably, the third wave is here in a jiffy. The nation needs an

effective strategy to vaccinate a considerable but reasonable number of the Nationals but unfortunately prioritization of vaccines to health workers and the older Nigerians sets in.

Say 100,000 doses for 50,000 countrymen in the said category when the vaccines eventually arrive in February 2021. This will pose a serious challenge as it could take a decade to effectively vaccinate the entire population of the country.

And to businesses, safety and operational risks will surely persist throughout 2021. Hence, organizations are expected to keep track with proactive measures towards protecting employees, relevant stakeholders and other germane interests against infliction of the raging virus.

Socio-economic challenges The social wheel of pressure is spinning to a tipping point as an estimated 5million Nigerians could slip into extreme poverty in 2021. This would be driven sharply by the contraction of remittances and the high unemployment rate.

Albeit, the 2020 Finance Act has the potential to reduce the cost of living of Nigerians this year, various interest groups may go on strike this year to seek redress for income inequality, social injustice, and exclusion. This could pose significant operation and credit risks for businesses.

Equities market and its bubble Not all gloom and doom, the frenzy over the rebound of global equities markets may also lead to a price bubble this year. However, the sentiment for stocks depends on the direction of monetary policy, particularly in relation to the yield environment. A sharp reversal of rates is likely to trigger a sell-off in the equities market considering that the current average market price-to-earnings (P/E) valuation multiple (15.2x) is considerably higher than the 5-year historical average (11.9x). But the prognosis for the Nigerian stock market in 2021 is that domestic interest, fueled by dividend expectations, is likely to sustain the market rally in 2021 and it cedes an opportunity for businesses.

Adeyinka is a manqué journalist, an economist by academic training and a banker by profession. He writes in from Abuja

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

Comment PAGE 13

Current challenges of education in Nigeria

By Aniekpeno John Inyang

E

ducation has been described in many quarters as not just a tool for an individual’s self-actualization but a powerful instrument of social change. Many developed countries in the world today have attributed their success stories to their faith in education. This goes a long way in proving how vital education is to any society. Nigeria as a country is regarded as one that is still developing and a lot of people believe that our transition to a state of be described as one of the most developed countries in the world is largely dependent on how much emphasis we lay on education. Education in today’s world has gone through a lot of changes to enable it cater for emerging demands and bring about life changing transformations. Nigerian educational system is still growing but has encountered a lot of challenges.

The essence of this paper is to take a look at the educational problems confronting Nigeria and how we can address some of those problems, but first we will take a look at the concept of education Dornell (2005) defined education as the process by which people develop their functional literacy and numeracy, knowledge and skills for productive activity. According to Peters (1989) education is a continuous process, which involves the transmission of societal accepted values, skills, attitude and virtue for proper development of an individual for positive contribution to his society.

Wikipedia defines Education as the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits.

Educational methods include storytelling, discussion, teaching, training, and directed research. Education frequently takes place under the guidance of educators, but learners may also educate themselves.[1] Education can take place in formal or informal settings and any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts may be considered educational. The

By Kareem Itunu Azeez

I

hope all of the inspiring professors I know would see this, and I hope they would raise their voices to a silt call.

I hope all of the great “SIR’s”, I know and whose names I shall mention as I pour down the pain in my heart towards how they perhaps have now started to neglect the children they raise, in the literary way, or rather they are raising, would try one more time to bring back the about to be thrown into the waste bin of forgetfulness, stand tall with the oceans of intuition, the almighty has placed in their hands.

Sometimes I say to myself how do these people get to move the world through the magic of their pen, the construction of their write ups, “Don’t tell me it’s what they learnt, I won’t believe, for I see them as semi-gods of literature”, that makes you want to read more, the destiny challenging poems that usually tells you, “discover who you are” were written, although I spent most of my times everyday, going through their works, but I still resume to the sad environment I found myself in today, then I ask myself what would become the fate of literary intellects, when our fathers have finally hung their boots, as they seem to one after the other, where would they have gotten to, with us, on this ship where we the offspring are now blinded by the treasures we see on the other side yet we don’t want to learn to paddle. But to the few of the great “SIR’s” I know, I definitely will give my all, with the little I know, so that they could in their different ways devise means to keep aloft the meaning and importance of literature to Nigeria and Africa as a whole, May they remember their sons and the hearts their works have touched, so they could graciously revive us once again and save literature.

Femi Osofisan(Prof) recently and sadly on his timeline, wrote a tribute, to one of Africa’s best, Atukwei Okai, who has gone far away to meet the maker of men, those sad words pierce through me, as an ardent follower of (SIR’s) prowess “Femi Osofisan’s word”, too many fatalities as of late, he had written, but sadly enough, the future of (PAWA) Pan African Writers Association, was what seems to be in danger,which seems to be the central theme of this tribute, I realise, if Atukwei Okai was a bundle of lofty dreams, then there seems to be lots of bundle of lofty dreams who seems to be in wrong directions, out them we could raise another Atukwei Okai for the future. Yet may the departed rest in peace.

They say the only way to hide a secret from the people of my clan is to keep it in a book, they were right, it’s a conventional truth that my land grinders don’t read, and the last hopes or let me put it the hopes in keeping alive the cubs remaining in the writers den in Nigeria needs to save us from the sad path we have chosen to walk.

methodology of teaching is called pedagogy.

Prior to the arrival of western education in Nigeria, education has been informal majorly from the family and immediate society, where children are taught about culture, social activities and work.

These educational activities made up for majority of what the upcoming ones learn.

The entrance of the Europeans into Nigeria brought along European western Education in the 1840s. In the western part of the country western education was encouraged by the Missionaries.

The Northern part of Nigeria, majorly populated by Muslims, western education was prohibited giving way to Islamic school that focused primarily on Islamic education.

Prior to Nigeria’s Independence, only two established Post Secondary Institution were available, Yaba Higher College (Now Yaba College of Technology founded in 1934) and the University of Ibadan, founded in 1948.

Post Independence brought about the major development of education in Nigeria, with increase in the number of primary, secondary schools, teachers college and Polytechnics and Universities.

The cost of Tertiary education is constantly on the increase and the educational system is in need of improvement and innovation to move it forward from the current state.

Education in Nigeria is usually said to have undergone four major periods which are: African Traditional Education: This is the period when education was purely informal and in the hands of Africans. Education in this era revolved around transmitting cultural values from one generation to another Missionary Education: this is when education was in the hands of Missionaries.

Education here was designed to help propagate the goals of spreading the word of God by the Missionaries Colonial Education: Education under this

period was in the hands of the European Colonial Masters. The aim of education was to train Nigerians to basically serve as Messengers and Petty workers.

Post-colonial Education: this period witnessed the taking over of education by Nigerians.

Education was now designed to take care of the developmental needs of the Country.

Current Challenges Confronting the Development of Education in Nigeria and the Way Forward There are many issues currently bedeviling the development of Education in Nigeria, some of them are identified below along with their way forward: Lack of Adequate funding: there hasn’t been enough funding allocated to education in Nigeria and this has impeded the proper growth of education. Nigeria has never allocated the required sum for education as stipulated by the United Nations which is is 26% of annual budget.

The Government should as a matter of urgency allocate at least 26% of its total budget as stipulated by the United Nations to Education.

Poor teacher’s welfare: This is another major problem affecting the level of education in Nigeria.

Poor salary and irregular payments of salaries, are the problems that teachers face in Nigeria.

Teachers’ salary must be increased to motivate them to do their work better Poor Educational Infrastructure: there is also the problem of the lack of adequate infrastructure needed to drive home the goals of education. Such things as stable electricity or a good health care system affects the growth and development of education.

The government should join hands with the public to provide adequate infrastructure needed by education.

Absence of properly trained Teachers: some persons who are engaged to teach are not properly trained or have not gone through good teacher

training institutions. This affects their productivity as teachers and impedes educational development in the country.

There must be a strong legislation against the act of employing persons who have not gone through proper teacher education. Anybody found doing that should be prosecuted by the courts of law Absence of Learner friendly environments: the right kind of environment that encourages easy learning is usually not made available to learners.

Things like good teaching aids, sports centers, and good laboratories. This affects how much the learners are able to assimilate and the teacher’s productivity.

All persons must put all hands on deck to provide the right kind of environment needed by every learner to effectively learn.

Poorly Designed Curriculum: there is also the problem of poorly designed curriculum. These are curriculums that are not able to meet up with the developmental needs of the country or do not involve the right kind of stakeholders in the educational sector.

The government should involve all stake holders in the educational sector such as teachers and educational administrators in the process of designing and implementing school curriculum.

Education in Nigeria is still developing and emerging. A lot has been achieved and even more can be achieved if only we can address some of the issues affecting the sector. Some of these issues have been discussed above and possible solutions have been proffered. As Nigerians we must do everything within our capability to put in place, the necessary things needed by education to grow, this is because education is the most trusted tool we can use to achieve our goals of national development.

Aniekpeno John Inyang is a Public Affairs Analyst.

A golden generation washing away If you should go online right now, and search for Africa’s top writers, you would see names such as, The late Chinua Achebe, Ben okri, Femi Osofisan, Sefi Attah, Buchi Emecheta, the writer of the Joys of Motherhood. Which sends me the way of our female legends, I hope they too remember that those who showed them the road they are passing through might have been gone, but they are saddled with the task to pass on the touch to their offspring for like daffodils we wandered lonely in gowns made of clouds.

We are now like grains in the wind, no one wants to invest in anyone who has never written a famous piece, no one wants to read your Articles if it’s not been edited or referred to them by some of the names above, oh indeed the world is truly leaving us behind and even all of our fathers too, because they seems to enjoy the lives their caucus is enjoying over the seas, alone and going away with their legacies, they don’t even know that we have nothing to hold on to.

Achebe’s first work “Things Fall Apart” (1958) is an intimate account of the clash between African native traditions of the Igbo people in southeastern Nigeria and European colonization. Weaving together oral tradition with Igbo folk tales, Achebe’s works reveal a tapestry of cultural norms, changing societal values, and the individual’s struggle to find a place in this environment. In contrast to today all we see in article by people never reflect anymore on our lost cultures, it’s rather about making money and motivational speeches.

And one of the recent writer of our time, Helon Habila After graduating from University of Jos in 1995, Helon Habila worked first as a junior lecturer in Bauchi, then as Stories Editor for Hints magazine, before moving to England in 2002 to become the African Fellow at the University of East Anglia. That same year, his first novel was published: Waiting for an Angel is a complex book that interweaves seven narratives, collectively speaking of life under dictatorship rule in Nigeria. The book won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize in the African region, spurring the author to greater success. His two subsequent novels, Measuring Time (2007) and the latest, Oil on Water (2011) were equally well-received, and the list of awards and honors the Habila has gained attest to his sophisticated and poetic literary voice. At the end of it all they all move away from us where we could tap from the river of knowledge heaven has placed on them, it’s one of the tragic times neophytes like us are passing through.

Gone are the days of Professor B.J, (Bolaji Jeyifo) I believe, sir is hearty and doing greatly, wherever he is this moment, they deserve their leisure time,

premium times once wrote this about him, “He is clearly patrician in the way he acquires and disseminates knowledge but his general lifestyles are very simple and cool. BJ, as he is fondly called by many people, loves words— Yoruba and English—which he uses inexhaustibly. He also loves big ideas which he invests in and wrestles with endlessly.Professor Bolaji Jeyifo. (B.J) Born and bred in Ibadan more than 70 years ago, Jeyifo’s childhood was tempestuous because he made many considerable efforts in resistance to the codes of conduct imposed on him by his immediate society.

His rebellion could have damaged him irreparably but for his sharp brain anchored in intense and wideranging readings. He is one good example of a man saved by literature”. And I keep to my heart the last words saved by literature.

Also fast in transit seems to be the times of Professor Wole Soyinka, permit me sir to mention the full names, (Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka) one of his book on goodreads “death and the king’s horseman” is regarded as the most famous on the site, one wonders this legendary fraternity creator and Pioneer, for the goodwill of the then youths, but today I have this feeling that the Professor might be disappointed in what has become such great creation, no wonder some might term us a wasted generation. and without forgetting someone blessed with so much more than he has become professor Femi Osofisan, to mention a few of the scoop of a plethora of brains and writers I know, Dapo Olorunyomi, Tunde Akanni, the closest to me, Lagos State University lecturer who’s trying to bring back the patches that remain in the struggling world where writers of today seems headed.

I cannot speak for everyone who has chosen this path, as I have, I cannot even command the many editors out there to give hear to my anguish because everyone Now seems to focus on only that which would benefit their pockets, why won’t the stars grow dim, when even the educational system of our land falling down the pecking order with reckless abandon.

I feel sorry even for myself.

Now Its even hard to give your time, to books and writings that tells of current events and touches the mind of the ones coming up, who will save us from the pit we have fallen into, what hit us, we cannot say, though the centre seems to have fallen, and the wanderers which we are, all looks to be covered in debt, our brothers and sisters now realise the only way out is overseas, land of our masters.

To Chimamanda Adichie, all I see now ma, is her prayers on one of the social media call Twitter,an

ardent follower of her quotes, and inspiration,of which I always retweet each time I see them, that place seems to be the only place we can communicate to those we now regard as our mentor.

Who will take the pen from her, long after she decided to enjoy the long walk to no more writing, even though she might in one way or the other continue to look through the pages of today. I hope you listen to us, we that carries a nameless pain and have dedicate all our time to follow those who we see as role models and for mentors without been disappointed. They say the world have evolve, but knowledge does not evolve, sanity would still remain sanity, but today, I see my peers as they dance into ignorance of time, they filled there memory with despair borne out of depression, and unwillingness to know more. The music of today which is part of literature not the type I we taught, “shaku-shaku” I ain’t a lover of fun but In moderation and it must make sense,but nowadays the culture is already lost what sense do I then expect from imported trends.

“SIR’s” if you have seen this, I hope you realise how much we still need you all, and your works are not complete yet, though everyday you still pass your remaining knowledge, for we have tarried to long in the wilderness men call life, is it about the writings that shook heaven and earth, let’s dive a little bit, to the ones that captivated many a readers, Chinua Achebe, “things fall apart” knowledge like this no longer trends in our ways and culture of life anymore, okay let’s shift further to features about men, all that I can look upon are now elergies and dirges of heroes, of men and women who have gone by, and no one seems to tell us anymore that we need our articles to fight the war of corruption that’s engulfing our once filled with milk and honey country. Today professors are giving their all also, and I hope before our time is also up, literary intellects would have come out once again, and their won’t be just few of the strong ones remaining but everywhere would be strong men who will challenge the order of the day, towards what is right, toward doing the right thing, thereby making those who’s voice cannot be heard, those who’s hands can nolonger pick pens again, to be happy and say to themselves truly the Labour of our heroes past is not in vain. I halt for now with fond memories of writers and poets such as, Chinua Achebe, Atukwei Okai, Camara Laye, Kofi Awonoor Williams and many more, who’s works have gone on to shape the african children and writers.

Kareem Itunu Azeez is a Public Affairs Analyst.

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

News

2023: Group declares support for Yahaya Bello’s Presidential ambition From Yakubu Minna

Mustapha,

A

group in Niger state under the auspices of Movement for Actualization of Yahaya Bello President 2023 (MAYAB) has called on Nigerians to support Yahaya Bello come 2023 for good governance in the country.

The chairman of the group, Alhaji Ubale Marafa made the call yesterday at a press briefing in Minna, saying that Kogi governor has been consistent in the national affairs especially on matters that affect Nigerians.

He noted that the Non Governmental Organization (NGO) is a political oriented organization dedicated to support a worthy Nigerian capable of rendering selfless service and transforming Nigerians for human productivity and good governance.

Marafa further explained that governor Yahaya Bello will be able to boost unity and oneness amongst Nigerians that will surely enhance massive development if given the opportunity to serve.

NIDO writes Buhari, seeks justice for murdered US-based Nigerian

T

he Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Americas (NIDOA) has written to President Muhammadu Buhari seeking justice for one of its members recently murdered by kidnappers back home.

The victim, Prince Dennis Abuda, was abducted on the Auchi-Benin road in Edo on Jan. 30, while returning to the U.S. after visiting his home town of Fugar.

Four days later, the police found his decomposing body with bullet wounds on the Lagos-

bound bypass in Benin after ransom was paid on him.

The kidnappers reportedly shot him dead after he slumped while being forced into the forest.

Nothing has been heard of the case since Feb. 5, when the police said they arrested some suspects assisting them in their investigation.

In the letter dated Feb. 11, NIDOA appealed to the president to ensure that the perpetrators of the dastardly act were brought to justice to deter

others.

