Thursday, March 24, 2022 Edition

Thursday, March 24, 2022/ 21 Sha’aban 1443 AH

Vol. 39 No. 038 N200

UPDATE ON SCHOOL CHILDREN HELD CAPTIVE

Kaduna attacks “mindless violence”, says Buhari >>>PG 18

...President warns against reprisals

@pmlonline

peoplesdailyng

. . . putting the people first

BETHEL BAPTIST HIGH SCHOOL, KUJAMA

257 DAYS

Ahead March 26 convention, APC settles for consensus chair

PG 18

Electoral Act: Reps vow to appeal Federal High Court Judgement >>PG 5

Say Umuahia ruling amounts to gross misconduct

Corp members taking oath of allegiance during the inauguration of the NYSC 2022 Batch ‘ A’ (stream II) at Kubwa Permanent Orientation Camp in Abuja yesterday.

Atiku lists Nigeria’s unity, security, economy as priority areas if elected president War crimes: Ukraine set to Senate confirms 7 member CBN Monetary drag Putin before Intl Court - Defense Attaché Policy Committee PAGE 15

PAGE 4

>>PG 5

Reps probe $500m Economic losses due Abuja-Kaduna rail line to weather, climate have declined -NiMet perimeter fencing PAGE 6

PAGE 20

PAGE 2

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

NEWS CONTENTS News

2-14

Op.Ed

12-13

Politics

15-17

Stock Watch Business Metro

18 19-20

Court hears Lt. Gen Minimah’s suit against AGF, EFCC June 8

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

T

he hearing on the suit filed by a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, and two others against Attorney General of Federation and Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) comes up, June 8.

Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court Abuja, fixed the date after all counsel in the matter

had admitted having filed and exchanged processes in the criminal charge over alleged diversion of N13 billion meant for procurement of arms.

Plaintiffs alongside Minimah are a one-time Chief of Accounts and Budget of the Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. A. O. Adetayo, as well as the former Director, Finance and Accounts of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier Gen. R. I. Odi.

Defendants in the suit filed at the Federal High Court are the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

At a resumed sitting, Habiba Chime announced appearance for the 1st defendant (AGF) while Buba Mohammed represented the EFCC, 2nd defendant.

The plaintiff’s lawyer, Ufot Okoi

21

L-R: Acting Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr. David Gende with the Executive Secretary, National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Prof. Paulinus Chijioke Okwelle, during the National Summit on the Future of Nigeria Colleges of Education Certificate. Theme: “Nigeria Certificate in Education, the way forward”, held yesterday in Abuja.

World Analysis 22 Africa News

23

World News

24

informed the court that they have regularized all processes, and served on the respondents.

In a short ruling, Justice Ekwo said, “My order still remains at any date you are not ready to go on with the matter, I will strike out the charge.

Meanwhile, the court has adjourned to 8, 9, and 10 of June for hearing.’’

Photo: Justin Imoowo

Health Minister kick against five bills over duplication, cost of governance Page 9

Digest

25

Feature

26

Sports Back Page

30-31 32

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU The Peoples Daily wants to hear from you with any news and pictures you think we should publish.

You can send your news and pictures to: adverts@peoplesdailyng.com pictures@peoplesdailyng.com contact@peoplesdailyng.com

Phones for News: 08142929046 08024432099

Saraki promises to bridge gap between legislature, executive if elected President

By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja

I

mmediate past Senate President, Dr Bukola Abubakar Saraki has assured that he would bridge the gap between the National Assembly and the Executive arm of government if elected the President of Nigeria.

Dr Saraki gave the assurance during a consultative meeting he held with members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, caucus in the House of Representatives on Tuesday night in Abuja at the residence of their Leader, Hon Ndudi Elumelu.

The former President of the Senate and presidential aspirant on the platform of PDP noted that Nigeria cannot attract investment into the country where a government elevated presidential orders above legislative interventions to strengthen the economy.

He informed the lawmakers that the experience he has garnered as a lawmaker, especially in defending the independence if the legislative institution would be sufficiently available to make the institution of the national assembly earn the respect and independence it deserved to provide suitable laws

for Nigerians.

According to him, “Today the kind of debt profile that we have, is about 90% revenue debt profile, certainly government alone cannot bring us out of this mess “The only way we can get out of this mess is by having an environment that brings in investment because the government alone cannot do it.

“We can only get out of this mess. If we have leadership that is visionary; that understands the issue and courageous.

“You cannot give what you don’t have. All of you members of the House of Representatives you are enlightened.

“You have the experience, most of you are victims of what the legislative arm of government does when it comes to executivelegislative misunderstanding.

“Will you continue to be victim of leadership? Saraki asked.

He noted that the clamour for restructuring cannot work if the buy-in of the President was not secured.

He wondered how the National Assembly would have secured the cooperation of two third of the house on a bill after which a sitting President would ignore such

painstaking effort.

The presidential aspirant stated that he had the choice to be a good boy and serve the interest of the party but chose to defend the institution and align with the Nigerian interest.

This, he said, cost him a lot of persecution adding however that because the 108 other members of the Senate knew the fight was against the institution, they stood in its defence.

He called on the lawmakers to lend support to his presidential quest on the party platform while assuring them that the work between the executive he would lead the national assembly would be strain-free and developmental for Nigeria.

His words, “The only reason why I was able to survive was because the 108 of us (Senators).

That’s it was not just mine, it belong to all of us “It is time that you have one of yours, leading this country. It is important for us to have a president who understands how to work with the National Assembly.

“Not to be battling everyday on executive legislative debating whether a budget is a proposal or padding, is an insult to the

institution.

These are issues that are so critical in moving this country forward.

He promised that his presidency would unite Nigeria and diminish the divisive tendencies of religion, region, ethnicity and others His words: “I believe today, I can reach across the religious divide. I also connect the divide of the older and the younger. I reach across the most important divide between the private sector and the public sector, which is business.

“We can make this country better. I need you to support me to get the nomination of my party, win the election to work together, to make the government work.

“Because a president that does not have support of the national Assembly cannot turn around this country.

The changes that we need to bring to this country today require the national assembly.

“Whether it is constitutional review, whether they are issues that have to do with fiscal federalism or all these issues; you look at developed democracies.

The president needs a national assembly on all these things, they mostly synergize to build the nation,” Saraki stressed.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

PAGE 3

NEWS

Ag News Editor, Tobias Lengnam

Former Kwankwasiyya members urge NWC to dissolve executives loyal to former gov

From Kano

Mustapha

Adamu,

S

takeholders of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Kano State, including three earstwhile members of Kwankwasiyya movement, have called on the National Working Committee, NWC to as a matter of urgency, dissolve the executives of the party against the control of former governor, Rabi’u Kwankwaso.

The former Kwankwasiyya loyalists are, Adamu Yunusa Dangwani, former Chief of Staff during Kwankwaso ‘s administration, Danburam Abubakar Nuhu and Yusuf Bello Dambatta, Commissioner of Information and Land and Survey respectively.

In a communique issued at the end of a meeting, held on Tuesday in Kano and signed jointly by Danbatta and Dr Akilu Indabawa, the party called on the NWC to appoint a caretaker committee to handle its affairs through election period.

The PDP caucus also raised an alarm over what they described as desperate attempt by Kwankwaso to control the party while promoting another party, New Nigeria Proples Party, NNPP. It would be recalled that Kwankwaso had announced his plans to defect to NNPP by end of March.

However, the stakeholders alleged that Kwankwaso is planning to sabotage PDP in Kano in 2023 by plotting to cost the party to loose candidature, thereby paving way for NNPP to field a candidate in the state.

They also stated that by maintaining the PDP’s leadership under Kwankwaso, a former Senator representing Kano Central, the NWC would leave millions of the party’s supporters in limbo.

L-R: Vice Chancellor, Philomath University, Kuje Abuja, Engr.Prof. Adeniyi Olayanju, Present Award on Humanitarian Services to Dr.Amb(Mrs)Ebikaboere Seimodei Technical Adviser on Hospitality and Tourism to the Executive Governor of Bayelsa State at the Merit time International Public Lecture in Abuja,

Reps to meet women over rejection, of gender bills, Affirmative action

By Christiana Ekpa

T

he Leadership of the House of Representatives has revealed that it will meet with the leadership of women groups who have been protesting the rejection of five gender related bills during the consideration of the report of the adhoc committee on constitution review.

Speaker of the House, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila asked the Deputy Chief Whip of the House, Rep. Nkiruka Onyejeocha to arrange a meeting with the women group within the shortest possible time, possibly before the House goes on break.

The House had earlier rescinded the decision to reject three of the five bills which are to

relisted for consideration, but the women group are insisting that the five bills must be revised and passed.

They have been protesting at the gates the national Assembly for about three weeks.

After receiving a report from House Leader, the Speaker said “we will look at the report again in seven legislative days which is about two weeks.

“We may be able to do that I don’t know, in terms of the time frame because the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Idris Wase who’s bringing the second report has said it will be done very soon. We don’t want to take this in isolation, we will take it together with other reports.

“We might be going on

Ramadan break soon. But Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha please arrange a meeting with the representatives of the women with me in the office after next week so that we can agree on certain things particularly on the date when we make the reconsideration”.

House Leader, Rep. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa who addressed the protesting women in Tuesday on behalf of the House said “I went to the gate of the National Assembly to address the aggrieved women of our various respective constituencies.

“These are women who occupied the streets of National Assembly for about ten days. Mr Speaker They have communicated to your office and that of the Senate President, that they want

us to address the three clauses of the electoral act.

“One is indigenship, second is about citizenship and third is women participation in administration of party politics.

Recall that three weeks ago the House took this decision to revisit these bills earlier rejected.

“So I went to interface with these women, and convinced them to vacate the streets of National Assembly to allow members exercise their lawful duties. Their outcries can only be addressed if they allow members to discharge their duties.

“We gave them commitment that we will revert to them and make sure we do something about their outcries within 7 legislative days.”

Workplace Peacedesk ‘ll mitigate surging conflicts, humanitarian burden - Bakut

By Ochiaka Ugwu

D

irector General of Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr. Bakut Tswah Bakut said the Workplace Conflict Peacedesk initiated by the institute would cushion the surging cases of conflicts in the country with attendant humanitarian burden.

Bakut who made this known at the two (2) day capacity building programme for IPCR Pilot Peacedesk Management Committee & North Central Workplace Conflict Peacedesk Officers in Abuja Wednesday said the surging cases of conflicts in the country with attendant

humanitarian burden made it imperative for the Institute to strategically design various strategies for peace promotion.

Bakut represented by Ms. Hephzibah Ladi Achanya said It has been observed that there are debilitating issues of conflicts in the various geo-political zones, as a result of herders-farmer conflicts, ethno-religious violence, communal clashes, cult gang attacks and terrorism which had caused avoidable death of very resourceful Nigerians.

Continuing, he said the urgent need to galvanize workplaces and the future Nigeria societies into a cohesive and peaceful state devoid of violence, made the Institute conceptualize the initiative to

mainstreaming - Peace into Workplaces, Development Programmes and Projects through Establishment of PeaceDesks.

His words, “The surging cases of conflicts in the country with attendant humanitarian burden made it imperative for the Institute to strategically design various strategies for peace promotion and peacebuilding, including this initiative that brought all of you here today.

“It has been observed that there are debilitating issues of conflicts in the various geo-political zones, as a result of herders-farmer conflicts, ethno-religious violence, communal clashes, cult gang attacks and terrorism.

Speaking on “Workplace PeaceDesk: How far?” former Head of IPCR Directorate, Ms. Hephzibah Ladi Achanya said workers are productive assets to the nation and there is need to institute workplace PeaceDesk to enhance productivity and harmonious relations for national development.

Giving a perspective on “Introduction to Workplace PeaceDesk” Steve Agbo stressed the importance of peace in every sector of the economy for transformation and national growth.

Andy Nkemneme noted that the aim of the discussion was to mainstream peace in all MDAs to make it viable and to function maximally for the benefit of all.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

PAGE 4

NEWS

Former Zamfara Speaker declares for Senate bye election

From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau

T

he immediate past Speaker of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Sanusi Garba Rikiji has declared his intention to vye for the seat of Zamfara Central Senatorial District ahead of the upcoming bye election in the state.

The seat of the senate representing Zamfara central senatorial district has become vacant following recent appointment of the former Senator Hassan Mohammed Nasiha as deputy Governor of Zamfara State after barrister Mahdi Aliyu Gusau was impeached by the State House of Assembly.

Until his declaration, Garba Rikiji was a Chief of Staff to the Speaker House of Representatives, rt. hon. Femi Gbajabiamila after he served as Zamfara State Speaker House of Assembly for two terms.

Rikiji, who formally made the declaration at the state APC headquarters Gusau on Wednesday, said he is aspiring for the seat to further contribute his quota to the political and socio-economic growth of the state.

War crimes: Ukraine set to drag Putin before Intl Court - Defense Attaché

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

A

s Russia unprovoked aggression against Ukraine continues unabated for a month, Ukrainian government pledged to drag President Vladmir Putin of Russia before the International Criminal Court for war crimes.

The embattled nation intimated that its government is already working to bring Putin to justice for his crimes on its territory in accordance with international law.

Defense Attache to Nigeria in the Ukraine Embassy, Colonel Andrii Vasyliev, expressed that, in the one month old war, so many Ukrainian homes have been destroyed and thousand killed, stating that Putin and Russia committed crime against humanity by violating all Geneva convention to protect the civilians.

He also revealed that 355,000 Ukrainians from United States and European countries have returned home since the war

...insists it has no nuclear weapons started to take up arms in defense of the sovereignty.

Addressing the press, yesterday to mark exactly one month Russia declared war against its state, , revealed that 115 children have been killed while 140 wounded in the onslaught.

Vasyliev also revealed that the aggressor have committed sexual crimes, adding that Ukraine will make sure they all get justice they deserved.

He said, ‘’The government of Ukraine is already working to bring Putin to justice for his crimes on the territory of Ukraine in accordance with international law.’’ ‘’Russia and Putin have been committing war crimes. They did not adhere to the Geneva Convention. A breach of the convention is crime against humanity ‘’Over 115 children have been killed and many others injured in

the war. The war started February 24, a month ago. The war Russia is waging is mean and cruel.

However, Ukraine has declared it has no chemical weapon in its possession, rather Russia, insisted that that has been Russia propaganda against Ukraine for the last eight years. ‘’Ukraine has no chemical weapon and it is a known fact to everyone.

Driving home his point, he however, informed that, there has been confirmation of Russia’s preparation for a chemical attack against Ukraine.

According to them, the presence of chemist was detected in the occupation contingent of the Russian Federation.

Ukraine maintained that Russia propaganda was to project them as not an independent nation, create an image of Ukraine as an enemy, thereby, instigating Russians to take up arms against Ukraine.

On the relationship between Ukraine and NATO, Vasyliev, cleared that Ukraine is not yet a member of NATO, ‘’ We are still waiting for NATO to get clear indication if it is ready to accept Ukraine. ‘’ This is why NATO countries cannot fight for us, but they have shown great support, financially and otherwise and we are very grateful.

Going further, he explained that negotiations with Russia continues, but the outcome of such meetings were not published. ‘’President Zelensky has said he is ready to meet President Putin physically but there has been no response from Putin.

Concluding, he reiterated that Ukraine will not backdown on its sovereignty and territorial integrity. ‘’Russia should withdraw its troops from Ukraine. This is the position of President Zelenskey.’’

CODE partners ICPC, others in tracking constituency projects in Kaduna

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

C

onnected Development (CODE) is to partner the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission Commission (ICPC), other Stakeholders in tracking Constituency projects in all the local government areas of Kaduna State.

Director of Programmes, CODE, Mrs. Lucy James Abagi disclosed this during a stakeholders’ meeting on Deepening Citizens Interest in government spending (DeSPAAC) held in Kaduna yesterday.

She hinted that the accountability group, otherwise known as ‘Follow The Money’, had tracked Constituency projects worth N1.1 billion in Kaduna State.

She further said the projects are spread across the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.

Ife indigenes protesting at the gate of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) campus with masquerades over the appointment of non-indigene as the new Vice-Chancellor of the University in Ile-Ife on Tuesday (22/3/22).

Percentage salaries: Kogi NLC Chair denies granting press interview From Adama John, Lokoja

T

he leadership of the organised Labour in kogi has debunked recent media reports that the NLC chairman, Onuh Edoka confirmed that no percentage salary was paid to Kogi state workers.

National dailies of 16th March, 2022 editions

particularly Punch, Guardian, Daily Independent, Thisday, DailyTrust, vanguard, Sun, and blueprint newspapers were awash with the report allegedly granted them by the labour comrade.

In a statement signed by the Secretary of the state organised labour, comrade Paul Omale on Tuesday said the author of the story was clearly on a mission

to set the workers against the leadership of the organised Labour.

“There was no such interview or press statement issued by the NLC chairman, Mr Onuh Edoka to any media houses.

“The organised Labour in the state is amazed on how some reputable media houses could be used to published such an untrue and misleading story”,

the statement lamented.

On the issue of the percentage salaries paid in the month of February, the state government, through the Commissioner for Finance, Asiwaju Ashiru issued a press statement to explain what necessitated the payment of February salary in percentages with a promise that the balance will be paid in the preceding month for state civil servants.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

By Folorunso the, Abuja

F

ormer Vice President and presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has listed the unity of Nigeria, Security, Economy, Education and devolving more resources and powers to the federating units as key areas that his administration will focus on if elected President.

Similarly, Atiku has described the forthcoming 2023 general elections as a choice between two paths:-the path of unity and progress or the path of division and backwardness.

The former Vice President stated these in Abuja on Wednesday when he formally declared his intention to contest for the presidential election next year.

Atiku’s formal declaration, held at the International conference centre, under the chairmanship of Colonel Rowland Omowa, rtd, attracted a lot of personalities from all walks of life Yesterday’s declaration by Atiku for the nation’s presidency was his sixth so far.

The former Vice President equally accused the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, of wanting to divide the nation along political, ethnic, and religious lines.

The first attempt of Atiku to contest for President was alongside late MKO Abiola in 1993 on Social Democratic Party (SDP). In 2007 he emerged the candidate of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

In 2010, he contested for the PDP ticket against Goodluck Jonathan; In 2014, he also contested the ticket on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), where he lost at the primary to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Atiku, who in 2019 was the candidate of the PDP, but eventually lost the election to the APC candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari, listed areas of his priority and focus when he emerged as President in 2023 to include security, economy improvement, devolution of power and resources to the federating units among others.

According to him, “The 2023 election is not just like the usual elections; it is a referendum to decide whether we want greatness or continuous destruction.

“It is a choice between two paths: the path of unity and progress or the path of division and backwardness.

“As the election is fast approaching, we should not be distracted from the devastating conditions we are in now. The ruling party wants to divide us; they want to divide us along the political, ethnic, and religious lines so that we forget to blame them for the rising inflation.”, he said.

On what he plans to achieve if elected President next year, Atiku said, “under my presidency, I want to focus on five key areas: Unity of Nigeria, Security, Economy, Education and devolving more resources and powers to the federating units.

“Since the civil war, the

PAGE 5

NEWS

Atiku lists unity of Nigeria, security, economy as priority areas if elected President ...Calls 2023 election a choice between progress, backwardness

unity of Nigeria has never been threatened as it is today. Nigerians are losing hope in the oneness of this country.

“My fellow Nigerians, I am the unifier that is coming to bond the broken union.

“We will open doors for dialogue to hear the grieving voices of all Nigerians. Under my presidency, there will be a new Nigeria, where everybody has an equal voice and is heard.

“Throughout my life, I have never looked at Nigerians as divided people. In my eyes, all Nigerians are the same.

“When I see you, I don’t see Yoruba or Hausa or Igbo or Fulani or a Northerner or Southerner; when I see you, I only see a Nigerian, and I expect the best from you.

“All Nigerians are equal and should be seen and treated equally.

“There is no unity without justice and fairness. That is why I will deliver leadership of justice and fairness”, he said.

He appealed to Nigerians to work towards strengthening the unity in the country, adfing that it is the role of government to work very hard and promote it.

Speaking on national security, Atiku noted with sadness that the APC administration has failed in its fundamental responsibility of protecting the lives and properties

of Nigerians.

His words, “The most significant human right is the right to life, which has not been protected under the APC administration.

“Our military forces are fighting on the front lines without equipment and morale. That is not fair.

“If we get into power, we will increase the welfare of all security forces. We will use modern technology and intelligence to combat insecurity.

“We will also increase the number of personnel for our security agencies.

“Why security?

Because national security is the first sign of a functional government, and where it does not exist, we must not blame those who threaten it.

‘We can only blame a government that allows it to be threatened. And if I am elected as your President, insecurity is one thing I will not tolerate,” he said.

On economy, Atiku said, “all the macro-economic indicators are not favorable under the APC administration. APC inherited single-digit inflation; they now increased it to about 16%.

When APC came into power, unemployment was around 9%; now, unemployment is more than 33%.

“The Exchange Rate was N197

to a Dollar in 2015, but in the hand of APC, Naira suffered the worst devaluation ever. As we speak, the exchange rate is more than N400 to a dollar, the official rate.

“That was not the change we wanted. If we get elected, we will create alternative sources of foreign exchange supply to Nigeria and reduce importation to increase the value of the Naira.

“They said we should go back to the farmlands. How can you ask people to go to the farms while you have not secured the farms?

People cannot go back to the farm because they are afraid, they could be kidnapped or killed.

“Under my leadership, we will ensure absolute security because that is the number one condition for economic prosperity.

“We will provide access to mechanized farming systems and develop the agricultural value chain.

“We must diversify our foreign exchange sources through exports of processed agricultural products.

“When APC came into power, Nigeria’s debt was N12 trillion, and now they increased it to N32 trillion. They still want to borrow more. “ Under my leadership, we will reduce government borrowing.

Too much borrowing comes at the detriment of future growth.

“We will operate a liberal economy that allows small businesses to grow through lower taxes and charges for small businesses and low-income earners.

“We will encourage the expansion of the private sector to spur economic growth.”

Atiku, who categorically said that he knows how to create jobs, said that if he can manage his businesses that employed thousands of people, he can manage the nation’s economy well.

The Governor of Adamawa State, Hon. Ahmadu Fintiri, who doubled as the host governor at the event said, “the former Vice President is probably the most experienced person in the race at the moment not only in our party, the PDP but in the country.”

Calling on Nigerians to support Atiku, Fintiri said he’s calling on them “because he’s the right man for the task ahead. He is a good mentor and a leader and the best candidate that can defeat the APC and win the election for our great Party.”

He added that Atiku” is the President that will unite and secure the country, salvage the economy and create jobs for our citizens.”

Fintiri also insisted that the PDP is the best party the country needs at the moment.

Traffic gridlock on Orile-Ijora road in Lagos on Wednesday (23/3/22).

Electoral Act: Reps vow to appeal Federal High Court Judgement

By Christiana Ekpa

T

he House of Representatives, Tuesday resolved to appeal the Federal High Court judgement against the controversial section 84(12) of the Electoral Act amendment Bill, recently assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The House equally resolved that the National Assembly will file a complaint to the National Judicial Council (NJC) against the Judge who gave the judgement, as it considered the judgement as amounting to gross misconduct.

The President had

...Say Umuahia ruling amounts to gross misconduct immediately after assenting to the Bill, requested that the said clause which bothered on resignation of political appointees of public office holders within a specified period if they wish to participate in primary election of their respective political parties, be expunged from the Act on grounds that it negated provisions of the Nigerian Constitution.

