Thursday, June 25, 2020 Edition

Thursday, June 25, 2020/ Zhul Qada 3, 1441 AH

Vol. 34 No. 052

2263 Days after

Military kills several bandits’ in Katsina, Zamfara air strike >>>page 3

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The nation awaits rescue of the remaining abducted Chibok schoolgirls

Edo guber primary: 2, 229 delegates to elect PDP flag bearer >>>page 5

Presidency, APC NWC on collision, as NEC meeting turns controversial >>page 5

Buhari backs Giadom, set to attend NEC meeting The NEC meeting is illegal, says National Secretary

President Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo SAN and SGF Mr. Boss Mustapha during a virtual FEC Meeting held at the Council Chambers State House Abuja.

Demolition: Nigeria, Ghana won't fight -Presidency pAGE 2

71-year old arrested for defiling minor in Gombe pAGE 4

Reps to probe Water Resources Ministry over N343m expenditure without approved vouchers pAGE 3

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PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

News News

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he Nigerian Military said its Air Component of Operation Hadarin Daji, has killed several bandits’ in Dutsen Asolo and Birnin Kogo areas of Katsina State as well as Dogo Gede’s Camp in the Kwayanbana forest area of Zamfara State.

The military in a statement issued on Wednesday by Major General John Enenche, Coordinator Defence Media Operations, Defence Headquarters, said the Operation,

2-10, 14

Editorial

11

Op.Ed

12-13

Politics 15-17 Health Business

News

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

CONTENTS

18 19-20

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PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

News Editor, Ese Awhotu

Military kill several bandits’ in Katsina, Zamfara air strike codenamed Wutan Daji was part of efforts to rid the North West and North Central States of the country of armed bandits and other criminal elements, The statement said the Operation, which was preceded by the massive deployment of additional air assets and

ground support equipment by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to Katsina, was aimed at taking out armed bandits’ locations that were painstakingly selected, based on impeccable Human Intelligence (HUMINT) reports as well as series of Surveillance missions, in order to significantly degrade the

armed bandits’ fighting capability before it could be brought to bear against friendly forces or innocent civilians.

“Since the operation began on 20 June 2020, 10 locations have been attacked and scores of armed bandits neutralized, as confirmed by HUMINT reports.

“At Dutsen Asolo, NAF jets dispatched by the Air Component attacked the cave/hideout of the bandits, destroying the main entry point and neutralizing some fighters. Some surviving bandits, who were tracked escaping from the cave area were taken out in follow-on strikes. “

Feature

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World News

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Reps to probe Water Resources Ministry over ₦343m expenditure without approved vouchers

Africa News

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By Christiana Ekpa

World News

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Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila during an interactive session, conducted via zoom, with leaders of different Communities Development Associations (CDAs), youth leaders and market women associations in his Surulere 1 Federal Constituency, yesterday in Lagos,

NCC’s Strategic Management Plan will drive digital economy -Pantami Page 19

Environment 25 Feature

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Sports 30-31 Back Page

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Demolition: Nigeria, Ghana won’t fight -Presidency

By Egena Sunday Ode

T

he Presidency on Wednesday said Nigeria would not engage in a “street fight” with Ghana over demolition of some apartments under construction in the Nigerian embassy in Accra.

This position was given by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu in an

interview with State House Correspondents.

Shehu said: “The President of Ghana has called and regretted the action and apologised to the President of Nigeria. I think he has shown leadership in the matter and what should Nigeria do; these are two leading countries in West Africa.

“Nigeria will not engage in a street fight with Ghana. This cannot happen. So, the two

leaders, especially President Muhammadu Buhari, who is much respected in Africa, they all call him ‘Baba’ (Father), so he is bound to show restraint.”

“Matters such as this when they arise, it is always better when they arise, they should be resolved diplomatically.

No, there shouldn’t be a fight between Nigeria and Ghana, this will not happen.”

Following the outcry from

Nigeria over the incident, President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana had on Tuesday called his Nigerian counterpart, Muhammadu Buhari, to tender an apology.

Akufo-Addo had told President Buhari that he had directed full investigation into the matter.

Shehu expressed optimism that the two leaders would resolve the issue diplomatically.

Wase hails Buhari for assenting to Gashua varsity bill

By Christiana Ekpa

D

eputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase has applauded Preident Muhammadu Buhari for signing into the law the bill establishing the Federal University, Gashua, Yobe state.

Recall that the president assented to the bill last Friday at the State House, Abuja.

In a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary, Umar Muhammed Puma, Wase, who is the sponsor of the bill, which was passed in the House and concurred by the Senate expressed delight with the president’s action.

Wase said with the signing of the bill, the university, which has been in existence since 2014 has become a legal entity.

“I am encouraged by the

actions of the president in promptly signing this bill into law. This will also serve as an impetus to me and many lawmakers in sponsoring quality Bill’s.

“The signing into law of this bill is a clear indication that era whereby Bill’s were left unattended after being passed by the National Assembly “, he stated.

The deputy speaker further

noted that Yobe being one of educationally disadvantaged states would benefit immensely from the establishment of the university.

He urged indigenes of the state to take advantage of the university and develop more interest in the pursuit of education, “ which is indispensable in the development of any society”.

he House of Representatives on Wednesday resolved to carry out a comprehensive investigation into how the sum of N343 million spent by the Ministry of Water Resources and for what projects as well as why the Ministry refused to give the vouchers covering the amount to the Auditor General for audit.

The House also said the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Abdulkadir Muazu was not competent to handle and public office and demanded that he appear unfailingly before the House committee on Public Account on Thursday to answer audit queries from the office of the Auditor General of the Federation.

Chairman of the House Committee on Public Account, Rep. Oluwole Oke who spoke at an investigative hearing into audit queries issued to government agencies by the Auditor General of the Federation said the failure of the Permanent Secretary to appear before the committee was a clear indication that he was not competent to handle the office give to him.

According to him, “We invited the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture to come before parliament to answer audit queries and he refused to appear and did not even send any representation.

This is a clear indication that he is incompetent to handle public office.

“The Head of Service of the Federation should take note of this. Mr. President can only give an opportunity to serve, but he is not going to do the job for you.

However, he must cause appearance on Thursday. Otherwise, we will be forced to invoke the relevant laws against him”.

The Public Accounts Committee

spent over two hours interrogating the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, Mrs. Comfort Ekaro on the various audit queries against the Ministry and how several allocations for projects under the ministry was spent.

Oke told the Permanent Secretary to furnish the House details of the N343 million whose vouchers were not presented to the Auditor General for audit was spent, whether the projects outlined in the vouchers presented to the Committee were budgeted for and whether they were

captured in the procurement plan of the Ministry for 2017.

The Committee Chairman directed the Clark of the Committee to write the Director General of the Corporate Affairs Commission requesting the names of owners of companies who benefited from the N343 million contract as well as the Executive chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service requesting information on withholding tax from the companies.

The Committee however expressed displeasure that the

Ministry made a contractor to obtain a bank facility of N137 million as down payment for an earth dam in Igbuzor in Delta state in 2013, while paying them N75 million in two instalment.

Oke said the action of the Ministry may have destroyed the corporate image of the organization, adding that paying the full mobilisation of N137 million in 2017, two years after the project was supposed to have been completed was not good enough for the country.

The Auditor General had, in his

query said that the contract for the construction of the earth dam in Igbuzor, Delta state was awarded at the cost of over N800 million in December 2013 with a completion period of 18 months, lamenting two years after the award of the contract, only N75 million had been paid to the contractor.

He said finding by his office was indicative of the fact that there was no concrete payment plan for the project and several other projects within the Ministry, leading to delay in execution of such projects.

Wase hails Gbajabiamila at 58

By Christiana Ekpa

D

eputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt.

Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase has felicitated with Speaker House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila on his 58th birthday today.

Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed confers with the Minister of Finance, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed after the e-FEC Meeting held at the State House Abuja. PHOTO

Wase, in a congratulatory message by his Chief Press Secretary, Umar Muhammad Puma described Gbajabiamila as "a patriotic and humble leader that is bsessed with justice and equity" The deputy speaker, who applauded the cordial working relationship existing between him and Gbajabiamila said "Mr. Speaker, your patriotism, humility and obsession with justice, equity and team work is unparalleled.

He commended the speaker for his sterling leadership qualities that have ensured stability and peace in the House chambers noting that Speaker Gbajabiamila was "a great team leader with a listening ear".

Wase said "Your sterling leadership qualities have brought peace and stability to the House of Representatives, which account for the unprecedented

achievements the Chamber has recorded since June 11, 2019" "There is no better experience than working closely and jointly with you in the quest to bequeath good leadership through the instrumentality of the legislature to the people of Nigeria.

"On behalf of my family and constituents, I wish to join millions of Nigerians, friends and well wishers to felicitate with a leader, brother and colleague, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as he clocks 58 years of age.

"I pray the Almighty Allah (SWT) to bless you with many more decades of healthy and prosperous living, so that, we will through the NATION BUILDING-A JOINT TASK continue to offer selfless, responsible and responsive leadership to our great nation".

Herdsmen/Farmers Crisis: Report says FG, Army restored peace in warring communities

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

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pro- democracy group, the Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CASJET) has hailed the Federal Government and Nigerian Army for halting the age-long farmers-herders crisis ravaging parts of the country.

The report made available by the group, detailed how

President Muhammadu Buhari and the Army miraculously restored peace to warring communities to end the perennial clashes.

According to the welldocumented report, shortly after being sworn-in, President Buhari, in June 2015, constituted a Strategic Action Committee to look into herdersfarmers crisis and make recommendations that would

address it.

Without this intervention, the centre reckoned that perhaps the nation would have ultimately slid into chaos along religious and ethnic lines which would have in turn had a toll on the economy.

The report maintained that from all available indices, no Nigerian community is under occupation by herdsmen even though the herders-farmers

conflict has become more significant in recent times.

“Although the government had in the past taken some measures to address this phenomenon, the increasing desertification and the effects of climate change have further increased the drive for the herdsmen to move further south in search of grazing land and pasture for their livestock,” the report said.

Among others, the report, however, urged the FG to deploy more security personnel in “affected areas; ensure they are better equipped; improve local ties to gather better intelligence, and respond speedily to early warnings and distress calls”.

It further called for the freezing of enforcement and reform of state anti-grazing legislation as well as heightened herder-farmer dialogues.

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News

Gbajabiamila felicitates with SanwoOlu at 55

By Christiana Ekpa

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he Speaker of the House of Representatives Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila has felicitated with the Governor of Lagos State Babatunde SanwoOlu as he clocks 55.

Gbajabiamila said SanwoOlu’s journey on mother earth has been worthwhile and that the people of Lagos State are lucky to have him as their governor at this time.

He said at 55, Sanwo-Olu had already made a lot of impact in the lives of Lagosians, especially in the first year of his administration as governor.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, Gbajabiamila eulogised the leadership qualities of the Lagos State Governor, whom he described as one of the new breed of leaders.

“I join millions of Lagosians and other Nigerians to celebrate this great citizen and Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Sanwo-Olu, on his 55th birthday.

“Incidentally, Governor Sanwo-Olu and I share the same birthday. This is designed by the Almighty Himself. I must say that we also share a lot in common as Lagosians that have our fellow citizens at heart.

“As an individual, Governor Sanwo-Olu has made a lot of impact on people’s lives. And as Governor of Lagos State, he has been serving our people to the best of his ability. Even at 55, he still exerts a lot of energy, especially in the ongoing fight against COVID-19.

“One would only wish Governor Sanwo-Olu continuous God’s protection, guidance and many years in good health,” Gbajabiamila said.

PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

71-year old arrested for defiling minor in Gombe

Presidency, APC NWC on collision, as NEC meeting turns controversial

T

T

From David Hassan, Gombe

he Police in Gombe has confirmed the arrest of a 71-year suspect Ashiru Sule of Idi Quarters for defiling a 13

year old girl.

The investigation revealed that the suspect lured the victim into grin corn and ordered her to steal more corn for him at the grinding place.

Briefing Journalists, CP Shehu said the suspect gave talisman to the victim to bury in her house which will protect her from being caught while in the act of stealing.

According to him, the lady

succeeded in stealing about 146 measures of corn and took it to him and thereafter he will have a canal knowledge with her.

The victim also confess that the suspect raped her ten times.

Minister of Work and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Paullen Tallen and the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Sunday Dare after the e-FEC Meeting held at the State House Abuja.

NIGER: Court remands Kuchikon ward chief in police custody

By Usman Shuaibu

T

he ward chief of Kuchikon Ijah community in Tafa local government area of Niger State, Mr. Danlami Samuel alongside the seventeen accused persons have been remanded in police custody by the Chief Magistrate in charge of the magistrate court I in Suleja local government area in the state, Hassan Mohammed due to unlawful destruction

of farm crops belonging to some farmers at Kuchikon Ijah community.

The Counsel to the nominal complaints, Barr. Darlington Ozurumba who spoke to our reporter after the hearing at the magistrate court on Monday, said the ward chief and seventeen accused persons would remain in police custody until on the 25th on June, 2020 pending on the consideration of their bail application by the

court.

Barr. Ozurumba explained that the ward chief and seventeen accused persons would have been remanded in Suleja Correctional Centre, but due to the COVID -19 Pandemic, the court ordered them to be detained in police custody.

Some of the complaints, Mr. Samuel Daniel and Mr. Ishaya Jackson who spoke in the same vein at the court premises, alleged the ward

chief used the vigilante group in the community to destroy the farmers’ crops.

They disclosed that some of the crops damaged by the said vigilante group included Maize, Cassava, Yam, Sugarcane, Beans, Mangoes, Apple, Banana and Oranges among others.

One of the accused persons who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they were ready to challenge the complaints in the court of law.

Women Societies call for stiffer punishment for rapists From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

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resident National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) kaduna State Chapter Mrs Deborah Dan Ishaya has condemned increased cases of violence against women and girls in the society since the lockdown due to Covid-19, saying it is time for stiffer punishment for rapists Speaking with the media in kaduna yesterday, Mrs. Ishaya noted that cases of rape,

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PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

defilement and other forms of domestic violence have continued unabated.

Mrs Isaya added that she concurred to the statement made by the Hon Gudaje kazaure ,who said , the rapist manhood be removed stressing that kaduna State cannot longer condone rapist in his state “We live in strange times; to begin with, the coronavirus that knows no border struck the world unannounced, killing over many people.

Before Covid-19, it has been acknowledged that violence against women and girls is one of the most surreptitious forms of violation of their human rights.

“Sexual violence and other forms of torture against women and girls have also been affirmed to be a crime against humanity, she said.

She said that since the outbreak of Covid-19, there has been spike in violence against women and girls and sexual

gender-based violence when in reality one expected a decrease because of the disruptions caused by the pandemic; fear and anxiety about one’s survival and measures put in place to curb the spread of the virus like lockdowns and social distancing.

“However, on the contrary the world has witnessed a steady rise and Nigeria is no different.

It has been tales of woes for women and girls caught up in the web of the pervasive

violence in public and private spaces, especially during this Covid-19 pandemic,” she added.

She begged the government and other stakeholders do more to halt the trend of increasing gender-based violence.

“The truth is that there is low accountability to violence perpetrated against the female gender. Today, it is Uwa Omozuwa (Benin), yesterday it was Tina Ezekwe (Lagos), a year before it was Ochanya (Benue) and unaccountable others.

By Ikechukwu Sunday Ode

Okaforadi

&

he Presidency and the National Working Committee (NWC) of All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday set out on a collision course, as both are set to clash over the controversial National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting allegedly summoned by a factional Chairman of the party, Victor Giadom, apparently with the backing of the Presidency.

This is as the Presidency also yesterday confirmed that President Muhammadu Buhari would on Thursday (today) attend the virtual National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the ruling APC being summoned by Victor Giadom.

Indication that both the NWC and the presidency are set to clash today emerged when the Acting National Secretary of the APC, Waziri Bulama, issued a statement countering an earlier message by the President’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, that Buhari will attend the virtual APC NEC meeting today.

Bulama, in his statement said President Muhammadu Buhari did not sanction the purported virtual National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting slated for today by the factional Chairman of the party, Victor Giadom, in the Presidential Villa.

He said the purported NEC meeting is illegal, and called on faithful party members to shun the meeting whether virtually or otherwide.

In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, Bulama said “Our Leader, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is renowned for insisting on compliance with our constitution and rule of law. It can therefore not be true that Mr. President supports the convening of such an illegal NEC by a non-member of APC’s NWC. We urge all to disregard the said Notice as neither the NWC nor the NEC has called for such meeting.”

He further said that the convener of the NEC meeting, Victor Giadom, has resigned his membership of the party in 2019 to contest the Deputy Governorship election in Rivers, as required by the APC Constitution.

According to the statement, Waziri claimed that Giadom has also been suspended by the Rivers State Chapter

•Buhari backs Giadom, set to attend NEC meeting •The NEC meeting is illegal, says National Secretary

of the party and the NWC received communication of same on June 21, 2020, adding “Our esteemed members are advised to disregard this invitation because the author and sole signatory of the said invitation is not member of the National Working Committee (“NWC”) of our party, talk more of being an Acting National Chairman as claimed.”

While citing the sections of the APC Constitution which the purported NEC meeting has contravened, the AG. National Secretary of the party quoted Article 25 (B) of our Constitution which provides: “i. The National Executive Committee shall meet every quarter and or at any time decided by the National Chairman or at the request made in writing by at least two-third of the members of the National Executive Committee provided that less than forteen (14) days notice is given for the meeting to be summoned. “ii. Without prejudice to Article 25(B)(i) of this Constitution the National Working Committee may summ meeting at any time, provided that on an at emergency least seven National (7) days Executive notice of the Committeemeeting shall be given to all those entitled to attend”.

He said “It is clear that even a legitimate Chairman is only invested with powers to fix/announce a date for NEC meetings to hold every quarter and nothing more. He cannot summon a meeting on that date because under our Constitution only the National Secretary can do so pursuant to Article 14.3 of our Constitution which provides: “14.3. National Secretary. The National Secretary shall: ii. Cause to be issued as directed, notices of meetings of the National Convention, the National Executive Committee and the National Working Committee of the Party”.

Indeed two-thirds of the members of NEC may also summon a meeting, but it shall be required that the National Secretary gives 14 days notice to all persons entitled to attend.

“In this case, the purported invitation was illegally issued on June 23, 2020 and the meeting fixed for June 25, 2020 which gives notice for only 2 days. We concede that a shorter Notice period of 7 days is allowed under our Constitution as stated in 25(b)(ii) above, however, a majority of the members of NWC must have voted to summon such a NEC meeting and that was not the case in this instance.”

He also cited the Court judgement which upheld Giadom’s nonmembership of the NWC, saying “his nonmembership of the NWC has been affirmed by the Courts and an Order restraining him from parading himself as a member of the NWC was granted against him on June 22, 2020 in the case of DELE MOSES & ANOR V APC (SUIT NO: PHC/360/2020) where the Court said inter alia: “That an Order of interim injunction be and is hereby made restraining the 1st, 2nd 4th and 5th Defendants, acting by themselves or through auy of their officers, agents, or privies from recognizing or regarding the 3rd Defendant/Respondent as the National Chairman or Acting National Chairman or Deputy National Secretary of the 1st Defendant/ Respondent or member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the 1st Defendant/Responde1it pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice”.

Meanwhile, the Presidency on Wednesday confirmed that President Muhammadu Buhari would on Thursday attend the virtual National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) being summoned by Victor

News

Giadom.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, who broke presidency’s silence on the matter said Buhari’s decision to attend the NEC meeting was informed by convincing advise on the position of the law.

Shehu who was responding to enquiry by some State House Correspondents said: “The President has received very convincing advice on the position of the law as far as the situation in the party is concerned and has determined that the law is on the side of Victor Giadom as Acting National Chairman.

“Because he will always act in accordance with the law, the President will be attending the virtual meeting Giadom called for tomorrow afternoon.

“We urge the media to stop promoting manufactured controversies and to not give any further room for mischievous interpretations of the law on this matter.

“In addition to the President, the Giadom meeting will, hopefully, be attended by our Governors and the leaders of the National Assembly.”

Recall that President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, met with President Buhari over the crisis threatening the very foundation of the ruling party last Sunday and told the correspondents after the meeting that there would be intervention from the president.

Also, in quick succession, APC governors under the auspices of Progressive Governors Forum met President Buhari on Monday to appraise him with their position on the matter.

Yobe State Governor and Chairman of the forum, Atiku Bagudu, said after the meeting that Buhari was in support of a meeting of party organs to resolve the crisis.