The organisation said that Abuda was a prominent and well-established member of the Nigerian community in Atlanta who dedicated his life to serving others.

“He frequently traveled to Nigeria to attend to numerous charitable organisations he established to serve and better the lots of his people.

“Through his numerous charitable acts, many people were empowered to be selfsustaining.

“The Nigerian community in Atlanta, Georgia, and the people of his home town, have lost someone very dear to them.

“Your Excellency, we appeal to you to see to it that these senseless murderers, who see no value in human lives, are brought to justices,” it said.

The letter was signed by Mr Obed Monago, Chairman, NIDOA Board of Trustees; Dr Victor Ubani, President, NIDOA-Atlanta; and Mr Saheed Adeleye Secretary-General, NIDOA-Atlanta. (NAN)

Adamawa Gov fixes March 15th for Covid-19 vaccination From Umar Dankano, Yola

T

he Adamawa state government has declared Monday15th March, 2021, as date to kickoff the COVID 19 vaccination in the state.

Governor Fintiri charged people in the state to avail themselves this opportunity so that the spread of COVID 19 virus can be stopped if not eradicated.

Secretary to the state Government, SSG, Engineer Bashir Ahmad made the declaration in Yola while fielding questions from reporters, confirming the receipt of 59,280 doses of the Aztrazeneca corona virus vaccine on Tuesday.

Engineer Ahmad explained that the administration of the vaccine would only be available to residents who register through the online portal established by the state government for COVID 19 vaccine registration.

From Left: Chief Executive Officer, Evercare Hospital, Lekki, Mr Rajeev Bhandari; Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lagos State, Mr Gbenga Omotoso; Executive Director, Finance, Admin and Strategy of the Hospital, Temi Awogboro; Gov. Babajide SanwoOlu of Lagos State; and Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, during the inauguration of Evercare Hospital Ltd, Lekki in Lagos on Thursday (11/3/21). PHOTO: NAN

Emir of Borgu applauds Buhari over HYPPADEC From Yakubu Minna

E

Mustapha,

mir of Borgu, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Dantoro, Kitoro IV, has applauded President Muhammadu Buhari for raising the hope of communities affected by the establishment of power projects in bringing Hydroelectric Power

Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC) to reality.

The Emir gave the commendation at New Bussa in Niger state when he received the Governing Council of HYPPADEC at his palace.

He charged the commission to redouble effort in addressing deficits by bringing their

experience to bear and assured them of his support.

Kitoro noted with concern, the excruciating condition of the communities in terms of access to basic social amenities including electricity, in spite of the huge sacrifice they made in terms of their means of livelihood, for the Hydroelectric Dams to be established.

Similarly, the team had earlier paid same visits to the Emir of Minna, Alhaji Umar Faruk Bahago and that of Kontagora, Alhaji Saidu Namaska where the two royal fathers applauded federal government effort on HYPPADEC to be actualized and declared their support to the commission.

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

Senate wants substantive Chairman for NDE Board

By Musa Baba Adamu

T

he Senate, on Wednesday, considered a bill seeking to provide for the position of a substantive Chairman on the board of the Nigerian Directorate of Employment (NDE).

The Bill which scaled second reading, according to its sponsor, Senator Kabir Abdullahi Barkiyya (APC, Katsina Central), intends to provide for the appointment of the substantive Chairman by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, “who will take over the functions of presiding over the Board as presently carried out by the Minister of Labor as stipulated in the existing act.”

Leading debate on the Nigerian Directorate of Employment (Amendment) Bill, 2020, Barkiyya said since its establishment in 1986, the Nigerian Directorate of Employment has provided a platform for young entrepreneurs and even the elderly population to learn a vocation and become financially independent.

“The objective of the directorate as contained in the 1987 presidential budget speech was to concentrate its efforts on the re-activation of public works, promotion of seIf-employment, organization of artisans into cooperatives, and encouragement of a culture of maintenance and repairs.

“It is on this premise that the programs of the directorate are based (NDE 2000; 2001). The directorate has since 1986 grown into nationwide institution whose impact is felt by every sector,” he said.

According to Barkkiya, the Directorate consists of a National Advisory Council and Management Board which gives Guidelines for the management of the affairs of the Directorate.

“In our jurisdiction, Agencies have their own board and chairman, different and distinct from the Minister who is the head of the whole ministry. For example, FERMA, SMEDAN, NEXIM, CAC, FAAN, NPC etc.”

The bill after scaling second reading was referred by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, to the Committee on Employment, Labour, and Productivity to report back wishing four (4) weeks.

Under Buhari, every State is infrastructure, road construction site - APC tells PDP

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

A

ll Progressives Congress (APC) has asked the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to applaud the President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government for turning every State in the country into a massive construction site for road and other infrastructure projects.

In a statement issued yesterday by the national Secretary of APC Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), John James Akpanudoedehe, the party said it has no intention to trade words with the PDP over its claims on the propriety of the infrastructure projects undertaken by the current administration and which State deserves a federal government project.

APC in the statement said “From previously abandoned to new projects, under the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration, every state of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has an ongoing and major federal road and other critical infrastructure project. This is a fact and it is verifiable.

“Following the gale of defections that has hit the PDP since the advent of the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led APC Caretaker/Extraordinary

Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), we hear the PDP is doing all it can and begging its members and leaders to remain in the PDP. We wish the PDP goodluck in its futile and desperate attempts.

“Again, the APC laughs at the PDP’s meaningless comparison with the current administration and the early 2023 presidential campaigns of some PDP governors. Our focus is delivering on our popular mandate and multi-facet Next Level agenda for the country.

“For one, the President Buhari administration is implementing one of the world’s largest and wide-ranging social investment programme which is benefitting the vulnerable and has taken many Nigerians out of poverty.

Commendably, we are well on course to delivering other aspects of the Next Level agenda”.

The APC said the opposition party is apparently deluding itself that its desperate cravings to return to power at the centre amounts to the wishes of Nigerians, adding that this is incredibly delusional.

It also reminded the PDP that in a democracy and progressive politics, power is not “taken” but given through a popular mandate by the people, just as it noted that the current state of the PDP does not show the opposition party is anywhere close to earning such mandate from the electorate.

The Katsina State Commissioner for Environment, Hon Hamza Sule Faskari (L) accompanied by the Director Ecological Department of the Ministry Alhaji Abubakar Gege inspecting drainage projects completed in Zangon Aji Community of Bindawa Local Government Area of Katsina State, yesterday.

NASS must decentralize minimum wage despite NLC protest - PGF DG

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

T

he Director General of Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), Salihu Lukman, has asked the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to adopt a mature method of pushing their interest, warming that no amount of pressure will stop the National Assembly from passing the legislation to move the minimum wage from exclusive list to the concurrent list.

Briefing journalists yesterday in Abuja on the heels of the protest march to the National Assembly against the plans by the lawmakers to move the minimum wage to concurrent list, Lukman, who was a top official of the NLC but now a chieftain of the governing APC, said the protest was needless as protest and strike which the labour union always depends on, have become outdated.

According to him, the protest will not stop the National Assembly from considering bills that have to do with decentralizing the minimum wage structure.

Lukman said, “We are not saying they should not protest but this

protest is needless. I can guarantee that it is not going to stop the process in the National Assembly.

It is not also going to take away the issue. We need to work with them to develop this democracy and we can only do that if every constituent unit and citizens in those units can negotiate with the constituent governments and get results.

“As it is, we are all frustrated and that is what we should be addressing.

This ‘we against them’ that labour is creating does not exist. We should be applying ourselves to resolving the problems of this democracy.

There are fundamental problems bigger than we can imagine”.

He added that a structure that imposes the same minimum wage on a state as buoyant as Lagos and a state that is less buoyant like Zamfara or Yobe would impact negatively on productivity as workers in Lagos would feel shortchanged and therefore not give their total commitment to their job.

According to him, even all states commence paying the N30, 000 minimum wage, the problems of Nigeria’s workforce would still remain unresolved.

He said; “I want to be able to engage labour even though some of them continue to accuse me of being sponsored by a governor.

But it is not just a governor. I have 20 governors sponsoring me. I am happy to have the knowledge that would attract all the consideration of being sponsored.

“I believe the future of this country is about negotiating these issues. I have respect for the NLC and TUC leadership but my advice to them is that they have better capacity in getting things done.

In fact, this country is where it is because they are not really applying themselves in the right direction.

“The total number of membership of NLC, and I am being generous, is not more than 20, 000 for the whole country. I left NLC in 2006 and at that time, the total membership was about 4,000, but I am giving it to them because they have organised new sectors.

There are new areas and so it is possible they have risen to 20,000.

That is a very critical mass but they need to be guided and led properly.

“Assuming every government pays N30,000, will that solve the

problem of workers? So, nobody should deceive anybody. We all have a lot to do in this country. It is not about dancing on the streets, but they should develop their capacity. I am saying they have lied by saying that people proposing that minimum wage and labour issues should be moved to the Concurrent List, that they do not want the National Minimum Wage.

“I heard the NLC President, which is a disappointment, arguing that when it is not negotiated at the national level, it means it is not a ‘National’ Minimum Wage.

I am saying you can still negotiate it at the national level but the methodology is important because you are looking for a benchmark which everybody should be able to pay. It is not about coming to the federal government.

“I am worried at the situation where anything that appears contrary to what labour wants, the next thing is to go on strike. My belief is that the main business of labour is negotiation and negotiation is about applying knowledge and information that you have”, he stated.

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

POLITICS

IPAC cautions against plots to subvert popular will in Delta Council polls

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

T

he Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has warned against severe consequences over any plot by those it described as non democratic elements to subvert the popular will of the people of Delta State in the Local government election recently conducted in the state.

In a statement issued yesterday by the national chairman of IPAC, Leonard Nzenwa, IPAC condemned the attempt by the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) to subvert the will of the people of Umutu Ward 17 in Ukwuani Local Government of Delta State where a keenly contested election was allegedly confirmed to have been won by the councillorship candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Enudu Eugene Chukwuka.

IPAC said “While one of the core mandates of the Inter-Party Advisory Council is to deepen our nascent democracy, the current leadership will not in anyway sacrifice the legitimate mandate of lawful candidates irrespective of their political party on the altar of political correctness as any attempt to suppress the collective will of Nigerian voters at all levels will be heavily resisted.

“The Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) is implored to resist the temptation of being hijacked by desperate failed political actors and immediately announce the winner of the election as anything contrary may have dire consequences.

“We call on civil society organizations and other critical stakeholders to intervene through aggressive advocacy so as to salvage the planned pilfering of an electoral mandate and also to ensure that this case in view serves as a deterrent to other State Independent Electoral Commissions with the penchant for organising charades in the name elections.

“The Delta State chapter of the Inter-Party Advisory Council is by the aforementioned call directed to take all necessary actions within the ambits of the law to defend our democracy and ensure that the plan to subvert the will of the people is halted.”

Furthermore, IPAC said the ongoing electoral amendment should empower INEC in place of SIECs to conduct all local government elections in the country, while simultaneously adopting an electronic voting system so that the sanctity of the ballot box and the electoral process can be guaranteed.

The Council therefore appealed to all aggrieved voters in Ukwuani Local Government of Delta State to eschew violence, but stand unapologetically by their mandate through peaceful means, while calling on the law enforcement agencies to maintain neutrality and peace.

Affirmative action: APC women storm party Secretariat, reject delegate system

By Christiana Ekpa

T

he Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, on Wednesday led a delegation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) women and some Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to the party Secretariat where they presented demands, including the stoppage of delegate system in primary elections, to the party’s Constitution review committee.

The memoranda was received by the Chairman of the APC Constitution Review Committee, Prof. Tahir Mamman, at the Party’s National Secretariat in Abuja.

The Woman Affairs minister

was accompanied by the United Nations Country Representative, Comfort Lamptey; Chair, House Committee on Electoral Matters, Hon. Aisha Duku; representative of the 100 Women Lobby Group and other Civil Society Organisations.

The women present their demands to include: Legislative change, including legal and administrative reforms to improve women’s participation, creation of public awareness on existing legislations and programmes aimed at realizing gender equality and women empowerment in the party.

Others are to establish a system of gender mainstreaming which incorporates the policy of 40% of

women representation in party organs, to show commitment to non-discrimination against and persons with disabilities in the party, to institutionalize justice and fairness for men and women within the party and its framework, Creating an organ within the party to monitor and evaluate the implications of party policy and practice for both men and women.

Also in their demands are: strengthening the office of the Women Leader to serve as the focal point for implementation of gender issues within the party, adequate and guaranteed access to funding, human and technical resources to carry out the responsibilities of the office,

devoting at least 15% of the party’s annual budget of the party to the delivery of increased participation of women, to take conscious action in party structures and elections so as to ensure that no gender constitutes more than 60% from the ward to the national level.

They also demanded that no gender constitutes more than 60% of delegates and candidates in the final list after primaries, institution of accountability mechanisms and frameworks in the principal documents, such as party constitution, party manifesto, party leadership and strategies on the implementation of the National Gender Policy and the use of gender-disaggregated data for planning.

NSA to the President Maj Gen Babagana Mongonu Rtd (M), SA Social Media Tolu Ogublesi and Col Felix Orevoghene Alaita Rtd during a virtual commissioning of the NDDC New Building held at the Council Chambers State house, Abuja.

PHOTO; State House

Banditry: Senate tells NSA, NEMA to deploy more troops, relief to affected areas

By Musa Baba Adamu

T

he Senate, Wednesday, urged the National Security Adviser, Mohammed Babagana Munguno to, as a matter of urgency, deploy more security personnel to communities affected by the activities of bandits and suspected herdsmen to avert a looming humanitarian crisis likely to occur as a result of the displacement of residents.

This was even as the Upper Chamber called on National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA) to undertake an ‘on-the-spot’ assessment of the affected communities with a view to determining the extent of the problem and providing relief to the affected persons.

These formed part of resolutions reached by the Senate after it considered two separate motions on the displacement of

residents following the invasion of their communities by bandits and suspected herdsmen.

Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah (APC, Kebbi Central) in the first motion noted with concern the rising humanitarian situation in Bena, Kebbi State, arising from the activities of bandits in neighbouring Zamfara State which shares a border with Kebbi State.

According to the lawmaker, “the internally displaced persons from about 17 villages in Zamfara sharing the border with Kebbi State have moved to Bena, wasagu, mage areas with no arrangements for an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp and are scattered all over, making it difficult to cater for their welfare.”

Accordingly, the Senate while urging the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to, as a matter of urgency, establish IDP camps in Bena and render support to those affected; charged the National Security Adviser and all agencies involved in internal

security to increase deployment of security agencies to reverse the ugly situation.

Coming under Order 42 and 52 of the Senate Standing Rules, Senator Tolu Odebiyi (APC, Ogun West), in a separate motion recalled the recent spate of attacks by suspected herdsmen on communities in Yewa area of Ogun State.

The lawmaker noted that, “many of these attacks by suspected herdsmen on the area remain perennial, owing to the near absence of police and other security personnel in the affected communities; “Disturbed that these attacks have brought unquantifiable damage to facilities which would have ensured the welfare of the residents and inhabitants of these communities; “Further Disturbed, that many communities, namely (but not limited to) Asa, Oho Agbooro, Moro, Ibeku and Agbon-Ojodu, were affected by the criminal activities of these suspected

herdsmen; “Aware that the countless attacks by these criminal elements have forced many residents of these areas have deserted and relocated to a refugee camp in Pobearea of Benin Republic in search of safety, with many of them forced to live in very unfavourable conditions in the refugee camps; “Further Aware that the position of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, which followed an informed on-the-spot assessment of the affected communities, was described by the Executive Secretary of the society in Ogun State, Mr Oluwole Aboyade as “...a very serious disaster, a serious one of the highest order…”

“Aware also that the Red Cross Organization, the only recognized organization that has been providing intermittent aids for these displaced persons, has had to issue out statement, seeking assistance from well-meaning Nigerians for members of these affected communities;

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

We want 50/50 power sharing percentage with men Paullen Tallen

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

T

he Minister of Women Affairs, Paullen Tallen, has called for an equal power sharing formula with men, saying that women are ready to give whatever the requirements are during sale of forms.

Briefing journalists at the APC national Secretariat in Abuja after submitting a memoranda on how to ensure affirmative action for women to the party Constitutions review committee, Tallen said “We demand for affirmative action. You will agree with me that women toil and give the highest votes of all the elections. The absence of women in the party structure is what bothers women. We are here to demand for the amendment.

“We are aware last week, the party inaugurated the Committee for the amendment of its constitution.