The House while condemning the Abia High Court judgement also faulted attempts at hurriedly deleting the contentious section, even when the National Assembly

was not joined in the suit.

The House decision was as the result of a motion raised under personal privileges by Hon. Sada Soli, who argued that the decision of court was akin to usurping the constitutional powers of the parliament to make laws.

In their separate submissions, Majority Leader of the House, Ado Doguwa and the Chief Whip, Muhammed Tahir Monguno insisted that the legislature is the only institution of government under democracy that has the rights of law making, wondering

why an issue which originated from Abuja was filed in Abia State.

In his ruling, Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila said he cannot allow anyone to rubbish the institution of legislature, even though he absolved President Muhammadu Buhari, as relying on the legal advices from his aides on the matter, calling on the Attorney General of the Federation Abubakar Malami to tarry and not to usurp the the role of the National Assembly, by forclosing the right of appeal.

PAGE 6

NEWS

APC Convention: Shinkafi withdraws from chairmanship race

From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau

A

Chairmanship aspirant and a chieftain under the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Zamfara State in the northwest zone, Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has declared his withdrawal from the race.

In a press briefing at his Gusau residence, Shinkafi, said his decision to withdraw from the contest followed the party’s agreement to opt for zoning formula.

He further stated that, “My decision to withdraw as Chairmanship aspirant was informed by what has unanimously decided on the zoning formula by both the stakeholders of the APC and the caretaker committee.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

Reps probe $500m Abuja-Kaduna rail line perimeter fencing

By Christiana Ekpa

T

he House of Representatives, Tuesday, resolved to investigate the perimeter fencing of the $500 million Abuja-Kaduna Rail Lines project.

The House urged Federal Government to increase the number of security personnel stationed along the Abuja Kaduna Railway as well as increase surveillance and intelligence gathering in the surrounding areas.

The House urged Federal Government to increase the number of security personnel stationed along the Abuja Kaduna Railway as well as increase surveillance and intelligence gathering in the surrounding areas.

The House resolutions was

passed sequel to the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon. Zakaria Nyampa, who frowned at the crisis between Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) and communities surrounding the rail lines, particularly herdsmen.

Hon. Nyampa while presenting, applauded Federal Government’s stride on the implementation of the ongoing railway projects across the country, noted that the railway projects will contribute significantly to easing the movement of persons and goods across the country.

“Aware that the Abuja-Kaduna Railway is a standard gauge that runs through nine Stations from Idu Station to Kuchibon, Asham, Jere, Gidan, Rijana, Dutse, Kakau and terminates at Rigasa in Kaduna.

“Also aware of the need to

provide perimeter fencing to avoid accidents that could arise from human beings or animals crossing rail tracks and install a digital security system to enable the operators to know when there is an impact on the rail, and consequently get the needed help.

“Concerned that the operators have been having a running battle with communities surrounding the rail lines, particularly herdsmen, some of whose cattle that strayed into the rail tracks were crushed by a moving train.

“Also concerned that an inexperienced train driver could easily be frightened and confused in such situations, and in the process of trying to avoid the cattle may derail, which could be extremely disastrous.

“Recalls that the rail line, which is the first commercial standard

gauge train service in Nigeria, was built by China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) from a $500 million concessionary loan from China Exim Bank scheduled to finance 85 per cent of the project while the remaining 15 per cent was a counterpart funding of Nigeria.

“Regrets that despite the inclusion of a perimeter fencing in the scope of work, the dominant challenge on the service is vandalisation of equipment and facilities, thus constituting security and safety threats.

“Cognizant that if the Perimeter Fencing project is completed, it will not only improve efficiency and effectiveness in the transportation system but also reduce pressure on the nation’s roads and curtail fatal accidents,” he said.

Aisha Buhari urges IAEA to change cancer narrative in Nigeria, Africa

F

irst Lady Aisha Buhari has urged the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to change the cancer narrative in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

The call is contained in a statement issued by her Special Assistant on Media, Mr Aliyu Abdullahi.

Buhari made the call when she received a delegation from the IAEA led by the Chairman, Nigerian Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC), Prof.

Yusuf Ahmed in Abuja.

She commended the IAEA for launching the ‘Rays of Hope’ initiative.

The initiative was launched to increase access to radiotherapy for cancer patients in low to middle-income countries that have the highest cancer rates and lowest rates in screening, diagnosis, therapy, and treatment.

“I am particularly happy with the visit because of my involvement in cancer advocacy which exposed me to identify gaps in the sector.

“I, therefore, call on the IAEA to do more to reduce the casualty figures of cancer in Africa.

“Advocacy for cancer therapy is important because most patients who can afford proper cancer treatment usually travel abroad to get it, while the majority of patients, who are unable, remain with little or no management care,” she said.

The first lady expressed optimism that ‘Rays of Hope’ will change the narrative on the cancer situation not only in Nigeria but Africa in general.

“My foundation, in collaboration with some development partners, had done a lot in the area of healthcare delivery through medical outreaches across Nigeria and I would like to leave a lasting legacy in that regard,” she added. (NAN)

Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya ( Middle) presenting the Gombe State 10-year development plan to Mercy Corps chief of party, Margarita Aswani while the Country Director of the organisation, Ndubusi Anyawu looks on during a visit by a team from Mercy Corps to the Governor in Abuja, yesterday.

Reps want improved funding for NEDC

By Christiana Ekpa

T

he House of Representatives, Tuesday, passed through Second Reading a bill seeking to establish the General Reserve Fund for North-East Development Commission (NEDC) with a view to ensure sustainable funding of its operations beyond the 10-years period.

The private member bill, sponsored by Hon.- Mansur Soro seeks to amend the North East Development Commission to deepen the impact of the Commission on the lives of residents of Member States namely: Adamawa, Bauchi,

Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe, through strategic capital development projects and to enhance the critical sources of revenue due to the Commission and for related matters.

According to him, the Commission which was established in 2017 to, among other mandates, coordinate all interventions toward rebuilding the North-East sub-region destroyed by decade-long insurgency, has over the past four years of its existence implemented various humanitarian, reconstruction and resettlement projects in furtherance of its mandates.

Hon Soro explained that the bill seeks to empower the

Commission to adopt innovative financing mechanisms by saving 15 per cent of its total annual revenue as ‘General Reserve Fund’ (GRF) with the view to financially sustain its operations beyond the 10-years period that part of the critical sources of revenue will last.

The bill also seeks to extend the validity period of sources of revenue due to the Commission by additional 5 years with a view to enable the Commission to mobilise adequate resources to fully implement its Master Plan.

The proposed legislation further seeks to deepen the impact of the Commission on the lives of the residents of member states through the establishment

of Development Trust Funds in all the Federal Constituencies of six member states to assist the Commission to accelerate the pace of its interventions and to tackle challenges peculiar to each constituency.

He said: “This legislation can’t come at a better time than now that stable peace has substantially returned to the North East as attested to by the closure of various IDP camps throughout and the return of affected Nigerians back to their homes. Now is the best time to rebuild the North East!”

After the debate, the bill was referred to the House Committee on North East for further legislative action.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

PAGE 7

Kaduna Attack: Police deploy more operatives to Kaura, Jema’a LGAs

T

he Police Command in Kaduna State says it has deployed more personnel to Jema’a and Kaura Local Government Areas of the state to forestall break down of law and order, The Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Mohammed Jalige stated this in press release issued late Tuesday night in Kaduna.

Jalige said the deployment

followed fracas which led to loss of lives and destruction of properties in Agban/Adan villages of Kaura LGA of the state on March 21.

He explained that, the deployment became necessary considering the volatile nature of such clashes in the past and attendant consequences.

He added that with the subsequent declaration of curfew by the Kaduna State Government

which covered Jema’a and Kaura LGAs, the situation had been brought under control.

He said that the Ag. Commissioner of Police, Kaduna Command, DCP Maiyaki Baba, had directed full scale investigation of the incident.

“The Ag. CP, while condoling the good people of the state, particularly families of those who lost their loved ones in the unfortunate incident, warns those

inclined to fermenting trouble, to desist as the long hand of the law will catch up with them, “he said.

He called on communities to be law-abiding and comply with the curfew imposed as violators of the order would be made to face the consequences of their action.

He explained that the curfew was not meant to punish anybody, but a strategy to safeguard lives and property.

NEWS

Report suspicious activities to security agencies - KDSG tells residents

From Femi Oyelola Kaduna

K

aduna State Commissioner of Ministry for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr Samuel Aruwan, has advised citizens to report suspicious criminal activities to security agencies.

Aruwan, made the call during a training for civilians and security stakeholders in Kaduna yesterday.

According to him, such positive actions of the residents would help to build peace in the state.

He added that the government is trying its best to ensure peace and security in the state and that people should support by giving security operatives the right information for rapid response.

“We are in challenging times; our security operatives cannot be in all the nooks and crannies of the state, that is why the community must complement the effort of security agencies.

“We can prevent conflict or other security challenge if we work together, communicate and interact with one another. The Kaduna state government is open for any engagement that will bring about peace”, he said.

Belgium University honours Nigeria’s Chimamanda

T L-R: National Chairman All Progressives Congress (APC) Aspirant, Alhaji Abdulazeez Yari, Leader House of Representatives, Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa and Leader Abdulazeez Yari campaign committee, Hon. Umar Kareto Lawn, during Yari visit to the APC members of House of Representatives at the National Assembly on Tuesday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

FAO initiates project to boost catfish production value chain

T

he United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says its FISH4ACP project in Nigeria would boost catfish production and African catfish value chain, which is worth 625 million dollars.

FISH4ACP is “an initiative of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) contributing to food and nutrition security, economic prosperity and job creation by ensuring the economic, social and environmental sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture value chains.”

FAO Representative in Nigeria Fred Kafeero, said this during the FISH4ACP Catfish Value Chain Analysis Validation Workshop on Tuesday in Abuja.

He said the production of fisheries in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries has grown from 4.6 million tons

in 1990 to 8.5 million tons in 2016 as aquaculture production jumped from 50, 000 tons to 790, 000 tons within the same period.

The Country Representative, who was represented by Dr Abubakar Suleiman, said that the project in Nigeria would give special attention to developing small-holder fish farmers and creating multiple jobs.

Kafeero said the production represents less than 10 per cent of global fish trade as Nigeria’s aquaculture production increased from 22,000 tons to over 300,000 tons in 2017.

“The project focuses on catfish and for this, the inception phase of the project commenced with a comprehensive analysis of the catfish value chain.

“This is very important not only in generating evidence but also in designing and upgrading

strategy that will aligned to the strategic objectives of the project.

“FISH4ACP will pay special attention to small and mediumsized businesses, because of their potential to deliver economic and social benefits, particularly for women and youth,” he said.

He however expressed concern that increased pressure on ecosystems and the impacts of climate change has continued to hamper the contribution of the sector to economic growth, food and nutritional security.

Also speaking, the Director of Fishery Department, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ime Umoh, said that government had made enormous investment towards growing the Fishery sector in the country.

Umoh also added that machinery has been put in place

to support the FAO’s fishery project success.

NAN reports that FISH4ACP is a five-year initiative currently implemented by FAO to address gaps and contribute to food and nutrition security, economic prosperity and job creation.

It is to ensure economic, social and environmental sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture value chains in ACP. The project is funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The intervention seeks to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of 12 fisheries and aquaculture value chains in 10 OACPS member countries, making sure that economic improvements go hand in hand with environmental sustainability and social inclusiveness.(NAN)

he Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium is to award Chimamanda Adichie with a honourary doctorate degree.

A statement signed by Omawumi Ogbe, Editor-in-Chief, GLAZIA communication stated that the award slated for April 28, would be Chimamanda’s 16th honourary doctorate degrees.

She said that the ceremony would take place at the main campus in Louvain-la-Neuve, located 20 kilometers from Brussels.

According to her, the awarding institution was founded by Pope Martin V in 1425 and is one of the oldest Catholic universities in Europe and the biggest French speaking university in Belgium.

She said that the school’s most famous alumni include mathematician Vitold Belevich and Queen Mathilde of Belgium.

Ogbe disclosed that the Rector of the University, Vincent Blondel, said that the Academic Council considers Chimamanda’s work to be “remarkable in many ways and particularly inspiring for the university community.”

Blondel added that Chimamanda embodies the “values the University wishes to impart on their students, professors, researchers, and the entire university community.

“For the new academic year, the university is highlighting the theme, ‘The fragility of truth.’ Adichie’s career, divided between fiction and the reality of struggles against all kinds of oppression, adequately illustrates this theme.” (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

PAGE 8

NEWS

S

takeholders in the oil sector have resolved that full operation of modular refineries as proposed in some quarters, will go a long way in solving challenges of fuel crisis in the country.

The stakeholders made the observation at the second stakeholders’ engagement on the integration of Modular/Artisanal Refinery Operations into the oil and gas sector on Tuesday in Abuja.

They also brainstormed on current challenges of revenue loss, petroleum product scarcity, environmental pollution and the way out.

The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Ita Enang, explained that the aim of the meeting was to discuss ways out of the country’s present oil challenge.

“Let me welcome all of you to this conference, which is the second meeting of all engagement of stakeholders on the integration of modular and artisanal refinery operating into the oil and gas sector and current challenges of revenue loss.

“We are here to discuss and to negotiate the way out of where we are in Nigeria. “ Enang, who is also the convener of the meeting, stated that the gathering was also focusing on the review the causes of losses of revenue from oil due to irregular activities in the creeks and along oil pipelines and the effect it had on the nation’s economy.

According to him, the world is faced with energy crisis, and all the

Reps place NAFDAC on status enquiry, accused agency of recording low income

By Christiana be

T

he House of Representatives Committee on Finance on Tuesday placed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on status enquiry, saying the agency’s submissions appear to show their income is more than what is recorded.

Chairman of the Committee, Hon James Faleke, said during a meeting with government agencies to probe the remittance of revenue, directed that the agency bring all its bank statements and other relevant records on April 5, 2022 when it is expected to appear again.

“You have to bring all your bank statements, your records, because we have the suspicion that your income is more than what is being recorded. It is more than what you are showing us.

You will be back on 5th of April and we expect that the Accountant General office’s and Budget Office will be there,” Faleke said.

Director General of the Agency, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, in her submission earlier had said they generated N4.8 billion in the last quarter of 2021.

Fuel crisis: Stakeholders brainstorm on full operation of modular refineries nations of the world are now looking to internal sources of solving their problems and Nigeria is not left out.

“Domestic refining which we call artisanal refining is part of the internal sources of solving these problems, but this refined products are going into our generators, going into our systems, and we still call it illegal refining.

“But we are driving our cars with it and we still call it illegal refining, people are feeding from it and we

still call it illegal artisanal refining.’’

Enang said it was high time the country regularised the artisanal refined products for the purpose of saving the nation’s economy.

“It is time for us to meet and regularise it for the purpose of saving the economy, ” Enang said.

Prof. Akpofure Rim-Ruke, the Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun, who welcomed the idea of the forum, said it would salvage the challenge of

fuel crisis and loss of revenue.

According to him, the youths are using the local process of producing local gin to produce the fuel which is the local technology that works.

“Having this at the back of our mind to see that the products they have produced, Federal University of Petroleum Resources has tested the products and it is actually in line in terms of specificity with others that are imported into this country.

“So, the technology is working,”

he said.

On the way forward, Rim-Ruke said the institution had developed an indigenous modular refinery and it was already on ground and the authority of the institution had all it took to train the youths on it.

The Executive Secretary, Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), assured the stakeholders of the agency’s support to the full operation of modular refineries in the country. (NAN)

President Muhammadu Buahri meets APC governors ahead of the convention at the council chambers State House, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo; State House

Health Minister kick against five bills over duplication, cost of governance

By Christiana Ekpa

T

he Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire on Tuesday kicked against five bills currently before the House of Representatives, seeking to establish new institutions in the health sector.

Ehanire who spoke at a public hearing on five bills and 12 motions organised by the House Committee on Healthcare Services said the establishment of the proposed institutions will amount to duplication of functions with existing ones and add to the cost of governance.

Zainab Shariff who represented the Minister said, the bill for an act to establish the public health practitioners council of Nigeria

is a duplication of efforts and in conflict with the respective acts establishing the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), National Primary Healthcare Development Agency as well as Africa Institute of Public Health Practitioners.

“These are regulatory bodies under the Ministry that are already performing the stated functions in this proposed bill.

The Federal Government is already working to harmonise the agencies which have similar functions,” Shariff said.

“This bill will further add to the cost of governance through the creation and proliferation of councils, boards or agencies whose functions have already been taken care of by the provisions of the acts

of the aforementioned. It is the Ministry’s considered view that the bill is not necessary and should be stepped down.

On the bill for an act to establish a minimum standard for healthcare facilities, she said the Federal Ministry of Health has contributed a lot to ensuring establishment of the minimum standard for healthcare facilities through various activities.

“The Federal Ministry of Health in 2017 inaugurated the first National Tertiary Health Institutions Standards Committee.

The Committee’s functions include; advise the Minister on matters affecting the establishment of tertiary institutions in Nigeria, establish the minimum

standard for tertiary health institutions in Nigeria, make relevant investigations and recommendations to the Federal and State Government on Tertiary healthcare services in the national interest.

“This bill is a duplication of efforts and runs contrary to the existence of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency and this Committee that was set up. Furthermore, health being on the concurrent list, the states should be left to handle the secondary healthcare standard.

The National Primary Healthcare Development Agency is already supporting the States on the standards. If this bill becomes law then the Committee that is set up by the National Health Act will become useless,” she said.

According to Okwu, “Merit Time International is an organisation that is delivering her dream of bringing leaders in Africa and Nigeria in particular together under one umbrella, with regard to her public lectures and humanitarian services”.

Okwu said: “We are a credible organisation of young enterprising, intelligent and committed Nigerians, schooled in the art of journalism and taking journalism to the next level through packaging and branding in

developmental journalism thereby encouraging Nigerians who have been contributing to the development of African in their little corner realised”.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the occasion, Dr. Oyaide E. Juliana said: “I am glad to have been picked to identify myself with this great organisation of young and vibrant media and humanitarian personalities of great repute”.

“I am deeply convinced by

the great work of leadership and humanitarian services Merit Time International is engaged in, particular in Africa by encouraging good governance and performance of individuals that are hardly noticed by government and the international community”, Julian Said.

Meanwhile, this year’s award lecture with theme “Leadership and Service; The way forward” was presented by Professor Adeniyi Olayanju, the pioneer Vcie-Chancellor of Philomath University Abuja.

Merit Time Magazine honours 20 personalities

By Usman Shuaibiu

T

he management of the Merit Time International Magazine has decorated 20 personalities with different award titles at Nigerian National Merit House Maitama, Abuja on Sunday.

The National Co-ordinator of the Merit Time International Magazine, Mr. Sunday Okwu, who made this known while presenting his welcome address at the occasion.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

PAGE 9

NEWS

2023: Guidelines, regulations for poll will be ready 10 months ahead, INEC Chairman assures

By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja

A

s a result of the early passage and assent to the amendment to the Electoral Act, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that the guidelines and regulations for the 2023 general election will be ready ten (10) months ahead of the general election.

The Chairman of the Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, gave the assurance yesterday when he received a delegation from John D and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, led by its President, John Palfrey, at the INEC Headquarters, Abuja.

The INEC Chairman recalled that in 2019, the Commission was constrained by time due to the uncertainty that trailed the electoral legal framework which saw it (the Commission) signing off on the regulations and guidelines on the 19th of

January, 2019, few weeks to the election.

He said “but we hope that this time around, we will sign off on the regulations and guidelines at least 10 months before the next general election, which is very good progress for us”.

Harping on the new Electoral Act 2022, Prof. Yakubu said “the Electoral Act has been repealed and re-enacted. It was not just a question of amendment, the amendments were so extensive, so eventually the National Assembly repealed and re-enacted the electoral act”.

He added that “this is the 3rd time since 1999, where the country is repealing and re-enacting the Electoral Act”.

Speaking further on the Commission’s source of power to develop the guidelines and regulations, the INEC Chairman said “we are happy with the assent, we now have a new electoral law, on the basis of which we commenced work on the Regulations and Guidelines.

“The Electoral Act cannot say everything, so the National Assembly donates part of its power to INEC to make Regulations and Guidelines and these Regulations and Guidelines have forms of subsidiary legislation”, he said.

Yakubu further disclosed, “we have virtually finished the processes. Our Election Project Plan (EPP) is ready and about to be published, the Strategic Plan is already completed and published, and we also publish and gazette the Guidelines and send the three documents to the stakeholders and general public next month”.

Earlier in his remarks, the President of John D and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, John Palfrey, congratulated the Commission for the successes achieved in areas where it made recommendations after 2019 general election.

He said “I wish also to recall having been able to visit in 2019 and

we discussed several things that were underway at that time. One was the progress of the Electoral Act, and I’d like to congratulate you on the passage of the Electoral Act. Second, we discussed and encouraged the creation of a new department on Gender and Inclusivity, here at INEC and congratulate you on the creation of this department and the successful implementation. The third thing we discussed was the creation of new polling units and I understand that these too have been completed and that you are well in preparation for 2023”.

Mr. Palfrey explained that their mission at the Commission was to learn more about INECs plans the 2023 general election , and “also to thank you for your leadership at the international level and for your partnership with us as we seek to ensure government accountability and anti-corruption in countries around the world with particular focus on Nigeria”

of the scriptures to reduce the challenges confronting Nigeria.

The Kaduna Area Chairman of the Society Pastor Godwin Omale made the plea when he declared open the 2022 maiden edition of

the Marathon Bible Reading organised by the Barnawa Auxiliary in Kaduna yesterday.

According to him, the insecurity bedeviling the country has its Genesis in lack of reading of the scriptures because man

is what he reads.

Pastor Omale, mentioned that one of the ways to achieve a part of the mission of the society was to help people interact with the Word of God.

Bible Society canvasses for daily reading of Bible From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

T

he Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN) has canvassed for the daily reading of the Bible and living by the dictates

2023: Kaduna PDP will ensure fair playing ground for aspirants -Chairman From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

under his mandate will ensure a level playing ground for all aspirants who will be vieing for any elected position.

Hyat gave the assurance at the

K Falana tasks FG on Human Rights laws aduna State Chairman of People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Hon. Hassan Felix Hyat has assured that the party

H

uman Rights Lawyer, Femi Falana, has tasked the Federal Government on the need to ensure full implementation of human rights laws in Nigeria.

Falana said this at a Capacity Development Retreat for the House of Representatives Committee on Human Rights in Abuja.

The event was organised by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) with support from the National Endowment For Democracy (NED).

He said that although Nigeria has one of the best human right laws in the world, the implementation has been very poor.

Falana listed some of the laws to include African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, which contained political and civil rights, social economic rights and Administration of Criminal Justice Act. He said that the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act, Administration of Criminal Justice Act, Child Rights Act and Disabilities Act were all good laws.

Falana said however, that the implementation of the laws has not been encouraging.

“Under the Police Establishment Act , enacted in 2020 and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, no Nigerian shall be detained for

a civil wrong in our country.

“This means that a tenant will not be detained in the police station for not being able to pay his rent, a person will also not be detained for land trespass.

“A relation cannot be arrested in the place of another person because the culprit cannot be found because it has been prohibited that nobody shall be arrested in lieu of another person.

