Friday, July 16, 2021 Edition

Friday, July 16, 2021/ Dhuʻl-Hijjah 6, 1442 AH

2613 Days after Malam Wada Maida (1950-2020), founding Chairman, Board of the Peoples Media Limited

Vol. 36 No. 099 N200

@pmlonline

peoplesdailyng

. . . putting the people first

The nation awaits rescue of the remaining abducted Chibok schoolgirls

Nigerians are suffering, Emir of Kano tells Buhari

>>Page 6

Electoral Act Amendment:

Senate bars INEC from electronic transmission of election results >>PG 8

Reps in rowdy session, adjourn plenary to today

>>PG 10

Dangi interchange Flyover constructed by the Ganduje administration commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari in Kano yesterday.

Senate okays FG’s request for $8.325m, €490m external loans >>PG 15 PIB 3% controversy: Reps disagree, step down harmonization report pAGE 5

Railway development important economic driver, says Buhari pAGE 3

Nigeria has no housing crisis -Fasola pAGE 6

Kanu seeks transfer from DSS custody to Kuje prison pAGE 4

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

News CONTENTS News Op.Ed Politics Stock Watch Business Metro

6-18 12-13 15-17 18 19-21 24

World Analysis 22 Africa News

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World News

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PDP urges Senators, Reps to vote against plots to pass prohibition of electronic transmission of election results

By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja

T

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on Senators and members of the House of Representatives to shun partisanship and vote in the national interest on section 50 (2) of the Electoral Act amendment bill, which dwells on electronic transmission of results.

The party made the call in a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan in Abuja.

The PDP said that it has come to its attention that certain interests are plotting a rejection of electronic transfer of results on the floors of both chambers of the National Assembly on Thursday.

The main opposition party asserted that it behooves on every Nigerian, particularly the federal lawmakers, to work on the improvement of the nation’s electoral processes in order to engender free, fair, transparent and credible elections.

The party insisted that there

is no part of Nigeria or any local government headquarters that communication network does not exist and function, to warrant the exclusion of electronic transmission of election results from the law.

According to the PDP, “It is imperative to add that with the technology proposed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), even where the network is slow, it does not stop the transmission process from arriving at the collation

Centre.

“The PDP therefore urges the lawmakers not to allow themselves to be swayed by any one or any interest bent on conducting our election in the manipulative manner as desired by undemocratic elements.

“The party calls on all Nigerians to remain at alert and be ready to use every legitimate means available and acceptable within our laws to resist this move to further strangulate our electoral process”, it said.

Enugu guber: Justice, equity shall prevail, says Gov. Ugwuanyi Page 15

Digest

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Feature

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Sports Back Page

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News

News Editor, Tobias Lengnan Dapam

Hisba arrests woman with 97 bottles of alcohol in Jigawa From Mika’il Tsoho, Dutse

T

he Jigawa state Hisba command has arrested a 45 year old woman for allegedly smuggling and selling of alcoholic drinks in Ringim local Government area of the state.

This was disclosed by the State commander of Hisba General Ibrahim Dahiru Garki while speaking to news men in Dutse the state capital.

He said the woman was arrested in Ringim by the personnels of the command after they received security report from good people of the area.

Garki explained that the woman had been disguising as a traveler using traveling bag to arrange the alcohol and taking it to her customers.

According to him, the command succeeded in arresting the suspect with ninety seven bottles of different kinds of alcoholic drinks.

The Hisba commander said the woman was handed over to police for further investigation before she was taken to court for violation of stipulated law.

He noted that drinking or selling of alcohol are been barred in Jigawa State under Islamic and state law, therefore anyone caught violating the rules will face the wrath of the law.

Garki therefore urged good people of the state to always feed the command with useful information of any places were the act of social vises is taking place.

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

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29-31 rom left Plateau State Governor Mr Solomon Lalong, President Muhammadu Buhaari The Emir of Kano Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, and Kebbi State Governor Alhaji Abubakar Bagudu,during the President Visit to the Emirs Palace on his One day Working Visit to Kano yesterday

Aregbesola advocates women rights in work places

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

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inister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola has advocated women rights in work places.

Speaking yesterday during the launch of gender policy document for the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the minister said women must be carried along as equal partners.

He said women have potentials and capabilities to contribute to the development of the country, and must be allowed to do such.

“They should not be treated as women. But we need to consider their abilities and capabilities in contributing their quota in work places.

“We have women who can perform more than some men.

Women are very strong and have drive to contribute their all

anywhere they find themselves.

As heads of institutions, we must look at their qualities and treat them accordingly”.

While commending the Commandant General of NSCDC, Abubakar Audi for establishing a female corps, the minister said the establishment of the unit with a woman incharge will allow women to rise through the ranks and compete with their male counterparts.

He also urged the CG to provide a crèche for women to take of their babies while at work.

On his part the CG said he believes in an environment where people are treated equally regardless of their sexes.

He said the idea of the programme was to promote gender equality and to discouraged sexual and gender based violence.

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

he Federal Government, through the Solicitor General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Mr Dayo Apata(SAN) yesterday, said it’s fully equipped to end torture in all ramifications in Nigeria.

This information was made known in Abuja, at an occasion to commemorate the 2021 United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, by the Ministry of Justice.

The event was also marked with a solidarity walk with people carrying placards with inscriptions like “ torture is inhuman”, torture is a crime against humanity”, and “rehabilitate torture victims”.

Apata said the International day in support of victims of torture is celebrated on June 26 every year,

P

Railway development important economic driver in Nigeria- Buhari From Kano

Mustapha

Adamu,

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resident Muhammadu Buhari has said that his administration would continue to accord greatest priority to railway infrastructure development because it has become an important economic driver.

Buhari made the remarks on Thursday in at ground breaking ceremony of Kaduna-Kano rail line project, held at Zawaciki in Kano state .

“I am delighted to preside over the ground breaking ceremony

to mark the commencement of construction activities on the Kano-Kaduna segment of the modernisation project at the proposed site of the Kano railway station, which is adjacent to the Dala Inland Dry Port,” he said.

He said that commencement of the construction activities of the Kaduna-Kano rail line project represented the commitment of the administration in the revival of Nigerian Railway system.

“The project is crucial to the establishment of the supply chain in railway transport within its corridor, Kano, Kaduna, Abuja, and it links major commercial

cities in Kano and Kaduna to Abuja.

“After completion, it will link the Lagos-Ibadan railway project there Abuja-MinnaIlorin-Oshogbo-Ibadan to Lagos on one end, and Maradi in Niger Republic on the other end.

He revealed that the railway line would be linked to Tincan Island port, it was also expected that the inland dried ports on the routes would be activated.

Buhari said that would enable the ports to receive imports directly from international markets.

He commanded the

transportation minister, Rotimi Ameachi for his focus and resolve which represented the drive of the administration in railway infrastructure development.

In his remarks, the minister of transportation, Rotimi Ameachi, said that the project covers 203 kilometers double track standard gauge railway from Kano to Kaduna.

He said that it traversed Kaduna, Zaria and Kano cities, with three railway stations both for passengers and freight services at Rigachukun, Zaria and Kano with varying capacities and categories.

R-L: The Speaker Kogi State House of Assembly, Hon. Prince Mathew Kolawole, National Chairman, Conference of Nigeria States Legislative Speakers, Rt. Hon. Abubakar Suleiman and the Speaker Yobe State House of Assembly, Hon.Lauzum Merua, during the Northern States legislatures Forum meeting, held yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

FG fully equipped to fight torture - Apata but for technical and safety reasons, it is celebrated today to remind everyone that torture universally, is a crime against humanity.

“This will be done through the effective implementation of the National Policy against Torture and other forms of Inhuman and Degrading Treatment in Nigeria.

“It is also pertinent to note that the federal government is carrying the requisite campaign to all other security agencies for effective eradication of all forms of torture and inhuman treatment in Nigeria.”

Further in his speech, Mr Apata said that an example of the country’s readiness to fight torture was the passage of the Anti-Torture Act, 2017 by the 8th National Assembly which was signed into law

by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“This stands out as an outstanding legislation with the sole objective being for the prohibition and punishment of torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment in Nigeria.

“Also Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution on its part, provides that every individual is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person and accordingly no person shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment.

“The Anti-Torture Act 2017 has filled the existing vacuums that hitherto existed, by explicitly making the right to freedom from torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment a non-derogable right, thereby criminalising torture and protecting victims and witnesses of torture.”

Concluding, he maintained that all accused persons must be treated fairly and with dignity during trial and even after conviction, adding that security agencies must respect the fundamental rights of suspects and convicts, even those on death row.

Also speaking, the Chairman, National Committee against Torture, Mr Samson Ameh, (SAN) implored Nigerians to explore the machinery put in place by the government to get redress in cases of torture.

“We appeal to the public not to quickly run to the press or to Amnesty International to report cases of torture because we have the machinery to investigate and punish those culpable.

“Nigerians should use the

avenues put in place by government such as the National Committee against Torture and report incidences of torture so that such cases can be investigated and the culprits punished.

“For example in the police, we have a desk called the anti-torture desk and we also have one in the correctional centres so that anyone tortured by the police or wardens can report and investigation carried out immediately.”

He appealed to the Legal Aid Council, security agencies, nongovernmental organisations and other relevant stakeholders to collaborate with the committee in the fight against torture in Nigeria.

This was disclosed in a statement by the Senior Spacial Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, on Wednesday.

The statement said the President and the First Lady thank Mrs Alakija for being an ardent supporter of many social, economic, religious and health

causes, contributing generously to the fight against COVID-19 in the country through her donations.

President Buhari and his wife believe that the joyous occasion provides an opportunity for family, friends, associates and well-wishers to reflect on the importance of reaching

out to people around with the benevolence God has committed to us, it added.

“As a successful entrepreneur who has been acknowledged locally and globally, the President also recognises Alakija’s passion in mentoring young people to make informed investments and business

decisions, thereby making a difference in their communities and across the nation,” the statement noted.

On behalf of his family, the President offers his best wishes to this remarkable Nigerian, praying almighty God to grant her more years of robust health and happiness, it said.

Buhari, wife congratulate Alakija at 70

resident Muhammadu Buhari and the First Lady Aisha Buhari rejoice with Mrs Folorunsho Alakija, distinguished business leader and philanthropist on her 70th birthday on July 15, 2021, extolling her for dedicating her resources to humanitarian causes.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

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News IPOB: I may die in DSS detention -Kanu ...Seeks transfer from DSS custody to Kuje prisons

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

T

he detained self acclaimed leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu, said he may die in the Department of State Security(DSS) custody, if his health is not attended to.

Kanu, in a fresh application, filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, also revealed that, he had been subjected to mental and psychological torture” by the prosecution agency.

Consequently, he is praying the court to transfer him from the custody of the DSS, to the correctional center in Kuje.

Speaking through his counsel, Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Kanu decried the prosecution agency’s refusal for him to access his doctor, adding that if nothing is done urgently, he might die in the

DSS custody.

In the application, Kanu want an order of the trial court, “directing the transfer him from the custody of the National Headquarters of the Department of State Service, DSS, to the Nigerian Correctional Service Centre in Kuje, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, where he was initially detained before he was granted bail pending the determination of the charge.

“An order of this honourable court directing the defendant/applicant’s custodian, to grant access to his medical experts/doctors to carry out a comprehensive independent medical examination of the defendant/ applicant’s health condition/status, while in custody.’’

Meanwhile, in the fresh application, Kanu alleged that he had been

“subjected to mental and psychological torture” by the DSS, saying it would be in the interest of justice for the court to order his transfer to the Nigerian Correctional Service Centre, which he described as “an impartial facility that had no interest whatsoever” in the outcome of his trial.

In an affidavit attached in support of the application, Kanu alleged: “That this charge No. FHC/ABJ/ CR/383/2015 came up on June 29, 2021 and the applicant was brought before the court in chains, handcuffs and leg-cuffs, blindfolded, and was consequently remanded in the custody of the Department of State Service, even though there was no legal representation for the defendant, and the matter was, therefore, adjourned to the 26th day of July 2021 for trial.

“That the counsel to the applicant

was not served with any hearing notice before the appearance of the applicant in court, neither were they aware that any action was scheduled to take place in the criminal charge No. FCH/ABJ/ CR/383/2015 on that June 29, 2021.

“That on June 30, 2021, the applicant’s solicitors formally wrote to the Department of State Service to allow the applicant’s solicitors have access to the applicant. A copy of the said letter is hereby attached and marked as Exhibit MNK 1.

“That on July 2, 2021, at about 12:32pm, the Department of State Service called me to inform me that our request to visit the applicant has been approved and that I should come by 4:00 pm to see defendant.

“That on the said July 2, 2021 at about 5:00pm, at the DSS Headquarters, in Abuja, the applicant informed me

House decries circulation of proliferation expired cylinders

President Muhammadu Buhari at the Commissioning of the Denge Fly Over Constructed

by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje on the President One Day Working Visit to kano yesterday

By Christiana Ekpa

T

he House of Representatives on Wednesday decried the non-testing and proliferation of expired gas cylinders currently in circulation across the country.

The House also asked the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) to design a strategy to regulate the use of old gas cylinders as well as enforce the withdrawal and replacement of expired gas cylinders from circulation.

It mandated the Committee on Gas Resources to ensure implementation and report within four weeks for further legislative action.

These followed a motion on the Need to Replace the Expired Cooking Gas Cylinders in Nigeria

by Hon. Sergius Ose Ogun on Wednesday.

The House noted that over 9million people in Nigeria utilize Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for cooking and 90% of the LPG/ cooking gas are contained in expired cylinders.

It also noted that the cylinders outlive their safety limits after 15 years and most cylinders in Nigeria are over 30 years old making them very dangerous for use.

The House said it was aware of the need to invest in-cylinder operating plants and to have cylinder recycling plants as the community lacks cylinder plants.

It said it was also aware that investment in the local production of gas cylinders will allow for the affordable replacement of old/ obsolete cylinders.

The House was disturbed that the continued use of old cylinders can cause explosions especially in poorly controlled environments.

It recalled that there have been numerous incidences of cooking gas explosions in Nigeria, a case in point being the gas cylinder explosion in Anambra State in 2017, that led to the loss of lives and destruction of properties.

of the following facts, which I verily believed to be accurate and correct as follows: That he was kidnapped and/ or abducted by Kenyan security forces on June 19, 2021, specifically at Nairobi Airport.

“That he was detained by the personnel of the Kenyan Police Force for eight days, and was throughout this period of detention subjected to all forms of inhuman treatment, brutal torture, causing grave and severe heart problem that almost took his life. That he was detained in an unconventional facility, not necessarily a police detention center in Kenya.

“That throughout this detention in Kenya, he was never allowed access to his relatives before he was handed over to their Nigerian security counterparts, who smuggled him into Nigeria in clear violation of his rights.

Kano, Kaduna railway will improve standard of living along rail lines, boost trade

By Albert Akota

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he Minister of Transportation, Mr. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has said that the proposed Kano, Kaduna railway project will greatly boost trade and improve standard of living to Nigerians along the rail lines corridors.

The minister while making his remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony of the project at Zawaciki yesterday, Kuboso local government area of Kano state, noted that the project is part of the third and outstanding segment of the Lagos Kano railway modernisations project.

Ameachi hinted that the first segment, Abuja - Kaduna Railway line, was flagged-off for commercial operation in July, 2016 and just recently, the second segment, Lagos Ibadan railway line was commissioned for commercial operation precisely on June 10 2021.

According to him, “Succinctly speaking, having delivered Abuja Kaduna and Lagos - Ibadan Railway Project the remaining stretch of Ibadan - Kano which traverses Oyo,

Osun, Kwara, Niger, Abuja, Kaduna and Kano has been, segmented as follows: Kaduna - Kano segment, Ibadan - Minna Segment Minna Abuja Segment.”

He said that the scope of the railway project involves a 203.8km double track standard gauge railway from Kano to Kaduna.

The railway along this route traverses the major cities of Kaduna, Zaria and Kano with three (3) railway stations both for passenger and freight services at Rigachukun, Zaria and Kano with varying capacities and categories.

“This project will link the Federal Capital, Abuja with the Commercial city of Kano and also link the ongoing Kano Maradi project. The outstanding addendum, Ibadan - Abuja, will link the Sea Ports in Lagos to Maradi, Niger Republic.

“This I believe will greatly boost trade between the two countries and foster economic development.

This railway line, will present an opportunity for Nigerians to traverse between Abuja and Kano via Kaduna

with relative ease.”

Amaechi added that the project will no doubt improve the standard of living of citizens within its corridor, create employment and promote trade. In the long term the railway will help decongest the Lagos Port Complex and increase its efficiency as well as further increase the viability of the Inland Dry Ports located in Ibadan, Kaduna and Kano.

He further stated that The rail line is also provided with accessories and special installations including Power and Water Supply schemes, Signalling System & Communication in GSM-R, Freight yards, Rolling stock depots and maintenance workshops.

“I am pleased to inform you that the Ministry is finalising plans to commence construction of the remaining addendum; Ibadan - Abuja to complete the entire stretch of the Lagos - Kano Railway Modernization project, the first of the modernization project in the 25-Year Strategic Vision plan of the Federal Government to revitalize our hitherto moribund railway transport subsector.

“The Federal Ministry of Transportation will continue to work assiduously in line with Mr. President’s directives, to implement all the corridors within the Nigeria Railway ‘Modernization project and progressively expand the railway network.”

He said, “Mr . President, your administration has exhibited strong will in driving the overhaul of our railway system through your intervention and support.

The Ministry remain committed to your vision for a strong and sustainable railway transportation backbone to engender and facilitate a new path to positive economic transformation of the country.

Amaechi however thank Messrs. China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) Nigeria Limited, the project contractor for their professionalism and astuteness in the construction of the railway infrastructure, Messrs.

TEAM Nigeria Limited for their supervisory role during the course of construction and indeed all the partners this project.

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

PDP e-registration resumes August 1st, reveals Obaseki

By Folorunso Alagbede,Abuja

T

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday disclosed that it’s e-registration exercise will kick off as from the 1st of August.

The party similarly revealed that it will use the exercise as a platform to realize the dreams of its founding fathers by ensuring that it is carried out at the ward level, according to the constitution of the party.

The Chairman of the e-registration committee of the PDP and Governor of Edo Stare, Mr Godwin Obaseki made the disclosure on Wednesday in Abuja when he swore in coordinators of the e-registration committee at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja.

Obaseki, who performed the exercise in the company of his deputy, Gov. Umaru Fintri of Adamawa state and National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus and other NWC members, said that the exercise is one with a different because it will be geared towards repositioning of the party.

He disclosed that the Central committee has been broken down unit five Sub-committees, saying that the exercise will at the ward despite little intervention from local government, state and zones.

According to him, “The national Committee has been working for the last five weeks to make sure that we cover all grounds. We have broken up into six strategic committees which include: the technicals and systems that will be in charge of the technology, publicity, mobilization, training and logistics, finance, strategy and implementation and we have done a lot of work.

“We expect that we shall roll out the e-registration exercise from the 1st of August, 2021. This exercise is going to be different, it is going to follow what our founding fathers wanted this party to be, it is going to follow the constitution of our party.

“Membership of a party is the basis on which the party exists and membership is obtained only or principally at the ward level.

“So, this exercise is going to be conducted at the various ward levels in your state. But clearly, there will be local government involvement to help you coordinate and there will also be the state involvement and also the zonal.

However, the starting point and the end point will be the wards.

“So we shall be obtaining from you information about the ward, the various leadership, the structure, the availability of access so that those agents that will be going round, helping in the registration of members can be able to upload such into the central server in Abuja.

News

COVID -19: NAFDAC approves Moderna, AstraZeneca vaccines

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

N

ational Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has announced the approval of Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines and conditional approval of Sputnik V vaccine.

Speaking yesterday during a press conference in Abuja, NAFDAC boss, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, said its Vaccine Committee has been carefully assessing several vaccines despite the fact the vaccines have been approved by stringent regulatory countries or have

received WHO’s Emergency Use Listing (EUL).

“A COVID-19 vaccine that has gone through the prior approval from either of these two sources had gone through quality, safety and efficacy evaluation which is a prerequisite for acceptance by COVAX Facility.

“Most regulatory agencies across the world use this mechanism to expedite their own regulatory approval to import and administer COVID-19 vaccines.

The Agency spends at least 15 days to thoroughly examine the dossier or submission package of the vaccine to ensure that the benefits

of the vaccine far outweigh the risks and any side effects are well noted for monitoring after vaccination by respective NAFDAC and Primary Health Officers. The EUL will allow Nigeria to receive supplies of the vaccines from the COVAX Facility.

“COVAX, the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Acceleratoris jointly led by The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Its aim is to accelerate the development and manufacture

of COVID-19 vaccines, and to guarantee fair and equitable access to low-middle income countries (LMIC) of which Nigeria is one.”

She added that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration also gives full reviews for vaccines that have not gone through EUL route.

“This mechanism is explained in our guidance developed by the COVID-19 Vaccine Committee.”

She boasted that NAFDAC is the first National Regulatory Agency in Africa to have Guidance on Regulatory Preparedness for EUA, Licensing or Access to COVID-19 Vaccines.

L-R Co-Chairperson. Patriotic Presidential Candidates Forum (PPCF), Hajia Rabia Cengiz and the Chairman PPCF, Dr. Onwubuya John Abraham during the Forum State of the Nation press conference, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

PIB 3% controversy: Reps step down harmonization report

By Christiana Ekpa

T

he House of Representatives on Thursday resolved to step down the Harmonisation report of the joint of the Senate and House on PIB over protest staged by some aggrieved members.

The resolution was announced after the Executive session held by the House, to resolve the grey arrears bothering on the retainership of the 3% Host Community Fund and additional funding mechanism of 30% of profit oil and profit gas from production sharing contracts (PSCs) in addition to the 10% of rent from petroleum prospecting licences and petroleum mining leases to strengthen the country’s financial capacity to explore the frontier basins, in the report scheduled to be passed by both Chambers.

However, when the Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila called on the Chairman of the

Harmonisation Committee, Hon. Mohammed Mongunu to lay the report, the lawmaker sought the permission of the House to step down the laying of the report.

While venting the earlier position of the House, Hon. Francis Agbo (PDP-Benue) disclosed that members of the House of Representatives irrespective of the political affiliation unanimously agreed on the 5 percent for Host Community, in order to ensure peace in the country.

He said: “The 5 percent is acceptable to us because we don’t want to go back to Egypt; we don’t want to go back to when oil pipelines and installations were blown up. The militants, the agitators are threatening to blow up the pipelines.

“We in the House of Reps as parliamentarians, we believe very clearly that what the Host Communities need is the 5%. So we are appealing to our Colleagues in the Senate to agree with us. As

I said, we in the Reps irrespective of political party we all agreed to 5% for the host community and I think that is not too much.

“We are appealing to the Senate, we are appealing to Mr. President that when the PIB finally gets to him, he should do a great service to Nigeria by assenting his signature because this is not an individual matter, it is not a personal matter; it is not a political matter. The people of the Niger Delta, the oil producing States deserve this.

“Of course tomorrow, I’m from Benue, Benue could be an oil producing state, Bauchi could be an oil producing state, Maiduguri could be, all the States in Nigeria could be; once you become oil producing state you tap into the 5%, so we are trying to do what will give us peace in this country.

“We don’t want to go back to those days when oil installations were burned off, so I appeal to Mr. President, I appeal to the Senate,

I appeal to the stakeholders that they should key into what the House of Reps has done.”

While responding to the position of the Special Adhoc Committee on PIB, Hon. Mohammed Monguno that the House does not want to stifle the oil companies, the Benue lawmaker said: “No, no, no, no. It has to be a two-way thing. It takes two to tango. They are talking about the IOCs or whatever, what about the communities where people have died as a result of oil exploration, where people are suffering as a result of deprivation as a result of oil exploration?

“If you go to the Niger Delta today, if you go to Oloibiri for example, it’s just a metaphor of a neglected host community and as I speak to you, if you go to the terminals, it’s an irony; the terminals where monies, billions upon billions, upon trillions are generated from, they are inaccessible.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

PAGE 6

News

Northern governors laud Buhari for railway development

T

he Northern Governors Forum (NGF) has lauded President Muhammadu Buhari, for his commitment on railway development in the country.

