FRIDAY 15TH FEBRUARY 2019

Investors Wave off Election Jitters as Stock Market Gains N712bn Goddy Egene Despite concerns of political risk, the stock market has continued to display resilience as investors recorded gain of N712 billion in seven days of trading.

The market, which declined in 2018 due to negative investor

sentiment ahead of the general election and capital flow reversals, had ended January 2019 with a negative performance.

However, renewed demand due to investors’ moves to take advantage of low prices led to a gain of N712 billion in seven

days. Specifically, the market capitalisation, which stood at N11.394 trillion at the end of January, rose to N12.106 trillion on Tuesday. This translated to a gain of 6.2 per cent.

The market rally coming few days to the presidential elections, according to experts

indicates that investors have ignored the election 'noise' to take advantage of low prices to increase their stakes in the market.

Nigerian stocks are significantly lowly priced after a bout of persistent decline that began in February

2018 and lasted to the end of January 2019. As at the end of January 2019, the Nigerian stock market main gauge, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index, was 2.7 per cent negative, showing that many stocks were trading below their year’s opening values.

But the South Africa market was 2.6 per cent positive, Kenya market 7.0 per cent positive and Ghana’s market was 2.6 per cent positive also.

The gains posted in the first days of February may Continued on page 8

CBN Predicts Stability in FX as External Reserves Hit $43bn ... Page 10 Friday 15 February, 2019 Vol 24. No 8713. Price: N250

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Malami Denies Directing INEC to Postpone Zamfara Elections INEC confirms receipt of directive Adedayo Akinwale and Alex Enumah in Abuja The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, has denied

media reports that he wrote a letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), requesting INEC to postpone the general election in Zamfara State.

But the electoral body

PDP, Agbakoba, Ozekhome, Falana kick

disclosed last night that it had received the letter written

by Malami, demanding a postponement of elections in the state.

Notwithstanding the denial, the Peoples Democratic Party

(PDP), yesterday rejected the directive by Malami to INEC to postpone elections in the state to enable the All Progressives Congress (APC) field candidates, saying the directive was not backed by

law.

The attorney general also drew the ire of former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), and a constitutional law expert,

Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), who also condemned the letter and advised INEC not to take orders from him.

But Malami, in a statement Continued on page 10

As Nigeria Goes to Poll Tomorrow, Buhari Disowns Threats to Foreign Observers Says FG committed to safety of all Clinton apologises for cancelling visit PDP: Speech is subtle campaign of falsehood Omololu Ogunmade and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja, dissociated his government from threats of death and intimidation against international observers from some individuals in the country, saying such acts did not represent the position of the federal government.

Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, had recently threatened that international observers who

dared to interfere in Nigeria's elections would return to their countries in body bags.

In the same vein, the spokesman of the president's campaign organisation, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, and presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, had persistently warned and threatened foreign countries not to intervene in the conduct of the elections.

Such remarks had generated Continued on page 8

FOR THE POLL… Protect Your Votes, Sultan SET L-R: Independent National Electoral Commission’s National Commissioner, Dr. Muhammed Lecky; INEC Chairman, Prof.

Mahmood Yakubu; former president of Malawi, Mr. R. Banda; and National Commissioner, Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, during Tells Nigerians … Page 8 the visit of Banda and a team from Electoral Institute of South Africa to INEC Headquarters in Abuja…yesterday JULIUS ATOI

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Protect Your Votes, Sultan Tells Nigerians Let’s start trusting young people as president, says Sanusi

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar, has called on Nigerians to go out on Saturday, vote the presidential candidate of their choice and ensure they protect their votes.

The Sultan made the call yesterday in Abuja during the 2019 Murtala Muhammed Memorial Lecture, organised

by Murtala Muhammed Foundation, with the theme, ‘Towards Credible, Peaceful and Participatory ElectionMoving Nigeria’s Democracy Forward.'

He stated: “Why so much concern about the presidential election in Nigeria especially by foreign partners? We need to ask ourselves. But the simple issue is that Nigeria's 200 million population is such a big concern to everybody.

“The reason is that the survivability of Nigeria is so important to the world that everybody must come

together to see credible and peaceful elections in Nigeria, where whoever emerges will be accepted by all and must be accepted by all.”

The Sultan noted that those at the top feel they are at the top and they control everything, stressing that it is the people who control everything.

He said: “That is why I want to call on Nigerians to go out and exercise their rights; vote for the candidate you feel is best for you and ensure you protect your vote.”

Also, the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammed Sanusi (II), said that there was need for the political parties and for the system to begin to put trust in young people, not just because they are in majority but because the country’s history has shown that Nigeria achieved more with young people in charge.

He stressed: “The political parties and the system need

to begin to put trust in young people, not just because they are the majority as people say but because when you go to the history of our country you find it that all the great things were done by young people. When you think of Tafawa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello, Yakubu Gowon, Muritala Muhammed, and Olusegun Obasanjo in his first term as military Head of State.

“I certainly think Obasanjo, in his first term when he was in his 30s, was a better Head of State than his second term when he was in his 70s.

“So, it is important I think, given the history of our country to recommend that young people have shown that they are capable, that they have vision, that they have the energy, that they have the belief in the country and we need to consciously promote them and hopefully, next elections 2023 we will begin to see much more

younger people.

“I hope those who are older will be there to guide them, counsel them, the way Maitama Sule was counseling Gen. Muritala Muhammed.

“But it is extremely important that older generation while they are alive to hand over this country to the next generation, watch them so that when they are gone they are happy.”

Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of the foundation, Ms. Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, said that this year’s edition was rather auspicious coming just few days to the elections.

She stressed that while some progress have been made in the country’s electoral progress, a lot still needs to be improved on to improve democratic progress and entrench good governance.

Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, while delivering his keynote address titled: ‘Towards

Credible Elections,’ said that the country appears to have made some progress in its electoral process.

He added that in the estimation of most people, the 2011 elections were better than the 2007 one and the 2015 elections were better than 2011. There are metrics to prove this trend.

Odinkalu said: “In 2007, 1,299 offices out of a total of 1,496 elective offices contested ended up in election petition tribunals, yielding an astounding 86.5%. In 2011, 769 petitions were filed, totaling 51.4% of all contested positions, or a net dissatisfaction rate (from the election petition output) of 35.1%. 2015 was the first time that Nigeria’s presidential election did not end up in court.

“It was also the first time that the proportion of elections ending up in courts was less than 50 per cent (it was about

46.1%). In 2019, Nigeria has the unique opportunity to either sustain this trend of incremental progress or to reverse it.”

Odinkalu noted that the reason for this enhancement was the independence of the INEC, stressing that the independence was the end product of a multiplicity of factors, including the quality of appointees, fiscal and budgetary arrangements, the legal architecture and inter-agency collaboration and support.

According to him, “As these have grown in Nigeria, INEC appears to have enhanced its respectability and credibility.

If this progress is sustained, much fewer electoral contests will end up in courts. That should reduce the stress on the court system and hopefully improve the quality of their decision making as well as the integrity and impartiality that goes into that.”

AS NIGERIA GOES TO POLL TOMORROW, BUHARI DISOWNS THREATS TO FOREIGN OBSERVERS reactions from both the international community and many Nigerians.