Immediately we heard about the constitution of the Committee, we swing into action. We happened to be the first because we agree that we are the most marginalized. And that is unacceptable for national development. We are here to demand for affirmative action.

“We need more women in the party structure and for all elections. We are demanding that no gender, women or men should occupy more than 60% as against the other. We are demanding for gender equality. We are demanding for full participation and representation of women in the party structure and all elective seats in our dear country Nigeria.

On what percentage women desire in elective positions alongside men, she said “50/50%. Gender equality. That is what the world is advocating for. And, we came at the right time. This is the month of women all over the world. The UN has declared not only the 8 of March but the whole month of March to address issues affecting women and children.

“We are mothers in the land. The world is focusing on women. We want Nigeria to be the lead country in Africa.

Other African countries have set the pace. We want to take that leadership role that they all look up to us. We can do it. There is nothing impossible about it. We love Mr President and we are supporting him. We want Mr President to lend his voice on this matter as the leader of the party. We are calling on all men of goodwill to lend their voice so that we can have gender parity.”

On why women vote against women during elections, and why it is difficult for women to use their numerical strength to win elections, the ministers said “That is one of the amendment we are asking for.

We are saying that delegate election is not democratic. We are demanding for open elections. Option A4. Direct primaries.

That is more democratic.

“That is how you will know the true representative of the people. We are afraid to contest election. We want a level playing ground. Women don’t have money like the men to buy delegates. How can you take in a ward of over three thousand people, just three people to represent them? Of course, those three people you wont see them. They will smuggle them in on the hour of voting.

“They keep them away and bring them out on the hour of election. Until we allow the will of the people. It is a democratic system. And it calls for direct primaries. If you don’t want to win the primaries you cannot contest. And it is not that women are not accepted. We are loved. Women identify with their people at the grassroots but their hands are tied. It is just three people that represent thousands at the delegate election. We say no to it. We are asking for direct primaries at all levels.”

POLITICS

AAC dismisses Sowore’s claim on party structures, alerts security agents

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

T

he African Action Alliance (AAC) yesterday dismissed as baseless the claim to the party structures by the leader of revolution now movement, Omoyele Sowore, calling on the security agencies to take note and bring him to book for any breach of peace or destruction of public property.

In press conference yesterday, the national chairman of AAC, Leonard Nzenwa, who gave a historical perspective of how he emerged the chairman of the party, said Sowore, after the party was formed in Lagos, become the chairman and presidential candidate for the party, which was resisted by members who believe that was against the ideology behind formation of the party.

Nzenwa told journalists “we make bold to state categorically that the said Omoyele Sowore is UNKNOWN to the African Action Congress (AAC) and therefore has no basis for laying any further claim to the National Chairmanship

position of the party or in any other manner holding out himself as such. He is also not in control of any structure of the party at any level or indeed any members of the party.

“Omoyele Sowore by a letter dated 2nd June, 2020 wrote to the Chairman of INEC wherein he held out himself and signed as the “National Chairman of the African Action Congress (AAC)”.

“In submitting the said letter to INEC, Omoyele Sowore came with bus load of his criminal support group drawn largely from his “Revolution Now” an outlaw gang currently under watch by the security agencies. In the process, Omoyele Sowore flagrantly disturbed public peace at the INEC headquarters, incited his outlaw group to disturb the peace of the public place, caused immeasurable nuisance etc.

“Again on the 3rd March, 2021 Mr. Sowore again mobilized a gang of fiery looking hireling to the INEC head office in Maitama Abuja and a visibly angry Sowore declared to his

gang that if by the 15th of March, 2021 and INEC does not restore him as the National Chairman of our great Party, he would mobilize members of gang to shut down INEC offices nationwide.

“Knowing that Mr. Sowore is expelled from the Party and that the people he went with to INEC offices are not members of the Party, our members who were approached have informed us that the ultimate target of Mr. Sowore was to burn some INEC offices from the 15th of March, 2021 and blame same on the rejection of the electoral body so that he can propagate his Revolution Now campaign.

“He believes he has radicalized his members enough to launch this attack hence his declaration at the INEC office that his gang were not afraid of arrest or being jailed.

This is clearly a threat to national security. The mentioning of INEC offices is just a subterfuge to attack any and every public infrastructure and property within sight in his identified locations. African Action

Congress, AAC has nothing to do with this.

“Based on the foregoing, we wish to state in clear terms that action of Omoyele Sowore in writing the said letter to INEC and signing as National Chairman when he knew it was false amounted to criminal act of impersonation and making false information. This is because Sowore dishonestly and fraudulently wrote the said letter in order to impersonate the National Chairman of AAC with an intention of causing INEC to believe that the said letter emanated from the authentic National Chairman of AAC who had the authority to make it.

“We, therefore, call on all relevant security agencies, as a matter of great national importance, to kindly commence immediate investigation of the above criminal acts with a view to arresting and prosecuting Omoyele Sowore for the various criminal offences disclosed, where there is evidence of commission of offence, forthwith”, he said.

L-R PDG Tolu Omatsola, the District Governor, Jumoke Bamigboye, the District GovernorElect, Ayo Oyedokun, PDG Elvis Chukwu and PDG Felix Obadan at the Opening Ceremony of training for PresidentsElect in District 9125 of Rotary International in Abuja.

PHOTO: LOC District 9125

Lawan will uphold Supreme Court Ruling on Cross River senatorial dispute – Jarigbe

By Christiana Ekpa

H

on. Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, a lawmaker recently declared by the appellate courts as winner of the Cross River North Senatorial District election has said that he has confidence in the ability of the Senate President, Sen. Ahmad Lawan, to implement the Supreme Court judgement upholding his victory at the Appeal Court.

This was as the lawmaker said the National Assembly is to big and strong an institution to be taken over by any state governor for selfish gains.

Jarigbe said his opponent, Stephen Odey, who was sent to the Senate to hold forth for the state governor, Ben Ayade until 2023, has been attending Senate plenary illegally despite the decision of the Apex court which threw out his appeal challenging his (Jarigbe’s) earlier victory at the Court of Appeal.

A two-time member of the House since the 8th Assembly, Jarigbe stated these on Thursday in a chat with journalists in Abuja, saying that he believes why he has not been sworn in was because the copy of the judgement served on the National Assembly just to the table of the Senate President on

Wednesday.

“The Supreme Court delivered that judgement of the 25th of February and it took us about two weeks to get the judgement signed by the judge that read the lead judgement. We have communicated that judgement to the leadership of the National Assembly through our lawyers. But it took sometimes for that file to get to the table of the Senate President. It only got to his table yesterday (Wednesday).

“There are a few people down the administrative line that decided to sit on that file for obvious reasons.

With other members of the House, we moved in and spoke with the Clark to the National Assembly and sought to know why the delay. My opponent who has been ousted by the judgement of the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court is still attending plenary. That is illegal because I have the certificate of return issued to me by INEC based on the judgement of the Appeal Court which invalidated his certificate of return and that has been transmitted to the National Assembly.

“We thought that with the Supreme Court judgement, there was going to be a resolution of this matter, but someone

sat on it. But the CNA has taken it upon himself yesterday to investigate what was going on. The Deputy Clark of the National Assembly and the Director, Legal have given their advice. That prompted the CNA to advise the Senate President to swear me in and that file is before the senate President and I know that he will comply with the judgement of the Supreme court.

“The fact that INEC issued me with a certificate of return means that they have complied with the judgement of the Courts and I am supposed to be sworn in. I know that the Senate President is on top of his game. I have been a parliamentarian for a couple of years and I know how it works here,” Jarigbe argued.

He said his opponent must have been deceived by how his clique manipulate things at the state level with impunity to think that he could have his way at the National Assembly, adding that “this is bastion of democracy where rule of law and those of both houses reign Supreme.

“My opponent is new and thinks that these things can be manipulated at this level. As a rooky, you can think that certain things can be done because

of the way things are ran in the state.

Back in Cross River state, there is so much impunity and he came here with that mentality and has been attending plenary when he is no more a Senator.

“I want the leadership of the Senate to look into this very critically. Whether or not I am sworn in immediately, the man who is attending plenary illegally should be stopped. I know and trust that the Senate Leadership will do the needful.

“This is a respected institution and I don’t see the leadership of the Senate disobeying a court judgement. We are legislators and we make law, while the Judiciary interprets and the Executive implements.

The Judiciary has interpreted the law and the Executive through INEC has implemented by issuing me a certificate of return. The leadership of the senate will obey that interpretation.

I heard that the governor of Cross River state said he has moved into Abuja to stop my inauguration. This is not an extension of Cross River state. The National Assembly is an institution of its own and no amount of money in a state can take over the National Assembly”, he said.

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

NCC, CBN Collaborating To Achieve Financial Inclusion Target -Danbatta

By Etuka Sunday

T

Wife of the Emir of Lafia and. “Yaa Gumsu’n Lafiya”, Her Royal Majesty, Hajiya Maimuna Sudi Bage (2nd Right front row sitting), Chief Operating Officer, Helpline foundation for the Needy, Mrs Funmi Ajare (right front row standing) Miss Gbagy Nigeria, Miss Grace Timothy (2nd left standing) Hajiya Rekiya Maidaji (1st right sitting) with other members of helpline foundation and Gumsu initiative, during the Helpline foundation for the needy Abuja, in collaboration with the GUMSU Empowerment Initiative Lafiya, organized skills empowerment programme for women in Lafiya emirate to improve their Economic well being, in commemoration of 2021 international women day celebration, held recently in Lafia Nassarawa State

Buhari to traditional rulers: We’ll be harder on criminals • Restates order to shoot anyone found with AK-47 illegally

By Egena Sunday Ode

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari Thursday in Abuja emphasized that security chiefs have received marching orders to go harder on criminals, including to shoot anyone found illegally with AK-47.

The President spoke at a meeting with the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria at the State House, cochaired by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi.

The meeting was attended by security chiefs including the National Security Adviser, Major-General Babagana Monguno (Rtd), Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, the Director-General of Department of State Services, Yusuf Bichi, and the DirectorGeneral of National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ahmed Rufai Abubakar.

The President, who apprised

the meeting with efforts by the government to improve the security situation in the country, said his administration has recorded appreciable successes in the North-east and SouthSouth parts of the country. ‘‘But what surprises is what is happening now in the North West where the same people, with the same culture are killing each other, taking their livestock and burning properties. ‘‘As a result of that, we had a four-hour meeting of the National Security Council attended by the Ministers of Internal Affairs, Defence, Foreign Affairs, Service Chiefs, Chief of Defence Staff, the Inspector-General of Police and others and we gave clear instructions. ‘‘One thing that got to the press which I read myself was that anyone with an AK-47 will be shot. ‘‘This is because AK-47 is supposed to be registered and it is only given to security officials.

‘‘We closed the borders for some years but the intelligence report I’m getting on a daily basis is that those who are conducting the abductions, the killings and so on are still not short of arms and ammunition,’’ he said.

The President expressed dismay on the attacks on police stations and killings of security personnel by criminals, warning that no investor will invest in a country that is unsafe.

President Buhari also stressed the need for traditional rulers to use their roles and positions as bridge builders in each of their communities to complement government efforts at ensuring peace and security.

He appealed to the traditional leaders to deploy their reach and influence in the best interest of assisting the Government to root out those whose sole objective remains to cause trouble and destruction of livelihoods and families across the nation.

The President, who listened to various interventions from representatives of the traditional rulers from each of the six- geopolitical zones in the country, pledged that his administration would continue to support and work collaboratively with them to ensure peace and stability.

Restating his marching orders to the newly appointed Service Chiefs to bring the security situation under control, the President noted that closer control can only be achieved with the cooperation and collaboration of traditional rulers and authorities, who occupy a critical role in our society. ‘‘By your role and positions with history dating back hundred years, the people trust you implicitly and in return you provide them with comfort and guidance in accordance with our cultural heritage and traditions. ‘‘You are the bridge builders in each of your communities.

No one is better placed with

your strength of moral authority to ensure that people who visit your communities for either business, leisure or any honest and credible reason are protected and made to feel at home,’’ he said.

In separate remarks, the royal fathers stressed the need for the traditional institution to be assigned definite roles, particularly on peace and security, within the ambit of the Constitution as well as regular engagement with the National Assembly on multiple fronts.

The following royal fathers made interventions at the meeting: the Sultan of Sokoto, the Ooni of Ife, the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, the Etsu Nupe, Alh. (Dr.) Yahaya Abubakar, King Jaja of Opobo, Dr. Dandeson Douglas Jaja, Emir of Bauchi, Dr Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu, Emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Muhammad Iliyasu and the Alawe of IlaweEkiti, Oba Adebanji Ajibade Alabi.

he Executive ViceChairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Prof. Umar Danbatta, has informed that the commission and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) were strategising on making Nigerians financially inclusive.

Danbatta said that the Federal Government’s financial inclusion strategy was to make 80 per cent of Nigerians financially inclusive.

He made this disclosure, while he delivering a lecture at the 5th Annual Bullion Lecture, organised by the Centre for Financial Journalism, on Thursday in Abuja.

The theme, woven around the Telecoms, Digital Banking and Nigeria’s Economic Development was: “Driving Pervasive Broadband Penetration to Deepen Digital Financial Inclusion for Nigeria’s Socio-economic Transformation”.

He said that the regulatory role of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was in the area of driving financial inclusion while the NCC was to provide pervasive broadband infrastructure that would host these services.

The EVC further defined financial inclusion as the sustainable provision of affordable financial services that bring the poor into the formal economy.

He, however, mentioned the three key areas for consideration which were: pervasive broadband, digital financial inclusion and socioeconomic transformation.

On the pervasive broadband, the

EVC said that the NCC had actively involved in the actualisation of the government’s financial inclusion target of 20 per cent exclusion or 80 per cent inclusion by the year 2020.

He also advised that technology and more importantly, broadband, has to play a massive significant role to achieve an accelerated financial inclusion target that the country desires, even as the population grows.

For the digital financial inclusion, Danbatta said that digital financial services were offered through the use of a mobile phones to access financial services with or without bank account and to execute financial transactions.

He explained that mobile money, mobile insurance, mobile credit and mobile savings were all mobile financial services.

He said that the services involved the deployment of costsaving digital means to reach currently financially-excluded and underserved populations with a range of formal financial services.

He said these were suited to their needs responsibly delivered at a cost affordable way to customers and sustainable for providers.

“Being able to have access to a transaction account becomes a first step toward broader financial inclusion since a transaction account allows people to store money, and send and receive payments.

“A transaction account serves as a gateway to other financial services. Financial access facilitates day-to-day living, and helps families

and businesses plan for everything from long-term goals to unexpected emergencies.

“As account holders, people are more likely to use other financial services, such as credit and insurance, to start and expand businesses, invest in education, “Or health, manage risks, and weather financial shocks, which can improve the overall quality of their lives,” he said.

He said that the socioeconomic impact of having a sustainable financial inclusion drive was stressed in a report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG),

a global management consulting firm, commissioned by Telenor, a multinational telecommunications company.

“The report clearly estimates that 1 per cent increase in financial inclusion increases the real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita by 3.6 per cent.

“Therefore, access to financial services is a crucial enabler of economic and social transformation of any country.

The lecture highlighted what NCC was doing in driving the deployment of broadband infrastructure as well as the

cooperation put in place with CBN. Earlier, the Chairman, Board of Trustees, Centre for Journalism (CJF Nigeria), Mr Segun Aina, said that the COVID-19 pandemic and total lockdown brought home the need for deeper broadband penetration.

Aina said that the availability of Internet connectivity was a big enabler of financial inclusion as traditional and modern banking is giving way to digital banking and online delivery related services.

“We are having meetings online, social activities, schooling online and so on.”

From left: Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina; National Security Adviser (NSA) retired Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno and the Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu during the weekly State House Briefing at the Presidential in Abuja on Thursday (11/3/2021)

FG Resolves Stamp Duty Collection Tussle B/W NIPOST, FIRS

By Etuka Sunday

T

he Federal Government yesterday resolved the protracted stamp duty collection tussle between the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami who cleared the air said, NIPOST was constitutionally empowered to collect stamp duty.

Pantami spoke in Abuja at the unveiling ceremony of 60th Independence Anniversary Commemorative postage Stamp.

“For the first time the Finance ACT 2020 recognized NIPOST as the producer of stamp duty in Nigeria and not only that that stamp duty is to be used in authentication and validation of our official document.

“Our efforts regarding the issue of stamp duty collection with other government Institutions have yielded positive results. NIPOST has been recognised as a government agency with statutory and historical authority to be the producer of stamps and recognised for the collection of stamp duties for validation of financial transactions in the country.