The Chairman of the forum and governor of Plateau, Mr Simon Lalong made the commendation at the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the third segment of Lagos-Kano railway modernisation project in Kano.

The Director of Press and Public Affairs of the Forum, Dr Makut Macham, made this known in a statement on Thursday in Jos. Lalong lauded Buhari, who performed the ceremony, for his commitment to transforming Nigeria’s economy, through efforts to revamping rail transportation.

He said that the gesture would facilitate ease of doing business through accessible means of transporting people and goods across the country.

The governor pointed out that the Kaduna-Kano segment of the railway line was crucial to the development of Nigeria, particularly the Northern Region with its large population and a hub of economic activities.

He said the vision of reconnecting all parts of the country by rail was a great legacy for the Buhari administration, which must be supported by all Nigerians.

He assured the president of the support of all northern governors in the process of constructing, managing and safeguarding the rail infrastructure within the region.

(NAN)

By Egena Sunday Ode

M

inister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola has asserted that there is no housing crisis in Nigeria, dismissing claims of 17 million housing deficits.

Fasola made this declaration on Thursday when he appeared on the weekly ministerial briefing organized by Presidential Communication Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He argued that the pressure on housing in the country was a consequence of rural-urban migration, which, accident to him, created a demand and supply problem.

The Minister insisted that that a country with many empty houses cannot be classified as being deficit in housing, warning that those bandying the claimed deficit figure should desist from doing so.

Nigerians are suffering, emir of Kano tells Buhari From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

E

mir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero has said the present economic situation in the country is inflicting untold hardship on Nigerians.

The emir regretted that people are facing untold hardship because of the high cost of commodities.

The emir insisted that the government should do everything possible to control inflation as it

is inflicting hardship to common Nigerians.

Bayero, who raised the concern while receiving president Muhammad Buhari, who was on homage to the palace, said Nigerians need a better life than what they are living in presently.

He therefore called on President Buhari to intensify more efforts in tackling the issues of insecurity and the economy.

The monarch appealed to

Nigerians to support and pray for the success of President Buhari’s administration.

He also expressed delight over the way the Federal Government is executing people-oriented projects, particularly in Kano state.

While assuring Buhari of the emirate’s continued prayers for his administration, the royal father applauded the president for finding Kano worthy of citing Federal government critical infrastructure.

Speaking earlier, President Buhari who spoke in Hausa stated that, “I am delighted over how Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje is developing Kano state. I am also happy about his continuity policy. I have seen a number of projects of previous administrations which he has completed.

“I urge other state Governors to emulate the continuity policy of Governor Ganduje. I am very happy for the warm reception I received in Kano.”

C

oncerned about lack of verifiable data on stolen cars in the country, the President of the Association of Motor Dealers of Nigeria, AMDON, Prince Ajibola Adedoyin has called for the regulation of import of fairly used cars.

Prince Adedoyin pointedly declared that there is the need to have government intervention by regulating the importation of fairly used vehicles only through licensed and registered car dealers in the country.

He argued that by so doing,

Commander hails troops for sustaining peace, checkmating crime

Crime News Vandalism: Troops intercept trailer load of railway clips, tracks in Kaduna

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

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he Nigerian Military said its troops have intercepted a trailer loaded with railway clips and tracks vandalized from Wasa Village in Sanga LGA of Kaduna state.

Speaking yesterday in Abuja while giving update

on the military operations in the country, Brigadier General Benard Onyeuko, Acting Director, Defence Media Operation, said said the operations took place between 2 and 14 July 2021, while troops were on stop and search operation at Barde check point between Jama’a LGA and Wasa

in Sanga LGA of Kaduna State “Troops apprehended Abdullahi Bello, Ibrahim Jafar and Mohammed Yakubu in the process and handed them over to appropriate prosecuting agency for further necessary action.

“In another development, a raid operation was conducted along Jiginda Kyayya – Fanock

Bedde Road in Jama’a LGA of Kaduna State following a distress call on kidnap incident.

Several of the kidnapped victims were rescued. Similarly, troops responded to a distress call and repelled armed bandits’ attack at Kakau in Chikun LGA of Kaduna State and rescued some victims.”

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Members of House of representatives in a rowdy session over electronic transmission of voting result at National Assembly, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Nigeria has no housing crisis - Fashola Insisting that the alleged deficit is not real, Fashola pointed out that it is not tantamount to housing deficit when people leave their houses in the rural areas to squat in the cities.

He said: “It’s illogical to say we have that housing deficit when you have empty houses. No such deficit exist anywhere in the world.”

Fashola said he had consulted with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and some International organizations including the African Development Bank (AfDP) and confirmed that the Nigerian housing deficit reports are not correct.

The Minister, however, stated that actual housing deficit in Nigeria cannot be ascertained until another census is conducted in the country, saying that his ministry had already designed a

questionnaire for the Nigeria Population Commission in that regard to be administered during the next head count exercise.

He said: “We are not in a housing crisis and this is a subject of a full discussion. My take is that the housing shortages, essentially, in all parts of the world, are in the urban centers and not in the rural areas. So, it is a problem that has come as a result of urbanization.

People move from rural to urban centers and create a supply and demand problem.

“You will find that many of the people in urban centers like Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, Abeokuta, etc, seeking to squat with somebody or trying to rent a house, have an empty home in his village.

“In the urban center again, you will see that there are still empty houses.

We have to discuss housing on two paradigms of ownership and rentals, because no nation provides free housing for its citizens.

“One of the things we try to address is to urge states to intervene in the management of rents. So, as long as people still have to pay three years rent from salaries that are earned monthly in arrears, there will still be problems of affordability.

“I have been asking where that data came from, because I like to dimension what I have to manage. The first response I got was from World Bank.

I met with the Country Manager of the World Bank, who said they did not have idea of where the figure came from.

“Somebody said, well, maybe it was Africa Development Bank. I also met the Country Manager who said, No, it wasn’t from them. I also asked the National Bureau of Statistics and they said they don’t have such figures. So, nobody could tell me where the figure came from. Until I find it.”

Fashola hinted on plans to establish a “maintenance economy” for the constant maintenance of public facilities, saying that his ministry may urge President Muhammadu Buhari to issue an executive order for the purpose.

He said the works and housing ministry had already reactivated maintenance units including those for bridges, and they are already making viable impact on infrastructure.

On roads, Fashola said the present administration has so far issued over 800 road contracts to address road infrastructure deficit across the country.

the incidence of car theft or stolen cars will be greatly reduced.

Adedoyin explained that the present situation whereby anybody can import any brand of cars will make tracking of stolen cars difficult.

The AMDON president assured that if the association is empowered by a legislation, the issue of evading borders by unscrupulous members of the society would be checked He therefore urged the government to forward a bill to the National Assembly so as to regulate importation of cars by curtailling rising incidence of

stolen vehicles in the country.

While commending the government for the slash in tariff on imported commercial vehicles; he however, said it would be nice and profitable if the tariff slash is on all vehicles imported into the country.

According to him, “The decision to reduce the duties and tariff on imported vehicles that carry more than 10 persons from 35% to 5% was a welcome development”.

The AMDON president said the outcry and call for ban of ‘tokunboh’ vehicles by the Nigerian Automotive Design and

Development Council (NADDC) and other Nigerian vehicle assemblers did not hold water.

He said as at now they have not been able to come up with a locally designed and produced car that will cost as much as N1.5 million.

Adedoyin said what the Nigerian Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) needs is remove most of the luxury accessories, design a good body, get the right engine and gearbox and other vital components that will make a good car meant for Nigerian type of climate and terrain

He added that the association will never stand against locally produced vehicles but insists that the approach must be transparent, sincere, logical and rational.

His words, “in the first instance, AMDON will never stand against any sincere attempt to make Nigeria a car manufacturing country. No, we will not do that. Rather, we are for it. We want Nigeria to become a vehicle manufacturing nation. It is our dream. It is what we want.

“Go and read the history of India’s auto industry. They started with tricycles and grew gradually.

We can start small too and grow.

Association seeks regulation of importation of fairly used cars in Nigeria

By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja

PAGE 7

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

he Acting Force Commander, Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), Brig.-Gen. Clement Apere, has commended troops for their resilience and doggedness in the fight against crime in their Areas of Responsibility (AOR).

Apere gave the commendation during his maiden operational visit to troops’ locations in Nasarawa and Benue States.

The Deputy Director, Defence Information, Air Commodore Wap Maigida, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

Apere said the troops had checkmated banditry, kidnapping and other criminality posing threats to the peace and stability of communities within Nasarawa, Benue and other adjoining states.

He pledged to prioritise the welfare of troops and enhance their operational efficiency, while urging them to remain patriotic and redouble efforts in the sustenance of peace and security within their AOR. According to him, the Chief of Defence Staff and the service chiefs have promised that welfare of troops fighting insecurity in the country remains one of their topmost priorities.

He said that the government was working towards acquiring more equipment to energise the fighting spirit of troops in the theatres of operation, so as to yield the desired results in quelling insecurity within the nation at large.

The commander said that the visit had provided him the opportunity to have an on-thespot assessment of the challenges that the troops were facing with regards the operations.

He also commended the field commanders and urged them to maintain the tempo in order to guarantee the safety of lives and properties of the civilian populace in the states.

Apere further urged residents to continue to provide credible information that would aid the operations.(NAN)

Controller of the Federal Fire Service (FFS), Dr Liman Ibrahim (R), presenting a souvenir to the Deputy Governor of Yobe State, Alhaji Idi Gubana, during the inauguration and handover of newly acquired firefighting truck by the Controller-General to Yobe to state government in Damaturu on Thursday (15/7/21).

PHOTO: NAN

Army after soldier who allegedly killed lover

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he Nigerian Army says it has launched a manhunt for the soldier who allegedly killed his lover, one Miss Jennifer Ugadu, an undergraduate of Niger Delta University, Ammasoma, Bayelsa.

The Director, Army Public Relation, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, said in a statement, on Thursday, that it was alleged Ugadu was shot in her apartment by the

suspect now at large.

Nwachukwu said there was no place for such barbaric act in the army, adding that the Nigerian army had commiserated with the family of the deceased.

According to him, Nigeria army is an institution that is accountable to the people and will ensure that justice is served. ”The NA has taken the allegation

seriously and joint investigation has commenced, while effort to profile and ascertain the true identity of the suspect is ongoing.

“The NA being a professional and disciplined organisation will continue to uphold and respect the Fundamental Human Rights of citizens as enshrined in the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.

Nwachukwu said members of the public should be rest assured that details of the investigation would be made public.

“The NA also wishes to reaffirm that as a force with zero tolerance for any form of criminality, such allegations will not only be investigated, but the culprit will be made to face the full wrath of the law,” he said. (NAN)

Kebbi state varsity matriculates 1,974 students From: Ahmed Idris, Birnin Kebbi

K

ebbi State University of Science and Technology, Aliero(KSUSTA) yesterday

matriculated 1,974 students for the 2020-2021 academic session.

In a press statement signed by the Director Information of the Institution Hussein Zuru

and made available to newsmen said out of 2,553 candidate that applied for admission only 1,974 were able to secure the admission into the university.

Meanwhile, the Vice

Chancellor of the University Prof Bashar Ladan Aliero congratulated the newly matriculated students for securing admission into the university.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

PAGE 8

News

Electoral Act: Senate bars INEC from electronic transmission of election results

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi and Musa Baba Adamu

A

mid row and stiff disagreements, the Senate yesterday passed the 2010 Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, after it successfully stripped the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of powers to electronically transmit election results.

According to the amendment Bill which was passed by the Senate after a crisis erupted mid into the consideration of the Electoral Act Amendment, INEC cannot transmit election results electronically without clearance from the National Communications Commission (NCC).

This disagreement which recycled the Chambers, forced the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, to call for a closed door session to enable lobby among the lawmakers, but it ended in a stalemate, which made the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators to call for division of the House according to where one wishes to vote.

After a long voting process, the All Progressive Congress (APC) Senators defeated their opposition counterparts, by 56 votes against 28. This was after the Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP, Abia South), rising through Order 73, on page 51 of the Senate standing Order, challenged the Senate President to allow a division of the Senate.

However, the upper chamber, during a clause-by-clause consideration of the bill approved electronic transmission of results during elections, provided that such areas are adjudged by the National Communications Commission to be adequately covered under its national coverage and approved by the National Assembly.

The approval came following an amendment to Clause 52(3) by Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (APC, Niger North) during consideration of a report by the Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The amendment was seconded

by Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South).

The Committee in its recommendation initially prescribed that, “The Commission (INEC) may transmit results of elections by electronic means where and when practicable.”

This, however, was amended by the Deputy Whip, Senator Sabi Abdullahi to read, “The Commission may consider electronic transmission of results, provided the national coverage is adjudged to be adequate and secure by the National Communications Commission (NCC) and approved by the National Assembly.”

Senators Sabi Abdullahi and Ali Ndume argued that the blanket recommendation by the Committee for electronic transmission of results in

all parts of the country would deprive some Nigerians resident in areas with weak or without network coverage from participating in the electoral process.

According to the lawmakers, in order to ensure fairness and inclusiveness for the electorates, particularly in rural areas, an all inclusive provision must be accommodated in the Electoral Act to protect their participation and votes during elections.

Sabi Abdullahi’s amendment received a favorable ruling by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, when subjected to a voice vote.

However, lawmakers such as Enyinnaya Abaribe, Thompson Sekibo and Albert Bassey Akpan, who belong to the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) disagreed with Senators Sabi Abdullahi and Ndume, insisting that the previous recommendation be retained.

Bassey’s counter amendment, which insisted for retention of the Committee’s recommendation as captured in clause 52 sub-clause 3, nevertheless suffered rejection when put to a voice vote by the Senate President.

Apparently determined to have their way, the Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, while citing order 73 of the Senate Rule, called for a division.

In a bid to avert going down the path of a division, the Senate Leader,

Yahaya Abdullahi (APC, Kebbi North) prevailed on his colleagues in the PDP rescind of their earlier call.

A defiant Abaribe refused all entreaties for him to withdraw the point of order, despite attempts by his colleagues to sway members of the minority party during a closed session that followed and lasted almost 20 minutes.

Rising from the closed session, Abaribe demanded that the contentious clause be revisited despite a couple of further appeal by the Senate President for the upper chamber to continue with the consideration of the report.

Sensing the Minority Leader’s refusal to shift grounds, the Senate President in an unexpected move took Abaribe by surprise and approved the request for division amidst calls for voting on the amendment put forward

by Senator Bassey.

Out of a total of 80 Senators present, 52 voted for the retention of the ‘Sabi Abdullahi Amendment’, while 28 who belonged to the opposition PDP voted for the ‘Bassey Amendment’.

The other 28 Senators that make up the 108 in the upper chamber, excluding the Senate President, were absent during plenary.

After the passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, the Senate President, in his remarks said, “We have achieved what we have set for ourselves because of our commitment.

Court nullifies Benue NUJ election, orders arrest of President, others From: Uche Makurdi

Nnorom,

T

he National Industrial Court sitting in Makurdi, Benue state capital has ordered the Commissioner of Police to effect the arrest of the National president of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Chris Isiguzo, national secretary, Leman Shuaib and the Vice president Zone D, Mr. Wilson Bako over contempt of court.

At the Court, Bemdoo Ubger who purportedly won the said election through his lawyer had sought to be joined as a defendant in the suit, a request which angered the presiding judge, Justice I.J. Essien who described him as ‘illegal’ chairman.

Others to be arrested are all those that emerged as winners as well as the chairman of credentials committee, Chris Apuu, Secretary, James Shim while the immediate past acting chairman of the council, Comrade Kajo Martins was however, let off the hook for complying with the order of the court by staying away from the said election.

“You this illegal chairman, after flouting my order you have the gust to appear before this court seeking to be joined as a defendant. You are not leaving this court to your house but to the prison”.

Ghost Workers: Bauchi saves N500m from ongoing verification From left: Commissioner for Agriculture, Yobe State, Hajiya Mairo Amshi; Deputy Governor of Yobe State, Alhaji Idi Gubana; Controller of the Federal Fire Service (FFS), Dr Liman Ibrahim and Yobe Commissioner for Transport, Mr Abdullahi Kukuwa, during the inauguration and handover of newly acquired firefighting truck by the Controller-General to Yobe to state government in Damaturu on Thursday (15/7/21).

Medical directors seek reduction of import taxes on health equipment

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uild of Medical Directors, FCT chapter, on Wednesday, called on the Federal Government to support local healthcare services and hospitals through reduction of import taxes on health equipment.

The guild made the call in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Dr Biodun Ogungbo, in preparation for an upcoming education and advocacy programme titled: “What’s New in Abuja?.”

The programme is to inform

and educate members of the guild and the public about new businesses and services in the health space in Abuja.

Ogungbo stated that “Abuja was fast becoming the medical tourism centre for Nigeria and very important to further strengthen this position to provide quality care for all.

“There is need to support government to eliminate multiple taxation from local governments all over the country.

“If government stops multiple taxation and reduces the cost of

importation, the cost of care will come down and hospitals will be better able to deliver quality care to more Nigerians.

“At the moment, many Nigerians cannot afford the cost of care and are trooping to charlatans and unskilled practitioners.

“If government supports local hospitals by patronising them and shunning medical tourism, healthcare landscape will improve with more confidence in the system.”

The public relations officer

stressed urgent need to educate the public about advances in healthcare and new services available, especially during the global pandemic era, adding that it could be difficult for patients and relatives to travel abroad for healthcare.

The programme is scheduled for July 17, 2021 and will be streamed live for everyone to participate in.

The event is a hybrid, with physical and online presentations.

(NAN)(www. nannews.ng)

From Ahmad Mohammed, Bauchi

B

auchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed said his administration has saved the sum of N500 million from the ongoing staff verification in the state as part of his renewed efforts to address the problem of ghost workers in the state.

Governor Mohammed stated this on Tuesday while flagging off the distribution of empowerment items at Ganjuwa local government area of Bauchi State.

He said the ghost workers’ syndrome has affected the state negatively as it has crippled government programmes in the state and the money going to individual pockets.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

Page 9

News

Bill on climate Reps to investigate abandonment change of Imo Waste Recycling Centre awaiting senate concurrence T - Lawmaker

By Christiana Ekpa

R

ep. Samuel Onuigbo (APCAbia) has said that a bill for an act for the mainstreaming of climate change action that would give it a legal framework is awaiting concurrence at the Senate.

Onuigbo, who sponsored the bill, said this while briefing newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja, He said that the bill would get President Muhammadu Buhari’s assent this time around having sorted out the grey areas that led to its rejection by the during the 8th senate.

Onuigbo said that the objective of the bill was to ensure that Nigeria had a legal framework that would help coordinate her efforts at Climate Change mitigation and adaptation.

“I am happy that on July 6, during the Committee of the Whole at the House of Representatives, our report was considered and adopted.”

He said that the bill was passed by the House and would now be transmitted to the Senate for concurrence.

Onuigbo said that the lawmakers were aware of the danger of climate change, adding that this motivated him to sponsor the bill in the 8th Assembly.

He said that as an important arm of Government, it was the duty of the Legislators to make laws that would help the executive realise its goals and promises to the people.

he House of Representatives on Wednesday mandated its Committee on Environment to investigate the abandonment of the Ilile/Ohaji Community Waste Recycling Centre in Imo State.

The House committee is expected to ensure the completion of the centre and report within eight weeks for further legislative action.

The House decision followed a motion on the Need to Revive the Multi-Million Naira Waste Recycling Center Abandoned by the Federal Ministry of Environment in Ilile Ohaji Community in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State by Hon. Kingsley Chima Uju.

Moving the motion, the Lawmaker noted that the Federal Government in its efforts to help manage domestic and industrial wastes in the country by modernday waste recycling technology, spent millions of naira to build and equip two industrial standard waste recycling centres in Imo State and Katsina State respectively.

“Worried that after spending millions of naira to build and install equipment, the recycling centres are being abandoned, hence defeating the good initiative of the Federal Government and leaving the environment to be ravaged by unmanaged wastes.

It also worried that the security of the recycling center has been abandoned to the mercy and personal efforts of Ilile Ohaji Community

leadership, with the cooperation of the contractor who built the facility, hence the need to commission the project to serve its purposes.

The House was convinced that the recycling centres can also be very lucrative sources of revenue to the Federal Government if properly managed and made accessible to companies and businessmen who earn livings from metal and plastic recycling businesses.

It also noted that the choice to build one in Ilile Ohaji Community in Imo State cannot be unconnected with the geographical position of the community which is equidistant to the South-East and South South States, where lots of industrial wastes are generated.

The House said it was aware that both domestic

and manufacturing activities, especially from oil exploratory activities generate lots of wastes including toxic wastes which can drastically affect human and aquatic lives in the oil regions, hence the exigency of the recycling centre.

It was also aware that inability of the oil companies to properly manage their wastes have led to the destructions of lives and properties and consequently led to several lawsuits against the oil companies.

The House said the gesture by the Federal Government to build such recycling centres was a step in the right direction and meant to ensure that waste are considerably managed to save lives and protect the environment for the healthy living of the citizens.

Niger Govt embarks on 299 infrastructure projects From Yakubu Minna

N

Mustapha,

iger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello has disclosed that his administration has so far completed the execution of no fewer than 299 infrastructural development projects in the state.

He stated this yesterday when he commissioned the Broadcasting road constructed at the contract sum of N1.392 billion.

Bello added that “We have kept our commitment on this, despite the daunting challenges from paucity of funds to heightened insecurity.

According to him, “ Government has also completed over 80 of Mechanical/Electrical projects such as Electrification and installation of transformers in the rural areas”.

Members of House of representatives in a rowdy session over electronic transmission of voting result at National Assembly, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Kaduna Electric condoles with KDSG over demise of Bantex T he Managing Director of Kaduna Electric, Engr. Garba Haruna has condoled with the Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir Ahmed Elrufai over the death of the state’s former Deputy Governor, Arc. Barnabas Yusuf Bala Bantex.

In a condolence letter to the Governor, Engr. Garba

described the late deputy governor as a quintessential gentleman who will be sorely missed.

The letter reads: “On behalf of the Board, Management and staff of Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, I wish to send our heartfelt condolences to you, the Government and entire people of Kaduna State

over the passing of your former Deputy, Arc. Barnabas Bala Yusuf Bantex.

“The late Arc. Barnabas was a quintessential gentleman and a man who strove to promote peaceful coexistence among the diverse people of Kaduna State during his lifetime.

“His enormous contributions to the socio-economic

development of Kaduna State – as an administrator, a politician and a private citizen - for which he will be fondly remembered stands him out among the great people of the state.

“I pray God Almighty grants him eternal rest and gives his family and the people of Kaduna State the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss”.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

PAGE 10

News Electoral Bill: Reps in rowdy session over e-voting, transmission of results NEMA donates 5 T trucks of food to fire victims

By Christiana Ekpa

From: Katsina

Lawal

Sa’idu,

he House of Representatives yesterday had a rowdy session which almost degenerated into fisticuffs as lawmakers engaged in a deafening shouting match.

The bone of contention was the disagreement over clause 52 of the Electoral Amendment Bill which states that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) can consider the use of electronic voting and transmission of election results.

Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase, who presided of the Committee of the Whole was accused by some lawmakers of deliberate attempt to forestall the

electronic transmission of results as contained in the clause by ruling in favour of the nays when the ayes glaringly were in the majority.

As the situation was getting out of control, Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, had no choice but to take over the conduct of proceedings and abruptly adjourned plenary to Friday 10am.

He also announced that the INEC Chairman, Prof Yakubu Mamudu and the Nigerian Communication Commission should come and brief the House on the issue at stake..

The clause-by-clause consideration of the Electoral Bill report was smoothly progressing until clause 52 on the report

was mentioned, when Deputy Minority Leader, Toby Okechukwu proposed an amendment to the effect that the “conduct of election and transmission of results shall be done electronically”.