Consequently, Buhari promised to ensure the safety of foreign observers during the elections and restated his promise to ensure that this general election beginning tomorrow would be free, fair and peaceful, recalling how he had himself been a beneficiary of free polls by the former administration.

Buhari, who gave those assurances in a nationwide broadcast last night ahead of tomorrow's presidential election, appealed to Nigerians to turn out very well during the elections and cast their votes.

He recalled how he had signed the peace accord with other presidential candidates and assured stakeholders that he would guarantee the conduct of the polls in a peaceful atmosphere.

He urged citizens to be part of the commitment to peaceful conduct of the polls and admonished the youth not to allow themselves to be used to perpetrate election violence, saying those who may want to use them for such heinous act only want to discredit the elections because of their fear of losing.

Reiterating that citizens have the responsibility to promote peace in their neighborhoods during the polls, Buhari reasoned that this election period is not the time

to allow their participation to be driven by ethnic, religious and sectional sentiments.

He said: "And as your president and a fellow Nigerian, I ask that you come out and queue to fulfill this important obligation you have to yourselves and your fellow citizens – and to our common future.

"Let me at this point; reaffirm the commitment of the federal government to the conduct of free and fair elections in a safe and peaceful atmosphere. Just yesterday, I signed the Peace Accord alongside 72 other presidential candidates.

"I want to assure all Nigerians, the diplomatic community and all foreign election observers of their safety and full protection.

Any comments or threats of intimidation from any source do not represent the position of the Federal Government of Nigeria.”

The president, who used the broadcast to appeal to the consciousness of Nigerians to re-elect him, reeled out what he termed the achievements of his administration and tasked Nigerians to evaluate such achievements.

He also charged them to interrogate themselves if another government could perform better if allowed to upstage his administration.

According to him, if the dream of another set of leaders is merely to do what

his government had so far done, he should then be given the preference at the polls, as he advised the electorate to think very deeply, insinuating that tomorrow's presidential election is all about the choices of the electorate and not about the ruling party or the opposition.

He also said he remained committed to his election promises and would remain focused on improving the lives of citizens even as he highlighted some of the achievements he said he made in the last three years plus.

PDP: Speech is Subtle Campaign of Falsehood

In a reaction to the president’s broadcast, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described Buhari’s speech as a last gasp of a drowning administration, laced with fabrications and false performances claims The main opposition party said Buhari should note that he has come to the end of the road and that Nigerians are no longer with him.

In a statement yesterday by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, he said it was rather too late in the day for Buhari to redeem himself.

He added that Nigerians have moved ahead with its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and are no longer ready to listen to his list of false promises and a

long claim of non-existent achievements.

Ologbondiyan added, "It is ludicrous that at a time President Buhari should be remorseful and apologise for his failures that led to the biting economic hardship, hunger, job losses, and killings and escalated bloodletting in our country, under his watch, he chose to engage in a last minute attempt to sway Nigerians with falsehood.

"Nigerians watched a President Buhari, who, having seen the handwriting on the wall struggled with false economic growth figures and sought to blackmail the people with claims of non-existent food security and false assurances of safety in a nation heavily plagued by unemployment, loss of jobs, poverty as well as escalated insurgency.

Also reacting to Buhari’s broadcast, a spokesman of the Presidential Campaign Council, Akin Osuntokun, said the president has lost all sense of political propriety.

He added that the broadcast was a misuse of the platform for shopworn campaign address.

Osuntokun noted that Buhari never saw anything wrong in inviting foreign nationals to invade the country and help mobilise against his fellow nationals.

According to the statement, “Typical Buhari and APC. When the Nigerian public

was advised to tune in to a national broadcast by the president, the country was expecting a presidential broadcast not a misuse of the platform for shopworn campaign address by the presidential candidate of the APC. “But then what do you expect from a president who appears to have lost all sense of political propriety.

“Remember, he saw nothing wrong in inviting foreign nationals to invade the country and help mobilise against his fellow nationals. All the broadcast stations that were deceitfully made to believe they were hooking up to a non-partisan address should immediately proceed to charge the APC presidential candidate for the airtime they expended. “In the alternative, we are demanding a commensurate gratis exposure for our candidate, President in waiting Atiku Abubakar,” he said.

Clinton Calls, Apologises for Cancelling Visit Meanwhile, former United States president, Bill Clinton, on Wednesday night made a telephone call to Buhari, apologising for his inability to visit Nigeria on Wednesday as earlier scheduled.

Clinton had been scheduled to visit Nigeria and witness the signing of peace accord by presidential candidates in Abuja on Wednesday,

INVESTORS WAVE OFF ELECTION JITTERS AS STOCK MARKET GAINS N712BN not, however, have come as a surprise as some analysts have expected it. Analysts at FSDH Research had said political considerations, rising global yields ad increased yields on fixed income securities in Nigeria led to a reallocation of portfolio away from equities market, hence the decline in January.

But looking into February, FSDH Research they expected some positive performance.

“We expect savvy investors to take strategic positions in the months leading to expected

recovery in second quarter of 2019. Despite the overall decline in January, we have seen pockets of this positioning over the months and expect to see further examples in February,” they said.

While the stock market comes with volatilities, investors stand to record significant gains provided they understand the market and have good investment objectives.

According to the Group Chief Executive Officer of United Capital Plc, Mr. Peter Ashade, volatility is part of the capital

market, saying investors should stick to certain factors to succeed in the market.

“First, an investor who understands that the market could go up and down is best suited to make calculated decisions towards meeting investment goals. The second is having a clear objective for investing in the market. Some may invest to earn revenue, and others for capital appreciation.

"The third is to tame greed.

Sticking to a clear investment objective is an effective principle for savvy investors. For instance,

you can say if I get 10 per cent, I think I have made my day. I should leave. Then you discover that the share price of your investment goes up and gets to that 10 per cent goal. If you still see that the markets rally beyond that, and you decide to wait a little, then that’s greed setting in. " In waiting a little, the market could be up 11 to 12 per cent and before you know what is going on, you are down seven per cent. So greed also needs to be addressed in making investment decisions. In summary, you must understand the market

you are playing in, stick to a clear objective for investing, and ensure that you are not greedy in terms of your investment outlook,” he said.

According to FXTM's Research Analyst, Lukman Otunuga, "with domestic investors seen bargain hunting as the elections loom, the All Share Index is seen pushing higher. While the naira continues to witness stability against the dollar, volatility could be in the cards depending on the election outcome. A perceived market-friendly result will be positive for the local currency."

but ended up cancelling the planned trip, saying it could be misconstrued.

He was also expected to meet with Buhari and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, ahead of tomorrow's presidential poll.

But Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, in a statement, said Buhari, during Clinton's telephone call, thanked the former US president, describing him as a friend of the country and commended him for what he described as his constant support for the peace, stability and progress of Nigeria under a democratic dispensation.

"President Buhari also assured him of his commitment to free, fair and credible elections in the weeks ahead.

"President Clinton, who regretted his inability to visit the country to witness the signing of the final peace accord before the general elections, wished Nigeria well as her citizens go to the polls," the statement added.