Suspected Robbers, Car Snatchers, and Illegal Arm Dealers being parade by Police, at the SARS Office, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Edo guber primary: 2, 229 delegates to elect PDP flagbearer

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

A

total of 2,229 delegates will today converge at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium in Benin, Edo state capital, to elect the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the September 19 governorship election in the state.

The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan confirmed this to newsmen yesterday in Abuja.

The national secretariat of the PDP has already put in place a 5-man committee to conduct the party’s governorship primary today.

...As party’s NWC dissolves S/S zonal committee The committee is headed by the Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed.

Other members of the committee are; Governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo State), Bello Matawalle, Zamfara, Senator Lilian Ekwunife and Solomon Bulus Maren as the secretary.

Ologbondiyan disclosed that all sensitive materials have been dispatched to Benin for the smooth and effective conduct of the primary.

He assured that the primary election would be held in strict compliance with COVID’19

requirements.

Ologbondiyan also confirmed that members of the Electoral Committee already in Benin Four aspirants were initially screened and clear for the primaries.

These aspirants are; Gideon Ikhine, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, Barr Kenneth Imansuagbon and Governor Godwin Obaseki.

Two of the aspirants-Gideon Ikhine and Ogbeide-Ihama, reports said, have stepped down from the contest.

With that development, the PDP

governorship primary is going to be between Governor Obaseki and Imansuahbon.

Meanwhile, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dissolved the South South Zonal Committee of the party and announced a new Caretaker Committee.

The action of the NWC, according to Ologbondiyan, is pursuant to Sections 29 (2)(b) and 31(2)(e) of the PDP Constitution (2017 as amended).

The newly constituted South South Zonal Caretaker Committee,

which is chaired by Chief Dan Orbi, is to pilot the affairs of the party in the South South Zone for a period not exceeding three months (90) days as prescribed by section 32(2)(e) of the PDP Constitution.

“The NWC enjoins all members of our great party in the South South zone to continue to work harmoniously especially as the party works with the people of Edo state for a successful governorship election in September”, Ologbondiyan said in a statement.

Oibi, who was the immediate past Chairman of PDP in Efo State, replaced Mr Emmanuel Ogidi.

PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

PAGE 6

News

Abia: Judge Covid-19: China Chambers of Commerce donates Transfers 16,000 masks, 450 protective suites to NUJ Suit Against Lawmaker’s A Election

By Ochiaka Ugwu

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

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Federal Capital Territory High Court, has transferred the suit involving the Spokesman of the House of Representatives, Honourable Benjamin Okezie Kalu, to the High Court of Abia state.

Justice Danlami Senchi in transferring the suit made an order asking the Chief Judge of the state to re-assign the case to another judge.

Honourable Kalu is representing Bende Federal Constituency of Abia state, in the National Assembly.

An indigene of the state, who also claimed to be a registered in the 2019 general election from Bende Federal Constituency, Mr. Ezeala Okechukwu had approached the court to nullify the lawmaker’s election on the ground that he was not qualified to contest the election.

In the suit filed through his counsel, Barrister Ifeanyichukwu Nwosu, the plaintiff said the lawmaker did not comply with the provision of Section 65(2a) of the 1999 Constitution.

When the case came up yesterday, Justice Senchi drew the attention of Barrister Nwosu to the new Practice Direction issued by the Chief Justice of Nigeria which states that political cases should be filed and determined in the states where issues arose.

Justice Senchi said, ‘’Following the new Practice Direction by the CJN that all political cases should be sent back to the states where issues arose, I will have no choice than to transfer this case back to Abia state, where the cause of action arose. ‘’Pursuant to the Practice Direction, this suit is hereby transferred to Abia state, for reassignment by the Chief Judge of the state’’.

s part of spreading the power of solidarity towards stemming the spread of novel coronavirus pandemic, the China Chambers of Commerce in Nigeria has donated 16, 000 disposable surgical face masks and 450 disposable medical protective suites to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT Council.

Presenting the items Tuesday to the NUJ FCT Council Chairman, Comrade Emmanuel Ogbeche at the Council’s Secretariat in Abuja, the Vice Chairman of the Chamber, Mr. Suo Guoming said the donation came as a result of the respect they have for journalists.

He said that as frontline workers, they are exposed to many dangers and need to protect themselves.

Suo noted that journalists as guide of the people and voice of the nation deserved to be protected to enable them discharge their duties of reportage which imparts on the people.

Continuing, he noted that as guardian of democracy, uncrowned king of freedom and frontier to the battle against the pandemic, journalists need protection and support informing why they came.

His words, “As we know both Nigeria and China are developing countries. And you journalists are the guide of the people and the nation, guardian of the democracy and uncrowned king of freedom.

You are the frontier to the battle against the pandemic. But still need protection and support for fighting the pandemic, that’s why we are here” he said.

Continuing, Suo who went back memory lane informed that China Chambers of Commerce in Nigeria is an officially registered organization under Ministry of Commerce of China which was established since 2009.

He said they have almost all the major Chinese company in Nigeria as members and have played an important role in strengthening and promoting the relationship between the two countries.

He said they recently worked with Hubei Zall foundation from China to support Nigeria to fight the pandemic and the foundation donated some personal protective items to Nigeria Union of Journalists to mitigate the risk of the pandemic.

Suo who represents Zhonghao Nigeria Limited, a major Civil

Engineering coy and has been in Nigeria since 2002 expressed gratitude to NUJ for consistent support in strengthening relationship between Nigeria and China.

Responding, Chairman of Council, Comrade Emmanuel Ogbeche thanked the Chamber for their donation saying that it demonstrates in strong measures the “People-to-People Contact” which China has been professing and spreading.

He said that Chinese community has greatly helped in providing palliatives to their members who work on the frontline.

Ogbeche however, promised that the donated items will reach the appropriate persons who need it more than ever for their reportage.

L-R: Ondo state APC Gubernatorial Aspirant, Engr. Ifeoluwa Oyedele, members of his campaign organisation Femi Ajijala and Barr. Osigwe Ahmed Momoh, during press briefing immediately the Submission of his nomination and expression of interest forms, at the party National Secretariat, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

7, 986 lives lost to violence from April 2019 to May 2020 in Nigeria From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

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Group under the auspices of Arewa live Matter has said 7,986 lives have been lost to violence in the country and 7,036 of it took place in Northern Nigeria.

The Convener Arewa Lives Matter, Hon Bilal Adamu Halilu disclosed this a press conference

held in kaduna yesterday.

According to him 88% of Nigerian deaths resulting specifically from violence motivated by political, economic, or social grievances occurred in the North.

He added every right thinking Nigerian will agree that none of all these violent deaths are acceptable under any circumstances. Sadly,

the above data suggests a Nigerian is eight times more likely to die from violence, if they are based in the North.

Hon said Halilu Government is responsible for provision of adequate security, peace and welfare for Nigerian Citizen, saying Command and control of our security agencies are vested in the Federal Government of Nigeria.

"Prior to 2015, Nigeria had severe challenges with insecurity, so when it was time for elections that year, majority of Nigerians gladly elected the candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), a retired Major General and former Head of State, Muhammadu Buhari. Duly returned as President to solve our deep rooted insecurity challenges.

Insecurity: Some Govt officials, Stakeholders not forthcoming

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

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civil society group, People’s Parliament, yesterday informed that while the military has done its part to end insurgency, terrorism, banditry and other crimes, some government officials and stakeholders have not been forthcoming in the fight.

The community-based organizations, however, vowed to maintain total support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and the Service Chiefs in

the fight against insurgency.

The group made this known in a communique signed by George Gondo and Adamu Bagudu, its Chairman and Secretary respectively and addressed by Gabriel Agibi, yesterday(Wednesday)in Abuja.

People’s Parliament, however, called on state governors and stakeholders to play their own part, as all hands must be on deck to defeat the remnants of the Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists who are attempting to regroup to unleash further

heinous atrocities on citizens.

The group said it overwhelmingly passed a vote of confidence on President Buhari and his security architecture, advising the already decimated Islamic fighters to surrender now they have the chance.

They further urged the military not to relent or be discouraged by the current setback in Gubio and Faskari Local Governments of Borno and Katsina States respectively but sustain the push against the remnants of the terrorist groups until

they are defeated.

“The Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists as well as other bandits operating in the Northwestern part of the country should take advantage of the current window and surrender as they indicated doing some months back and not be deceived that they can withstand the military.

“Governors in the North must go beyond calling for meetings only after attacks on communities have taken place to take proactive measures to prevent such.’’

PAGE 7

PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

News

Police rescue 126 workers held hostage in Kano

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he Police Command in Kano State has rescued 126 workers allegedly held hostage for three months at a factory in Kano metropolis.

The workers were rescued at the Popular Farms and Mills Limited located in Challawa Industrial Estate, Kano.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abdullahi Haruna, confirmed this in a statement in Kano.

Haruna revealed that on June 21, at about 6:00 p.m., a complaint was received from Global Community for Human Right Network, Kano, that some labourers were wrongly confined inside the said Popular Farms and Mills.

He gave the address of the firm as No. 54 Challawa Industrial Estate, Kano.

“On receiving the information a team of policemen were deployed and when search was conducted, 126 labourers trapped inside the factory for three months were rescued,” he said.

According to him, four officials of the factory have been arrested.

Haruna said that the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Habu Ahmad, has ordered an investigation to unravel facts of the matter.

It was gathered the Farms and Mills company owned by Indian nationals is one of the major rice mill in Kano State.

Sources at the company said more than 70 per cent of the workers were engaged on casual basis and their salaries not harmonised in accordance with the National Minimum Wage Law. “The company engaged workers on a casual basis, only a handful of them are on a full time employment.

“It is hard to comprehend the amount being paid as salaries to the workers.”

NAF constructs aircraft shelters in Katsina

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he Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is building an apron, hangar and aircraft shelters at the Umaru Musa Yar’adua International Airport in Katsina.

Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, the NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in

Abuja.

He said the Katsina airport serves as the Headquarters of the Air Component of Operation HADARIN DAJI. Daramola said the construction of the shelters followed the recent massive deployment of air assets and ground support equipment.

This is to reinforce internal

security operations against bandits, cattle rustlers, kidnappers and other criminal elements in the North West and North Central parts of the country.

“The aircraft shelters would ensure that aircraft deployed for operations in the North West Theatre, with their delicate onboard avionics and electrical

instruments, are not unduly exposed to the harsh effects of weather.

“Similarly, the hangar would provide a more conducive environment for the conduct of maintenance activities thereby reducing the need to fly aircraft outside of the operational area for the conduct of repair works,” he said.(NAN)

From left: Head of Multimedia, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Felix Ajide; Director of Finance and Accounts, Mr Bamidele Ojo; Acting Managing Director of NAN, Alhaji Biola Lawal; Director-General of Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Mr Babatunde Irukera (R); and Assistant Editor-in-Chief NAN, Hajia Sani, during Irukera’s visit to NAN Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday (24/6/20). Photo: NAN

Those seeking Magu's removal, not wishing Buhari well in his anti-graft war, says

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

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he National Chairman of the Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, Chief Dan Nwanyanwu has disclosed that those pushing for the removal of the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, are doing so with a view to reversing the gains recorded so far under the anti corruption fight by the President Muhammadu Buharii's administration.

Nwanyanwu however quickly advised President Buhari to ignore

the calls for the removal of Magu, describing those making the calls as enemies of progress.

The Chairman of ZLP suggested the EFCC Chief should be allowed to complete the good job he is doing in the interest of the nation.

Speaking yesterday in Abuja, Nwanyanwu said, "In the last few days you must have read about fathom allegations against the acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu.

"As a political party and as an individual, we are determined to ensure that those who stole from

this country must be made to return such, and that has been the patriotic step we have taken.

"Whoever is doing well in this fight against corruption under the EFCC, we will support.

"We are not ashamed of doing it, our course is justice and we will continue to push it.

"I have heard so many allegations against the EFCC boss, but he who asserts must prove.

"One of the things they raised was that he has disposed off properties, but I am telling you now on my honor and integrity that

Magu has not sold one property.

"The things EFCC sold were things seized before his assumption of office; trucks in Port Harcout, for instance. The Federal Ministry of Works was called to assess it after which they gave ridiculous prices and later sold them.

"But for those things he has recovered, go to zone 6, you will see several exotic cars parked, rotting away.

"You remember there was a time they picked over 40 exotic cars in a particular compound, they are still there. “

Kidnapped College of Education Staff regain freedom From: Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

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hree members of Staff, College Of Education, Agbor in Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State Kidnapped alongside their wives last Saturday while returning from a wedding ceremony, have regained their freedom after five days in the den of their abductors and alleged payment of N30million ransom They were said to have regained their freedom in the early hours of Wednesday after their relations had met the demands of the abductors.

It was gathered that the victims were Kidnapped between the boundary towns of Oligie and Agbor while returning from a

wedding party held in Igbanke town in Edo State when the Kidnappers at gunpoint rounded them up and forced them into their vehicle before disappearing into unknown destination.

But the Police Commissioner in the State, Hafiz Muhammed Inuwah who Confirmed the freedom of the Victims to our Correspondent in Asaba, refused however to confirm if any ransom payment was made, disclosing that the Police will do everything possible to ensure those behind the kidnap of the Staff of College of Education Agbor are brought to book.

It was further gathered that the Kidnappers demanded for huge ransom earlier on Sunday morning before it was renegotiated downward and accepted

before their relations made cash payment of alleged N30million to secure their release from the Kidnappers’ den where they were said to have been subjected to severe punishment without food apart from water and biscuits.

Meanwhile, the former Acting Provost of the College, Mrs Josephine Koyeme, it was gathered, escaped with her car riddled with bullets while others driving before her were all held up for ransom.

Some of the kidnapped victims who spoke to Journalists in the area on Condition of anonymity described as horrific their experience in the hands of the Kidnappers who stormed the road with various sophisticated weapons, shooting sporadically before taking

them away in their car into an unknown destination.

They were alleged to be Fulani hersdmen with ruthless minds and armed with sophisticated weapons as the victims were severely punished in their attempt to escape before they were rounded up at gunpoint with no help on sight.

The police in Agbor Division have assured relations of the victims of their efforts with a view to bringing those responsible for the kidnap to arrest in no distant time, adding that efforts had been put in place to smoke out the leaders of the kidnap gang who they alleged has killed a number of their victims in the last few weeks of their dastardly operations across Ika Communities.

PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

PAGE 8

News

Ghana apologises to Nigeria over demolition of mission building

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resident, Nana AkufoAddo, has sent apologies to President Muhammadu Buhari over the demolition of Nigeria’s mission building in Accra, Ghana.

Mr Ferdinand Nwonye, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to inform that the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, called President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, today, June 23, on the phone.

“To express his sincere regrets and apology for the demolition of a building on the premises of the Nigerian High Commission in Accra, Ghana.

“He informed President Buhari that he had directed a full investigation of the unfortunate incident.

“It further emerged earlier in the day that some suspects had been arrested and will be arraigned in court.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this note wish to call on Nigerians home and abroad to remain calm despite the highly provocative attack on the High Commission of Nigeria in Accra, Ghana.

“And to reassure Nigerians that the Federal Government is engaging the Ghanaian Authorities at the highest level to seek redress,” it stated.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on June 19, some unidentified persons willfully carried out the demolition of a building in premises of the Nigerian High Commission in Accra, Ghana.

The perpetrators, who were purportedly on the instruction of the Ghana Urban Development Agency, were said to have carried out the act without prior notification.

There have also been engagements between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, and the Ghanaian authorities since the incident.(NAN)

IDPs: Dangote foundation donates relief materials, N5m to Katsina, FOMWAN

By Etuka Sunday

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uccor has come the way of thousands of internally displaced persons in Katsina state with the donation of relief materials and a cash sum of N5 million towards their welfare by the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF).

While the relief materials comprising of 10,000 pieces of sleeping mats, 10,000 cardigans and sweaters, as well as 10,000 assorted blankets were donated to the Katsina State Government, the cash sum was donated to the Federation of Muslim Women Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) to provide special support to women and children in the Internally Displaced Camps, in the State.

It would be recalled that recently, 19 villages in three communities in Dandume, Faskari and Sabuwa Local Government Areas of Katsina

state were attacked and destroyed by bandits thus rendering over 10,000 people homeless.

The ADF, in addition to the money, according to its Representative, Mallam Sanusi Ahmad Abdukadir, during the donation, would also to provide additional support to the women in Dandume and Faskari IDP camps with sanitary products, toiletries, Baby diapers, and other needs of women.

He explained that the gesture was meant to bring succor and put smiles on the faces of the IDPs, so that they could feel at home.

While praying for Allah to bring to an end the armed banditry facing some parts of the state, the Foundation Officer called for judicious distribution of the items to beneficiaries.

Receiving the donations, the State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Mannir Yakubu, who was represented by the Permanent

Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Isyaku Ahmad Karofi, expressed the State Government’s gratitude to the Foundation owned by the renowned Business mogul, Alhaji Aliko Dangote.

He commended the Foundation for the gesture, which he described as a timely one that would go a long way to alleviating the deplorable condition of IDPs in the State.

The Permanent Secretary recalled that recently, the Foundation distributed hundreds of millions of Naira to vulnerable women across the 34 Local Government Areas of the state which was aimed at boosting their small scale businesses.

While assuring the judicious distribution of the items, Karofi disclosed that the foundation has also sent trailers of foodstuff which would be distributed to people as coronavirus (COVID-19) palliative soon.

He, then called on other

public spirited organizations in the country to emulate the Aliko Dangote Foundation by giving support to the IDPs in the State, to enable them feel a sense of belonging.

In its own response, the FOMWAN commended Aliko Dangote for the invaluable support to the cause of humanity and for responding promptly to the plight of the displaced persons across the nation.

The FOMWAN National Amirah, Hajiya Halima Jibril said “a total of 6,545 displaced persons comprising of 4,245 women and 2,300 children, are currently at Dandume and Faskari Model Primary Schools.

According to her an investigation by a joint team of FOMWAN in Katsina and Faskari indicated that the increasing number of IDPs in Sabuwa IDP camp, may mean that about 12,000 or more people could have been displaced in Katsina.

From left: Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipreye Sylva; Chief of Staff , Prof Ibrahim Gambari and Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen during a virtual meeting of the Federal Executive Council at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday (24/6/2020) Photo: NAN

Flood destroys several houses in Delta From: Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

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evastating impacts of flooding in many parts of Delta State under the current prediction of Nimet, has destroyed several houses in the State with Warri, Uvwie, Kwale, Ekurede Itsekiri Communities worse hit.

While the affected areas’ residents are currently living in the fear of the unknown, the

state government through the Commissioner for Bureau Special Duties, Mr Omamofe Pirah on Wednesday ordered the relocation of the residents, warning that the state government would not take responsibility for further disaster if on the contrary they refused to vacate the areas within two weeks.

Pirah who spoke to our Correspondent in Asaba on the decision of the state government,

said that the development was occasioned by the approval given by the state Governor, Mr Ifeanyi Okowa to clear existing waterways in the affected Communities to avert further disaster in the ongoing flooding menace.

The Commissioner said”I can tell you that the state Governor, Mr Ifeanyi Okowa has approved the Ministry of Environment to come into Ekurede Itsekiri Community, others and clear the

waterways, and in doing this, he said “anyone who has a structure on the waterways or the water channels delibrately or other wise built on waterways, such structure will be removed.

“The state government however sympathize with those whose houses have been destroyed in the flooding menace and we are looking into ways on how they can be repositioned and ensure good lives for them”.

Emir of Zuru applauds Buhari for Agric varsity in Kebbi From Ahmed Idris, Birnin Kebbi

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he Emir of Zuru Maj. General Muhammad Sani Sami (rtd) has applauded President Muhammad Buhari for

establishing Federal University of Agriculture Zuru in Kebbi State.

He made this recommendation yesterday in his Palace while receiving the newly appointed

Vice Chancellor of the University.

He added that the establishment of agriculture University in Zuru will bring more jobs opportunities and boost the agricultural activities

in the country.

He urged all stakeholders in the state to rally around and support the commencement of the university and ensure the smooth academic activities.

PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

Benue Govt attributes death of alleged Coronavirus victim to leukemia From: Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

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enue State Government has insisted that the case of death attributed to Coronvirus in the State, is untrue, maintaining that the victim died of Leukemia.

Deputy of the State Engr.

Benson Abounu who is also, the Chairman of the State Action Committee on COVID-19 said this yesterday while briefing the media at Government House, Makurdi.

Engr. Abounu explained that the victim (whose name he did not disclose) had undergone a major operation for.Cancer of the bone marrow.

“He was torn open from top.

Three (3) days after the operation, he started coughing and then, we took his sample to Abuja and the result came out positive for Coronavirus last week Friday, 19 June, 2020.It is difficult to survive such operation. At this point, it is difficult to say that the man died of Coronavirus.