The amendment was seconded by Deputy Whip, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, after which Deputy Speaker Wase who chaired the committee of the whole put the question for voice votes with majority members shouting thunderous ayes but the deputy gave the nod to the nays .

Wase had made moves after the session had reverted to plenary from the Committee of the Whole, to report what transpired but stirred the ire of members when he added the controversial clause

as what had been adopted. The shouting bouts between opposing members almost degenerated into physical attacks.

His ruling that the “nays have it” against the thunderous ayes instantly threw the House into uproar.

At this point, the Speaker was forced to take over the session and adjourned the sitting in the middle of confusion as members were shouting “Wase come down” which prompted lawmakers to fight across party lines.

A copy of the draft bill sighted by Peoples Daily reporter did not make the electronic voting and transfer of election results compulsory but gives discretion to the INEC, in section 52(2) on the matter.

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he National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has presented five trucks of food items to victims of the recent market fire disaster in Katsina State.

The North West Zonal Coordinator of the agency, Mr Abbani Imam, shortly before handing over the food items to the victims, said that the gesture was to cushion the hardship being experienced by the victims.

Imam however called on the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the items given them to improve their lot, urging them to take necessary measures towards preventing future reoccurrence of the incident.

In his remarks, the Katsina State Commissioner for Sports and Social Development, Alhaji Sani Danlami, commended the Federal Government for the gesture, as it would go a long in reducing the sufferings of the victims.

Danlami, who is also the State Committee Chairman for Internally Displaced persons (IDPs), said that Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina was appreciative of the assistance.

Responding, the Chairman of the Katsina Central Market, Abbas Labaran assured of even distribution of the items to affected victims of the incident.

Labaran however reminded the state government not to renege on its earlier pledge to assist the affected traders with 40 percent of their loss, as over N1 billion was lost in the fire inferno.

Items donated by NEMA include, 4,000 bags of rice, beans and maize respectively, 25 litres of ground nut oil, 400 bags of sugar, milk and tin tomatoes amongst other.

T

he National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has said it will not relent in complying with the provisions of the freedom of Information Act. NYSC Director-General,

PAGE 11

Letter to the Editor

EDITORIAL

Jega’s somber advice

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rofessor Attahiru Jega, a former chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has faulted the exclusion of electronic transfer of election results in the ongoing review of the Electoral Amendment Act (2010) by the National Assembly. He spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, sayimg the decision of the ninth National Assembly to allow INEC to use electronic voting without electronic transmission of results is counterproductive.

For example, it will require stability of electricity, extensive network coverage and robust internet facilities.”

Jega is right. As a former electoral umpire who conducted 5 national elections between 1999 and 2015, some very successfully and others not quite so, he must know the onion very well. In the first place, it contradictory to accept one face of coin and reject the other. As Jega said, electronic voting and electronic transmission of election results must “come as a package” or nothing at all.

“You can’t permit INEC on one What more, Jega made the hand to use electronic voting and not use electronic transmission of lawmakers’ job easier by pointing results on the other because usually out the “many challenges” that they go as a package,” he said. will make electronic voting and result transmission “Once there is a robust nearly impossible software and hardware for now. According for doing so, it now brings to him, these efficiency, transparency obstacles include and real time ability to poor power supply see the results as they are transmitted from the When asked if and distribution as limited Internet polling unit to a national politicians feel well reach. Until they collation centre.” uncomfortable are sorted out, we be talking When asked with electronic shouldn’t about electronic if politicians feel transmission of voting even. uncomfortable with electronic transmission results, Jega If the lawmakers of results, Jega replied in replied in the knew that, why did the affirmative. However, they recommend it he explained that “Not all affirmative. not electronic politicians are fraudulent However, he but transmission of and want to win by hook explained that election results? Jega or by crook.” Jega asked the National Assembly “Not all politicians provided an answer: politicians are simply to “diligently work” to ensure that the Electoral are fraudulent and afraid of losing an Act Amendment Bill want to win by election. Electronic result transmission (2021) is “appropriately result amended” before hook or by crook.” eliminates tampering by passage. politicians who want to win, in On whether Nigeria is ready for Jega’s words, “by hook or by crook”. a fully digitised electoral system, This said, the nation cannot wait Jega said, “I will urge that we make haste slowly. There is no doubt interminably for the right time to that if electronic voting is done adopt electronic voting and result appropriately, it will go a long transmission. There is nothing that way in improving the integrity of says INEC must apply it nationwide our elections. “There are so many at the same time. Let it start on a challenges in our country. For one pilot basis, using governorship to be able to do effective, thorough elections that are coming up before electronic voting, you need the the national poll of 2023. The gains infrastructure, software and and lessons of those elections will associated support infrastructure. point the way to go in 2023.

“

Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige (middle) with the Board Chairman ans Members of the Boards during the inauguration of the Covering councils of Federal Universities, yesterday in Abuja. Photo. Justin Imo-owo

2023: ADC will soon retire APC, PDP from politics, National Secretary boasts From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

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he National Secretary of the Advanced Democratic Congress (ADC), Alhaji Sa’id Baba Abdullahi, has boasted that the party will retire the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from politics come 2023.

Speaking while while opening the new ADC State Secretariat, located

along Zaria road in Kano yesterday, Abdullahi said the party is ready to dislodge APC because people are tired of it in the country.

The National Secretary, who blamed the ruling party of making life unbearable for Nigerians, appealed to the citizens to embrace the ADC “as the credible alternative that will bail them out of insecurity, hunger, economic hardship and all forms of deprivation the ruling APC have subjected Nigerians

with.”

He declared that the ADC has every chances of winning election in the 2023 general elections as it is in existence for 16 years, with several Senators and Members of the House of Representatives.

He alleged that “this party is in existence for 16 years. We have senators and members of house of representative but they were rigged out because of the political rascality of the ruling party.

“they were systematically rigged out and their respective elections manipulated in favour of APC members,” he alleged.

Abdullahi then appealed to ADC members in Kano to rise up and promote the good ideas and manifesto of the party to the public due to the significance nature of the state, which according to him, is the nucleus of political activities of the country.

Kebbi approve payment of July salary From Ahmed Idris, Birnin Kebbi he Kebbi State Governor, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu has approved the payment of July salary to the entire civil servants of the state.

This was disclosed by the Hon Commissioner of Finance, Ibrahim Muhammed Augie in Birnin Kebbi.

Augie said the invaluable gesture of the governor was to allow civil servants celebrate the Eid- El- Kabir with ease and joy with their family members.

Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim disclosed this yesterday during the opening ceremony of NYSC Freedom of Information Act Desk Officers’ Workshop in Abuja.

The workshop with the theme; “Boosting Government’s

Fight against Corruption through the Freedom of Information Act”, was organised for NYSC FOIA Desk Officers from all the NYSC State Secretariats and NYSC National Directorate Headquarters, Abuja.

The NYSC boss commended

T

He said “ His excellency the Governor has graciously approved the payment of salaries for state and Local Govt Councils today 15th July, 2021.

“Already, the Ministry of Finance has concluded arrangements to henceforth pay all salaries through the

Nigeria Inter Bank Settlement System window to avoid d elays experienced in using commercial banks. “ Every worker shall be credited his emoluments immediately it is released. His Excellency wishes all workers happy Ed celebrations”.

NYSC promises continuous compliance of freedom of information Act

By Albert Akota

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

the commitment and resourcefulness of the Desk Officers, as well as the entire workforce of the Scheme, which has contributed immensely to the modest heights attained so far.

Ibrahim said NYSC has

remained commited to the successful implementation of the FOI Act since it came into effect in 2011, in compliance with the Federal Government’s directive on the domestication of the Act by all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

OUR MISSION

OUR PEOPLE

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

OUR VISION

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

The Kano-Kaduna modern railway and its social, economic importance

By Garba Shehu,

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari will on Thursday lay the foundation stone of the Kano-Abuja sector of the Lagos-Kano railway modernization project.

The Lagos-Kano rail project is part of the 25-year vision approved by the Federal Government for the rail transportation in 2002.

The contract for it was signed on 30th October, 2002 and assigned to a Chinese Company, China Civil Engineering Construction Company, CCECC. On October 22,2009 CCECC and the Federal Ministry of Transportation signed a supplementary agreement for the implementation of the Abuja-Kaduna segment, which was completed, commissioned and put to use by the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

On 28th August 2012, the government signed another supplementary agreement for Lagos-Ibadan, the second segment of the corridor for the construction of double track railway of 156.8 kilometers.

In addition to this, the CCECC and the government of Nigeria agreed on December 26, 2016 for the extension of this rail line to Apapa port, adding a distance of 8.57 kilometers.

Given the seriousness attached to the provision of super critical infrastructure projects the Buhari administration dusted off these agreements and commended actual execution.

In June this year, the President was in Lagos to commission this project and officially place it at the service of Nigerians.

In the same vein, the proposed KanoIbadan was signed in April 2019, and the segment traverses Oyo, Osun, Kwara , Niger, Abuja, Kaduna and Kano states. This segment, it was agreed, will be implemented in three addendums: Ibadan-Minna, 460 kilometers, Minna-Abuja, 127 kilometers and the now to be commenced, Kano-Kaduna segment covering a distance of 203 kilometers.

This is an important passenger transportation corridor to connect the northern and the southern parts of Nigeria.

The kano-Kaduna segment of this project passes through important cities and towns in the north like Kaduna, Jaji, Zaria and Kano, and there is a dense population along the line.

This line will undertake passenger exchange in various cities and towns between the capital of Nigeria and the largest city in the North, Kano. Therefore, this project is an important passenger transportation corridor to connect the main cities in the northern Nigeria, and in due course, the major towns down south.

This project is going to form an important part of the West African railway network.

The 15 ECOWAS states are committed to a subregional railway network. It is hoped that it will connect to the Niger Republic railway through the Kano-Maradi rail standard gauge rail line which construction the President kick-started a few months ago. This project will be a trunk railway line in Nigeria and also an important part of the West African railway network. Upon completion, this project will promote development in the north and rest of the country, and will create a condition for economic cooperation, material and personnel exchange with the surrounding countries. The completion of this line is therefore significant to Nigeria and the Western African subregion.

As stated above, this project is a trunk line of the national railway of Nigeria, an important part of regional network backbone system, a convenient channel and important passenger transportation corridor for passenger and freight exchange between cities in the country and an important part of the West African railway network.

When completed, this line is expected to meet the demands for the development of

national economy, and it will open an efficient and convenient railway channel for import and export of goods in Nigeria and passenger exchange along the line. It will provide an efficient and high-quality traffic means for the sustainable and rapid development of regional and the national economy, strengthen the cooperation and exchange between regions and further drive the development of traditional industry and domestic industrialization process, so as to promote the sustainable development of economy along the whole line and even in the whole nation.

This line connects Kano, the important industrial city in the north of Nigeria and passes through Zaria and connects to the capital Abuja and the coastal city Lagos via the modern railway. At present, there is an existing narrow gauge railway in the channel of Lagos-Kano, but it has a poor line condition and limited transportation capacity. The passenger and freight transportations between the South and the North are mainly undertaken by highway. The economic contact between cities in the North and all other parts of the country is restricted by unwanted conditions, forming a situation of limiting transportation.

The south of Nigeria has relatively developed economy and high urbanization rate, while the north is dominated by agriculture and animal husbandry, with a weak economic foundation. This line will strengthen the contact and exchange between the areas with backward economy and the external economic environment, drive the economic development in the backward area and play an extremely important role to make up for the unevenness of economic and social development between regions. Therefore, the construction of this line should hopefully strengthen the economic contact between the north and south of Nigeria and realize the exchange of materials and personnel, and strengthen the coordinative development of regional economy in the north.

Another important aspect of the new railway which the construction starts today is that it meets the demand for the formation of a green transportation channel in Nigeria.

There is a relatively fragile ecological environment along the line in this project, and highway transportation does not only have low transportation capacity and high transportation cost, but also high energy consumption and emission of environmentpolluting waste gases.

The existing narrow gauge railway has low traveling speed of trains and low transportation capacity, which mars the railway transportation efficiency. With this project, it is expected that the standard gauge railway technology, in comparison with the expressway, will offer with a large-capacity, convenient, land saving, energy saving, environment-friendly, safe and green way of transportation. This should improve the atmospheric quality substantially, improve water quality and reduce pollution greatly along the line.

Lastly, it is to be noted that completed Abuja-Kaduna Railway is only 186km long, which seriously restricts the transportation capacity. The Kaduna-Kano Railway will provide the northward extension of AbujaKaduna Railway, and after completion, the length of Abuja-Kano will be 390km, which will greatly improve the transportation efficiency of Abuja-Kano Railway, and meet the demand for medium to long-distance and large-density transportation service.

The Kano-Kaduna Standard Gauge railway will improve mobility in the country as well as ensure seamless movement of passenger and freight trains on the Lagos-Kano rail link.

By Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media and Publicity.

Abuja.

PAGE 12

Opinion

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

Twice bitten, thrice shy: Expediency of warding off COVID-19 for the third time

By Isaac Asabor

W

ithout over flogging the issue on how the government can preempt the third wave of the pandemic, permit me to express my view from the perspective of an article written by Dr. Ihekweazu.

The article, with the “Six months in the eye of the Covid-19 storm: A Reflection”, was posted on August 16, 2020 on the official website of NCDC. There is no denying the fact that Nigeria has battled twice with the COVID-19 pandemic in the past one year and few months.

It would be recalled that the first case of the pandemic in Nigeria was confirmed in Lagos State when an Italian citizen who works in the country returned on February 25, 2021 from Milan, Italy through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, whereupon he fell ill on February 26, and was transferred to Lagos State biosecurity facilities for isolation and testing.

Against the foregoing backdrop, it is not an exaggeration to say that the pandemic left Nigeria, which is unarguably a home to Africa’s largest economy, devastated as it was at the time facing consequences of the recession that started in 2014.

The pandemic, no doubt, came at the time the country was seeing progress in its oil exports.

Since then, Nigeria has been struggling to reignite its economy as the damages of the then novel coronavirus persisted. Thus, it is not an exaggeration to say that the country’s dependency on oil

exports, along with the inevitable effects of a country-wide lockdown for the most part of 2020, are twin reason for Nigeria’s economic downturn.

But alas! As Nigerians were basking in the euphoria of the pandemic that was easing off, it was officially announced in December 2020 by Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 that Nigeria has entered a second wave of coronavirus infections. He explained that the number of COVID-19 cases detected in the country in the spate of two weeks as at the time of the announcement indicated that a second wave of the outbreak has begun. Mustapha stressed that the country was at risk of losing not only the gains from the hard work of the last nine months (as at the time of the announcement) but also the lives of citizens.

Ostensibly accentuating the implications of the second wave of the pandemic at the time, he said, “We are in a potentially difficult phase of the COVID-19 resurgence.

Accessing the hope offered by the arrival of the vaccine is still some time ahead.”

However, taking a cue from the famous English saying “Once bitten twice shy”, Nigeria, no doubt may be beaten thrice if the equally admonitory aphorism that says “Twice bitten thrice shy, is not heeded to.

The reason for the foreboding fear over a third wave of covid-19 cannot be farfetched as there are indications that it has started or about to start. For instance, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu

Nowhere is safe

By Mary Bawa

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overnment needs to put more effort by deploying more gallant and well armed security personnels to secure our roads in order for travellers and other road users to move with free mind.

Recently, more often than before, Nigeria has been trending on both local and international media over ceaseless kidnappings, banditry, robbery and other criminalities threatening the fabric of our social existence in the country.

It is no a longer news that terrible and horrific things are happening day in day out in almost every part of the Country. While it is horribly compounded, it is aching that such a mess is happening in a country that has government on which security of lives and property is shouldered.

In Nigeria today, people no longer travel in peace.

Travelling by road, being the means of transportion by which the poor and the average man affords, is now becoming a safe heaven for criminals.

What knocks your mind first is not even ‘Accident’ but rather the fear of being robbed or kidnapped. If you take the Abuja-Kaduna road, you get kidnapped. Travel from Borno to Yobe, you get kidnapped!

Too numerous to mention. This clearly symbolises that the slide to anarchy is inevitable, unless drastic measures are taken.

The question to ask is who are these kidnappers, bandits and killer herdsmen?They are the ever avenging and unforgiving cows in human clothing, they do not have human feelings at all, people are suffering in the hands of bandits who ravage our local communities, kill and destroy property.

These kidnappers demand for ransom after abduction. In

of Lagos State has warned of a possible third wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the state, and Nigeria by extension.

In a statement issued on Sunday evening, precisely July 11, 2021, and personally signed by him, Mr Sanwo-Olu reeled out statistics of the increasing number of cases in the state and the need to buckle up, especially as the Islamic religious festival of Eid-l-Adha beckons.

The governor said the number of confirmed cases, which had earlier reduced to one per cent average as at the end of June, has suddenly increased to 6.6 per cent rate as of Thursday, July 8.

In the same vein, and ostensibly expressing his fear, the DirectorGeneral of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chike Ihekweazu on Wednesday, July 14, 2021 warned that Nigeria was at high risk of a surge in COVID cases.

He emphasized at a media parley that the risk was even higher with the emergence of the Delta variant of the virus.

To reinforce the view that the fear is not in any way unfounded, the management of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has ordered students to vacate hostels on campus over fears of COVID-19.

The action was taken on Tuesday after a number of students were reported to have contracted the disease. The development led the school management to convey an emergency Senate meeting on Wednesday, July 14, 2021.

In a statement issued after the meeting, the Senate said the students who tested positive for the disease, are being treated, and contact tracing already in place.

“The situation is, indeed, worrisome especially noting

the reluctance of the majority of students to comply with the COV1D-19 prevention protocols,” the statement read.

“To avoid the escalation of cases on campus, the University Senate at an emergency meeting held on Wednesday, 14th of July 2021 approved that all students vacate the halls of residence by 12.00 pm on Thursday indefinitely.

Lectures for the rest of the semester will continue to be delivered virtually with effect from 26th July 2021.”

Sources within the school equally confirmed receiving a Whatsapp broadcast message from the Dean of Students Affairs (DSA) informing them to leave the school’s hostels.

“Lectures for the rest of the semester will be delivered virtually with effect from 26th July 2021,” the message added.

Before now, UNILAG’s management had raised the alarm over “flu-like symptoms which are similar to COVID-19.

“The Medical Centre hereby assures all members of the university community, ,that all necessary actions in line with the federal and Lagos State Government guidelines have been taken regarding this potential threat in our community.”

Without over flogging the issue on how the government can preempt the third wave of the pandemic, permit me to express my view from the perspective of an article written by Dr. Ihekweazu.

The article, with the “Six months in the eye of the Covid-19 storm: A Reflection”, was posted on August 16, 2020 on the official website of NCDC. In the piece which was undoubtedly revealing, Ihekweazu

said, “While it is often said that Nigerians are more reactive than proactive, yet, Nigeria was one of the first countries to recognize the risk posed by COVID-19. We started planning the response for COVID-19, very early, albeit with limited resources. A multisectoral National Coronavirus Preparedness Group was established by NCDC on the 7th of January 2020. This group included representatives from the Port Health Services of the Federal Ministry of Health, Office of the National Security Adviser, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and partners including World Health Organization (WHO), US Centers for Disease Control and Public Health England.

In addition, the Honourable Minister of Health convened inter-Ministerial meetings with the Ministry of Information as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure collaboration across government. By the time the first case was confirmed, our preparedness group transitioned to an Emergency Operations Centre, while Mr. President instituted a Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 (PTF), for which the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha has provided extraordinary leadership”.

Against the foregoing it is expedient to give him a thumb up, and in the same vein encourage him not to rest on his oars as Nigerians are unarguably not disposed to be shy for the third time having being beaten by the bug of COVID-19 for the second time.

the process, thousands of lives are being lost simply because their abductees or kidnapped families can not afford to pay ransom.

It is shocking how these bandits invade schools and kidnap students. It is even more shocking and terrible how they now break walls into peoples’ and kidnap them while in their sleep. Recently, we experienced schools abductions in Kagara, Niger State, Kankara in Katsina State, Jangebe in Zamfara, where over 300 female students were abducted though, later released! As if that’s not enough! Boom! The abduction of over 100 students of the Bethel Baptist School in Kaduna, with the bandits now asking for millions of money and other food items so they can feed the students, according to them (bandits). It is only in Nigeria!

The rate of insecurity in Nigeria is really alarming. It is sad and unfortunate to the

extent that a Second Class Emir in kaduna State was kidnapped along side 12 other family members including women and children from his home in Kajuru Local Government Area of the State, in the early hours of Sunday, 11th July, 2021.

This kept me asking myself; if an Emir can be kidnapped amidst security, who else is safe?

Shehu Sani said and i quote “The kidnapping of the Emir of Kajuru and his family members is tragic and unfortunate. If an Emir is not safe no one else is safe.

I call on Government and all security agencies to rise up to its responsibility of protecting lives and property of its citizens as enthroned. Though, President, Muhammadu Buhari on his part, has given series of orders to our troops to crush all bandits, looking at the recent killings and attacks by these bandits and other criminals

in Kaduna State, Zamfara State and other regions in the Northern part of Nigeria.

Our Security Forces on their part are doing well, and can do even better! Government should provide them with the necessary ammunition more suphisticated than these bandits have, so that they can confidently and gallantly go into the forests, and ‘crush them’. The Country is sinking! but hope is not lost! Nigeria will be great again!

Government needs to put more effort by deploying more gallant and well armed security personnels to secure our roads in order for travellers and other road users to move with free mind.

Isaac Asabor is a Public Policy Analyst.

Mary Bawa, writes from Kubwa Abuja, Nigeria. And can be reached via;08148861264 ornmabawamary@gmail. com.

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

Comment

Democracy, federalism and leadership debate

By Jerome-Mario Utomi

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s argued by Hernando De Soto, author of the book, entitled; The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else, capitalism is in crisis outside the West not because international globalization is failing but because developing and former communist nations have been unable to ‘globalize’ capital within their own countries-as most people in those nations view capitalism as a private club, a discriminatory system that benefits only the West and the elites who live inside the bell jars of poor countries.

Similarly in my views, Nigeria today experiences crisis of leadership not because democratic government/ Federal system we practice are on their own bad systems or cannot provide the needed solution to the nation’s array of political and economic needs, but because too many politicians and public officials have exercised power and responsibility not as a trust for public good, but as an opportunity for private gain.

Making the problem worse is their endless quest to get hold of more at all cost without consideration to the general well being of the entire Nigerians.

Admittedly, it is a very natural and common thing to acquire more and when men succeed in this, they are always praised rather than condemned.

But it becomes a challenge and a reality to worry about w he n p u b l i c of f i ce hol de rs, instead of taking steps that will better the life chances of the people, get preoccupied with personal aggrandizements in forms that diminishes the masses

socially and economically while the privileged political class continues to flourish in obscene splendor as they pillage and ravage the resources of the nation.

Aside from being striking human tragedy deepened by the awareness that it was avoidable, this, of course, is a kind of leadership crisis that is bound to happen when ‘lust for power prevails over granting people the love and care they deserve, and when the interest and destiny of one individual becomes more important than those of the whole nation. This is also what happens when the interests of some groups and cliques are served instead of those of all the people. In order words, this state of affairs happens when you put the people at the service of the government, in sharp contrast with the norm.

Without losing sight of the present myriads of sociopolitical contradictions that have conspired directly and indirectly to give Nigeria and Nigerians the unenviable tag of a country in constant search of social harmony, justice, equity and equality, this malfeasance at all levels of governance has not only led to the destruction of social infrastructures relevant for a meaningful and acceptable level of social existence for our people.

Rather, it visits the nation with a broad range of socioeconomic issues which covers -poverty, health, sanitation, education, climate change, water, energy, environment and other challenges. Life in Nigeria quoting Thomas Hobbs has become nasty, brutish and short as the country turns a hotbed for all manners of violence.

As to factors fueling the development, various commentators have attributed the type of leaders we have

to the people’s decision given the fact that democracy makes everyone equal on Election Day. The significance of election, they argued, is that it serves as a means of implementing the principle of popular sovereignty.

And popular sovereignty means that the people have the final say.