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CBN Predicts Stability in FX as External Reserves Hit $43bn Bankers’ committee considers single-digit credit for creative industry James Emejo in Abuja The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday said it expected further stability in the foreign exchange market in 2019, banking on the decision of the US Federal Reserve not to hike interest rate in the near future.

The apex bank added that the stability currently being enjoyed in the FX market had boosted the country's external reserves to over $43 billion.

This is coming as the Bankers’ Committee has identified the creative industry and IT sectors as critical sectors to support social and inclusive growth in the country and was considering single-digit credit for the sectors.

CBN Director of Development Finance, Mr. Mudashiru Olaitan, explained that the reports that the US Federal Reserve will not raise rates was particularly good for emerging economies,

including Nigeria as it means that the dollar is not going to strengthen against our currency.

“So, when we already have stability in our foreign exchange market, that is good news that is going to help stability,” he said.

Addressing journalists yesterday, alongside other banks chief executives at the end of the 342nd meeting of the Bankers’ Committee in Abuja, he said the committee deliberated on the global slowdown in economy, the downward growth projection by the IMF in 2019, partly as a result of the China, US trade tariffs war as well as Brexit.

However, he said the latest GDP growth figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) which showed the economy posted 2.38 per cent growth in the fourth quarter of last year offered some cheerful news for the country, stressing that the country's economy

CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele forecast for the year looked impressive.

Also, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive, Access Bank Plc, Mr. Herbert Wigwe, said the committee identified the creative industry and IT sector as critical sectors to support social and inclusive growth in the country.

He said the nature of financing would be long term

debt at reasonable interest rates which could be as low as five per cent.

He said: “The nature of funding will be by way of long term debt at reasonable interest rates- far in single digits, it is not 10 per cent, not nine per cent; it could be within the range of five per cent, which is quasi-equity if you look.

“Again, as part of talent development, and huge population which needs to be educated in IT or movies, people need to pay to use these academies.

“What the industry is going to do is provide soft loans for most of these people, with very little equity at least to show participation because you don't want to create a moral hazard- so they can use it, pay for these infrastructure, develop their talents and as they work, they can pay back those loans.

“So, that is broadly the mode of intervention, very unusual but enough to ensure that at the end of the day, we will all have huge levels of skills and talent being developed in millions to ensure that at the end of the day, this will affect our GDP growth rate and our earnings.”

He said: “We basically found out that the sector would generate significant amount of employment and given how Nigerians in the creative sector have done well in Nollywood, in music, it can have significant impact on employment as well as GDP and of course, Nigeria can become the heart for tourism if the whole sector is handled properly.

It could be a source of foreign exchange earning capacity if we invest significantly in that sector.

“So there are four specific verticals that will be supported with a lot of resources: the music, movie, fashion and IT industries.

“And what the bankers committee wants to do is to help to provide relevant infrastructure or funding that industry participants would use to create relevant infrastructure and shared facilities for each and every vertical that I mentioned.”

“So, all of these efforts will happen before the beginning of the next quarter. The different participants, working with international institutions can start building the relevant infrastructure to support talent development and support of content in the different things that they do.

“The banking industry realises that it requires funding at reasonable interest rates and of course, other appropriate structures to make sure those industry are taken from their nascent stage where they are right now, until they become profitable and visibly support their own various value chain.”

of Saturday's election.

He accused APC of deliberately corrupting the INEC voter register to induce voters’ suppression in PDP’s strong hold operations areas with the aim of disenfranchising at least four voters through corrupting of their four names on the voters register.

He claimed: “The strategy is to create artificial problems wherein at least four registered voters can be disfranchised in PDP strong hold areas. The target is to adequately limit the estimated members of PDP who would want to vote in their areas.

“There is deliberate ploy to disrupt internet services and jam cell tower coverage ostensibly to prevent Nigerians from covering the elections via social media.

“There is also confirmed intelligence showing that critical PDP players in this election are to be earmarked, arrested and quarantined to a particular location to give way for the elections to be rigged.

“INEC is an independent institution and cannot take directives from the federal government. If there is need for the postponement of the Zamfara State elections as indicated in your letter, the proper person to request the postponement is the APC.” He added: “In any case, Sections 38 and 39 of the Electoral Act 2010, which your request is based on, have nothing to do with postponement of elections.

“President Buhari has at various fora undertaken that the federal government will not interfere with INEC. Your letter puts that commitment to question.

“It is my hope that this letter will be immediately withdrawn.”

Agbakoba also wrote to INEC Chairman, Prof.

Mahmood Yakubu, asking him to disregard Malami’s letter.

He said: “INEC is an independent institution and should not take directives from the Attorney General of the Federation or the federal government.

“If there is need for the postponement of the Zamfara State elections, the proper person to request the postponement is the APC. “In any case, Sections 38 and 39 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) which the Attorney General’s request is based on have nothing to do with postponement of elections.

MALAMI DENIES DIRECTING INEC TO POSTPONE ZAMFARA ELECTIONS by his media aide, Mr. Salihu Isah, described the reports that he asked INEC to postpone the elections in Zamfara State as false and misleading.

According to the statement, the AGF noted that all he did was to draw the attention of the commission to the need to consider a recent judgment of the Court of Appeal in favour of the APC. The statement titled, ‘AGF letter to INEC dated February, 13, 2019 – A Clarification,’ read: "The attention of the Office of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice has been drawn to a recent publication by certain social media and conventional news outlets stating that this office had purportedly requested INEC to postpone the elections in Zamfara State. The Office of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation wishes to emphatically reiterate that this report is false and misleading.

"In our letter dated 13th February 2019 addressed to the INEC Chairman, the AGF in reacting to a petition from M.A Mahmud informing this office of the subsisting Court of Appeal decision in CA/S/22/2019, which effectively upheld the APC primaries in Zamfara State, wrote to INEC informing them of this development and requested the commission to comply by extending the time within which the political party may field its candidate in the gubernatorial elections.”

Malami pointed out that the constraining circumstances that led to the delay in fielding a candidate were caused by INEC’s refusal to comply with the Zamfara State High Court judgment, which upheld the said APC’s primaries.

He said INEC had relied on a Federal High Court judgment, which nullified the primaries, whereas the Court of Appeal’s decision in reference has now effectively overturned this decision and upheld the said APC primaries.

In supporting his position, the AGF made reference to

the provisions of sections 38 and 39 of the Electoral Act, 2010, which allows INEC the latitude and discretion to extend the time within which a political party may duly field a candidate for an election where unforeseen circumstances constrained such a party from doing so within the stipulated time frame.

He said: "It is, therefore, our position that shutting a candidate out of the elections despite a subsisting Court of Appeal’s decision mandating otherwise would lead to a miscarriage of justice and certainly not in the interest of giving all parties in Zamfara State a level playing field. Our letter to INEC is, therefore, in line with the subsisting Court of Appeal’s decision as well as Sections 38 and 39 of the Electoral Act, 2010.

"It is at this point mandatory to reiterate that the issue for contention by the parties before the trial and appellate court were in no way and by no stretch of imagination extend to the presidential election, which at any rate was not an issue contemplated for determination by the trial and appellate court.