“The law also says that nobody shall be taken to a police station or any station without the knowledge of his family and a lawyer should be provided if the person has none,” he said.

Falana said that some of the laws provided that suspects were not bound to make statements without consulting their lawyers or relations.

He said that the laws stated that confessional statements must be recorded, to prevent situations where suspects would claim that they were tortured to make statements.

“The Anti-Toture Act of 2017 makes it impossible to torture people to make statements, if anybody is tortured in Nigeria today the penalty is 25 years imprisonment with no option of fine.

“Under the law, people with gunshot wounds without police report cannot be rejected even if they are armed robbery or murder suspects because they must live to stand trial,” he said.(NAN)

Party Secretariat when he received a Gubernatorial aspirant, Alhaji Haruna Yunusa Saeed and his entourage.

He noted that the Party will not be

intimidated by any aspirant’s former position or resources, but rather the love of the majority of the people.

www.cbn.gov.ng

CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA ON BEHALF OF DMO OFFERS NIGERIAN TREASURY BILLS TENDER NOTICE Notice is hereby given by the Central Bank of Nigeria on behalf of DMO that the Federal Government of Nigeria Treasury Bills of 91, 182 and 364-day tenors amounting to N2,486,666,000; N2,090,675,000 and N138,711,877,000 respectively would be issued by Dutch auction on Thursday, March 31, 2022.

All Money Market Dealers should submit bids through the CBN S4 WEB INTERFACE between 8.00 a.m. and 11.00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 30, 2022.

Each bid must be in multiple of N1,000 subject to a minimum of N50,001,000.

Authorized Money Market Dealers can submit multiple bids. A bid may be for authorized Money Market Dealers own account, non–Money Market Dealers or interested members of the public. The result of the auction would be announced by 1.00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. The Bank reserves the right to reject any bid.

Allotment letters would be issued for successful bids on Thursday, March 31, 2022, while payment for the successful bids should be made to your account with Central Bank of Nigeria not later than 11.00 a.m. on Thursday, March 31, 2022.

The Bank reserves the right to vary the amount on offer in line with market realities prevailing as at the period of auction of the Nigerian Treasury Bills.

GOVERNMENT SECURITIES OFFICE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA ABUJA.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

PAGE 10

NEWS

Community Health practitioners get new exco From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

T

he National Association of Community Health Practitioners of Nigeria has elected a new National President, Comrade Kabir Yahaya Ahmed.

This was contained in a statement made available to the media in Kaduna yesterday.

The statement stated that the Association also elected Reverend Cannon Nengi Brown as Deputy National President while Anyimigbo Joy Chinyere as Treasurer.

Others are Abayimi Great as National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Sarki Zakari as Assistant General Secretary and Auditor 1, Ayilara Bimbo Marryam and Mohammed Goje as Auditor II.

Gombe govt demolishes former PDP guber aspirant campaign office

2023: Atiku makes case for diaspora voting

By Folorunso Abuja

A

Alagbede,

head of the forthcoming 2023 general election in the country, former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has stressed the pertinent need for diaspora voting in Nigeria.

This is even as Atiku vowed to bring back most of the Nigeria’s best brains, who are scattered all over the world, to assist in the development of the country if he is elected the next President of the country in 2023.

The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, during the 2019 general election, spoke Tuesday night in Abuja when he played host to members of the Business Community of Nigerians in the diaspora, led by Professor Isa

Odidi in his Asokoro residence in Abuja.

He narrated the various efforts he made while serving as the Vice President under the administration of the then President Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007 to ensure that the issue of diaspora voting came on stream in the country without success.

His words, “ I tried to work with the National Assembly, when we were in office, to see how Nigerians outside can vote, unfortunately, i didn’t succeed.

“But i believe that it is something that should happen” he said.

Describing PDP as the only democratic party in Nigeria, Atiku thanked the Nigerians in diaspora for their past support for him.

“In 2019, when I came out, they supported me massively. I

am grateful. I won’t take that for granted”, he said.

Earlier, the leader of the Business Community of Nigerians in the diaspora, Professor Isa Odidi had said that leadership is a serious task and therefore no country can afford to leave its fate in the hands of people who want power for its own sake, but lack the basic qualities or qualifications to cope with the challenges at hand.

In the words of Odidi, “as major stakeholders in the success and progress of Nigeria, we are concerned about the quality of political leadership in the country.

“In fact, the success or failure of a country is directly proportional to the quality of its political leadership.

“Leadership requires imagination, resourcefulness, vision, experience, competence and formidable track record.

“Above all, a leader must possess

the ability to assemble the best and brightest in the management of the country’s affairs.

“In a complex and diverse country like Nigeria, a leader must also be someone with a unifying vision, someone who understands and respects our ethnic and religious diversity.

“Based on these criteria of leadership, and from our assessment of the political situation in Nigeria, we came to the conclusion that your Excellency (Atiku Abubakar) is the most adequately prepared for the task of rebuilding Nigeria and setting it on the path of economic growth and prosperity.

“Your record speaks for you.

As a former Vice President of Nigeria, you played a significant role in the implementation of the policy objectives of the Obasanjo administration”, he said.

From David Hassan, Gombe

T

he former gubernatorial aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019 Jibrin Mohammed Danbarde has decried unlawful act that was carried out by the Gombe state government who demolished his campaign office.

Danbarde reacted in United Kingdom while briefing Journalists in Gombe through zoom on Tuesday.

He said the demolition of the campaign office by the Gombe state government was aimed at witch-hunting the party and its members.

He said the matter has been reported to the appropriate authorities for further action.

President Muhammadu Buahri meets APC governors ahead of the convention at the council chambers State House, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo; State House

Commission begins stakeholders’ engagement to improve rural consumer rights awareness

T

he Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has begun engagement with Consumer Protection Groups (CPGs) to improve consumer rights education and awareness in the rural areas.

Mr Babatunde Irukera, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, speaking at a one-day engagement with the CPGs in Abuja on Tuesday, said the programme was a `train the trainer’ engagement.

Irukera, represented by Dr Aliyu Mohammed, the Director of Administration in FCCPC, said the engagement would enable the groups to enlighten consumers in the rural areas

on their rights.

According to him, the country will be a better place once the consumer is enlightened because nobody will cheat him or her.

Irukera said the commission currently received no fewer than 100 complaints daily when when compared to previous times.

He said that this showed that consumers were better informed about their rights.

Dr Adamu Abdullahi, the Executive Commissioner, Operations of the commission, said the engagement was to inform the groups of their roles in the Federal Competition and Consumer

Protection Act (FCCPA).

Abdullahi, represented by Mrs Joy Lekwauwa, the Director, Consumer Education Department of FCCPC, said the programme was also to ensure competitiveness and encourage the groups to continue advocacy at their various locations.

In a lecture, Mrs Omagu Nwachukwu, the Head, Surveillance and Enforcement Department of FCCPC, said the forum was to help reduce the number of complaints received by the commission.

“You have the power to resolve complaints through mediations; you also have the power to resolve some societal

issues through advocacy in your localities without even coming to the commission.

“We want to have a holistic approach to complaints resolution,’’ she said.

Aliyu Iliyas, a participant from Save the Consumers Initiative, commended the FCCPC saying that the collaboration with the groups would help the commission to achieve its consumer related aims and objectives.

Another participant, Miss Chioma Iruke, the Programme Officer, Africa Youth Growth Foundation (AYGF), said the foundation would inculcate consumer awareness in its on going project in some states to educate the consumer of their rights.(NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

PAGE 11

EDITORIAL

A nation’s big shame

O

n March 12, the national power grid experienced what the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) called “total system collapse due to a massive drop in power voltage” nationwide. TCN is the government agency that manages the grid. The system failure was said to have affected, initially, 14 power generating stations or plants.

Aliyu, responded to the present crisis in the power sector by calling an emergency meeting of “all stakeholders”. During the Tuesday meeting, he reportedly said “We must find a solution so that Nigerians will have electricity. I want us to have the patience to talk to each other, not blame each other.”

Aliyu maintained assured that the government would not relent in its effort to ensure that improvements in the power sector were sustained and built upon, adding that current challenges must be addressed.

Going by the grid operation trend, of the active 25 Gencos on the grid, 19 were producing power as of 6am Monday when the grid had 3,867.60MW, but that began to reduce gradually until it The minister said there should be no dropped to 2,761.20MW by 10am after six Gencos went down, leaving just 13, finger pointing. Yet this is exactly what before crashing to zero at 10.40 am. It was is happening with TCN, first, saying that learnt that at least 1,100MW was initially grid collapse is a global problem and lost from the 3,867MW peak generation then blaming Generation Companies before the Gencos started shutting down. (GenCos) of not generating enough for The affected plants included Azura-Edo the DisCos to distribute. The Gencos IPP (Gas), which was generating 447MW fired back, saying the worsening state of earlier, and Shiroro hydropower, which power supply in the country was due to a N1.6 trillion debt owed had 300MW earlier and them by the federal later went off. Transgovernment since Amadi (Gas) lost 92MW, 2013.

Alaoji NIPP (Gas) lost 75MW, while Ihovbor Our position, Our position, NIPP (Gas) lost 101MW. though, is that this That grid collapsed though, is that is not time to trade forced power distribution this is not time blame. It is a national companies (DisCos) to issue a Florida of apologies to trade blame. emergency that we have on our hands. to their customers. A note It is a national It requires all hands from Enugu Electricity Distribution PLC (EEDC) emergency that we to be on deck. This is not something that Tuesday, March 13, said: “As a result of this have on our hands. crept up on us. To unfortunate development, It requires all hands give the power crisis a prospective, the all our outgoing feeders grid has are out and supply to to be on deck. This national 130 times in 8 our customers in Abia, is not something failed years, 108 times since Anambra, Ebonyi, that crept up on the power sector was Enugu, and Imo States privatized in 2013. has been affected.” us. To give the The country’s installed Head, Corporate grid power generation Communications, Emeka power crisis a grew from Ezeh said “DisCos have prospective, the capacity 8,000 MW to 13,000 been on standby, awaiting further directive from the national grid has MW between 2015 2020 while the National Control Centre failed 130 times and distribution system had (NCC) for the restoration the capacity to evacuate of supply.” Eko Electricity in 8 years, 108 5,500 MW of power Distribution Company times since the having grown from took to its Twitter handle, announcing power sector was 4,500 MW in 2015. But the current crisis has has to its customers: “We would like to inform privatized in 2013. more than halved that. you of another system The power crisis is unarguably a collapse on the National Grid which occurred at 5:10 pm today (Tuesday). national disgrace which deserves to be We are monitoring the situation and will dubbed an emergency because power is our economic life wire. It must be handled with continue to provide updates.” the urgency and determination as we are The minister of power, Mr. Abubakar dealing with insecurity.

“

OUR MISSION “To be the market place of ideas and the leading player in the industry by putting the people first, upholding the truth, maintaining the highest professional and ethical standards while delivering value to our stakeholders”

OUR PEOPLE Chief Operating Officer /Editor, Hameed M. Bello, PhD Manager, administration Hassan Hammanyaji

HEAD, ADVERT Patrick UGAMA

OUR VISION

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

Letter to the Editor

As Atiku Abubakar Declares

O

n Wednesday, March 23, 2022, Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Waziri Adamawa officially declared his intention to contest for the Presidency of Nigeria come 2023. This is Atiku’s 6th attempt at the presidency: 1992, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023. The 2019 presidential election was Atiku’s best outing in his over 27-year quest to be president of Nigeria.

Atiku fought the 2019 battle with everything at his disposal. From the onset, Atiku had been on the offensive knowing fully well that it was his best moment to shoot at the presidency.

Luckily for Atiku, current events and situations in the country have turned the 2023 battle for the presidency into another big moment for him and many people have hope on him. – Atiku started early ahead of other contestants for the PDP Presidential ticket- he had several months of consultations across the country and internationally, Without a doubt, Atiku’s decision to contest will draw diverse reactions from many quarters.

For instance, his opponents will be quick to describe him as a serial presidential contestant. His supporters will refute by describing the decision as sheer doggedness and a clear sign of Atiku’s passion to serve his fatherland. Whichever way anyone decides to see it, one thing that cannot be denied about Atiku is that he is the most prepared candidate for the post of president.

Atiku Abubakar has a well-drafted policy document loaded with fine policies, programs, and projects, including what many observers christened ‘The Atiku Abubakar Formula’. Atiku promised, if elected, that his medium-term strategy would be to ensure that recurrent expenditure is financed fully with non-oil revenues, while all oil proceeds will be invested in infrastructure, security, education, and health.

In the PDP, there is no doubt that Atiku is the most grounded candidate for the 2023 presidential elections. However, there are some odds against him, as there are many in his favor, taking into consideration the present realities in the polityone critical factor that would help Atiku to have an edge over any other candidate, especially from the north, is that he is already ahead of them in terms of political structure and thorough understanding of the politics of greater Nigeria. Again, among all the possible PDP presidential contenders, Atiku is the only one that can freely decide to contest

or not, while the decision of others is entirely centered on many things, the most importantwar chest and political structures.

On the other hand, if the PDP truly wants to challenge the APC in the 2023 presidential electionAtiku is the party’s best bet- for example, Atiku Vs Tinubu will be an interesting big game- a very BIG one. Two similar people with similar treats, similar game styles and I know you, you know me scenario will come to play.

The two have well-established political structures that can easily scare an opponent. They pay their own bills -so, the contest would be 100 percent politics, politics, politics-. It will be a fascinating zero-sum game.

Atiku’s official declaration is a sign that he has fully commenced his participation in the race for the presidential ticket of the PDP. One thing for sure is Atiku would wholeheartedly fight for the PDP presidential ticket. With an immense war chest that easily scares off his opponents, vast political network, and connection, Atiku can comfortably contest for the PDP presidential ticket. When North East Business Community (NEBC) presented the PDP nomination and expression of interest forms to Atiku, it sent a strong signal that Atiku’s political family are planning ahead of other presidential contestants It is not sheer luck that has kept Atiku very relevant in the politics of the presidential elections for about three decades.

But from the beginning, he didn’t focus only on the ‘End Game’, but also on building a strong political organization and working with bright people.

The 2023 presidential election battle will be very interesting – like this writer has always maintained, PDP will be on the offensive, while the ruling APC will be on the defensive. Apart from political calculations, many observers believe that this time around Atiku will also utilize science in his political strategiesfor example, when it comes to the selection of a running mate Atiku will not look only for a candidate that will bring massive votes from his primary constituency, but also someone that is acceptable across Nigeria. Political observers also believe Atiku will massively market to Nigerians his welldocumented policy document while putting the youth, women, and new ideas as his central point.

Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Abuja, zaymohd@yahoo. com

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

PAGE 12

Opinion

Hunger and the imposed indispensability of lipstick

By Abdullahi Musa

M

uslims ( I pray I am not read as a bigot) are aware of the advice given to someone

by Prophet of Islaam peace be upon him: do not be angry.

The interpretation that may be given is that we should not act in anger, for most often the result is regret.

I reminded myself of this Prophetic advice because I am angry.

But I do not intend to be violent as a result of my anger, nor would I be abusive.

What I intend doing is to draw the attention of those who misrule us, since it is the utterance of one of them that causes my anger.

The Minister of Finance in President Buhari’s cabinet was reported as saying that they will borrow $2.2 billion in order to finance fuel subsidy.

Some people are mean by nature.

(One American lady said Dick Cheney liked hurting people) I am not saying this Finance minister is mean. But what I won’t apologize for is saying that she seems to buy-in to the narrative that a Finance minister is a government’s Executioner: to extract blood from ordinary citizens in order to feed political vampires. So her demeanor has to show meanness.

Now a question: is there gravy associated with the office of Minister

of Finance? If yes, from which source? The Treasury of course.

If nobody believes there is gravy in the office of Finance minister President Buhari believes there is.

When he was recounting the favors he did to Kaduna state people, he said he gave them the Finance ministry. To leave them in no doubt, he said in English-Hausa: finance fa!

I can translate it poorly like: I mean finance!

Right from there we can infer that retired Saint Buhari was telling us point blank government operators are expected to profit from their offices, so much so that if the daughter of a certain people

corners the finance ministry, the gravy associated with that office will flow to the stakeholders of that state.

When FG and hirelings gobble up more debt, they intend to finance projects from which they make more money. And do they love fuel subsidy! There you pay for fuel not imported. You cover your tracks by saying fuel has been smuggled outside the country. And since IMF insists poverty is the lot of citizens of Third world, a Finance minister gunning for a World Bank job would have to convince them she can be as merciless as they desire.

Nigerians love to talk. People can spend an hour jisting on the

“

phone. This current Finance minister swooped upon them with her eagles talons and started extracting blood in the form of VAT. They charge VAT on electricity with which you recharge your phone, they charge VAT on electricity that goes into production, and yet they charge VAT when we buy the final product. Wallahi ( swearing by Allah) they would charge VAT on the air we breathe if they could. They are that wicked, and we are that docile.

The government shows that there is no difference to it’s finances after it increased the VAT rate, and after it started to tax our speeches and text messages. And we accept it: we will

When FG and hirelings gobble up more debt, they intend to finance projects from which they make more money. And do they love fuel subsidy! There you pay for fuel not imported.

You cover your tracks by saying fuel has been smuggled outside the country.

work harder, pay more taxes. Buhari, Shamsuna and National Assembly are always right. They deserve more of our blood.

Lipstick? If one is hungry, thirsty, the lips can show that state by drying.

A lipstick ( in case of a woman) may be used to mask the signs of hunger.

But my intention with the metaphor of lipstick is with regards to Senate. No matter the parlous state of nation’s finances, the institutions that are safe havens for politicians will continue to be oiled by governments since they are sure citizens are slaves to be worked to death.

Many women dispense with make up. Would it not be an insult to such women were they to be hungry and you say you have money for lipstick and none for food?

Federal government has money for Senators, for Afghanistan (did they borrow in order to make donation to Afghanistan?) but none for the enfant terrible called ASUU, who always cash in on strikes to work full time for so-called private universities.

A docile citizen is not a good citizen. I am as docile as they come.

I would wish that others also accept their contribution to the sorry state we are in, so that we collectively, thunderously say: we will be cowed no more!

Abdullahi Musa writes from Kano.

The emergence of Sickle Cell disease

By Zubair Abdulqahhar

S

ickle cell is a genetic disorder that affects the red blood cells which transports oxygen from the lungs to the other tissues in the body. The red blood cells are filled with hemoglobin proteins to carry oxygen molecules, these proteins floats independently inside the red blood cells forming a dome like shape and keeping the red blood cells flexible enough to accommodate even the tiniest of blood vessels in the body system, but in sickle cell disease a single mutation in the cell alters the structure of the hemoglobin proteins after reducing oxygen molecules to tissues.

The devastating disease sickle cell anemia may not be an alien to your hearing, it is one of the most prevalent medical diseases that we often hear about. But, little did we know about its emergence and its menace to humanity.

In this article, i would give an insight knowledge about sickle cell Anemia disease, however, before i delve into the heart of the discuss, there are few questions that need to be answered: what is sickle cell disease, who gets it, is it a genetic disease/blood transfusion disease , what lead its formation in the body , could it be cure, and what are its demerits to an individual with the traits and to the society in general ? Among other questions.

Wait, how often do you think about what kind of shapes are your cells or perhaps have you ever thought of what kind of shape your red blood cells could be,or could it be zigzag,a jaggy cylindrical shape, spherical,or perhaps crescent moon like shape. You probably do not

think much about what shape these cells are, but on the microscopic level, a small change can have an huge amount of consequences to the body immune system, though some environmental adaptation could change the shape of the cells for better, while others can spark up disorderliness or perhaps alterations in some cells.

Sickle cell is a genetic disorder that affects the red blood cells which transports oxygen from the lungs to the other tissues in the body. The red blood cells are filled with hemoglobin proteins to carry oxygen molecules, these proteins floats independently inside the red blood cells forming a dome like shape and keeping the red blood cells flexible enough to accommodate even the tiniest of blood vessels in the body system, but in sickle cell disease a single mutation in the cell alters the structure of the hemoglobin proteins after reducing oxygen molecules to tissues. These

mutated proteins lock together in a rigid row, informing of a rodlike structure. Rods of hemoglobin proteins caused cells to deform into a long pointed sickle shape. These red blood cells become stickier and then no longer flow smoothly through the blood vessels,all these make the red blood cells sickled in shape and inform of a crescent moon-like shape. Which eventually affects the transports of oxygen molecules in the red blood by causing red blood cells to pile up or perhaps sometimes cause blockage of flow of blood through the blood vessels to their various designation and some other vital organs. This is the story of the formation of sickle cell Anaemia.

Another prevalent misunderstood thought on sickle cell by most individuals is: it has no cure, thereby, one hardly survives its acid. Well, with the recent emergence of advance knowledge in science most especially scientist in the field of molecular biology,

“

Biochemistry and Genetics ,Gene therapy among others, the truth is not hard to seek.

More researchers on Human genome, With their research works and intervention in the medical and Biochemical field has brought us to the verge of optimism in (SCD) as a curable disease. Solutions like bone stem cells transplant, Gene therapy/Gene editing, all of these are the few cures for sickle cell disease, although they are not all 100% assureable and guarantee to cure SCD permanently. Most of these solutions are expensive , sometimes risky to conduct.

Sickle cell disease can be prevented in the society by creating awareness of sickle cell to the society by adopting postnatal DNA gene Test (PDGT)during pregnancy to check out if the unborn child has the sickle cell trait before birth.

Also, individuals in a courtship relationship should try to conduct a rigorous DNA genotype Test before

Sickle cell is a genetic disorder that affects the red blood cells which transports oxygen from the lungs to the other tissues in the body.

legitimately solemnization of their union ,so as to avoid birthing a sickle cell carrier child.

A child is sickle cell when he/ she inherits the sickle structure gene from his/her parents , who perhaps both might be a sickle cell trait carrier i.e either one of the parents is carrier of the AS,SS or both are carrier of the same gene trait.

Meanwhile, sickle cell patients are not without huge demerits.

Though, there are clear open differences between a sickle cell disease carrier from an individual with no no sickle cell trait In their gene on the basis of their health status. A sickle cell trait carrier are mostly known for their incessant and frequent visitation for medical check-up,than a child who has no sickle cell trait In it’s gene ,they are sometimes regarded by some people (Fuel money child) as they may be consuming much of their family finance.

Aside from this frustrating experience to their families,they also carry the largest portion of its pains and frustration as they may show up some symptoms like severe and periodic episode pains, sharpen pain all over the whole body, in ability to go on a long time exercise as they may be attacked by critical medical complications, like tiredness, excruciating pain mainly in the bones and allergies to most of environmental changes.

They are prone to have a low resistance to many environmental adaptations and have a short life expectancy as they may die at the range oy age 0-42 .in pursuant to some medical researches.

Zubair Abdulqahhar is a Public Affairs Analyst.

PAGE 13

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

Comment

Soludo sets the tone with support for local content

By Azuka Onwuka

N

o frontline country achieved its current status by depending solely on foreign products and services like Nigeria does.

It is not possible for a country not to import certain things. But importing virtually everything impoverishes a country. Leaders who act like Nigerian leaders are economic saboteurs. That is why Soludo should be encouraged to stick to his promise.

The new governor of Anambra State, Prof.

Chukwuma Soludo, took off on a promising note last week, despite the embarrassing scene created by the wife of the former governor, Mrs Ebele Obiano, and former Nigeria’s ambassador to Spain, Mrs Bianca Ojukwu, at his inauguration.