“We appreciate Mr President for listening to our complaints, and we extend our gratitude to him and the Senate and House Committees for their intervention in ensuring that justice was done,” he said.

Speaking further he said NIPOST

will be unbundled in order for it to be more profitable.

“We want to unbundle NIPOST by coming up with some companies starting with the two, property and development company, number two transport and logistics company, these are the two companies that are at the final stage and we do hope that after the two we would come up with NIPOST micro-finance bank, we leave rage on all the offices we have in the country to ensure that we provide financial services to our citizens and others.”

Dr. Pantami disclosed that the government is to removate and rehabilitate NIPOST properties across the country “ I also started working on our documents to be presented to our boss President Muhammadu Buhari with the intention of making submission on how federal government can renovate and rehabilitate our offices all over the country atleast in batches, we start with state capitals and if that is dine we move to our local governments.

“NIPOST has many properties but if you visit you will discover that they are dilapidated and this is the best time that government will look into NIPOST and generate revenue for the federal government. As the case maybe, I am working on the documents and I do hope that it will be presented to the Federal Executive Council in addition to many more requests on behalf of the Nigerian

Postal Services.”

He noted that the significance of the stamps are deeply rooted in our national history as an independent nation.

“The stamps bring to life, our founding fathers and the roles they played birthing our independence from our colonial masters.

“This set of stamps illustrates the fact that we can achieve greater success, when we are united, regardless of our diverse ethno-cultural and religious differences.” “these stamps are to be used in authenticating and validating our official documents” he added Dr. Pantami also noted that in spite of the enormous challenges bedevilling the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), the federal government is committed to repositioning the organisation to attain its maximum potential in adding value to the economy.

The minister expressed his gratitude to the National Assembly particularly, the relevant committees for their unflinching support in the journey so far and reiterated his commitment in taking NIPOST to unprecedented heights.

“I also want to use the opportunity to retracte my earlier statement particularly our appreciation to the National Assembly by standing with us during our previous struggle on the issue of stamp duty and all other issues that come up from time to time

we are most appreciative and we do hope that, that support will always be available whenever we need In his welcome address, the Post Master General of NIPOST, Dr. Asiwaju Adegbuyi, stated that “Post stamp is a time decoder of our history and a witness to human civilization.

“NIPOST is not relenting in its resolve to meet the needs of all catagories of customers. We have made user friendly stamp in all our offices and others postal stations across the country.”

“As we present Nigeria’s 60th Anniversary stamp.I appeal to all Nigerians to pick up some stamps so as to focus on the ideas that want use to focus on the ideas that want us and shun the negitives tendencies that attempt to divide use. So I enjoin us embibe the hobby of collecting stamp as they educate, entertain as well as are profitable.” He added The Chairman NIPOST Governing Board, Maimuna Abubakar in her address emphasised on the importance of postal service to the soci-cultural and economic development of Nigeria.

“The Postal Industry from time immemorial has fostered the use of postage stamp as a veritable medium for naturing of culture.

“Nigeria as a country is amply blessed with historical evidence of great works of arts, cultural monuments and features that help in the transmission of cultural heritage from one generation to another”

Many of such have been reflected on Nigerian postal stamps, most especially in colonial and post colonial Nigeria. A strong Nigeria, must be a cultural Nigeria and NIPOST has a role to play in advancing this by marking events such as this one” These therefore, underscore the importance of stamps in providing information, education and revenue as well as a source of history.

The economic and social value of Postage Stamp cut across the young and old, as well as the rich and poor.

In addition, Stamps serve as excellent gift items, memento or memorabilia.

She added that “I must not fail to mention that only recently, this iconic Nigerian institution survived the must crudest form of disinformation campaign involving the deployment of cyber bullies and schumucks on social and conventional media for the sole aim of striping it of its legal role and turning it into a relic” In their good will messages, the Chairman Senate Committee on Communications, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu who was represented by her Deputy, Sen. Ibrahim Bomai, House Committee on Communications Hon. Akeen Adeyemi, Commended the efforts of the Minister and NIPOST in transforming the postal system and also pledged legislative support to create a reboost NIPOST in line with global standards.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021

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BU$IN€SS

Why MPC voted to Retain Interest Rate at 11.5% -Emefiele

By Etuka Sunday

T

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele has hinted why the members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the apex bank voted yesterday to retain interest rate at 11.5 percent.

Mr. Emefiele gave the hint why briefing newsmen shortly after the committee’s meeting at the CBN’s Headquarters in Abuja.

He said, the members unanimously voted to: I. Retain the MPR at 11.5 per cent; II. Retain the asymmetric corridor of +100/-700 basis points around the MPR; III. Retain the CRR at 27.5 per cent; and IV. Retain the Liquidity Ratio at 30 per cent.

The CBN’s Head said, MPC was confronted with a policy dilemma as to whether to aggressively combat the inflationary pressure or support measures currently aimed at stimulating growth and reversing the recession.

He said, although the economy was currently in a stagflation environment with simultaneous occurrence of inflationary pressures and contracting output, the MPC resolved to reverse both developments and continue pursuing price stability in growing the economy.

Emefiele noted that the MPC was of the view, that whereas there may be wisdom in loosening, given that the impact of the global Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in constrained activities, disruption to supply chain and suppress aggregate demand, an accommodative stance may be required to stimulate credit expansion and boost recovery in the short term.

He said, the Committee was also of the view that an expansionary policy would enable the monetary authorities convince the financial institutions to reduce loan pricing and defer interest and principal repayments to critically affected obligors in a sustainable manner.

On the flip side, he said, the MPC also opined that an aggressive expansionary stance may worsen both inflation and the negative real interest rate, thereby resulting in negative consequences on exchange rate. With regard to tightening, MPC concluded that this may run contrary to its objectives

of providing affordable credit to households, MSMEs, Agriculture, and other output growth and employment stimulating sectors of the economy.

He said, “the MPC was therefore of the view that it should pursue its current stance of systematic synchronization of monetary and fiscal policy accommodation through its developmental finance initiatives, aimed at mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Nigerians.

“While expressing understanding of the public health dilemma of the recent spike in infections, MPC encouraged Government not to consider a wholesome lockdown of the economy so as not to reverse the current gains of the stimulus earlier provided in 2020.

“It also encouraged the Central Bank of Nigeria Management to intensify its efforts in the targeted credit facility to household, SMEs, the Health Sector, as well as Agric and manufacturing sectors which would not only boost consumer spending but result in manufacturing output thereby positively impacting the GDP. Speaking on some of the committee’s consideration, Emefiele said, “the Committee noted the moderation in output contraction in the third quarter of 2020, associated with news of the discovery of COVID-19 vaccines and rising oil prices. The outlook for the recovery, however, appears to be dampened by the second wave of the pandemic considering its intensity.

“In the Committee’s consideration, it noted that the COVID-19 pandemic and the necessary measures put in place by the Government to forestall its public health impact, such as the lockdown and other associated restrictions, contributed to the Nigerian economy going into recession, much like almost every other country in the world.

“Members thus agreed that the Committee’s current priority remains to quicken the pace of the recovery through sustained and targeted spending by the fiscal authority supported by the Bank’s interventions,” he said.

“In this light, it was thought necessary to increase collaboration with the fiscal authority by providing complementary spending to

Godwin Emefiele, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria

finance productive ventures in a bid to improve aggregate supply and reduce prices. This is in addition to effectively collaborating with the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 through the existing private sector Coalition against COVID-19 (CACOVID) to procure and distribute vaccines to fast-track the pick-up of business activities and economic recovery.”

Members reiterated the adverse impact of insecurity on food production, stressing that the current uptick in inflationary pressure could not be solely associated to monetary factors, but due mainly to legacy structural factors across the economy, including major supply bottlenecks across the country. The Committee, thus called on the Government to redouble efforts at strengthening infrastructural efficiency and address the emerging security challenges in the country.

In addition to this, the Committee called on the Government to explore the option of effective partnership with the private sector to improve funding sources necessary to address the huge infrastructural financing deficit.

“

The Committee expressed concern over the rising public debt stock, as recurrent expenditure remained relatively high, compared with capital expenditure, thus, signalling future debt servicing challenges.

To improve Government revenue sources and investment in capital, the Committee called on the Government to take advantage of the take-off of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which could boost domestic production and generate sizeable revenues for Government, as well as improve domestic productivity and competitiveness.

The Committee commended the Bank’s effort of improving liquidity in the foreign exchange market, but noted the need to continue to explore avenues to improve inflow from sources such as the International Money Transfer Operators (IMTO), diaspora remittances and nonoil export promotion, given the current trajectory of crude oil prices. These sources, in the view of the Committee, would boost foreign exchange supply and ease the current exchange rate pressure.

The Committee noted the continued improvement in

The Committee commended the Bank’s effort of improving liquidity in the foreign exchange market, but noted the need to continue to explore avenues to improve inflow from sources such as the International Money

the equities market as a lead indicator of medium-term macroeconomic recovery, thus, urging the Bank to maintain its collaboration with the fiscal authority to improve the investment climate towards attracting sustainable Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

The Committee commended the Bank for maintaining a sound regulatory surveillance over the banking system by ensuring a reasonably low level of non-performing loans (NPLs), even with the aggressive credit expansion programme during this crisis period. Though, NPLs remained slightly above the prudential benchmark, members noted that the banking system remained stable, strong and resilient. Given the success recorded under the LDR policy, it thus urged the Bank to sustain its risk surveillance approach and ensure the continued soundness of the banking system.

In the Committee’s consideration, it noted the broad-based global stimulus packages, including expanded credit lines, asset purchase programme, corporate bond purchase, additional funding facilities for financial system, commercial paper purchases, special central bank lending, increase in the Ways and Means limits introduced by the central banks of different countries to support economic recovery in their various economies and to prevent further distortions to the economy caused by the devastating impact of the pandemic.

The Committee noted the large stimulus packages deployed by many countries to fast-track growth recovery and restore livelihoods across the world. For instance, Japan provided stimulus package valued at 66.9 per cent of its 2019 GDP; UK, 45.04 per cent; USA, 28.4 per cent; Brazil, 27.6 per cent; South Africa, 12.6 per cent; China, 11.5 per cent; India, 10.0 per cent; and Russia 7.1 per cent compared with Nigeria’s paltry 4.0%.

The MPC, therefore, urged the Bank to further expand its current stimulus packages to support the fiscal interventions to reflate and boost recovery in the economy.

Etuka Sunday Business Editor Peoples Daily Newspaper Abuja.

08066605655, 07011450553

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

METRO

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Engagement of women in leadership accelerates societal growth - Minister declares

By Stanley Onyekwere

A

ny society that engages women in the process of policy and decision making grows faster than those that relegate women to the background, according to Minister of state for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu.

According to her, women’s contributions to nation building is second to none, due their are commitment to discharging responsibilities with passion and dedication.

Aliyu made this declaration when the women in the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) Kaduna zone conferred on her “Woman of Value 2021” award, as part of activities to commemorate this year’s International Women’s Day. The Minister, who expressed delight over the recognition, however, noted that women are beginning to attain greater heights in various sectors of the economy including the oil and gas sector.

“Women are beginning to attain great height in various sectors including the oil and gas sector. This gives me a great joy.

When women are committed to doing something, they do it with all passion and dedication, even the meagre resources could be managed with all prudence and, there is no impossibility with a woman in her strive to achieve something.

“That is why the contributions of women in nation building is second to none. Any society that engages women in the process of policy and decision making grow

faster than the society that refuses to engage women”, she stressed.

Earlier, Hasiya Audu Hassan, Chairperson, Women in PENGASSAN, Kaduna zone, comprising the 19 northern states and FCT, commended the FCT Minister of State for embarking on meaningful projects aimed at boosting the standard of living of rural communities.

Hassan noted that they are aware of a lot of meaningful projects the Minister has embarked upon and most of the projects are to boost the standard of living at the grassroots.

According to her: “For instance, the renovation of the dam in Gwagwalada, rehabilitation of healthcare centre in Kado, launching of the FCT Health Insurance Scheme in Kwali, improving healthcare in rural communities amongst others.

“Most of the people who visit these healthcare centres are women and children. It is positively affecting women and children in the FCT and anything that affects women and children is what women in PENGASSAN stand for.”

-R:.Member House of Reps, committee on FCT Blessing Onuh, Senator Mohammed Hassan, FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello , Senate Committee Chairman on the FCT, Senator Abubakar Kyari during the commissioning ceremony of the AACSTRIS project office, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

How NSCDC-FCT rescued 16 persons from human trafficking ‘transit’ camp

By Stanley Onyekwere

N

igerian youths have been charged to be in the vanguard of ensuring a united and prosperous country, by always engaging in positive ventures that would contribute to her development.

This charge was given by the former Presidential Candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Retired Major

General John Gbor.

Gbor made the call in Abuja while receiving the award of Okupe of Niger Deltans from a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), United Niger Delta Forum.

While describing youth as the strength of any nation, he expressed concern over the involvement of some youth in issues threatening the corporate existence of the country.

Similarly, while frowning over challenges confronting Nigerian youths, stressed the need for them to always engage in positive ventures that would contribute to national development.

He however called for more enabling environment by government at all levels that would enable the youths realize their dreams.

Retired Major General Gbor

also enjoined all Nigerians irrespective of political, religion and tribal differences to be united towards actualizing the dreams of the nation’s founding fathers.

He emphasized the need for political office holders in the country to shun corruption and work towards tackling security challenges threatning the progress and peaceful coexistence of Nigerian people.

Presenting the award, the President of United Niger Delta Forum, Comrade Ese Oghenovo said the gesture was in recognition of the laudable humanitarian programmes of Retired Major General John Gbor through his Foundation.

He therefore assured the Forum’s support to his activities towards improving the well being of Nigerians and enhance their collective progress.

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world news

Meghan and Harry interview: Royal Family ‘very much not racist’ - William

T

he Duke of Cambridge has said the royals are “very much not a racist family” in his first comments after accusations by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in a TV interview.

Prince William also said he had not yet spoken to his brother but would do so.

Meghan and Prince Harry said a royal had expressed concern over “how dark” their son Archie’s skin might be.

Buckingham Palace previously said the claim was “concerning” but it would be addressed privately.

In a statement, the Palace said “recollections may vary” but that the Sussexes would “always be much loved family members”.

During a visit to a school in Stratford, east London, on Thursday, Prince William was asked by a reporter: “Is the Royal Family a racist family, sir?”

The duke replied: “We’re very much not a racist family.”

Asked whether he had spoken to Prince Harry since the Oprah interview, Prince William said: “No, I haven’t spoken to him yet but I will do.”

Prince William’s visit is not the first appearance by a senior royal since the interview aired - the Prince of Wales carried out an engagement earlier this week.

Despite Prince William’s team making clear to reporters he wouldn’t be answering questions, he must have known they might come. One wonders if he had planned to engage or whether the answers were impromptu.

William will be well aware that anything he utters will be headline news.

The first question alluded to the rift between the two brothers. In the Oprah interview, Prince Harry said their relationship is “space” at the moment but that “time heals all things hopefully”.

We don’t know when they last spoke but we do now know that William does intend to speak to him.

As for the second and more direct question - “Is the royal family a racist family, sir?” - William could have ignored it. But, despite the Queen’s statement saying the race issue would be dealt with privately, the prince clearly felt he had to push back on what has become a very public and damaging allegation.

Remaining silent, he felt, was not the best option.

In the TV interview, Meghan told Oprah there were “concerns and conversations about how dark [Archie’s] skin might be when he was born”.

Both Prince Harry and Meghan refused to say who made the comment - but Harry later clarified to Oprah that it was not the Queen or the Duke of Edinburgh.

During the interview Harry also said it hurt him that his family never spoke out about the “colonial undertones” of news headlines and articles.

And asked by Oprah if the couple left the UK because of racism from the tabloid media, Harry replied: “It was a large part of it.”

At one point after stepping back as senior royals, Harry said Charles “stopped taking my calls”.

And of William, Harry said: “The relationship is ‘space’ at the moment. And time heals all things, hopefully.”

Buckingham Palace issued a response

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

international_peoplesdailyng@yahoo.com

China strives to build stronger rural tourism

By Yin Jie, People’s Daily Overseas Edition

C

hina’s rural tourism embraced rapid development in recent years.

In 2019, over 300,000 entities running agritourism businesses had been established in the country, generating total revenue of 850 billion yuan ($130.28 billion). Last year, rural tourism created 11 million jobs and benefited over eight million rural households.

Rural tourism destinations also saw huge numbers of visitors during this year’s Spring Festival holiday.