"It is, therefore, obvious that what the insinuations in the social media and some conventional news outlets set out to achieve on the strength of this issue is to confuse the electorate and Nigerians at large and/or to portray the ruling government as insensitive to the electoral process."

Malami urged the public to note that his office would not in any way interfere with INEC’s mandate to conduct free and fair elections and is fully in support of ensuring that justice is done to all the parties in this circumstance.

INEC Confirms Receipt of Directive to Postpone Zamfara Elections

Meanwhile, INEC has confirmed that it received a letter from the Malami, directing it to postpone elections in Zamfara State.

A human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana, has however, advised the electoral body to ignore Malami.

INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman Voter Education and Publicity, Mr. Festus Okoye, said the commission has received the letter but was yet to take any decision aside the line it took before on the issue.

According to him, “The commission has received the letter from the AGF. The commission is studying the letter and the accompanying attachments. The commission will make its position known as soon as possible.”

But Falana advised the electoral body to ignore Malami.

According to a statement issued last night, the senior lawyer argued that by virtue of section 158 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, INEC "shall not be subject to the direction or control of any authority or person."

Falana added that the proviso to Section 160 of the amended Constitution states that the powers of INEC "to make its own rules or otherwise regulate its own procedures shall not be subject to the approval or control of the president."

He argued: “Therefore, the AGF lacks the vires to advise or direct INEC to postpone the elections scheduled to hold in any state of the federation.

Since the judgment of the Court of Appeal on the nomination of APC candidates in Zamfara State admits of no ambiguity, INEC is advised to do the needful and ignore the directive of the AGF on the conduct of the elections.

PDP Rejects AGF’s Letter

The PDP has also rejected the purported directive given by Malami to INEC to postpone elections in the state to enable the APC field candidates for the 2019 elections, saying the directive was not backed by law.

The National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, stated this yesterday while addressing a world

press conference titled: “Letter to the Nation” in Abuja, noting that the directive of the AGF was aimed at arm twisting the electoral body.

According to Secondus, “The AGF letter is part of APC’s design to arm-twist INEC and the judiciary to take illegal action in their favour. What the AGF is seeking is not backed by law.

The AGF is an interested party in this matter and has no moral right to advise INEC.” Secondus also stressed that the voter register of INEC contains the data of dead voters, adding that the Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) for dead voters were printed and distributed nationwide.

He stated: “Fellow citizens, government data shows that the gross death rate in Nigeria is 12.5 per 1000 lives. We have evidence that over 1,050,051 dead voters will vote in this election.

“The decision that dead voters will cast ballots has been taken by INEC and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The idea of ghost voters is consistent with the nature of this virtual President.”

Secondus noted that the inability of the APC to field candidates was due to selfinflicted crisis.

To this end the PDP chairman called on INEC to follow the dictates of the law and continue in its plan to achieve credible elections.

He added that this election more than any other provides an opportunity for Nigeria to get on the right path.

“The challenge that we now face is one of expectations. Those entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that the expression of the people's will is made manifest, have time and again failed to demonstrate good faith. We expect better than we are getting,” he said.

The PDP chairman said multiple intelligence sources available to PDP show that APC, in conjunction with INEC through their ICT situation room, have concluded plans to manipulate the outcome

INEC Can’t Take Orders from FG, Agbakoba, Ozekhome Insist In a related development, Agbakoba and Ozekhome have condemned AGF’s letter and advised INEC not to take orders from Malami.

Agbakoba said the commission is an independent and neutral body, which cannot take orders from the federal government.

He said it was only the APC that could make such a request from the electoral body.

He also reminded Malami that Buhari had promised noninterference in the activities of INEC. In a letter dated February 14, the senior lawyer asked Malami to withdraw his letter, which according to him, undermines the president’s commitment.

“I am shocked by your letter to the INEC on the above subject. You are the Attorney General of the Federation and not the Attorney General of INEC,” Agbakoba said, adding:

“INEC should disregard the Attorney General’s letter.”

Also speaking to journalists yesterday in Abuja, Ozekhome said he felt saddened that the AGF could take a decision to jeopardise the interest of over 70 political parties in Zamfara State because his party, APC, has no candidate in the elections.

The senior lawyer, however, urged INEC not to be intimidated but remain resolute in his stand to exclude APC's candidates in the state on account that the party did not hold any valid primary election.

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Group News Editor Ejiofor Alike Email Ejiofor.Alike@thisdaylive.com, 08066066268

US Insists on Fair, Credible, Peaceful Elections Military restates neutrality Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja and Martins Ifijeh in Lagos

The United States Embassy has reiterated its support for fair, credible and peaceful polls in Nigeria as the general election begins on Saturday.

This is coming as the armed forces have assured Nigerians that it would support peaceful general election and urged voters to go out and exercise their franchise without fear.

However, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has assured that the world was praying for a peaceful, free and fair election in the country.

The US Consul General in Nigeria, John Bray, gave the assurance yesterday in the embassy’s twitter account @ USEmbassyAbuja monitored by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). The 2019 elections are slated to hold on February 16 and March 2.

The presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on February 16, while the governorship and state Houses of Assembly polls will come up on March 2.

Bray, who tweeted in `Pidgin English’, said: “Saturday general elections inside Nigeria dey important to America and dem dey hope say di election go dey

peaceful. I beg una election no be war o.” - Consul General F. John Bray.

“My pipo una well done o. My name na John Bray. I be di oga for America matta for Lagos. Election dis year na February 16.

“Make we comot for house, go vote man o, woman o cari your PVC go vote for di person wey dey your mind.

“All pipo I beg una election no be war o. No follow anybodi fight because of vote, no sale your vote go chop rice o, una dey hia. “God go bless Nigeria and God go bless America set join.’’

Meanwhile, the armed forces have assured Nigerians that it would support peaceful general election and urged voters to go out and exercise their franchise without fear.

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin, gave the assurance yesterday after he met with the service chiefs and the Inspector General of Police, in closed door.

NAN reported that the Directors General, Department of State Services (DSS), National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and Chief of Intelligence Agency (CIA) attended the closed door meeting.

Olonisakin, who addressed

Elections: Police Restrict Movement of Vehicles on Saturday Immigration orders closure of borders by noon today Alex Enumah and Kuni Tyessi in Abuja The Inspector General of Police (IG) Mohammed Adamu, yesterday announced vehicular restriction on election day taking place on February 16 within the hours of 6a.m. to 6p.m.

This is as the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) also ordered the closure of all borders by 12p.m. today.

According to Adamu, the order forms part of efforts by the police to maintain public order, public wellbeing and safety as well as national security as it relates to the conduct of the presidential election slated for this weekend.

In a statement, the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, said the restriction would assist the security agencies in effectively policing the electoral process, thereby preventing hoodlums and criminallyminded elements from hijacking and disrupting the electoral process.

Adamu, however, urged the citizens to troop out en-masse on the day of the election to exercise their franchise without any fear or apprehension as the police and other security agencies have already put in place adequate security measures to ensure a safe, secure and conducive environment for a peaceful and credible election.

“While regretting the inconveniences the restriction will cause the citizens, the IG however warns that the force

will deal decisively with any individual(s) or group(s) that will want to test our common will in our resolve to ensure a peaceful election,” the statement read.