Definitely, an effective argument that makes political sense, but, cannot hold water as it faces some embarrassing facts.

Fundamentally, even if every vote carries exactly equal weight, considerable room for inequality remains in the electoral system.

To a large extent, political parties in Nigeria, for example, are being privately financed. And it may well be that those who contributed money to a party or candidate expect to get something in return. Thus, those who have the resources to help finance elections are likely to have more influence than those who merely vote. Beyond Election Day itself, tremendous inequalities, political influence begins to emerge, such as advocacy groups and lobby activities. Such disparities may lie outside the scope of political equalities as bare ingredients of the definition of democracy, but they should be of concern to observers.

The truth is that majorly, the root of our national malady goes beyond the incompetence of successive administrations to include rejection of notions/ proven theories supplied by well-meaning Nigerians that can improve both the economy and society, as well as put the economy and unemployment in check. Non adherence to the public opinion has no doubt thrown the economy into reserve and passed the burden on to the backs of Nigerians.

For example, the government’s

shift of attention from job creation has undermined the feelings of Nigerians and shifted the distribution of income strongly in favour of those in government.

The average Nigerian is worse off now, economically and materially, than he/she was in 2015-or even 1999. We are presently living through the worst social and economic crisis since independence; poor leadership; poor strategy for development; lack of capable and effective state and bureaucracy; lack of focus on sectors that will improve the condition of living of citizens such as education, health, agriculture and the building of infrastructure; corruption; undeveloped, irresponsible and parasitic private sector; weak civil society; emasculated labour and student movement and poor execution of policies and programmes’.

Follow the logic.

In the past six years, Nigerian workforce grown but the number of manufacturing jobs has actually declined as a result of the relocation of these industries to neighboring African countries. A development occasioned by the inability of the FG to guarantee security and electricity. Jobs created by the Federal Government under the N-Power programme are part time and not secured. Two third of those doing the part-time jobs want full time jobs and cannot find them. Unemployment is far and away the top concern of Nigerians, ranking ahead of insecurity, lack of electricity and national unity.

While millions of workers have given up hope of finding employment, unemployment going by the National Bureau Statistics (NBS), 2019, was at 23.1 per cent, with an under-employment rate of 16.6 per cent; and currently at about all-time high of 33.5 percent.

The issue in my views is the refusal of political office holders to be fair and honest in their dealings with Nigerians.

To give one example, in 2005, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo administration and 2010, under Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Federal Government made two feeble attempts, coming up with the electric power sector reform, EPSR, ACT 2005 and the roadmap for power sector reform of 2010, which was targeted at sanitizing the power sector, ensure efficient and adequate power supply to the country. The project ended in the frames – gulping reportedly $16 billion dollars for NIPP without contributing the targeted megawatt to the nations power needs.

The current administration is again in similar partnership with the German government and Siemens. And in my observation, the only change that has taken place since this new development is but thoughtless increments of bills/tariffs paid by Nigerians.

No nation can survive under this form of arrangement.

Correspondingly, securitywise, Nigeria is right now in its most fragile state since the end of the civil war. And by not taking steps to arrest the insecurity situation in the country, heeding the call to restructure the nation or implement the 2014 Confab report, the present government is doing this country more harm than good and quickening its disintegration.

This should certainly raise a legitimate concern for all.

Let us pray for Nigeria!!!

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

Curbing pornographic addiction among youths

By Usman Abdullahi Koli

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here is a need for parents, elder siblings to be regulating, monitoring to see who associate with their children, who they chats with, their friends including school ones,where they goes and on what ground and be sure to know their moves before they makes them.

Some months ago, there was a trending challenge on social platforms where ladies made posts, dancing naked using a deemed red bulb light. The challenge tagged “silhouette challenge”, is indisputably moral decadence perhaps because of poor parental care

that has sunk our morality and virtue into shameless acts. Obviously as it is, the situation has been observed for many years since, I witnessed devastating issues about how young people are becoming disrespectful and becoming more useless, especially girls who dash out their precious dignity at a very young age to an attitude seen as ‘normal thing and no big deal’.

The technological era has exposed many young people to harmful things. Years back, it’s very abnormal for us to do things without being monitored by our parents,specially, our sisters who are always at home. In the past, after coming back from school, not all such unnecessary outings like

going out to events used to be allowed; Our parents were very cautious and observant.

Sadly, however, with time and transition in cultural practices, parents have lost guard.

It’s now normal for teens to have uncontrolled fun. Doing this, many of them smoke shisha and see it as fashionable thing. The girls are always looking for material thing and some boys are into drug abuse and womanising, which lead to destruction of their’ careers.

Where are the parents?

Have they forgotten their responsibilities as guidance to us or is it because they love us and didn’t want to enforce us?

I wonder what the root cause of their negligence is!

It’s disturbing seeing how our young ones take up bad adventures, becoming what couldn’t be described under morality. These are contrary to our religious and cultural norms.

Recently, more often, leaked sex videos of teenagers have been going round social media of girls being exposed by friends. This, indeed, is worrisome!

I often ask myself if there is any ending to these social decay and do the girls of nowadays still have that dignity that every woman owes to her rightful husband?

There is a need for parents, elder siblings to be regulating, monitoring to see who associate with their children, who

they chats with, their friends including school ones,where they goes and on what ground and be sure to know their moves before they makes them.

Let schools and communities have a monitoring committee that will be observing our younger ones and activities so that their future will be bright.

I urge the religious leaders and government to intervene on this matter and take necessary actions. Our girls are misbehaving and our boys are becoming drug addicts and party attendees.

Koli, a student of Mass Communication Department, Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic Bauchi. mernoukoli@gmail.com

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

News

Stakeholders at Shinkafi security summit advocate access to food, quality education

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

S

takeholders at the Umaru Shinkafi intelligence security and intelligence summit have advocated access to food and quality education as key to ending terrorist activities in the country.

The summit which held on 13th July 2021, themed: Socio-Economic Implications of Kidnapping and Banditry in Nigeria, was was organized by late Umaru Aliyu Shinkafi Legacy Foundation.

Speaking at the summit, Borno State Governor, Prof Umara Zulum hinted that lack of access to education, health care, basic

amenities, and food are tools that promote insecurity.

He mentioned that the inequality between elites and poor people are contributory factors that heighten insecurity.

“Access to Healthcare, access to food, and access to quality education are key to ending terrorist activities. Food insecurity is the worst form of insecurity”.

When asked by a participant on what his government is doing and to support widows in the state, Zulum stated that even before he became the governor of Borno state, the administration of Kashim Shettima which he served as Commissioner, had constructed

houses for the widows and established schools within the housing estate so that the children of the widows can go to school.

He added that they trained them on skill acquisition as a means of livelihood for the widows.

Also speaking, the Governor of Imo state, Hope Odidika Uzodinma called on the entire security system to reflect on how Late Umaru Shinkafi would have handled the insecurity ravaging the country.

Speaking on the intercommunal and food security threats, he averred that Shinkafi would have opted for a grassroots approach to curtail societal attitudes.

He described the current situation as unfortunate saying that no investor would want to put his money in an unsafe environment.

However, the Governor noted improvements where he mentioned that Direct Foreign Investment (DFI) has tumbled over the past few months.

Earlier in his welcome address, Coordinator of the Umaru Shinkafi Legacy Foundation and former Governor of Zamfara state, Mamuda Aliyu Shinkafi said that the choice of the theme and topics of discussion is apt and timely in light of the ideas of the Late Marafa.

AU delegation urges Nigeria to serve as Africa’s motivator

By Paul Efiong, Abuja

T

he African Union (AU) delegates on Country Review Mission (CRM), on the second Peer Review process, has urged Nigeria to serve as motivator to other African countries in governance and otherwise.

Prof. Janneh Abdoulie, the Lead Panelist on AU CRM, made the call on Monday in Abuja, at the town hall meeting, organised by the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), to engage State/Non- Actors on the review process.

It is recalled that CRM team arrived in Nigeria for two weeks now to further assess the country’s self-assessment record on activities of the APRM, following the approval of the reports

by President Muhammadu Buhari for validation.

It is also reports that the review mission visits the country under review and conducts broad-based consultations with government, officials, parliamentarians, and representatives of civil society organisations, media and the private sector to seek their views.

Addressing the participants, Abdoulie said it was a welcome idea for them to be in the country to further assess the reports approved

by President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that the reports would serve as a reference record for others.

According to him, the review mission will address the four thematic areas of democracy/ political governance, economic, social development, corporate governance.

“It is an important process of the APRM that will make Nigeria a mirror in Africa, being the first country to carry out the second review process after four years period given by the AU before another review.

In her contributions, Prof.

Christiana Adeyeye, Director-General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), applauded the Nigeria’s APRM Secretariat for its review process to bring more development in the country.

While answering questions on NAFDAC contributions, Adeyeye said the agency was looking at encouraging the local contents for the creation of jobs in Nigeria, to also divert the country from over dependent on foreign goods.

PAGE 15

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

Enugu guber: Justice, equity shall prevail, says Gov. Ugwuanyi

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

G

overnor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, yesterday, reiterated that justice and equity shall prevail regarding the senatorial district of the state where his successor will emerge from in 2023.

Gov. Ugwuanyi who spoke when the people of Awgu Egbeleli Community in Awgu Local Government Area, led by the Council Chairman, Hon. Pedro Nwankwo, paid him a Thank-you/ solidarity visit at the Government House, Enugu, pledged that he will continue to work with the fear of God. The governor maintained that he will not take the favour granted to him

by God to serve the people of Enugu State for granted.

He, therefore, reassured the people of Enugu State that he will always ensure that justice and equity take firm footing in the affairs of the state.

The people of Awgu Egbeleli Community during the visit unanimously pledged that they will stand firmly by Gov. Ugwuanyi in the

2023 governorship election.

It would be recalled that Gov. Ugwuanyi had during the Oganiru Enugu East Senatorial District rally on the 2023 governorship election in Enugu State, declared that “in the fullness of time, dialogue, justice and equity shall take pre-eminence”.

The governor disclosed that “at the end of our administration, we will bequeath to all, a just, equitable, peaceful, united and prosperous Enugu State that has ascended more rungs on the development ladder”.

The well-attended Enugu East Senatorial District rally which was convened by the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Edward Uchenna Ubosi, demanded that it is the turn of the zone to produce the governor’s successor in 2023, based on the long established rotational template, and in the spirit of equity, fairness and justice.

Aligning with the Speaker’s statement, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State, Dr. Ben Nwoye announced that

the party has zoned its governorship position in 2023 to Enugu East Senatorial District.

The APC chairman eulogized Gov. Ugwuanyi for his uncommon leadership qualities as a peaceful, humble and development-oriented governor, saying: “When you have peace you have order; when you have peace you have development, you (Ugwuanyi) are a peaceful governor and you have brought peace to our people”.

In his speech at the rally, the former Governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo, expressed optimism that Gov. Ugwuanyi will endorse his successor from Enugu East Senatorial District, pointing out that “Gburugburu is a peace-maker; Gburugburu entrusted Enugu State to the hand of God; Gburugburu will give Ndi Enugu East Senatorial District governor in 2023; we are only waiting for the time to come to know who will be the next governor from our zone”.

On his part, the former President of the Senate, Senator Ken Nnamani, endorsed the stance of the people of

Enugu East Senatorial District at the rally and commended the organizers of the event for galvanizing the people of the zone to come and appraise the existing rotational principle of zoning in Enugu State.

Sen. Nnamani lauded Gov. Ugwuanyi for the peace being enjoyed in Enugu State, expressing confidence that the governor’s disposition to peace and good governance will guarantee a peaceful transition in 2023, where a candidate from Enugu East Senatorial District will be elected governor of the state.

In their separate goodwill messages, the members of the National and State Assemblies from the zone, the Council Chairmen, the Clergy, traditional rulers and State Executive Council, among others, equally paid glowing tributes to Gov. Ugwuanyi’s leadership qualities and appealed to him to stick to the existing rotational zoning arrangement in respect of the Office of the Governor of Enugu State, in the spirit of justice and equity, stressing: “We want governor of Enugu State come 2023”.

Senate confirms Prof. Sani Adam as INEC Commissioner

President Muhammadu Buhari and Transportation Minister Rotimi Amachi on arrival at the Ground Breaking Ceremony of Kaduna -Kano Standard Gauge Rail Line

by President Muhammadu Buhari in Kano yesterday

By Musa Baba Adamu

T

President of NUJ, Chief Chris Izojuzo, 3rd left, Amos Duniya, right, and Mallam Garba Mohammed, during the visit of NUJ President to Freedom Radio Kaduna over the death of Late Suleiman Yakubu in Kaduna. PHOTO by Shehu K. Goro

UniAabuja matriculates 4,311 students

By Usman Shuaibu

T

he management of the University of Abuja on Wednesday matriculated a total number of 4, 311 fresh students.

Disclosing this during the matriculation ceremony, the Vice-

Chancellor of the University, Prof.

Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, warning the new students against cultism and other social vices.

He also advised the students to always maintain good relationship with the Student Affairs Unit of the University to

enhance learning.

He said the management of the University would continue to provide a conducive environment for students at all times in the institution.

He added that the management of the University would engage the

student in the skills acquisition programs so as to enable them to be self-reliant after graduation.

He, however, congratulated the student for gaining admission into the University of Abuja, and urged them to face their studies squarely.

No past government since 1999 kept my record of performance in 2 years- Gov Yahaya From David Hassan, Gombe

G

ombe state governor Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya has boasted that since the coming of democracy in 1999 to date no past governor

ranging from Abubakar Habu Hashidu, Danjuma Goje and Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo kept his record of performance in two years.

Governor Yahaya was speaking when Kaltungo

chiefdom under the leadership of Mai Kaltungo Engr. Saleh Mohammed and his entourage paid him a courtesy visit at the banquet hall of government house Gombe on Wednesday.

“You can check and see, none

has kept my record in two years”.

He said his administration will never shy away from the campaign promise he made to the people, saying he fulfilled two third of 180 campaign promise he made from his manifesto.

he Senate has confirmed the nomination of Professor Sani Muhammad Adam (North Central) as National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The confirmation of the nominee followed the presentation and consideration of a report by the Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Chairman of the Committee, Senator Kabiru Gaya, in his presentation, said the request to confirm Adam by President Buhari was made in accordance with Sections 153(1)(f) and 154(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

According to the lawmaker, the Committee in furtherance of its mandate to investigate a petition against the nominee following the suspension of his confirmation on Tuesday by the upper chamber, received explanations regarding his personal life, work experience, suitability, competence and integrity for appointment as National Electoral Commissioner representing the North-Central Geo-political Zone.

“After a thorough investigation into the petition against the nominee, the Committee found out that the petition against him was paltry and that the reason for the termination (not dismissal as alleged by the petitioner) was not based on gross misconduct but on the rationalization policy of the federal government.

“The court judgement was based on whether or not his appointment should have been terminated and this has nothing to do with his integrity or moral uprightness”, Gaya said.

Sani Muhammad Adam was, thereafter, confirmed as a National Commissioner of INEC in accordance with the Committee’s recommendation.

Dignitaries at the solidarity visit by Awgu people include the Chief Whip of Enugu State House of Assembly and member representing Awgu North Constituency, Hon. Mrs. Jane Eneh; former Senator-elect Enugu West Senatorial zone, Senator Nze Orji; former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Awgu LGA, Hon. Joe Ani; Secretary, Awgu LG Council, Hon Barr. Linus Maduka, and the Councilor representing Awgu Ward I, Hon. Benneth Kene.

Others are His Royal Highness, Igwe Godwin Okosisi Nwobi; the Traditional Prime Minister of Awgu Egbeleli, Chief Dr. Stephen Onuoha; the National President, Awgu Town Youth Association, Oba JC Nwanwko; the President General, Awgu Egbeleli, Professor Reko Okoye, represented by his deputy, Felix Okoli; the Traditional Prime Minister, Ogboli-Ohaja Autonomous Community, Chief Sir Tobias Udeji (Ezeugo I) and former President, Awgu General Assembly, Dr. Adonai Okechukwu Okonkwo.

Senate okays Buhari’s request for $8.325bn, €490m external loans

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

T

he Senate on Thursday approved President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for ongoing external loans to the tune of $8,325,526,537 (USD) and €490,000,000 (Euros) under the 2018-2020 External Borrowing (Rolling) Plan.

The approval followed the consideration of a report on the 2018-2020 External Borrowing (Rolling) Plan by the Committee on Local and Foreign Debt.

Chairman of the Committee, Senator Clifford Ordia, in his presentation, said the Committee noted with utmost importance, the genuine and very serious concerns of Nigerians about the level and sustainability/serviceability of

the country’s borrowings in the last Decade.

According to the lawmaker, “our (Nigeria’s) debt service figures constitute a huge drain on our revenue to the extent that it accounts for over 30 percent of our expenditure in the annual budget.”

He explained that due to the shortfall in the country’s annual revenues in relation to the need for rapid infrastructural and human capital development, “we have had to pass deficit budget every year, requiring us to borrow to finance the deficit in our budget.”

Ordia noted that out of the total borrowing request of $36,837,281,256 contained in the re-forwarded request of Mr. President, a sum of

$26,154,536,533 is for funds proposed to be borrowed from various financial institutions from the Peoples Republic of China.

He stressed that the proposed projects in the Ministries’ of Transportation, FCT, Aviation, Works & Housing, Agriculture and Water Resources and some Commissions such as National Universities Commission, North East Development Commission and the National Identity Management Commission are mostly ongoing projects and programmes in respect of which External Borrowed funds have been spent in the past, including loans.

“These projects have a great multiplier effect on stimulating economic growth through infrastructure Development, Job

creation and Poverty alleviation, stimulation of Commercial and Engineering activities and the consequent tax revenues payable to Government as a result of these productive activities” Ordia explained.

The funding agencies are: World Bank - $796,000,000; China Exim Bank - $2,901,026,509; Industrial Commercial Bank of China - $2,484,555,304; African Development Bank $104,200,000; Africa Growing Together Fund - $20,000,000; French Development Agency €240,000,000; European Investment Bank - €250,000,000; European ECA/KfW/IPEX/ AFC - $1,959,744,724; and International Fund For Agricultural Development (IFAD) - $60,000,000.

PAGE 16

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

POLITICS

APC chieftain blasts Wike for attacking Buhari over appointment of UniPort VC

By Musa Baba Adamu

A

n All Progressive Congress (APC) chieftain, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has slammed Governor Nyesom Wike for accusing President Muhammadu Buhari of appointing a Vice Chancellor for the University of Port Harcourt, to help APC rig election in 2023.

Recall that Prof. Georgewill Owunari was recently appointed by the Ministry of Education as the new Vice-Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt.

Governor Wike had accused the Buhari-led Federal Government of appointing ViceChancellors that will assist the APC in rigging the 2023 general elections in Rivers State.

The Governor of Rivers State had issued a threat to any official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), who would make themselves available as willing tools in the hands of political desperados to rig elections during an event in Port Harcourt.

He had said, “Let me warn, not one person will dare to rig Election in Rivers state, not one person will dare it, anybody who does that, you know it’s a coup and you know the punishment for that..”

Wike went further to state that only compromised academics, willing to submit names of politically exposed lecturers as returning officers to rig elections for the ruling party, are being appointed as Vice Chancellors of Federal universities while vowing that those contemplating to rig elections in the State would be treated as coup plotters.

Eze, in his reaction, said the Governor’s comment was a tragic irony, as his catholic records of election thievery remain public and apparent to all.

He said Wike’s statement had stemmed from the brooding embitterment occasioned by the failure of his preferred candidate for the office of the ViceChancellor of the University of Port Harcourt.

Eze accused Wike of playing a satanic role during the 2019 elections by weighing big influence, being Minister of Education for State which position he may have allegedly used to influence the appointment of Vice-Chancellors who played no mean roles in his becoming Governor of Rivers State.

Eze said the widely published report of the police recovering N114 million from the N360 million used by the Rivers Governor, to bribe INEC officials to announce cooked results in his favour, adds to his credence.

Eze said the police report should have compelled Wike and those in his government to resign

Senator Danbaba emerges new Deputy Minority Whip, as predecessor joins APC

By Musa Baba Adamu

S

enator Ibrahim Danbaba (PDP, Sokoto South) has emerged as the Deputy Minority Whip of the Senate, due to the defection of his predecessor to the ruling party.

Danbaba replaces Senator Sahabi Ya’u (Zamfara North) who on July 21, defected from the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Ya’u said his decision to resign his membership of the PDP was necessitated by the endemic crisis that engulfed the Zamfara State

chapter of the PDP which led the national body to dissolve the State Exco of the party.

Consequently, Danbaba’s nomination as the new Deputy Minority Whip was conveyed in a letter by the National Body of the Peoples’ Democratic Party and read by the Senate President during plenary on Thursday.

The letter which was signed by the National Secretary, Senator Ibrahim Umar Tsauri reads: “As Mr. President is aware of the very unfortunate defection of the former Deputy Senate Minority Whip, Distinguished Senator

Sahabi Ya’u Kaura from the Peoples’ Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress (APC), the leadership of PDP studied and reviewed the unfortunate development.

“After due and wide consultations, the leadership of the party resolved to nominate and forward to you, the name of Distinguished Senator Ibrahim Abdullahi Danbaba from Sokoto State to fill the vacancy in accordance with the provision of Section 47 subsection 6 of the PDP Constitution as amended in 2017.

“While counting on the

confidence of the Distinguished Senate President and the entire Distinguished Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, kindly accept the PDP leadership’s highest consideration and esteemed regards.”

In his congratulatory remarks, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said “Distinguished Colleagues, on behalf of all of us, I want to congratulate our brother and friend, Distinguished Senator Ibrahim Abdullahi Danbaba and, I want to pray here, that the good works of the APC should touch the heart of our brother, too.

Congratulations”

L-R: (from the front row sitting) National security Adviser, Mohammed Babagana Monguno; Chairman House Committee on the Navy, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi; Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo; Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo; Minister of defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Salihi Magashi (Rtd) Chairman Senate Committee on the Navy, Senator George Sekibo during the official commissioning of the nation’s newest and most sophisticated maritime surveillance system, ‘The Falcon Eye’, held on Tuesday at the Naval Headquarters, Abuja . Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Onochie: Group tells Senate to prove absence of Delta Commissioner in INEC

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

A

n advocacy group, Vanguard for Transparent Leadership and Democracy (VATLAD), have called for investigations into claims by a Senator that Mrs May Ogbamuche Mbu was nominated as an INEC representative for Cross River State and not for Delta State.

While lauding the Senate for rejecting Ms Lauretta Onochie as a National Commissioner for INEC on grounds that her nomination violates the Federal Character Principle, the group said it was worried that sources now claim the Senate was wrong in its decision.

The group alleged that a Senator had claimed his investigations into INEC records revealed that May Ogbamuche Mbu was nominated by the President to represent Cross Rivers and not Delta State.

The National President, VATLAD, Igbini Odafe Emmanuel,

in a statement said it was imperative for the Senate to urgently investigate the controversy and resolve the matter for the sake of truth and justice.

The VATLAD President maintained that the only grounds the group would accept the Senate’s decision is if it is proven beyond doubt that Delta State already has a serving National Commissioner of INEC in the person of Mrs May Ogbamuche Mbu since Delta State alone cannot fill two slots.

The statement said, “We are also more appreciative of the Senate for agreeing with us that besides this Federal Character Principle, the nomination of Ms Lauretta Onochie did not at all violate the provisions of Paragraph 14 2(a) of the 3rd Schedule of Part 1 of the First Alteration of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, as amended, contrary to claims by the PDP and Civil Society Organisations who

have been misleading Nigerians to so hold against her.

“We also wish to reiterate and state for the record that the abovestated paragraph 14 (2a) did not make mention of membership of a Political Party as a ground for non-qualification of any Nigerian for appointment as National Commissioner of INEC.” The group claimed it would amount to discrimination against Ms Lauretta Onochie in clear violation of her Fundamental Human Right guaranteed by section 42 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, as amended if the senate had succumbed to the campaigns against her simply because she is an unrepentant strong supporter of and believer in President Buhari or a member of APC. ”This is because we hold very strongly our reasonable suspicion that all past and present Chairmen,

National Commissioners and State Resident Electoral Commissioners have been or are covertly or overtly partisan. We have challenged all of them to publicly deny this but they never did”, the statement claimed.