“We gave succeeded in tracing over 100 persons who had contact with the deceased including 56 health workers while samples of his family members and sympathizers have been taken to Abuja for testing “, Abounu intimated.

The Action Committee Chair further disclosed that the State figure stands at 47,breakdown which shows that 26 male and 21 female are infected with the disease. “ One case appeared not to be our patient because he came into Benue, we traced him and took his sample. But as soon as that was done, he fled and went back to where he came. His sample turned out positive.

“We have tested and discharged 16 persons while there are 30 patients at isolation/ treatment centers at the Federal Medical Center and the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, BSUTH which has enough facilities to take care of them in terms of material and personnel.”

Page 9

News Zamfara: Demolishing of 2 plaza buildings not politically motivated —Board From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau

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he Zamfara State Urban and Regional Board (ZUREPB), has dismissed allegations circulated on social media that Governor Bello Matawalle’s administration has embarked on demolishing structures belonging to members of the opposition parties in the state.

In a press conference by the Director General ZUREPB, Sanusi Ahmad Lilo, said the demolishing exercise of the two plaza buildings that belong to the said members of the opposition political parties in Talata Mafara local government area was clearly done to save the

law.

According to Ahmad Lilo, the board was established Edict no. 2 and was saddled with the responsibilities, among other things, to control and manage all land development and town planning activities in the state.

“However, the board may reject, stop or demolish any development if on the opinion of the board is likely to have major impact upon the environment, facilities, inhabitants of the community.

“Or that the structures contain such an additional facilities which are not within the estimation of the regional and sub-regional

master plan or urban development plan for that community, and on the matters of overriding public interest or that the structures are not in accordance with any other conditions made under the Edict.

“The board, after receiving report from it’s technical personnel emanating from Shari’a court of appeal Gusau Zamfara State and other relevant agencies that, the developers of the two structures at Talata Mafara have grossly contravened the provisions of the Edict establishing this board and other land regulations” the Director has stressed.

He further informed that,

having been satisfied that all requisites to demolish the controversial plaza buildings which were marked by the law as illegal structures, the board swung into action in order to save the existing Zamfara State Town Planning Law. “However, the process was subsequently stopped on the receipt of a Court order via an “ex parts” motion obtained by the developers to show total compliance with law, the order, as according to our legal unit seizes to have no effect after 14 days unless it was renewed or extended or any subsequent order is obtained in that respect”, the Director added.

LASG restates commitment to supporting widows

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he Lagos State Government, on Tuesday said it would take deliberate steps to ameliorate the challenges confronting widows in the state.

Mrs Bolaji Dada, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), made the pledge during the commemoration of 2020 International Widows Day at a low-key event held at Alausa, Ikeja.

The event was attended by the First Lady of Lagos State, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu and wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs Oluremi Hamzat.

Dada said that the widows’ challenges would be confronted through friendly policies and women-

tailored empowerment initiatives.

She remarked that widows were occasionally faced with pathetic challenges, which could be mitigated.

According to her, these challenges can be mitigated through the provisions of access to good health care, education for the children, empowerment, decent work or vocation and lives that are free from violence and abuse.

The commissioner said that the state government was determined to protect the rights of its citizens, especially women and vulnerable groups in the society.

She said the administration of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, through

her ministry, has initiated specific programmes to ameliorate the plight of widows in the state.

Dada added that the government would also empower them to be selfreliant in coping with the numerous challenges confronting them.

“For instance, last year, over 500 widows were trained in shortterm skills such as hairdressing and cosmetology, event decoration, catering, tie and dye to mention a few.

“Apart from training them, they were also given starter packs to help them set up their personal businesses,’’ she said.

Dada also said that the ministry

also had 18 skills acquisition centres located in various locations around the state.

According to her, this is to address unemployment, support widows, and offer economic empowerment to women and young persons.

She said that the centres offered short and long term vocational training in various skills free of charge, while starter packs are given to the trainees, in line with their chosen vocations.

The commissioner urged all widows not to engage in self-pity or lose a sense of self-worth but rather be bold to face challenges that may confront them.

Ministers participating during a virtual meeting of the Federal Executive Council at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday (24/6/2020) Photo: NAN

Why true federalism is necessary- Ossai

From: Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

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he member representing the Ndokwa Ukwuani Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, . Mr. Ossai Nicholas Ossai has said Nigeria has not made much progress because she has abandoned true federalism for unitary system of government.

The lawmaker who played host to executive members of the Ndokwa Chapel of the Association of Proprietors of Private Media Establishment of Nigeria (APPMEN) in Kwale, Ndokwa West Local Government Area on Tuesday, argued that for Nigeria to make expected progress the centre must

devolve power and allow the component units or states to generate their revenues and contributes to the centre.

“I believe Nigeria can do well if she embraces true federalism. When Nigeria was operating regional governments the nation was doing well and prospering in all facets. I called on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that he leaves a legacy of giving Nigeria true federalism.”

Ossai noted that he has made tremendous progress in the 9th assembly in legislative process having passed no fewer than 30 bills, saying he has also ensure that his constituency got it share of funds in the 2020 budget to tackle

critical infrastructures in the three local government areas he is representing.

According to him, “I don’t think my constituents will be surcharge again because i have been able to put in N800 million for the stepping down of electricity from the Independent Power Project IPP at Okpai, and for compensation for right of ways for the people.”

He appealed to communities to take ownership of various government projects in their areas by ensuring their management, maintenence and protections, noting that communities should work out modalities to take care of the maintenance of various constituency projects since government

hardly allocate funds for maintenance.

“I have attracted seven primary health care centres in various communities fully completed but the local government councils have refused to acquire them. This discourages ones effort. The councils have many avenues they can generates funds but instead they chose to be docile and wait for monthly allocation from federal government.”

He called on the local government to focus on their core areas of mandates just as he challenged the council chairmen and those aspiring to the councils to change their mentalities and be driven by passion to serve.

PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

PAGE 10

News

OKoh identifies indiscipline as cases of rape From: Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

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renowned opinion leader, Chief Eunice Okoh has asserted that indiscipline of the male child is one of the major causes of rape in the society.

Okoh made the assertion in a media chat with our correspondent on Wednesday on the trend at Otu Jeremi, Ughelli South Local Government Area at the weekend.

She noted that most rapists were morally bankrupt right from the cradle, saying, “Their parents see nothing wrong when they play with the erection of their manhood, they (parents) would rather hail them (rapists) for having a strong erection at that tender age.

“Such male children would grow up showcasing their manhood with females, sometimes with their relations forcefully.”

She advised that parents should be mindful of the character of their children and the company they keep.

While advocating the enactment of laws from community to all levels of governments, she also called for stiffer punishments.

Delta First Lady puts smiles on faves of destitute From: Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

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he wife of the Delta State Deputy Governor, Mrs, Ebierin Otuaro, has marked her 45th birthday anniversary with the downtrodden in the society.

Mrs Otuaro who said that she decided to give the destitute succour by putting smiles on their faces to make them have a sense of belonging said, “Just a hug is enough to heal someone, just a smile can heal somebody.”

“We are all needy, even the billionaires we all need something sometimes. There are some people who have money, but they are not

doing anything. Until you impart your world, you are nothing,” Mrs Otuaro said.

She called on those that God has blessed in the society to remember the downtrodden and put smiles on their faces, even as she admonished the caregivers of the destitute not to be discourage by the challenges they faced from some of their inmate but to always go to God in prayers to strengthen them.

Otuaro, an engineer, who distributed food, assorted items and cash gift to healing homes in the state appreciated the heads of the various healing homes, saying that they were

making up for the lack of some in the society.

According to her, “It is one thing to have vision, it is another to get it done.

You have taken it upon yourself to help others who cannot help themselves, God will reward you.”

In his remark, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social Development, Mrs Kevwe Agas who was represented by the Director of Rehabilitation, Mr Peter Okocha, stated that the celebrant’s resolved to assist the healing homes with food and other items was a testimony to her motherly character.

COREN to investigate Enugu, Kwara bridge collapse

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

T

he Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), said it would undertake full scale investigations into the root causes of the collapsed bridges in Enugu and Kwara states.

The Council in statement signed by the Registrar of COREN, Prof. Joseph O. Odigure ,made available to journalists recently in Abuja stated that the council was disturbed by the incessant cases of buildings collapsing across the country, saying that COREN would go into full scale investigation to ascertain causes .

Odigure said COREN had visited the site of the recent incident in Enugu State where the scaffold framework of a section of a pedestrian bridge on Agbani Road, Enugu South Local Government Area, collapsed on June 12.

“In line with the mandate of COREN, the Council having carried out an on the spot assessment of the site of the collapsed bridge and interacted with the representatives of other relevant professional bodies, will undertake a full scale investigation.

Similarly, he said the recent collapse of a bridge in Kwara State after a heavy downpour also brings to mind the need to regularly ascertain the integrity of Engineering infrastructure in Nigeria.

“Pursuant to Section 21 (A) (1) (as amended by Act No. 3 2018), the Council shall establish a Department to be known as the Engineering Regulations Monitoring Department, which shall be charged with the duties of monitoring firms.

“It will also ensure that Engineering is practiced in Nigeria in accordance with relevant codes of Engineering practice in the protection of her development and economic investment”,Odigure said While calling on all Engineering practitioners to assist with information or anything to do with the collapsed structures to report immediately to Enugu area office of COREN. According to him, “COREN is in the process of inaugurating national and state technical committees on Engineering Regulation Monitoring.

“Therefore, state governors, institutions, and professional bodies in Engineering practice, Immigration Service and the Police, are hereby put on notice to quickly nominate their representatives as already requested by COREN,”

From left: Minister of Aviation, Sen Hadi Sirika; Minister of Water Resources, Alhaji Suleiman Adamu; Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Minister of Sports, Mr Sunday Dare; Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zanab Ahmed and Minister of State, for Budget and National Planning, MR Clement Agba during a virtual meeting of the Federal Executive Council at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday (24/6/2020) Photo: NAN

Ondo guber: Campaign team alleges plot to discredit Adelami

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

I

n the build up to Ondo governorship primary election, the Adelami campaign organisation has raised an alarm over plot to forcefully use the local government chairmen of the party to discredit the membership of its principal, Chief Olaide Owolabi Adelami.

The campaign team in a statement signed Wednesday in Abuja, by Barrister Segun Ogodo, urged the national leadership of the APC and the presidency to disregard what it described as ‘campaign of calumny’ against their principal.

“For record purposes, Chief Olayide Adelami is a registered member of the APC in Igboroko 2 ward 3 where he worked assiduously for the success of all APC candidates in the 2019 general election.

“We hereby call on the leadership of

APC, the presidency and all members of our great party to disregard this malicious and fallacious harassment coming from a governor who openly campaigned and worked against APC and the reelection bid of President Muhammadu Buhari.”

The campaign team expressed pity for party LG chairmen “for the predicament they have found themselves,” alleging that some persons were planning to “induce threats to life in forcing the chairmen to falsely claim that Chief Adelami is not a member of the party.

“Whereas, Chief Adelami had been at the forefront of promoting party cohesion in Ondo state, a job he started in 2018 when he was appointed state coordinator of the Presidential Support Committee.”

The statement said if there is anyone to be dissociated by the party chairmen, it should be Chief Adelami, who has contributed much to the growth of APC

in Ondo state in particular and in Nigeria in general.

“We reiterate for the umpteenth time that Chief Olayide Adelami is a registered member of the APC, having worked closely with him the governor during his election in 2016 and during presidential election in 2019 and having seen his membership card on several occasions.

“We implore the Inspector General of police to act on all petitions we have written to his office in preventing Akeredolu from setting Ondo state on fire with his violent acts.The good people of Ondo State are watching the reluctance of security agents towards Akeredolu’s killers squad with their utmost attention.”

The statement urged the national body of APC to ask governor Akeredolu for explanation on why APC lost Ondo state in 2019 presidential election.

PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

PAGE 11

EDITORIAL

Still on the return of toll gates

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ome cynics had derided President Muhammadu Buhari’s ‘next level’ second term administration as one that will tax citizens out of their pockets. Yes, since starting his second term on May 29, 2019, President Buhari has approved one form of tax after another.

First were new bank charges on individual and corporate deposits and withdrawals, followed by a hefty increase in the value added tax, from 5% to 7.2%. Now the government has resolved to bring back the highway toll abolished in 2003.

Now what has changed to necessitate the return of what Fashola calls toll plazas? Not much but he is insistent. He said recently that “There is no reason why we can’t toll. There was a policy of the government to abolish tolls or as it were, dismantle toll plazas. But there is no law that prohibits tolling in Nigeria today.” What is new is that the plazas will be managed by the private sector, unlike in the past it was an all government affair.

Another is that no cash will change hands. “We want to limit significantly, if Minister of Works not totally eliminate, and Housing, Mr. at the plazas Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Works cash while ensuring that speaking on October 2 and Housing, electronic devices 2019 about the planned that are being used return of tolling on 51 Mr. Babatunde federal highways, said: Fashola, speaking do not impede rapid movement. We are “We expect to return toll plazas. We have on October 2 2019 now faced with the concluded the designs about the planned need to acquire more lands to of what they will look return of tolling establish the width like, what materials on 51 federal of the toll plazas. they will be rebuilt with, and what new highways, said: “We We are looking at a considerations must expect to return toll 10-lane plaza so that go into them. What plazas. We have there can be more outlets and they then we are looking at now concluded the merge; so we need to and trying to conclude is how the back end designs of what acquire more lands.” runs”. they will look like, Yet another positive is that tolling will what materials not be immediate.

In 2003, President to Olusegun Obasanjo, they will be rebuilt According who was rounding with, and what new Fashola, “We are waiting for the off his first term, considerations must only completion of those considered the toll go into them roads before we gates spread across the introduce the toll country something of a gates.” nuisance and ordered that they be dismantled. His We at Peoples Daily position was that roads should be maintained with the revenue understand why many citizens derived from the hike in the pump are uncomfortable with the price of petrol at the time. He reintroduction of the highway also argued that the N63 million toll. It is asking them take from earned daily from tolling was their already lean pockets to pay insignificant in the larger scheme for road maintenance. However, of things and contributed very the reality today is that the little to the nation’s fiscal budget. government is no longer in a Besides, toll gates compounded position to build and maintain traffic gridlock on highways, were roads. We, as citizens and users a source of pain for motorists and of the roads, should do our encouraged corruption. A large small part to contribute to their chunk of the revenue earned maintenance. It is our civic duty. from tolling ended up in private As for the fear of corruption, we pockets and in the bank accounts believe cashless payment of the toll will prevent that. of law enforcement syndicates.

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Letter to the Editor

BOA: Of past glory and the journey ahead

By Musa Ilallah

T

he history of Bank of Agriculture, BOA cannot be complete without talking about its roots. BOA’s roots started in 1972 when the Nigerian Agricultural and Cooperative bank, NACB was established with headquarters in Kaduna, Northern Nigeria as a National Agricultural production credit institution aimed at promoting agricultural production and rural development and growth of the Nigerian economy. Its name was changed to Nigerian Agricultural bank, NAB in 1978.

NACB’s choice of location in the North was not by accident as it is widely believed to be the epicentre and heart beat of agricultural activities. Major economic crops that sustained Nigeria from the 1940s to the 1970s for export included Groundnut and Cotton along with Hides and Skin. One vividly recalls with pride the Kano famous groundnut pyramids that earned forex for Nigeria.

It is not in doubt that NACB became a household name in Nigeria due to its spread, networking and the way it impacted positively on the lives of farmers and cooperative societies in the country through loans for crop farming, agric produce marketing and animal rearing among others to the tune of billions of Naira.

Additionally, NACB came on board to finance investments in equity capital of major agricultural and agro allied industrial ventures, provide finance for both domestic and international markets, financing of tractor hiring operations and agro processing in the country.

By 1973, NACB took off with 13 branches and expanded to 5 Zonal offices, 38 branches and 267 other offices manned by 1,200 staff in the country. Its structure then made it one of the best in terms of service delivery with full compliments of a board, management team, trained, well motivated, professional and dedicated staff determined to making farming not just a pastime but a life style for most Ngerians.

With the decentralisation of the bank’s operations in 1988, approvals for its loans exceeded N400 million and rose to more than N600 million in 1989 from a meagre N150 million in 1987.

Bank of Agriculture, BOA came into existence in 2000 as an outcome of government’s review of its micro credit institutions to assume the assets of NACB and the merged Peoples Bank of Nigeria, PBN and Family Economic Advancenent Project, FEAP. Since then, BOA had struggled to control the number of loans in its portfolio that had hampered its ability to provide sustainable support to the agricultural sector of the country.

The bank witnessed tremendous growth from inception until around the late 1990s when its fortunes began to decline due to a number of reasons including absence of government’s political will, interference and deliberate attempt to sabotage through sentimental political appointments into its board and top management positions. This resulted in the inability of the bank’s official to embark on an aggressive loans recovery for the needed sustenance of the bank and its activities.

Regrettably, the Bank derailed from the vision and mission of its founding fathers largely due to failure of the civilian governments from 1999 to deliver on its mandate.

These reasons and many more have largely contributed to the present comatose position of the Bank that was hitherto the most vibrant agricultural funding outlet in the country.

With the commitment and foresight of the current Minister of Agriculture, Sabo Nanono, himself a mixed farmer of international repute to revitalise the BOA, the coast is now clearer for a return to the good old days of agricultural financing in the country. The minister is determined to change the narratives and the fortunes of the bank for the good of the country in two distinct ways.

Firstly, he has identified the taking away of a key component of agric financing from BOA by Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN on the Anchor Borrowers programme in its packaging, financing and management. This should have gone to BOA. Secondly, the recent appointment of a seasoned banker, Malam Alwan Ali Hassan as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria’s Bank of Agriculture BOA, is not only apt but one that has “put a round peg in a round hole” given his experiences and exposures in public and private life as s public servant, administrator, banker, entrepreneur and politician spanning more than 35 years.

Born 62 years ago in the city of Kano, Malam Alwan Hassan, who holds a BSc Quantity Surveying degree and MBA from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria , is an Associate Member of Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors and Honorary Senior Member of Chartered Institute of Bankers.

Having worked with state owned Water Resources and Engineering Construction Agency, WRECA and Kano State Housing Corporation at the state level for years after graduation. He then moved to Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN as a Manager; United Bank for Africa as a Principal Manager; African International Bank, AIB as an Assistant General Manager and First Bank of Nigeria as Deputy General Manager before his appointment by CBN as Executive Director of Bank PHB ‘to institute corporate governance and recapitalise the bank’ Malam Alwan retired in November 2011 after a glorious and unblemished banking career of over 2 decades.

Prior to his appointment to BOA’s top most position, Alwan was the Chairman and CEO of Midrange Universal Biz Ltd, a property development and building materials outfit and Kankara BDC Ltd. Malam Alwan is married with children and is widely travelled.

A number of farmers and BOA staff talked to, see the appointment of Alwan as one that will save it from total collapse and bankruptcy.

Its not a matter of debate whether or not he has the capacity to deliver on his mandate as a rescuer and a messiah with a Midas touch. Our prayer and wish is that Alwan will not let President Buhari down on this well deserved and merited appointment.

Having known Alwan for years, I have no doubt in my mind that his choice to move BOA and indeed agricultural financing to greater heights will be achieved.

Ilallah wrote in via musahk123@yahoo.com EMEKA ANYAOKU STREET, ABUJA

PAGE 12

Opinion

PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

PAGE 13

Comment

Coronavirus: Public trust and a better future

COVID-19: When lockdown breeds hunger and anger

O

I

By Jibrin Ibrahim

ver the past century, no phenomenon has exposed poor governance and the terrible choice of priorities all over the world as COVID-19 has. For advanced countries, it has been discovered that the promise of the welfare state that capitalist industrialisation could provide minimum welfare, including good health and education for the entire population, has been abandoned in favour of more accumulation for a few dozen individuals and their companies that own most of the wealth in the world. They have fortunes that they and their great grandchildren could never exhaust over the next century.

For the poorer countries of the world, the story is even more straight forward. The nationalist promise of welfare and security for the people was never pursued. The leadership defined its vision as crass accumulation based on the theft of the commonwealth of their nations. Only some of the newly industrialising countries in Asia have a vision of the public good and developed quick and effective strategies to combat the virus. The most advanced countries were focused on more massive wealth for a few individuals and ignored warnings of the impending epidemic, hoping it would go away.

The governors of the poorest countries hoped the rich countries would come to rescue them, only to find out that the West itself needs rescue. Meanwhile, these governors had become completely dependent on accessing medical care in the West and, for the first time, their stolen wealth cannot secure them access to Western hospitals, so they and their poor will live or die by the decision of the virus alone. We must not forget in this context that the stupid virus knows not wealth, race, power or ideology.