The police boss therefore enjoined the citizens to steer clear of vote buying, vote selling, hate speeches, circulating fake news, snatching of ballot boxes and other act(s) capable of truncating the people’s will, noting that the Force will not hesitate to bring to bear the full weight of the law on anyone who engages in any crime during this period.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has ordered the closure of all borders by 12p.m. today.

The affected borders include those of Nigeria and Niger; Nigeria and Benin Republic; Nigeria and Chad; and Nigeria and Cameroon.

In a statement issued by the NIS Public Relations Officer, Sunday James, and signed by the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Muhammad Babandede, the borders will be re-opened by 12 noon on Sunday.

The statement said: “The federal government has directed that the country’s land borders be closed from 12 noon of today to 12noon of Sunday, February 17, 2019.

“This is to secure and control movements at the borders within the period of the elections, therefore, the public should ensure compliance.”

World praying for Nigeria, says Archbishop of Canterbury journalists after the meeting, disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari, had met with the service chiefs and made it clear that he was committed to free, fair and credible elections.

He said: “I wish to say that the Armed Forces of Nigeria are also committed to violence-free elections and that all Nigerians are able to carry out their civic responsibilities and vote for candidates of their choice without fear of molestation by any person or groups”. The CDS, however, said that the

military was aware of plans to illegally use uniforms of military and paramilitary agencies to impersonate security personnel.

He also said they were aware of plans to use illegally acquired arms to intimidate and harass members of the public and other like acts to breach security.

Olonisakin, however, warned that the military and other security agencies would not tolerate any act likely to cause security breaches, before, during and after the exercise.He further warned that all such acts would

be decisively dealt with.

He urged Nigerians to disregard the “stay- at- home’’ advice on the day of election in some parts of the country.

According to him, the “stay -home” leaflets being circulated and similar online messages are part of the handiwork of mischief makers, who are bent on scuttling the process and should be ignored. “I want to assure the public that the security agencies are prepared to support the police, to ensure safe conduct of the elections.’’

He maintained that the law enforcement agencies would remain apolitical, adding that a code of conduct for the armed forces had been issued to personnel deployed for the elections.

He said that personnel not deployed for election duty had been directed to “steer clear of the exercise, apart from exercising their rights to vote for candidates of their choice.’’

The CDS also warned

Continued on page. 51

VICTORY ON THEIR MINDS...

R-L: Presdent Muhammadu Buhari; Kastina State Governor and APC gubernatorial candidate, Alhaji Aminu Masari Bello; and APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, during the APC campaign rally in Katsina State ...yesterday

Over 91m Nigerians Now Desperately Poor, Says Report Hamid Adedeji The number of extremely poor Nigerians has risen to 91.6 million, according to the World Poverty Clock.

This implies that virtually half of Nigeria’s population now lives in extreme poverty.

The World Poverty Clock had named Nigeria the poverty capital of the world last June when it revealed that Nigeria had 87 million people living

in poverty.

The latest figure shows that an additional four million Nigerians have since fallen under the poverty line.

The report added that six Nigerians become poor every minute.The World Poverty Clock is a tool to monitor progress against poverty globally.

It uses publicly available data on income distribution, production, and consumption provided by various

international organisations, most notably the United Nations, World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

According to the World Poverty Clock, which was created by Vienna-based World Data Lab, 91.16 million Nigerians were living below a dollar a day as of February 13, 2019.

The World Bank said a person can be said to be living in extreme poverty if they live

below the poverty line of $1.90 which translates to N693.5 per day.

The President Muhammadu Buhari government had last year rejected the report, insisting that it had created jobs especially in the area of agriculture, and reduced poverty.

However, British Prime Minister, Theresa May, reiterated the statistics during her visit to Nigeria last year.

Arise TV, CDD, Others Launch Election Analysis Centre Udora Orizu in Abuja Ahead of the general election, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) in collaboration with Arise TV, the broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers; National Democratic Institute (NDI), OSIWA and some other media organisations have officially launched an Election Analysis Centre (EAC).

According to CDD, EAC would be a one-stop-shop for rigorous analysis of the 2019 general elections. The initiative is driven by the Centre’s quest to provide accurate and realtime analysis of events in the build-up to the polls, election day and post-election period in a more captivating, enriching and systematic manner.

Speaking at the launch in

Abuja, CDD Director, Idayat Hassan, said the whole essence of the centre is to infuse confidence in the elections.

She said, “We are deploying GPS-enabled apps to ensure that they are giving us accurate information especially where they are and beyond that we are also providing vigorous analysis of previous Nigerian elections from 1999 to 2015, so that we can interrogate what is happening in the whole electoral environment.”

“Beyond that also, we have a fake news centre, this Centre will be reacting to fake news as it is being shared on social media. Fake news can trigger fear and violence during election thus our fact-checking team will spot, identify, investigate and counter fake news during the election.

“We will be putting out observation report and aside our observation report; we will be matching it with what has previously held to see if there’s a pattern,” she added.

Also the Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy, David Young noted that it is an example of citizens’ democracy at work in Nigeria.

In his words, “Both fake news and hate speech are very worrisome phenomenon of our time, and we want to support you in combating all kinds of fake news that get reported.”

“It’s unhelpful and undermines the spirit of people being able to peacefully go to the polls and make sure that their votes are counted.

Hate speech must be condemned at all sides, it’s simply unacceptable that

people of whatever party or background can speak out in ways that inflame and cause people to be hateful to others.”

And we have seen examples from that across the political spectrum and it needs to be condemned at all sides,” Young said.

Also, the Canada’s High Commissioner in Nigeria, Philip Baker, in his goodwill message, commended CDD and the partners for coming up with the EAC. He said, “What I like about this notion by CDD is the ‘one stop shop’ that says it all, all the analysis in one place, bringing that efficiency and coherence to data so that it can be used for so many good things, including continuing to build democracy for the future. This is democracy on the move in Nigeria.”

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 15, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWS

History as First Airplane Lands in New Bayelsa Airport Emmanuel Addeh and Chinedu Eze in Yenagoa It was a day of joy in Bayelsa State yesterday as the first airplane marked 5N-BUV, touched down at the newly-built Bayelsa International airport in Amassoma, Southern Ijaw, the heartland of the Ijaw nation.

A second flight operated by Air Peace Airline also landed at the airport, which has a 3.5 kilometre runway, said to be the longest in the country, where a jubilant crowd eagerly waited to receive Governor Seriake Dickson.

Also accompanying the governor on the flight was his wife, Dr. Rachel Dickson; Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah (rtd); Chairman of the state Traditional Rulers Council, King Alfred Diete Spiff, among others.

Speaking at the event, Dickson described the airport as one of the best in the country, noting that it would serve as a free trade zone not only in the Niger Delta but also for the Gulf of Guinea.

He said the airport was executed in fulfillment of his promise of bringing the world to Bayelsa and vice versa.

Dickson said under his leadership he had never played politics with three key issues, namely: development of the state, protection of the interest of the Ijaw nation and security.

Congratulating the people of the state for the great achievement, he berated the federal government for reneging on its promise to construct the terminal building, which his administration also completed.