Before his inauguration, Soludo had promised to promote products made in Anambra. At his inauguration, he put his words into action.

The boldest statement he made was that he arrived at the venue of the inauguration in a vehicle made by Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company Limited, which is based in Nnewi, Anambra State, while the outgoing governor, Chief Willie Obiano, arrived in a vehicle made by Lexus, a Japanese company. That endorsement of indigenous IVM by Soludo at a time millions of people were watching his swearing-in ceremony was a big advertisement, not just for IVM but for Anambra State and Nigeria. If IVM is patronised by more Nigerians, it will make Innoson Group richer. It will make the company pay more taxes to Anambra State and Nigeria. It will also make the company employ more people and reduce the unemployment rate in Anambra and Nigeria. It will also save the country foreign exchange.

Soludo did not stop there. He wore an akwete material to the event. Contrary to what many people have come to believe, akwete is the original Igbo attire, not isiagu. The isiagu material is not manufactured in Nigeria, but the akwete is made in Akwete in Abia State. Though the lion is odum in Igbo and the leopard is agu, the lion inscribed on the cloth wrongly named isiagu has

made many embrace it because of the qualities attributed to the lion. But by patronising the locally made akwete rather than the imported isiagu, Soludo also wants to promote indigenous manufacturers.

In addition, Soludo announced that foreign wines and foods would not be served at the inauguration. He promised to serve local drinks and delicacies. He put this into practice. His thoughts and ideas on supporting locally made products were made clear in his inaugural address thus: “As we transit into a non-oil economy, our strategy is a small open economy framework embedded in 21st Century imperative of Everything Technology: we seek to bring the world to Anambra and take Anambra to the world especially in the context of the African continental free trade area. Our ‘Made in Anambra’ and ‘Anambra Standards’ agenda underpin this strategy. If you can produce it in Anambra, I will be your chief marketing officer, provided that your standard meets the ‘Anambra standard’—which is excellence. The Anambra State Government will only patronize Made in Anambra products and services unless such goods or services are not currently made in Anambra, then made in Nigeria, Africa, etc, in that sequence. When you see me in Innoson vehicles or in my Akwete dress with a pair of shoes made in Ogbunike/Nkwelle Ezunaka and Onitsha, we are making a statement.

“Today, the light refreshment to be served after this brief event is abacha from Umunze, ukwa from Isuofia, Anambra rice with ofe akwu, nkwu enu from Awgbu, ngwo from Awa and Oba, and malt and bottled water from Onitsha.

“As part of our ‘made in Anambra’ cultural renaissance and healthy living agenda, when you come to the Governor’s Lodge or attend any state government’s function, be sure to be served only ‘Made in Anambra’. We want to go back to where M.I. Okpara stopped with the palm revolution and plant millions of palm trees. In some years, we will seek not only to export palm produce but also fresh palm wine from Anambra State.”

Soludo has started well. The challenge will be whether he will continue on the same path and whether the Nigerian asphyxiating environment will allow him to do so. For a country like Nigeria where state governors have no control over the security and electricity supply within their states—two fundamental keys to productivity— it takes grit to achieve something meaningful.

However, despite the challenging conditions in Nigeria that make governance difficult, the counter-productive actions of leaders have aided the regression Nigeria has been experiencing.

When the president, vice president, legislators, ministers, state governors and other political office holders make it clear that they don’t believe in Nigeria, the followers have no option but to follow their examples. How do these leaders display this? They do so by going abroad for medical treatment, sending their children abroad for higher education, riding in foreign vehicles, wearing clothes and shoes made abroad, serving meals and drinks made abroad at events, using foreign contractors for project construction, sending their money – earned and stolen – abroad for safekeeping. These erode the confidence of the people in the country.

Therefore, the country haemorrhages.

While we were growing up in Nigeria in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, it was like a crime for a DJ to play Nigerian songs at a party of young people. Nigerian music was only played at traditional events like marriages, funerals, communal parties, etc. Radio stations played foreign songs virtually all day. Sponsors of shows regularly brought foreign musicians into Nigeria as the key attraction. Music producer, Kenny Ogungbe, noted that from the time the first privately-owned Nigerian FM station, Ray Power FM, started in September 1994, its founder, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, always complained whenever he heard his presenters playing nonstop foreign songs. Eventually, the message sank. Kenny Ogungbe, through his Kennis Music label, produced the Face2Face album of TuFace Idibia in 2004, which contained the hit track,

African Queen. That watered the ground for the transformation of the Nigerian music industry.

Today, the Nigerian music industry is a huge moneymaker. Most young Nigerians want to be musicians. Nigerian songs are now played nonstop at parties or radio stations or TV stations.

Before the transformation of the Nigerian music industry, the Nigerian film industry had been transformed in the 1990s. Before 1992, there was nothing like the Nigerian film industry.

Western films, Chinese films and Indian films held sway. Then a young Nigerian named Okey Ogunjiofor partnered with Kenneth Nnebue of NEK Links to produce a film called Living in Bondage on VHS tapes in Igbo language. It was well-received. Soon the Nigerian film industry exploded.

Interestingly, none of these industries blossomed through the direct actions of politicians. Individuals made them happen. What Nigerian politicians have been doing is taking actions that directly kill the Nigerian economy.

The football industry in Nigeria that used to blossom in the 1970s and 1980s has died. The reading industry has died. The manufacturing industry has died. The agricultural industry has died. The economy is on a steady decline. Poor leadership has been the culprit.

If Nigerian leaders can genuinely patronise made-in-Nigeria products consistently for ten years, there will be a visible turnaround in the Nigerian economy. Crime and violence will drop.

Hope will rise.

No frontline country achieved its current status by depending solely on foreign products and services like Nigeria does. It is not possible for a country not to import certain things. But importing virtually everything impoverishes a country. Leaders who act like Nigerian leaders are economic saboteurs. That is why Soludo should be encouraged to stick to his promise.

Azuka Onwuka is a Public Affairs Analyst, Twitter @BrandAzuka

Changing the ICT narrative in Nigeria

By Soji Ehinlanwo

O

n the side-lines of an International conference in the U.K., I got drawn into a debate hovering around the global state of Information and Communications Technology. A robust discussion that started with a review of ICT development and performance across a number of leading European and Asian countries inevitably dovetailed into a review and analysis of ICT performance in specific African countries, of which Nigeria became a major focus, partly because of my involvement in the debate but mainly on account of the high expectations and hopes many have held and still nurture about Nigeria. Without mincing words, the specific discussion around Nigeria’s ICT development revealed quite depressing statistics and information, especially when viewed in relation to developments in several other countries, including quite a number of African countries, which made me undoubtedly very uncomfortable.

My discomfort arose from a number of factors, which included the following: First, Nigeria’s poor ranking on the latest ICT development index, as reflected in a 2018 report published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which puts the country in a disappointing but not surprising 143rd position globally, out of 176 countries whose ICT developmental levels were measured. Even more confounding is the sobering reality that in the African index of the same report, Nigeria is rated 15th, behind countries such as Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius, Kenya, Gabon, Zimbabwe and even Cote-D’Ivoire. Second, Nigeria has an excellent pool of highly experienced and talented Information and Communications Technology professionals dispersed across many parts of the World including

Europe and North America – some of whom I have come across in my own ICT career, whose skills are being harnessed to further develop the ICT potentials of major countries in Europe and North America, yet paradoxically while Nigeria still struggles both in perception and reality in terms of the development of its ICT capabilities.

In my mind, that really doesn’t square up. Third, successive governments have made modest financial investments presumably aimed at positively changing the Information and Communications Technology landscape, yet it does appear that these investments have yielded as much as have been anticipated or indeed in relation to changing existing disappointing rankings. Fourth, there has certainly not been a shortage of policy documents – possibly arising out of numerous workshops/conferences ostensibly aimed at enhancing ICT capabilities and usage – but yet we are still very far from where we should be and achieving well below available potentials.

Notwithstanding what is certainly a not-so-cheering background, I venture to affirm that there need not be despair, and of course this leads me inexorably to pose the pertinent question: How can we change the reality now and its narrative as it stares us in the face? First and foremost, there needs to be an urgent policy shift in respect of the drive to make ICT pervasive in our country – in a way that puts the country on the highway of digitisation and enables us to harness the full potential of ICT in our transformation efforts across all critical areas including agriculture, manufacturing, health, finance, education, etc. As Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, the African Development Bank president, posited in the 2019 Mo Ibrahim Governance Week, new policy initiatives are required which

should be aimed specifically at the democratisation of ICT adoption – a key plank of which he argued must be a legislation or policy to make code learning compulsory across all levels of our institutions. This position is certainly in tandem with my own thinking and I believe this will require an important update in our school curriculum in a way that exposes our youngsters to coding techniques across many of the modern areas of ICT, such as database programming, machine learning, artificial intelligence, web technology – including web analytics, big data analytics, 3D printing, as well as other ICT tools with the potential to engender a new wave of innovation that could possibly help in the resolution of our youth unemployment challenges and boost income potential and GDP Financial investments in ICT need to be shaped by new thinking. While admittedly, the investments outlay so far by successive governments does not match an aspiration to make ICT a key driver of economic growth and social inclusion, it is pertinent to aver that in many respects, there are reasons to doubt that we have gotten optimal value from even the little capital provisions and investments that have been allocated to ICT. There needs to be not only targeted financial investment in ICT infrastructures build – but clear and verifiable cost and benefit analysis of such investments – particularly in relation to how they contribute to economic growth, their potential for stimulating employment both in the short and long terms and to what extent they help to extend government agenda of social inclusion.

These are by no means the only criteria that should be used for evaluating and determining financial investment in ICT, a raft of other cost/benefit factors must also be added to shape how allocations to ICT are deployed, so as to ensure optimal outcomes are

achieved in respect of all ICT related capital outlays. The value of such carefully “programmed” thinking in relation to ICT capital investments is that it could help to significantly raise rankings as well as, more importantly, enhance transformation efforts in other areas of economic, political and social development.

One of the sad ironies of our poor ranking in ICT performance and development is the fact that while our ICT development growth appears to be slow and unimpressive, we can rightly boast of a vast pool of excellent ICT resources dispersed around the world. We urgently need to find a way of harnessing this pool of expertise in order to radically re-define our internal ICT potential and capabilities. They can be a veritable tool for stimulating training and investments in the local ICT market. India has, over the years, become a major ICT outsourcing and ICT capabilities country for major European and North American countries through a tenacious pursuit of partnership between Indian ICT professionals in Europe/North America and local talents, as well as a vigorous and positive development of local capabilities and skills – all supported by government which has helped to engender the confidence of European and North American companies in skills resident in India; of course quite apart from the cost advantage to these companies. We urgently need a new template that gradually brings us to compete with India in this sphere. Undoubtedly, it will take a great deal of planning, efforts and determined focus but it is clearly achievable.

While the idea of workshops and seminars, which aim to evaluate the possible means to enhance ICT performance, are certainly a welcome one and could of course stimulate discussion and lead to

important policy documents, we need to start to prioritise workshops/policy documents and initiatives that focus more on the inherent issues and factors particularly peculiar to us which limit ICT usage and confidence building – consequently hampering growth. For example, we urgently need to tackle the negative narrative promoted by an extremely tiny minority of our youth, who interestingly possess some IT skills but who unfortunately deploy these for nefarious activities which undermine the hard work of many enterprising young people and end up creating a very bad narrative for the country, thereby affecting confidence and investments from outside the country in our potential ICT capabilities. I am talking about what has come to be known as the “Yahoo boy/girls” problem. We urgently need to deal with this.

In all, for Nigeria to achieve its true potential in Information and Communications Technology development and performance, a new and fresh raft of thinking, policy initiatives and investment push needs to be unveiled that consolidate not only on whatever modest achievements have been made but importantly maps out a new trajectory for ICT growth, inevitably leading to better ranking on the global Information and Communications Technology index, as well as actively supporting our ambitious political, economic and social development aspirations. As the new APC government under President Muhammadu Buhari prepares to commence its second four-year term, following an endorsement by the Nigeria people, there is no better time to initiate this new journey in promoting a new digitization agenda.

Soji Ehinlanwo, an Information and Communications Technology consultant writes from the UK.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

PAGE 14

NEWS

INEC, NYSC sign reviewed MoU

T

he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) on Tuesday signed reviewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two organisations, on the engagement of Corps members for electoral duties.

The daily bulletin issued by the commission disclosed that the MoU was jointly signed by INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and the NYSC DirectorGeneral, Maj.-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim.

The bulletin quoted Yakubu as saying this was not the first, but a review to the existing agreement between both organisations.

“It has identified 11 obligations on the part of INEC and 10 obligations on the part of the NYSC,” Yakubu said while signing the MoU at INEC headquarters.

“I want to assure you D-G that we will continue to emphasise the security and welfare of Corps members on election duty. I know that the MoU provides for a periodic review after every four years but this is a regular periodic review.

“Whenever the need arises, the Commission is always willing to review aspects of the memorandum at anytime in order to attain to these two objectives of ensuring the security and welfare of the Corps members,” he said.

Yakubu said, “the MoU is governed by the laws of Nigeria and it shows INEC commitments and seriousness particularly to security and welfare of the Corps members.”

He said that the MoU would provide insurance cover for all ad-hoc staff under the INEC personnel hazard policy for the period of engagement.

“This covers injury, permanent disability, loss of life and property or any person declared missing in the cause of carrying out the Commission’s assigned duties, “This is why appropriate sections of the public service rules will apply to the NYSC staff, as well as other employees who are public servants serving in the federation of Nigeria.”

Yakubu commended the selflessness, dedication and commitment of members of the NYSC scheme’s contribution towards the successful conduct of elections in the country, saying, “Nigeria is Fortunate to have the NYSC”.

The INEC Chairman described the NYSC member’ service to the electoral process as indispensable.

“The NYSC, youth Corps members are among the most educated, most committed, most patriotic and most readily available election duty staff in Nigeria.”

Reps urge CBN to reinforce spending of coins

By Christiana Ekpa

T

he House of Representatives, Tuesday aaked the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to re-enforce the use of coins as legal tender in Nigeria.

The House resolution followed the adoption of a motion moved by Umar Muda Lawal (APC, Bauchi).

Presenting the motion, the

lawmaker reminded that, as part of the economic reforms under the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, N50, N20, N10 and N5 banknotes were reissued with new designs on February 28, 2007.

He said N1 and 50 kobo coins were reintroduced, while a new N2 coin was also introduced.

He however lamented that despite the huge budgetary sum

that was expended by the Federal Government in the production of coins as part of the legal tender, the coins seem to be extinct at the moment.

He said, “The day-to-day business transactions of ordinary Nigerians have been significantly affected as the lack of coins and other lower denominations have resulted in prices being summed up to the nearest naira equivalent, a situation that can

best be described as inflation in economic terms.

“While other countries make use of coins for their daily financial transactions, the Nigerian coins comprising 50kobo, N1 and N2 have not been fully utilized in that regard. Beliefs that injecting low denominations and coins into the economy will go a long way in curbing price inflation and stabilizing the economy.”

Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu (7th right), Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation Barr. Mohammed H. Abdullahi (7th left), Minister of Technical and Higher Education Sierra Leone Prof. Alpha Tejon Wurie (6th right), acting Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Mr. Idowu Afe (6th left), First Secretary Sierra Leone High Commission Mariam Jolloh (4th right), Director-General Energy Commission of Nigeria Prof. Eli Jidere Bala (3rd right), Deputy Director Press and Public Relation Unit Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Mr. Afonja Ajibola (left), Assistant Chief Information Officer Press and Public Relation Unit Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Mrs. Josephine Ademu (right), and others Management Staff in a Group Photographer during a Courtesy Visit by the Minister of Technical and Higher Education Sierra Leone to the Ministers Office in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-owo

Carry out geophysical survey when drilling water- APWEN urges

By Mashe Umaru a Gwamna

A

ssociation of Professional Women in Engineering of Nigeria (APWEN) has urged the public to ensure they carry out geophysical survey when drilling ground water to ensure access to quality water.

The Chairman, APWEN, Mrs Charity Ojobo, gave this advice during the commemoration of the 2022 World Water Day recently organised by the Ministry of Water Resources.

Ojobo said that people could not be stopped from drilling boreholes because water was a necessary resource that every household or industries needed.

She however advised that care should be taken to ensure that due diligence was done in carrying out geophysical survey.

“We cannot stop somebody from drilling water, what our advice is that make sure you do your geophysical survey, and get the actual depth that you need to

drill.

“If you must drill, you should drill at the upstream for example, if you have your land, find out where you want to locate your septic tank and suck away and where you are locating your borehole.

“Ensure they are not close by because these are the type of things that affect this ground water that we are talking about, even after drilling ensure that pupping test is done to ascertain that that borehole is serviceable.

“And that it will give you the water that you need depending on whether it is for household or industrial use,’’ Ojobo said.

Speaking on the importance and indispensability of ground water, Ojobo said ground water provides about 40 per cent of the water “that man uses and has the quality of purity’’.

“Like the name goes, before you can access it, you have to drill it and when you drill, you pass some aquifers, you break the rock

and you get it and you know that this water is pure.

“About 40 per cent of the water we use is ground water, the rest is sea which is not as pure and because it is pure, it is more reliable because of the process of bringing it out.

“It may not need so much treatment, the treatment you need to do is your water quality treatment to ensure to check the hardness of the water and the rest of them.’’

Ojobo said people should learn how to conserve and manage water, adding that about 2.2 billion people in the world do not have access to portable water.

She said in order to ensure that students learned about conservation and preservation of water, the association engaged 36 FCT Junior and Secondary Schools in a competition showcasing the most effective way of conserving water.

According to her, out of the 36 schools, two schools came out tops.

They are Glisten International Academy, Jabi, for private schools, and Government Day School, Dutse Alhaji for government secondary.

“Government Day School Dutse Alhaji for government secondary won the competition and was given an award by the association.

“We decided to engage science schools in FCT in the competition to harness the in-built creativity in them being an engineering organisation one of our focuses is to bring in more of these young ones into engineering.

“Knowing that engineers are life savers and engineers are more interested in ensuring that this world is a better place we thought that the best way to do it is to bring out that creativity in them.

“Let them understand that they are natural re-creators, naturally meant to do things that will make the society to move forward. So we involve them in activity that will bring out that capacity in them.’’

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

We have no anointed candidate for 2023 – Taraba PDP

By Musa Baba Adamu

T

he leadership of the Taraba State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has denied allegations making the rounds that the party has anointed a candidate for the number one position of the state ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Debunking the rumours on Wednesday in Jalingo, the State capital, during a stakeholders meeting, the state chairman, Col. Kefas Agbu (rtd), said the party has “no anointed candidate” adding that “everybody is free to contest and win the election.”

Stressing the party’s readiness to provide a level playing ground for all the aspirants, the transformational agenda of the party for the state, he said is aimed at accommodating the people’s choice for leadership selection.

He said the desire for a credible and transparent leader that will transform the state will be truncated if the people are overruled and a candidate imposed during the process.

He added that the party will ensure the emergence of a credible candidate.

“The party’s desire is not just to win but also ensure the desired quality leadership delivery for the state,” said Kefas.

The party chairman who also went ahead to dispel the rumours making the round that the party is at the verge of being expunged from the state due to internal skirmishes, said “We have no crack in PDP, we have been winning and we are set again to win again.”

Speaking through his Deputy, Engineer Haruna Manu, the state Governor, Arc. Darius Dickson Ishaku, urged party members to be committed in order to emerge victorious in the forthcoming polls.

He said, “Do not allow the opposition to takeover the state.

Taraba has been PDP since 1999, and is required of you to ensure that PDP clear all the positions and maintain its existence in the state.”

PAGE 15

Senate confirms 7 member CBN Monetary Policy Committee

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

T

he Senate on Wednesday, confirmed the nominations of seven members of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The confirmation of the nominees followed the consideration of a report by the Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions.

The report was laid and presented by the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Uba Sani

(Kaduna Central).

President Buhari, in the letter addressed to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and dated 23rd February, 2022, explained that the confirmation and membership renewal request was made pursuant to Section 12(4) of the Central Bank Act, 2007.

Those confirmed by the Senate include Professor Mohammed Adaya Salisu and Dr. Mo’Omamegbe - both of whom are new appointments.

The other five Members of

the Committee for renewal are Professor Michael Obadan, Prof.

Festus Adeola Adenikinju, Prof.

Aliyu Sanusi Rafindadi, Dr. Robert Asogwa and Alhaji Aliyu Ahmed.

Senator Uba Sani, in his presentation, said the nominees posses the academic qualifications, technical knowledge and professional experience to be Members of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

He disclosed that the Senate Committee on Banking did not

receive any petition against their nominations, adding that the nominees were all cleared by the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State State Services (DSS) and possess the Code of Conduct Acknowledgment Slip.

He stated that one of the nominees, Alhaji Aliyu Ahmed is the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning and will serve as the representative of the Ministry in the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).

L-R: Deputy Chief Whip House of Representatives, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Deputy house leader, Hon. Peter Akpatason, All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Aspirant Alhaji Saliu Mustapha and leader Alhassan Ado Doguwa, during the Saliu meeting with APC House caucus at the National Assembly, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Court to deliver judgement on suit against Rivers APC congresses Thursday

By Christiana Ekpa

A

Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt will on Thursday, March 24, deliver judgment on a matter brought by one Ogechi OgwuEdwin and three other members of the All Progressives Congress against the former state Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party, Isaac Ogbobula.

The court is also expected to

deliver judgment in a suit by one Alabibo Soibibo and three others against the APC and Ogbobula.

The two sets of plaintiffs are seeking for an interlocutory injuction against the APC and it’s former Caretaker Committee Chairman over the conduct of congresses in Rivers State.

The claimants are praying the court to stop APC from going ahead to do anything concerning the Congress because they

allegedly refused to allow them access to nomination forms after making payments.

The Presiding Judge, Justice C.N Wali adjourned till Thursday for judgment after counsels representing the parties argued and adopted their final written addresses.

The judgment of the court will determine if members of Chief Emeka Beke-led excos will make the list of delegates to participate

in the Saturday APC convention in Abuja or if the party will conduct fresh congresses in the state.

Recall that the media had reported how the former judge handling the matter, Justice I.R Minakiri, had in February recused herself from the matter following a petition against her.

The Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Amadi, thereafter reassigned the case to another judge.

Senate passes re-amended Proceeds of Crime Bill

By Musa Baba Adamu

T

he Senate, on Wednesday, passed a reworked version of the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Bill, 2022, after amending the provision of clause 74.

The passage of the bill followed the consideration of a report by the Joint Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters; and Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes.

The chamber, on 15th March, 2022, while relying on Orders 1(b) and 52(6) rescinded its decision on clause 74 of the bill as passed and recommitted same to the Committees on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters and AntiCorruption and Financial Crimes.

Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, in his presentation, said after the passage of the Bill,

series of reactions trailed its passage with respect to clause 74, which was amended in the course of deliberations.

In the original bill, clause 74 provides that, “Subject to the provisions of this Act, the defendant in any proceedings under this Act bears the burden of proving that he is is legitimate owner of the assets suspected to be proceeds of crime or derived from unlawful activity or that the assets is of legitimate origin and is not proceeds of unlawful activity.”

The Senate, however, amended the clause during consideration to provide that, “The burden of proof shall be on the investigating agencies and there shall be conviction before the property can be finally seized or forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria”.