To keep the authentic rural features is what many regions trying to do when developing rural tourism. At present, China’s rural tourism sector is becoming more subdivided and characteristic, with higher quality.

Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) noted that it will further optimize the rural tourism industry and build a batch of high-quality projects.

According to Zhou Yezheng, deputy director of MARA’s Department of Rural Industries, 400 villages and townships have been selected for the demonstration of the “one village, one product” project aiming at boosting local industrial development, which will help foster contiguous development. Besides, the country also issued a list to recommend featured rural products and craftsmen, as a way to help rural areas market their featured industries.

Feng Xi, after working in Shanghai for two years, decided to go back to his hometown in Jiuhuashan, east China’s Anhui Province. Helping his parents with his family’s agritainment business at first, Feng sensed the bright prospects of rural tourism,

Photo taken on April 25, 2020 shows a beautiful view of a village in Gaohong Township, Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province. (Photo by Sun Xinjian/ People’s Daily Online) and persuaded his parents to upgrade their facilities and launched online services of customized tours.

“Most of the visitors come here for leisure activities and to spend holidays, so I hope I can offer them more personalized services,” Feng said.

Apart from providing tour services, Feng is also cooperating with a few young people around him to sell local specialties online.

During this year’s Spring Festival holiday, they for the first time livestreamed the scenery of Jiuhuashan Mountain.

Envisioning a bright future of rural tourism, more and more young

entrepreneurs like Feng are going to the countryside to start their businesses. The new business philosophies and development modes they brought are huge wealth for the country to develop rural tourism.

To attract more high-level professionals in the cultural and tourism sector is an inevitable step for the upgrade of China’s rural tourism. Huang Xihua, a deputy to the National People’s Congress and general manager of Guangdong Provincial Tourism Holdings Co., Ltd., proposed that the country establish an institution of higher learning of rural revitalization to cultivate more professionals for rural tourism.

China to maintain over 650 million metric tons of grain output

By Zhu Jun, Wang Ke, People’s Daily

F

ood security is always vital for a large country with 1.4 billion people.

China’s government work report this year pointed out that the country will keep overall grain output above 650 million metric tons.

It is reported that China’s grain production maintained 17 consecutive harvests, and the total grain output has been kept above 650 million metric tons in the recent six years. At present, China’s per capita food output stands at 474 kilograms, well above the international safety line of 400 kilograms.

China has always attached high importance on food security, which led to sound fundamentals of its food production, said deputies and members attending this year’s “two sessions,” China’s top legislative body National People’s Congress (NPC) and top political advisory body Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

As long as China fulfills its responsibility in ensuring food security, it will have full control over the food supply, thus guaranteeing healthy economic and social development.

To secure food safety calls for support from agricultural technology. Last year, 71 percent of China’s crops were harvested by

machines, and agricultural technologies contributed 60 percent to China’s agriculture.

Technologies helped increase the unit production of crops, said Gao Xiangqiu, a deputy to the NPC, who’s also the head of a vegetable planting cooperative in Hailun, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. “Modern breeding and planting technologies improved not only the production of agricultural products, but also their quality,” he added.

Seeds are a foundation of agricultural modernization and key to ensuring food security. The government work report said that China will strengthen the protection and use of germplasm resources and the breeding and application of fine crop varieties, and strive to make key technological breakthroughs in agriculture.

At present, over 95 percent of crop areas in China are planted with independently bred varieties, and high-quality crop varieties make up 96 percent of the total.

China is self-sufficient in major staple grain supply of wheat and rice.

Cultivated land is the essence of food production. According to the government work report, the standards for maintaining high-quality farmland will be raised, and irrigation facilities will be improved. China will enhance the protection of cropland, and resolutely stop any attempt to use it

for purposes other than agriculture and specifically grain production.

NPC deputy Gong Dingrong, also mayor of Qianjiang, central China’s Hubei Province, noted that the total area of China’s farmland must stay above the red line of 120 million hectares.

Besides, the country must implement a policy of balancing the occupation and replenishment of arable land, to practically protect farmland and ensure national food security.

In 2021, China is planning to build around 6.67 million hectares of highstandard farmland with guaranteed harvests in drought or flood, as well as stable and high yield, which will improve the quality of cultivated land by 1 to 2 grades in related zones, and average grain production by 10 percent to 20 percent.

Today, there are 207 million farmers across China who have contracted farmland, and smallholder farmers still make the major part of agricultural production Gong suggested that the country enhance large-scale agricultural operation with new agricultural business entities, and agricultural service organizations shall help smallholder farmers solve the difficulties in grain production, so as to enhance the quality and efficiency of agricultural production.

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hen Ghana’s first LGBT community centre and safe space opened in January, Linda had no expectation it would last.

“They won’t allow LGBT to operate in Ghana, to have their own office. They won’t,” says Linda, a transgender woman whose name we have changed because she fears for her safety.

When she says “they”, she’s talking about Ghanaian society in general.

And following anti-LGBT protests against the community space, the LGBT+ Rights Ghana centre was closed by police in the capital Accra on 25 February.

The group says it was a place to “plan, socialise and advocate for our freedoms and liberties”. With it gone, Linda says there is “nowhere else” and queer Ghanaians are “not safe”.

“Everybody is running for shelter, finding places to hide, because people are being attacked, abused on the street.”

Linda, an activist for the community, has been moving around friends’ houses since antiLGBT people turned up outside her home.

“They were shouting ‘Come out, come out, I’m looking for you’.

“So I came out and I asked them: ‘You tell me, you claim you are righteous - come and touch me. And I’m putting it to you that nobody can touch me’… and they left.”

The Ghanaian government did not respond to requests for comment on the treatment of its LGBT community or the protection they receive.

Concerns about the rights of LGBT people in Ghana are not new. Human Rights Watch said in 2018 that queer Ghanaians “suffer widespread discrimination and abuse both in public and in family settings”.

Its report adds that institutions including some government agencies, and the Ghana Police Force, have taken steps to protect the community.

“Nevertheless, LGBT people are very frequently victims of physical violence and psychological abuse.”

Linda says that since transitioning, life has become

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Being gay in Ghana: LGBT community is ‘under attack’

much harder. She can’t go to places she used to go, she can’t get on public transport, she can’t get a job.

“I have so much in me I want to put out there, there’s so much I wish I could do. It’s just that I’m not getting the support to do that.”

Right now she is more concerned for her safety. “At the end of the day, I am not the only person who has sacrificed their life.”

Church ‘promoting violent discourse’ The homophobia and discrimination faced by the LGBT community in Ghana is “promoted” by three institutions, according to Dr Anima Adjepong, a US-based Ghanaian sociologist researching gender, sexuality and identity in West Africa.

“The government, the church or other religious institutions, and the media.

“They’ve worked really hard to miseducate the general population about what queer sexualities mean and what the implications of them are.”

There is no law in Ghana that says being LGBT is illegal.

But same-sex relationships are criminalised by a criminal code which Dr Adjepong calls “completely vague” - introduced by the British when they ruled Ghana - that mentions “unnatural carnal knowledge”.

The code - which is rarely enforced - is interpreted by authorities as “penile penetration of anything other than a vagina”.

But after LGBT+ Rights Ghana opened its office, Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah called for laws that say “you cannot advocate for and promote LGBT activities in this country”.

Sarah Adwoa Safo, Minister for Gender and Children, said: “The criminality of LGBT is non-negotiable and our cultural practices also frown on it.”

Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo stated recently that same-sex marriage will “never” be legalised while he is president - but Dr Adjepong says this is “disingenuous”.

“No-one is asking for that.

Right now queer people in Ghana are being attacked. They’re asking for the freedom to live safely and without fear of this kind of violence.”

The church, where the president made his statement, was significant though, Dr Adjepong suggests.

“In Ghana religious institutions have a lot of power.

“The church also advances this argument that queer people in Ghana are abhorrent. And really the church promotes violent discourse against queer people about ‘throwing them into the ocean’, about how they ‘don’t belong here’, about how they’re ‘bringing the downfall of the society’.”

The Christian Council of Ghana did not respond to requests for comment. But in a recent press release about the closure of LGBT+ Rights Ghana’s office, it said: “The Ghanaian people should not put the law into their own hands by... attacking persons known to be in homosexual unions.”

In the same press release,

homosexuality is called an “affront to human dignity” and “not a human right”.

Dr Adjepong, who was raised a Christian, says homophobia in Ghanaian churches in the past “wasn’t as bad as it is now. The church has really taken to fever pitch”.

Aron, who was raised in England but speaks to us from Ghana, where he spends about a month of each year, says the difficulties LGBT people experience in the UK “are amplified to a different level within Ghana”.

“It’s a lot more difficult to express yourself because you don’t know what would happen if you were your true self, your 100% authentic self. It’s dangerous, it’s an act of defiance to do so out here.”

Aron’s friend Aba, who is also in Ghana but was born and raised in Britain, says LGBT safe spaces in the UK - like the one closed down in Accra - helped her find “great community and great people with shared interests and shared identity”.

Despite the increase in homophobia they say they’ve seen from the church, Dr Adjepong thinks “change is inevitable”.

“We are trying to create a different future in Ghana, and I believe we will be successful.

“For so many years there have been organisations in Ghana who have been doing this work. And so all of that work has made it possible for folks to be willing to step forward, to show themselves.”

Aron says the same. “Ghana currently is resisting natural change that is going to come - it’s inevitable.”

As for Linda? She just wants to know: “For how long will I be hiding? For how long won’t I be happy?”

“If I’m happy even for a day, I’m fulfilled.”

Source: bbc.com

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China’s Inner Mongolia sees notable achievements in green development

By Chen Feiyu, Zhang Cheng, People’s Daily

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orth China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, a key coal-producing region as well as energy and chemical industry base in the county, is pursuing a path of green development empowered by science and technology.

The Buertai coal mine in Ordos city of Inner Mongolia, a coal mine belonging to Shenhua Shendong Coal Group Co., Ltd., one of the subsidiaries of China’s largest coal miner Shenhua Group Corp., has realized automatic coal cutting.

Thanks to its intelligent facilities, workers of the mine only need to monitor the operation of coal cutters when these automated machines cut coal at coalfaces 360 meters underground.

Intelligent mining is an important part in the construction of green mines, said Zhao Chunguang, head of a mining team at Buertai.

By employing more scientific mining methods and digitalizing management information, Buertai coal mine aims to improve the comprehensive utilization efficiency of resources and cut down waste of coal resources, Zhao noted.

In 2020, 15 mines in Inner Mongolia were included into China’s green mine list.

So far, the autonomous region has constructed 381 green mines, among which 67 have been included into the country’s list of green mines, making Inner Mongolia a leading region in the country in terms of the number of green mines.

Last year, various areas of Inner Mongolia speeded up the construction of projects concerning renewable sources of energy.

In Xilingol League of the autonomous region, wind power plants with a combined installed capacity of nearly 7 million kW were completed and connected to the power grid, while Tongliao city of the region began the construction of a largescale ground-breaking project that integrates thermal, wind, and solar-power facilities.

Today, the installed capacity of renewable energy accounts for 36 percent of the total installed power generation capacity of the region.

With enormous grasslands and forests as well as many rivers and lakes, Inner Mongolia is an ecological function zone with the largest area and the most species in northern China, and represents a significant part of China’s natural resources.

While pursuing high-quality growth, Inner Mongolia also prioritizes the construction of ecological civilization.

Xilingol League has stopped approving new projects for coal production, and intends to shut down existing coal mines in grassland core areas in an orderly manner.

Inner Mongolia will make the protection of prairies, large forests and wetlands main tasks in eastern areas, shut down all coal mines in nature reserves, and ensure that coal mines, wind power, and photovoltaic projects will be closed in due course in grassland core areas, and that no new project for coal mines will be launched in grasslands, according to Zhang Yongjun, an official with the development and reform commission of Inner Mongolia.

By taking a series of measures, such as cutting the number of sheep, replacing sheep with cattle, balancing grasslands and the number of livestock, and grazing management of animals, Inner Mongolia has effectively restored its vast stretches of grasslands.

The average vegetation coverage of pastures in Inner Mongolia reached 44 percent in 2020, up 4 percentage points from 2012.

So far, the autonomous region has generally curbed grassland ecological degradation and significantly improved the ecology in key ecological rehabilitation areas.

In the past five years, Inner Mongolia completed ecological rehabilitation tasks in over 10 million mu (about 0.7 million hectares) of forests and 30 million mu of grasslands every year, becoming a national leader in promoting ecological restoration.

Meanwhile, the region prevented and controlled desertification on an average area of 12 million mu every year, which accounted for about 40 percent of China’s annual total.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

A SI A Women’s leadership in the global recovery from COVID-19 pandemic

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

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By Siddharth Chatterjee and Smriti Aryal

M

arch 8 is International Women’s Day (IWD), and the theme for this year’s celebration is “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world. ” We recognize the tremendous contribution and leadership demonstrated by women and girls around the world in shaping our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and a more sustainable future.

A global review of the progress achieved towards commitments made at the Fourth World Conference on Women 25 years ago in Beijing, conducted by UN Women in 2020, reveals that no country has fully delivered on the Beijing Platform for Action, nor is close to it. Globally, women currently hold just one-quarter of the seats at the tables of power across the board and are absent from some key decision-making spaces, including in peace and climate negotiations.

This reality is despite the advances that we can see globally: there are now more girls in school than ever, fewer women are dying in childbirth, and over the past decade, 131 countries have passed laws to support women’s equality.

However, progress has been too slow and uneven.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is further exacerbating pre-existing inequalities and threatening to halt or reverse the gains from decades of collective effort – with data revealing that the pandemic will push 47 million more women and girls below the poverty line globally.

We also witness new global challenges emerging from the pandemic, such as increased reports of violence against women trapped in lockdown throughout the world, forming a Shadow Pandemic. Women with disabilities are facing further obstacles in accessing essential services.

Women have lost their livelihoods faster, being more exposed to hard-hit economic sectors as they make up the majority of informal sector workers.

Access to technologies has become a necessity, but the gender digital divide lingers, particularly in the least developed countries.

But in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, women have stood tall at the frontlines, serving as health workers and caregivers, where they make up 70% of the global workforce. Women also lead in their capacities throughout government and civil society to give vital assistance, bringing their irreplaceable perspectives and skills to the table.

Answering these complex global challenges while tearing down the barriers to women’s participation and leadership now requires bolder political commitment backed up by adequate resources and targeted approaches to accelerate

UN Women China Qinghai programme has benefited local women.

Photo: UN Women

progress towards parity through legislation, fiscal measures, programmatic change, and publicprivate partnerships.

China has made progress in safeguarding women’s rights and promoting gender equality.

Notably, China’s poverty alleviation achievements have had a multiplier effect on advancing women’s empowerment beyond alleviating poverty among women. Advances in girl’s education, access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, social protection and assistance are admirable - and important not just for the advancement of women’s rights - but in creating a “moderately prosperous” Chinese society with a “bright shared future” for all.

Yet, as in many countries, there are still challenges that persist across the course of women’s lives.

The newly enacted Civil Code offers opportunities to strengthen legislation, including judicial mechanisms, law enforcement and service delivery for addressing sexual harassment, sexual abuse and violence against women and girls.

Robust implementation of the provisions for ending sexual harassment and abuse will be a step towards China’s demonstration of zero tolerance towards ending all forms of violence against women and girls.

The 14th Five-Year National Development Plan, 2021-2025 and the new 10-Year Plan on Development of Women and Children, 2021-2030, also present opportunities for China to ensure gender equality and women’s empowerment are at the center of the development agenda and address the remaining gender gaps and challenges in the country. The world now looks to China for continued leadership on the SDGs and the Beijing Platform for Action.

We welcome the Chinese government’s recent commitment to prioritizing women’s empowerment in its future development

cooperation and global engagement. This comes at a time, when we need stronger global action and multilateralism to alleviate the long-lasting impacts of COVID-19 and accelerate actions towards the achievement of the SDGs. As we look at women’s rights issues that many countries are grappling with – poverty, maternal health, livelihood and food security, access to continued education, to name a few – are also the areas where China has seen the most progress domestically. South-South cooperation enables China to share its lessons and continue learning from others, to achieve genuine empowerment for women and girls around the world.

We recognize that gender equality and women’s empowerment are drivers for transformative change and a prerequisite for the achievement of all SDGs. The UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, 20212025, signed between the United Nations System in China and the Chinese government, is underpinned by this principle and prioritizes the advancement of women’s rights as a key programming area of its own. As the UN Country Team (UNCT), we stand ready to support and continue to work with the Government of China and all national actors for our concerted efforts towards advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.