He took a swipe at critics of the project, particularly the Minister of State for Agriculture

and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri for “spreading falsehood” about the project.

The governor who put the cost of the airport project at about N60 billion, expressed gratitude to the contractor, Dantata and Sawoe and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN) for building the airport to meet international standards.

Dickson said the airport was built to improve the economy of the state, adding that it would soon be fully inaugurated for both local and international flights.

The governor said the state government handled the entire project without input from the federal government or the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Dickson said the report that the state government spent between N120 billion and N150 billion on the project was not true, adding that the facility would be able to accommodate big body aircraft like the Boeing B777 and B747.

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Daniel Iworisoma, said the airport would create over 2,000 direct and indirect jobs for indigenes of the state.

He described the airport as a Valentine’s Day present to the people of Bayelsa State, stressing that the airport was built strictly for business, especially the oil and gas industry and had no political undertone.

“We must put politics aside for us to have development. This is the first airport in Bayelsa State, to help develop the economy.

This airport will serve as a hub for the petroleum industry but

Niger Delta Militants Vow to Cripple Economy if Buhari’s Re-elected Ejiofor Alike

Militant group in Nigeria’s oil-producing region, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), yesterday threatened to cripple the economy if President Muhammadu Buhari is reelected next Saturday.

NDA said in a statement that they hoped to end Buhari’s rule through elections, adding that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is their preferred choice for president.

The militant group had launched its presence in the country on February 2016, when it carried out an attack on the Trans-Forcados pipeline, the first subsea attack on oil and gas installations in the country.

The incident, which might have forced Nigeria into recession, affected oil production by many companies in the country, forcing Shell to declare force majeure on lifting of Forcados grade of crude oil.

Consequently, the country lost over one million barrels of crude oil per day from its daily crude output.

However, since its declaration of ceasefire, the group has not carried out substantial attacks in the region since January 2017.

However, the group in a

statement posted on its website yesterday, allegedly warned that if President Buhari is re-elected, there would be “a perpetual recession for Nigeria.”

Atiku, the candidate representing the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has proposed to devolve more power to regions in a policy dubbed: ‘restructuring’ that would give states greater control over their finances.

According to the alleged statement made by the group, “We are adopting Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the sole candidate to be voted for by all the people of the Niger Delta as a result of his political ideology which is in tandem with our agitation for equitable and fair principles of federalism.”

The Avengers said if elected, Atiku should start a ‘restructuring of Nigeria’ within six months to forestall further attacks in the Niger Delta.

“Atiku has said restructuring will begin on the day he takes office, so he will keep his word, a spokesman for the main opposition candidate, Paul Ibe, said in a telephone interview.”

He said Atiku repeated his commitment to the policy in the last few days at a rally in the oil hub city of Port Harcourt in Rivers State.

we want to also look away from oil and gas and look at other revenue sources, so this is a legacy project,” he said.

The Senator representing Bayelsa East, Ben Bruce, said the

airport would ease movement for indigenes of the state and also boost trade and commerce.

Representative of the Managing Director of the FAAN, Mr. Clifford Omozeghian,

said the body had already deployed critical personnel to man aviation security, the fire-fighting equipment and rescue operations at the facility.

In his goodwill message,

Chairman of the State Traditional Rulers Council, King Diette Spiff, expressed delight over the project, noting that the airport would promote tourism, export and industrial development.

HOME COMING…

Rousing welcome for the Deputy President of Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, by commercial motorcyclists, as he was conveyed to a meeting with various transport unions and traders at 9th Mile Corner Enugu…yesterday

CUPP Accuses APC of Planning to Jam Broadcast Equipment of Arise TV, AIT, STV Ruling party describes allegation as false Udora Orizu in Abuja

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), has revealed that it reliably gathered that the agents of the federal government had concluded plans to clamp down on media houses and their reporters on Saturday.

But in a swift reaction, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has described the allegation as false.

In a press statement signed by the spokesman of the coalition, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, the opposition parties claimed the nefarious act would be orchestrated to ensure that the media houses do not have the opportunity of alerting Nigerians on the various irregularities being allegedly planned during the presidential and National Assembly elections in favour of the candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) across the country.

Top on the list of the media organisations listed for attack,

CUPP claimed, are the African Independent Television (AIT), Silverbird Television, Arise Television, Raypower FM, and 15 other radio stations.

“The plan is to jam and destroy transmitting equipment of these media organisations on election day. The strategy also includes indiscriminate arrest and detention of reporters and cameramen of these stations, while their working tools will be confiscated and destroyed.”

“The opposition parties have credible information on the move by the APC working through the NSA and the elder brother of Governor Nasir elRufai, named Bashir el-Rufai, who is the Director of IHS Towers, a major base station services provider for telecom companies to disconnect the service providers in targeted areas under the guise of debt recovery for unpaid services rendered to the telecommunication companies.

“They want to keep the whole country in darkness, so as to

stop citizens from tweeting, blogging, and giving live updates on what is going on in every centre, so that they will be able to carry out their rigging plan.

They don’t want the people’s voice to be heard because they have already concluded their evil plot to ensure that the election is not free and fair,” CUPP alleged.

The coalition called on all stakeholders, including Nigeria’s international friends, to be aware of this plan which has been perfected by those who are bent on subverting the will of the people in the Saturday election.

“We are watching them and we shall continue to expose their evil plans for the world to see and know,” it added.

Meanwhile, the APC Presidential Campaign Council has described as false, an allegation that the party is plotting to jam all networks on election day to prevent Nigerians from sharing information about the voting process.

In a statement issued by the Director, Strategic Communications of APC campaign, Festus Keyamo, the party said such a plot is nothing but a figment of the imagination of the PDP. It said: “Whilst the story is full of half-truths and outright lies, the portion that concerns us at the Campaign Council is the allegation that the networks would be jammed on Saturday by the said Israeli company.

“This is nothing but a figment of the imagination of the PDP, the obvious sponsors of the story. We have warned a few days ago of a series of fake news lined up by the PDP and Atiku’s campaign team in the last days leading up to the elections. This is obviously one of them.”

APC presidential campaign council said the striking thing about all the false alarms raised by the PDP about this election is that they are obviously judging others by their own standards.

Second Judge Withdraws from NBA President’s N1.4bn Fraud Case Davidson Iriekpen The scheduled re-arraignment of the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN), at the Federal High Court in Lagos on an alleged N1.4billion fraud charges was botched yesterday when Justice Chuka Obiozor, to whom the case was assigned, recused himself from the case.

The judge said he was withdrawing himself from the case “for personal reasons.

“I hereby return this file to the Chief Judge of the court for

reassignment,” Justice Obiozor said in a ruling.

He is the second judge to withdraw from the case after the original judge, Justice Muslim Hassan, withdrew at the request of Usoro’s legal team, led by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), a former NBA President.

The defence team had written to the Chief Judge of the court, Justice Adamu Abdul-Kafarati, asking that he retrieve the case file from Justice Hassan.

Though Olanipekun did not specify the reason for the request to take the case away from Justice

Hassan, the request might not have been unconnected with the fact that prior to his appointment as a Judge, Hassan was for many years a prosecutor with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

On December 18, 2018, when Usoro appeared before Justice Hassan for his arraignment, Olanipekun had urged the judge not to take any step on the case, pending the response of the Chief Judge to the transfer request.