The Senate, about two weeks ago, recommitted the Bill to the Joint Committee

to engage the relevant Agencies with a view to safeguarding against the alleged abuse, and to report back with its recommendation.

Opeyemi stated that the Joint Committee while engaging with the investigating agencies, was told by the latter that maintaining the original provision of clause 74, as recommended by the former, was in the best interest of the country.

HesaidtheagenciesassuredtheJointCommittee that they would not abuse the powers conferred on them by the provision, as they (agencies) are subject to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) as well as the guiding principles of Chapter IV on Human Rights in the 1999 Constitution as amended.

According to the lawmaker, “the provision of the original Bill, which provides that the burden of proof lies on the defendant rather than on the Investigating Agencies, as provided in the amendment clause, is

appropriate in line with global best practices and convention.”

He explained that making it mandatory for a criminal conviction to be established before forfeiture and seizure of proceeds of crime or assets derived from unlawful activities is against the general interest of the intendment of the Bill and not in conformity with similar legislations in other jurisdictions.

“Besides, the standard of proof in civil matters is on the balance of probabilities”, he said.

Opeyemi added that maintaining the provision of clause 74 of the Bill, as passed by the Senate would undoubtedly undermine Nigeria’s commitment and obligation to the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC), which Nigeria is signatory to and has ratified.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

PAGE 16

POLITICS

By Christiana Ekpa

N

ew Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has said the party is undergoing reorganisation and repositioning to accommodate new members who are yearning for change ahead of the 2023 general election.

Briefing journàlists yesterday at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Agbo Major, said this Change is at all levels of government across the

Senate urges IGP to investigate maltreatment of Nigerians by foreigners

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

T

he Senate has urged the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, to investigate the maltreatment and torture of Nigerians by foreign nationals living in Nigeria.

The call was made amid its resolutions on a motion entitled, “urgent need to check the alarming trend of inhuman treatment and torture of Nigerian citizens by foreign nationals in the country.”

The motion was sponsored

by Senator Biobarakuma DegiEremienyo (Bayelsa East).

Presenting the motion, the lawmaker noted that in a bid to get a confession from victims alleged to have stolen iron rods, a Lebanese ordered some of his Nigerian subordinates to gag the mouths of one Mr. Anayo Friday Ndubuisi and the late Chadian with rags to stifle any noise from them.

According to him, they were beaten mercilessly with iron rods, tied to a car and driven round their premises.

“The Lebanese also set his dog upon the victims and the said dog attacked them”, Biobarakuma said.

He lamented that, “the second Nigerian (a security personnel), on trying to defend and absolve Anayo Friday Ndubuisi from any allegation whatsoever was shot with an arrow, thereby leading to grievous bodily harm; “Aware that some suspects have been arrested and paraded by officers of the Nigeria Police Force in connection with this nauseating crime against humanity but without the Lebanese being equally apprehended or paraded; “Surprised that certain insinuations have been made by some concerned security authorities involved in the matter that since the late Chadian was an illegal migrant, little or nothing can be done about the case; “Aware that the administration of criminal justice system provides protection for foreigners such as the late Chadian irrespective of his migration status; and “Alarmed about the despicable level of gross subjugation of Nigerians in their own Country by some foreign nationals, noting that this type of incident has become one too many and must be urgently checked to preserve sanctity and dignity of human life at all times in accordance with our bill of rights as enshrined in chapter 4 of our constitution and other international conventions and protocols, bearing in mind that even in the animal kingdom, there are salient rules for hunting game.”

NNPP reorganising to accommodate new members yearning for change in 2023 - Agbo Major country.

He said it is obvious that the state of the nation is bad, adding that as a major stakeholder in the democratic process, NNPP is on a rescue mission to redirect the ship of the nation from its perilous course.

According to him, “After over 22 years of constitutional rule, Nigerians desire and deserve a strong, virile, united, progressive, prosperous and equitable democratic society. Previous governments failed to make the Nigerian dream possible. Fellow compatriots are today more impoverished than they were in 1999 as the much taunted dividends of democracy remain a mirage.

“As a mass movement, a third leg in the nation’s political tripod and a leading opposition party in the country, the New Nigeria People’s Party has become the beautiful bride of Nigerian democracy.

“The ongoing alignment and

realignment of political forces are eloquent testimony of the Party’s determination to win future elections in the country and salvage our dear nation from the jaws of political buccaneers masquerading as democrats with the sole intention to loot our common patrimony.

“In recent times, our great Party has been welcoming numerous Nigerians with shared ideology, progressivism, mission and vision. Prominent among them are esteemed members of The National Movement (TNM), Kwankwasiyya Political Movement, Market Women Groups in Osun and Gombe States, Youth Groups, defectors from other political parties and the masses who desire a new Nigeria which only the New Nigeria People’s Party government can usher in”.

He also said to accommodate the high influx of new members into the Party, its national leadership recently dissolved

all organs and executives at all levels in accordance with the Constitution of NNPP 2018 as amended.

He also said the party has successfully conducted Ward, Local Government and State Congresses across the country, adding however that State Congresses in Rivers, Imo, Plateau and FCT were suspended due to minor disagreements.

“The Caretaker Committee has invited leaders of the affected States to the National Secretariat of our great Party for amicable resolution of the issues raised.

Thereafter, the Congresses in these States will be conducted.

“The Party’s Zonal Congresses are scheduled to hold on 28th March 2022, across the Federation.

The climax of this giant strides in repositioning the Party is the National Convention which will hold in Abuja on 30th March to elect substantive national officers of the Party.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the

Press, as Nigerians continue to embrace NNPP, our great Party has so far received 15 presidential aspirants and several aspirants for Governorship, Senatorial, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly seats.

“NNPP is democratic in its internal operations and urges aspirants to take advantage of this generally acclaimed democratic disposition to freely contest for its tickets. Aspirants are assured of a level playing field as we jointly strive to build a new Nigeria which all citizens will be proud of. As a grassroots political party, aspirants are also enjoined to carry out issue based campaigns and eschew politics of bitterness and brigandage that impeded the nation’s democratic development”, he said.

NNPP urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be neutral as the electoral umpire and conduct free, fair, credible, transparent, generally acceptable, inclusive and peaceful elections.

L-R: Wife of Former Vice President, Mrs. Titi Atiku Abubakar, Former Vice President/PDP Presidential Aspirant, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Ambassador and Former Vice President, Arch. Namadi Sambo, during the Atiku’s 2023 presidential declaration, at ICC, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Senate tells security agencies to adopt proactive measures against banditry

By Musa Baba Adamu

T

he Senate has called on security agencies in the country to be proactive in the fight against insurgency, banditry and terrorism to prevent loss of lives and properties.

The Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, made the call following a point of order raised by the Deputy Whip, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi representing Niger North District.

Rising on Order 42, Senator

Sabi Abdullahi, drew the attention of the Senate to the recent onslaught by bandits in his Senatorial District.

The lawmaker, lamented that the bandits who came in large number from Zamfara State, attacked a Police Station at Nasko town in Magama Local Government Area of Niger State.

According to him, the Divisional Police Officer, some Policemen and residents were killed by the bandits during the attack on the town.

In his remark, the Deputy

Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, commended the swift intervention of security agencies.

He, however, urged them to adopt a proactive approach to protect citizens against the criminal activities of insurgents, kidnappers and terrorists.

“From your personal explanation, it is clear that they’ve done their best, we are not unmindful of that.

“They were able to come back with a reprisal to take them out.

“We would have wished that

they took a proactive action, and not an action coming after lives have been lost.

“Be that as it may, we will continue to encourage security agencies to do all they can to police as much of our territory, especially in Niger State, which is about one of the largest land mass we have in this country.”

The Senate, thereafter, held a minute silence to mourn those killed by the bandits in Magama Local Government Area of Niger State.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

PAGE 17

POLITICS

Senate passes 2nd reading Taxpayers Protection Bill

President Muhammadu Buhari presides over a virtual FEC meeting at the council chamber State House.

By Musa Baba Adamu

A

bill seeking to enhance the Nation’s revenue generation system through the establishment of a National Tax crimes commission (NTCC) to prevent and combat tax crimes, protect taxpayers rights, amongst others has passed second reading in the Senate.

The bill which passed first reading when it was initially introduced to the Senate on Tuesday, 8th March, came under the first order of the day during the consideration of bills at Wednesday’s Senate plenary received an unanimous voice vote in its favour to scale through its second reading.

Sponsored by the Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu the Tax bill titled “ an Act to establish the National Inspector General for Tax Crimes Commission,2022 (SB. 951) is designed to address irregularities in Tax remittances , non-payment , under payment of taxes and to establish an NTCC to protect taxpayers rights by serving as the Tax Ombudsman.

According to the Abia North Senator, the Bill if eventually passed into law will protect Taxpayer rights as the NTCC will address the lacunas in the Tax administration system in the country by making the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) accountable and also create avenues for Taxpayers to make complaints over tax related matters.

Leading the debate on the Bill, Kalu disclosed that with the establishment of a National Tax crimes commission asides being the first of its kind in the country will also address taxpayers’ grievances and complaints promptly and without any hassle, and provide an effective redressal system.

Urging his colleagues to back the bill , The Abia North Senator said that through the creation of the National Tax Crimes Commission, criminal Tax investigators will be empowered with their unique forensic accounting skill sets, to be well positioned to combat national security threats and pursue illicit financial flows that were either derived from tax evasion, international tax schemes, cybercrime, or terrorist financing.

Photo; State House

Electoral Act: Senate to appeal court judgment deleting Section 84(12)

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

S

enate yesterday resolved to appeal last week Friday’s judgment of a Federal High Court in Umuahia, nullifying the provision of Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act 2022.

The resolution was reached during plenary on Wednesday, following the consideration of a motion entitled, “urgent need to appeal the Judgment of the Federal High Court Umuahia on Suit No.: FHC/UM/CS/26/2022 on Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act 2022.”

The motion was sponsored by Senator George Thompson Sekibo (Rivers East) and co-sponsored by 79 other Senators.

Sekibo, in his presentation, drew the attention of his colleagues to the judgement of the Federal High Court in Umuahia, Abia State, in a suit marked FHC/ MU/SC/26/2022.

The judgement faulted the

provision of Section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act 2022 and declared it unconstitutional, invalid, illegal, null void and of no effect.

Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act 2022 states as follows: “No political appointed at any level shall be voting delegate or be voted for at the convention or congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election.”

The lawmaker observed that the Judge in his ruling said that Section 81(12) of the Electoral Act 2022 was inconsistent with Sections 66(1)(f), 107(1) (), 137(1)(g) and 182(1)(c) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

He noted further that Section 4(1)(2) and (3) of the 1999 Constitution as amended vested the power of lawmaking for the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the National Assembly.

He argued that in furtherance to the powers vested in the

National Assembly, the 1999 Constitution under the roles of the Executive in Item D that deals with political parties in Section 228(a)(b) and (c) confers more powers on the National Assembly, more particularly on political parties and effective management of the electoral process by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He noted that the Electoral Act 2022 enacted by the National Assembly followed due process, adding that Section 84(12) of the Act exclusively refers to nomination conventions and congresses called for candidate selection and not participation in the general election which Sections 66(1)(f),137(1)(g) and 182(1)(g) referred to.

According to him, the interpretation of the meaning of the words ‘civil service’ and ‘public service’ in Section 318 was unambiguous, saying,

“there’s a difference between the civil service or public service and political appointment.”

He added that, “the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should show concern on the judgment especially when she was not given opportunity to represent herself in a matter such as this that emanates from her legitimate functions.”

Sekibo warned further that, “letting the judgment go without concern will become a precedence on which any person could go to court and obtain judgment to ridicule the good intentions of the National Assembly as an institution.”

The Senate, accordingly, resolved to appeal the judgment in suit FHC/MU/SC/26/2022 for the court to set aside the judgment, noting that same was reached without due consideration of the Constitutional interpretation in Section 318 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

vibrant and new National Working Committee (NWC).

It also called on party leaders, stakeholders, and groups in the party to put the party’s interest first in all their dealings, as it approaches the national convention, which is expected to produce the new leadership of the party.

Its National Coordinator, Comrade Olamide Odumosu, at a world press briefing in Abuja, called

on all young people in the APC not to allow any politician within and outside the party to use them as agents of destabilization and thuggery.

According to him, “We wish to appeal to all aspirants in the forthcoming national convention of our party to play the game according to the guidelines outlined by the convention planning committee and the constitution of our great party.

“We must begin to prepare and mobilise ourselves to access elective political offices and we assure our party leadership of unalloyed loyalty from our members across the federation.”

He, however commended APC Caretaker Committee under the leadership of Yobe State Governor, Mallam Mai Buni, for her efforts and commitments in nurturing the affairs of the party.

Group urges aggrieved APC leaders to sheath their swords

By Abubakar Yunusa, Abuja

A

head of the All Progressive Congress (APC) National convention on Saturday, a group under auspices of APC Youths and Students Movement (APCYSM) has appealed to aggrieved party leaders, members, and interest groups within the party to sheath their swords and work together in unison towards producing

APC needs chairman who can galvanise party members - Salihu Mustapha

By Christiana Ekpa

A

spirant for the position of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Saliu Mustapha, said on Wednesday that the party was in dire need of a Chairman who can galvanise members across the country to victory in the 2023 general elections.

Mustapha said without such a person, the party may not be able to win the elections, adding that if the APC failed to win the 2023

general elections, the gains so far recorded will be eroded.

Saliu, who spoke at a meeting with the APC caucus in the House of Representatives, said his experience in party administration was needed at this point in time to reposition the party for victory in the forthcoming elections.

He also said if elected the National Chairman, he will evolve a deliberate policy that will ensure that women and youths are made to occupy the position of deputies,

irrespective of whoever is contesting the main seat.

He said this was to give women and youths a pride of place and to mentor them for the position of leadership, both in the party and in the country.

He said his regime will enthrone a periodic consultation with members of the National Assembly as part of efforts to strengthen the party at all levels, while also creating a Progressive Institute for the party.

Leader of the House of Representatives,

Alhassan Ado Doguwa, said Mustapha has made a lot of sacrifice for the emergence of the APC, especially during the merger process, when he was part of the team of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), saying his contribution to the party are indelible Doguwa assured the aspirant that the APC in the House of Representatives was not only united, but will be united behind a single candidate during the convention, saying “If we give you our support here, just go home and sleep, but don’t close your eyes”.

PAGE 18

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

NEWS

My presidential ambition not dead - Umahi

By Egena Sunday Ode

E

bonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi has dismissed insinuations that his presidential ambition is dead, following a recent court judgement removing him as governor on account of his defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. The embattled governor also said he is not losing sleep over the court judgment that sacked him from office because the law backs his continuous stay in office.

The governor who spoke to newsmen after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja Wednesday said consultations over his presidential ambition are ongoing.

Asked if his presidential bid was dead, the governor responded: “It could be just your imagination, because there is no

such thing. You can see us in the various media houses you know social media.

“You can see my supporters everywhere, you can see my consultation. I even consult those who are also aspirating.

“And that shows you how committed I am to this course and I think it’s God’s project. So there is no such thing. Whatever is God’s project no such consideration will come to such project.”

The governor also expressed worry over the inconsistency of the judiciary on whether votes belong to a candidate or party.

Umahi challenged Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, to a public debate over their performances in office.

The duo have been throwing brick bats following the court judgement declaring Umahi’s party switch as illegal.

According to him” do I look worried? You see, God has plans

for everything. And I think that God allowed one court to give judgment that I go nowhere, allowed another court to say, because we defected, and the votes belong to the party.

“And I’m very worried because the highest court has said that votes belong to the candidates.

And that’s why even though APC won the election in Bayelsa State, the deputy governor’s credentials were defective.

“And even a day to day swearing-in, the Supreme Court ruled this qualifying the candidate of APC that won the election because of his deputy.

“And so if votes inputs belonged to the party, it would have been that the Supreme Court in their wisdom would have just asked for the man that won an election for the party to bring the substitutes to do that.

“So I’m not worried. Because in the first place, there is no

constitutional provision that says that the governor can be sued in the first place, so I’m not sue-able. You know, but a court judgment is a court judgment I’m not interpretingit but the Constitution, we swore to uphold, I can speak to the Constitution.

“And the Constitution says that you will, once you’re elected, you enjoy immunity, as Supreme Court says votes, cast in an election belong to the candidates. And that’s why you have qualifications of a candidate and no qualifications of a political party. So I’m not worried.

“But you are, God allowed it so that where I couldn’t reach in terms of my consultation, this situation has made it possible for me to reach those places. And to truly see that Nigerians, they love me and they want me and that is the reason for that.

“And I want to thank the PDP and even the man that boosted that he did that hatchet job. If the people that crucify Christ knew that it will bring salvation to the whole world, they wouldn’t have done that.

“So the hatchet man that boasted is liken to Judas Iscariot.

And so I have no worry because the Constitution is clear. I have confidence in the judiciary and so you can see i have added some weight in these few days and looking more handsome.

Asked if he had issues with some PDP governors before leaving the party, he said “Probably the difference between us will be our faith. I serve the living God and probably a lot of alcohol. I don’t drink. So that is the differences between us otherwise he remains my friend and my brother and I have nothing against him.

Kaduna attacks “mindless violence”, says Buhari

By Egena Sunday Ode

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the terrorist attack on four locations in Kaura Local Government in Kaduna State in which two soldiers and tens of others were killed as a “mindless act of violence” that has no place in a civilized society.

“The primitive and cowardly attack on innocent civilians, law enforcement officials and the destruction of houses and shops is extremely painful and condemnable.

The nation mourns with the

Kagoro community, where the attacks took place and the military which lost their brave compatriots,” said the President in a statement.

The statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Wednesday quoted Buhari to have said “he is keenly following the actions of the Kaduna State Government and security agencies who are doing their job to track the attackers and bring them to justice.”

He warned against reprisals that may lead to further violence, according to the statement.

Representative of the Governor Plateau, Caroline Embu (R), inspecting quarter guard during the inauguration of the NYSC batch ‘ A’ (stream II) at the Permanent Orientation Camp in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau on Wednesday (23/3/22).

Ahead March 26 convention, APC settles for consensus chair ....We’ll support any candidate endorsed by Buhari, say govs

By Egena Sunday Ode

T

he bickering over whether or not the national convention of the rulling All Progressives Congress (APC) slated for this weekend will elect party officials through affirmation as against casting votes for candidates have been laid to rest as governors elected on the platform of the party have endorsed the consensus arrangement.

Besides, the governors have openly declared that they would queue behind any candidate who receives the endorsement of President Muhammadu Buhari to emerge as national chairman.

President Buhari is said to be in favour of consensus as the best approach to elect party officials without much rancour and is said to be more favourably disposed to the candidacy of former Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Adamu.

The governors spoke to State House correspondents after they emerged from meeting with President Buhari at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja on

Wednesday.

They were led to the meeting by the Chairman of the Interim Committee of the party and Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni.

The Chairman of Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) and Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, spoke on behalf of the APC governors.

According to him, the governors all restated their commitment to working together to ensure that the convention takes place on March 26.

Bagudu further explained that they also agreed to support all the decisions that were taken by the Caretaker Committee, both acting as a working committee and acting with the donated powers given to it by the National Executive Committee.

He said: “Our party is a democratic party, we will always urge consensus, we’ll urge respect for the decisions of the party because the distribution of political party offices here has been approved by the highest organ of the party, which is the

National Caretaker Committee because they were acting in their capacity as the National Executive Committee of the party.

“But where people still choose to go against the grain, whatever the party constitution allows them because we wouldn’t do anything on undemocratic.

“Mr. President has always urged consensus for all positions because consensus is in accordance with the democratic tenets and once you have leaders who are established, who are working towards the same goal, yes, we might have our differences, like was once carefully explained

by Governor El-Rufai.

“But on the principle of ensuring that we get leadership that will hit the ground running, we are united, and to that extent, who will support any process that will lead to consensus and the emergence of leaders without the need for an election.

Asked if we are likely to see surprises at the convention, he said “No, the governors are united.

The governors are unanimous in support of Mr. President.

“The governors are unanimous in the support of the caretaker committee, without thanking the Caretaker Committee for what they have been doing.

“Naturally, there will be hiccups one day, but we have overcome them and we are a human organization, which is bound sometimes to generate emotions and anxiety, but we are united and unanimous and

by God’s grace, we’ll have a very successful and peaceful National Convention.

The progressive governor’s forum chairman said they all briefed President on distributing political party offices to the respective zones.

“And our support for Mr. President’s endorsement of the candidate for the National Chairman of the party and the various geo-political zones took turns to brief Mr. President, on what they have been doing to generate consensus in their respective zones amongst the National Working Committee and zonal party positions that have been either allocated to the zones

or which the zones are entitled to.

“Most of the zones have been allocated National Working Committee positions that are fewer than the number of states, but however, there are zonal executive committees from which the zones are working to produce a consensus list.

“So, this afternoon, the respective zones; Governor Abu Bello on behalf of the NorthCentral; His Excellency, Governor Babagana Zulum Umara, on behalf of the Northeast; His Excellency, Governor Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa State on behalf of Northwest; His Excellency, Governor Dave Umahi, on behalf of Southeast.

Governor Kayode Fayemi briefed the President on the Southwest.

I further mention the position of the South-South to Mr. President, as I had on paper.

“So, Mr. President appreciated the briefing and restated his gratitude for the work the governors have been doing in support for them in support of the party and preparation for the National Convention,” he added.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

By Etuka Sunday

T

he Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele has disclosed that the country produced over 35 million bags of blended fertilizer in the last seven (7) years.

Mr. Emefiele spoke at the Presidential Commissioning of 3 million tons per annum Dangote fertilizer plant, Tuesday, March 22, 2022 in Lagos.

He noted that through the support of President Muhammadu Buhari, the nation’s blending capacity has increased from 7 plants in 2015 to over 48 active fertilizer blending plants presently.

He said, “Prior to Mr. President assuming office in

PAGE 19

Nigeria produces 35m bags of blended fertilizer in seven years - Emefiele 2015, Nigeria had a shortfall of about 3.5 million tons per annum compared to the over 6 million tons per annum required in the country. With sustained efforts, other indigenous companies like Indorama and Notore with a combined capacity of over 2.5 million tons per annum have tried to match the market demand, yet the country still faced a huge shortfall of fertilizer supply.

“In response to this situation, Mr. President inaugurated the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative and charged them with resolving this problem. I am delighted

to note that their work and the continued support of Mr. President has resulted in a significant increase in our nation’s blending capacity from 7 plants in 2015 to over 48 active fertilizer blending plants today”, he said.

The apex governor said, the nation’s fertilizer blending capacity has not only resulted in the significant decline of import bill on fertilizer, but has also increased investment in the fertilizer industry.

He said, today, Nigeria is selfsufficient in the production of urea, and also leading producer

of urea in the African continent, adding that improving access to fertilizer would contribute to significant improvements in the productivity of local farmers.

“But probably more importantly, it will enhance our nation’s drive to improve food security and ensure we consume what we produce in Nigeria”, he added.

According to him, the Dangote fertilizer plant with an installed capacity of over 3 million metric tons per annum was a significant feat in the diversification agenda of Mr.

President, adding that it would help to increase the value chain in the petrol-chemical and allied sector, create jobs forthe youths and boost the nation’s agricultural productivity.