“Can any one of them publicly deny that he or she has never been or not a Strong Supporter of a Party, Cause, or Person, Nigerian, secretly or publicly?”, the statement said.

The group asked the senate to urgently and dispassionately commission an in-depth investigation into the lives and activities of all members of INEC since each of them attained the constitutional adult age of 18yrs to confirm whether or not they have been partisan ”This is very important to clear in the minds of millions of Nigerians their suspicion that these INEC members are also partisan and to set the record straight for future references”, it said.

PAGE 17

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

POLITICS

Shinkafi tells IGP to shutdown Yari’s factional APC Secretariat in Zamfara

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

A

chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sani Abdulahi Shinkafi, has charged the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to order the immediate closure of all the factional offices belonging to former Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, in the State, to avoid escalation of security challenges in the State.

In a petition to the IGP dated July 15th, 2023, Shinkafi, who is also the Executive Director of the Patriots for the Advancement of Peace and Social Development (PAPSD), stated that the activities of Yari and his supporters is causing tension in the State.

According to him “following the defection of the Executive Governor of Zamfara State, Hon Bello Muhammad

(Mattawalle Maradun) and I from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) on the 29th of June 2021, at the mega rally organized in Gusau, to welcome us into the mainstream All Progressives Congress (APC). At the rally, the Acting National Chairman of the Caretaker Committee, His Excellency, Mai Mala Bunu, the Executive Governor of Yobe State, unequivocally and publicly announced the dissolution of all the party executives from the State to the ward levels.

“Mala Bunu went on to bestow on His Excellency the Executive Governor of Zamfara State the position of the APC leader in Zamfara State. A day after the rally, on June 30th, 2021, the former Governor of

Zamfara State, Abdulazeez Yari, who was in attendance at the mega rally, met with his factional leaders of the APC in Kaduna and debunked all the pronouncements made by the National Chairman.

“By this action, they have constituted themselves as political rascals and have been trying to cause political tension in Zamfara State because of their selfish political agenda ahead of the 2023 elections”, he added.

Shinkafi pointed out that Yari and his supporters are trying to make the state ungovernable for the sitting Governor, Hon Bello Mattawalle Maradun.

He “I hereby appeal to you to use your good offices to as matter of urgency direct the immediate

closure of the offices of the factional APC in GUSAU and the 14 Local Government Areas of Zamfara State due to the security challenges in the state.

“If the matter is not carefully handled, it would bring serious breach of peace in the state, which is already witnessing serious security challenges, including armed banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, cattle rustling and wanton destruction of properties.

“The state has been witnessing wanton killing of innocent people by criminal elements for the past eight years and desperate and disgruntled politicians are trying to artificially input other security challenges in the state because of their selfish political agenda ahead of 2023 elections.

From left Chairman Nigeria Railway Corporation Engr. Alhassan Musa Ibrahim, Minister Water Resouces Alhaji Suleiman Adamu; Minister of Communication Dr Isa Pantani,Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, President Muhammadu Buhari Plateau State Governor Mr Solomon Lalong, Kebbi state Alhaji Abubakar Bagudu and Minister of Transportation, Hon Rotimi Amachi at the

APC kicks as Obiano sacks 20 aides for working against Soludo’s election

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

T

he All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State has kicked against the recent sack of some government appointees by the Governor, Willie Obiano.

Obiano had sacked no fewer than 20 aides for allegedly working against the election of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Prof Chukwuma Soludo, in the November poll in the state.

A letter dated July 6, 2021, signed by the Chief of Staff to the Anambra State Government, Primus Odili, showed that

20 of such aides had already received their termination letters.

The letter reads in part: “I write to communicate the approval of His Excellency, Chief Dr. Willie Obiano, the Executive Governor of Anambra State, of the termination of appointments of the underlisted appointees with immediate effect.”

Some of the affected political appointees, include, Azubuike Okafor, Senior Special Assistant on Grassroots Mobilisations; Prince Onyechi Okafor, Senior Special Assistant on Lands; as well as John Onyeakpa.

Others include: Chika Gabriel Ibeneme, Senior Special Assistant on Media; Joseph Okonkwo, Senior Special Assistant on Project Management (FADAMA); Esedo Ruth Uzochukwu, Special Assistant on Environment; Chidi Adi Ekwenugo, Senior Special Assistant ANSSIPA; Ezekwelu Kingsley, Senior Special Assistant on Media.

The Anambra State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Okelo Madukaife, on Thursday, described the sacking of the governor’s aides as despotic.

The APC said, “The sacking of political appointees by Governor Willie Obiano, for supporting aspirants of their choice within the All Progressives Grand Alliance vindicates us that the state government is wasteful and despotic.

“This is more so when in a fruitless bid to cover up the advanced dictatorship, the government claimed ‘their appointment was terminated for redundancy’ “For that number of political appointees to be redundant, the APGA-controlled State Government is technically dead”.

Young Progressive Party (YPP), Victor Chidi Diala, said this during an interview in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

Diala said the speaker has no such power to suspend a fellow lawmaker who was democratically elected like him.

He cited session 39 sub-section

(1) 40 of the 1999 constitution as amended where it was clearly stated that a lawmaker can only vacate his or her office by the reason of death, resignation or a recall by their constituencies, not by a mere pronouncement of the Speaker.

According to him, “suspending

six lawmakers automatically means that six LGAs with over 1.8 million people have been suspended.

“In as much as I do not hold brief for the suspended members, but as an active stakeholder and believer in the democratic principles, rule of law, justice and

Southern Govs agitation for Presidency will pitch North against South – Group

By Musa Baba Adamu

A

group, Northern Youth Leaders Forum (NYLF) has said the agitation for Nigeria’s Presidency to shift to the Southern part of the country in 2023 is an agenda to serve the selfish interest of a few people.

The Forum yesterday told newsmen during a press briefing in the Adamawa State capital, Yola, that if the southern governors pushing for the presidency were sincere, they should have specifically spoken for the Southeast and possibly Northeast which have never produced the President.

National President of the NYLF, Eliot Afiyo, who read the text of the briefing at the NUJ Press Centre in Yola, said, “We view the Lagos declaration by the Southern governors demanding for a southern president in 2023 as a deliberate and intentional scheming to project the political interest of some few individuals against the collective national interest.

“The implication of this declaration tends to tell the northerners that the 2023 presidential election would be based on North versus South instead of the political parties.”

Eliot said the Southern governors’ position was provocative and insensitive, adding that it is “a political war which must be given thorough and intelligent consideration.”

He said no matter how important the 2023 Presidency is to the South, the governors’ declaration is ill-timed and ill-advised.

“If at all the Southern governors desired the presidency indeed, they should have summoned the courage to specify the geopolitical zone,” Eliot said.

The Northern Youth Leaders Forum which said at the Thursday press briefing that it had spent the last six days in a consultative tour of the Northeast, urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to sustain its electronic transmission of results which it introduced in the Ondo and Edo elections because it gives credibility to the electoral process and eliminates ballot box snatching and falsification of results.

The Forum, conversely, cautioned INEC against the conduct of electronic voting.

“Electronic voting, no matter how good or necessary it seems to be, should not be introduced for now because of the low literacy level in the country, especially in the North,” Comrade Eliot Afiyo said.

Suspension of six members of Imo Assembly counterproductive – YPP Chair

By Christiana Ekpa

T

he recent suspension of six members of the Imo State House of Assembly has been described as unconstitutional and counterproductive to the development of the state.

The state chairman of the

fairness, the act by the speaker of Imo state House of Assembly, is alien to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) as amended.

“This development should be corrected because it may set a wrong precedence for subsequent Assembly leadership.

PAGE 18

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

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

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Stock Close Loss DIAMONDBNK 1.30 -0.10 BOCGAS 2.59 -0.22 VITAFOAM 3.50 -0.39 DANGEthiopia is a major producer of coffee FLOUR

By Etuka Sunday

A

frican Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and Standard Chartered today announced an agreement for Standard Chartered to provide USD 200m of not-for-profit funding towards Afreximbank’s structured framework to help finance the acquisition of COVID-19 vaccines for African nations.

The collaboration between Standard Chartered and Afreximbank will help ensure that 55 countries across Africa have access to COVID-19 vaccines. This facility will play a part in ensuring that Africa can achieve its COVID-19 strategy, which targets vaccinating a minimum of 60 per cent of Africa’s population.

This facility is part of the Advance Procurement Commitment (APC) framework structured by Afreximbank in collaboration with the African Vaccines Acquisition Task Team (AVATT), under which Afreximbank provided a guarantee of USD 2bn to vaccine manufacturers to secure access to COVID-19 vaccines for African countries.

Over the last year, Afreximbank has also launched a number of facilities to support its Member Countries. These include the Pandemic Trade Impact Mitigation facility (PATIMFA), under which the Bank has disbursed over USD 6.5bn to mitigate and manage the financial, economic and health impacts of the pandemic.

In addition, Afreximbank put in place a USD 1.5bn Collaborative Covid-19 Pandemic Response

Standard Chartered, Afreximbank commit $200m for AU COVID-19 vaccination acquisition programme Facility (COPREFA), working with partners to support African economies during the pandemic.

The funding is part of the Standard Chartered’s USD 1bn financing commitment that was launched in March 2020, which aims to tackle the pandemic by financing vital equipment such as personal protective equipment, ventilators and now vaccines.

To date, USD 900m of this have been allocated and over USD 700m disbursed to clients.

Prof.

Benedict Oramah, President of Afreximbank, said: “We are delighted that Standard Chartered has committed USD 200m to support the ongoing work of Afreximbank and AVATT in helping African countries secure access to COVID-19 vaccines. Having an effective financing solution for vaccine procurement in place for Africa is of paramount importance to ensure we are not left further behind in the ongoing race. This agreement demonstrates the unwavering

commitment of Afreximbank and Standard Chartered to helping Africa overcome the challenges of the pandemic.”

Simon Cooper, Chief Executive, Corporate, Commercial, and Institutional Banking at Standard Chartered, said: “The speed of vaccine rollout is not only a healthcare issue but is increasingly a differentiator of near-term, post pandemic economic recovery for African nations. We are acutely aware that Africa accounts for under

2 per cent of vaccines administered worldwide; we welcome Afreximbank’s efforts to tackle this and we want to use our USD 1bn facility to help.”

Using financing provided by Standard Chartered, Afreximbank is helping to ensure Africa’s access to COVID-19 vaccines by ensuring payment to identified vaccine manufacturers that have vaccine orders placed by African nations through the African Medical Supplies Platform.

L-R: Chief of Staff to the Chairman EFCC, Mrs. Hadiza Gamawa; Director of Operations EFCC, Mr. Chukko Abdulkareem , Chairman EFCC, Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, and Director of Intelligence, Mr. Saad Abubakar. during the inauguration of Eagle Eye an APP on reporting of Economic and financial crime, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Capital Market key catalyst for development – Ahmed

By Etuka Sunday

N

igerian capital market has been described as a key catalyst for the development of the critical sectors of the economy as it poses a credible platform of obtaining medium to long term finance.

Thus was stated by Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed during a Webinar organised by the Securities and Exchange Commission in collaboration with the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development with the theme, “Financing the Solid Minerals Sector through the Capital Market and the Critical Role of Commodity Exchanges” on Thursday.

Ahmed said the facilitation of funding and provision of structured market platforms such as the commodities exchanges portends significant addition for the mining and solid minerals sector, saying that the the event and its theme are very relevant to the economy given the need to diversify and grow the economy and to enable the nation achieve sustainable development in the post covid-19 pandemic.

According to her, “Given the economic challenges occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic, the ongoing efforts of the Federal Government to achieve economic diversification has been affected by a decline in revenue, underlined by volatility in global oil prices which is our main source of

foreign exchange earnings.

“The mining sector is strategically based as alternative source for revenue generation in the economic diversification plan of the Federal Government of Nigeria. It also has the potential to create employment and develop rural settings for other benefits. The mineral export guidelines by the Federal Government was formulated to address the need to keep accurately mineral trade data, ensure effective monitoring of the evacuation of export proceeds, to optimize the collection of royalties, and facilitate the implementation of free shipment inspection policies of the Federal Government on each export transaction as this is international best practice in line with the Marrakesh Protocol of GATT 1994.

Ahmed said the initiative of employing the commodities exchange in this regard will encourage responsibility accounting and fairness to governance. This and other initiatives she stated, will also facilitate the collection of all royalty and fees due to the government from the export of solid minerals sector, ensuring the integrity of the mining data, minimizing revenue leakages and removing undue bottlenecks experienced with transactions by both exporters of minerals as well as our regulatory agencies.

“Identified as one of the frontiers of opportunity in the new economic

reality, the Nigerian commodity trading eco system serves as the core point which support and accelerate the development of nonoil commodities, which will be complimentary by ongoing efforts to diversify the national economy.

Inefficient linkages of buyers and sellers in sufficient schemes will possesses the capacity to proffer solutions to some of the fundamental challenges inherent in the mining sector.

“Streamlining the operations of the mining sector therefore through the commodities trading eco system and through other initiatives will ensure proper regulation of solid minerals extracting industry in Nigeria. I am positive, that the outcome of this webinar and the strategic partnership between the mining sector and the capital market community will enhance the competitiveness of our new nonoil commodities and compliment the economic diversification of the Federal Government” She stated.

She assured of the unwavering support of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning to ensure the achievement of the overarching objective of the Federal Government to develop the mineral potentials of the country.

“The reality is that the nation stands to benefit more in an organized mining and solid mineral extractive industry and the capital

market is here to contribute its quota.

“This webinar is a signal that with the appropriate collaboration amongst sectors, institutions, regulators and operators, we can exceed out targets sooner rather than later and Nigeria will reap huge benefits from such forums.

In a welcome address, Director General of SEC, Mr. Lamido Yuguda said with over 44 minerals found across the federation, the solid minerals sector can be significantly instrumental in the on-going quest to diversify the economy from its heavy reliance on crude oil.

Yuguda said it has also been identified as a back bone of the investor value chain which is an essential source of input for key industries such as construction, automobiles, electronics, aircrafts and ship building.

He said “We believe that the Nigerian Commodity trading system and indeed the capital market can be the transformational patronage to bring about this positive changes in the sector.

“With opportunities provided for better access to marketing of produce, price discovery and valuable market information, a striving commodities trading eco system has the potential to foster inclusive mining prosperity by efficiently linking commodities to industries in sufficient scale thereby promoting the output, creating jobs, improving living standards and unlocking the economic potentials of

mining communities.

“It will also enhance financial inclusion of artisan miners, foster mineral production, stimulate exports and ultimately engendered economic development amongst other benefits.

Undoubtedly, greater connectivity of the mining sector and the commodities trading eco system will ensure that mineral commodities could be traded on transparent, efficient and organized trading platform provided by commodity exchanges”.

In a keynote address, Minister of State in the Ministry of Solid Minerals and Steel Development, Dr. Uchechukwu Ogah, described the webinar as timely because its coming at a time that Mr. President has put all necessary machinery in place to revamp the sector for economic stability.

He however expressed disappointment that over 90% of the artisanal miners and small scale operators’ contribution to employment is still very low with GDP contribution of 0.5%.

He said. “We eagerly want to change this through implementation of the roadmap to contribute about 5% to GDP by 2025. Inadequate funding has been the bane of underdevelopment; it is on this premise that I welcome this partnership with the SEC”.

Ogah said some of the expectations of the ministry are that for the exchange to create the vital nexus between demand and supply chain to enable investment to be demand driven.

B U S I N ESS

Page 20

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

Nami tasks FIRS workers, business community on Tax compliance

By Etuka Sunday

E

xecutive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Muhammad Nami, has urged the Kano business community and other taxpayers in the country to continue to take advantage of cutting-edge technologies the Service has deployed recently to pay their taxes as and when due.

Nami also charged members of staff of the FIRS to redouble their efforts in generating tax revenue for the country by expanding the national tax net to include those still outside it.

The Director, Communications and Liaison Department, Abdullahi Ismaila Ahmad in a statement said, Mr. Nami gave the admonitions on Monday at a stakeholder meeting involving the Management and Staff of the FIRS and the Kano Business Community.

According to him, “presently, Nigeria’s economy relies on non-oil revenues to discharge its statutory responsibility of paying salaries and providing social amenities to the citizenry.

However, despite the prospect which tax revenue holds for the country, the ‘’Tax to GDP’’ ratio for Nigeria is about 6% compared to Egypt at 15%, Ghana and Kenya at 17%, South Africa at 28%. This is a very sad reality that is unacceptable for a country that has the largest economy in Africa.”

Nami continued: “To overcome this challenge, we must recognise and adapt to the changing pattern of the business environment where technology is the driver of business operations.

For many years, our revenue generation architecture had been largely manual with limited use of technology.

Adopting technology in tax administration is crucial in improving domestic revenue mobilization given dwindling

oil prices to avoid falling into a debt crisis. It is against this backdrop that the TaxProMax became the channel for filing Naira-denominated tax returns effective from 7th June 2021.”

Furthermore, the FIRS chief explained: “The TaxProMax enables seamless registration, filing, payment of taxes and automatic credit of withholding tax as well as other credits to the Taxpayer’s accounts among other features.

The TaxProMax platform also provides a single view to Taxpayers for all transactions with the Service.

“It will interest you to know that the Service collected over N650 billion in June 2021. This

feat was achieved as a result of the efficiency and effectiveness of the TaxProMax Solution.”

Another groundbreaking development that Nami pointed out which occurred under his administration is the introduction of the court-backed “FIRS Practice Direction”. According to Nami, “this is another innovation introduced to aid revenue generation by cutting down on needless litigation which slows down revenue collection.”

He listed the advantages which the FIRS Practice Direction conferred on tax revenue generation thus: “Cases of FIRS will be given accelerated hearing and priority in the Federal

High Court; it enables the FIRS to obtain Order of the Court for forfeiture of immovable property of taxpayers, freezing of bank accounts, access to books, servers, billing systems etc; it fast-tracks the recovery of tax debts by civil action; it increases tax compliance, and increases the collection of revenue to the Government.”

Nami also disclosed that the National Tax Policy Implementation Document had prioritised the assessment and collection of indirect taxes in Nigeria as they are difficult to dodge, easy to pay and easy to administer. He, therefore, charges members of staff at the FIRS to put the document to

good use in the tax collection processes.

The Executive Chairman listed challenges of tax collection in the country to include the fact that “when companies collect taxes as an agent of collection, ValueAdded Tax (VAT) for instance, they do not remit as and when due. In some cases, they do not remit it at all.”

He, therefore, appealed to defaulting corporate organisations to turn a new leaf by remitting VAT and other taxes as and when due, stressing that the consequences of not doing so under extant tax laws in the country are severe, which corporate executives would not wish to experience.

L-R Minister of Justice and attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami SAN, Minister of Water Resource, Engr Sulieman Adamu and Minister of Finance, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed during their swearing in as Permanent Secretary by President Muhammadu Buhari and FEC Meeting in State House Abuja. PHOTO; STATE HOUSE

SEC, Ministry hold Webinar on Commodities Trading Ecosystem

By Etuka Sunday

I

n its avowed commitment to deepen the commodities trading ecosystem and attract more foreign exchange to the country, Securities and Exchange Commission is set to hold a webinar in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development.

The Webinar with the theme,

“Financing the Solid Minerals Sector through the Capital Market and the Critical Role of Commodity Exchanges” will hold on Thursday July 15,2021 at 10am.

The SEC noted that Nigeria is currently developing its solid minerals sector to diversify its economy and Government’s revenue sources.

This is in line with the

Commission’s Ten-year Capital Market Master Plan (2015-2025) which has as one of its major goals, the development of a vibrant Commodities Trading Ecosystem.

Targeted commodities include non-agriculture commodities such as products of mining activities.

According to a statement from the SEC, the ecosystem can foster inclusive mining prosperity by

efficiently mobilizing medium to long term funding for solid minerals projects, linking commodities to industries, creating jobs, unlocking the economic potentials of mining communities, and ultimately engendering economic development, through better access to market, price transparency and standardization.

“The Webinar is open to

mining companies, artisanal and small-scale mining operators, Federal and State Government officials, regulators, industry bodies, academics, asset managers, pension fund administrators, legal and advisory service providers, stakeholders in the capital market and the solid minerals sector”, the SEC added.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

METRO

Page 21

Association advocates accelerated implementation of UBE Act

By Stanley Onyekwere

T

he Association for Public Policy Analysis (APPANigeria) has upped advocacy for better implementation of free, compulsory, Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act, 2004, in order to boost the efficiency of the basic education sector.

To this end, the Association unveiled a monthly newsletter tagged: ‘Basic Education Adevocacy (BEAN)’, to help bridge the gap of communicating information on the extent of implementation of universal basic education policies as provided in the Act at the three levels of government.

The National President of the Association, Princewill Okorie, decried the absence of basic education targeted media

dissemination channel that will hold stakeholders in the sector accountable.

Okorie, in his welcome address at the newsletter unveiling/ inauguration of Advisory Council and 15th anniversary celebration, noted that the situation calls for question as to prudent management of over one hundred and eighty-eight billion Naira injected by federal government into basic education sector from 2016 to 2020.

He added that it has been disclosed that communication of happenings in public primary and junior secondary schools is very essential for improving access to education.

According to him, the birth of BEAN is to amongst others, help prevent the unfortunate distinction among Nigerian

children, which will give birth to hatred, envy, anger and unpatriotic spirit among the children raised in the current basic schools.

“The increasing number of out of school children now estimated at 10.5 million is disturbing and calls for urgent action by stakeholders in government and non state actors. “ Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a national strong mechanism or programme put in place at the federal level to make states key in for a universal approach towards limiting, preventing or stopping the problem in line with part 1, section 2 of UBE Act 2004. “ There is a gap in terms of communicating information to Nigerian people on the extent

of implementation of universal basic education policies as provided in the Act at the three levels of government. Our mission is to close this gap for improved basic education sector and socio-economic and political development of the country.

“Our focus shall be on revealing the provisions of UBE Act 2004, investigating and reporting on the extent of implementation. We shall in the process promote institutions and individuals contributing positively towards effective implementation of provisions of the Act”, he stressed.

Similarly, Dean, Education, Faculty of Education, University of Abuja, Professor Benedict Umaru, who reviewed the Newsletter, commended the association for the initiative to

ensure effective inclusiveness in the basic education sector.

He however, noted the need for more stakeholders to ensure intensive advocacy for the efficient implementation of the UBE Act. Not left out, a member, National Advisory Council of the Association, Dr. Jumai Ahmadu, said government should work with bodies such as this to ensure that policies are targeted at the beneficiaries.

She however, expressed serious concerns about the height of insecurity in schools, which requires urgent intervention of stakeholders to reverse the trend.

She therefore called on Government to double its effort to safeguard and secure schools in the society, in order to achieve UBE goals.

National Chairman of Action Alliance (AA) Party, Hon. Adekunle Rufai Omo-Aje (middle) flanked by the National Secretary of the Party, Ambassador Suleiman Abdulrasheed (left) and the party Deputy National Chairman, Alh. Ibrahim Issa, addressing the media on their communique after the party NEC meeting and state of the Nation’s briefing , held recently in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Sallah: Low patronage as rams flood Abuja

By Stanley Onyekwere

J

ust few days to this year’s Eid el-Kabir celebration, ram sellers especially those operating in many seasonal markets are experiencing low patronage from Muslim faithful in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

It was however, observed that ram sellers have flooded major streets with well fed rams, to

including notable markets in the Territory.

Recall that the FCT Administration issued a different for rams to be sold only in designated locations, so as not to turn Abuja streets to a huge ram market.

Also, in spite of the availability of Sallah Rams, traders complain that as the Sallah is fast approaching, buyers are not responding like the

previous years.

According to one Malam Sani, who said he brought his rams all the way from Niger Republic, not minding the risk of Boko Haram and bandits on the way, buyers are not responding.