The issue that COVID-19 places on the world agenda, therefore, is the important one of using the pandemic as an inspiration to redraft, retune and redesign the public policy of all countries in favour of the common good. It is a difficult job because most countries, or rather the leadership of most countries, have lost both the desire and the skills to act in furtherance of

the public good. The re-learning process is the most important issue in the world today. One example is the impact of the implementation of the social distancing programme on ordinary citizens. On Wednesday, the Nigerian National Human Rights Commission revealed that in their eagerness to defend the lives of Nigerians against the threat of the virus, security agents have killed more Nigerians than the virus has done within a two-week period. Specifically, the virus killed 11 persons in Nigeria, according to data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), while security operatives caused the death of 18 people in the same period. No wonder the NHRC Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu, lamented the training of security agencies in violation, rather than the protection of human rights. It is indeed normal for security agents to see people as a risk to the ruling class, rather than citizens who should be offered protection.

There is no doubt that in general, social distancing is an effective policy against the virus, which cannot move itself but is spread by people who are moving around. Everything however is defined by context and Africa has a lot of challenges that make it difficult to effectively implement social distancing. The most important problem is that a significant percentage of the urban poor earn their living by going out to work on a daily basis and the little earning they make that day is what they and their families would feed on. Telling them to stay indoors for weeks is a sure path to an increase in hunger, deprivation, and related mortality and morbidity. It imposes a terrible choice: stay at home and die of hunger or get out and risk being killed by the police. The response of the Nigerian government has been that they are providing palliatives in the form of food supplies and cash to the poorest, but to how many? Certainly not one hundred million Nigerians, who form part of the poorest population in the world.

What we have not done in Nigeria and in other African countries is to think through how to adopt the general policy of social distancing to our context. I was pleased to hear that Tanzania, for example, decided to put on its thinking cap and worked out that both closing

the border and imposing a total lockdown of the urban centres would simply not work and decided instead to focus on surveillance and testing and then locking down the specific areas where infections were spreading. Visitors into the country are also put in two weeks quarantine before they are allowed into communities. The world has become too used to generic solutions and the time for thinking out of the box has arrived. We need to acquaint ourselves with details of the epidemiological models that led to current social distancing guidelines, so that we can rethink the whole process.

It is also important to repeat that COVID-19 is a new virus and specialists are just finding out how it operates. Two months ago, Western politicians and hospitals went into a frenzy of worry because they did not have enough ventilators to place patients in serious condition on. The United States, in particular, even engaged in airport piracy in Shanghai, China, forcibly paying for and diverting plane loads of ventilators and protective personnel equipment enroute to France and Germany to the United States. Today, they are finding out that ventilators are a death warrant for most COVID-19 patients and are now learning to offer less intrusive and more effective treatments. The whole world is therefore on a learning curve and our governments should get out of the assumption that the experts know everything and open up to more inclusive discussions on the best way forward. A number of things are becoming clear and should inform public policy.

The first issue is the imperative of a rapid increase in testing for the infection, alongside tracking and isolating cases. Nigeria is boasting that we have increased our testing centres to thirteen, while a country like South Korea, with about a quarter of our population, has about 600 test sites. We need an urgent national conversation on how to expand the availability of testing kits in the difficult international context in which we live. We have to rapidly grow a huge public health workforce for identifying suspected cases, collecting samples, and sending them into the laboratories for testing.

Secondly, there is consensus that the constant washing of hands with soap and clean running water is the key to survival from infection. We also know that most Nigerians have no access to clean running water. Given our context, what is the best advice for accessing more water and soap for all and the best ways to use water in bowls, kettles, buta and so on. We must stop showing video clips that suggest all of us can simply open a tap and water would flow. What of getting our plastics industry to mass produce buckets with small taps and distribute it all over the country?

What agents can be used to purify water for hand washing?

Thirdly, we now know that it is useful for the wider population to use face masks – at least it stops people from touching their mouths and noses. It is easy for most countries to produce home-made masks for the people.

This can even be done at the community level.

At the same time, more sophisticated personal protection equipment for medical personnel need to be produced locally as pirate countries are clearing everything available in the “world market”.

Fourthly, we need to engage in a more scientific study of the relationship between our demography – a country with a very young population and the epidemiology of COVID-19.

Can we for example impose targeted physical isolation of the elderly and other at-risk groups, while allowing more young people in the slums go out and work? What is the risk of mass revolt from hungry young people and how can we manage this risk?

In thinking about COVID-19 and our future, what is clear is that the biggest challenge we have is that of trust. Nigerians have no trust in their ruling class because they know them to be selfish, self-serving and thieves.

The challenge is to start thinking and planning about how we can get a new group that would respect public trust and see their role as using public resources to promote the public good.

A professor of Political Science and development consultant/expert, Jibrin Ibrahim is a Senior Fellow of the Centre for Democracy and Development.

A pandemic-driven food crisis in Africa can be prevented

By Cedric Habiyaremye

W

e have only just begun to see the far-ranging consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world. Chief among those is the threat of a food crisis of unprecedented magnitude.

Unless measures are taken fast to keep global food supply chains operational and to mitigate the pandemic’s impacts across the food system, we will see rapid increases in hunger, particularly in low-income countries of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Last month, I returned to the United States from Rwanda, where the pandemic forced me to abandon my research with farmers on improving the availability and affordability of nutritious food. It may be months or even years before that and other promising agricultural research to combat hunger and malnutrition can resume.

In the meantime, those farmers and millions more in low-income countries are among those most at risk of not being able to work their land and produce food. They face the dual crisis of a deepening pandemic and already high levels of food insecurity. Of the 257 million hungry people in Africa, the majority live in rural areas.

As African leaders scramble to respond to the coronavirus outbreaks in their countries, they have to pay particular attention to farming communities and make sure that their food production remains unhindered.

Pandemic threats to the food supply African countries are currently focusing their efforts on blocking the transmission of COVID-19, but they also need to think about how their actions affect food security today and in the future. This crisis is affecting workforces, transportation systems and supply chains – the very basis of how our food gets from field to fork.

Early signs show that the pandemic could severely disrupt both food supply and demand. Disruptions could occur as people who work in the food economy – from farmers to processors, to truck drivers and dock workers – are forced to stay home from work due to either quarantine or illness. This could result in greater food loss and waste, defaults on credit payments, and a rising cost of doing business.

If severe illness spreads widely in rural areas of Africa, where small-scale farmers produce 80 percent of the food consumed, food production may plummet. Farmers and rural communities are highly vulnerable to the disease. Many rural communities lack basic infrastructure for sanitation and shortages of clean water challenge the allcritical need for good hygiene. Underlying medical conditions, which in Africa may include prevalent tropical diseases and malnutrition, could increase vulnerability to the disease.

During the Ebola epidemic in West Africa,

more than 40 percent of the agricultural land in affected countries went uncultivated.

Small-scale farmers were unable to work their land, sell their products, or buy seeds and other essential inputs.

Today, food demand is suffering whiplash because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On the one hand, the loss of jobs and income is weakening purchasing power, thereby limiting demand – a trend which is likely to accelerate.

On the other hand, panic purchases of food – like those recently witnessed in Rwanda, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and many other countries – are already causing localised price hikes. This kind of volatility and unpredictability in food demand could trigger shortages and uncontrolled food price inflation.

How to prevent a food crisis When panic buying erupted in Rwanda, the government took action. On March 16, Rwanda became the first African country to regulate food prices. It set fixed prices for 17 food items, including rice, sugar and cooking oil. South Africa subsequently imposed regulations that will limit price hikes and product stockpiling.

The African Union should urge all governments to follow Rwanda and South Africa’s lead with price controls to reassure consumers and stop the spread of food price hikes. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic affects food markets is conditional

upon countries staying calm, even in the face of shocks to the food supply chain.

Countries should avoid protective beggar-thy-neighbour food policies, such as trade barriers enacted through tariffs or quotas in these times of crisis.

Instead, they should focus on maintaining the market flow of agricultural inputs, food, and feed by reducing import tariffs and value-added taxes and allowing the crossborder transport of food to continue despite border closures.

Governments at all levels should recognise agricultural food system operations and research as essential and provide everyone involved with the protection and support that they need to continue to work, following safety and health protocols. Rwanda, for example, has designated agriculture an essential economic activity that must continue regardless of other restrictions on mobility or workplace activity.

As the COVID-19 pandemic takes hold in the world’s poorest countries, policy solutions and global assistance must align to support the most vulnerable countries and populations. The protection of food security is inseparable from actions to protect the health, family welfare, commerce and other sectors. It must be urgently integrated into all COVID-19 planning and policy.

Cedric Habiyaremye is a Public Affairs Analyst.

By Ogungbile Emmanuel Oludotun woke again this morning feeling more languish and ravenous than I was before I went to bed last night. Apparently It was the second consecutive time that we didn’t eat before drifting to bed. Our eatables were gradually getting exhausted, hence, we skipped our proposed undernourished meal for the next morning, leaving for bed without a pinch of tidbit. You can imagine the terrible experience we are yet passing through, as my father who’s the breadwinner could no longer go to work, mother is away on a land of no return, and we the chidren couldn’t add anything tangible to the table, considering that all business activities has been shutdown.

Consequently, it’s a situation of no joy as I also observed that even our next door neighbour also slouched impulsively in this same shoe of hunger and anger that was born out of the lockdown declaration by the federal government in the measure to contain the Coronavirus.

It’s evident that Nigeria enfolds the population of about 200 million people, of which half of her people are susceptible to extreme hunger, most especially and blistering in a pandemic period like this where every place appears to be shutoff from all human and non human activities.

Perhaps, one do not necessarily need a flattering NCDC report or a presidential task force press release to tell us that how people are hindered and unable to go out, fending for a means of survival. It’s dismaying that Covid-19 lockdown blooms and protracts everday in our community without a substantial palliative measures to diminsh the hardship of millions of Nigerians living from hand-to-mouth, or who could hardly spend a dollar per day.

True, as imperative as this lockdown process could project, it’s however

peremptory that government should ascertain that locking down people down at home in a destitute country as this, is like asking people to go famished for the duration of the lockdown. Consecutive congenial has studies has shown over years that more than 50 per cent of Nigerians survive on daily pay from menial jobs, small scale businesses, buying and selling, petty trading e.t.c. This closure only decrypt that their means of daily livelihood has been shutoff. Hence, one need to ask the question of what will be the fate of a 54 year old breadwinner man who sells planks at a lockdown Bodija market, and yet, will still have to cater for his family of five. Again, of what will be the fate of a secondary school teacher, employed by his private employer, and yet he will not receive a fine of salary during this lockdown. It’s seeming that some employers had forced their employees to an unfair paycut of irrelevant values. Some had even outrightly relief their workers off their employment.

In the plight of this situation, the pains and twinges of hunger of people are gradually breeding the ugly effects that we cannot overlook. These hungry people can no longer fend or contain themselves anymore inside their houses.

They are getting tuckered by the hunger caused by the lockdown, it summarises that we can relatively see the ‘rebellious’ ones out on the street, looking for what to devour, before they are finally devoured by famishment. Just Imagine, how do the Nigerian government expects her citizen to survive against a lockdown without palliatives? These resources that are not even enough to feed a family of five in 2 one week, yet the government finds euphoria in distributing these sort of intangible tidbits, considering it can never be enough to pull through. It’s however infuriating that lack of food to

survive in our community had procreated into a crime inflitrated community. The crime rate at which people are indulging in these days are overwhelming. Markets women selling foods are harassed, tenants are harassed, landlords are harassed.

Our ears are filled with various reports of angry and hungry youths invading parts of the community, knocking at doors, demanding money for food. This state of affairs has made life unnecessarily daunting and insecure.

According to reports from an eye witness last week, suspected and unidentified hoodlums, invaded some communities in Ibadan North local government of Oyo state, areas such as Barika, Sango and environs, breaking into shops and houses carting away people’s valuables. The situation has caused the residents of these areas to live in fear of the unknown.

Moreover, in the light of this theme, it’s evident that the ‘stay at home’ order is inevitable in order to curtail the spread of this fast infecting virus. It’s only bad identifying that inasmuch as the government is affected by this lockdown, so are the people they govern upon. It’s thereby a question of whether there are any other relative means of clogging the wildfire of this virus? And should it be only by locking down of activities, it’s the question of if the government will continue watching her vulnerable people die of hunger while shutting off at home? Or shall the government watch her community to be regularly invaded by this ‘rebellious and ad-hoc’ hoodlums? And maybe the question of if the government will still continue with her meagre distribution of palliatives?

Or won’t the thought of hunger won’t kill people faster than the virus itself.

Therein, as there is need for the people to exercise some restraint at this time of

health challenge caused by coronavirus, so is need for the government to hasten her steps in ensuring the safety of her citizens.

The Federal and state governments should urgently put in place social protection measures to uphold the right to food. Distribution of palliatives should be not be scanty, and not be a matter of prejudice. The measures to address food insecurity could include food subsidies for those living in poverty, and directly providing food to those who are unable to provide for themselves. Without the support from the government, the lock down would become a matter of life and death for those living in poverty. Government need to also provide adequate security to the people while enforcing the restrictions and movement of the people. In the same light, government should also tame the activities of the forces while they are enforcing the lockdown. The admixture of the Nigerian police force and the soldiers have been deployed to the streets to monitor the movement of people and ensure they comply with lockdown measures implemented by governments. However, security personnel are using disproportionate force in dealing with members of the public, including beatings and other forms of public harassment, such as making people do indecent things in the name of enforcement.

Finally, it’s the duty of we all to ensure that we have a corona virus free community, the people should do their part by staying safe at home and ensuring the necessary hygiene practice while the government should do the needful, ensuring her people are enshrouded away from hunger.

Ogungbile Emmanuel Oludotun is of University of Ibadan.

COVID-19: Poor Nigerians are dying of hunger

By Mudathir Folorunsho

T

Hayatullahi

he whole world is now in distress because of the coronavirus outbreak that has affected almost all the countries around the globe, leaving deadly marks on some people to carry as its sign of visitation.

It also get inundated on we Nigerians as we failed initially to avoid the visitation of the said deadly virus, COVID-19 from entering our blessed and saint country, Nigeria. Now, we are part of the team, suffering from the same illness.

The number of the affected people increases everyday while some are unable to survive the pandemic, leaving this sweet world for the after life. What a calamity that has befallen us!

COVID-19 is threatening us everyday and our leaders are not fully ready to fight for us. The whole nation is now in fear. Even the people in power are not exempted. No one is ready to help another while friends have turned to sudden enemies. Husbands and wives no longer live happily again in their own matrimonial home. What a COVID separation?

Our leaders have imposed total lockdown on us to curtail the spread of the existing pandemic that has circulated around almost all the states of our country. We are all asked to stay home so as not to contract the disease, but hunger is also at home, threatening us to go out

and find our means of livelihood.

Our leaders have imposed the lockdown which implies the citizens of this country will not move out for their day-to-day works but have also failed us in catering to our survival during the lockdown period. On what are we to depend?

I have never seen anyone that befriend hunger for weeks, I mean real and serious hunger and still come out with his/ her senses . As our leaders have taken preventive measures to curb the spread of the pandemic so that citizens won’t die of Corona, they are supposed to also device a means of catering for the welfare of Nigerians so as not to also die of hunger.

Hunger is not any man’s friend.

So sad and pathetic that the children are suffering for the sin committed by their fathers. The vulnerable citizens of the country are now carrying the cross of their masters. What an irony of life.

I’m not disputing the fact that the lockdown has affected the masters and the highly reputable members of the country, but never will we compare a man having water in his reservoir with one who struggles to fetch everyday if drought season arrives.

Hunger is said to be one of the most deadly and fast killing viruses in this world; Those whose their means of livelihood are on the street are tired of staying home as they find it more difficult to sustain the lockdown without food items at home when their sources

of income have been blocked and no provision was made to them by the government. No outreach has reached their doors.

Coronavirus is outside while hunger virus is inside, both are meant to claim lives. We are asked not to go out and meet corona while hunger is also inside, asking for its rights. Poor citizens are now in pool of danger.

Coronavirus claims a life in at least 14 days while hunger virus claims thousands of lives in a single day. Poor Nigerians cannot afford 3 square meals per day anymore while some find it difficult to put hands to mouth. Some are dying silently while at home; COVID-19 is not the cause but HUNGVID-20 causes their death.

Many vulnerable prefer dying of corona to hunger as they cry out everyday and protest against the lockdown through all means of communication. Many poor have turned to beggars, stylishly begging people for their survival while many go from house to ask to seek for financial help and other relief materials for them to depend on during the lockdown.

Many cried out loud that their means of income should not be blocked totally, they needed to survive and eat everyday, they complained of lack of food items, they showed their skins changing color, bodies turning wrinkles and becoming older due to hunger, they wanted their feelings to be known, the widows were expecting their children to bring for

them, so, they protested on their behalf but their voices never reached the top.

The wind blew it away. They died without being attended to.

It got me so amazed and sad also when I noticed how houses and shops were being burgled by thieves during this lockdown, which still persists. The poor ones who have nothing at home are still suffering for it as they are being beaten by the miscreants when they claim not to have anything at home. Poor people are not sleeping comfortably at night again for the fear of being attacked. The innocent souls have turned to mid-nights securities. What a life!

I’m not blaming the Government for imposing this lockdown as it is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of this pandemic as also backed up by the law, but it is also important that they consider the effect of this action on the vulnerable citizens and make some provisions for them to ease their affairs.

On a final note, I will urge Nigerian government to come up with feeding scheme for all her citizens just as President Kagame did by distributing door to door food items to the citizens of Rwanda and other relief materials that will make life more easier for the vulnerable citizens and to put end to mass death of hunger in our country.God bless Nigeria!

Mudathir Hayatullahi is an English language student of UDUS and also a campus journalist.

PAGE 14

PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

News

Ghana Demolition: Do more than Court suite - Gbajabiamila - Onyema

By Christiana Ekpa

T

he Speaker House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila has declared the demolition of Nigeria’s embassy building in Ghana as a direct attack on Nigeria as a sovereign nation, saying that an embassy of a country is an extension of her territory and

Kaduna empower grassroots women with N200m

sovereignty.

The Speaker who stated this while addressing the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffry Onyema, on Tuesday in Abuja, also called for retaliatory measures against those who trample upon the diplomatic rights and privileges of Nigerians and Nigeria in foreign land.

According to the Speaker, the situation has become a recurring decimal in the nation’s foriegn policy engagements, adding that many countries within Africa have taken the liberty of hurting Nigerians, while Nigeria looks the other way in the name of brotherhood.

“We all have a responsibility to make sure that we uphold the honour and integrity of the country that we serve.

The Hon. Minister has explained what happened and what they have done or doing, but I think we should look at it from the premise that it was the Nigerian

State that was attacked, not just a building.

“In terms of visibility and otherwise of the property, I want to say that it is trite to understand that all countries exist through their Embassies in other countries.

So for that reason, Nigeria was attacked by Ghana because if anything happens in Ghana, it’s the Nigerian Embassy that Nigerians will run to and get protection due to the diplomatic immunity that it should enjoy.

“So let’s face it. If the American Embassy was demolished, do you think the US will be asking for apologies and indemnity?

Or the UK, Canada or any other Western country, they wont ask for apology”, Gbajabiamila said.

He lamented further saying that “but we have established a pattern here, because from what I heard, this is not the first time it is happening. It happened before and we said we will look into it and then they apologized and we let it go”.

“Others may say that this is a sibling rivalry that is going on between Nigeria and Ghana, and we did nothing, but we must take a stand, because this has gone beyond court processes as the Minister said.

“This diminishes Nigeria as a State because it’s not a land dispute between Nigeria and any individual, but a diplomatic dispute between Nigeria and Ghana which should be handled accordingly, because the person who did this did it under the colour of their law.

“Reciprocity is a legitimate instrument in foreign policy. And we can employ it, because if such had happened here in Nigeria, the individual will first approach the court to enforce his rights, and i want to believe that Ghana is a democratic country where laws apply, but this person didn’t use the law to do this. So it’s purely a predetermined attack on the Nigerian State.

Suspected Robbers, Car Snatchers, and Illegal Arm Dealers being parade by Police, at the SARS Office, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

K

aduna State Women Empowered Programme (KADSWEP) is to support women at the grassroots in their entrepreneurial activities with N200m.

The state Commissioner for Human Services and Social Development,Hajiya Hafsat Baba, disclosed this while speaking to the media in kaduna yesterday According to her the empowerment program was established in 2017, and specifically designed to improve financial inclusion and provide women access to low-interest loans to begin new or expand existing business.