While thanking Alhaji Aliko Dangote as well as the Board and Management of the Dangote Group for the great project, Emefiele assures that CBN would continue to provide not just the conducive environment required to thrive, but give willing investors in the fertilizer industry, the necessary support to make similar investments.

L-R: Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Commerce, Hon. Fakeye Olufemi, Chairman House Committee on Aviation, Hon. Nnolim Nnaji and Clark of the House committee on Aviation, Hon. Bassey Edim, during the committee meeting with the Airline Operators, at the National Assembly, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Seven Members of CBN’s Monetary Policy Committee confirmed

By Etuka Sunday

T

he Senate, today, Wednesday, March 23, 2022 confirmed the nominations of seven members of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The confirmation of the nominees followed the consideration of a report by the Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions.

The report was laid and presented by the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Uba Sani (Kaduna Central).

President Buhari, in the letter addressed to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and dated 23rd February, 2022, explained that the confirmation and membership renewal request was made pursuant to Section 12(4) of the Central Bank Act, 2007.

The Special Assistant, Press, to

President of the Senate, Dr. Ezrel Tabiowo in a statement said, those confirmed by the Senate include Professor Mohammed Adaya Salisu and Dr. Mo’Omamegbe - both of whom are new appointments.

The other five Members of the Committee for renewal are Professor Michael Obadan, Prof.

Festus Adeola Adenikinju, Prof.

Aliyu Sanusi Rafindadi, Dr. Robert Asogwa and Alhaji Aliyu

Ahmed.

Senator Uba Sani, in his presentation, said the nominees posses the academic qualifications, technical knowledge and professional experience to be Members of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

He disclosed that the Senate Committee on Banking did not receive any petition against their nominations, adding that the

nominees were all cleared by the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State State Services (DSS) and possess the Code of Conduct Acknowledgment Slip.

He stated that one of the nominees, Alhaji Aliyu Ahmed is the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning and will serve as the representative of the Ministry in the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

PAGE 20

BU$IN€SS

Takaful kicks-off roadshow in Kano to deepen insurance penetration

By Etuka Sunday

N

oor Takaful Insurance Limited, the pioneer composite Takaful Insurance firm in Nigeria, has kicked off roadshow activities in Kano to entrench and deepen penetration on Takaful insurance.

The roadshow kicked off with a homage to the Emir of Kano, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, in his palace on Monday, March 15, 2022.

Speaking during the visit, the Vice-Chairman, Noor Takaful Insurance Limited, Aminu Tukur, who led the Noor Takaful delegation to the Emir’s palace, stated that the visit to Emir was symbolic and significant to

solicit the royal blessings and of the traditional ruler ahead of its planned roadshow activities.

In his remarks, shortly after welcoming the visitors, the Emir of Kano, His Royal Highness, Aminu Ado Bayero, commended the organization for bringing such an opportunity to the people of Kano State, particularly at a time when many Nigerians were looking for a viable alternative to conventional insurance.

The Emir called on Nigerians to embrace the system of Takaful insurance given its immense benefits and acceptance in the Islamic world. He urged the organization to remain truthful to its promise in its dealings with people and its operations.

On Tuesday, March 15, 2022, Noor Takaful held a hangout event that offered an opportunity to engage entrepreneurs and Nigerians residing in Kano state on the numerous benefits of Takaful insurance.

During the hangout, Vice Chairman, Noor Takaful Insurance Limited, Aminu Tukur, explained that Takaful insurance offers an investment plan that allows customers to have a systematic and committed strategy to save for their future with guaranteed protection.

According to Tukur, the roadshow is intended to sensitize and set the pace for the North to embrace insurance, especially Takaful insurance as an alternative to conventional insurance to cater

to the sentiments of religion and tradition.

He disclosed further that the company remains committed to promoting ethical insurance in Nigeria, adding that many customers who did not make claims have received payment of surplus over the last four years.

“Takaful is based on Sharia principles. If you do not get a claim, you will be entitled to get a surplus.

Noor Takaful, which started operations five years ago, has been paying surplus distribution to those who have not made claims over the last 3 or 4 years. We are the first and only Takaful operator ever to do that. We are in the process of paying another one this year”, he said.

He noted that the Takaful offerings are widely accepted globally, adding that countries like Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates have taken advantage of its benefits.

“Under the Takaful policy, there is the General Takaful. In this case, Noor Takaful covers insurance such as Motor vehicles, fire, goods in transit, agric takaful. In the case of Family Takaful, it covers the death of a family member or an individual or staff of an organization. We referred to it as life insurance in the conventional insurance space. Under the 2004 Pension Reform Act, which was amended in 2014, families must have group life for their staff”, he added.

Corp members performing tug of war, during the inauguration of the NYSC 2022 batch ‘ A’ (stream II) at Kubwa Permanent Orientation Camp, in Abuja on Wednesday (23/3/22).

Economic losses due to weather, climate have declined -NiMet

T

hough the economic value of the 2012 losses due to flood had proved difficult to forget, losses attributed to weather and climate have been on the decline.

Director General/Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Meteorological Agency, (NiMet), Prof. Mansur Bako

Matazu gave the cheering news in a keynote address on Wednesday in Abuja. rof.

Matazu who was speaking at the occasion of the 2022 World Meteorological Day said that, “this is a direct result of investment in meteorological service to be better positioned to issue timely, accurate and

reliable weather prediction”.

The Director General said that his Agency advised the Nigerian government and people of Nigeria on every aspect of meteorology including the socio-economic impacts of climate and weather.

The 2022 World Meteorological Day is themed:

“ Early Warning and Early Action.

Hydrometeorological and Climate Information for Disaster Risk Reduction “.

Highpoint of the event was the presentation of an official vehicle, a Toyota Camry by the NiMet Director General, Prof. Matazu to the World Meteorological Organization.

The presentation was witnessed by staff of NiMet and members of the Press.

Representative of the WMO who received the vehicle on behalf of WMO, promised the NiMet DG that the vehicle would be put into the maximum use.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

METRO

PAGE 21

Kuchingoro: Hoodlums repel FCTA Taskforce, injure 5 officers

By Stanley Onyekwere

S

ome suspected hoodlums yesterday attacked members of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Taskforce during a special cleanup operation, at Kuchingoro community, in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) of the Territory.

While most members of the Taskforce escaped death, 5 officers were not lucky, as they sustained various degrees of injury, after the Hoodlums attacked them with stones, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons.

However, 10 suspects were

arrested and handed over to the police for investigation and prosecution.

Our correspondent reports that Taskforce was in the community, in continuation of its ongoing massive clean up and the clampdown on Okada riders violating traffic rules along the Lugbe-Airport road axis.

Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to FCT Minister, Ikharo Attah, who was among the officers who escaped unhurt, said the hoodlums apparently were angered that the shanties and illegal structures housing them under electrical high tension installations were being

removed.

Attah reiterated that the Taskforce will not be deterred by the serial attacks by people who are opposed to the enforcement of orders and regulations needed to make Abuja a model City.

According to him, while lawless people remain defiant to orders and policies of government, the enforcement team will also remain committed to its mandate.

He said, “ We came here to remove illegal structures that are painted Airport road in bad light, we were clearing the roadsides of traders, Okada riders, all of a sudden, some hoodlums appeared and started throwing

stones.

“We were able to push them back, because we have to clean up the roads. Unfortunately, about 5 of our personnel sustainable various degrees of injury from the stones that hut them.

“We also learnt that the leader of the mob was also hit by the stone of his own group, we have taken him to the hospital.

We arrested about 10 persons suspected to have participated in the attack.

“We are not deterred, the Airport road must be cleaned.

So many of the structures were built under high tension wire, and we are pushing Okada riders and taxi drivers back to the

community”, he added.

Also speaking, the Islamic cleric of Kuchingoro Community, Imam Usman Yahaya, who was also caught up in the attack, condemned the actions of the hoodlums, saying he supported the removal of the illegal structures and fight against criminalities in the area.

Yahaya who claimed he has lived in the community for over 20 years, noted that the actions of the hoodlums has brought a bad image to the place.

He pledged to support the Taskforce in fishing out all criminal elements and those who jeopardize government’s developmental efforts.

Members of the FCTA Taskforce during a cleanup operation in Kuchingoro community of AMAC, yesterday.

25th Anniversary: FCT Minister’s Aide lauds grassroots reportage of ITV

By Stanley Onyekwere

T

he Special Assistant to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, Comrade Ikharo Attah, has lauded the grassroot reportage of the Independent Television (ITV).

This, according to him, has distinguished the media outfit

from others because of their focus on issue that boarders on vulnerable Nigerians especially women and children.

He made this known in his congratulatory message to Esama of the Benin Kingdom and the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion on the 25th year anniversary of Independent Television (ITV) Benin and

Abuja broadcast stations.

According to him, “ The initiative to set up ITV that has define broadcasting and shape opinion and perception of the greater part of the citizenry and beyond is applaudable.

“ITV has gotten some professionals that focuses on grassroot reportage and development that make the media outfit outstanding.

“ITV is a global brand , it has left it’s footprint on the sound of time, a very reputable media organization that has given birth to very respected professionals.

“Any professional you see in some media house across the country have passed through ITV am very glad to be among the professionals.

“I hope that in years to

come ITV will continue it’s cutting hedge programming and will help the station get to it’s full blown recognized and international broadcast station.

“I have worked with ITV before my appointment and I can tell you that ITV is a Veritable broadcast community and it brings the best out of its staff”, he stressed.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

PAGE 22

world news

international_peoplesdailyng@yahoo.com

Afghanistan girls’ tears over chaotic Taliban schools U-turn

E

arly this morning, at her home on a hilltop in the west of Kabul, 15-yearold Marzia packed her bag for school, for the first time since the Taliban took power last August.

“I became so, so happy when I heard school was restarting,” she told the BBC. “It makes me hopeful about the future again.”

Around 200 other girls had also made their way to the Sayed ul Shuhada school, far fewer than usual, as pupils and their families debated whether or not lessons would actually start and whether it would be safe for them to attend.

Since August, in most of Afghanistan, only girls’ primary schools have remained open, along with all boys’ schools.

Today as a new academic year began, girls’ secondary schools were finally expected to re-open along with other institutes.

It felt a particularly poignant moment for students here. Last year more than 90 of their classmates and school staff were killed in an attack by the local affiliate of the Islamic State group.

“The first suicide bombing happened very close to me,” says Sakina, as her eyes fill up with tears. “There were lots of dead people in front of me… I didn’t think I would survive.”

She pauses, overwhelmed with emotion, before continuing, “Our revenge on the people who did this, will be continuing our education. We want to succeed in our lives, so we can fulfil the dreams of our martyrs.”

As they entered the classrooms, the students wiped the dust off the desks but already some of the teachers were murmuring that, unexpectedly, the school would have to shut down again.

The local Taliban education official, who had given us permission to film at the school earlier this week, forwarded the headteacher a WhatsApp message, saying girls’ secondary schools would in fact remain closed until further notice.

The students reacted with shock and horror. Some began to cry. “We just want to be able to learn and serve our people,” Fatima told us. “What kind of country is this? What is our sin?”

She asked, addressing the Taliban whilst visibly distraught. “You’re always

official policy.

Privately, Taliban figures admit the issue of female education is a controversial one amongst their most hardline elements.

The chaotic nature of this policy reversal, suggests the groups’ central leadership decided at the last minute to overrule their own Ministry of Education, nervous about alienating their most ultraconservative members.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

Marzia had been happy and hopeful when she heard schools were reopening

Sakina wants to rebuild her life after last year’s bombing and the Taliban takeover talking about Islam, does Islam say to harm women like this?”

It’s difficult to fathom the Taliban’s rationale. A Ministry of Education ceremony marking the start of the academic year went ahead despite the development.

Aziz-ur-Rahman Rayan, spokesman for the ministry, said all preparations had been made for the re-opening of schools, but that the group’s central leadership had ordered them to stay closed until, “a comprehensive

plan has been prepared according to Sharia and Afghan culture”.

However, even before the Taliban took power, secondary schools in Afghanistan were already segregated by gender, whilst the uniform consisted of a modest black outfit and white hijab, or headscarf.

What’s more, in a number of provinces local Taliban officials had already begun allowing girls’ secondary schools to reopen last year, despite the lack of a central

The divergence of views within the Taliban at times correlates to their geographic location.

In one part of the more cosmopolitan north of the country, even under the “shadow government” the Taliban established during their insurgency, a local leader once proudly showed off stillfunctioning girls schools to me during a visit.

By contrast, in a rural part of the conservative, southern province of Helmand, one Taliban fighter whose views on female education I asked, replied with a smile, “if girls want to learn, their brothers can go to school and then teach them at home”.

But even in the most conservative areas, the majority of ordinary Afghan families appear to now be in favour of female education.

Many have long questioned whether the Taliban have changed since they were in power in the 1990s when all women were forced to wear the all-encompassing burka and even girls’ primary schools remained closed?

Nowadays, the picture is more nuanced.

A recent study by the World Bank found that there had actually been a rise in female primary school attendance since the Taliban takeover as security improved.

Meanwhile, the group has allowed women to attend university as long as classes are segregated.

But today’s decision to keep girls’ secondary schools closed, appears to underline the gulf that still exists between the Taliban leadership and contemporary Afghan society.

Ukraine war: Ukrainian fightback gains ground west of Kyiv

U

krainian troops are counterattacking Russian forces in some areas of the country, with reports that they have gained ground near the capital, Kyiv.

Local authorities in the town of Makariv, west of Kyiv, said Ukrainian flags were flying there once more.

A US defence spokesman said Ukrainians were also reversing momentum in some parts of the south.

In the small southern town of Voznesensk, Russian forces were pushed back and an armoured convoy destroyed.

And in Kherson, close to the Crimean peninsula and the first city to fall to Russia, Ukrainian forces are also trying to recapture territory.

A UK defence analyst told the BBC the fightback could force Moscow to change its tactics.

However, the latest assessment from the UK Ministry of Defence says Russian troops in Ukraine are moving in from the north and south to “envelop Ukrainian forces in

the east of the country”.

The note says “Russian forces are likely reorganising before resuming large-scale offensive operations”.

Russian forces are also continuing to bombard the southern port city of Mariupol, although the port area itself is said to have suffered relatively little damage.

Justin Bronk, from the UK defence and security think tank the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), said the Ukrainian pushback came as the Russians were trying to compensate for their lack of progress so far.

“The Russians have quite visibly failed to take the whole of Ukraine across multiple positions of advance,” he told the BBC. “So now they are trying to pull their resources back and consolidate them and concentrate them on one push at a time - in particular around Mariupol and the south.”

He said that if the Russians took Mariupol, which has been besieged for weeks and is low on supplies, then they might look to redistribute troops and

ammunition, first to Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region and then perhaps to the north-eastern city of Kharkiv.

But as Ukraine pushes Russian troops back around Irpin, about 20km (12 miles) from Kyiv, and other suburbs along with Makariv, it could hamper Moscow’s plans to capture the capital, he added.

“Essentially, what [Ukrainian forces] are trying to do is cut off an entire side of the attempted encirclement of Kyiv, which would force the Russians to either try to break north and abandon those positions, or for Russia to reroute significant combat power to try to break through and release their own forces there.”

The Pentagon gave more details of the Ukrainian counter-offensive on Tuesday, saying it has seen increasing signs in recent days that Russians are being dislodged from areas they previously held.

Spokesman John Kirby told CNN that he was unable to confirm reports from Ukrainian officials that they had retaken at least one town and expected to take more in

coming days.

However, he said it would be “consistent with the kind of fighting and the kinds of capabilities we have seen the Ukrainians use”.

He said Russian forces had “stalled” and were running out of fuel and food.

There were also communication problems between air and ground forces, with some Russian fighters resorting to mobile phones to speak to each other, Mr Kirby said.

“They are slowed,” he said, adding that this was partly due to “their own ineptitude”.

Another Pentagon official, speaking anonymously, told the AFP news agency that some Russian soldiers had been laid low with frostbite, because they did not have the appropriate cold weather clothing for the terrain.

The official said that because of losses and other problems, Russian forces inside Ukraine were now below 90% of their available combat power.

Source: BBC

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

N

e w s

F

r o m

A S I A

PAGE 23

Uganda’s Batwa people: Evicted from forests to help save gorillas

O

n a hike into the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, the songs the Batwa sing are supposed to be celebratory, but they sound mournful.

They are in praise of a good honey harvest, but there is no harvest as the Batwa are no longer allowed to gather honey, or anything else, from the forest.

Instead, these indigenous people take groups of paying tourists into their ancestral areas and in a choreographed performance act out how they once lived.

A rhythm is played on the metal keys of a thumb piano, known as a “ichyembe”, as we reach a collection of huts 30 minutes into the forest.

“This would have been a shrine, where we would communicate with our great grandfathers,” explains the group’s leader, Eric Tumuhairwe, pointing to a place behind the huts.

“When men wanted to go hunting, they would take meat or honey as offerings.

They would hunt bush-pig and several types of antelope. The wives celebrated the bountiful hunt, cooked and danced. But we don’t get these types of food any more.”

Mr Tumuhairwe, who is about 50, is old enough to remember life before his people were evicted.

For centuries they lived off the forests of the mountainous regions on the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo as hunter-gatherers.

But in the 1990s, the Ugandan Batwa were evicted from the Bwindi, Mgahinga and Echuya forests in the south-west of the country as the areas became wildlife parks, primarily for the protection of rare mountain gorillas.

Mr Tumuhairwe tells us about Batwa traditions, including courtship at what used to be a square where young men and women used to socialise.

“A young man intending to marry would have to trap intenzi (a flying squirrel).

“It is fast on its feet, so he would time it for when it was asleep in a tree hollow. He would catch it as it awoke and tried to flee.

He had to bring it alive, otherwise there was no wife for him,” he laughingly reminisces.

We climb further up the mistcovered forested hills, to a cave where the community used to congregate for worship.

“I want to go back to the way we lived…

Everything we needed, the forest provided: meat, fruit, and medicines,” says Mr Tumuhairwe.

After their eviction, some Batwa families were given farmland by the government.

But as they did not know how to farm, the land was sold off and many were scattered across the region, surviving on charity from neighbours and non-profit organisations.

“Some neighbours despised us, calling

Evicted from their ancestral forest homes three decades ago in a move to conserve wildlife, many of Uganda’s Batwa people struggle for a more dignified way of life.

The forests became wildlife parks to protect mountain gorillas us bush people,” remembers Aida Kehuuzo, who is about 80 years old and the only woman in the group of trekkers.

Court victory Numbering less than 7,000 in Uganda, many Batwa have moved to urban areas, like Kisoro, which is near the forests.

On the edge of the town families squat on public land, in homes built from cardboard and tarpaulin. The community exists on the fringes.

Attempts to do interviews with them proved futile, as many feel exploited by politicians and organisations and they are hostile to outsiders.

“You come here to take pictures and sell

Donated Covid vaccines expire in Kenya

N

early 840,000 coronavirus vaccines have expired in Kenya before they could be administered, the country’s Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe has said The AstraZeneca jabs were part of 2.2 million doses donated to the country through the global Covax scheme in January - with an expiry date of 28 February.

The minister said there had been two major drives to use them in time - and vaccine rates had risen - but a preliminary survey showed they had not all be used.

“Any expired dose represents a missed opportunity to save a life,” Mr Kagwe said.

In future, the country would only accept vaccine donations with a shelf-life of at least four months, he said.

Complacency and hesitancy - in particular over AstraZeneca - were also problems that needed to be tackled, the minister said.

“We continue to witness vaccine hesitancy attributed to rumours and misinformation especially around fertility concerns. These rumours do not have any scientific evidence and are therefore baseless and must be ignored.”

The take-up of second doses was also declining with only 30% of those eligible coming forward, he warned.

Nearly eight million adults in the East Africa nation, which has a population of 48.5 million, are fully vaccinated.

Source: BBC

them. What do we get in return? I won’t talk to you if you don’t pay me,” shouts one woman.

In 2011, a group of Batwa with support from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), took the Ugandan government to court over the evictions - and late last year, the constitutional court ruled in their favour.

It said the community had been treated inhumanly and ordered “fair and just compensation” be paid within 12 months, but the government intends to appeal.

Some Batwa, like Allen Musabyi, have adapted and taken up farming.

But the land she and a few others are

preparing for a potato crop is rented - paid for the charity the United Organisation for Batwa Development in Uganda (UOBDU).

“If you don’t have land, you cannot progress, you can’t send your children to school, you cannot eat.

“But if I were given the opportunity to return to the forest, I would run all the way there,” she admits.

‘Animals treated better’ Alice Nyamihanda, who works for UOBDU and is one of the few Batwa university graduates, says the community needs to fight for equality.

“I want my fellow Batwa to be like other people,” she says - not scrapping for leftover food from dustbins as is often the case in Kisoro.

“The animals are being treated better than the Batwa, because when tourists come, they pay some money, then the government uses that money, and the Batwa are suffering.”

The animals she speaks of are mountain gorillas. The government charges up to $700 (£530) to go gorilla tracking.

Conservation efforts have seen Uganda’s mountain gorilla population rise to 459, and more than 1,000 globally, meaning they are no longer listed as critically endangered.

But Ms Nyamihanda wonders whether there could be a more sustainable way to protect wildlife as well as Batwa rights.

The Uganda Wildlife Authority says it is doing this by allowing the Batwa to take tourists into the forest and a fifth of the revenue collected from the park goes to nearby villages through the local government.

According to Uganda Wildlife Authority’s executive director, Sam Mwandha, people - including the Batwa can come up with proposals to be funded using this money.

“During the movement of the Batwa out of the forest, several errors were committed.

But the allegation of not getting land, not allowing them to have their culture, is really misguided and not correct.

“We are telling them: ‘Go to school and study’, but we are [also] saying: ‘Don’t forget your culture, you can use it to make money.’”

Yet the Batwa want a place to call home and recognition as an endangered indigenous people so they have better protection under international law.

Back in the forest, Mr Tumuhairwe admits education and farming have been beneficial to some Batwa - though he adds the caveat: “But when you come to think of it, that too is erasing who we are, where we came from.”

Source: bbc.com

Eight killed in Somalia airport attack

A

gunfight at the entrance to the international airport complex outside the Somali capital, Mogadishu, has left at least eight people dead.

Aden Adde International Airport hosts peacekeepers, the offices of UN organisations and diplomatic missions.

A police spokesman told the BBC that five of the dead were foreigners, including an African Union force soldier.

The nationalities of those killed have not yet been established.

Two of the attackers - suspected jihadists - were also killed as they reportedly tried to force their way into the secure zone.

Witnesses have told the BBC they heard heavy gunfire and saw black smoke billowing from a section of the airport. Other reports say the UN was hit by mortars.

The al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group said it was behind the attack.

Its fighters have stepped up attacks as much-delayed parliamentary elections proceed using a complex and indirect system.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

PAGE 24

N e w s F r o m A S I A South Korea sued to stop deep-sea gas pipeline

A

boriginal people from northern Australia have filed a lawsuit aimed at stopping South Korea funding a proposed deep-sea gas field.

They say a 300km gas pipeline threatens their way of life and risks harming turtles near their Tiwi Islands home.

The Barossa gas field, located in seas north of Darwin, was partially approved

by Australia’s offshore energy regulator last week.

The gas giant Santos plans to begin drilling wells in the next few months.

If the project is given full approval, Santos wants to construct an undersea gas pipeline alongside Bathurst Island, the western-most island in the Tiwi archipelago. At its closest point, the pipeline will be 6km from shore.