Another trader, Mohammed who has dropped a large herd of rams at Karu illegal ram market near Customs Hospital said it’s still one week to Sallah and that even on Sallah day, after the Eid

prayers some Muslim faithful can still come and patronise, so he’s not losing hope.

Similarly, a Muslim faithful in Area 11 axis of Abuja told our correspondent that he’s yet to buy his ram as his purchasing power this year has dwindled, coupled with the hike in price of rams this year, adding that a big ram that cost N30,000 last year today costs over N60,000 this year.

According to him, a ‘big beautiful’ rams are available in the various ram markets, but their prices are what he described as Killing.

He said some cost as high as between N100,000 to N300,000.

As at the time of filling this report, it was that several locations in the FCT have been converted into temporary ram markets, including blocking of some streets in satellite towns.

Page 22

world news

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

international_peoplesdailyng@yahoo.com

At least 42 killed and dozens missing after record rain in Western Europe A

t least 42 people have died in western Germany and many more are missing following severe floods, police say.

The worst of the flooding has been in the states of RhinelandPalatinate and North RhineWestphalia, where buildings and cars have been washed away.

At least six others have died in neighbouring Belgium, and the city of Liège has urged all residents to leave.

It follows record rainfall in parts of western Europe that has caused major rivers to burst their banks.

The Netherlands has also been badly hit, with flooding rivers damaging many houses in the southern province of Limburg. A number of care homes have also been evacuated.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is in the US ahead of a meeting with President Joe Biden, said she was “grieving those who have lost their lives” in the flooding.

“My thoughts are with you, and you can trust that all forces of our government - federal, regional and community - collectively will do everything under the most difficult conditions to save lives, alleviate dangers and to relieve distress.”

Malu Dreyer, chief of Germany’s Rhineland-Palatinate state, described the flooding as a “catastrophe”.

“There are dead, missing and many people still in danger,” she said. “All of our emergency services are in action round the clock and risking their own lives.”

At least 19 people died in the Ahrweiler district of Rhineland-

Many houses in Schuld bei Adenau are in danger of collapsing Palatinate, after the Ahr river, which flows into the Rhine, burst its banks.

Police helicopters and hundreds of soldiers have been deployed to some areas to help stranded residents. Earlier, police said dozens of people were waiting on rooftops to be rescued.

Schools have been closed around the west of the country, while transport links have been severely disrupted.

About 25 houses are in danger of collapsing in the district of Schuld bei Adenau in the mountainous Eifel region, where a state of emergency has been declared, according to German broadcaster SWR. It said some houses had been completely cut-off and could no

longer be reached by boat.

Eight deaths were reported in the district of Euskirchen in North Rhine-Westphalia, while four people died in the Eifel region when their homes were swept away.

Residents in the region told AFP news agency they were stunned by the disaster.

“Nobody was expecting this where did all this rain come from?

It’s crazy,” Annemarie Mueller, a 65-year-old resident of Mayen, said. “It made such a loud noise and given how fast it came down we thought it would break the door down.”

Local teacher Ortrud Meyer, 36, said she had “never seen anything like this”.

“My father-in-law is almost

80, he’s from Mayen, and he says he’s never experienced anything like this,” she said.

Meanwhile, two firefighters died on Wednesday in North Rhine-Westphalia. One drowned, while the other reportedly collapsed following a rescue operation.

Belgium has also been hit by flash floods, and dramatic video showed cars being swept away along a street in the city of Verviers. 🌧 La crue de la Vesdre atteint une ampleur dramatique à Verviers dans l’est de la Belgique ce matin ! Certaines rues sont noyées sous près de 2 mètres d’eau ! (© Katia Bogaert) Residents of Liège, Belgium’s third-largest urban area after

Brussels and Antwerp, have been ordered to evacuate. Those unable to leave should move to the upper floors of their buildings, local officials said.

The Meuse river which flows through the city is expected to rise by another 150 cm, despite being on the verge of overflowing already.

Officials are also concerned that a dam bridge in the area may collapse and urged people to help each other.

“The crisis situation is exceptional and solidarity must prevail,” the local authority said in a statement.

Meanwhile, in the Belgian town of Pepinster, 10 houses collapsed after the River Vesdre burst its banks.

Rail services in the southern half of Belgium have been suspended because of the extreme weather.

Forecasts suggest more heavy rain is due in much of western Europe on Thursday and Friday.

Experts say that climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme weather events, but linking any single event to global warming is complicated.

Armin Laschet, the premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, blamed the extreme weather on global warming during a visit to a hardhit area.

“We will be faced with such events over and over, and that means we need to speed up climate protection measures... because climate change isn’t confined to one state,” he said.

Source: bbc.com

Peter R de Vries: Dutch crime reporter dies after shooting

T

he prominent Dutch crime reporter Peter R de Vries, who was shot and seriously wounded in central Amsterdam nine days ago, has died.

“Peter fought to the end, but was unable to win the battle,” a statement from his relatives said.

The 64-year-old was shot in the head minutes after leaving a TV studio.

The shooting shocked the Netherlands, where Mr de Vries was well-known for his investigations of mobsters and drug lords. Two suspects were arrested.

Mr de Vries had won critical acclaim for his reporting on the Dutch underworld - including the 1983 kidnapping of the beer millionaire Freddy Heineken.

The statement released by his relatives on Thursday said he died “surrounded by the people who love him”.

“Peter has lived by his conviction: ‘On bended knee is

no way to be free’,” the statement added.

The family asked for space to process his death in peace.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the veteran journalist was “afraid of nothing and noone”.

“We owe it to Peter R de Vries to ensure that justice takes its course,” he tweeted.

Mr de Vries was attacked on the evening of 6 July while walking away from a television studio following a chat show on the Lange Leidsedwarsstraat in central Amsterdam.

Five shots were fired at close range and he was hit in the head.

His son, Royce de Vries, said at the time that the family’s “worst nightmare came true”.

Award-winning journalist Well known for his coverage of the criminal underworld, Mr de Vries covered many high-profile crimes, including the Heineken abduction.

Mr de Vries acted as an adviser to people involved in criminal cases In 2013, Mr Heineken’s about the case was later adapted kidnapper, Willem Holleeder, into the movie Kidnapping Freddy starring Anthony was convicted of making threats Heineken, Hopkins. against the journalist.

The journalist also won an One of the Netherlands’ most notorious gangsters, Holleeder Emmy Award for a television show was given a life sentence in he made about Natalee Holloway, 2019 for his involvement in five a US teenager who disappeared on the Caribbean island of Aruba murders.

A novel Mr de Vries wrote in 2005.

He frequently acted as a spokesman for witnesses in police or court cases, and had been acting as an adviser to Nabil B, a former gang member testifying in the case against alleged drug lord Ridouan Taghi.

Mr de Vries had previously faced danger because of his work and needed police protection after receiving threats in connection with his coverage of criminal cases.

In 2019, police told him he was on the hit list of the Netherlands’ most wanted criminal.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted her condolences, with the message: “Investigative journalists are vital to our democracies. We must do everything we can to protect them.”

The two men held on suspicion of the murder are a 21-year-old from Rotterdam and a 35-yearold Pole. Police have not described them in any detail.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

Page 23

N EWS F R O M A F R I C A

South Africa looting: I’m struggling to find food

L

eading a comfortable life in South Africa’s coastal city of Durban, John - not his real name - risks running out of food for the first time ever following the mass looting and burning of supermarkets and shops after protests over the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma spiralled out of control.

“Middle-class people like me now face shortages. On Tuesday, I could not get bread and milk until I became aware, through our neighbourhood WhatsApp group, of a community organisation giving it out.

“I went to their hall. We had to queue, and each person was given two loaves of bread and one litre of milk. I don’t know where they got the stocks from but they gave out 8,000 loaves. Today [Wednesday], they don’t have any,” he added.

Durban, the main city in KwaZulu-Natal, is the political heartland of Zuma.

He began a 15-month prison sentence last Thursday for contempt of court after he disobeyed an order from judges to appear before an official inquiry investigating corruption allegations against him from his nine-year tenure as president.

Zuma’s supporters reacted furiously to his imprisonment, blockading major roads and calling for a shutdown to demand his release.

The protests have since descended into riots on a scale rarely seen in South Africa, with businesses in every sector looted, burnt and petrol-bombed in cities and towns across KwaZulu-Natal.

Fears of fuel shortages Similar unrest has swept through the economic hub of Gauteng, but KwaZulu-Natal remains the main flashpoint, with the riots reaching, or coming close to, some affluent neighbourhoods, terrifying shop owners and

residents like John.

He said that only two or three shops in his suburb remained open. And this was for only a few hours a day.

“We are stocking up on dry food, and things like potatoes and onions. The shop owner said farms are inaccessible, and there will be no vegetables once his stocks run out,” John added.

His other worry is medication for his chronically ill wife.

“Some of the big pharmaceutical chains have been looted or are closed. I went to a small pharmacy that is still open. I queued for three hours to get medication. Baby food and nappies are in huge demand,” John said.

There are also fears of fuel shortages - something most South Africans have never experienced in their lives.

“At my petrol station, only one pump is open. There are long queues. I have half a tank of petrol left,” John added.

Police say they were overstretched, making it difficult for them to stop looting He does not need much fuel at the moment though, as it is not safe to travel outside his suburb.

Furthermore, some adjacent suburbs have been blocked off by residents who have formed neighbourhood watch groups, or what local media call “defence squads”, to prevent invasions.

“They don’t allow any nonresident in, not even during the

Africa’s Covid deaths up 43% in a week - WHO

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frica has recorded a 43% rise in Covid-19 deaths in the last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.

“This is a clear warning sign that hospitals in the most impacted countries are reaching a breaking point,” the WHO’s Africa director Matshidiso Moeti said.

Many countries lack oxygen,

intensive care units and specialised staff.

Namibia, South Africa, Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia accounted for most deaths, the WHO said.

Medical staff were urged to use the steroid treatment dexamathasone that can help severely ill patients recover faster.

The drug can cut the risk of death by a third for patients on ventilators, and a fifth for those in need of supplemental oxygen.

More than 150,000 Covid-19 deaths have been reported in Africa since the beginning of the pandemic. This accounts for 4% of deaths reported globally.

Nigeria’s Eid horse parades cancelled over security

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elebrations to mark the Muslim festival of Eid ulAdha have been cancelled in two traditional emirates in the northern Nigerian state of Katsina because of security concerns.

This includes the cancellation of their spectacular horse-riding parades known as durbars.

Performed by galloping horsemen, the durbars in the emirates of Daura and Katsina usually attract thousands of spectators from within Nigeria and neighbouring countries.

The horsemen come to pay their respects to local rulers

known as emirsImage caption: The horsemen come to pay their respects to local rulers known as emirs But this is the third year in a row that these festivals will not take place in some areas.

Islamist militancy and last year’s Covid-19 pandemic were the reasons behind previous cancellations.

This year the region has been particularly hard hit by violence linked to armed criminal gangs who frequently carry out kidnappings for ransom as well as killings.

The festivities at the durbars

usually go on for several daysImage caption: The festivities at the durbars usually go on for several days A spokesperson for the Katsina emirate told the BBC that special prayers would be said at palaces for peace and security in Nigeria instead of the large traditional gatherings.

Next week’s Muslim holiday, also known as Eid al-Kabir in Nigeria, usually begins on the last day of the Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Source: BBC

day, so even if I want to, I can’t take a drive there to look for groceries,” John said.

In his suburb, the neighbourhood patrol operates only at night. He has joined it, along with about 25 other men.

“Some have guns, but most of us just carry sticks, pipes and torches. I never thought I’ll ever do this, but we have no choice.

There are no police; no soldiers,” he said.

“We block all intersections with our cars. Some of us will stand there; others will do foot patrols.

“If we get suspicious of someone we’ll tell them to leave, and we’ve had a few instances of unregistered cars. We suspect they had come to survey our area to plan an attack,” John said.

Raising money to help victims In some other Durban neighbourhoods there have been violent confrontations, with large numbers of looters managing to raid shops and some homes before armed residents opened fire, forcing them to retreat. Some were shot.

Local leaders from both communities stepped in to negotiate a “no looting; no shooting” agreement, hoping that this will prevent a further escalation of conflict and help restore stability in a country shaken by the unrest.

On Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered the deployment of soldiers to help police contain the riots, but for many it is too late.

Business owners - some with no insurance - have been left with no income after their shops were ransacked or went up in flames.

Communities in other parts of South Africa have now come together, trying to raise funds to help them rebuild their lives.

But it will be no easy task in a country where the economy - already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic - is in deep crisis.

It has led to fears of further job losses in a nation where more than 32% of the workforce is unemployed - a key factor in the scale of the looting the country has witnessed over the past few days.

Kenya lawyer to face ICC trial for bribing witnesses

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Kenyan lawyer accused of bribing witnesses in a failed International Criminal Court case is to face trial in The Hague.

The court’s pre-trial chamber said there were sufficient grounds to bring a case against Paul Gicheru, who handed himself over last November.

He is accused of systematically bribing and intimidating prosecution witnesses in the case that collapsed in 2016 against Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto.

The politician had denied murder, deportation and persecution charges

during violence that followed the 2007 elections in which about 1,200 people were killed.

The charges against Mr Gicheru relate to eight witnesses.

The lawyer and those working with him are alleged to have identified, contacted and either offered them payment and/or intimidated them to recant their evidence.

Mr Gicheru denies the allegations.

Another case to do with violence following Kenya’s disputed poll in 2007 against current President Uhuru Kenyatta also collapsed.

Women killed in food stampede at Nigerian camp

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t least 10 women, most of whom were either pregnant and/or breastfeeding, have been killed in a stampede in the town of Monguno in north-eastern Nigeria.

The crush occurred when thousands of people in a camp for the people who’ve fled their homes because of the Islamist insurgency rushed to receive food aid.

It was being distributed by the International Committee of the Red Cross, which says it is shocked

and concerned at the loss of life and has offered its support to local health authorities to help treat the wounded.

A security source said people panicked after police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.

More than100,000 displaced people live in Monguno.

Most of them are victims of a decade-long war between Islamist extremist groups and Nigerian security forces.

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Lebanon crisis deepens as PMdesignate quits over cabinet deadlock L ebanon’s Prime Ministerdesignate Saad Hariri has given up trying to form a new government after nine months of deadlock over its makeup, pushing the country deeper into crisis.

Mr Hariri said it was clear that he would not be able to agree on cabinet positions with President Michel Aoun.

The last government resigned in the wake of the massive explosion in Beirut in August that killed 200 people.

Since then, Lebanon’s severe economic depression has got worse.

A currency collapse has caused inflation to skyrocket and left people unable to buy food, while supplies of fuel, electricity and medicine are running short.

The World Bank has blamed the situation on Lebanese politicians being unable to agree on a way forward.

Other countries have refused to provide billions dollars of aid until they form a new government that can implement reforms and tackle corruption.

Mr Hariri was nominated by

Saad Hariri has seen several proposed cabinet line-ups rejected by the president members of parliament to form a new government last October, only a year after he had stepped down as prime minister in the face of mass anti-government protests that were triggered by the start of the country’s economic collapse.

The pro-Western, Sunni Muslim politician promised to quickly agree a cabinet of technocrats, or non-partisan specialists, who would enact reforms.

But Mr Aoun, a Maronite

Christian ally of the Iranbacked militant Shia Hezbollah movement, rejected multiple lineups that he proposed.

Mr Hariri accused the president and his party of trying to dictate appointments to gain veto

power for their allies, while they accused Mr Hariri of seeking to do the same for his own supporters.

On Wednesday, he submitted a new list of 24 technocratic ministers, describing it as “the moment of truth”.

But after a brief meeting on Thursday, he told reporters the president had requested “fundamental” changes he could not accept.

He said he had offered to give the president more time to reconsider, but added: “It is clear we will not be able to agree.”

“That is why I excused myself from forming the government.

May God help the country.”

In a statement, Mr Aoun said: “What is the use of one additional day if the door to discussions was closed.”

He added that he would soon set a date for consultations on a replacement.

Under Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system, the prime minister must be a Sunni, the president a Christian, and the speaker of parliament a Shia.

Melbourne: Australian city enters snap lockdown with 18 cases

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he Australian state of Victoria - home to its second largest city, Melbourne - has begun a snap lockdown after two more local cases of the virus.

The latest outbreak brings the total number of virus cases there to 18.

This is the fifth lockdown for Victoria since the pandemic began and will last until Tuesday.

Melbourne had largely avoided new cases despite an outbreak in neighbouring New South Wales, home to Australia’s largest city, Sydney.

But earlier this week, a team of Sydney furniture movers travelled to Melbourne, leading

This is the fifth lockdown Victoria has experienced since the pandemic began

to a spread in cases.

“You only get one chance to go hard and go fast. If you wait,

if you hesitate, if you doubt, then you will always be looking back wishing you had done more

earlier,” Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews said.

“I am not prepared to avoid a five-day lockdown now,” he added, only to be forced into a much longer one later on.

Residents in the state of 6.6 million people will have to stay home except for food shopping, essential work, exercise and getting vaccinated.

His move means that about 40% of Australia’s population is now under a stay-at-home order.

New South Wales is also in a five-week lockdown which will last until the end of the month.

Sydney now has about 1,000 cases, primarily caused by the highly infectious Delta variant.

Australia has used lockdowns and swift contact tracing to combat the virus when cases have breached its strict border controls.

Only around 12% of Australia’s adult population is fully vaccinated. A lack of supplies, specifically of the Pfizer vaccine, means many will not be able to get a jab until the end of the year.

Vaccine rollout has been affected by widespread hesitancy around the AstraZeneca vaccine, following cases of rare blood clots linked to the jab.

Australia has recorded 911 deaths and more than 31,000 cases of Covid-19 since the pandemic began.

Korindo: Korean palm oil giant stripped of sustainability status

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Korean palm oil giant has been rejected from the world’s leading green certification body in the wake of a BBC investigation.

The BBC had earlier found evidence that the Korindo group had been buying up swathes of Asia’s largest remaining rainforests in the remote Indonesian province of Papua.

A visual analysis suggested that fires had then been deliberately set to these forests, a clear violation of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

The regulator’s tree logo - found on paper products throughout the UK and Europe - is meant to tell consumers the product is sourced from ethical and sustainable companies.

At the time of the BBC’s investigation late last year, the FSC said they would not expel Korindo but were working with the Korean

company to address social and environmental problems.

But now the green body says the relationship has “become untenable” and Korindo’s trademark licenses with FSC will be terminated from October.

“We were not able to verify improvements in Korindo’s social and environmental performance,” Kim Carstensen, FSC international director general said.

He said the decision would “give us clarity and a breath of fresh air while Korindo continues its efforts to improve.”

Korindo groups chief sustainability officer Kwangyul Peck said in a statement that the company was “very shocked by the FSC decision.”

He insists they were following all the steps of “an agreed roadmap of improvements” and said despite their expulsion from the FSC “they remain committed to sustainability

and human rights.”

‘A violation of traditional and human rights’ Korindo controls more land in Papua than any other conglomerate.

The company has cleared nearly 60,000 hectares of forests inside its government-granted concessions an area the size of Chicago or Seoul.

A 2018 report by the FSC into the allegations against Korindo was never published, after legal threats from the company, but the BBC obtained a copy.

The report found “evidence beyond reasonable doubt” that Korindo’s palm oil operation destroyed 30,000 hectares of high conservation forest in breach of FSC regulations and that the company was, “on the balance of probability … supporting the violation of traditional and human rights for its own benefit.”

A visual investigation by the Forensic Architecture group at

Goldsmiths University in London and Greenpeace International, published in conjunction with the BBC, also found evidence that indicated deliberate burning.

Kiki Taufik, head of the Greenpeace Southeast Asia forest campaign said the FSC decision was “better late than never” saying they had “finally come to their senses”.

But he said the Indonesian government continues to “grant companies like Korindo forest concessions, allowing them to violate the rights of indigenous people.”

“It is crucial that buyers and certification bodies don’t keep helping them create a facade of sustainability and transparency,” he said.

After the BBC’s investigation last year, the Indonesian parliament had launched an inquiry into Korindo’s conduct - though the findings have not been made public.

The Korindo group strongly denies starting any fires or involvement in any human rights violations, saying it follows the law.

They also insisted they paid fair compensation to tribes.

Indonesia is the world’s largest exporter of palm oil - found in everything from shampoo to biscuits - and Papua is its newest frontier.

The rich forests in the remote province of Papua had until recently escaped relatively untouched, but the government has rapidly opened the area up to investors, vowing to bring prosperity to one of the poorest regions in the country.

Vast areas of forest have been cleared to make way for row upon row of oil palm trees.

Indonesia’s palm oil exports were worth about $19bn (£14bn) last year, according to data from Gapki, the nation’s palm oil association.

Source: BBC

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

PAGE 25

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THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. ITIVEH DR KINGSLEY OFURIE.......CHAIRMAN 2. OLETU PIUS 3. OVADJE CLIFORD ONOME 4. TOKA EMORE 5. MEETINGS DAVID AKPOJOTOR. 6. AGBELE EFE KINGSLEY. 7. AKPOKINIOVO MAVWE. 8. ORAH STEPHEN ADAM 9. AKPOBOME SAMSON 10. AKPORE NEWMAN M.....SECRETARY THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE : TO DEVELOP AND KEEP SOCIAL CONTACT, PROMOTE AND FOSTER UNITY ANDBROTHERHOOD AMONG MEMBERS; TO HARNESS TALENT AMONG MEMBERS FOR ALL ROUND DEVELOPMENT ANDGROWTH OF MEMBERS; TO WORK WITH OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO DEVELOP OUR ALMA MALTA INPARTICULAR AND THE UROMI COMMUNITY AT LARGE. 4. TO POSITIVELY IMPACT ON THE LIVES OF WIDOWS, ORPHANS AND THE DISABLED.

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SPACE FOR SALE

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

Feature

CLASSIFIED PUBLIC NOTICE

Covid in Namibia: ‘Fifteen of my relatives have died’

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nother six currently are in hospital.

“You do not know whether the world is ending,” says the 42-year-old, who played for Namibia at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.

“You can compare it to a tsunami, you can compare this to a volcano, you can compare it to genocide. I don’t know. It’s like there is poison in the water, and every drop you take might have it, or might not have it.”

Namibia, which has a population of 2.5 million, currently has the world’s highest daily death rate, at 22 per million people, according to Our World in Data. Tunisia has the second worst rate at 13 and Suriname the third at 10.

To help cope with the continuing rise in cases, the government has built makeshift hospitals to accommodate patients. But even with those, health facilities and healthcare workers cannot keep up.

Not only are the number of sick Namibians rising, but so are the number who need to be treated in hospital.

The new isolation centre at the main hospital in the capital, Windhoek, is an unassuming building.

It looks like it was dropped into the middle of the car park.

Oxygen shortage Before they enter the ward, the nurses have to put on full protective equipment, with multiple layers of masks and gloves, and special boots. It takes 15 minutes.

The nurses are constantly going through this procedure so that they are able to monitor the the oxygen levels of patients, most of whom are sleeping or are in a semi-conscious state.

Donnovan Soresbeb says it is emotionally exhausting to see so many patients die Donnovan Soresbeb says this wave has been physically and emotionally exhausting for him and his fellow nurses, adding that it was scary how quickly the condition of a patient could deteriorate.

“You lose patients that were okay a few minutes ago. You turn your back, and then they’re gone,” the nurse tells the BBC. “Some are [staying] so long in hospital, that you kind of give up on them, and it is hard, but you keep hoping for the best.”

Hospitals across Namibia are at capacity and there is not enough oxygen for patients.

Doctors have described having to make decisions “for the greater good”, in which they take

Former Namibian football star Marley Ngarizemo has lost 15 relatives including his father, brother, sister-in-law and an aunt since the third wave of Covid hit the southern African nation last month.

Family, Mr Ngarizemo’s father passed away less than 24 hours after the oxygen was removed” Samantha Granvill, Journalist sick patients off oxygen to save the supply for a patient who is more likely to survive.

Mr Marley’s father was a victim of the lack of oxygen.