Olanipekun said Usoro wanted the case transferred to his state

of origin, Akwa Ibom, or Abuja or that if the case would remain in Lagos, it should be transferred to “any other honourable Judge apart from my noble Lord.”

He described Usoro’s request as innocuous, arguing that he had a right to make the request.

However, the prosecuting counsel for the EFCC, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, opposed Olanipekun, describing his request as a temporary stay of proceedings, which he said Section 306 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 had outlawed.

5 ) * 4 % ": t FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

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T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͯͳ˜ Ͱͮͯͷ

COMMENT

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com

TO GET NIGERIA WORKING AGAIN Atiku Abubakar is in a better position to do that, writes Alaba Yusuf

T

here comes a prime time in the life of a nation when its citizens, democratically, determine the next course of action for the corporate existence of their country’s sovereignty - through a referendum or outright general election. Britain’s rattling BREXIT battle is one of such.

And the Presidential election in Nigeria this weekend aligns both Commonwealth comity nations. Neither is a do-or-die affair; nonetheless, they are monumental milestones that could make or mar people’s collective destiny.

Thus, when British political philosopher and legal luminary, Lord Acton, postulated “for forms of government, let the fools contest; whatever is best administered is best governed”, the great Victorian historian and essayist must have had his heart tortured by the rat race often associated with the political class of his time, particularly politicians’ desperate craving to lord it over one another in a cyclical style of hegemonic ascendancy.

The Nigerian political firmament presents a rainbow of optical illusion, one that creates confusion with 73 aspiring presidential candidates from a legion of 91 “political parties.” A real rat race of pretenders and contenders. That notwithstanding, monopoly of opinion is never known to be an attribute of civil rule. In fact, democracy would have failed in its own definition, as government of the people, for the people and by the people, if competition is taken off the affairs of men and women. Contest, therefore, opens the space for choice and options. Hence, the embedded principles of elections and fundamental human rights, the sweet taste of victory and the sour feel of loss, all make democracy a game of continuous search for the best hands as helmsmen the world over. Good governance and exemplary leadership therefore remain the ultimate goal in any political contest. And Nigeria is never an exception in this lure for power and service to fatherland. For once, let’s halt attention on the inanities and litany of errors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Let’s shift focus from unfulfilled political promises, breaches of the rule of law, scandals of certificate forgery and one-sided anti-corruption campaign, issues of police and security agents’ harassment, toga of global headquarter of extreme poverty, general insecurity and international repudiation of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. These are aches that defy the potency of panadol or paracetamol.

For good effect, let’s zoom our mind’s binoculars on the Presidential elections slated for Saturday February 16. It is Nigeria’s ultimate date with fate. Without iota of doubt, this poll shall present a veritable case study of a political panic-drama; one poised to pitch mere pretenders against real contenders, patriots against power-grabbing zealots. In other words, concerned citizens in combat with confrontational cabals.

A perfect scenario for confusion is all well laid out by INEC’s registration of over 70 contestants, all vying for the key to Aso Rock Villa. Real rat race in human race. Sadly, ego and the zeal to seal political deals with the eventual winner have left both the gladiators and spectators alike in the uncertain terrain of suspense and lucre permutations. Many have dropped by the way side, even though the umpire (INEC) says they can’t jump ship now, for they are legally bound to complete the race even on crutches.

Meanwhile, whatever becomes the end result of this epochal political chess game of February 16 would definitely ricochet like a rubber ball on the entire nation and international canvass of opinion. The socio-economic and political lives of Nigerians and friends of Nigeria would practically be affected or impacted by this crucial general election. Hence, Nigeria is practically the cynosure of the world’s eyes. How we tackle the choice of who will run the affairs of 200 million people, the largest headcount of black beings in the globe, remains a spectacle in mankind’s mind.

No wonder that democratic leaders and institutions the world over are keeping a tab on the pulse of events in the domain of the Giant of

LET’S SHIFT FOCUS FROM UNFULFILLED POLITICAL PROMISES, BREACHES OF THE RULE OF LAW AND ONE-SIDED ANTI-CORRUPTION CAMPAIGN

Africa! The United Nations, African Union, European Union, ECOWAS, world media and other well-meaning organisations have already detailed independent observers and monitors to ensure that the 2019 elections, which the opposition PDP’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, is favoured to win, turns out free, fair, credible and transparent. This is a task that must be done. For only equity can guarantee tranquility in a heterogeneous society. The reality of world’s interest has jolted not a few in the incumbent APC federal government’s camp. Some have lost their tempers so much they have resulted to hate speech and unprovoked innuendos. The arrowhead of this is Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, who dared foreign election observers to interfere and “return to their countries in body bags.”

Even President Buhari was quoted as teasing the beleaguered people of Zamfara State, to whom he prayed that God should bring abundant rainfall and bumper harvest so that these fellow countrymen and women “will have the energy to fight again.” Another oddity.

His campaign spokesman, Festus Keyamo, a lawyer, also publicly accused the United States of tacitly backing the opposition leader, Atiku Abubakar, whom the Buhari government once tagged a “corrupt man on American wanted list.” Let him step into the US, if he won’t be arrested, they had taunted. All hot air.

Atiku has since been to America and back, walking free as air and daily getting endeared to Nigerian voters in their millions. The tumultuous crowd that welcomed the PDP standard bearer in North West states of Sokoto, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara and Kano, have since demystified Buhari’s mythical bloc vote from his homestead. The threat was so much that former US President Bill Clinton’s intention to visit Nigeria this week, to cultivate truce between the top rival parties at the poll, had to be cancelled. Because the Senior American doesn’t want to be seen as a meddlesome interloper in the affairs of another sovereign country. Despite the odds, the Second Signing of the National Peace Accord took place in Abuja, Wednesday 13 February, with all stakeholders pledging peace and appealing for fairness and justice throughout the duration of the elections. Respect and treat Mother Nigeria with tender love, were the watchwords. And statesman Atiku, quoting former President Good Jonathan, assured the nation: “My ambition is not worth a drop of blood of any Nigerian.”

But barely 72 hours to a crucial poll, unity and equity seems to be on the run in the country. While insecurity to lives and property pervade, job losses and mass unemployment exist in a plagued economy, coupled with the ugly label of being the epicenter of global extreme poverty and squalor. The question now is: “Which way Nigeria?’ To be or not to be? The world is askance.

Therefore, is time not ripe for the candidate who wants to make Nigeria work and great again? Atiku surely has the Midas’ Touch to turn adversity into prosperity, poverty into plenty, apathy into sympathy, hostility into friendliness and people’s sorrow into collective joy.

Hence Nigerians, in their leadership quest, should endeavour to seek out a statesman of class and panache, one who sincerely loves the country and has proclivity and affinity with the people, a patriot with empathy and compassion, a knowledgeable welfarist, a bridge builder and unifier, a charismatic and humble element, a great listener and team player, a business-minded executive with belief in both job and wealth creation, a defender of democracy and constitutionalism, a proven law abiding citizen and, in a nutshell, a congruent leader who fuses capacity, competence and character together to enhance and advance people’s-centered vision, to create and propagate equitable national developmental innovations. Such a leader is the answer to Nigeria of today. And it is not an Eldorado!