2021 is only the beginning of our journey on the Decade of Action for the SDGs. We have an unprecedented opportunity to do things differently for current and future generations of women and girls. On International Women’s Day, we call upon our partners and supporters to celebrate the leadership and contribution of China’s women, and become advocates, champions, and influencers that promote gender equality and women’s empowerment today, and every day.

growth in the last quarter. Though the country still faces risks and challenges this year, the fundamentals sustaining stable and long-term economic growth remain unchanged.

China announced a series of goals and decisions in its government work report, which were considered as positive signals of the country’s economic recovery by the international society, such as targeting a growth of over six percent this year, lowering budget deficit ratio to 3.2 percent, and no longer issuing additional COVID-19 government bonds.

China’s economy maintained high-quality development. According to the government work report, targeting at expanding its GDP by over 6 percent, China has taken into account the recovery of economic activity. A target of over 6 percent will enable the country to devote full energy to promoting reform, innovation, and high-quality development.

Besides, the government work report also called to promote high-quality development of the real economy through innovation and foster new growth drivers, expand domestic demand as a strategic move and fully tap the potential of the domestic market, and promote continuous environmental improvement.

The international public opinion believes that a moderate growth target will enable a government to focus on both the quality and quantity of growth, which indicates that China will enhance its efforts on further lifting the quality of its development.

This further explained that China is a reliable partner, a partner that can bring hopes, said deputy director Alexander Lomanov of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations,

Russian Academy of Sciences.

Chinese economy is now more closely connected to the world economy. The government work report revealed that China will open up more sectors of the economy in a more thorough fashion and participate more fully in international economic cooperation. Besides, it will also promote steady growth of imports and exports, use foreign investment more effectively, promote highquality Belt and Road cooperation, and deepen multilateral, bilateral, and regional economic cooperation.

This fully indicates China’s aspiration to work for win-win results with the rest of the world.

Foreign direct investment into China grew 4 percent year on year in 2020, making the country the largest destination of foreign capital. Besides, in the first two months this year, China’s foreign trade surged 32.2 percent from a year ago.

Facts prove that only through open cooperation can countries create more momentum for economic development. China is bound to promote common development with high-level opening up.

China will have an accurate understanding of the new stage of development, fully apply the new development philosophy, and accelerate its efforts to create a new development pattern to promote high-quality development. By doing so, it will set the stage for building a modern socialist country in all respects.

The world has every reason to believe that pursuing high-standard opening up and promoting stable and improved performance in foreign trade and investment, China will surely inject constant momentum into global economic development.

Source: People’s Daily

China to deliver confidence, power and hope to world

By He Yin

C

onfidence and strength in economic development are what China’s government work report this year has signaled to the international community, and also what make the world believe that the country’s economic certainty will bring more confidence, power and hopes to the global economy.

International observers commented that China’s goal of reaching a growth rate of over 6 percent is like a beam of light in the long dark tunnel of the world economy haunted by the COVID-19 pandemic, lighting up the path leading to global recovery. They said the goal demonstrated China’s resolution and confidence, and the “China engine” will keep revitalizing the global economy.

COVID-19 is still spreading around the world, making international situation more unstable and uncertain. To expel the dark cloud covering the economy and bring development back to normal is a common responsibility shouldered by all countries.

China, as the only major economy that secured positive growth over the past year, is widely anticipated by the international society to drive the global growth. The government work report of the country recently released sent out a series of inspiring messages to the world.

The Chinese economy has recovered momentum of stable growth. In the extraordinary year of 2020, China achieved major strategic results of pandemic prevention and control, and its economy grew by 2.3 percent year-on-year.

The Chinese economy just left a remarkable “v-shape” last year by delivering a 6.5 percent

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OLD TRUSTEES FULL NAMES: 1. OGUNBAYO AKEEM GBENGA - CHAIRPERSON 2. OYEWOLE FADIORA - Member 3. ACHIEBO CHINEDU IZUCHUKWU - Member 4. OKE OLUSOJI SAMUEL - Member 5. ADESANYA ADESUBOMI, - Member 6. BAMISEBI OLUWAFUNBI ADESOLA - Member 7. NWABUEZE NGOZI ROSEMARY - Member 8. SHONUBI OLANREWAJU FRANCIS - Old Secretary 9. OLOTU OLUWATOYIN AKANBI - Member 10. SOILE OLUMIDE OLUJIMI - Member

THE NEW TRUSTEES FULL NAMES:

1. OGUNBAYO AKEEM GBENGA - RETAINED CHAIRPERSON 2. OYEWOLE FADIORA Retained Member 3. AFOLABI WASIU OLANREWAJU - NewMember 4. AJALA JIMOH OLALEKAN - New Secretary 5. TYTLER DEBORAH OLUWAKEMI - New Member APPOINTMENT OF TRUSTEE, REMOVAL AND APPOINTMENT OF NEW SECRETARY (CHANGE OF TRUSTEES) THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES REMAIN 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 : MRS. (BARR) ALASHI TOLULOPE 08035909006.

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR CERTIFIED TRUE COPY (CTC) OF LOSS OF ORIGINAL CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION UNDER PART ‘F’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, ( CAMA 2020).

THE TRUSTEES REMAIN THE SAME. THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES REMAIN THE SAME. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS APPLICATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : ABUBAKAR ABDULRAHMAN.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

26

BUSINESS

CLASSIFIED

Raise bonds to finance revenue generating projects – FG urged

By Etuka Sunday

T

he Federal Government has been urged to focus on raising bonds from the capital market as a means to financing revenue generating projects while working to reduce balance sheet borrowing.

These among others were part of the resolutions reached at the Securities and Exchange Commission’s yearly Budget Seminar with the theme “Financing Nigeria’s Budget and Infrastructure Deficits through the Capital Market” held virtually Thursday.

Participants at the Seminar agreed that the government remains an enabler to creating the conducive enabling environment for policies, security and good leadership that will ultimately support business growth and development. They therefore urged the Federal Government to prioritise funding of sectors such as security, education and health while creating an enabling environment for the private sector to fund sectors such as power, transportation and telecoms.

They also agreed on the need to develop an investment framework including an enabling legal and regulatory environment which represents contracts and compensates investors when necessary. This they

posited is to ensure that there is a viable and attractive investment environment to attract and retain investors “There is need for strategic collaboration between the public and private sectors for flexible, accessibility of funds through the capital market to finance infrastructure “The development of infrastructure in Nigeria has primarily been through the traditional forms of contract awards by the government, through budgetary allocation. Private sector involvement is key, and the Federal Government has identified the power and transport sectors as key for overall development.

Hence prime candidates for Public, Private Partnership.

“The success of PPP projects lies in creating an enabling environment for both private and public sectors. The public sector needs to prepare wellstructured and bankable PPP to attract private investments while safeguarding public investments” They added.

In her remarks, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, Minister said the capital market is very key. Past experiences have shown that the Nigerian capital market has been quite supportive in providing the necessary funds needed to finance government’s needs.

Ahmed said the capital market

therefore serves as an important channel through which government budget deficits and the economic infrastructure deficits can be financed and government is committed to introducing more of these instruments in partnership with the capital market to finance projects for economic growth.

“The capital market is a room for various programmes and mechanisms that are targeted at aggregating and channelling long term capital for businesses and development. The Nigerian capital market has been doing this for many decades and has the potentials to do more. I want to urge the capital market participants and operators to consider retail investments to give opportunity to the Nigerian citizens to invest within the capital market in an easy and simple way.

She described the theme as apt given the urgency to raise infrastructure that are required for creating enabling environment, in which businesses and citizens of the country can thrive.

“This need is further underscored by the current global pandemic with its attendant negative effects on our daily economic and social activities.

In order to provide the necessary infrastructure and still continue to meet other immediate expenditure

needs, government often adopts deficit budgets which have to be financed through borrowing.

“Nigeria needs to spend and spend now more on infrastructure and other capital projects. A recent evidence of the benefit of spending is the fourth quarter GDP growth rate of the economy which was 0.11% resulting in Nigeria pulling out of recession after two quarters of negative growth. This annual growth rate that was initially projected at -3.2% closed the year at -1.92% which is an improvement over most of the countries within our comparative groups.

In a welcome address, Director General of the SEC, Mr. Lamido Yuguda stated that the 2021 Budget proposes a deficit of N5.6trn, and 42% of this will be financed using domestic sources, adding that it is expected that the capital market will be leveraged to obtain this financing and also that the impact on infrastructure development of the country as well as the general economic conditions will be positive.

According to him, “The 2021 Budget proposes a deficit of N5.6trn, and 42% of this will be financed using domestic sources. It is expected that the capital market will be leveraged to obtain this financing and also that the impact on infrastructure development of the country as well as the general economic

Danbatta to spotlight consumer protection on World Consumer Rights Day 2021

By Sunday Etuka

T

he Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has concluded plans to organise a special world press conference to mark this year’s edition of the World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) in line with its consumer centric regulatory approach.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, will address the world press conference virtually on March 15, 2021 from the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

This year’s WCRD global theme, “Tackling Plastic Pollution”, is aimed at raising awareness and engaging consumers globally to adopt and promote more sustainable practices which will also focus on the central role that consumer advocates, governments and businesses can play in tackling the global plastic pollution crisis.

A statement by the Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Ikechukwu Adinde said, in consistent with the theme, the EVC will use the world press conference to present NCC’s initiatives on electronic waste (e-waste) management and other hazards in the country.

During the press conference, he will also spotlight the Commission’s initiatives in ensuring accessible, affordable, and available telecoms services to Nigerian telecom consumers while delving into other initiatives through which the Commission protects, informs, and empowers the consumers.

The highlight of the press conference will be the

launching of the NCC Consumer Handbook, a document which provides salient information on the rights and privileges of the consumers and how the consumer can seek redress when their rights are violated by service providers or any stakeholder in the ecosystem.

It will be recalled that the Commission declared 2017 as the ‘Year of the Consumer’ to underscore its focus on the primary place of subscribers of telecommunications services in its regulatory agenda. The year was dedicated to spotlight the consumer not only as a key stakeholder but indeed the most important figure in the telecommunications ecosystem.

With over 200 million mobile voice subscribers and over 150 million Internet users in the country, the Commission has, over the years, demonstrated its commitment towards protecting telecom consumers, making it one of the most consumercentric public institutions in the country.

The WCRD is celebrated on March 15 every year with the aim of creating global awareness on consumer rights and needs.

The WCRD was first celebrated in 1983 and has become an important annual occasion for mobilising citizen actions and solidarity within the international consumer movement.

The Day provides an opportunity to promote the basic rights of all consumers, demand that those rights are respected, and protect them against market abuses and social injustices.

conditions will be positive.

“In addition, we also believe that our capital market has the capacity to roll out innovative products to support Nigeria’s infrastructure needs and financing. This is necessary for us as a country to be able to effectively compete with the rest of the world”.

In addition, Lamido expressed the belief that the capital market has the capacity to roll out innovative products to support Nigeria’s infrastructure needs and financing. This is necessary for us as a country to be able to effectively compete with the rest of the world.

He stated that It is against this backdrop that the SEC has invited practitioners, policy makers and academics to analyse and discuss how the capital market can be leveraged to finance Nigeria’s budget and infrastructure deficits, drawing relevant policy lessons from successful jurisdictions.

“In the past four (4) editions of this Seminar, participants have benefited greatly from the insights provided by our speakers, guests and panellists.

Usually, the communiqué from this meeting would be circulated to relevant public and private sector stakeholders as inputs into the national discourse on fiscal policy” he added.

A crosssection of members of Nigerian Legion, during their National Council Meeting in Abuja Thursday (11/3/21).

WATRA: African Ministers extol Nigeria for ICT growth

By Etuka Sunday

T

he Minister of Communications of Liberia, Cooper Kruah and his Sierra Leonian counterpart, Mamadi Gobeh-Kamara have commended the Nigerian Government for tremendous growth in the ICT sector especially in contributing to the country’s economy.

The Ministers gave the commendation in an interview at the sideline with journalists at the rounding up of the 18th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the West African Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA), on Thursday in Abuja, Nigeria.

The Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, Sierra Leone, Mamadi Gobeh-Kamara said, there was a huge progress that Nigeria had made in the number of people connected to the Internet.

“The number is very huge. For example, my country has a population of just 8 million people and the percentage for voice call was very low but right now as I speak there is a great improvement from where we met it.

“I listened to the minister talk about the regulations and policies put in place by the Nigerian government, which has in turn helped the regulators to work effectively.

“These policies have also helped Nigeria to improve and develop its economy through the policies and

regulations in the ICT sector, so as a country we are putting in place a framework for the regulators to function right.

“This conference has brought to focus how the dynamics of e-commerce will also help during crisis period like what we are going through right now.

“We believe that the regulatory authority are supposed to lead the way, so this conference is important and I believe that each member state will leave here with something to take back home,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Post and Telecommunications for Liberia, Cooper Kruah speaking on the gains of the conference adviced that women should be encouraged by member states following their interest and participation in the higher level.

“What we see for this particular conference is that, you will see the interest of women participation at the higher level, which I think should be encouraged by member states.

“WATRA is ensuring more women participate in Decision making in the ICT sector in other to bridge the gap.

In the past, women have always been left behind or they have not been encouraged to participate in the higher level in technical areas.

“This is important, we have two women in this particular Congress and I think those women should be given a post for every country not only

PAGE 27

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

for the country that you are from.”

He stated that Liberia was currently working on the broadband penetration from Liberia to Ivory Coast and Guinea, adding that the country was trying to work on the second underwater cable lining in.

According to him, the Governor of Liberia is taking communication very seriously and that is why we are fully represented in this conference.

“ICT’s contribution to our GDP has been very minimum because of the kind of infrastructure we have but we have now devoured the infrastructure that will open new gate ways to bring in more revenue to the government.

“We are looking forward to the next five years, where ICT will play a very significant role when it comes to our own economy.

“The ICT sector and my own ministry are trying to introduce postal financial services that will bring out our station, location of our postal services.

“We will have e-commerce taking place at each of those locations and that is a result of information and encouragement we have received from WATRA and other sectors of our country,” he said.

On the issues of Broadband penetration, he noted that the Internet penetration in the country has grown significantly to 80 per cent, adding that it was good.

KUCHELI

KUCHELI

PUBLIC NOTICE

I FORMERLY KNOWN AS Kucheli Danladi NOW WISH TO KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS Kucheli Danladi Ndale. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE .

I FORMERLY KNOWN AS Godiya Elisha NOW WISH TO KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS Godiya Elisha Adamu. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE .

OBISIKE FOUNDATION

PUBLIC NOTICE

YUSUF

DAMBAZAU WIDOWS, ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE PERSONS FOUNDATION

I FORMERLY KNOWN AS YUSUF GAMBO DAKARE NOW WISH TO KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS YUSUF GAMBO. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE .

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘C’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 1990, (CAP C20, LFN 2004).

THESE ARE THE TRUSTEES 1. HABIB MAIMUNA ABDULLAHI 3. Bello Ado Adamu 5. SALE UMAR 7. BABA YAWALE DAYYABU

2. ABDULLAHI ABDUL SULE 4. SALE ADAMU 6. ABDULLAHI YUNUSA DAMBAZAU

AIMS & OBJECTIVES: 1. To organize Organise members and friends to support Orphans, Widows and Vulnerable Persons of Dambazau and neighbouring communities 2. To Educate and enlight the community people 3. To Provide health support, medication and treatment for children, women and vulnerable people 4. To organize Skills training, entrepreneurship training, crafts and modern trade practices 5. To Outsource legal services for Oppressed Orphans, vulnerable people.

6. To Organise fundraising, source aid from donor agencies and other charity organizations.

7. To create Media awareness campaign for human rights, citizens informations and opportunities.

8. To organize Workshops, town hall meetings, shows, competitions, sports and events.

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 by the secretary Abdullahi Abdul Sule

USMAN I FORMERLY KNOWN AS Usman Muhammed NOW WISH TO KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS Usman Muhammed Hussaini. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE .

ABDULLAHI I FORMERLY KNOWN AS abdullahi ashiru bala NOW WISH TO KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS abdullahi ashiru AND MY DATE OF BIRTH IS 20/11/1996. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

This is to inform the general public that the above named has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under Part C. of the Companies and Allied Matters Act. The trustees are: 1. NNAJI OBISIKE, 2. NNAJI RHEMA OGECHI Aim and objectives To enhance welfare of widows,less privileged, orphans, 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

SHAMSUDDEEN I FORMERLY KNOWN AS SHAMSUDDEEN NULL IBRAHIM NOW WISH TO KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS SHAMSUDDEEN IBRAHIM CHINDO. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

IBRAHIM

MISS SARAH

YAKUBU

I FORMERLY KNOWN AS IBRAHIM MAHMOUD NOW WISH TO KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS IBRAHIM MAHMOUD IBRAHIM. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

I FORMERLY KNOWN AS Mrs. Sarah Jonathan NOW WISH TO KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS Miss. Sarah Bello. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

I FORMERLY KNOWN AS Yakubu Wakili Taryan NOW WISH TO KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS Yakubu Wakili. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

LEGAL NOTICE

LEGAL NOTICE

LEGAL NOTICE

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE PROBATE DIVISION BIRNIN KEBBI, KEBBI STATE

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE PROBATE DIVISION BIRNIN KEBBI, KEBBI STATE

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE PROBATE DIVISION BIRNIN KEBBI, KEBBI STATE

Whereas the person whose name is set out in the first column here under died date and place stated in the said column. Whereas the person whose address had claimed relationship with the said deceased is set in the second column here under has applied to the High Court of Justice for GRANT OF LETTER OF ADMINISTRATION of the personal property.

Notice is hereby given that the said LETTER OF ADMINISTRATION will be granted to such person unless a notice to prohibit the grant there of is filed in the Probate Registry High Court of Justice Birnin Kebbi, within TWENTY-ONE DAYS from the date of publication of this notice.

Whereas the person whose name is set out in the first column here under died date and place stated in the said column. Whereas the person whose address had claimed relationship with the said deceased is set in the second column here under has applied to the High Court of Justice for GRANT OF LETTER OF ADMINISTRATION of the personal property.

Notice is hereby given that the said LETTER OF ADMINISTRATION will be granted to such person unless a notice to prohibit the grant there of is filed in the Probate Registry High Court of Justice Birnin Kebbi, within TWENTY-ONE DAYS from the date of publication of this notice.

Whereas the person whose name is set out in the first column here under died date and place stated in the said column. Whereas the person whose address had claimed relationship with the said deceased is set in the second column here under has applied to the High Court of Justice for GRANT OF LETTER OF ADMINISTRATION of the personal property.

Notice is hereby given that the said LETTER OF ADMINISTRATION will be granted to such person unless a notice to prohibit the grant there of is filed in the Probate Registry High Court of Justice Birnin Kebbi, within TWENTY-ONE DAYS from the date of publication of this notice.

SCHEDULE Name and Address of Deceased Applicant Name and Address LATE CPL MUSA AUDU NANYA AUDU THE NIGERIA POLICE FORCE ZAMKO DISTRICT LANGTANG SHANDAM DIVISION JOS NORTHERN LOCAL GOVERNMENT JOS PLATEAU STATE. PLATEAU STATE.

SCHEDULE Name and Address of Deceased Applicant Name and Address SGT. DANLAMI AUDU ASABE AUDU THE NIGERIA POLICE FORCE MOPOL BARRACK AREA 36 PMF, BIRNIN KEBBI BIRNIN KEBBI KEBBI STATE COMMAND. KEBBI STATE.

SCHEDULE Name and Address of Deceased Applicant Name and Address AP/NO.161162 INSPR. MUSA GARBA ALIYU NANA MAGAJI THE NIGERIA POLICE FORCE SHIYAR MASALLACHI JUMAÁ BAGUDO DIVISION BAGUDO LOCAL GOVT. AREA KEBBI STATE POLICE COMMAND. KEBBI STATE.

Who died on the 17TH JANUARY, 2014 Dated at Birnin Kebbi on the 10TH MARCH, 2021

Who died on the 10TH MAY, 2004 Dated at Birnin Kebbi on the 10TH MARCH, 2021

Who died on the 16TH JANUARY, 2021 Dated at Birnin Kebbi on the 10TH MARCH, 2021

HUSSAINI ABDULLAHI Probate Registrar

HUSSAINI ABDULLAHI Probate Registrar

HUSSAINI ABDULLAHI Probate Registrar

LEGAL NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE PROBATE DIVISION BIRNIN KEBBI, KEBBI STATE

CROWN’S GLORY CHURCH

Whereas the person whose name is set out in the first column here under died date and place stated in the said column. Whereas the person whose address had claimed relationship with the said deceased is set in the second column here under has applied to the High Court of Justice for GRANT OF LETTER OF ADMINISTRATION of the personal property.

Notice is hereby given that the said LETTER OF ADMINISTRATION will be granted to such person unless a notice to prohibit the grant there of is filed in the Probate Registry High Court of Justice Birnin Kebbi, within TWENTY-ONE DAYS from the date of publication of this notice.

SCHEDULE Name and Address of Deceased Applicant Name and Address ZIRA TIZHE DESTINY ZIRAH NIGERIA POLICE FORCE POLICE BARRACK MOUNTED TROAP KAMBA KAMBA DIVISION KEBBI STATE. KEBBI STATE. Who died on the 13TH JANUARY, 2021 Dated at Birnin Kebbi on the 10TH MARCH, 2021 HUSSAINI ABDULLAHI Probate Registrar

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.

OMAMULI SAMUEL 2.

OMAMULI FELIX THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE : 1.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, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION.

PUBLIC NOTICE

LOSS OF DOCUMENTS

THIS IS TO INFORM the General public OF THE LOSS OF the Original CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY bearing HON. FAROUK MUSTAPHA with FILE NO. BA 30074.

All efforts MADE TO TRACE THE DOCUMENT proved abortive. If found, please return to the nearest Police STATION OR His SOLICITORS AT LawFirst Attorneys, NO. 9 Khartoum Street Wuse Zone 5, Abuja.

SIGNED : SECRETARY.

SAFIYA

SAFIYA

I, formERly known and addressed as SAFIYA SHEHU MAHDI-LIMAN now wish to be known and addressed as SAFIYA SHEHU MAHDI. All former documents remain valid, banks and the general public should please take note.

I, formally known and addressed as SAFIYA SAUDE MAHDI now wish to be known and addressed as SAFIYA SHEHU MAHDI. All former documents remain valid, banks and the general public should please take note

BASIRA I, Formerly known as Bashira M. Sani now wish to be known and addressed as Basira Muhammad Sani. All former documents remain valid. Authorities concerned and the general public should please take note.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

T R I B U T E

Simon Shango at 75 and a Presidential message

By Usman Adams

I

t is an established fact that there are two fixed dates in a man’s life the day you are born and the day you die, in between these two dates are endless stories of a man’s struggles for survival.

Consequently, Philosophers contend that ‘if you cannot fly, run, and if you cannot run walk, and if you cannot walk crawl never remain stationary in life’.

It is therefore my belief that at the age of 75 Mr Shango, Journalist, Writer, Technocrat and Politician must have undergone all those processes enumerated above.

When I heard the message from President Muhammadu Buhari congratulating my mentor and benefactor Mr Simon Shango on his 75th birthday via a radio station early that morning I shouted which prompted my twin daughters of 18 years old rushing to my room to enquire what was wrong and when I mentioned the name of Mr Simon Shango they were transfixed and only became relaxed when I further explained to them that Mr president had just sent a congratulatory message to my friend Simon Shango on his birthday. Of course the name Simon Shango resonates in my house because I had told my family members and all those who cared to know how I became a Journalist.

In that message President Muhammadu Buhari who never says anything in vain eulogized the manifold sterling qualities of Mr Shango and described him as a detribalized Nigerian I cannot agree more with Mr President as the facts I am about to enumerate would speak for me.

In 1972, the then BenuePlateau State Ministry of Education had given me an appointment to teach English Language at the Government Technical College Bukuru after successfully completing my Higher School Certificate Course in December 1971 at the Government Secondary School Kuru.

While at Bukuru I had travelled to Kaduna to help me put together a magazine which I was planning to publish. I had not previously met Mr Simon Shango in person before my trip to Kaduna to meet him but his fascinating and scintillating stories which often occupied the front page of the New Nigerian Newspapers had always caught my fancy especially the one on the langa langa train disaster in 1961 thus my quest to meet him.

Although he personally did not do much to advance my ambition, he gave me names of

Simon Shango some journalists including Mr Clement Oluwole, Mr Shehu Abui of blessed memory and Mr Joseph Angulu. After a night with him in Kaduna I returned to my teaching job when early in June 1972 I received a message that Mr Shango wanted to see me at the Ministry of Information Jos and that was how I got a job as a reporter at the newly established BenuePlateau Printing and Publishing Corporation, publishers of the Nigerian Standard Newspaper, whose first edition came out barely a week after I had taken the job.

In the early stages of the newspapers establishment Mr Shango virtually recruited the most able hands from all parts of the country in various editorial departments of the newspaper, Mr Lekan Akinola a Yoruba man, Mr Clement Oluwole from Kwara State, Mr Joseph Angulu from the present Nasarawa State, Mr Innocent Adikwu who later became the Editor of the

“

Punch Newapapers and Mr John Chiahemen who later became an international correspondent of Reuters News Agency and James Ikuve were all from the present Benue State. Also recruited

by Simon Shango was Adamu Danjuma who later became the editor of Analyst Magazine and now the Commissioner for Information and Orientation in Taraba State and many others.

Towards the end of that year 1972 I confided in Mr Simon Shango who was on the management team of the Newspaper that I was not comfortable working with the newspaper he quietly shared this view with Mr Iliya Audu the editor who later became a Senator in the second republic from Wukari now in Taraba State suggested that I should be sent to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism in Lagos to encourage me to stay on the job.

It was during my course in Lagos that I met late David Attah the then General Manager at Daily Times,

the late Prince Tony Momoh who later became my Minister and chief Dan Agbese who does not need any further introduction.

By 1978 Simon Shango had adequately paid his dues in the establishment of the newspaper and therefore left for Benue State where he became the state publicity secretary of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN).

Simon Shango started his career as a Journalist in 1967 and worked under such great names and nationalists like Mallam Adamu Ciroma of blessed memory and Mallam Mamman Daura the Editor of the New Nigerian Newspaper from 1969-1971.

Simon Shango Loved Journalism and spent his years in Journalism which span from the New Nigeria to the Daily Times of Nigeria mentoring young Journalists.

It is my strong contention that working under such great people from a youthful age must have

In 1972, the then Benue-Plateau State Ministry of Education had given me an appointment to teach English Language at the Government Technical College Bukuru after successfully completing my Higher School Certificate Course in December 1971 at the Government Secondary School Kuru.

shaped his views as a detribalized person. Those over six years that he had worked in the New Nigerian Newspaper at the most precarious time in Nigerian history must have adequately prepared him for future life. Indeed Journalists during his time in the New Nigerian Newspaper worked very hard to restore the dignity of the average Northerner after their leaders and their military officers were shockingly killed in the 16th January 1966 coup. The New Nigerian Newspaper became the voice of the North and the then military government in Lagos took its views very seriously.

When President Obasanjo became the Head of State after the 1976 coup he was not comfortable with the New Nigerian Newspaper and therefore brought it under federal government control by then Mr Simon Shango had left.

The present civilian government should reward all those editorial staff of the New Nigerian Newspaper for the patriotic work they did for the unity of this country through their reportage and editorial comments.

In 2013 the Benue chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) honoured Mr Simon Shango, Chief David Attah of blessed memory, Late Dr Patrick Ityoher and my humble self at an occasion. In a citation at the occasion the NUJ stated that they were honouring us for our immense contribution to the growth of journalism in Benue State. I believe that while we thank the NUJ Benue chapter for this gesture President Muhammadu Buhari’s birthday message should be subsequently followed by a National Honours award of any category the President may deem fit for his contribution in preserving the unity of Nigeria through his writings while at the New Nigeria.

Finally Jesus Christ died at the age of 33 after he had finished his mission on earth and old man Simeon in the book of Luke prayed that ‘let thy servant depart in peace’ after he had seen the birth of Jesus Christ. Mr Simon Shango at the age of 75 has not yet completed his journey on earth as he has many more people to mentor.

On behalf of all my former colleagues I join President Muhammadu Buhari in wishing Mr Simon Shango many more years of happy returns in the service of the nation.

Usman Adams wrote from Abuja

Sports

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FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

RMRDC unveils new Gym Centre in Abuja

By Amaechi Agbo

D

etermined to improve the health need of its workers and ensure efficient productivity, the Raw Material Research and Development Council RMRDC, through its Sports Club, has opened a gym centre in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital.

Speaking during the unveiling in Abuja Wednesday, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, CEO of the RMRDC, Prof. Ibrahim Hussaini Doko, who commissioned the facility, charged the staff to avail themselves of the gym centre to exercise themselves and live healthy.

He commended the RMRDC Sports Council for their foresightedness in establishing the facility which he said would go a long way to promote productivity in the council.

“Today, a new chapter has been opened for all of us here to not only exercise ourselves but also ensure that we live healthy.

This is the first of its kind and I enjoin all staff in the council to avail themselves of this facility. “exercise promotes good living and this gym centre has come to provide this for us.

“I want to thank the Sports Club in the council for deeming it fit to establish a gym centre for all of us,” he said.

Earlier in his opening speech,

DG/CEO RMRDC, Prof. Ibrahim Hussaini Doko (Center) testing on of the machines the Chairman, RMRDC Sports Club, Mr Batako Umar Lapai, said that the primary purpose of establishing the gym centre was to promote exercise and fitness among the staff and their family members.

He noted that the establishment of the gym was part of is election promise while he was campaigning for the RMRDC Sports Council’s chairmanship position.

“The primary aim of establishing the gym centre is for the staff of the council and their immediate family members to make use of the facilities provided at the gym to keep fit and promote good health.

“For those who are familiar with existing gym centres all over, it helps reduce excess fat and stress from work. So after a hectic job or day in the office, staff have the opportunity from 4 to 6pm every day and Saturdays to use the gym.

“Today I am very happy because one of my election promises has been fulfilled. The primary motive of establishing the gym centre, prior to our election into the Sports Club Committee, we promised that when elected into office, the new EXCO will ensure the establishment of a gym centre for the purpose of staff use,” he said.

Fosla Academy thrash GSTC 11-1, zoom into FCT National Principal’s Cup final

By Amaechi Agbo

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efending Champions, FOSLA Academy Wednesday whitewashed Government Science Technical College, GSTC, Garki, Abuja 11-1 to reach the final of the FCT National Principal’s Cup. In a one-sided first semi-final match played at the Area 10 Old Parade Ground field, the defending champions made a mince of their opponents as they ran riot and overpowered them in all departments of the game.

Zekeri Simeon who led the boys in the annihilation, scored a glut (5 goals) as the coach Mary Godspowerled boys secured a 7-0 half time result.

Simeon’s glut was consolidated by two braces from Tukura Joel and Muhammed Suleiman.

Gideon Goodlad and Nawas Abdullahi all scored a goal apiece to round up the game.

GSTC had their consolation in the second half but it was to late too little

to galvanise any moral for fight back.

Speaking after the match, Coach Mary Godspower who expressed delight over the outcome, praised her boys for playing to instructions but warned them that the work is half done.

Coach Mary, former Super Falcons player added that the Academy has a target to retain the cup they have won many times.

“We prepared for the match and the children played to instructions.

They did very well today being their first competitive match in a while.

“However, they should not be carried away. The job is half done and they know our target.

“We have won the competition three times consecutively and the history should not change,” she said.

FOSLA Academy has won the Principals Cup a record three times 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Fosla will slug it out with Government Science Secondary School, GSS, Karu on Friday final.

GSS Karu defeated GSS Tungamaji 1-0 in the second semifinal Wednesday.

The use of the facilities at the gym centre is at no cost to the staff and their immediate family members. It is free of charge.

In interview, Mr Lapai provided further details on the activities of the Sports Club and how they planned to maintain the gym centre “Management of the gym centre is one of the areas we looked at before we established the gym centre because having a facility that you cannot maintain; I don’t think it is a very good one for us. Already, there is a committee we set up before the commissioning date. The use of the facility is going to be moderated in a way and manner

that it will not be over crowded.

There is going to be a programme drawn for the members of the staff and their families that will make use of the facility.

“We already have routing maintenance activities in place for the gym. Every month, an engineer will come to check whether the machines are faulty pr not, to ensure that they are always in good working conditions. So, we are working closely to ensure that those facilities are maintained,” he said On effective use of the gym centre by staff and family members since it was not made compulsory for them, Mr Lapai noted that the need for exercise and healthy living was the highlight of the Chief Executive of the council’s speech during the unveiling.

“He seriously encouraged staff to avail themselves of these facilities because he too exercises.