When he took a turn for the worse, doctors immediately put him on oxygen. But once his numbers improved, the oxygen was removed.

Less than 24 hours later, Mr Marley’s father had passed away.

Namibia was unprepared for the third wave, due to a perfect storm of government complacency, misinformation regarding vaccines and a deep case of fatigue with measures to control the spread of the virus.

Social media has been flooded with fake posts criticising the safety and efficacy of the vaccines.

Those who do want to get a vaccine, do not know if and when it will be available to them because of shortages, and the government has been changing

its stance on how it should be distributed.

During a sombre address to the nation at the end of June, President Hage Geingob told Namibians that the worst was yet to come.

“Expert projections and simulation tools indicate that the rising incidence curve, during this third wave, is expected to peak around mid-August and may continue well until midSeptember 2021,” he grimly stated while announcing a raft of lockdown measures.

“Only you and I can stop the further spread of this virus from ravaging our homes and communities,” he concluded.

Despite this appeal, many Namibians continue to disregard the rules.

Masks hang off one ear and rarely cover peoples’ mouths and noses.

Food markets, clothing stores,

PAGE 27

and restaurants will chase you down with hand sanitiser when you walk in, but they are not limiting the number of people

who can enter.

Large gatherings of young people are still taking place in public spaces, in breach of regulations that supposedly restrict gatherings to 10.

One group of teenagers who regularly meet up in a Windhoek shopping mall said they were worried about passing on the disease to their elders, but they also want to socialise.

There are signs though that some are beginning to take things more seriously.

For example, initially people in the country’s Herero community, which makes up about 7% of the population, appeared to ignore warnings and continued with big traditional gatherings.

Then as some died, the funerals themselves became super-spreader events. But the recent passing of a paramount chief, Vekuii Rukoro, changed attitudes.

There is fear everywhere, says Herero elder Josua Musuuo.

“The whole nation is dying, this corona is finishing us. All the elderly are dying.

“So, everyone at the village homesteads and all these people sitting here are all in fear, fear of death, they are all waiting to die.”

As for Mr Ngarizemo, he believes that a lot of the deaths in his family could have been avoided had the government introduced tighter restrictions earlier, and communities had taken more personal responsibility.

“Imagine people have survived HIV and now people are just dying by this disease - left, right and centre - and no-one can manage it. It’s really tough, it is frightening.”

Source: BBC

OBA-AKENZUA II SECONDARY SCHOOL OLD STUDENTS ASSOCIATION 2001 SET

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).

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OMNI CARE FOUNDATION

MAKAFIN DALA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HASAPPLIED TO THE CORPORATEAFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC),ABUJAFOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘F’OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, ( CAMA 2020).

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. OGBOMO FRANK OSABUOHIEN- PRESIDENT 2. ORONSAYE ESTHER OYOMWAN 3. IZEDONMWEN PAUL- SECRETARY

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. EKE STEPHEN CHINEDU ....CHAIRMAN 2. MBA CHRISTIANA UDEMMA.....SECRETARY. 3. OKEKE IFEOMA MARYANN

THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE : TO FOSTER PEACE, UNITY AND FRIENDSHIP AMONG MEMBERS.

THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE : HLPING THE LESS PRIVILEGED IN THE SOCIETY EMPOWERMENT FOR YOUTH, MEN AND WOMEN

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 J. E. OBASUYI (MRS.) LEGAL PRACTITIONER 08024729418

PUBLIC NOTICE EGIELEYEMEH CHARITY FOUNDATION

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THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. EGIELEYEMEH BALOGUN SUNDAY 2. BALOGUN SUNDAY STELLA O. 3. OLADIMEJI RICHARD SALEEU THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE : 1. TO USE THE MEDIUM OF CHRISTIAN EVANGELISM TO PROVIDE FOR THE LESS PRIVILEDGED IN THE SOCIETY 2. TO START A CHARITY TO AMELIORATE POVERTY IN THE NATION 3. TO USE THE LOVE OF CHRIST TO BOOST CHARITABLE GIVING AND DONATIONS 4. TO POSITIVELY IMPACT ON THE LIVES OF WIDOWS, ORPHANS AND THE DISABLED. 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.

PUBLIC NOTICE GOVERNMENT COLLEGE UGHELLI OLD BOYS CLASS OF 1982 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. ITIVEH DR KINGSLEY OFURIE.......CHAIRMAN 2. OLETU PIUS 3. OVADJE CLIFORD ONOME 4. TOKA EMORE 5. MEETINGS DAVID AKPOJOTOR. 6. AGBELE EFE KINGSLEY. 7. AKPOKINIOVO MAVWE. 8. ORAH STEPHEN ADAM 9. AKPOBOME SAMSON 10. AKPORE NEWMAN M.....SECRETARY THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE : TO DEVELOP AND KEEP SOCIAL CONTACT, PROMOTE AND FOSTER UNITY ANDBROTHERHOOD AMONG MEMBERS; TO HARNESS TALENT AMONG MEMBERS FOR ALL ROUND DEVELOPMENT ANDGROWTH OF MEMBERS; TO WORK WITH OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO DEVELOP OUR ALMA MALTA INPARTICULAR AND THE UROMI COMMUNITY AT LARGE. 4. TO POSITIVELY IMPACT ON THE LIVES OF WIDOWS, ORPHANS AND THE DISABLED.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFFAGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : SECRETARY.

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HASAPPLIED TO THE CORPORATEAFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC),ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘F’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, ( CAMA 2020).

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1- RABIU LAWAN YA’U Chairman 2- MUHAMMAD LAWAN ABDU Trustee 3- BALARABE DANLAMI Secretary THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSOCIATION ARE : 1- TO POSTER PEACE, UNITYAND UNDERSTANDING AMONG MEMBERS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY AND BEYOND. 2- TO FACILITATE EDUCATIONAL TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILDING FOR ITS MEMBERS. 3- TO ORGANIZE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES OR EVENTS FOR PEOPLE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY AND BEYOND. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATEAFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

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UNIBEN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION CLASS OF 2004

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) REV. AKPEDE OBED OLISADEBE (CHAIRMAN) (2) PASTOR (MRS) OBED JOSEPHINE AKPEDE (3) APOSTLE EDDO SYLVANUS OZIREGBE (4) BISHOP DR. ARIAJEGBE BARTHOLOMEW ODIANOSE (5) REV. DR. ARIBISALA GABRIEL AKIN (6) DR. IFEAKA SUNDAY (SECRETARY) THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE : TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST .

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATEAFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT420,TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : SECRETARY.

PUBLIC NOTICE CARE TO SHARE DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION. 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.Ajayeoba Abiola Oluwafemi.

2.Faluyi Bibitayo Oluwaseun 3.Alatise Folasade Agnes.

4.Olaosun Adedayo Olugbenga 5.Adeoye Bayo Funsho THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE : To care for the less privileged in the society.

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HASAPPLIED TO THE CORPORATEAFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC),ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘F’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, ( CAMA 2020).

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. HART ADONYE ANTHONY- PRESIDENT 2. OGUNKANMI ESEFERUO MOTUNRAYO 3. UMENDU UZOAMAKA LORETTA 4. ENEHIZENA OSATONMWENMU 5. OSUMAH KAYODE OLUYEDE- SECRETARY THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSOCIATION ARE : TO FOSTER PEACE, UNITY AND FRIENDSHIP AMONG MEMBERS. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATEAFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED BY: J. E. OBASUYI (MRS.) LEGAL PRACTITIONER 08024729418

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THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HASAPPLIED TO THE CORPORATEAFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC),ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘F’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, ( CAMA 2020).

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. Dr Chijioke Lawrence Odimuko - Chairman 2 Barr. Okechukwu Ajunwa _ secretary 3. Prof Ajuruchukwu Obi 4. Mr Kingston Ezeugo Chikwendu 5. Prof Chukwuemeka Eze Onukaogu 6. Prof Anthony Ndubueze Nzeako THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSOCIATION ARE : To promote the socio- economic well beingandadvancement of Ohuhu, and Ohuhu sons and daughters ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATEAFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION.

SIGNED : SECRETARY.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATEAFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT420,TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : SECRETARY.

PUBLIC NOTICE

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COMMUNITY OF TRUE WORSHIPPERS

INCORPORATED TRUSTEES OF GOD’S HERITAGE DELIVERANCE MINISTRY.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATEAFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF OLD GIRLS BABALOLA MEMORIAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL, ILESHA THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘F’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, ( CAMA 2020).

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘F’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, ( CAMA 2020).

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1, ADEGBESAN IRENE OLUFUNKE- CHAIRPERSON, 2, EKEADE OLUFUNMILAYO ADEBUKOLA- VICE CHAIRPERSON, 3, ADEBAYO FOLUKE YETUNDE- SECRETARY, 4, ADEOYE CLARA BOLAJI-ASST. GEN SEC, 5, FOLORUNSO JANET OLANIKE- TREASURER, 6, AKINYEMI FLORENCE MOJISOLA-FINANCIAL SECRETARY, 7, JEGEDE GRACE EMIOLA- MATRON, 8, ADESIDA REMILEKUN FUNMILAYO-MATRON

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. OGA ONYETE MOSES - CHAIRMAN 2. OKOH BONIFACE 3. OGA OKONU LOVETH 4. OGAH OTOR SILAS 5. JOSIAH AlAGI OJENYA ESQ - SECRETARY

THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE : FOR THE WELFARE OF ALL GIRLS, LADIES AND WOMEN WHO HAVE ATTENDED THE SCHOOL, BABALOLA MEMORIAL GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL, ILESHA, TO EXECUTE PROJECT FOR THE SCHOOL, COMRADESHIPAND OTHERACTIVITIES FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE SCHOOL, MEMBERS OF THE ASSOCIATION AND THE PUBLIC, ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATEAFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : SECRETARY.

THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE : To preach the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATEAFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT420,TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : SECRETARY.

SIGNED BY: SECRETARY

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HASAPPLIED TO THE CORPORATEAFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC),ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘F’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, ( CAMA 2020).

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. Pastor Ajala Sulami Abiodun (Charman).

2. Oladimeji Sola. Comfort.

3. Taiwo Titus Joel.

4. Titus Taiwo Adebanke.

5. Joseph Ebenezer. Adewale (Secretary).

6. Adigun Toyin Dupe.

7. Oke Ajibola Solomon.

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSOCIATION ARE : TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST .

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATEAFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED BY: SECRETARY

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

CLASSIFIED PUBLIC NOTICE

UMARU

PUBLIC NOTICE

FAMILY CHANGE OF NAMES :

I, FORMERLY KNOWN AS Zahairu Garba, WITH DATE OF BIRTH: 25/11/1978. NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AS Umaru Zahairu Garba WITH DATE OF BIRTH 13/1/1989. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. ALL AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

MACKGRACE LIGHT OF HOPE FOUNDATION.

WE FORMERLY KNOWNANDADDRESSED AS 1. Zaine Omosede Thomas-Iyawe 2. Zephan Esosa Thomas-Iyawe NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS 1. Zaine Omosede Iyawe.

2. Zephan Esosa Iyawe.

RABIATA I, FORMERLY KNOWN AS Hussaini Abdullahi. NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS Rabiata Hussaini. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE. BELLO

The above named Church has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission (C.A.C) for registration in accordance with the provisions of the Companies and Allied Matter Act. 2021.

The Trustees Are: (1) OTE MARK VINCENT. (2) OTE-MARK CHINEMEREM GRACE. The Aims And Objectives: (1) To assist the widows, widowers, orphans, and the less privileged in the society.

Any objection therefore should be addressed to the Registrar-general Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, P.M.B 198, Garki, Abuja within 28 days of this publication

ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. ALL AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

I, FORMERLY KNOWN AS BELLO SAADU. NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS BELLO SAIDU. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

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ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH-SOUTH WASTE PRODUCTS SELLERS

GLORIOUS POWER MISSION INT’L BENIN CITY

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL IBADAN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION (ISIAA). RC: CAC/IT/NO/62198

The above named Church has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission (C.A.C) for registration in accordance with the provisions of the Companies and Allied Matter Act. 2021.

The Trustees Are: (1) Haruna Mohammed - Chairman (2) Abdullahi Yahaya Mohammed Secretar y (3) Dauda A. Yusuf - Member The Aims And Objectives: (1) TO SERVE AS THE REPRESENTATIVE OF MEMBERS BUYING AND SELLING WASTE COMPANY EQUIPMENT, CARBON BLACK, WASTE DIESEL, WASTE EMPTY CARTOONS AND ANY OTHER WASTE PRODUCTS; (2) TO UPHOLD AND ENSURE THE WELFARE OF MEMBERS WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE LAW; AND (3) TO DO ALL OTHER THINGS AS MAY BE CONSIDERED INCIDENTAL OR NECESSARY TO THE ATTAINMENT OF THE OBJECT OF THE ASSOCIATION.

The above named Church has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission (C.A.C) for registration in accordance with the provisions of the Companies and Allied Matter Act. 2021.

The Trustees Are: 1. EHIOGHAE PATRICK ONAIWU- General Overseer 2. EHIOGHAE OMOKHODION- Secretary The Aims And Objectives: TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST ALL OVER THE WORLD. Any objection therefore should be addressed to the Registrar-generalCorporateAffairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, P.M.B 198, Garki, Abuja within 28 days of this publication

Any objection therefore should be addressed to the Registrar-general Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, P.M.B 198, Garki, Abuja within 28 days of this publication SIGNED: SANI, Sa’ad Bunza, ESQ.

Signed by J. E. Obasuyi (Mrs.) Legal Practitioner 08024729418

PUBLIC NOTICE

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EKO SMILE SUPPORT AND EMPOWERMENT INITIATIVE

OLD NAME: MATURED MINDERS INTIATIVE FOR LESS PRIVILEDGE ONES NEW NAME: UNITED FRIENDS FOR CHILDREN IN AFRICA

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. Blessing Eko Sunday: President 2. Jacob Alaje; Vice President 3.Francisca Ohame Lucky; Treasurer 4. Gabriel Alaje; Secretary 5. Anna Sunday THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE : 1. To alleviate the Socio economic conditions of low income families through establishment of permanent centers for training, assisting women and girls through vocational training, seminars and conferences.

2. To organize workshops, to mobilize and encourage the elderly regarding sustainable livelihood means. To also provide information about local health care services to the aged in the society.

3. To create awareness in the society about the adverse effect of drug abuse through seminars, meetings, training workshops, publication of magazines, stickers, posters, articles and other relevant materials.

4. Catering for the poor/weak especially in the rural area by providing them with essential needs.

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

PUBLIC NOTICE

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BASACOND CHARITY FOUNDATION

RETAINED RETAINED RETAINED RETAINED REMOVED REMOVED REMOVED APPOINTED APPOINTED APPOINTED APPOINTED

FATHER BRUNO FOUNDATION

The general public is hereby notified that the above named Foundation hasapplied to the CorporateAffairs Commission, Abuja for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act No. 1 of 2020

The general public is hereby inform that the above named hasapplied to CorporateAffairs Commission for the registration under part ‘C’of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2004

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.ADENIRAN RASAQ ADEWOLE CHAIRMAN 2.ADEKUNLE – ADENIRAN HALIMAT ADEYANJU SECRETARY 3. ADENIRAN MIKHAIL ADEGOKE 4. ADENIRAN SODIQ DEJI 5. ADENIRAN ABIDAT ADEWUNMI

TRUSTEES: 1. BRUNO TONY - CHAIRMAN 2. EPHRAIM, MALACHY EDET -secretary 3. ISHAMALI ISAAC- trustee 4. OKEH COLUMBUS AZABEYE - trustee

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES a. TO CARE FOR THE NEEDY AND EMPOWER AND YOUTHS IN THE SOCIETY b.TO ERADICATE POVERTY IN THE LIVES OF CHILDREN Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Maitama,Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED SECRETARY

Objectives TO ENGAGE IN CATHOLIC SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES Any Objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General,Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi ironsi Street,Maitama,Abuja,within 28 days of this publication SIGNED: SECRETARY*

REMOVED TRUSTEES. (1) MR. JAIYE DOHERTY (2) MRS GBEMI SOYEMI -BEECROFT (3) MRS ANNETTE FISHER (4) MR. YEMI SOYIBO (5) DR (MRS) ENITAN-IDOWU (6) MR. TANI MOLAJO (7) MR. DAYO JOHNSON APPOINTED TRUSTEES. (1) MR. OSHIN OLUWOLE BANKOLE (2) MR.OTUYALO AYOOLA (3) MS.SOFEKUN OREOLUWA ABIMBOLA (4) MR.OGUNBAYO IBIKUNLE STEPHEN (5) MR.SOTIRE OLUWOLE OLUMIDE (6) MR.OLOKO AKINTAYO OLANREWAJU AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSOCIATION REMAIN THE SAME Any objection to the appointment of these Trustees and Executives 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

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES REMAIN THE SAME Any objection thereto should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama Abuja, within 28 days of this Publication.

SIGNED SECRETARY

This is to inform the general public that the above named Association has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission under ‘Part F’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020 that the following persons be appointed as Trustees and Executives of the Association:

SIGNED: SECRETARY

The general public is hereby notified that the above named initiative has applied to Corporate Affairs Commission for change of name under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters act no. 1 of 1990.

OLD TRUSTEES ARE 1. OLUDARE OLATUNJI HANSON 2. BALOGUN JULIANA OLUBUNMI 3. EVANS TOMIWA OKE 4. OLUBISI ADEBAYO ATUNBA 5. FERNANDEZ ADEBISI AJOKE 6. OLUFEMI ABIODUN ILORI 7. LADIPO BUKOLA

NEW TRUSTEES ARE 1. JAMG.BADE BOLANLE M. 2. OFUYA PAT OTI 3. SANUSI HAKEEM OLODADE 4. AKPEYERE AJIRIOGHENE HELEN 5. OGUNADE ADEBOWALE ADEWUNMI APPOINTED

SIGNED : SECRETARY

UGBOSHI-ELE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE The general public is hereby notified that the above named Ministry has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act No. 1 of 2020 THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. AKOGUN ALEX 2. OJIWEH IDOWU MANSION - 3. OTODO TIMOTHY AWON-UKE

CHAIRMAN

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES a. TO PROMOTE SOCIAL WALFARE @ BENEFIT FOR ITS MEMBERS Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED: SECRETARY ADESINA BERNARD OLURUNFEMI

PUBLIC NOTICE

BERGER GATE MASJID MPAPE

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. ALIYU IBRAHIM (CHAIRMAN) 2. ISMAILA ABDUL AKEEM (SECRETARY) 3. OSSAI MUHAMMED FRIDAY (TRUSTEE) THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : 1. TO WORSHIP ALLAH. 2. TO PROMOTE AND PROPAGATE THE TRUE TEACHING OF ISLAM. 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.

Sports

PEOPLES DAILY

PAGE 28

FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

Page

29

sports@peoplesdailyng.com, SMS- 08142929046

Super Falcons storm Austria to prepare for Aisha Buhari tourney

By Albert Akota

A

contingent of nine –time African champions Nigeria has arrived in the Austrian capital, Vienna for an 8-day training camp as part of intense preparations for some upcoming challenges, most notably the Aisha Buhari Invitational Women’s Football Tournament.

The City of Lagos will host the six-nation invitational that will see the Super Falcons, Ghana’s Black Queens, Cameroon’s Indomitable Lionesses, Banyana Banyana of South Africa, Morocco and Mali tango in a celebratory atmosphere in the month of September for a glittering trophy named in honour of Nigeria’s First Lady, Dr (Mrs) Aisha Buhari.

A total of 26 players, alongside technical and administrative staff, are ensconced at the Event Hotel Pyramide Vienna for the purpose of total concentration as Coach Randy Waldrum seeks to harness the different qualities and abilities of individual players to conflate a better and stronger team.

New faces have continued to emerge in the camp of the Super Falcons as Coach Waldrum’s roving lenses have been picking up Nigeria-eligible dames from across the globe to strengthen the squad. Before the Summer Series tour of the United States of America in June, where the Falcons drew with Portugal and lost narrowly to Jamaica and hosts USWNT, few Nigerian ball fans had heard of Yewande Balogun, Onyinyechi Zogg, Nicole Payne and Michelle Alozie. But they formed part of a group that bonded fabulously with foreign-based and home-based professionals and presaged an interesting future for the Falcons.

Nigeria is in the Club of only seven countries that have qualified for and participated at every edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals since the competition was launched in 1991, and has also featured in three Olympic Games.

Waldrum has unearthed even more prospects as the Ijeh sisters (Josephine and Evelyn), Megan Ashleigh and Ninuola Dada are part of the training camp in Austria, even as England – based forward Ini-Abasi Umotong makes a return to the fold of the perennial African champions.

The camp in Austria is the third gathering that the Nigeria Football Federation has arranged for the Super Falcons this year,

Desire Oparanozie following an interesting threewins-out-three account at the Turkish Women’s Cup in Antalya in February and the Summer Series in the USA last month.

First –choice goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, defender Osinachi Ohale, midfield impresario Ngozi OkobiOkeoghene and forward Uchenna Kanu, who all missed the tour of USA for one reason or the other, are in Austria. There is also a return for former captain Desire Oparanozie as well as fellow forward Ebere Orji.

The countdown to the Aisha Buhari Invitational Women’s Tournament has already started with the Super Falcons insisting the trophy will surely remain in Nigeria after the one-week event.

The Falcons have won all but two of the 11 editions of the Women AFCON held since the first edition in 1998.

South Africa’s Banyana Banyana have played in every

single edition of the Women AFCON as well, and have also played in two Olympics.

The Banyana were the runners-up to the Falcons in the last edition of the Women AFCON in Ghana in 2018.

Ghana’s Black Queens have played in 10 out of the 11 editions of the Women AFCON, and have also played at three (3) editions of the FIFA World Cup. The Queens were runners-up to the Falcons in the inaugural edition of the Women AFCON in Nigeria in 1998. Cameroon’s Lionesses lost by a lone goal to Nigeria in the final of the 2016 Women AFCON inside the Stade Ahmadu Ahidjo in Yaounde.

They have also participated in every edition of the Women AFCON and also played at two FIFA Women’s World Cup editions, including a secondround berth.

Mali have played at seven (7) editions of the Women AFCON and are considered a very strong

team in the WAFU A region.

Morocco is one of the strongest teams in the North African region and the girls have featured at two editions of the Women AFCON. SUPER FALCONS IN AUSTRIA Goalkeepers: Tochukwu Oluehi (CD Pozoalbense, Spain); Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC, France); Patience Okeke (Bayelsa Queens); Yewande Balogun (California Storm, USA) Defenders: Glory Ogbonna (Edo Queens); Osinachi Ohale (Madrid CFF,Spain); Esther Ogbonna (Edo Queens); Chidinma Okeke (Madrid CFF, Spain); Onyinyechi Zogg (FC Zurich, Switzerland); Nicole Payne (West Virginia University, USA); Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash Reserves, USA); Megan Ashleigh (Leicester City, England); Josephine Ijeh (BK Hacken, Sweden)

Midfielders: Rita Chikwelu (Madrid CFF, Spain); Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene (Eskilstuna United, Sweden); Toni Payne (Sevilla FC, Spain); Mowaninuola Dada (Watford FC, England) Forwards: Rasheedat Ajibade (Atletico Madrid, Spain); Francisca Ordega (Levante UD, Spain); Gift Monday (FC Robo Queens); Joy Bokiri (Bayelsa Queens); Uchenna Kanu (Linkopings FC, Sweden); Ebere Orji (Sundsvall DFF, Sweden); Ini-Abasi Umotong (Lewes FC, England); Evelyn Ijeh (BK Hacken, Sweden); Desire Oparanozie (FC Dijon, France) AITEO Cup: Women’s Semi Finals FC Robo Queens Vs Edo Queens (Akure) – 18 July (3pm) Bayelsa Queens Vs Bright Future/Rivers Angels (Uyo) – 18 July (3pm)

PAGE 30

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Aiteo Cup: Gateway Utd. Bundle Wikki Tourists Out, Reach Quarterfinals

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t was another moment to savour as Gateway United defeated Nigeria Professional Football League side, Wikki Tourist 4-3 on penalties after regulation time had ended goalless to advance to the last 8 of the 2021 Aiteo Cup. In an encounter largely dominated by the NIgeria National League side, the team started on a positive note as Haruna Salifu was brought down in the area when fed by Julius Ikechukwu.