She explained that the ministry was working on the guidelines and modalities for the disbursement of the money to new beneficiaries.

The commissioner added that the state was working with the Central Bank of Nigeria to deepen financial inclusion among women, adding that about 14,000 women have recently opened bank accounts.

“We will use Bank Verification Number to screen existing beneficiaries out so that others can benefit,” she said.

The commissioner said that over 7,000 women benefited from the programme in 2019, noting that individual received N20,000 while association of 10 members got N200,000.

She said that while others have paid back, the ministry was working with the remaining beneficiaries to pay back the soft loan to provide opportunities for others to benefit.

“So we should move away from this idea of gentleman big-brother whom everyone can just trample on and nothing is done.

“South Africa did it, we kept quiet, Ghana has done it, and still doing it, but we want to show diplomatic maturity of asking for apology and claim damages. If this had happened to the British High Commission in Ghana, all hell would have been let loose. I’m telling you this as a matter of fact.

“Because it was Nigeria that was attacked and not Nigerian land or property. But whatever the minister decides to do as far as responses are concerned, the House is here to support you in whatever way necessary”, the Speaker added.

The Minister of foreign Affairs, Geoffry Onyema had earlier informed the Committee on Foriegn Affairs, Chaired by Rep. Yusuf Bubba from Adamawa that diplomatic efforts had gone into resolving the current issue.

Timi Frank wants Army to unconditionally release Lance Corporal in viral video

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

F

ormer Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank has called on the Nigerian Army to immediately released Lance Corporal Martins.

Martins, a Lance Corporal in the Nigerian Army was arrested after making a video blasting the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, and other security chiefs in the country.

According to a reliable source, the soldier was picked by senior military officers, who said they were acting based on an “order from above.”

In the 12-minute video, the soldier expressed his anger at the security chiefs especially Buratai, and Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin, for not being committed to end the incessant killings of Nigerians by terrorists and armed bandits.

He revealed how the military ordered the illegal detention of some soldiers, who demanded better weapons and ammunition to combat Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in the country.

He stated that though he might be arrested and probably killed for the video, he is ready to sacrifice himself for the country.

Reacting to the arrest of the

Lance Corporal, Timi Frank via his verified twitter handle released a press statement where he expressed his disappointment with the Nigerian Service Chiefs.

Frank called the Service Chiefs, “Service Thieves.”

He further said this issues of security challenges has made Nigeria to remain the way she is up till date.

Frank acknowledged how strong Nigeria Militaries are but that they lack the needed all round supports because of the corruption prevalent in the characters of the Service Chiefs.

The statement read in parts: “After watching this video of a Nigerian Military Officer crying out,

Nigeria is indeed in big trouble. I’m very disappointed with our service Chiefs. With this video, it is obvious we dont have Service Chiefs but Service Thieves. And that is why the country will continue to remain in a helpless state like this. May God save Nigeria!

“With this video, it has clearly shown the reason why these Service Chiefs have refused to retire, even when they’re due for retirement.

“Nigeria is suppose to be Giant of Africa, rather we are the Giant of Thieves. With all our military war chest we have, Nigeria still cannot defeat Boko Haram, rather a country like Chad were able to extinct Boko Haram around their region.

PAGE 15

PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

Gbajabiamila dogged in NASS struggle to entrench democratic project Lawan says

By Musa Adamu

S

enate President, Ahmad Lawan, yesterday said the Speaker of House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has been his dependable ally who is very dogged in the struggle of the National Assembly to strengthen and entrench democratic project in Nigeria.

Lawan stated this in his congratulatory message to the Speaker to mark his 58th birthday.

He congratulated him also on his exemplary representation of his constituency and passionate service to Nigeria as a whole at the National Assembly over the years.

According to the message signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Yomi Awoniyi, Lawan said “Rt. Hon. Gbajabiamila has made robust contributions to building our Legislature to effectively play its role as a bulwark and foremost institution of democracy.

“In the Ninth Assembly, he has been a dependable partner in the efforts to focus the Legislature on entrenching democratic practices and patriotically helping the government to continually improve service delivery to the Nigerian people.

“Mr Speaker and I have a common vision of the role of the National Assembly in nation-building and national development and he has been consistent in the dogged pursuit of all that he considers to be in the best interest of our country,” Lawan said.

The Senate President rejoiced with his family, friends, political associates and in particular the Honourable members of the House of Representatives on the occasion, praying that God will continue to grant him good health and many more years of service to his fatherland.

APC NWC Chairman accuses Giadom of threat to life, plot to burndown Secretariat

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

T

he National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressive Congress (APC) led by Abiola Ajimobi, yesterday raised the alarm that his political opponent has dispatched thugs from Portharcourt City, River State, to storm the national Secretariat of the ruling party and set it ablaze.

Hilliard Eta, who has been acting for Ajimobi, alleged also that his life is under threat, adding that he will go and report to the police to put them on notice.

According to him, the threat is coming from thugs dispatched from Port Harcourt, Rivers with sole intention to torch the national secretariat in protest for

•Go tell police, not my business - Giadom replies the continued stay of Chief Victor Giadom in the APC. “We got information that they are going to send thugs from Port Harcourt, they are coming here to burn the Secretariat and make it look like the National Working Committee instigated a fire incident so that the Secretariat will be burnt down and then, they will give the impression that it is the NWC that is burning down the Secretariat because they do not want Victor Giadom to come in.

“They have two intentions, that is number one. Number two is that they are going to make an attempt on my life. I just thought that I

should let the press know this. I am just moving out of my house, I am coming to Secretariat, from there I will report to the police”, he said.

It would be recalled that the NWC faction under Eta claimed that Giadom had lost his membership of the party, citing an order of court.

Eta even went ahead to swear in Worgu Boms as replacement for Giadom who maintained he is the authentic Acting National Chairman of APC. “He is the aim of the thugs was to blame the members of NWC for any breakdown of law”, he said.

Meanwhile, responding to the allegation, the factional chairman of

the APC, Victor Giadom, asked the Ajimobi faction to go to the police if they have such information, saying he would not have responded to the allegation.

“Ordinarily, I would not have reacted. If he has such information, let him report to the Police. The police have the capability to track such persons. Maybe that is his plan because we all know that there is a ban on interstate movement and it is difficult.

“He should report to the police if he has any such information except of course he is the one planning to bring in people from Calabar”, Giadom said.

L-R: Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Ekiti State Governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi with Director General,Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, during the signing of MOU between NGF and NCDC, at the Forum Secretariat with them are Director General NGF, Mr. Asishana Okauru and World Bank Deputy Country Director, Mr. Katheen Whip, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Is a

Ekweremadu says 90 days for rerun illegal, seeks early, staggered primaries

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

F

ormer Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, has canvassed early and staggered primary elections as panacea for highly contentious nomination process in Nigeria’s electoral system.

Ekweremadu spoke on Wednesday during a webinar on “Electoral Reforms: National Assembly and the People’s Expectations”, which was organised by the Centre for Liberty, Abuja, in conjunction with the Open Society Initiative for West Africa, (OSIWA).

He observed that the very close proximity of primary elections to main elections had always increased desperation on the part of the political actors and compounded litigations and logistical problems for both the political parties and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“In the United States of America (USA), presidential primaries begin about twelve months to the election, climaxing in the convention, where an

already known candidate is affirmed.

“In Ghana, there is no stipulated timeframe for the nomination of candidates in the country’s electoral laws. Therefore, article 11 (2)(b) of the National Peoples Party, NPP, Constitution, for instance, stipulates that parliamentary candidates shall be elected at least 12 months before the National General Election, while Article 12 provides that the party’s primary election for the nomination of the presidential candidate shall be held not later than 24 months from the date of the national elections.

“The advantage is that we will not likely see court orders flying all over the place as is the case in Nigeria today because every litigation or contentious issue arising from the primary election would have been settled before the main election.

“The election management body and the political parties will also have enough time to prepare for the election, while the electorate will have enough time to interrogate the manifestos of the political parties and suitability of every individual

candidate”, he said.

Ekweremadu also explained that direct and staggered primary elections would compel aspirants to campaign at the grassroots for the support of every party member.

“Importantly, aspirants will weigh their individual popularity as the primary election train moves from state to state in the case of presidential primary or from local government to local government in the governorship primary election.

“Those doing poorly will advise themselves appropriately and naturally withdraw from the race for the ticket, while the leading aspirants will continue. This will make the process less prone to the extreme contentions and litigations we see today”.

The Senator, while expressing his disappointment over the denial of presidential assent to critical electoral reforms by the National Assembly, was also displeased that many of the successful reforms were continually observed in the breach.

“It is one thing to reform the

electoral system, but it is also another to ensure that the reformed laws are operational.

“For instance, Section 76 (2) of the 1999 Constitution earlier provided that where a vacancy exists in the National Assembly, for whatever reason, such vacancy shall be filled within one month. The essence is to ensure that every part of the country is properly represented in parliament at every point in time. We amended the Section to read 30 days, for clarity.

“Yet both INEC and the courts have ignored that provision. The courts order conduct of fresh elections within 90 days, while INEC conducts such elections within or even outside the 90 days. Current examples of such breach are Imo, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Plateau States where the constitutionally stipulated time to conduct fresh elections to fill vacant senatorial seats has since elapsed.

“The reality is that any election conducted after 30 days from the day the vacancy occurred is unconstitutional and therefore null and void”, he added.

PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

PAGE 16

POLITICS

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

T

he Director General of All Progressive Congress (APC) Governors Forum, Salihu Lukman, has urged the people of goodwill in the party to seize the opportunity and give political and morale support to the current efforts

by President Muhammadu Buhari, to resolve the crisis in the party.

Recall that one of the contenders of the office of the national Chairman of the party, Victor Giadom, had summoned a virtual meeting of the APC National Executive Committee (NEC), which he claimed is coming under the acknowledgement of President Muhammadu Buhari, and to be held in the Presidential Villa today.

In a statement he issued yesterday, Lukman said the crisis in the ruling party is a show of shame, adding “With all the confusion as to who is our presiding officer, coupled with the fact that the most important structure that is saddled with the responsibility of convening meetings of all organs of the party is fractured and entangled in webs of legal cases, it is either the confusion is allowed to

How I will industrialize Ondo if elected Governor - APC aspirant, Ife Oluwa

By Lateef Ibrahim

PGF DG tells goodwill members to back Buhari’s move to rebuild APC glory continue and eventual end with the demise of the party, or our leaders find a way to save the party.”

According to the DG, “Is this headline a reflection of the position of the leader? Is the message underlining this headline going to serve as the basis of opposition against the initiative by the President the ensure that a NEC meeting hold?

With the way the President’s name is presented using just his first name, isn’t that already indicative of some measure of rebellion?

“All committed party members and leaders should rally behind President Buhari in support of the scheduled NEC to hold so that we are able to reset the APC back to its 2013 orientation of inclusive and participatory politics. To achieve that,

the public debate should be about proposals to ensure that the NEC succeed rather than attempting to throw up legal blockades!”

Lukman said “Today, even something as basic as who is the presiding officer of the APC is in courts to the extent that we lost count of the number of cases involving more litigants, far more than the number of party members that aspired for the position at our last National Convention.

“To demonstrate the irony of the kind of leaderless situation we found ourselves or we impose on ourselves, we are being told that our constitution disqualifies a Deputy National Chairman from acting as National Chairman with reference to the section of the country he comes

from.

“Yet, we call ourselves progressives. No need to look for anybody who is a reactionary with some of progressive leaders we have in APC. Our leaders have degenerated to pseudo-ethnic champions. Are we heading for a merger with Arewa, Afeniferi, Biafra and all the known ethnic groups?

“It is such a mess that almost every passing day, we just keep descending lower and lower. Not only that members get more and more frustrated, but also that Nigerians become more and more disappointed and some of our leaders with mandate to govern the country are daily being distracted.

“Instead of facing the business of government and strengthening

the capacity of APC governments at federal and states levels to deliver on their campaign promises, it is a case of leadership conflicts all over the place.

“Rather than have party leadership making efforts to resolve these conflicts, they become the major disputants and litigants. If the dispute turns out to be between these party leaders and elected functionaries of government, once the circle of election come, these functionaries should be ready to be thrown out no matter their records in government.

“Professors and all manner of clownish supporters will be recruited to defend and present actions of these party leaders as decisions of party structures and therefore reflective of the supremacy of the party.

NASS independence improved under Gbajabiamila Speakership - APC

By Musa Adamu

T

he All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the leadership of the Speaker of House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has in no small measures ensured and sustained the independence of the Nigerian parliament.

In a congratulatory message

issued by the National Publicity Secretary of APC, Lanre IssaOnilu, the party said it is proud to associate with the Speaker, adding that in the last 16 years as a member of the National Assembly, he has deployed his intellect, organisational and leadership skills to promote and advance the interests of the country and the good of all Nigerians.

According to the statement, “It is particularly noteworthy that the Hon. Speaker’s robust and excellent contributions on the floor of the House has, in no small measure, ensured the independence of the legislative arm of government and its complementary role with the Executive towards building and sustaining a viable democracy

and working for the upliftment of socio-economic conditions of the common man.

“Our great party commends the Hon. Speaker over his numerous patriotic motions and bills and the extraordinary manner he has been positively impacting the lives of the people in his immediate constituency, state and the country as a whole”.

O

ne of the aspirants in the Ondo state Governorship election on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Ife Oluwa, yesterday disclosed that his blueprint for the industrialization of the state is to build food and beverage manufacturing companies in the three senatorial zones of the state.

Speaking at the APC Secretariat when he came to submit his nomination and expression of interest forms for the Governorship election, also said he will make fast yielding crops available to the farmers, saying “We need to be able to ensure that those seedlings get to the farmers.

“There are other agencies or organizations that can help the farmers. For instance, we will establish leasing companies that will lease tractors and so on to the farmers so that it will lessen their expenses.

You know, they do not have to go and acquire all these expensive machines and extension services.

While pointing out that packaging is essential in manufacturing and agribusiness, the aspirant said packaging facilities will be availed to the farmers so that packaging will become easier for the people, saying “Once the farmers have objects they don’t need to worry about moving their crops from one place to the other.”

“We are going to ensure that we group farmers into smallholding organizations and provide facilities that will make their children to want to live around them and members of their family. We will create schools for them in those places where they will have recreational facilities.

L-R; Minister of Water Resources, Engr Sulieman Adamu, SGF Mr. Boss Mustapha and Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed during a virtual FEC Meeting held at the Council Chambers State House Abuja.

PHOTO; SUNDAY AGHAEZE. JUNE 24 2020

Amaechi says he will maintain bystander posture on APC leadership crisis

By Christiana Ekpa

T

he Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, yesterday said though he is the leader of the party in Rivers state, he will maintain a bystander posture to the crisis rocking the ruling party in the state and at the national level.

Amaechi, in a statement from his media office on Tuesday, said he had resolved to adopt the

approach of a bystander and steer clear of politics, as it affected the APC at the national and state levels.

He said that he was not aware of the reason behind the series of crises rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC), both at the national level and in Rivers State.

The Rivers APC leader wondered why there is a crisis within the party that cannot be resolved, especially when all members of the party are “adults”.

“What is happening in APC, I don’t know; what is happening in Rivers State, I don’t know. What I’ve done is to keep away from politics. Even if I’m bothered, it’ll be internally.

“There’s nobody there (in the party) who is a child; we’re all adults. I don’t want to get involved in politics.

“Nigerians know me for being blunt and honest. Some see it as arrogance, some see it as being brash, whatever it is. What do I

need to say that I have not said before? It’s internal dynamics of politics, it’s internal struggle.

“So, I have said it several times. When we fought in 2015, I said this country cannot continue the way it is going. I’m not helpless, but I’m doing what they call ‘siddon look,” Amaechi said.

As of today, there are more than 10 litigations bordering on the leadership crisis in the party at the Federal Capital Territory, Edo and Rivers states.

PAGE 17

PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

POLITICS

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

T

he national leader of All Progressive Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, yesterday expressed dissatisfaction with the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting summoned today by the factional chairman of the party, Victor Giadom, allegedly at the instance of President Muhammadu Buhari.

In a statement he personally singed, Tinubu said those backing Giadom are powerful individuals, contrary to which he will not have the temerity to call such meeting, adding that he is doing so because he believes they can reward and protect him from his wrongful act against the

Omo-Agege hails Gbajabiamila at 58

By Musa Adamu

D

eputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie OmoAgege has extolled the leadership qualities of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila on the occasion of his 58th birthday.

In his goodwill message to the nation’s Number Four Citizen, Senator Omo-Agege specifically commended him for piloting the affairs of the Green Chamber in tandem with the Next Level Agenda of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration.

According to him, Speaker Gbajabiamila’s high intellect and deep knowledge of the legislature is a testament to his rise from the position of Minority Whip in 2005 to Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2019.

The governing party, OmoAgege noted, is proud of the federal lawmaker’s passionate commitment to progressive ideals.

“Honourable Speaker, your seventeen years in the Green Chamber dearly attest to your personal qualities including high intellect and deep knowledge of the workings of a legislature; your 14 years as a principal officer, first as a Minority Whip from 2005 to 2007, Minority Leader (Opposition Leader) from 2007 to 2015 and later as Leader of the House/Majority Leader between 2015 and 2019 all reflect your populist and patriotic disposition.

“As the first Nigerian to have risen from the position of Minority Leader to Majority Leader and then to Speaker, your passionate commitment to progressive ideals and the people-focused objectives of our party have never been in doubt.

“Today, as you mark your 58th birthday, I join members of my family, my constituents in Delta Central Senatorial District and your teeming admirers across the nation and its political divides in wishing you many more years of good health and inspiring leadership,” Omo-Agege said.

Tinubu rejects Buhari’s NEC meeting, says Giadom instigated by powerful persons APC. According to Tinubu, he said “We even had a National Deputy Secretary improperly calling for an NEC meeting on the basis that he believed himself to be the acting National Chairman.

Clearly, this man would not have summoned the temerity to make such a move had he not been instigated by powerful individuals, whom he thought would reward or, at least, protect him for committing the wrongful act.”

He still expressed his conviction that the crisis in the party is about who becomes President in 2023, saying “The [coup] plotters launched their attack solely because they

perceive the chairman as an obstacle to their 2023 ambitions.

In a well-structured society, people come to understand that the time for politics is seasonal; it is periodic. The responsibilities of governance are what are perpetual. Many of our politicians sadly have inverted this reality.”

Expressing a veiled preference to the suspended chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, Tinubu said “The Chairman has been a tireless campaigner and mobilizer for the party. He has steered the party through difficult elections.

His contributions should not be undervalued now that the bulk of elections are behind us. To do so would be an act of ingratitude”.

He however said there is need to rally round President Muhammadu Buhari, saying “Instead of everyone saying they are working for the party and nation but going their separate ways based on their selfish designs, we must help him build a stronger national consensus on policies that will ensure safety and bring greater prosperity.

“Many of us expended sweat, tears, toil and sleepless nights to build this party. Our personal sacrifices were not insignificant.

We built this party not simply as a vehicle for personal ambition. We built the party because we saw it as perhaps the only enduring hope to bring progressive governance to this

nation.

“Those who now seek to abuse the party by using it as their personal device do it great harm. They should not be allowed to sacrifice this collective enterprise at the altar of their self-aggrandizement.

To be an APC member means more than merely carrying a membership card. It means to believe in a set of ideals and principles geared to our highest purpose as a party and a nation”.

Meanwhile, he cautioned that he is yet to see any National or State Chairman of any political party, whether ruling or not, that has completely solved all the problems in the party, even if the party is just a week old.

APC crisis: Fani-Kayode mocks Tinubu as Buhari backs Giadom as National Chairman

By Lateef Ibrahim

A

former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has said the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has been thrown under the bus and retired from politics.

This is following President

Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to back a former Deputy National Secretary of the APC, Chief Victor Giadom, to continue as the party’s Acting National Chairman.

Buhari on Wednesday said “the law is on the side of Victor Giadom”, in his quest to become the Acting National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress

(APC).

Buhari made his position known in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu.

The president explained that he has received “very convincing advice” and will hold a virtual meeting with Giadom tomorrow (Thursday).

Fani Kayode while reacting,

tweeted, “First Oshiomole is kicked out by the Court of Appeal.

Then his preferred replacement, Ajimobi, falls into a coma. Then his arch rival, Giadom, is recognised

by Buhari as National Chairman.

“Conclusion: it is over for Tinubu. He has been thrown under the bus and retired from politics!”

R-L Minister of Finance, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Aviation, Sen Hadi Sirika and Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami during a virtual FEC Meeting held at the Council Chambers State House Abuja.