Aboriginal groups from the Tiwi Islands, located in the Timor Sea north of Australia, say they were not properly consulted about the project.

The legal challenge aims to prevent South Korea from lending approximately A$950m (£530m) to Santos via the stateowned Export-Import Bank of Korea and the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation.

Lawyers filed an injunction in the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday under a law known as the Korean Civil Execution Act. It seeks to prevent potential damage - either to the environment or to South Korea’s future financial position if the investment fails - by prohibiting the financing from going ahead.

If the legal action is successful, lawyers say the financial viability of the entire project is at risk.

Jikilaruwu Tiwi Island clan leaders Francisco Babui and Daniel Munkara have accused Santos and the previous owner of the project, ConocoPhillips, of disregarding the islanders’ concerns.

“Under Australian law and in accordance with Aboriginal tradition, the Jikilaruwu clan is the owner of the sea country where that gas pipeline will

Tiwi Islanders Francisco Babui and Daniel Munkara say the gas project will impact their way of life

Olive Ridley sea turtles are the most common species nesting on the Tiwi Islands

go through. We are the decision makers for that sea country,” Mr Munkara said in a statement released by the Stop Barossa Gas Campaign group.

“We were told briefly about the

Tiwi Islanders say their way of life depends on healthy seas

pipeline in 2018 and we said ‘no’ to the project. They said it wasn’t happening.

Now we find out Santos wants to lay the pipeline through our sea country without our consent.”

Santos declined to comment.

‘Wild frontier’ Environmental campaigners in Australia have long criticised the Barossa plan.

They say the proposed gas field and pipeline will damage the unique marine environment in the Timor Sea, including turtle nesting areas.

“You’ve got this massive continental shelf that extends off northern Australia, and that continental shelf is covered in big drowned river valleys, which means there’s a real diversity of habitat,” said marine biologist Jason Fowler from the Environment Centre Northern Territory, which is supporting the legal fight.

“The Timor Sea is quite warm and shallow and muddy - it’s dominated by sponges, not corals,” he said.

“There are over 900 species of

sponges out there, some of them are undiscovered. We’ve only mapped about 10% of this area. So it’s very much a wild frontier, that we are only just beginning to understand.”

The pipeline Santos proposes would pass through an area designated as as a “habitat protection zone” in the Ocean Shoals Marine Park.

Under Australian government rules for the management of marine parks, gas pipelines can be constructed within such zones under license.

Those rules were approved by Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg when he was the minister for energy and environment in 2018.

Mr Fowler said he lobbied Mr Frydenberg at the time, and asked him to introduce stronger protections for marine parks, but that the minister had “ignored the science and listened to the oil and gas industry”.

“When you build a gas pipeline across the sea floor, it’s like building a railway line across the country,” he said.

“You’ve got to build bridges over valleys, you’ve got to dredge out areas of high ground, you’ve got to try and make it as flat and even as possible, because you don’t want your pipeline going up and down. So there’s a lot of habitat modification.”

Tiwi Islander Francisco Babui echoes those concerns.

“The pipeline is too close to Cape Fourcroy [on the islands’ western tip].

There is a reef there with lots of turtles and dugongs,” he said. “The turtles lay their eggs on that beach and we go hunting in that area. We use that coastline for camping and fishing.

Other critics of the Barossa plan have questioned the viability of drilling for gas that contains a relatively high proportion of carbon dioxide.

John Robert, a chemical engineer with 40 years’ experience in the oil and gas sector, said that means carbon emissions from Barossa will be especially high.

“The Barossa project would produce about one and a half tonnes of CO2 for every tonne of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) it produces, so it would in fact be a CO2 factory with an LNG by-product,” he said.

“And that’s before you transport it, turn the LNG back into natural gas, and then burn it in a power station. So it’s going to be about the dirtiest LNG around. But unfortunately Santos seems very determined to move ahead with it.”

Mr Frydenberg and ConocoPhillips declined to comment.

Australia’s offshore energy regulator, the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority, said a range of environmental and safety approvals need to be granted before gas extraction or production can begin at the Barossa field.

Australia announces new ‘Space Command’ defence agency

A

ustralia has unveiled a defence agency focused on space, designed to counter Russia and China’s ambitions.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton said the Defence Space Command would secure Australia’s place in the cosmos.

Air Vice-Marshal Cath Roberts, who will lead it, said she was “scared” by Australia’s inability to combat Beijing and Moscow’s activities.

The US, Russia and China are all believed to have tested weapons that could destroy a satellite in space.

The agency’s chief said a Chinese

satellite could theoretically “take out” the National Broadband Network for regional Australia.

Her role includes increasing Australians’ “national understanding” of space threats.

Vice-Marshal Roberts said that “we are really tight with the US” and “we can rely on them to an extent, but we need to accelerate the capability so that we can deal with the threats”.

Cath Roberts says Australia needs to expand its capacity to defend against threats from other countries in space Mr Dutton said the Defence Space

Command would initially be modest in scope, but that Australia would eventually need a “Space Force in the future” - a reference to the US Space Force launched in 2019.

He criticised “countries that see space as a territory for their taking, rather than one to be shared”.

Space will take on “greater military significance” in this century, Mr Dutton added, warning against it becoming an arena for conflict between nations.

The new agency’s members will come from Australia’s army, navy and air force, and will include private contractors.

Australia announced plans for the new agency last year. It will fall under the air force.

It follows the creation of the United States’ Space Force three years ago. That agency attracted some mockery on social media over its uniforms - with some asking why they needed to be camouflaged for use in space - and its official logo, which was said to resemble one from cult sci-fi TV series Star Trek.

The UK also launched a space command military centre in 2019.

Source: BBC

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

N

PAGE 25

e w s

FEC approves N92.123bn contract for Abuja airport second runway project

By Egena Sunday Ode

T

he Federal Executive Council (FEC), on Wednesday, approved a total of N92,123,175,305.77 for the construction of a second runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

FEC’s approval came just about 24 hours

after the inauguration of the new terminal building at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, disclosed this to State House Correspondents after the week’s virtual FEC meeting, which was presided over

by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to him, the entire sum would be spread over a number of works to be carried out at the airport, over a period of twelve months.

It would be recalled that President Buhari, while inaugurating the new terminal building at the MMAI in Lagos on Tuesday, had instructed the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning,

Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, to source funding for the second runway project for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

However, asked how government hopes to raise funding for the project on Wednesday, Sirika said the administration would use same pattern it had used to raise funding for all of its other projects across sectors to achieve the new task.

Bauchi First Lady, Lagos commissioner, Gombe revenue Chairman, others for leadership summit in Abuja

T

he First Lady of Bauchi State, Dr. Aishat Mohammed; the Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Pharm Mrs Uzamat Akinbile Yusuff; the Chairman of Gombe State Internal Revenue Service, Alhaji Abubakar Tata; the Chairman of OshodiIsolo LGA of Lagos State,Hon.Otunba Kehinde Almarouf and his counterpart in Kanam LGA of Plateau State, Hon. Dr.Dayyabu Yusuf Garga, are among the eminent personalities that will attend this year’s edition of Leadtimes Africa Annual Strategic leadership Summit on good governance next week in Abuja.

Those also expected to participate at the event included the Executive Director of Energy Commission of Nigeria, Engr Abaka Umar as well as the CEO of BAOLAS HOMES & GARDENS LIMITED, Lagos, Mr Segun Adetunji Lawal.

First Lady Bauchi of State will be

conferred with honorary doctorate degree in Social Policy and Administration

by Prowess University for her various empowerment initiatives for women across Bauchi state through her pet project- AlMuhibbah Foundation which is principally focused on women’ empowerment initiatives and other interventions like free medical services for women across board.

According to Professor Eze C Nwuaba in a statement, “ Dr Aishat Mohammed is an epitome of good governance in African Leadership.”

The Lagos state Commissioner for Tourism, Arts & Culture, Pharm.Mrs Uzamat Akinbile- Yussuf will be decorated with honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Social Policy & Administration in Abuja come next week. Prof.Nwuaba stated.

Professor Eze C. Nwuaba, who is Representative of Prowess University, in a statement, further said “at the end

of the summit session,many of these participants who have lived above board and have been making strides in leadership circles and humanitarian service will be conferred upon with various honour including the prowess University honorary doctorate award and fellowship induction: “These nominees have lived above board in their professional career; they have distinguished themselves by touching the lives of Nigerians especially the most vulnerable in our society. The selection was highly competitive without bias and prejudice; it is strictly based on merit and recommendations by members of their local communities”.

Other nominees for honorary awards, the statement noted, included Alhaji Shehu Usman Jibril,chairman of Mile 12 International Market, Lagos; CEO of ASKAMAYA Hotels & Suites,Mr Ulom

Michael(Askamaya);the Managing Director/CEO of Nasarawa State Urban Development Board,Engr Wada Mohammed Yahaya and the CEO of JUNENG Big. Limited, Mr Darlington Agbiogwu,including the Emir of Biu, His Royal Highness Midala Mustapha Mai Umar who will bag honorary doctorate degree award in humanities.

Also included in the award list is the CEO of Zarita Kouture and Academy and Founder of StellaRita Awelle Humanitarian Foundation, Dr hc StellaRita Awelle Asogwa who will be decorated with honorary doctorate degree award in Organisational Leadership at the University of Abuja.

The National Chairman of Petroleum Tankers’ Drivers, branch of NUPENG, Comrade Dr Salimon Akani Oladiti will doubles as honorary doctorate degree awardee and as Special guest of honour at the occasion.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

26

Feature

Ukraine: The small town which managed to block Russia’s big plans

V

ictory would have enabled Russian forces to sweep further west along the Black Sea coast towards the huge port of Odesa and a major nuclear power plant.

Instead, Ukrainian troops, supported by an eclectic army of local volunteers, delivered a crushing blow to Russian plans, first by blowing up the bridge and then by driving the invading army back, up to 100km, to the east.

“It’s hard to explain how we did it. It’s thanks to the fighting spirit of our local people and to the Ukrainian army,” said Voznesensk’s 32-year-old mayor, Yevheni Velichko, standing in body armour with his guards outside the town hall.

But almost three weeks after that battle, the mayor warned that another attack by Russian forces was probably imminent and that the town’s defenders lacked the weapons to hold them off a second time.

“This is such a strategic location. We’re not only defending the town, but all the territory behind it. And we don’t have the heavy weapons our enemy has,” he said.

As on so many frontlines in Ukraine, British-supplied antitank missiles proved crucial in turning the tide against Russian armour in Voznesensk, leaving the town littered with up to 30 tanks, armoured cars and even a helicopter.

“It’s only thanks to these weapons that we were able to beat our enemy here. And we say thank you to our partners for their support. But we need more. The enemy’s convoys will keep coming,” said Mr Velichko.

Voznesensk’s strategic significance became clear soon after Russian forces failed to capture an even larger bridge, further to the south, across Ukraine’s second-largest river, the Southern Buh. Today, Voznesensk is not quite a ghost town, haunted

“

It was one of the most decisive battles of the war so far - a ferocious two-day struggle for control of the farming town of Voznesensk and its strategically important bridge.

Voznesensk’s mayor, Yevheni Velichko, praised the defenders of his town by regular air raid sirens. But thousands have left in recent weeks, by train or on potholed country roads that wind through vast, rolling fields of wheat.

“It was a colossal effort by the whole town,” said Alexander, a local shopkeeper who filmed himself on the frontlines with an AK47, screaming “Come on my little beauties!” as another volunteer fired a rocket-propelled grenade towards Russian positions.

“We used hunting rifles, people threw bricks and jars. Old women loaded heavy sandbags.

Many of those who have chosen to stay behind still seem eager to talk about their remarkable victory.

“It was a colossal effort by the whole town,” said Alexander, a local shopkeeper who filmed himself on the frontlines with an AK47, screaming “Come on

my little beauties!” as another volunteer fired a rocketpropelled grenade towards Russian positions.

“We used hunting rifles, people threw bricks and jars.

Old women loaded heavy sandbags.

“The Russians didn’t know

Svetlana Nikolaevna says the Russians left hurriedly

where to look or where the next attack would come from.

I’ve never seen the community come together like that,” he said, standing by the twisted wreckage of the bridge, which Ukrainian forces destroyed within hours of the first Russian attack.

The matted swirl of Russian tank tracks still mark Svetlana Nikolaevna’s garden, in the village of Rakove, on the southern edge of Voznesensk, where some of the heaviest fighting took place.

Bloody bandages and Russian ration packs litter the hedge rows. The 59-yearold pointed to her husband’s tool shed, explaining that two captured Ukrainian soldiers had been held there by the Russians and were only saved from execution by a surge in fighting.

“Look at the blood stains on my door,” she said, inviting visitors inside her ramshackle cottage. While she and her family took shelter in a nearby cellar, the Russians converted her entire home into a makeshift field hospital.

“I came back to get some clothes on the second day.

There were wounded people lying everywhere. Ten of them, I think. I’ve cleared up most of the blood,” she said.

“They left in a hurry, one night. They left everything behind - boots, socks, body armour, helmets - and just loaded up their dead and their wounded and ran away.”

It fell to the local funeral director, Mykhailo Sokurenko, to hunt in the fields for more Russian bodies and then load them into a train wagon.

“I don’t consider them human beings [after what they did here]. But it would wrong just leave them out in the field, still frightening people even after their deaths,” he said.

“These Russians are sick in the head, so we’ll have to stay on guard. But victory will come, and we’ll push the Russians out of all our lands.”

Source: BBC

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

PAGE 27

CLASSIFIED PUBLIC NOTICE

SHAHEEDAH

PUBLIC NOTICE

MUMMY APO GLORIOUS MINISTRY

I, FORMERLY KNOWN AS SHAHEEDAH HASSAN HUSSAIN. NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AS SHAHEEDAH IBRAHIM BUBA. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. ALL AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

INDEPENDENT PETROLEUM MARKETERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (IPMAN), CAC/IT/NO 2686

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘F’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, ( CAMA 2020).

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. NKEIRU VICTORY IHEZUO 2. PAUL CHIOMA IHEZUO.

MR. DUNAMA

SIGNED: SECRETARY.

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT MR DUNAMA DZARMA AZURA, BARR. D D AZURA, THOMAS DUNAMA DZARMA AZURA, AZURA TOMA DZARMA, THOMAS DUNAMA AZURA, D D AZURA, DUNAMA DZARMA AZURA, AZURA THOMAS DUNAMA DZARMA IS ONE AND SAME PERSON NOW WISH TO BE CALLED AND ADDRESSED AS MR DUNAMA DZARMA AZURA ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID GENERAL PUBLIC AND AUTHORITY CONCERN SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

- CHAIRMAN. - SECRETARY

THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE : 1.TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION.

KABAMA LAYOUT MUSLIM ASSOCATION, CAC/IT NO: 79574.

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR CERTIFIED TRUE COPY (CTC) OF LOSS OF ORIGINAL CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION UNDER PART ‘F’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, ( CAMA 2020).

EDENCALVARY FOUNDATION THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED FOUNDATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC) FOR THE REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘C’ OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. EMMANUEL SUNDAY PHILIP ODAH 2. OGWURU EZE PAUL 3. OMONOKHUA CHRISTOPHER IMOHONE 4. MICHAEL IKECHUKWU NNAMANI 5. OPARA PETER 6. AGI PAUL EGBUNU 7. RAPHAEL OFFORDUM 8. ODAH HELEN INYANMU 9. OWOICHO JOHN AGBO 10. OGBU FRANCIS NDUBUISI

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR CERTIFIED TRUE COPY (CTC) OF LOSS OF ORIGINAL CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION UNDER PART ‘F’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, ( CAMA 2020).

THE TRUSTEES REMAIN THE SAME. THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES REMAIN THE SAME. FOR LOSS OF ORIGINAL CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS APPLICATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE

VOICE OF HOPE WELFARE FOUNDATION

THE ABOVE NAMED FOUNDATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (C.A.C) FOR REGISTRATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTER ACT. 2020 THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. MR. OSEROGHO IDEHAI BENITO - CHAIRMAN 2. MR. IWEMJIWE CHRISTIAN NNAZOM - MEMBER 3. MRS. BENITO-OSEROGHO FAITH UVIEMENA - MEMBER 4. MISS. AMEN OSAGIE - SECRETARY

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS APPLICATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION.

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : 1. TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. 2. TO PROMOTE CAPACITY BUILDING AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT. 3. TO ENGAGE IN HUMANITARIAN AND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES. ANY OBJECTIVE TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION AT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI-IRONSI ST. PMB 198 MAITAMA, ABUJA 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THE PUBLICATION.

SIGNED : SECRETARY.

SIGNED: EMMANUEL SUNDAY PHILIP ODAH

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. IDENTIFY AND SHOWCASE THE MUSIC, SPORTS, DANCE, ENTREPRENEURIAL AND ACADEMIC GIFTS AND INNER BEAUTY OF THE AFRICAN YOUTH. 2. TO RESTORE THE HOPES AND ASPIRATIONS OF THE AFRICAN YOUTH. 3. TO RESTORE PEACE IN AFRICA BY RE-EDUCATING THE AFRICAN YOUTH ON PURPOSE AND BENEFITS OF PEACE AND PLACING THEM IN THE FOREFRONT OF PEACE NEGOTIATIONS. 4. TO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE UNEMPLOYED AFRICAN YOUTH, TO CREATE WEALTH. ANY OBJECTION THEREFORE SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, P.M.B 198, GARKI, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION SIGNED : AMEN OSAGIE ESQ SOLICITOR.

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

OSSISSA IMPROVEMENT UNION

VERONICA ADUKE MUNIS SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION

THE TRUSTEES REMAIN THE SAME. THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES REMAIN THE SAME. FOR COURT PURPOSE.

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘F’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, ( CAMA 2020).

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1,. HON (CHIEF) EMMANUEL IZUEGBUNEM ONYEUKWU.... CHAIRMAN 2,. OKOCHA THOMAS EMEKA... SECRETARY 3,. HIGH (CHIEF) EDWARD OBIAJULU OLISANEKWU...1ST VICE CHAIRMAN 4,.HIGH (CHIEF) JOSEPH ONYEKA OSAKWE... 2ND VICE CHAIRMAN 5,.OBIAZUE RICHARD 6,.ODINIGWE CLETUS AMEH...FINANCIAL SECRETARY 7,.CHUKWUJI - OJUKWU FLORENCE NKEM 8,.CHIEF BINI NELSON THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : 1.TO WORK TOWARDS THE IMPROVEMENT OF OSSISSA COMMUNITY 2.TO ASSIST THE LESS PRIVILEDGED, WIDOWS, ORPHANS AND BRING POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT TO OSSISSA COMMUNITY. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : SECRETARY 08038769236.

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘F’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, ( CAMA 2020).

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1,. MUNIS, JOSEPH OLUTOYIN...CHAIRMAN 2,. MUNIS, OLOLADE ABIMBOLA... SECRETARY THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : 1.TO ASSIST INDIGENT BUT INTELLIGENT CHILDREN BY GRANTING THEM SCHOLARSHIP 2.TO ASSIST ORPHANS, WIDOWS AND THE LESS PRIVILEDGED ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : EZEJI GLORIA 08038769236.

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

KINIHUN-ESIN ISTIJABAH CENTRAL MOSQUE FOUNDATION

NNAMDI AZIKIWE UNIVERSITY 2005 LAW CLASS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘F’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, ( CAMA 2020).

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘F’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, ( CAMA 2020).

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. KAREEM AYINLA KABIR 2. KAREEM MUHAMMED OLOLADE 3. OGUNLAJA TANSIRU ALADE 4. AYODELE YAHYA OLAYINKA 5. IBRAHIM KAZEEM OLUSEYI THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : 1. TO SUPPORT ORPHANS AND WIDOWS 2. TO SUPPORT THE OLD AND ELDERLY IN THE SOCIETY. 3. TO ORGANISE EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMMES FOR WOMEN AND THE YOUTH. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : SECRETARY.

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. IHIONU NJIDEKA IRENE 2. UDEGBULEM MAZI VITUS 3. UCHEGBU OLUCHI EMMANUELA 4. OKWUOWULU CHIOMA STELLA 5. ORAFU BENEDICT EMEKA (CHAIRMAN OF TRUSTEES) 6. UGWU SCHOLATISCA EKENE 7. ONYISI CHUKWUMA FABIAN 8. ASOGWA ELUMA KENNEDY THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : 1. TO PROVIDE FOR THE WELFARE OF ITS MEMBERS 2. TO ENSURE THAT THE NEEDS OF ITS MEMBERS ARE MET 3. TO CONTRIBUTE FOR THE COURSE OF THE ADVANCEMENT OF ITS MEMBERS 4. TO SEEK FOR FUNDS TO PROMOTE THE WELFARE OF ITS MEMBERS ADE THE ASSOCIATION. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : SECRETARY - OKWUOWULU CHIOMA STELLA

GARUBA ODE ISLAMIC FOUNDATION THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘F’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, ( CAMA 2020).

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1.

ODELADE ADEBAYO MUTIU 2.

ODELADE FATIMAH MUTIU’LLAH 3.

MUTIU’LLAH SUMAYA GARBA 4.

AINA-OBE SHAMSUDDIN BOLATITO 5.

ALAWODE ADESOYE LUKMON 6.

SHEHU MOHAMMED THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : 1. TO PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR ORPHANS AND INDIGENT STUDENTS IN SCHOOLS IN AND OUTSIDE NIGERIA. 2. TO ORGANIZE SEMINARS, WORKSHOPS AND TRAINING PROGRAMMES FOR THE ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF THE WOMEN, ORPHANS, YOUTH AND LESS PRIVILEGED IN THE SOCIETY. 3. TO RAISE FUNDS AND CATER FOR INDIGENT WOMEN, ORPHANS AND LESS PRIVILEGED MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY. 4. TO ORGANIZE ENLIGHTENMENT PROGRAMMES IN ORDER TO ADVOCATE FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE IN THE SOCIETY. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : SECRETARY.

PUBLIC NOTICE INITIATIVE FOR THE UPLIFTMENT OF DISABLED PERSON THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR CHANGE OF TRUSTEES UNDER PART ‘F’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, ( CAMA 2020).

THE CURRENT TRUSTEES ARE : 1. BEULAH EYO EFFIONG

2. PST DAVID ACHIBONG

THE REMOVED TRUSTEES ARE : 1.DEBORAH ARCHIBONG 3.JOB NEPOLEOM AGBOR

2. ESTHER BASSEY 4. JACOB AGBA

THE NEW TRUSTEES ARE : 1) EFFIONG OKOKON EYO 2)SCHAFER ANN EFFIONG 3)ESUK ETIM OKON 4)EKATAH PERPETUA EKIOMOADO 5)OROK BLESSING EDDY 6)DAUDA KANENG 7)BAGU HAUWA D THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES REMAIN THE SAME. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS APPLICATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : SECRETARY.