Michael Okolo tried his luck from way out but ball went off target in the 8th minute of play.

Ikechukwu Julius had another missed opportunity when he cut in from his left, wriggled his way past the Wikki defence but saw his curler go agonisingly wide.

Yet again, in the 39th min, our no.9 Haruna Salifu was through on goal, hit a first time ball which goalkeeper parried to him, only to see his effort saved at the second time of asking.

With five minutes before the break, Sunkanmi Odusina ran his way into the left channel but saw his effort inches away from goal as the first half ended goalless.

On the hour mark, Wikki Tourist were reduced to 10 men, Salisu Adamu was sent off for a second bookable offense after impeding Julius Ikechukwu.

It went into the luxury of penalties, and despite starting with a miss from Abawula Anthony, the Gateway team was able to triumph 4-3 after Wikki Tourists goalkeeper had his penalty saved by Ibukun Araromi with Ebuka Okeke, Seyi Okeowo, Sanni Jamiu and Oronsanye James scoring their spot kicks.

Gateway Utd have now equalled its best run of a last 8 finish in 2014 and will now play Bayelsa Utd in the quarterfinal, in a soon to be communicated venue and date.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

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t

After USA, Argentina Heroics, Australia Cages Roaring D’Tigers

By Amaechi Agbo

A

fter two high profile victories against World number 1 and 4 ranked USA and Argentina in preOlympic warm up matches, Nigeria’s D’Tigers were Wednesday handed a reality check as they lost to Boomers of Australia, The Coach Mike Brown tutored side seemed to have lost ideas and steam as they were overran by the Australians by a score of 108 to 69.

Just a day after dealing with Team USA in convincing fashion, the Australian team made easy work of a hyped Nigeria outfit in a thumping 108-69 win.

The Boomers started dominating from the 1st quarter, leading by as many as 13 points, they took the momentum to the second-half scoring 26 points to Nigeria’s 16.

Chris Goulding for Australia did not loose-guard, scoring 100% 3’s 7/7 from the bench.

All of his 21 points came from downtown, accompanying that with 4 assists and 3 rebounds.

The veteran savvy of Patty Mills, Joe Ingles, Matthew Dellavedova and Aron Baynes was replaced by a young, athletic starting five as the Boomers chose to sit their stars, keeping their cards close to their chest against the D’Tigers, who will be in their group at the Tokyo Olympics.

Nigeria, filled with NBA talents, had rattled off impressive wins against the United States and Argentina, leaning on their athleticism and shooting, but were

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THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. IBRAHIM ABUBAKAR 2. ABDULLAHI MAGAJI 3. ABUBAKAR AHMED 4. BAGUDU MUSA BAURA 5. SHEHU ABUBAKAR MALAMI GWANDU THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE : • TO RENDER HUMANITARIAN SERVICES • TO GIVE HOPE TO THE NEEDY AND SUCCOR TO THE AFFLICTED BY TAKING CARE OF ORPHANS, EMPOWERING THEMAT THEIR MATURITYAND PROVIDING FOR THE NEEDY WITH BOTH MATERIAL AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. 5TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN THE WESTERN AND ARABIC EDUCATION. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATEAFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED BY SECRETARY

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THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1.POGOSON Anthonia MRS EMIKE - CHAIRMAN 2.POGOSON PAUL IKHIDE 3.JIMOH MUNIRAT

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ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATEAFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : SECRETARY.

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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.AJAYI OJO HENRY 2.AJAYI ADEDOYIN ELIZABETH.

Australia and D’Tigers players during the friendly on Wednesday

outplayed on Wednesday.

Nigeria had proved too much for Team USA and Argentina, running and gunning, and importantly winning the battle on the boards. Mike Brown’s team outrebounded the United States by 12 and the Argentinians by 18. Against Australia, they were bested on the glass, and every other facet of the game.

“For us tonight, we thought we were going to be able to walk in here and take it to these guys,” Brown said after one quarter against the Boomers.

“But these guys can play.”

The Boomers had a 4929 lead at the break. And it only got worse after halftime, with any chance of a Nigerian second half comeback

immediately put to bed as Landale and Exum sunk back-to-back threes to extend Australia’s lead to 26 points.

At times it felt like Australia, who are undefeated in Las Vegas as they prepare for the Olympics, couldn’t miss as they sunk 18 threes on just 29 attempts, while nullifying the Nigerians on the other end.

Nigeria had 90 points against the United States. They scored 94 against Argentina.

The Australians, who tallied 10 steals and four blocks, held them to just 69 in a display that sent a statement to its rivals.

If we know what the past and current Boomers look like, this was a little peak at what they might become; long,

multidimensional athletes — like Landale, Thybulle, Green, Exum and Giddey — giving Australia a new edge against Nigeria, who had looked unstoppable before they ran into the Goorjian’s team.

The Boomers will play their final exhibition game in Las Vegas in a rematch against Team USA on Saturday.

Nigeria, with two wins and a loss in their warm-up games will now shift attention to the Olympic Games which commences on Friday next week.

Nigeria will again face Australia on July 25 in the opening day of the Tokyo Olympics Basketball event.

The match will hold at the City, Arena, Tokyo.

I, formerly known as Morah Joshua CHUKWUJIMAKA now wish to be known and addressed as IMorah Joshua CHUKWUEMEKA. All former document remain valid. Authorities concerned and the general public should please take note. blessing I Formerly known as Blessing Okang Ekpo, Now wish to be known and addressed as Blessing Louis Anicho. All credentials & documents bearing my former name remain valid. General public should please take note.

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THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : 1.To propagate the gospel of Jesus Christ.

2.To preach the words of the God. 3.To render out humanitarian to the needy.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : SECRETARY.

PUBLIC NOTICE PETER CARR EMPOWERMENT FOUNDATION 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. HEKEREM NYECHE KHEN – Chairman 2. WONODI OMODU 3. UCHENNA-ONYECHE ADANMA CHISANUM - Secretary THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : 1. To organize and sponsor free entrepreneur trainings and skills acquisition programs for orphans, youths and members of the Foundation.

2. To organize community development programs by generating relationships aimed at fostering human and community development in rural communities.

3. To provide targeted interventions for communities with environmental problems or instability during emergency and/or in need of relief materials.

4. To champion children and youths literacy through book donation, scholarship programsandadvocacy while fosteringattitudinal changeamong young people through value reorientationand mindset development programs and seminars.

5. To organize programs, seminars and skill acquisition training in order to alleviate poverty while working with any other organization with similar objectives.

6. To organize community empowerment networks with microand small business owners in order to provide support for members through free business advice, grants and community support while working with other organization.

7. To initiateand organize welfare packagesand support programs for widows, orphans and youths.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_ GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : SECRETARY.

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imorah

GROWING SEED OF HOPE CHARITY & AGRIC FOUNDATION

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THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : 1.TO SUPPORT AND HELP THE DESTITUTE,THE POOR, THE NEEDY, AND ORPHANS WITHOUT FAMILY SUPPORT TO BE INVOLVED INACTIVITIES LEADING TO THE ALLEVIATION OF POVERTY OF IDENTIFIED COMMUNITIES. 2.TO PROMOTE UNITY, PEACE, LOVE AND POSITIVE VALUE AND GOOD MORAL LIFESTYLE AMONG THE MEMBERS. 3.TO EMPOWER VULNERABLE WOMEN AND ORPHANS IN THE COMMUNITY THROUGH SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME.

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

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.OYEKAN MODUPE RACHEL--CHAIRMAN 2.OMOKE EMMANUEL NWANNE--SECRETARY 3.OMOKE ESTHER OGOMA 4.PETZ DARRYL VAUGHN 5.BARRY VAN KOEHLER THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE : 1.TO HELP THE YOUTHS ACTUALIZE THEIR DREAMS THROUGH AGRICULTURE. 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.

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE OF NASARAWA STATE OF NIGERIA IN THE PROBATE DIVISION WHEREAS the person whose name is set out in the first column hereunder died intestate on the date place stated in the said in the column.

AND WHEREAS the person(s) whose name (s) and address(s) and relation(s) to the deceased are set out in the second column hereto has/have applied to the High Court of Justice, Nasarawa State for the grant of Letters of Administration of the Real and personal properties/estate of the said deceased.

NOTICE: IS HEREBY GIVEN that Letter of Administration (without will)will be granted to such applicant/applicants unless a “NOTICE TO PROHIBIT” the grant is file in this Registry within Twenty- One (21) days from the date hereof.

S/N

NAME OF DECEASED PERSON

1.

Alako Baba Benjamin late of Doma, Died on the 22nd day of March, 2021 at Lafia 2. Mohammed Nasiru A. late of Nassarawa Eggon, Died on the 1st day of May, 2021 at Nassarawa Eggon 3. Waziri Joseph late of Akwanga Died on the 22nd day of March, 2021 at Akwanga 4. Nuhu E. K. Agbo late of Nasarawa, Died on the 12th day of September, 2020 at Nasarawa 5. Anzole Jatau Ombugus late of Yelwa, Doma, Died on the 3rd day of October, 2017 at Doma 6. Arigu Lawal Insp. late of Akwanga, Died on the 20th day of August, 2011 at Akwanga 7. Abo Eka late of Adamu Agyo, Died on the 17th day of August, 2015 at Adamu Agyo 8. Instifanus Taro late of Keffi, Died on the 1st day of January, 2021 at Makurdi 9. Zaki Emmanuel late of Akwanga, Died on the 29th day of October, 2020 at Akwanga 10. Insp. Shamaki Friday late of Sabon-gida, Died on the 8th day of April, 2021 at Garaku 11. Azemgba Grace Nguwasen late of Akwanga, Died on the 19th day of January, 2021 at Akwanga 12. Mohammed Aishatu Akwe late of Doma, Died on the 27th day of March, 2021 at Doma 13. Anthony Bitrus Olando late of Akwanga, Died on the 29h day of November, 2019 at Akwanga 14. Saidu Maryam late of Azara, Died on the 28th day of June, 2020 at Lafia 15. Ahmadu Bala late of Lafia, Died on the 20th day of April, 2021 at Lafia 16. Sabo Haris Lamba late of Gunduma, Died on the 31st day of December, 2020 at Keffi 17. Isiaka Mohammed Tanko late of Shfan Kwato, Died on the 11th day of February, 2021 at Toto 18. Gloria Adu late of Karu, Died on the 1st day of March, 2017 at Abuja 19. Adamu Yohanna Danjuma late of Lafia, Died on the 8th day of November, 2020 at Lafia 20. Bongnim Clapperton late of Lafia, Died on the 12th day of November, 2019 at Jos 21. Kwendus Monica late of Keffi, Died on the 25th day of February, 2021 at Keffi 22. Alawo Augustine late of Akaleku Died on the 25th day of November, 2020 at Lafia 23. Chukwu Evelyn late of Karu, Died on the 24th day of June, 2017 at Abuja 24. Usman Danladi late of Akwanga, Died on the 23rd day of March, 2021 at Akwanga 25. Ahmed Liman Idris late of Toto, Died on the 19th day of August, 2019 at Toto 26. Embugu Joseph Audu late of Lafia, Died on the 20th day of May, 2021 at Lafia 27. Isa Zakari late of Shabu Died on the 28th day of July, 2019 at Lafia 28. Mohammed Khadijat late of Lafia, Died on the 16 day of March, 2021 at Lafia 29. Ishaya Dauda Grace late of Karu, Died on the 4th day of June, 2014 at Keffi 30. Adokawu Joseph late of Akwanga, Died on the 28th day of February, 2021 at Akwanga 31. Namo Yohanna Kokona late of Lafia, Died on the 15th day of February, 20217 at Lafia 32. Yahaya Sani late of Keffi, Died on the 22nd day of March, 2021 at Keffi 33. Akuhe Dennis late of Gandu Sarki, Died on the 18th day of January, 2021at Lafia 34. Akawu Roko late of Nasarawa, Died on the 10th day of March, 2021 at Keffi 35. Zhera Gindo late of Lafia, Died on the 18th day of December, 2020 at Lafia 36. Sunday Mercy Ayuiki late of Lafia, Died on the 7th day of June, 2021 at Kano 37. Habiba Musa Pele late of Doma, Died on the 12th day of March, 2021 at Doma 38. Benjamin Jatto late of Aricha, Died on the 20th day of August, 2010 at Akwanga 39. Ango Dauda Sule late of Keffi, Died on the 16th day of October, 2020 at Keffi 40. Edward Daniel late of Lafia, Died on the 19th day of February, 2021 at Akwanga 41. Peter Akpomoshi late of Akwanga Died on the 19th day of January, 2021 at Akwanga 42. Labaran Bakuwa late of Nasarawa, Died on the 6th day of January, 2021 at Nasarawa 43. Abdulrahman Mu’azu late of Wamba, Died on the 2nd day of April, 2021 at Jos 44. Godwin Agyas Usman late of Agwade, Died on the 10th day of September, 2020 at Lafia 45. Okposhi Usman late of Lafia, Died on the 13th day of January, 2021 at Lafia 46. Mu’azu Usman Bichi late of Mararaban Gurku, Died on the 25th day of May, 2021 at Mararaban Gurku 47. Kasimu Inusa late of Akwanga, Died on the 13th day of June, 2021 at Akwanga 48. Muhammed Hauwa Galadima late of Obi, Died on the 6th day of December, 2011 at Doma 49. Obagwu Otene late of Lafia, Died on the 23rd day of October, 2016 at Lafia 50. Muhammad Bahago Ali late of Lafia, Died on the 29th day of January, 2021 at Doma 51. Angbane Danladi Akawu late of Shabu, Died on the 24th day of May, 2020 at Lafia 52. Muhammed Yakubu late of Abuni, Awe, Died on the 14th day of May, 2021 at Awe

NAME(S) AND ADDRESS (ES) OF APPLICANT(S) Akponzu Josephine Samuel of Doma the lawful Widow of the said deceased.

Mohammed Nurudeen of Nassarawa Eggon the lawful Son of the said deceased Bege Happiness of Akwanga lawful Widow of the said deceased.

Ewa Caleb of Nasarawa the lawful Son of the said deceased Jatau Hosea Ombugus of Yelwa, Doma the lawful Son of the said deceased Arigu Ovye Nathaniel of Nassarawa Eggon the lawful Son of the said deceased Joshua Alexander of Adamu Agyo, Assakio the lawful Son of the said deceased.

Istifanus Musa of Keffi the lawful Son of the said deceased Arin Esther of Akwanga the lawful Widow of the said deceased.

Shamaki Gazzy of Sabon-gida the lawful Son of the said deceased Azemgba Tersoo Daniel of Gboko the lawful Brother of the said deceased Akwe Ahmed Mohammed of Doma the lawful Widower of the said deceased.

Bitrus Mouris of Akwanga the lawful Widow of the said deceased.

Umar Kaltume Azores of Lafia the lawful Daughter of the said deceased Ahmadu Bala & Ahmadu Abdullahi Zakari both of Lafia the lawful Son & Brother of the said deceased respectively.

Lamba Bathsheba Beauty of Gunduma the lawful Daughter of the said deceased.

Adamu Muhammadu Bako Shafa of Shafan Kwato the lawful Brother of the said deceased Obeka Samuel Amegwa of Karu the lawful Widower of the said deceased Agowa Danjambull Agowa of Jos the lawful Brother of the said deceased Bongnim Ponfa Clapperton of Langtang the lawful Son of the said deceased Kwendus Emmanuel of Keffi the lawful Son of the said deceased.

Alawo Isaac of Lafia the lawful Son of the said deceased Chukwu Moses Okechukwu & Ameechi Sylvester Okolo both of Karu the lawful Brother & Widower of the said deceased respectively.

Philip Christiana of Akwanga the lawful Widow of the said deceased.

Idris Ahmed Othman of Toto the lawful Son of the said deceased.

Embugu Daniel Joseph of Lafia the lawful Son of the said deceased Garba Hadiza Zakaria & Isa Umar both of Shabu the lawful Widow & Brother of the said deceased respectively.

Aliyu Musa Dogara of Lafia the lawful Widower of the said deceased Ishaya Dauda of Lafia the lawful Widow of the said deceased Joseph Grace & Joseph Joy both of Akwanga the lawful Widow & Daughter of the said deceased respectively.

Namo Jerry Yohanna of Lafia the lawful Son of the said deceased Umar Yakubu of Keffi the lawful Brother of the said deceased.

Dennis Samuel King & Solomon Dennis both of Gandu Sarki the lawful Sons of the said deceased.

Roko Sunday of Nasarawa the lawful Son of the said deceased Gbotu G. Candid of Lafia the lawful Son of the said deceased Sunday Patricia Ana of Lafia the lawful Mother of the said deceased Mohammed Musa Agabi of Doma the lawful Widower of the said deceased Adams Benjamin Meshi of Aricha the lawful Son of the said deceased Dauda Adamu & Yusuf Dauda both of Keffi the lawful Sons of the said deceased.

Numore Josephine Akatsa of Lafia the lawful Widow of the said deceased Eggah Peter of Akwanga the lawful Son of the said deceased Idris Labaran of Nasarawa the lawful Son of the said deceased.

Abdulrahman Shafa’atu of Abuja the lawful Daughter of the said deceased Godwin Habila Agyas of Agwade the lawful Son of the said deceased.

Okposhi Ahmed of Lafia the lawful Son of the said deceased Ibrahim Fatima Sarki of Mararaban Gurku the lawful Widow of the said deceased.

Mamuda Kasimu of Akwanga the lawful Son of the said deceased.

Galadima Yakubu Nahauwa of Lafia the lawful Son of the said deceased Ose Veronica Andrew of Lafia the lawful Widow of the said deceased.

Yusuf Mohammed of Mama, Wamba the lawful Brother of the said deceased.

Angbane Benjamin Akawu & Akawu Linda both of Sabon Pegi the lawful Son & Daughter of the said deceased respectively.

Yakubu Rabi, Yakubu Rabi And Dauda Maimuna all of Abuni the lawful Widows & Daughter of the said deceased respectively.

REPUBLICATION Chukwuemeka Ngozi Joy late of Keffi Died on the 30th day of April, 2020 Okebulachi Emeka & Chukwuemeka Blessed Arinze both of Keffi the lawful at Abuja Widower & Son of the said deceased respectively.

2. Musa Ikpobse late of Obi, Died on the 6th day of March, 2020 at Awe Ikpobose Abdulrahman Musa & Ikpobose Jamila Musa both of Obi the lawful Son & Daughter of the said deceased respectively.

1.

(Esther M. Ejeh Esq.) PROBATE REGISTRAR, NASARAWA STATE OF NIGERIA, LAFIA.

. . . putting the people first

FRIDAY, july 16, 2021

SPORTS latest

Messi agrees new 5-year contract with Barcelona on pay cut

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ix-time Ballon d’Or winner, Lionel Messi has agreed a reduce pay cut to stay at FC Barcelona on a deal until 2026 that includes reducing his wages to half of his previous salary.

The announcement is dependent on player departures that will allow Barca to fund the Argentina captain’s wages.

Messi, 34, was a free agent after his contract - that reportedly paid him £123m a season - expired on 30 June.

He is on holiday after winning the Copa America and the finer details of the contract are yet to be finalised.

Re-signing Messi was the principal summer target of new chairman Joan Laporta.

Barca are also looking at a swap deal involving forward Antoine Griezmann and Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez, with the idea of reducing the wage bill.

Fringe players such as Junior Firpo, Jean-Clair Todibo and Carles Alena have already been sold to free up budget but other big-name departures will also need to take place.

Messi had been linked with moves to Paris St-Germain and Manchester City, where he would be reunited with his former boss at Barcelona Pep Guardiola, as well as America’s Major League Soccer, which he has previously considered experiencing.

Messi is Barcelona’s record scorer with 672 goals and has won 10 La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues, seven Copa del Reys as well as claiming the Ballon d’Or on a record six occasions.

Taye Taiwo and Oduamadi

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Keeping Nigeria together and the media’s dilemma Guest columnist T he media naturally should serve only the public interest. What determines ‘’public interest’’ may be amorphous, but safety and security are principal elements of communal interest. The security of the nation and its people can be said to be a staple of shared interests.

Therefore, national interest is a subset of public interest.

To serve the public interest is to preserve the nation’s interest and security.

Nigeria’s constitution delineates the place of the media in the country.

Section 22, chapter 2 of the canon says: ‘’The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people.’’

Also, section 24 says: ‘’It shall be the duty of every citizen to - (a) abide by this constitution, respect its ideals and its institutions, the national flag, the national anthem, the national pledge, and legitimate authorities; (b) help to enhance the power, prestige and good name of Nigeria, defend Nigeria...’’

It is clear here that as media practitioners and citizens our duty is to the country and its people – ‘’holding the government to account and enhancing the power, prestige and good name of Nigeria’’.

Service to Nigeria is not a favour or obeisance to the government. Government will come and go, but Nigeria remains. Service to Nigeria is a duty to its people. Love for country is not lust for government, and loyalty to country is not servitude to government.

Are we really doing our

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By Fredrick Nwabufo

bounden duty as citizens and as seekers and keepers of the truth?

The Nigerian media is one that is somewhat politically governed. Some media organisations are owned by politicallyexposed persons who are in different political parties.

These media organisations are sometimes deployed to fight political battles, compromising the sanctity of information. Whose interest will these agencies naturally serve, their patron’s or Nigeria’s? This is the dilemma.

I shudder when I hear the statements of some political leaders and self-canonised activists – utterances belched from the bowels of prejudice and malice. But I am distressed when I find these blighted comments, which are capable of inciting violence, on the front pages or top corners of news publications.

Everyone deserves to be heard, but can we modulate the outcome and concomitants of a potentially combustible statement? Is not judicious to control it from the source?

I recall the statements of Sunday Igboho which set off attacks on the Fulani in Igangan, Oyo state. These statements were given prominence in the media and Igboho was reported as an ‘’activist and youth leader’’ by a section of the media, ignoring his antecedents, and the precedent of his actions.

cannot defeat insecurity without the ‘’national force’’ – which comprises the civil population. As Barack Obama said: “We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we have set.

We have got to have civilian national security force that is just as powerful, just as strong.’’ Nigeria’s unity is under threat as well its peace. It is the responsibility of every citizen to defend it.

It is in commitment to my purpose and belief that I have convened an ideological group, ‘Journalists for United Nigeria (JUN)’; a thinkfactory for idealists who trust in the possibilities of a greater Nigeria. Nigeria can be better.

At this tempestuous moment, citizens need to rise up and pull our nosediving country from a plunge to certain death.

With great power, comes great responsibility.

Nigeria is ours to salvage.

More Nigerian journalists and citizens are welcome to join me on this cause.

I understand the argument that the comments would have rippled on social media, regardless of whether it was published by the popular media. But the media as an agency of truth adds legitimacy to whatever is said. By reporting ‘’hate speech’’, the media cannot insulate itself from the collateral impact of bigotry.

Personally, I am of the view that voices of discord and anarchy should be muted. In the West, people who make homophobic, racist and sexist comments are de-platformed – shut out of the media. But why do we here give our platforms to anarchists and bigots?

Also, there seems to be a preponderance of negative news. This is understandable considering its ‘’market value’’. But as By Fredrick ‘Mr John Momoh, Channels TV OneNigeria’ Nwabufo CEO, advised in a paper he Twitter and Instagram delivered at the National @FredrickNwabufo Defence College in 2016: “The media should avoid getting carried away by overstating negative news while under reporting Senate bars INEC from electronic transmission of positive developments’’. election results In all, we cannot have a peaceful and secure country if we are remiss in our responsibility as gatekeepers. That Nigeria is still a going venture is largely because of the commitment of the media to the country’s unity.

We need to bond our voices as professionals for a united and progressive country. The military force Back to square one

DAN GAYE Dangai

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