PHOTO; SUNDAY AGHAEZE. JUNE 24 2020

Ohanaeze backs Nwobodo’s comment on 2023 Presidency

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

T

he Arthur Obiorah-led Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing has lauded the courage and boldness of former Governor of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo, over his recent stand on Igbos succeeding President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.

Former Governor of old Anambra State, Jim Nwobodo, had on Monday, said a Nigerian

President of Igbo extraction in 2023 was non-negotiable.

Nwobodo spoke in his Amaechi country home when a chieftaincy title was bestowed on him by the Amurri Ancient Kingdom.

Nwobodo received the title from Dr. Ben Nwoye, the Enugu State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the crown Prince of Amurri kingdom, on behalf of the community.

However, in a statement issued

on Wednesday, Ohanaeze youths also cautioned the President of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, on some of his alleged caustic remarks which threaten the peace and unity of the nation.

The Igbo youth organization reminded Shettima that it is not his duty to tell Ndigbo who their political leaders are or should be, he recalled that Ndigbo had related well with the north and would not shy away from that in

future despite the utterances of Shettima and cohorts ‘who lack a sense of history’.

Ohanaeze lauded the patriotism of some northern leaders who have insisted on political Justice and equity in 2023 and power shift to Igbo land.

On the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Ohanaeze youths stated that it had toured all borders of Igbo states to ensure compliance with the COVID-19 lockdown.

PAGE 18

PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

Page 19

PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

Stock Watch: Wednesday, June 24, 2019 Low

OPEN Volume Close High

3.80 1.11 0 1.94 1.91 0 2.27 0.21 0 2.64 0.62 0 4.60 4.62 0 57.00 38.30 0 5.79 2.21 0 9.65 40.05 0 31.50 64.00 0 1.90 1.92 0 18.45 18.45 0 1.72 1.84 0 23.25 23.25 0 0.20 0.20 0 0.20 0.20 0 6.10 6.10 0 1.75 1.75 0 186.00 186.00 0 6.00 6.65 0 14.60 14.55 0 1.80 2.00 0 3.37 3.37 0 4.30 4.70 0 14.00 14.00 0 7.35 7.80 0 1.62 1.65 0 1.91 1.96 0 4.95 4.95 99 0.33 0.33 0 21.85 21.85 0 29.60 30.70 0 0.20 0.20 0 12.20 13.05 0 32.60 32.95 0 72.00 72.00 0 1.18 1.18 0 1.53 1.53 0 31.50 31.50 0 0.51 0.54 0 0.20 0.20 0 23.25 23.25 0 0.44 0.44 0 0.30 0.30 0 1.36 1.36 0 0.72 0.72 0 0.52 0.49 0 1.83 1.83 0

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Stock Close Gain UPL 3.14 0.02 LIVESTOCK 1.42 0.04 SOVRENINS 1.28 0.03 OKOMUOIL 10.00 0.60 GUARANTY 23.50 0.25

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2.45 2.45 0 2.45 2.45 MAYBAKER 0.00 0 0.21 0.21 0 0.21 0.21 MBENEFIT 0.00 0 0.63 0.43 0 0.43 0.43 MCNICHOLS 0.00 0 1.15 2.05 261 2.05 2.05 MEDVIEWAIR 0.00 0 24.80 184.80 0 184.80 184.80 MOBIL 0.00 0 1.20 0.20 970 0.20 0.20 MULTIVERSE 0.00 0 6.50 3.50 0 3.50 3.50 NAHCO 0.00 0 12.00 18.00 0 18.00 18.00 NASCON 0.00 0 68.50 78.70 0 79.50 79.50 NB 0.80 0 1.78 0.78 0 0.78 0.78 NEIMETH 0.00 0 1.60 2.60 0 2.60 2.60 NEM 0.00 0 52.20 552.20 150 552.20 552.20 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

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By Etuka Sunday

T

he Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has explained that the new Strategic Management Plan (SMP) 2020-2024 by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will be a pedestal to drive the implementation of the Federal Government’s digital economy vision The Minister stated this during the virtual launch of the NCC’s five-year strategy plan in Abuja which was attended by few invited officials from the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, the Nigerian Communications Commission, other sister parastatals under the Ministry as well as critical Stakeholders in the telecoms sector, who joined the launch virtually in compliance with the Federal Government’s directives on social distancing.

According to the l Minister, the launch of the SMP demonstrated the Commission’s serious improvement in performance matrix and its efforts in accelerating the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) and the National Broadband Plan (NBP) 2020 - 2025 of the Federal Government.

“I feel very excited for the fact that there is a serious improvement in the performance of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). The launch of this SMP 2020 - 2024 is a clear indication of that. When a parastatal is performing, it will create an innovative idea on how to be more successful. When a parastatal is not performing, you will not hear anything on how to implement policies and come up with different strategies and plans,” he said.

Pantami stated that despite the enhanced performance of NCC, there is a need for the Commission to redouble its efforts.

NCC’s Strategic Management Plan will drive digital economy -Pantami

…As Danbatta assures of effective implementation “We need to challenge and ridicule our previous successes by setting new records through the implementation of this SMP 2020 - 2024. The NCC Management must ensure effective implementation of this SMP,” he added.

Earlier, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of NCC, Prof.

Umar Danbatta, said the SMP is the fulcrum that will aid the NCC in driving its telecom regulatory mandate in the fast evolving telecoms industry, in the next five years.

The Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Dr. Henry Nkemadu in a statement quoted Dambatta to have said that it would serve as a roadmap for the future of the Nigerian telecoms sector, taking into consideration the current and emerging trends in the industry and the numerous expectations of the diverse Stakeholders.

“The Federal Government’s

economic diversification plans are focused on a robust digital economy, which will improve employment generation, as well as encourage innovation. This was prime in our minds during the formulation of the SMP. We have invested great time and effort in ensuring that this document is pragmatic, and I am very confident and excited in its completeness to successfully guide the Commission in achieving the set objectives.

We are committed to the implementation of this SMP,” the EVC said.

The Chairman Senate Committee on Communications, Distinguished Senator Oluremi Tinubu who was represented by Distinguished Senator Obinna Agbo, praised the Commission for its exemplary performance and averred that the new SMP 2020 - 2024 would ensure the Commission is on course to deliver on the mandate of the

Federal Government for a digital economy. Distinguished Senator Tinubu wished the Commission success in implementing the Plan.

Speaking in the same vein, Deputy Director, Corporate Planning, Strategy and Risk Management, Ms Helen Obi, said the development of the new SMP for the next five years was initiated with the lapse of the previous one and it would help the Commission to effectively harness its internal resources to deliver on expectations of its external stakeholders and the industry as whole.

“Our primary goal in organising the launch, therefore, is to present the finished work to our esteemed stakeholders and solicit your buy-in and support in ensuring that our shared vision and mission of providing best-in-class regulatory services towards achieving a digitized economy is sustainably

accomplished,” she added.

In their goodwill messages to the Commission, the Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo; President, Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Olusola Teniola and President, National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS), who joined the launch virtually, congratulated the Commission and expressed their view that the SMP 2020 - 2024 will add the needed impetus to the implementation of national digital economy policy of the government.

Over 700 estimated guests, including representatives of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), Chief Executives of telecoms companies, the media, among others, joined the launch online.

At the same time, over 2,400 viewers watched the Facebook live video during the SMP launch.

L R : Chairman,Nigeria Governors’Forum and Ekiti State G o v e r n o r D r . K a y o d e F a y e m i . with Director General,Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Dr. during the signing of MOU between NGF and NCDC, at the Forum Secretariat with them are Director General NGF, Mr. Asishana Okauru, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Access Bank excites SMEs with Digital Cashflow Lending

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s part of its effort to provide access to finance for SMEs to grow and expand their businesses, Access bank Plc has launched a digital lending portal, “Cashflow Loans by Access”, which is a solution for business owners to access loans easily from the comfort of their homes via an online platform while staying safe.

This new service, according to the bank, is accessible to all Small and Medium Enterprise customers who have established sufficient cashflow records with

the Bank.

Speaking at the launch of the digital lending portal, Victor Etuokwu, Executive Director, Retail Banking, Access Bank Plc, reiterated the Bank’s commitment to impact SMEs positively.

“In a period like this, when we need to be more present and relevant in the lives of our customers than ever, we have risen to the challenge to ensure business owners have easy access to funds to sustain and expand their businesses while keeping safe.

“We are committed to not only providing uninterrupted service but superior service to meet the needs of all our customer segments.

“To deliver on our promise to continually give our customers ‘MORE’, we have developed this efficient digital lending platform which will make loan application more convenient with flexible collateral, favourable interest rates, application tracking, robust customer service and much more.

“We have been focused on providing solutions targeted at

boosting the economy because we believe it is our responsibility to contribute to the stimulation of economic growth.

“With the launch of Cashflow Loans by Access, we are renewing our committment to providing the much needed financial support to SMEs” Victor concluded.

Access Bank Plc is recognized as one of the most innovative financial institutions in Africa.

With over 40 million customers and 600 branches nationwide, it offers a range of products and services tailored to suit needs and

lifestyle of its customers across multiple segments.

In line with NCDC recommendations, the bank’s management has continued to encourage its customers to remain safe by washing their hands regularly with soap and water or use of alcohol-based sanitizers and to ensure they wear masks to protect themselves and those around. Wearing face masks is a mandatory requirement to access public places including the bank premises.

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PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

METRO

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Members of the FCT Taskforce on hospital bed when they were attacked by hoodlums, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Controversy trails NLC’s ‘withdrawal’ of 9 affiliate members in FCTA/FCDA

By Stanley Onyekwere

T

here is raging controversy over the purported withdrawal of nine affiliate members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) from the Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC) in FCT Administration and Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).

It was gathered that the FCT Council of the NLC had formally divorced its long standing marriage with the Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC) in FCTA and FCDA. The affected NLC affiliate members are: Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU), Nigeria Association of Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Medical and Health Workers Union (MHWUN); and Nigeria Union of Agriculture and Allied Employees (AUAAE).

Others are: Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations Civil Services Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPTRE), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigeria Union of Professional Secretaries, Radio and Theater Arts Workers Union (RATTAWU); and Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE).

According to a statement attributed to the FCT Chairman of the NLC, Comrade Abubakar Alhassan Yakub, the decision to

withdraw the said number of her affiliate members from JUAC, citing ‘improper representation’ of the affiliates in FCTA and FCDA by the present leadership of JUAC. Yakub also cited incidents of several breaches of labour struggle by the JUAC leadership as reason for withdrawing from the Committee.

He adds: “By this withdrawal, JUAC as a Committee that has always liaised with the Management of FCT Administration has come to an end.

“The implication of the

decision is that JUAC which was just a conglomerate of Unions to bring about a kind of marriage of convenience which will allow them to meet with the Management of FCT on labour issues ceases to exist as all affiliate members have been directed to deal directly with their state chapters on issues affecting them.”

The decision, according to the NLC Chairman was properly communicated to the State leadership of Trade Unions Congress which the JUAC Chairman’s Association of Senior Civil Servants is domiciled.

Concluded the Chairman.

He however stated that his doors remain open at any time the leadership of JUAC wants to seek audience. However, Comrade Yakub maintained that it was not a personal decision but the collective will of all NLC affiliates in FCT that led to the decision.

Meanwhile, reacting to the development, the JUAC Chairman, Comrade Oluwakorede Matilukore said feigned ignorance of the purported withdrawal of the affiliate members, insisting that they are intact.

He opines that: “You cannot shave someone’s head in absentia neither can you try a person in his absence. No one has informed me about what you are saying.

“JUAC in FCTA is one intact.

We will so remain for the good o f all workers. None of our primary affiliates has issues against me and I don’t have any issue with any.”

He further explained that the primary composition of JUAC is from NLC and TUC, which at the moment he has not received any complaint from any members.

COVID-19: Health expert insists on closure of worship centres

W

orried about the health risks of the dreaded coronavirus otherwise known COVID-19, a medical expert, Abuja, Dr. Seidu Bello has called on the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to again, reconsider closing worship centres in nation’s capital city, because of their inability to comply with the established COVID-19 guidelines.

Bello opined that if worship places were suspended for some

time, it would go a long way in controlling the spread of the virus, since it is still spreading in the FCT and other parts of Nigeria.

The medical expert, who gave the advice in a recent chat with journalists in Abuja, advised Nigerians to accept the reality that the COVID-19 pandemic is real, adding that it would remain with Nigerians for some time.

He insisted that the reality is that ordinarily Muslims

and Christians should have forgotten about the idea of religious gathering for now, adding however that several people are feeling otherwise.

“So, people in government were under pressure to open up worship places. It is a delicate balance and it is unfortunate.

“Ordinarily we should have just relaxed for some time, but people feel that if they do not go to worship places to serve God, they will not make heaven.”

According to him, “Our

government is under pressure by the society about their religion and we are all part of the society. It is a very difficult balance and I sympathize with the government.

“Although, government all over the world is opening up their economy so that people will not die. I will advice that everyone should adhere to measures that have been outlined to curb the spread of the virus.”

PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

Page 22

world news

Slovak president self-isolating

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lovakia’s President Zuzana Caputova will self-isolate at home until Friday as a precaution after one of her aides came into contact with someone who had tested positive for Covid, her spokesman said.

The president has cancelled her engagements, including a meeting on Wednesday with the head of the Czech Senate, Milos Vystrcil and Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen.

Slovakia has been praised for its response to the pandemic.

It was one of the first countries in Europe to close its borders and introduce mandatory maskwearing even before the first cases were reported. The EU and NATO member, which has a population of 5.5 million, has so far recorded just 1,589 positive cases. The majority have now recovered. A total of 28 people have died.

Slovakia has eased its lockdown in recent weeks, and is currently allowing in tourists from 19 countries, mostly in central and eastern Europe, Scandinavia and the Baltic states. Tourists from the rest of Europe are not permitted to enter.

UK must be prepared for second wave

T

alk of a dreaded second wave will dominate the coming weeks and months.

The UK will need to be prepared for one.

But as the health leaders acknowledge, it is not possible to predict for sure if one will actually happen.

What is certainly a given, is there will be local flareups where we see clusters of infections. This has already happened in some locations.

What is important to recognise, is that the UK is in a completely different position to where it was in March - when the first wave hit.

Testing capacity has gone from a few thousand a day to 200,000, and there is a network of contact tracers to find those that might be infected.

There are still weaknesses: some tests take too long to turn around, the tracing system is still bedding in, and the app is not ready.

But there is a realistic chance, if these continue to improve - and, importantly, the public keeps playing its part - that the virus will be largely kept at bay.

N international_peoplesdailyng@yahoo.com

Coronavirus: EU considers barring Americans from travel list E U ambassadors meet on Wednesday to plan reopening external borders on 1 July, and travellers from the US could be among those not allowed in.

A number of European countries are keen to open up to tourists but others are wary of the continued spread of coronavirus.

The 27-member bloc must first agree the measures that nonEU countries should meet before deciding on a safe list.

The virus is spreading in the US, so it is likely Americans would be barred.

Brazil, Russia and other countries with high infection rates would also be left off a safe list, according to reports from Brussels.

The EU is not yet thought to have agreed how they will assess which countries meet health standards - one of the criteria for entry. Part of the problem is assessing reliable health data, reports say.

Comparing infection rates with other countries Latest figures from the EU’s health agency, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, highlight Brazil, Peru, Chile, Panama and Saudi Arabia as countries with the highest “case notification rate”.

Russia and the US have a lower rate of cases per 100,000 inhabitants but are still higher than most of Europe. The US has seen 2.3 million infections and 120,000 deaths and cases are climbing in several states.

The European Commission is advising ambassadors only to consider countries that are comparable or better than the EU average when it comes to new infections, the trend in new infections, as well as testing and tracing.

Reports said member states were assessing two different lists.

The Politico website said one covered countries with less than 16 cases per 100,000 people and the other with up to 20 cases, which would include Canada and Turkey.

The New York Times said the list would be revised every two weeks, so the US could be added later.

Other criteria also being considered are reciprocity and links to the EU. France wants the EU to give access only when it is reciprocated by other countries, while Spain is said to be keen to reopen the border with neighbouring Morocco.

Earlier this month the European Commission also stressed that reopening borders with non-EU states in the Western Balkans was a priority from 1 July.

The US may also be a problem diplomatically, as on 14 March President Donald Trump unilaterally closed US borders to countries in the EU’s Schengen border-free zone.

The EU condemned the move at the time.

Why this is a fraught decision for EU countries Which countries’ travellers are

PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

Europe’s internal borders began reopening to travellers on 15 June

e w s

Bobi Wine to defy ban on Ugandan campaign rallies

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gandan pop star turned opposition MP Robert Kyangulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has said he will hold campaign rallies despite a ban by the electoral commission.

The People Power Movement leader said President Yoweri Museveni was using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to prevent opposition leaders from reaching voters.

The East African nation will hold a general election in January 2021 and the electoral commission has banned mass campaign rallies to protect voters against coronavirus.

The commission has encouraged aspiring candidates to campaign through the media President Museveni, who is serving his fifth term of office, is eligible for a fresh term but has not announced whether he will vie.

Bobi Wine said the reason given for the ban on rallies was not genuine: “No Ugandan should be fooled into believing that Museveni is doing this for the safety of Ugandans. What Museveni fears is the people.”

He said the government was using the pandemic to prevent a free and fair electoral process.

The ban means that the opposition are further disadvantaged as radio is best way of communicating with Ugandans and most private stations are owned by politicians in the ruling party.

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Ghana apologises to Nigeria for embassy demolition G hana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo has apologised to Nigeria for the demolition of a building at its High Commission in the capital, Accra, the Nigerian presidency said The Ghanaian leader told President Muhammadu Buhari in a telephone call that a full investigation into the incident would be undertaken, a statement on Tuesday said.

Some suspects had been arrested and would be arraigned in court, it added.

Armed men reportedly stormed the High Commission in the early hours of Saturday and supervised as bulldozers demolished a newly constructed building.

The building was intended to serve as residence for staff and visiting diplomats.

The building was intended to serve as residence for staff and visiting diplomats

‘Highway not being built’ in Nairobi National Park

T

he management of Kenya’s Nairobi National Park has denied reports that the construction of a highway has begun inside the park.

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said a contractor was scooping murram, soil used on gravel roads, from a quarry inside the park.

This is to be used to improve

a road connecting the KWS headquarters to its central workshop inside the park, it said.

After the works had finished the contractor would rehabilitate the quarry in line with the an environmental plan that had been approved before the works began, KWS said.

Nairobi National Park is located only 7km (4 miles) from

the centre of the Kenyan capital, and is described by KWS as “the only protected area in the world close to a capital city”.

Photos of lions lying on some of the dug up soil were shared on social media - kickstarting suggestions that major road construction had begun within the park: Conservationists in Kenya are suspicious of the

authorities and have in the past accused the government of disregarding environmental concerns.

At the moment a highway is being built to link east and west Nairobi - and the government has had to redesign the project as originally it wanted to use a section of land from Uhuru Park, a recreational park in the city centre.

Kenya policeman charged with murder after curfew killing of teenager France is keen on barring nationals from countries that bar EU citizens allowed in and which not?

At first this may seem a practical decision for the EU: if a country outside the EU and Schengen area has high rates of infection, its citizens won’t be allowed in to the bloc.

If infection rates are similar or lower than the EU average, then willkommen, bienvenue, welcome!

Except it’s not that simple.

Producing a list of outside countries “acceptable” for EU travel is also a political - and economic decision.

Tourists bring much-needed revenue to Coid19-ravaged economies, of course. And, as is so often the case, opinion between the EU’s 27 countries is divided.

Some worry that barring a particular country over Covid-19 could cause political friction with allies or worsen already-existing tensions.

EU relations with Washington and with Moscow are already delicate, shall we say?

Then there’s the issue of reciprocity.

France is particularly attached to this. In other words, if a country bars entry to tourists from an EU or Schengen nation, then that country should be allowed to return the “favour”, thinks Paris.

Also, if a non-EU country grants access to EU visitors, should the EU be diplomatically obliged to respond in kind?

This is all under discussion, so don’t expect a speedy decision.

The EU hopes the travel criteria will be decided by the end of play on Wednesday. The actual list of barred countries is scheduled to be published on Friday.

But, you guessed it, that’s far from certain. Don’t forget, the list would also be constantly updated, depending on Covid-19 (and political changes) in the weeks to come.

Can Europe save its tourist season?

The EU is split into two groups that include those hoping to salvage

something from this year’s summer tourist season and those that fear for the health situation.

Although the EU urged the 27 member states to reopen internal borders from 15 June, several countries have moved carefully to avoid a second spike in infections.

Denmark, which was among the first European countries to start lifting its lockdown, has begun reopening its borders more slowly than others. Denmark is a Schengen state but it still has strict criteria for those visiting the country.