PAGE 27

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

CLASSIFIED LOSS OF DOCUMENTS

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC OF THE LOSS OF ORIGINAL LAND DOCUMENT IN RESPECT PLOT NO. 6374, F14 BAZANGO MEASURING ABOUT 585.10M2 CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY (C. OF .O) FCT ABUJA. BELONGING TO MRS. OMOLEYE ADRONKE ADEBUKOLA ISSUED TO HER BY THE AUTHORITY. AND ALSO LOSS OF 2020 LAW DIARY CONTAINING SEALS, RECEIPTS AND OTHER VALUABLE. GOT MISSING. ALL EFFORTS MADE TO TRACE THE SAID DOCUMENT HAVE PROVED ABORTIVE. IF FOUND PLEASE, KINDLY RETURN TO THE NEAREST POLICE STATION.ALL AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

OKO KINDRED ASSOCIATION THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART “F” OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 2020.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. OBAH JUSTUS IDUKHOKHE. 2. SALIU IDAHOSA ICHABA. 3. ABU JONATHAN UNUAKHENAH. 4. MICHAEL DADA. 5.EDIAWE ESHIORAMHE. 6. OZUOMOGE ANTHONY

BLESSED GOLDEN CLUB OF ABUJA IT/NO/28945 THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION FOR APPOINTMENT AND REMOVAL OF TRUSTEES UNDER PART “C” OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT 2020.

OLD TRUSTEES ARE : 1. IFEANYI IWU. 2. OKEY UZOMA. 3. CHIMEZIE OKONKWU

AIMS TO PROTECT THE INTEREST OF IT’S MEMBERS. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION. SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION.

- REMOVED - REMOVED - REMOVED

NEW TRUSTEES 1. MOSES EJIOFOR. COSMAS 2. EBENEZER NDUBUISI ANYANWUMELU 3. NWAGWU CHIBUZO CHRISTIAN 4. FRIDAY OGUTA SUCCESS 5. ANTHONY I. OKONKWU ANY OBJECTION TO THIS CHANGE SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION.

SIGNED: SECRETARY

SIGNED: SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

CHRIST TRINITY EVANGELICAL MINISTRY

THE LIBERATION POWER PROPHETIC MINISTRY INTERNATIONAL

CHRIST TRINITY EVANGELICAL MINISTRY

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART “F” OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 2020.

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC),ABUJA, FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART “F” OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 2020.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1 ALABADAN AJOKE KUBURAT 2 OLU-ALABADAN MAYOKUN SEGUN

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1) BETTY ABIEYUWA OSAS COLLINS 2) EGHAREVBA COLLINS OSAS - SECRETARY 3)JOYCE SUBEWOE JACOBS 4) SAM HOVA 5) NAME. OKEKE COLLINS UDERIKE

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST TO ALL PEOPLE IN ALL NATIONS OF THE WORLD. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION. SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC),ABUJA, FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART “F” OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 2020.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1 ALABADAN AJOKE KUBURAT 2 OLU-ALABADAN MAYOKUN SEGUN

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1) TO PREACH THE WORD OF GOD( THE HOLY BIBLE) WITH THE MANDATE OF ISAIAH 61:1-11.

2) TO LOVE (AGAPE LOVE) UNCONDITIONALLY AND TO IMPACT HUMANITY. 3) OUR MAJOR GOAL IS “SOUL WINNING” SHARING THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST TO RECONCILE PEOPLE BACK TO GOD, AND TO DEPOPULATE THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS, TO ACHIEVE THIS WE MUST BEAR THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT ACCORDING TO GALATIANS 5:22-23.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST TO ALL PEOPLE IN ALL NATIONS OF THE WORLD. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

AISHA

MAMUDA

ADO

I, FORMERLY KNOWN AS YUSHAU AISHA. NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS AISHA YUSHAU. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. ALL AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

I, FORMERLY KNOWN AS MAMUDA BASHIR. NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS MAMUDA BASHIR BAWA. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. ALL AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

I, FORMERLY KNOWN AS ADAMU IBRAHIM. NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS ADO IBRAHIM. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. ALL AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

GARBA

MUHAMMAD

GRACE

I, FORMERLY KNOWN AS ISYAKU BALA. NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS GARBA SHEHU. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. ALL AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

I, FORMERLY KNOWN AS MOHAMMED YAHAYA . NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS MUHAMMAD YAHAYA. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. ALL AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

I, FORMERLY KNOWN AS GRACE ELEOJO ETUBI. NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS GRACE AYOOLWA JEREMIAH. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. ALL AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

SOARING EAGLES YOUTH FORUM

HEARTY HELPING HAND INITIATIVE

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART “F” OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 2020.

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART “F” OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 2020.

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART “F” OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 2020.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. MBELU CHIKE NEBOLISA 2. UDOH FRANCIS AFAMEFUNA 3. OBIANAGHA KENNETH UDOKA 4. ONUIGBO NEBOLISA ALOYSIUS 5. OKAFOR SAMUEL CHINEDU 6. IKEAKOR CHINEDU EMMANUEL

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. OGBUEFI CHINENYE EVELYN 2. OGBONNA EVANGELINE CHIAMAKA 3. UDEKIGBO OKECHUKWU JOHNBOSCO 4. OKOYE CHIZOBA BENEDICT

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.

JAMES VICTORIA 2.

CHARLES DEBORAH 3.

SUNDAY OCHE IDENYI

IKENGA OGIDI FAMILY UNION, ANAMBRA

- CHAIRMAN - SECRETARY

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO PROVIDE A FORUM FOR INTERACTION BY INDIGENES OF IKENGA VILLAGE IN OGIDI ON MATTERS AFFECTING THE VILLAGE. 2. TO ESTABLISH AN ORGANIZATION THROUGH WHICH ALL IKENGA OGIDI PEOPLE SHALL CONTRIBUTE THEIR QUOTA IN RESPECT OF INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT, EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT HEALTH CARE ETC 3. TO FOSTER MUTUAL LOVE, UNITY AND COOPERATION AMONGST PEOPLE OF IKENGA OGIDI WHEREVER THEY MAY BE. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION. SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: TRUSTEES

- CHAIRMAN - SECRETARY

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1.

TO EDUCATE THE YOUTH ON SOUND MORALS 2.

TO GUIDE THE YOUTHS TO IMBIBE POSITIVE VALUES TO ENABLE THEM BECOME USEFUL TO THEMSELVES AND THE SOCIETY 3.

TO ADVISE THE YOUTHS AGAINST SOCIAL VICES THROUGH TRAINING AND CONFERENCES ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION. SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: TRUSTEES

CHAIRPERSON SECRETARY

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY AND INCLUSION 2. TO PROMOTE PEACE BUILDING 3. TO PROMOTE EFFICIENT DATA COLLECTION, MANAGEMENT AND ANALYSIS 4. TO EDUCATE THE CHILDREN AND TO CREATE AWARENESS AMONG YOUTH 5. TO PROMOTE GOOD GOVERNANCE AND ENHANCE ACCOUNTABILITY 6. TO FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY AND HUNGER ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION. SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: TRUSTEES

PEOPLES DAILY

Sports

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

PAGE

29

sports@peoplesdailyng.com, SMS- 08142929046

World Cup Play-off: Super Eagles depart Abuja today for Ghana clash

By Amaechi Agbo

T

he Super Eagles of Nigeria will depart Abuja via Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport for Ghana today ahead of their Friday’s World Cup play-off first leg match against the Black Stars of Ghana.

The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF who disclosed this is a press release on Wednesday said the Super Eagles’ contingent will fly into Kumasi, venue of the match, on Thursday morning aboard a chartered flight, and return with the same aircraft immediately after the match.

The federation through the General Secretary, Mohammed Sanisu promised that no stone would be left unturned in ensuring the Nigeria picked a ticket for her 7th World Cup appearance.

Mr Sanusi reiterated that the nation’s football –ruling body is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the Super Eagles overcome Ghana’s Black Stars in this month’s FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 playoff fixture.

Three-time African champions Nigeria and four –time African champions Ghana clash for one of Africa’s slots at the 22nd FIFA World Cup finals, with Ghana hosting the first leg in Kumasi on Friday and the Nigeria hosting the fierce arch rivals in Abuja on Tuesday next week.

“I want to assure that the NFF is putting all arrangements in place to motivate and incentivize the players and officials for the two big matches. We have concluded most of the arrangements and expect no glitch anywhere. We are also ready to deal with

Super Eagles team eventualities as they arise because these are matches that we must win.

“The NFF is very much alive to its responsibilities and will put everything in place to inspire the Super Eagles to triumph,” said Sanusi, who watched the

team’s training session under floodlights at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium on Tuesday night.

Officials have also confirmed that the Eagles’ players and officials will be staying at the Golden Tulip hotel facility in Kumasi,

for the match.

The match will be played tomorrow at the Baba Yara Stadium, in Kumasi

Super Eagles players praise turf of Moshood Abiola National Stadium

S

uper Eagles’ players on Tuesday rhapsodized about the new, improved turf of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja as they intensified preparations for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 playoff fixture against the Black Stars of Ghana.

At their first training session ahead of the two big games, captain Ahmed Musa, deputy captain William Ekong, defender Abdullahi Shehu and forwards Odion Ighalo and Victor Osimhen expressed delight with the turn-around of the turf and admitted it enabled the team to roll the ball the way they wanted.

Musa told thenff.com: “The turf is looking and feeling really nice and wonderful. I want to thank the Honourable Minister and the Ministry officials for a job well.”

“This turf is excellent; it is among the best that I have seen anywhere,” defender Abdullahi Shehu said after Tuesday night’s training session under floodlights. “We are pleased with what we are seeing and it is a positive development.”

On his part, forward Odion Ighalo said: “Ah, I am excited with the feel of the turf.

There is nothing to complain about,” while

Ekong added: “This is really nice. The turf feels good and we are happy that our request for the turf to be put in great shape was heeded by the Sports Ministry.”

Forward Victor Osimhen also commended the playing pitch. “I love it. It is really nice and it allows the ball to roll very well.”

During a hybrid meeting (physical and virtual) with the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare and top officials of the Nigeria Football Federation last month, the players had specifically requested that the turf of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium be put in great shape for the World Cup playoff tango with the Black Stars.

There and then, the Sports Minister set machinery to work and the result is an excellent playing turf that is the pride of all today.

Nigeria host Ghana at the country’s premium sports facility on Tuesday next week, in what is the final leg of a playoff to determine one of Africa’s tickets to the 22nd FIFA World Cup finals in Qatar, holding 14th November – 18th December this year

Russia bids to host Euro tournament despite FIFA ban

PG30 >>>PG30

PAGE 30

S P

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

R

T

Enyimba Coach Resigns

By Amaechi Agbo

T

he poor performances rocking eight-time Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL side Enyimba International FC took a nose dive over the weekend as the Chief Coach of the club Caleb Esu have resigned Coach Caleb Esu resigned on March 15, 2022.

Findings by this paper showed that the Chief Coach resigned after he was made an escape goat of Enyimba’s recently poor performances in the league.

In a letter made available and addressed to Enyimba Chairman, Felix Anyansi Agwu in which Nigeria Football Coaches Association and the League Management Company, LMC were copied, Coach Esu said his resignation which was a heavy decision for him, was prompted by threat and toxic environment he had found himself.

Coach Caleb Esu It waa gathered that the chairman of Enyimba Supporters

club had accused Coach Esu as the brain behind Enyimba’s

recent travails in the league, a fact Coach Esu pointed out in his letter.

He started by saying that his resignation was with a heavy heart: “With a heavy heart, I write to intimate you of my resignation from your club, due to the threat and toxic environment I find myself.

“I was singled out by the supporters as a member of your technical crew that have not done well with the club, during our trial times in the league.

“As a coach in this country, there’s nowhere I’ve been to of which I’m seen to be incompetence in my profession as a trained coach,” began.

He lamented that the club’s supporters club have succeeded in rubbishing his name. While stating that he had no regrets leaving the club, he thanked the management for the opportunity to be part of the team for the ongoing season.

“Enyimba supporters have succeeded in rubbishing my name, but I dont regret their action. What I know for sure is that “Light they say has nothing to do with Darkness”.

“I thank you, for the opportunity given to me, to be part of the technical crew of Enyimba F.C. 2021/2022 season.

Please accept my resignation from the team,” the letter concluded.

An insider told our correspondent that Enyimba do not want the news of Esu’s resignation, hence they kept mute over his letter.

Coach Caleb Esu it could be recalled promoted Go Road FC as well as the Dakkada FC to the NPFL at various times.

He joined Enyimba in September last year but their relationship could not last longer.

Enyimba are currently 10th on the league table with 26 points from 19 games.

Russia bids I was depressed under Mohrinho as to host Euro Man United manager - Paul Pogba tournament despite FIFA ban

R

ussia has reportedly joined other federations looking to host either the Euro 2028, or 2032.

This comes despite the country being suspended by FIFA following the invasion of Ukraine.

“We are going to file a bid for hosting of the 2028 and 2032 European Championships,” RFU board member Sergei Anokhin said on broadcaster Match TV. The country hosted the 2018 World Cup, with the iconic Luzhniki Stadium hosting the final match.

“We are sending the declaration today,” Dyukov said. “We assume that Russia is already prepared to host large-scale competitions. We have the experience.”

The deadline for expressions of interest was set for today, Wednesday, with the UK and Ireland the frontrunners to host the 2028 tournament.

The deadline to submit final bid dossiers is April 2023, with a decision by the UEFA executive committee set for September 2023.

“We reserve the right to enter a bid,” Dyukov said. “This option doesn’t cost anything. And you can’t refuse it if it isn’t expensive.”

Alongside Russia, perennial bidders Turkey have also been credited with interest.

Jose Mourinho and Paul Pogba in a discussion

M

anchester United midfielder Paul Pogba says he experienced depression after falling out with Jose Mourinho during the Portuguese manager’s time in charge at Old Trafford.

The France player, 29, had a difficult relationship with Mourinho and lost the vice-captaincy in September 2018.

Mourinho was sacked as United manager in December 2018.

“I’ve experienced depression many times in my career, but you don’t talk about it,” he told La Figaro.

“Sometimes, you don’t know you’re depressed, you only want to isolate yourself, be alone, and these are signs that don’t deceive.

“Personally, it started when I was with Jose Mourinho in Manchester. You ask

yourself questions, wonder if you’re at fault, because you have never lived moments like these in your life.”.

He helped United win the League Cup and Europa League in 2017 under the former Chelsea boss but their relationship soured at the start of the following season.

Mourinho told Pogba he would never captain the side again under his management, reportedly because of concerns about his attitude, before he was sacked two months later after a run of poor results.

Pogba says focusing on his family and talking to former players who also experienced depression, including former Manchester United team-mate Patrice Evra, helped him cope.

“I don’t want these negative moments

to make me forget all my achievements, but it’s not necessarily easy,” he said.

“And when you can’t do it all alone I talk a lot with ‘Uncle Pat’ [Evra], former players who lived it, because they’ll understand you right away.

“Talking, being listened to, getting out all this anger and depression that gnaws at you, it’s mandatory for me.

“Of course, we earn a lot of money and we can’t complain, really, but it doesn’t stop you from going through these moments.

“Just like everyone in life, some moments are more difficult than others.

“Because you earn money, you should always be happy? That’s not how life is.

But, in football, it’s not accepted, even though we’re not superheroes, only human beings.”

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

PAGE 31

CLASSIFIED PUBLIC NOTICE NEWDAWN WORD ASSEMBLY THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART “F” OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 2020.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. OKON UBONG EDET: CHAIRMAN 2. OKON GLORY UBONG: SECRETARY 3. NKOR BETHEL- PRAISE 4. UKAFIA SYLVANUS AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1.TO ADVANCE THE KINGDOM OF GOD EXPONENTIALLY BY MOVING PEOPLE FROM THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS INTO THE KINGDOM OF LIGHT, AND OF GOD AND OF HIS DEAR SON, JESUS AND ALSO THROUGH RIGOROUS AND AGGRESSIVE CHURCH PLANTING CAMPAIGNS ACROSS AFRICA AND THE ENTIRE GLOBE. 2. TO RAISE KINGDOM AMBASSADORS TO REPRESENT THE KINGDOM IN FULL CAPACITY IN THEIR RESPECTIVE SPHERES AND DISCIPLE ONE MILLION SOULS EVERY TEN YEARS. 3. TO TEACH MEN THE VALUES, DOMINION, CULTURE, LIFESTYLE, IDEALS, PRINCIPLES, LANGUAGE, BEHAVIOURS, EXPRESSIONS, SYSTEMS, ORDER AND STRUCTURE OF THE KINGDOM. 4. TO CAUSE MEN TO EXPERIENCE THE GREATNESS OF THE KINGDOM IN LIVING EXCELLENT LIVES AND TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE POWER OF GOD THROUGH THE PREACHING OF THE WORD OF FAITH IN LOVE AND WITH THE WISDOM THAT PRODUCES RESULTS. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION. SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: CHAIRMAN

SPACE FOR SALE

. . . putting the people first

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

THIS SPACE IS FOR SALE

SPORTS What is Nigeria’s international

relations policy direction?

M

LATEST

Andros Townsend out for the rest of the season

E

verton winger Andros Townsend has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Townsend came off early in the FA Cup defeat at Crystal Palace on Sunday and a scan revealed he suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage.

Everton said the 30-yearold “will undergo surgery next week before starting his rehabilitation”.

Townsend’s absence comes as Toffees boss Frank Lampard tries to save his side from Premier League relegation.

Everton are 17th in the top flight, just two points above the bottom three, although they do have games in hand on some of the rival teams around them.

The Goodison Park side are also without centre-back Yerry Mina because of a quad injury.

The Colombia international was ruled out for up to 10 weeks after suffering the injury in a league defeat by Newcastle United on 8 February.

Everton’s Tom Davies is also sidelined after having surgery on his hamstring, while fellow midfielder Allan has to serve two more games of a three-match suspension.

Taye Taiwo and Oduamadi ADVERT: NEWS: KANO: LAGOS:

ay be the question should be do we have a defined international relations policy? May be better put it should be do we have a national interest that defines our international relations? Whichever way we put it evidence before us right now giving what we are witnessing the questions call for thorough interrogation. A necessary debate that may really just answer so many other questions in nation building and self-actualization.

That vote against Russia in respect of her war with Ukraine is to say the least poor ‘sportsmanship’ in diplomacy.

Talking of diplomacy we have definitely gone off tangent, lost direction and crumbled building principles that make nations great or stand out amongst peers.

Nigeria’s diplomatic principles on her strong support for every people’s right to freedom and self –determination was instrumental to her acquisition of that title “giant of Africa”. Nigeria stood tall and commanding amongst its peers, fearless, bold, and resolute, she took on the cloak of Africa leadership and she wore it proudly. Our diplomacy was no nonsense, and it was clear that this young country will not be dictated to by those super powers whose only interest was, has been, and its still all about themselves and their survival. On January 11th 1976, the then Nigerian Head of State, General Murtala Mohammed delivered one of the most powerful speech and message to fellow African leaders and the rest of the world declaring unequivocally that Africa has come of age, that Africa will no longer be dictated to by non-Africans on matters that concerned Africa and liberation of African States. Other African states fell in line, defied the United States and Europe and recognized the independence of fellow African nations, Angola in particular.

This famous speech delivered at the 1st extraordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Governments since the founding of the Organization of Africa Unity (OAU) 12 years earlier was considered then and even now as the most revolutionary and powerful speech by any African leader. That speech was in response to the letter or rather “circular” by then United States President Gerald Ford to Nigeria and other African Nations

0806 564 8620 0814 292 9046 0803 587 5846 08074420617

THURSDAY COLUMN By

SAFIYA ADAMU yandokye@gmail.com demanding that the OAU insist on the Soviet Union withdrawing her support for the MPLA led Angola government and leaving Angola to the rampage of then apartheid South Africa while the USA itself openly and covertly side with Apartheid South Africa against any African self –determination. The Nigerian Military Government even acted unprecedented by any government by releasing the letter to the press. This and the speech defined and charted Nigeria’s diplomatic course or so we thought over the years until Presidents Jonathan and now Buhari happened on us. Nigeria was at the forefront of the quests and fight for independence by African and non-African nations desiring independence, freedom, and self-determination. Nigeria was consistent and firm in voting, defense of the right to selfdetermination and supported all people across the globe seeking independence. The presence of Brigadier Joe Garba external with his towering height closer to seven foot than six feet in any diplomatic conference simply conveyed what and where Nigeria stood. As the Minister for external Affairs and later Nigeria’s Representative at the United Nations he was a presence that enjoyed the backing of his home government. So what happened? Other Nations looked up to us not necessarily because we were large with a promising economy but because we were bold, brave and consistent in

“

pursuing and protecting Nigeria’s interests in particular, and interests of the African continent as a whole. Now all we are witnessing are diplomatic policy flip-flops, inconsistencies and array of diplomats with no idea or inkling of what constitutes national interests and national dignity.

December 2014 was the first obvious indication of our diplomatic policy inconsistencies, it was the day Nigeria betrayed her international relations standing and took a bow at the alter of flimsy sentiments and lack of depth in diplomatic relations.

In bewilderment we wonder what our new foreign policy is or would be or if there is going to be any at all. Now we know. Nigeria went on to solidify its position as a nation with no clear-cut diplomatic relations policy by voting against Russia. No doubt Russia attacked a sovereign nation, but what prompted this action? NATO is as guilty if not more in this regard.

NATO is directly responsible for this tragedy and must take the blame for it. Anyway whether Nigeria voted for or against what remains a fact is that the United States and indeed NATO will continue to emasculate and undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty directly or covertly. They will continue to hide under the guise of human rights abuses and Amnesty international to stop you from taking decisive action against forces that threaten your

Nigeria once more has sided with its” enemies”, those who have nothing to offer it but deceit and exploitation. Voting along side NATO nations and the USA is as good as voting for your noose. NATO will go after your jugular if anyone of them thinks that you deserve to be obliterated.

territorial integrity. Your bandits or terrorists or kidnappers will continue to have access to weapons they refuse to sell to you while threatening you with sanctions because they have defined your self-defense as crimes against humanity. Well I salute those African countries that were bold enough to voted against NATO and the United States, I even salute those that abstained.

They collectively did better than the “GIANT” of Africa.

Nigeria once more has sided with its” enemies”, those who have nothing to offer it but deceit and exploitation. Voting along side NATO nations and the USA is as good as voting for your noose.

NATO will go after your jugular if anyone of them thinks that you deserve to be obliterated. No doubt Russia attacked a sovereign nation called Ukraine, but pray what makes that attack any different from what NATO has been doing and will continue to do? Do not think I’m justifying Russia’s actions here, however facts are facts and we all supposedly have brains. Have we asked ourselves what exactly Gaddafi did wrong for example? But NATO with all its firepower went after him, destroyed that country, and plunged it into chaos. Today? All we can say is “ once upon a time there was a country called Libya”.

Let’s go to Afghanistan, do we dare go to Iraq? Egypt? Syria?

So why do you think you will be spared at any given opportunity.

Has Africa come of age? NO! Has Nigeria come of age? Apparently we have not. Diplomatic yo-yo is no diplomacy; we need to rethink our foreign relations and affairs.

DAN GAYE DANGAYE

Ahead March 26 convention, APC settles for consensus chair

Who are the losers?

Published by Peoples Media Limited, 35, Ajose Adeogun Street, 1st Floor Peace Park Plaza, Utako, Abuja. Kaduna office: K6 Ahmadu Bello Way, opposite Kontagora road, Kaduna. Tel: +234 814 292 9046. Cell: +234 802 443 2099; 803 7007 759. e-mail: contact@peoplesdailyng.com; pmlnewseditor@gmail.com ISSN: 2141– 6141