“He made them to understand that physical fitness is one of the panaceas for good health and if you don’t have the fitness, you may not even be able to work in your office. He motivates and encourages members to make good use of the facility. So, it is not compulsory. But he encouraged us to avail ourselves the use of the facility for the purpose of ensuring sound health and contribute to the council’s productivity.”

AFCON Qualifiers: Musa won’t play against Benin, Lesotho – Rohr

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ollowing the public outcries against the invitation of Ahmed Musa’s ahead of the inform duo of Paul Onuachu and Peter Olayinka for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifying games against Benin Republic and Lesotho, Super Eagles handler Gernot Rohr has ruled out the possibility of his captain playing the matches.

Musa is left without a club after leaving Saudi Arabia club side Al-Nassr in October after a two-year stay in Riyadh where he scored 9 goals in 50 appearances.

The German gaffer who included Musa in his 24-man provisional yesterday released by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), exclusively told LEADERSHIP Sports the former CSKA Moscow striker would play no part in the last two group games.

“He is not in the list of 23-man but he is invited like a captain, not like a player of the list,” Rohr said.

The Eagles gaffer however assured Nigerian football fans to expect good football and qualification tickets to the

2021 AFCON finals.

“Nigerians should expect good football and qualifications for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations,” he concluded.

Nigeria, top of the Group E log with eight points (one ahead of Benin Republic and five more than thirdplaced Sierra Leone), tackle the Squirrels away at the Stade Charles de Gaulle in Porto Novo on Saturday, March 27 and will lock horns with the Crocodiles of Lesotho at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos three days later. Both are the concluding games of the qualifying series.

Rohr, who has steered the threetimes African champions, Nigeria to qualifying for two major tournaments (2018 FIFA World Cup and 2019 Africa Cup of Nations) with a game to spare, countenance even better accomplishment this time, as the Eagles could earn a ticket to the finals in Cameroon before kick-off in Porto Novo, should Lesotho and Sierra Leone end their encounter in Maseru in a stalemate. The result would be known before kick-off in Porto Novo.

Teqball In Plateau To Lead Oher Sports In Nigeria - MTN >>>PG30

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

S p WTT Contender: Aruna’s performance excites NTTF despite elimination

By Amaechi Agbo

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espite his Round of 16 elimination from the 2021 World Table Tennis (WTT) Star Contender, the President of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), Ishaku Tikon has hailed the performance of Quadri Aruna at the tournament taking place in Doha, Qatar.

Aruna, ranked 21st in the world, exited the tournament in the last 16 of the men’s singles after losing 3-0 (11-4, 13-11, 11-7) to world No.5 Japan’s Harimoto Tamakazu in the third round early on Wednesday, March 10.

Having edged out another Japanese Masataka Morizono in the second round (round of 32) on Tuesday, Aruna became the only African that made it to the last 16 following the exit of Egypt’s Ahmed Saleh in the second round of the men’s singles.

“I am particularly impressed with Aruna because he showed that he is among the best in the world.

Unfortunately for him, he had a tough draw and this affected his good run but in all, his performance has given us confidence that he will make it to Tokyo Olympic Games at the qualifiers next week,” Tikon said.

“The result is not a reflection of what happened in the match because Aruna gave a good account of himself against Harimoto and he was just unlucky to have lost the match especially the second game which was very tight. I am satisfied with his display and I am sure he will raise his game during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Qualifiers against some of the best players in the world,” the NTTF helmsman said.

The NTTF chief also commended Olajide Omotayo for his display against some of the best players, having lost to Joao Geraldo of Portugal in the preliminary stage.

“Omotayo has indeed come of age with his performance because he lost 3-2 to the same player that lost with same margin to Aruna during the WTT Contender Series last week.

I believe he will continue to raise his game. But in all Aruna has shown that he can compete against the best and we hope his performance will inspire more players in Nigeria and Africa to aim high at the global stage,” Tikon added.

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Teqball In Plateau To Lead Oher Sports In Nigeria - MTN

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he Chairman, Plateau State Teqball Association, Miri Timnan Nyantau, has reinstated his commitment to make the sport in the Plateau an envy of other sports both nationally and internationally MTN, as the chairman is fondly called made this statement when he received journalists in his office on Tuesday.

While answering questions thrown at him by pressmen who are eager to know more about the newly introduced sport on the Plateau and how it can thrive and rub shoulders with established sports like football and basketball among others, MTN rolled out activities put on ground to make the sport thrive and be loved by all and sundry,hence, bringing glory to the State and Nigeria as a whole.

In his words, “After receiving our letters of appointments from the National body of Teqball in Nigeria, we first and foremost introduced ourselves to the Sports council in the State officially, before we put our well furnished association secretariat on ground to get down to serious work. We sensitized the people of Plateau State via the media, we used the traditional method, which is “ town-crying” in communities to make our people know what Teqball is.”

Plateau State Teqball Association Chairman, Miri Nyantau (2nd from right) during the visit Nyantau, continues: “The media sensitization will continue and we are also starting some grassroots competitions in each 17 local government areas the moment we get some facilities from the national body. These and many more we want to do which I

will not want to disclose or make public for now for some reasons personally known to me and my Vice Chairman, Sammy Adesoji and the Secretary.”

Teqball is a ball sport that is played on a curved table, combining elements of football

and table tennis. Back and forth, the players hit a football with any part of the body except arms and hands. Teqball can be played between two players as a singles game, or between four players as a doubles game.

2020/2021 NNL: Niger Tornadoes pick first away point in Kebbi

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igh-flying Niger Tornados Wednesday picked their first away point in the 2020/2021 Nigeria National League matchday 6 against Kebbi United in Kebbi Tornadoes were left to rue their missed chances as the referee sounds the final whistle at the end of a highly charged and entertaining MatchDay5 encounter against Kebbi United decided at the Haliru Abdu Stadium in Birnin Kebbi.

The Coach Bala tutored side arrived the match venue with high hopes of snatching all three points against their equally enterprising host Kebbi United who were still basking in the euphoria of a one all draw away in far away Ilorin against ABS FC last weekend.

The Ikon Allah Boys suppressed the host team for the better part of first half, with purposeful play, but with no goals to show for their effort as Tornadoes attackers were wasteful in front of goal.

On resumption into the second half Coach Bala had other plans as he switched to a more attack minded system with introduction of Jamiu Suleiman who was unlucky as he sustained an injury shortly after coming on for Musa Wakili, the technical bench again opted for another attacker as Mohammed

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

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Ogunjimi: SWAN FCT presents N.305 million to family, thanks donors

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he Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) FCT chapter has expressed gratitude to philanthropic sports stakeholders who made cash donation to the family of late Olusegun Ogunjimi.

A release by the secretary of the association, Ikenna Okonkwo Wednesday notes that the SWAN FCT Chairman, Comrade Ndubueze Chidoka, who spoke when he led a delegation to hand over monies contributed so far in support of Ogunjimi’s wife and only son at their residence in Mararaba, a close Abuja suburb, said the kind deposition of teeming sports writers in the nation’s capital and some notable sports administrators was highly commendable.

“I’m very much elated with the support from both sports writers and administrators who deemed it fit to support Ogunjimi’s family in one way or the other, particularly with cash after the demise of our brother and colleague, Segun.

“Contribution is ongoing for anyone who still wants to make his or her donation,” he said.

Comrade Chidoka however, enjoined Ogunjimi’s family, particularly his wife and son to continuously take solace in the Lord over their departed father.

The chairman told them, “I urge you not to lose faith in God, knowing that he is the Alpha and Omega that cares for the widows and the fatherless.

“SWAN will always keep in touch to know how you are

SWAN FCT Members during a novelty match in honour of late Olusegun Ogunjimi on March 4 faring because late Segun left an indelible mark in the association.”

Chidoka later presented the family with a cash of N350, 000 being donations received from colleagues, friends and well-

wishers.

President of Nigeria Volleyball Federation, Engr Musa Nimrod, his Badminton counterpart, Mr Francis Orbih, former Super Eagles coach Samson Siasia,

a football enthusiast/staff of Nigeria Immigration Service Robert Akpenpuun and former Special Assistant to Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mrs Nneka Ikem Anibeze were

among those who made personal donations.

Ogunjimi who worked with the Nation and Sporting Life Newspapers died on February 10, and was buried on March 6, 2021.

Man United appoint ex player Federer beats Fletcher as Technical Director Evans in first match after 14 months M

Niger Tornadoes Sani Rabiu was thrown into the fray.

Immediate impact on the 71st minute by (Kawu Big Boy) as Mohammed Sani is popularly called, latches on to the ball after connecting to Lukman Mohammed’s dangerous ball in,

to finished past Stanley in goal for Kebbi United.

From then onward it became an end-to-end affair as both teams searches for goal especially the home team whose effort paid off in the 84th minute as Tornadoes

goalie Lucky Abdullahi fails to properly pushed the ball out of dangerous area allowing Rufai to snatched an equalizer with a quick lob in.

Positives: first away point for the Ikon Allah Boys to maintain leadership of NNL Group A2

anchester United have announced John Murtough as the club’s new Football Director, and Darren Fletcher as Technical Director respesctively.

The club confirmed the new appointments on their website on Wednesday afternoon, and a day before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side take on AC Milan in a UEFA Europa League last 32 first leg tie in Manchester.

“Manchester United is pleased to announce the promotion of John Murtough to Football Director and Darren Fletcher to Technical Director, two new roles that will further strengthen the club’s football operations,” said the club’s announcement.

John Murtough’s role will be centred around recruitment and related strategies, while Darren Fletcher, who is no stranger as a former midfielder and recent technical staffer, will head playing and performance.

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oger Federer marked his eagerly-awaited return to action after more than a year with some vintage tennis as he beat Dan Evans 7-6(8) 3-6 7-5 at the Qatar Open on Wednesday.

The 39-year-old Swiss had not played a competitive match for 405 days and underwent two knee surgeries in 2020, but clicked smoothly back into gear against the British number one.

It was a magical moment for Federer

who said it had been a long and tough road since his last match, a semi-final defeat by Novak Djokovic at the 2020 Australian Open.

“It feels good to be back, happy to be standing here whether I won or lost. I was tired and focused on being tired rather than winning the points.

If I was going to go out, I wanted to go out swinging.

Incredibly happy about my performance and it was nice to finish with a backhand winner down the line,” he said.

. . . putting the people first

FRIDAY, march 12, 2021

SPORTS latest

Sala’s family to seek legal action over player’s death

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miliano Sala’s family are taking legal action against Cardiff City and French club Nantes after the Argentine footballer died in a plane crash two years ago.

A single-engine plane carrying Sala from Nantes to his new team Cardiff crashed on Jan. 21, 2019 in the English Channel. He never played for the Welsh side who bought him for a club record 15 million pounds ($21 million).

The wreckage was found nearly two weeks later following a privately-funded underwater search and the 28-year-old’s body was recovered three days later. The body of the plane’s pilot David Ibbotson was not found.

Thirteen defendants were named but proceedings will be delayed with David Henderson, who allegedly arranged the flight, set to stand trial in October.

“The family of Emiliano Sala are asking the coroner to fix the inquest date when she reviews matters, with a date soon after the trial of David Henderson, which has been fixed for 18 October 2021,” their lawyer Daniel Machover was quoted as saying.

“In the meantime, in order to protect their legal rights and remedies arising from Emiliano’s untimely death, the family have commenced civil proceedings in the high court, but will seek agreement to stay those proceedings pending the outcome of the inquest.”

An official investigation by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch revealed the plane crashed after the pilot lost control and the aircraft broke up while flying too fast.

Taye Taiwo and Oduamadi

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China’s next-level development and implications for global recovery

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hina’s most important annual political event, the convocation of the National Committee of Chinese People’s political consultative conference (CPPCC) and the National People’s Congress, (NPC) otherwise known as the “Two sessions” would wrapped recently.

The CPPCC is a top advisory body with a broad representation of all social strata, including ethnic nationalities, democratic political parties, and even personages without political affiliation in China. The CPPCC is the foremost political expression of China’s consultative democracy.

Its background is rooted in the broad patriotic united front of all Chinese people in the struggle and construction of modern China led by the Communist Party of China, (CPC).

The CPPCC was the historic platform under which the Communist Party of China and other democratic parties founded the modern China in 1949 and served also as legislative platform, until the National People’s Congress, the country’s parliament and supreme state organ was established in 1954. The CPPCC has since then reverted to its role as a national top advisory body and national dialogue mechanism that is both broadly representative and consultative.

As a top deliberative institution for national dialogue, the CPPCC drive democratic consultations and build a national consensus around key issues, and delivers vital inputs into the state’s strategic planning and policy choices. The China’s political system of multiparty consultation and cooperation with the Communist Party of China at the core is particularly affirmed and expressed in the work of the CPPCC and NPC. The National People’s Congress (NPC) is the supreme state organ and the nation’s top legislature.

Both CPPCC and NPC are political formula of broad national inclusion offering a deliberative and legislative platform on topical issues of national significance and importance.

The two core representative institutions give strategic coherence to critical national conversations.

The “two sessions” of the top deliberative and legislative bodies, about to end its annual meetings in Beijing have both lived up to their historic mandates by addressing themselves to the vital national issues of China’s most intense political and economic projects.

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By Charles Onunaiju Late last year, at the 5th plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) focused on deliberation and outline of the 14th five-year development plan, an important decision on a new economic formula, most suitable to China’s contemporary reality was developed. The dual circulation, an economic model that puts into context China’s specific national condition extrapolating both the opportunities and constraints of the international environment was high on the agenda.

The dual circulation holds that the country would take the domestic environment as primary while letting the domestic and the external environments to engage in a robust and dynamic interaction.

The blueprint of China’s economic strategy in the next five years and even beyond would not only enable the country to develop its economy, technologies and overall strength but also would offer great opportunities to businesses across the world to access and share in the growing prosperity of the country.

As the tradition with the two top Chinese Advisory and legislative bodies, the ‘two sessions’ of this year, the CPPCC has through open consultation and dialogue provided the broad consensus to the issue of new national economic strategy while the NPC has given it the force of the law, with both institutions signaling to the governing Communist Party and the government that they both have the broad legitimate mandate and approval of the Chinese people to deepen reform and take it, to the next level.

The concept of quality development is against the

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background of the understanding of the country’s principal contradiction of the people’s evergrowing need for a better life and the imbalance and inadequacy of development and for which the strategy of quality development is the key to its resolution.

Already, according to Premier Li Keqiang in his address to the NPC on the work report of the government, he said that “a target of over 6 percent will enable all of us to devote full energy to promoting reform, innovation and high-quality development.”

Historically and since the 1960s, only a few of over hundred middle-income countries and regions have become highincome economies as they shifted their development models from quantitative expansion to qualitative improvement.

By contrast, those countries, and region that stagnated or even regressed, failed to realize the fundamental change to qualitative improvement.

And for China to escape the middle-income trap, it must pursue high-quality development.

As a key significant feature of China’s modernization is to continuously improve people’s wellbeing as recently exemplified in the country’s conquest of absolute poverty, China has always focused on the people-centered philosophy of development and the framework of the current economic paradigm of qualitydevelopment would drive the new trajectory of improving people’s livelihood. The draft outline of the 14th Five-year plan (20212024) contains series of measures which includes increasing people’s income, boasting employment, building a high-quality system,

As a top deliberative institution for national dialogue, the CPPCC drive democratic consultations and build a national consensus around key issues, and delivers vital inputs into the state’s strategic planning and policy choices.

and improved multi-level social security system among others.

Within the framework of quality development, the country would take the pursuit of stellar scientific and technological breakthroughs and innovation as the central object of its modernization drive.

Maintaining and improving China’s strategic economic fundamentals would not only offer robust and inclusive growth but would enhance global recovery in the post-pandemic era.

Africa and Nigeria in particular have huge takeaways from the purposeful and focused Chinese most important annual political season of the ‘two sessions’, and the fact that maintaining stable growth, inclusive development, and driving a modernization that leaves no one behind is a rigorous process of interrogating one’s own reality, and defining policy roadmap that is strictly relevant to practical problem-solving.

Despite the fanfare of the annual gatherings of the two sessions, it is not a jamboree but a serious and determined national effort of the Chinese people to interrogate their existing social reality in the context of its specific national condition and the broader international environment, with a view to serve the people more wholeheartedly.

No Chinese key political season passes away without recording a key milestone in the overall trajectory to improving the people’s quality of life and that is why Nigeria and the rest of Africa should pay attention to how Beijing governs.

Onunaiju, is director, Centre for China Studies Abuja, Nigeria.

DAN GAYE Dangai

Economic council says another lockdown will be last resort - News

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