Tourists were allowed to return from mid-June from Norway, Iceland and Germany, but not from neighbouring Sweden.

Greece, meanwhile, opened its borders to a number of countries on 15 June in a bid to kick-start its tourist season.

Japanese, Israeli, Australian and New Zealand travellers are allowed in while higher-risk countries such as the UK and Belgium face compulsory testing and quarantine.

Source: bbc

A

Kenyan policeman has been charged with the murder of 13-yearold Yasin Moyo, who was shot as he stood on a balcony in March watching police enforce a night-time curfew.

Duncan Ndiema pleaded not guilty.

Outside court, his lawyer said the state would have to prove that the bullet that killed the teenager came from his client’s gun.

The case comes amid concern in Kenya over the level of police violence used to enforce coronavirus restrictions.

A night-time curfew was introduced at the end of March, along with other measures, in order to slow the spread of Covid-19.

On 30 March, Yasin was watching from the balcony of his parent’s flat in Mathare, a poor neighbourhood in the capital, Nairobi, as police were checking the street, his mother Khadija Abdullahi Hussein told BBC Africa Eye. ‘I’ve been shot’ “After a few minutes I heard gunshots, so I told the kids to lie down. I [then] noticed that Yasin had fallen off the chair where he was standing.

“He told me: ‘Mama I’ve been shot.’”

Mr Ndiema was charged after an investigation by the country’s Independent Policing Oversight Authority.

The policeman is now in detention and a bail hearing is due to take place on Wednesday.

Earlier this month, BBC Africa Eye reported on the high levels of anger in

Mathare over the way people there have been treated by police.

At least seven people were killed in different parts of Kenya in the first five nights of the curfew, rights group Amnesty

International said.

President Uhuru Kenyatta later apologised “for some excesses that were conducted”.

Source: bbc

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PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

Israel West Bank annexation rejected by European MPs in letter

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ore than 1,000 parliamentarians from across Europe have signed a letter strongly opposing plans by Israel to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.

The letter raises “serious concerns” about the proposals and calls for “commensurate consequences”.

More than 240 signatories are legislators in Britain. The Israeli embassy in London declined to comment.

The publication of the letter in several newspapers comes a week before the annexation process could begin.

According to a power-sharing deal which led to the formation of the current Israeli government last month, annexation can be put to a vote from 1 July.

The project is being led

by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is seeking to extend Israeli sovereignty over parts of the West Bank containing Jewish settlements.

If passed, the move could incorporate up to 30% of the territory - land claimed

by Palestinians for a future independent state of their own.

Israel’s incorporation of the settlements was given the green light under US President Donald Trump’s Vision for Peace - a plan for ending the decades old IsraelPalestinian conflict unveiled in January.

‘Fatal to prospects of peace’ The letter, sent to European foreign ministries, warns that unilateral annexation of West Bank territory could be “fatal

Israel could begin the annexation process next week to the prospects of IsraeliPalestinian peace and will challenge the most basic norms guiding international relations”.

It is a sign of growing international pressure over the proposals which stem from President Trump’s plan for the region, says the BBC’s Tom Bateman in Jerusalem.

The letter, signed by 1,080 parliamentarians from 25 countries, warns of the “destabilising potential” for the region.

Its British signatories include the Conservative Party’s former leader Lord Howard, former EU commissioner Lord Patten and Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones,

a former counter-terrorism minister who previously chaired the UK’s Joint Intelligence Committee.

It is also signed by 35 members of Labour’s current front bench, including shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy.

The former Labour leader Lord Kinnock is a signatory, as is former defence secretary and Nato chief Lord Robertson, as well as the Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge who campaigned against antiSemitism in the party.

European names on the list include France’s security subcommittee chair, Nathalie Loiseau, Vice-President of the

European Parliament Fabio Massimo Castaldo, and Ireland’s next Prime Minister, Michael Martin.

‘Permanent control’ The letter was organised by a former speaker of the Israeli parliament, Avraham Burg, along with three other public figures in Israel among those who have traditionally supported the socalled two-state solution of a Palestinian state in the West Bank alongside Israel.

It says President Trump’s plan promotes “effectively permanent Israeli control over a fragmented Palestinian territory, leaving Palestinians with no sovereignty and giving a green light to Israel

to unilaterally annex significant parts of the West Bank”.

It warns that allowing annexation to pass “unchallenged” would encourage other states with territorial claims to “disregard basic principles of international law”. It stops short of explicitly calling for sanctions against Israel if the move takes place.

‘Realistic’ solution Israel’s ambassador to Washington Ron Dermer wrote on Friday that Israel “plans to extend sovereignty to territories that will remain part of Israel in any realistic peace agreement”.

He said Israel would not include territory the Trump plan designates for a future Palestinian state and would commit not to build settlements in those areas in the coming years.

Israel and the US describe the plan as a “realistic” two-state solution.

Mr Dermer added: “We hope it will convince the Palestinians that another century of rejectionism is a losing strategy and that the Jewish state is here to stay.”

The Palestinians oppose the Trump plan outright and have boycotted diplomatic relations with the US. Some 430,000 Jews live in over 130 settlements (and scores of smaller “outposts”) built since Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war.

The settlements are widely considered illegal under international law, though Israel - and the US under the Trump administration - denies this.

North Korea: Kim Jong-un ‘suspends military action’ against South

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orth Korea has suspended plans for “military action” against South Korea, according to state

media.

Recent weeks saw a rising tide of angry rhetoric from the North over activist plans to send leaflets with anti-North Korean messages over the border.

Last week the North blew up the joint liaison office and also threatened to send troops to the border area.

But at a meeting chaired by leader Kim Jong-un, state media said the decision was taken to suspend military action.

The Central Military Commission made its decision after taking what it called the “prevailing situation” into consideration.

The North also began to dismantle loudspeakers it had erected only last week, traditionally used to blast antiSouth Korean messages over the border, Yonhap reported.

It represents a notable de-escalation in rhetoric after Mr Kim’s sister, Kim Yojong’s orders to the army to “decisively carry out the next action”. - in part because of what Pyongyang said was Seoul’s failure to stop activists floating balloons with anti-regime leaflets over the border.

Good cop, bad cop It looked like the script had been written. North Korea’s policy of brinkmanship was back.

Kim Jong-un and South Korea’s Moon Jae-in in better days Blowing up the liaison office was just the first stage we were told by Pyongyang. The North Korean leader’s sister Kim Yo-Jong had instructed the army to come up with a plan.

But for those who looked carefully, there was always an out clause.

When the North Korean army announced it was drawing up its military plans, the statement mentioned that they would have to be approved by the Central Military Commission.

In other words, Kim Jong-un would have the final say.

So why has he decided to pull back?

Some analysts have raised the possibility that Mr Kim might be

playing good cop to his sister’s bad cop ahead of future talks. Remember, plans for military action have been suspended - not cancelled - so they remain a possibility.

The ratcheting up of tensions has certainly given Kim Yo-jong a strong platform to show off her leadership credentials, but we still know who is ultimately in charge.

Kim Jong-un is now able to play the role of magnanimous leader, willing to defuse the situation. It may play well domestically.

All I can say at this stage is that there’s never a dull moment on the Korean peninsula and for now at least, President Moon’s administration in

Seoul will be breathing a sigh of relief.

Why has there been a recent escalation of tensions?

Tensions between North and South Korea appeared to be on the mend when in 2018, leaders of both countries met for the first time at the border.

The historic summit saw both sides pledge to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons - and in the months that followed, there were efforts to improve ties and maintain dialogue.

But the relationship has been on a downward spiral after a failed summit between Mr Kim and US President Donald Trump.

And the past few weeks saw relations deteriorate especially rapidly - prompted by defector groups in the South sending propaganda across the border, South Korean activists typically send balloons that carry objects like leaflets, USB sticks or DVDs with criticism of the Pyongyang regime, as well as South Korean news reports or even Korean dramas.

All of this is aimed at breaking the North’s control on domestic information with the hope that people might eventually topple the regime from within.

The South Korean government has already tried to stop groups sending leaflets across the border, arguing their actions put residents near the border at risk.

The move prompted North Korea to renew threats of military action - and shortly afterwards it blew up a joint liaison office that it had established with the South in 2018.

But it’s unclear what exactly provoked North Korea to escalate the situation.

“I very much doubt that it’s the leaflets that actually motivated Pyongyang in this,” Fyodor Tertitskiy of Kookmin University in Seoul had earlier told the BBC. “It’s much more likely that they are using this incident merely as a pretext to start an escalation. The real reason is that they feel the South has not made any real concessions since the talks.”

After North Korea began talks in 2018, Pyongyang had been hoping the dialogue might translate into tangible easing of sanctions and increased economic co-operation with the South.

Pyongyang’s expectation had been the start of some inter-Korean projects, for instance allowing tourism to the Kumgang mountains, an idea which had been mentioned in a joint declaration by the two sides.

None of this has happened, largely because Washington insisted on North Korea giving up its nuclear weapons before there could be any talk on sanctions.

Source: bbc

Environment PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

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By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

Nigeria, UK sign MoU on Energy Calculator 2050

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he British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, and the Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor, recently witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the United Kingdom Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) and the Federal Ministry of Environment.

British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing (right), with Nigeria’s Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor, during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) The purpose of the MoU is to strengthen and co-ordinate the UK Government’s efforts to support Nigeria to develop an updated version of Nigeria’s Energy Calculator using the experience of other countries around the

world. The proposed implementation period is May 2020 to October 2021.

The UK Government, with support from academia and the private sector, developed the 2050 Calculator model in 2010 to consolidate the evidence base to inform its low-carbon transition.

In 2013, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), now known as BEIS, through the British High Commission to Nigeria, supported the ECN to adapt and produce the initial phase of the Nigeria Energy Calculator 2050 (NECAL 2050), which the Federal Government launched on October 28, 2015 with the UK Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative for Climate Change.

BEIS is supporting Nigeria to develop the 2050 Calculator and is working closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth

Office (FCO) and its delivery partner – a consortium led by Mott MacDonald, Imperial College London, the Federal Ministry of Environment and ECN – to implement the project.

The UK Government is now supporting the Federal Government of Nigeria to further develop the updated version of the NECAL 2050 tool for sustainable energy policy planning, monitoring Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) commitments and combating climate change.

Nigeria’s NDC pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This will be most effective if based on the best available science, with strategies continually based on new evidence, which is what the 2050 Calculator provides. As both countries recover from the COVID-19

pandemic, the UK will be working closely with Nigeria to ensure efforts to reduce emissions are successfully delivered.

Addressing attendees as she opened the MOU signing ceremony, the British High Commissioner said: “The development of the 2050 Calculator further strengthens bilateral collaboration on climate change issues and encourages a strong and progressive Nigerian voice in the run-up to COP26, which the UK looks forward to hosting in 2021. We are keen to work closely with Nigeria to deliver the ambitious deal needed to avert the dangers of climate change – success is in our mutual interest.”

The Minister of State for Environment said: “The Nigeria Energy Calculator 2050 tool offers an opportunity for policymakers, academia, civil society organisations and the private sector to engage on enhancing

sustainable energy pathways in Nigeria.

I hope that collaborative efforts between Nigeria and the United Kingdom will continue to yield positive results for the achievement of a climate-resilient and a green growth path for national sustainable development.”

The Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria said: “I would like to sincerely thank the UK Government, through the British High Commission in Nigeria, under the leadership of High Commissioner Catriona Laing for the support. Energy Commission of Nigeria has enjoyed a good working relationship with the erstwhile UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (UK-DECC), now BEIS, which led to the development of NECAL2050 in 2015 adapted from the UK2050 Calculator.”

Source : environewsNigeria

Nigeria, Australia Collaborate on Climate Change, Environmental Challenges

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igeria, Australia Collaborate on Climate Change, Environmental Challenges Nigeria and Australia are in partnership to fight climate change and also tackle other critical environmental problems, Barr.

Sharon Ikeazor, Minister of State, Environment, has disclosed.

Barr. Ikeazor, made this known at a press briefing after a meeting with the Australian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mrs. Claire Ireland, who visited her office yesterday.

At the briefing, Ikeazor, pointed out that both Nigeria and Australia share a common diversity, and climate, among other environmental features.

She said both her and the High Commissioner talked about how Nigeria can learn from Australia, especially in the aspect of managing the country’s coastal areas, mangrove restoration and marine protected areas.

“Before now, the Australian High Commissioner has been working closely with the Ministries of Mines and Steel Development, and also Environment. So, the meeting was for further collaboration between the two countries, where they will share

ideas that will benefit each other,” she added.

The Environment Minister of State, emphasized that since Nigeria and Australia are both Commonwealth nations, it is imperative for the two countries to unite and tackle the climate change

crisis, by coming up with global solutions that can be implemented in the individual countries.

On her part, Mrs. Ireland, while noting that there is a lot both countries can share with each other, expressed delight over the bilateral collaboration.

She assured that the Australian government will do everything possible to ensure the success of the mutual partnership, geared towards addressing climate change and other devastating environmental issues.

Source : PRNigeria

Berlin climate and security conference kicks off major new risk assessment

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limate destabilisation increases risks to peace and security – to address these risks, scientists and policy-makers are teaming up to find solutions. The Berlin Climate and Security Conference (BCSC) is the global meeting place for leaders from governments, international organisations, the scientific community, the private sector and civil society to explore how climate change is impacting peace and security – and what action the international community can take to tackle climate-fragility risks.

German Environment Minister, Svenja Schulze This year the high-level event, which features statements from over 14 foreign ministers, heads of state, and UN chiefs, explores the steps necessary to ensure the world builds a climate- and conflictsensitive post-Covid world. It is organised by the German Federal Foreign Office, in partnership with adelphi and Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).

“For most of us, exponential growth was an abstract concept – until the COVID-19 pandemic hit us,” says German Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas.

“In the past weeks, we all learned about its potentially catastrophic effects. The pattern is the same for climate change, even though it happens in slow motion. And the consequences are equally

severe – for human lives and as a source of future conflicts.

“Foreign and security policy must reflect this and finally embrace a new concept of security.

Today we know: Not a single shot must be fired to throw entire regions into turmoil. A long drought can have an equally destructive effect,” Maas added.

The BCSC 2020 takes place in two parts. Part I, June 23 to 24, 2020, examines the growing risks that the impacts of climate change present for international peace and security, with a view to finding clear steps forward to strengthen responses to climate-related security risks. It features a high-level political segment with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. BCSC 2020 Part II, from September 7 to October 2, 2020, will reflect on how more comprehensive risk assessments could support a forward-looking and preventative foreign and security policy.

“Security and prosperity in the 21st century depend on how we manage global commons” “Transgressing planetary boundaries will lead to situations where clashes over resources become more frequent. We see these effects already, for instance in vulnerable regions in the Sahel where droughts contribute to food crises, which in turn can spark unrest,” says Earth system scientist

Johan Rockström who, together with the economist Ottmar Edenhofer, leads the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

Edenhofer adds: “Security and prosperity in the 21st century will to a large extent depend on how we manage global commons, including climate stability. Like mapmakers, scientists try to identify several pathways to reach targets set by the international community, thereby enabling decision-makers to make informed choices about which course to steer.”

Alexander Carius, Managing Director of adelphi, emphasises that “we can only build back a safe post-Covid world if we take account of climate change. But what is the use if there is no peace?

We do not want to return to business as usual. We need a thorough understanding of the linked risks we face, to ensure risk-informed policies today lead us towards a healthier, climate-safe and peaceful tomorrow.”

Developing a Global Climate Security Risk and Foresight Assessment The overall goal of BCSC 2020 is to reveal how more comprehensive risk assessments can be translated into forward-looking, preventative foreign policy. In fact, we still lack an authoritative global-level risk assessment that provides a holistic

analysis of climate related security risks and clear messages to policy makers.

To address this gap, the German Federal Foreign Office has commissioned a consortium of leading science and policy research institutes to develop a Global Climate Security Risk and Foresight Assessment.

The initiative, jointly led by adelphi and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), will bring together climate scientists, social scientists and conflict experts to identify contextspecific dimensions of risk and resilience with the aim of ensuring timely, relevant and effective responses to climate-related security challenges.

This year’s BCSC will also see the release of a new PIK-adelphi report that lays the groundwork for the risk assessment. It synthesises and contextualises the existing scientific evidence to provide policymakers with 10 insights on climate and peace.

These steps by Germany, which has championed action on climate and security under its UN Security Council presidency, show continued commitment to the issue, explicitly implementing the recommendations of the 2019 Berlin Call for Action.

Source:environewsNigeria

PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, june 25, 2020

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Feature

H-1B visa: New US law is bad news for Indian tech workers

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S President Donald Trump has suspended visas for highly-skilled workers until the end of this year.

The White House said the move would create jobs for Americans hurting economically due to the pandemic.

But critics say the White House is exploiting the coronavirus pandemic to tighten up immigration laws.

The H-1B visa is among several categories of visas that have been suspended and it is expected to particularly hurt Indian technology companies and workers.

Reports say that Indians take up nearly 70% of the 85,000 H-1B visas issued every year.

What is the H-1B visa?

It is a non-immigrant visa that allows firms to employ foreigners for up to six years in positions for which they have been unable to find American employees.

It also allows holders to apply for permanent residency in the US and buy property in the country.

The visa is useful for Indian tech giants like Wipro, Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) as it allows them to send workers from India to manage important projects.

It also helps US tech giants like Google, Facebook and Twitter hire talent from India.

The ban announced by Mr Trump will only affect individuals who are planning to apply for the visa - which means those who have already got it and are working in the US will not be affected.

However, H-1B visa holders who travelled to their home countries due to the pandemic will not be allowed to re-enter the US until the end of the year.

What has the reaction been?

Most tech firms have criticised the move, saying it will hurt the US economy instead of saving it.

Google boss Sundar Pichai, who was born in India, said he was disappointed with the order.

“Immigration has contributed immensely to America’s economic success, making it a global leader in tech, and also Google the company it is today. Disappointed by today’s proclamation we’ll continue to stand with immigrants and work to expand opportunity for all,” he tweeted.

Jason Oxman, president and CEO of the Information Technology Industry Council in the US, said the decision “stands to upend the ability

US President Donald Trump has suspended visas for highly-skilled workers until the end of this year.

Sundar Pichai is the new chief executive of Google

Indian PM Narendra Modi ays Mr Trump is his close friend

of US employers to hire the men and women they need to strengthen their workforce”.

“We urge President Trump to reconsider his actions and work with the business

community on a plan that will actually bolster job growth and ensure economic security for all Americans,” he added.

The move has also been criticised in India.

The Indian IT industry’s apex body Nasscom has said the decision was “misguided and harmful to the US economy.”

“We urge the administration to shorten the duration of

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PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

these restrictions to 90 days.

Lengthening these burdensome restrictions on US companies that are trying to recover from the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic will only serve to harm our economy.”

The move has already had an adverse impact on the stock prices of Indian IT firms. Share prices of big IT firms like TCS, Wipro, Tech Mahindra and Infosys have seen sharp falls.

What has India said?

Nothing yet.

The Indian government is yet to react to the decision. It is likely to wait and watch at the moment as authorities are struggling with a worsening pandemic as well as border tensions with China.

Delhi cannot afford a new rift with Washington. However, it may opt for backchannel talks to secure some relief for Indian workers.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is heavily invested in India-US ties and often talks about his personal friendship with Mr Trump.

But given the unpredictability of the Trump administration, there are no guarantees that even this will yield results.

In such a scenario, India may choose to take retaliatory action.

Major portions of India’s technology markets are dominated by American firms such as Google, Dell, HewlettPackard, Microsoft and Apple, as well as consulting and services firms such as IBM and Accenture.

Delhi can look at blocking visas for US employees of these firms, but such a decision will depend the government’s willingness to take the risk of antagonising the Trump administration.

What other visas has the US suspended?

The order also applies H-2B visas for seasonal workers, including those in the hospitality industry, except those in agriculture, the food processing industry and healthcare professionals.

The order will restrict J-1 short-term exchange visas, a category that includes university students and foreign au pairs who provide childcare.

Professors and scholars are not included in the order. There will be a provision to request exemptions.

L visas for managers and other key employees of multinational corporations will also be suspended.

Source: BBC

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

Engraced Ones advocate care, acceptance for special need children

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

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s Nigeria celebrates Children’s Day, a non governmental organization, Engraced Onces has advocated acceptance and care for special needs children.

The NGO was perturbed by ill treatment meted to special needs children across the country and called for equal treatment of all children regardless of their defects.

Speaking to our reporter, the Coordinator of the NGO, Bibora Yinkere, appealed to Nigerians and government at all levels to increase their care for special children.

While giving the story of a young girl, she said, Josephine was diagnosed for autism spectrum disorder at age four, and experienced the warm and cold waters of the social pond.

“Her parents are trying hard to get her trained and tutored in the special education ways she can learn, though without any external palliative.

“However, when she misbehaves, throws tantrums or paces around the hall where other persons are, people ignorantly judge her to be defiant and badly behaved. In fact, people may start to withdraw from her. There are neighbours that will begrudge or decidedly avoid the family that has special needs children.

“These are not supposed to be so.

Even though every family of special needs children makes its own temporary peace with the social reality of their childs physical limitations and behaviours, our society must come to terms with the fact that disability is not a communicable disease.”

She said children who fall on the autism spectrum disorder may be almost blind to certain social cues. “But the society should tolerate them, give them chance and be tutored to accommodating them. Theyll definitely thrive better in a society void of discrimination

and rejection, but laced by love and acceptance.

“Therefore, the immediate families of these special needs children should be encouraged and seek for better understanding on how to help these ones in transitioning into more useful entity that they are.”

While speaking on the rights of Special needs children, she said they have legitimate rights and needs.

“They have a promising future and distinct impacts to make on their world.

Please note that the ‘United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child’ is an important agreement by countries who have promised to protect childrens

rights. The ‘Convention on the Rights of the Child’ explains who children are, all their rights, and the responsibilities of governments.

“For instance, the 23rd item on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child charter detailed the expected treatment of children with disabilities. It states that ‘every child with a disability should enjoy the best possible life in society. Governments should remove all obstacles for children with disabilities to become independent and to participate actively in the community”.

She said government is saddled with the responsibility of removing all obstacles for these children to become

independent and participate actively in the community.

“These will include providing for unhindered access to basic health needs, special needs education, provision of required special technical educational aids, etc. These are the approved international standard rights of special needs children. Most nations are doing more towards this goal. But these have remained a mirage in our dear nation.

“We at the Engraced Ones Prayer Support and Advocacy Initiative therefore call on the government of Nigeria to do more in honoring the UN child rights charter of which Nigeria is a signatory, as it concerns special needs children.”

UNICEF Nigeria names Cobhams National Ambassador

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

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s Nigeria celebrates Nigerian Children Day, United Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Nigeria revealed the appointment of internationally acclaimed, award-winning Nigerian musician, producer and songwriter Cobhams Emmanuel Asuquo as a National Ambassador.

UNICEF in a statement issued yesterday

by Oluwatosin Akingbulu Communication, Advocacy and Partnerships, said the appointment makes this celebrated artist UNICEF Nigeria’s first National Ambassador in 15 years.

“It’s a huge honour to become a UNICEF Nigeria Ambassador,” said Cobhams. “I am passionate about children’s rights, and I am

passionate about Nigeria – and securing it’s future. The only way we can truly do that, is through ensuring every child can fulfill their potential.”

“I am thrilled to join the very impressive list of UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors around the world supporting the protection and promotion of children’s rights globally and look forward to making my contribution to the improvement of the lives of Nigerian children and young people.”

Cobhams Asuquo, a lawyer by training, is a well-known singer and musician who shot to fame when he produced the debut album of Nigerian soul sensation Asa, including the hit singles, “Fire on the Mountain” and “Jailer”.

As UNICEF National Ambassador,

he will help raise awareness of children’s rights concerns and solutions, including around issues such as birth registration, immunization, education, and protection from violence.

Cobhams has supported UNICEF Nigeria’s work since 2019, including through producing the hits I’m a Nigeria Child (For Every Child) calling for every Nigerian child’s rights to be respected and protected, and We go Win (Corona), to raise awareness on how Nigerians can protect themselves from COVID-19.

In 2015, Cobhams produced a song Tell Everybody, to raise awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals, as part of the UN Global Goals campaign.

“I’m delighted to welcome Cobhams

to the UNICEF family, particularly on Nigerian Children’s Day – a day that is dedicated to every Nigerian child, to give Nigerian children a better place to survive, thrive and develop,” said UNICEF Nigeria Representative Peter Hawkins. “Cobhams has already supported UNICEF to raise children’s and youth issues. I am sure that he will use his singing, his passion, and dedication to continue to defend the rights of vulnerable children and young people in Nigeria.”

Nigerian Children’s Day – celebrated on 27 May – celebrates the importance of children in Nigeria, providing the opportunity to policymakers and families to focus on the holistic development of young Nigerians.

PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

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sports@peoplesdailyng.com, SMS- 08142929046

Ahmed Musa reveals he cried after scoring Nigeria’s two Goals against Iceland In Russia 2018 World Cup

By Amaechi Agbo

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uper Eagles captain, Ahmed Musa has revealed he cried after scoring Nigeria’s two goals against debutants, Iceland at the Russia 2018 World Cup. Musa who expressed shock that it has been two years he made such remarkable feat for the country on Monday recalled the memory of scoring Nigeria’s two goals in their 2-0 defeat of Iceland.

Having lost 2-0 to Croatia in their opening game, the Super Eagles went into the encounter in dire need of a win against the debutants.

The match was expected to be tough after Iceland held Argentina to a goaless draw in their opener.

However, it was the speedy forward who was the hero as his second-half effort inspired Gernot Rohr’s men to a much-desired victory at the Volgograd Arena.

After a poor first half where Nigeria failed to record a single shot – Musa put the Africans ahead in the 49th minute. He controlled a cross from Victor Moses and

thumped an unstoppable drive into the roof of the net.

He completed his brace 15 minutes before full time after making a mess of Iceland’s solid backline.

Narrating his experience on that memorable day, June 22, 2018, Musa said he can’t believe it was two years already since he scored those much needed goals at the World Cup He added that while it remained unarguably the day of his life, he cried tears of joy for getting the victory for the team.

“Wow how time flies.

I can’t believe it’s 2 years already since I scored those much needed goals at the World Cup,” Musa said Adding “The tears of joy I shed that day I can never forget. Unarguably one of the best days of my life. Grateful to Allah & every one of you for the love.”

With the win against the Icelanders, Nigeria needed just a draw against Argentina to reach the Round of 16 but that was never to be as the team lost 2-1 to their perennial rivals in the last group game.

Ahmed Musa celebrating after scoring the first goal

Nigeria Olympic Committee Celebrates 2020 Olympic Day

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he Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) joined other National Olympic Committees across the globe to mark 2020 Olympic Day celebration.

The first Olympic Day was celebrated on 23rd June, 1948 with the aim of promoting the Olympic Movement and it has become a yearly event afterwards.

All NOCs joined a digital Olympic Day celebration to deploy sports through the main pillars which are move, learn and discover and in view of this, the Nigeria Olympic Committee marked this year’s with few Olympians and NOC employees in order to spread the noble ideals of Olympism bearing in mind the

challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, Habu Gumel said the NOC is quite aware of the various guidelines put in place by the Federal Government as a result of the pandemic and therefore organized a virtual Olympic Day celebration.

He said, “We are only limiting today’s celebration to aerobic exercise and walking which is taking place at the front of the Nigeria Olympic Committee Secretariat. We hereby encourage the general public to stay active, stay strong, stay safe and obey all the Covid-19 regulations even in the midst of our celebration.”

Victor Osimhen grateful after father’s burial

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NFF asked to sack Rohr if he fails to win 2021 AFCON

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he Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has been asked to sack the Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr should he fail to will the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Upon signing and extended two-and-a-half year extension with the 2019 AFCON bronze winners, the NFF gave Rohr two mandates to win the 2021 AFCON and qualify the team to 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar But former Chief Coach of the senior women national team, the Super Falcons, Ismaila Mabo, has warned the federation not to hesitate to fire Rohr if he fails to deliver the cup in Cameroon next year.

The 2021 AFCON has been a subject of debate on whether or not it would hold in January as planned by CAF in view of coronavirus.

Mabo told newsmen that it was proper the NFF included the clause that Rohr must win the AFCON and qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, adding that with the Federation paying him so much as salary, he should deliver or get fired “Rohr has done well so far, but I think after winning a bronze at the AFCON, he should justify his huge wages by going further to win the cup. We have the talents to conquer Africa. We are due for another AFCON win with the talents at his disposal,” Mabo said.

“The NFF were right to order Rohr to win the AFCON and qualify for World Cup and I think the federation should fire him if he fails to win the 4th AFCON for Nigeria. To whom much is given, much is expected, Rohr should win a trophy for the country or get his contract terminated,” he reiterated.

Mabo, a onetime Plateau Highlanders star added: “Rohr, after four years as Super Eagles coach, should be winning titles now as well as improving Nigerian football. He needs to work hard and get his priorities right or he quits.”

PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

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Onyekuru optimistic Galatasaray will retain Turkish League title S uper Eagles forward Henry Onyekuru says Galatasaray is very hopeful of retaining their title, despite slipping to fourth on the table.

Super Eagles striker Henry Onyekuru continued his impressive run of game games as he featured for his Turkish side Galatasary against Besiktas on Sunday.

Galatasaray were pegged back in the title race following their 3-3 draw with Gaziantep at Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi Turk Telekom Stadium on Sunday.

Onyekuru and his mates were cruising 3 – 1 before a late fight back form Gaziantep to level the game at 3 all.

Onyekuru told the club’s official website that they were let down by some of decisions of the referee, but they will continue to fight until the end.

“We are Galatasaray.

Galatasaray fight until the last minute carries this spirit and reflects on the field. I hope, this will not happen in the match we will play next week, but it was the same this past week. I hope we won’t experience this next week.

“As Galatasaray football

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Henry Onyekuru

players, we have to fight until the last second. Of course, we can say that it has become difficult due to the difference in points

opened, but Galatasaray does not give up in the spirit, we will continue to fight in the same spirit.”

Galatasaray are in fourth position with 51 points from 28 games, eight adrift leaders Istanbul Basaksehir.

By Amaechi Agbo

uper Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen has expressed gratitude to Nigerians and for their support during their bereavement after the passing of their father, Patrick Osimhen and his burial, Bestchoicesports.com.ng reports.

The remains of Patrick Osimhen was Wednesday laid to rest in Lagos in compliance with adherence to social distancing occasioned by the ravaging coronavirus.

Late Osimhen was interred according to Christian rites at a private cemetery, Omega Memorial Garden, Ojodu, in the state.

Moment after the interment, the Lille of France striker took to his social media handle, via Twitter to thank friends of the family globally for standing by them throughout the difficult moment.

“The family (Osimhen) would like to take this opportunity to express our sincerest appreciation for the thoughtfulness presented to us and love we have been given during our time of bereavement,” Osimhen tweeted Tuesday.

Late Patrick Osimhen who was 80, transited to the eternal glory on May 23 after a brief illness.

Lille of France, Osimhen’s club, provided a private jet for him to return to the country for the burial.

On arriving into Nigeria, he was quarantined for 14 days before he joined his people in the burial arrangements.

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and Tony scored two goals in his second game, the president came back to me and was so happy,” he said.

After the success of Anthony Nwakaeme at the club, Onazi revealed that the president came calling again for him to help speak to former Super Eagles Captain, John Mikel Obi to join the team.

The former Lazio midfielder said he spoke all with Mikel

before he finally agreed to sign for the club.

“After the AFCON in Egypt, the president came back again and told me when he wants to bring Mikel and I should help them speak to him.”

“Then I discussed all night with Mikel to come over too and I was injured then, so hopefully when I recover we will play together, but unfortunately we did not spend much time

together.” he said.

While Anthony Nwakaeme has proven to be a key signing for Trabzonspor, Mikel terminated his contract with the club back in March.

It would be recalled that Mikel fell out with the club’s president and the Turkish Football Federation for their failure to suspend the league amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

PAGE 31

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Victor Osimhen grateful after father’s burial S

How Ogenyi Onazi made Trabzonspor sign Nwakaeme, Mikel Obi Forgotten Super Eagles midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi played a prominent role in ensuring that his former captain of the team, Mikel Obi and Anthony Nwakeme joined his former Turkish club, Trabzonspor.

Onazi who was part of the team that played in Russia 2020 World Cup but fall out with the coach since then after reported misunderstanding between him and Mikel Obi, has revealed his role in Trabzonspors signing of the compatriots.

Onazi who had since left Trabzonspor for another Turkish side Denizlispor back in January 2020, said the club contacted him and asked for his opinion before they made a move for Nwakaeme.

“It was fantastic and before Tony came, the president told me that he was trying to sign this Nigerian player and he asked me if I know him,” he said.

“I told him Tony is a fantastic player and he should do whatever he can to bring in, so when he finally signed him

PEOPLES DAILY, thursday june 25, 2020

hanaian giants Asante Kotoko are set to partner English sportswear manufacturers Umbro as their new kit sponsors.

Umbro will replace strike as the club’s new kit manufacturers following an agreement between the two parties.

A deal between the Kumasi based club and Umbro will be seen as a giant step by the new board of the club.

The sportswear giants designs, sources, and markets football-related apparel, footwear, and equipment. Its products are sold in over 90 countries worldwide.

Umbro are also the kit manufacturers of Kotoko’s main rivals Hearts of Oak. The Porcupine Warriors are record Ghana Premier League champions and arguably the biggest club in the country.

The Reds are also two times African Champions, having won the Africa Cup of Champions club and the CAF Champions League in 1970 and 1983 respectively.

Kotoko have been kitted by Portuguese sportswear manufacturers Striker since 2018.

Asante Kotoko to partner umbro as new kit sponsor

thursday june 25, 2020

SPORTS latest

Willian, Pedro sign contract extensions with Chelsea

C

helsea has confirmed that wingers Pedro and Willian have extended their stay with the club until the end of the 2019/20 season.

Neither player will be staying on at the club next season but both men have signed short-term deals to help during the club’s domestic season run-in before departing at the end of July.

The duo will, however, not feature in the Champions League.

Pedro has already agreed terms on a move to Roma where he will sign a two-year contract, while Willian’s future remains up in the air.

Onazi targets Super Eagles return

S

uper Eagles midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi has said he is targeting a comeback to the team two years after he was frozen out by the coach, Gernot Rohr.

Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr dropped Onazi as deputy to Mikel Obi ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. And since then, the German coach has not extended invitation to the Denizlispor midfielder.

The former Trabzonspor of Turkey man has been out of the Super Eagles since suffering a serious injury that ruled him out of the 2019 African cup of Nations in Egypt.

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SPACE FOR SALE

Not about Floyd (III)

By Mohammed Adamu

T

he post-emancipation ‘March On Washington’ of the 60s in demand of freedom and civil rights for Afro-Americans, evokes very faint memories of a late 90s hypothetical play which I read, titled ‘The Meeting’, courtesy the United States Information Service, USIS Abuja. The play fictionalizes an imaginary meeting, in a hotel room, between the two most prominent characters of the black civil rights movement, namely the fiery but peace-preaching Baptist Minister Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the equally fiery but violence-preaching Minister of the Nation Of Islam, Malcolm El-Shabbaz X. Both ministers of two mutually exclusive religious persuasions, Christianity and Islam, were motivated by the same passion –the liberation of the AfroAmerican from a morbidly postemancipation racist white America that still viewed and treated blacks less than humans.

Back in the sixties King’s and Malcolm’s ‘peaceful’ versus ‘violent’ methods of achieving their common goal had been the subject even of fiercer controversy.

Martin Luther, drawing inspiration from the Biblical virtue of ‘turning the other cheek’ had insisted that ‘loving the enemy’ was a more effective method of self libration.

Although he had unequivocally warned white America “The sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality”, and although he had promised that “The whirlwind of revolt” would “continue to shake the foundation of” America, yet King had insisted that this was still achievable through ‘non-violence’, because, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that”. And on another occasion he had said that “unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word…. I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear”.

Malcolm X on the other hand, equally claiming to draw inspiration from the teachings of Islam, under the mentorship then of the Honorable Elija Mohammed, had put forward the Mosaic argument of ‘measure for measure’, ‘an eye for an eye’, and ‘a tooth for a tooth’ as his guiding philosophy. In fact thereafter Malcolm X’s rallying call would go even beyond the Mosaic to champion a rather extra-scriptural, more Machiavellian ideology for the struggle, namely ‘By Any Means Necessary’. It was in defense of this

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THURSDAY Column WITH Mohammed Adamu (08035892325 sms only)

dankande2@gmail.com philosophy that Malcolm X said to black Americans: “Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on your shoulder, send him to the cemetery”. By the way, “If you are not ready to die for it” he said, “put the word ‘freedom’ out of your vocabulary”.

Both Malcolm and King had criticized each other’s approach to the struggle. Malcolm had not only implied King in his generalized tagging of black weaklings as ‘House Negros’, he had in fact pointedly referred to him as a “20th c Uncle Tom”. King on the other hand had described Malcolm approach as “Fiery, demagogic oratory”, warning that such “in the black ghettos, urging Negros to arm themselves and prepare to engage in violence, as he has done, can reap nothing but grief”.

And although these two great black-rights activists once had a less than two minutes chance meeting at the Capitol in Washington, their fiercely opposing modus operandi was most probably the reason that the need for any collaboration between them was virtually unnecessary and thus the necessity too, for any planned meeting of the two –all through their days struggles- was practically obviated by the fact of its superfluous unwarrantedness.

As a matter of fact, it was shortly after the Washington chance meeting that Malcolm would be Assassinated; and three years after which too, King was cut down by the assassin’s bullet. In fairness to Malcolm X, in spite of his fiery temperament he was still the more pacifist of the two who had publicly spoken in favor of closing ranks between the two, when he said; “if capitalistic Kennedy and communistic Khrushchev can find something common on which to form a united front despite their tremendous ideological differences, it is a disgrace for Negro leaders not to be able to submerge our ‘minor’ differences in orders to seek a common solution to a common problem posed by a common enemy’’.

Alas, the meeting of King and Malcolm, at which to reconcile their

mutually opposing approaches to a common problem, in reality did not happen. But it did eventually in the world of make-belief. It was the fact that it did not hold that gave fillip to the wild literary imagination of this wonderful playwright (whose name I am unable to recall) who fictionalized this one-plot play titled ‘The Meeting’, to give America and the rest of the world a sneak posthumous preview –if you will- of what a typical meeting of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X could have looked like. If I recall very well, the make-belief meeting which takes place in a neutral hotel room is hotly conducted amidst the frequent, often needless, distrustful intervention of both King’s and Malcolm’s body guards each time their two principals pitch to a point of verbal fisticuffs in their unyielding defense of the legitimacy of their different methods.

But the high point of their debate was an analysis of the recent King-led ‘March On Washington’ which Malcolm, in like coins, had boycotted to pay back King. Malcolm now says something to the effect “I heard that while you marched in Washington you had whites pelting stones at you?” And King, while confirming this incident, and in a dramatic fashion typical of his preacherment, narrates how this particularly heavy rock from booing white passers-by had struck this particular little black girl on the forehead, and how this tragic event had drawn the attention of virtually everyone on the march that day, as the poor black girl fell bleeding profusely while the racist white group from which direction the stone had been thrown, had stood by, laughing crookedly and still raring to throw some more.

Martin Luther proudly narrated to Malcolm how, as the marchers parried and fenced against more and more red herrings of stones and other objects, he had personally lapped the poor wounded girl while medics among the marchers administered first aid on her; and how gently he and others had lifted her into a utility ambulance, as the march proceeded, even as he adds

rather self-appraisingly that the incident was an opportunity for the demonstration of his philosophy of peace, love, caring, forgiveness and longsuffering; -and to which a painfully disgusted Malcolm replied, something to the effect that ‘that is exactly what the white racists want; victims that will not hit back; victims who are so pacifist that they will not even defend themselves; victims who are so cowardly self-hating that they do not know that even in the Bible there is a limit to ‘turning the other cheek’.

And Malcolm proceeds to say something to the effect that King’s cowardly reaction to this painful incident actually underscores the fundamental difference between their methods; that whereas King applied the remedy of a ‘House Negro who always loved the white master more than the white master loved himself, he Malcolm would’ve handled it with the fearlessness of a field Negro’; and that if he had been on the march, he would’ve ensured one of two things: that the white guy who threw that stone either never lived again to throw another, or if he ever lived thereafter, to never, ever be able to throw a stone at anybody for the rest of his life.

For the Afro-American it has never been about Floyd really; it has always been about the seizing of rare but opportune moments, at any point in time, to send a clear and unambiguous message to the racist white American, that ‘enough is enough’. That after four hundred years of ‘turning the other cheek’ the scripture by now must’ve been fulfilled, and it is time to let go on singing ‘we shall overcome’, and be prepared to do some ‘swinging’!

Like the Jewish rallying call against the humiliation on the ‘Massada’, there is always a time to say ‘Never Again!’

Concluded

DAN Dan GAYE gaye

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Sack them!

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