Yusuf wrote from Abuja

A BROTHER LIKE NO OTHER

Tola Ogunnubi pays tribute to his elder brother, Olukayode, at age 56

W

ords fail me to pay a deserving tribute to perhaps the greatest brother that ever trod the face of planet earth.

Over five decades ago, a fine, intelligent, extremely humble, quintessential gentleman was born, precisely on the 15th of February, 1963 into the Pa Isaac Ayorinde Ogunnubi clan in Ijeh-Obalende (now Dolphin Estate) area of Lagos State. He had a most precocious growth and excelled in academics, life’s school and character.

He was christened Oluwakayode Timothy Oluwasesan and he began a family anchored on the principled ideals of morality, resilience, good heritage, stability, forthrightness and uprightness.

As a young lad, I found an instant model and worthy mentor in my brother, in whom I could trust, emulate and fashion my life after. Kayode as he is fondly called, epitomises grace and character, humble to a fault, simple, yet elegant. Extremely neat and fashionable, brilliant and reserved. Entrepreneur extraordinaire. Astute land administrator, successful estate valuer, and a distinguished family man.

Kayode is honest, easy going and intelligent. He was clearly a shining light in those days at CMS Grammar School, Bariga, Lagos. After his A levels he went to the prestigious Yaba College of Technology and thereafter to the University of Nigeria (UNN)

where he was the best graduating student in his time.

I am deeply proud of him. He came back to Lagos and enrolled in the University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba for both his M.Sc and MBA. Married to a beautiful woman with a beautiful heart, Patience Olamide Ogunnubi, they are blessed with two lovely children. A strict disciplinarian, yet a humane brother. There is no room for unruly behaviour for any child. He took charge of his home and house. Kudos, brother. He taught me and my other siblings, the gizmo of spartan discipline, the ethos of hygienic living, the greatness of erudition, the obligation of goodness, the merits of integrity and the love of kindness. A brother who always has the answer to your problems. Whilst you see the problem, he sees the prospect and the possibility. He never says no to your advancement. He will go out of his way to give you the best support possible. Brother, thank you for giving me the best of opportunities available.

His sense of professionalism is unparalleled. The good name he has garnered is what has elevated him to the position of a Permanent Secretary today in the Lagos State Civil Service. An extremely content public servant.

He joined the Lagos State Civil Service on the 1st of April 1992 and assumed duty at the Department of Lands. He served meritoriously and was moved to the Lagos State Valuation Office as a director. He perhaps was the youngest director at the time and

the longest serving director. Seeing his dedication to duty and results achieved, a dedicated department called Lagos State Real Estate Transaction Department was created by the Lagos State government as the main regulatory authority in the state on real estate transactions. It was inaugurated on the 22nd of June 2012 by the then Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN). Kayode was made the pioneer general manager.

In 2015, upon the commencement of the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode administration, he was found worthy and chosen to become the Executive Secretary in a very familiar terrain--Lagos State Lands Use and Allocation Committee. In his capacity as the executive secretary in the Lands Bureau, he was responsible for land allocation and management in Lagos State.

He ensured efficient allocation of land in the state, transparency in land transactions and the timely release of title documents to land owners.

He introduced and put in place the process of applying and being issued Certificates of Occupancy within 90 days of payment. This made the governor to sign a backlog of 2500 certificates in a day, the first in the country. As a pacesetter, he was able to set in motion and reposition the Lands Bureau to aid it in providing more professionalized services.

Because of his professionalism and dedication to work, he was redeployed to go and reorganize the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA)

and within a year he was elevated to the position of a Permanent Secretary and posted to the Ministry of Science and Technology on the 6th of November, 2017. A post he still currently holds.

Kayode, the primonigentor of many firsts that lends irrevocable credence to how much commitment he invests in his personal endeavour. He made sure we never lacked as his younger ones even after the death of our parents. The responsibilities were much and tasking but with an ever understanding and supportive wife, there were no issues. A hard worker, a homely husband, a reliable and responsible brother, an urbane technocrat and a chronic motivator. Supportive to a fault, defender to the end, his corrective eyes speak a million words till date.

I will never forget his resounding advice wherever I go- ‘Don’t ever forget the child of whom you are.

Remember you have the glorious name of this family to protect’. This ensures I never stray no matter what.

As the last child of the family, I make bold to say that I am a direct beneficiary of your large heartedness, gratification, good name, largesse and uncommon wit.

On this occasion of your birthday celebration, I wish you more successes, long life, a bountiful harvest of your worthy and deserving investment on career and family, sound health, peace of mind, a speedy accomplishment of your yet elusive dreams and above all, all you wish yourself.

Ogunnubi wrote from Abuja.

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EDITORIAL Buhari And The ‘Ghost’ Workers The ghost workers should be exposed and punished

I

n a special write-up released last Sunday, President Muhammadu Buhari revealed that nearly 550 million dollars has been saved from identifying ghost employees in the federal government payroll in the past four years. It is unacceptable that Nigerians should be periodically regaled with tales of discovery of ghost workers, while no visible attempts are made to get to the bottom of such fraud and bring the wrath of the law to bear on the perpetrators.

For a government that came to office with the agenda of fighting corruption, it is not enough for the president to announce figures. Nigerians ought to know, for instance, how and when some of these “ghost” names got on the payroll and for how long they have been there. It is also important that the security agencies tell Nigerians into what accounts the monies so fraudulently drawn have been paid over the years; and the total sum the nation has lost so far to this organised crime.

This blatant corruption, which runs into hundreds of billions of naira every THIS BLATANT year--from the fedCORRUPTION WHICH eral to the state to local RUNS INTO HUNDREDS government—thrives, OF BILLIONS OF NAIRA because there is no willingness to tackle EVERY YEAR THRIVES what has become a BECAUSE THERE IS perfect scam. Indeed, NO WILLINGNESS TO the problem of invisible TACKLE WHAT HAS workers has become a metaphor for Nigeria’s BECOME A PERFECT malaise. It is therefore SCAM time for the authorities to begin working to end the current system by which scarce national resources are pocketed by a few selfish individuals.

Unless the federal government adopts a structured and serious institutional response to the ever recurring problem of ghost workers in most government establishments, the syndicate that thrives on inflating the actual number of workers and fleecing the nation will keep smiling to the

banks. Not long ago the Federal Civil Service Commission declared that over 30 per cent of the workers on its payroll are phantom staff. And then, almost every workers’ verification exercise carried out by agencies of government has thrown up thousands of fake workers who are on the payroll. Each of these ghost workers have been receiving regular salaries and allowances for a long time; and the sum runs into billions of naira.

T T H I S DAY EDITOR BOLAJI ADEBIYI DEPUTY EDITOR DAVIDSON IRIEKPEN MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN MANAGING EDITOR JOSEPH USHIGIALE

T H I S DAY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, ISRAEL IWEGBU, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU, EMMANUEL EFENI DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS BOLAJI ADEBIYI, PETER IWEGBU, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS PATRICK EIMIUHI, SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO

he Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, (IPPIS) launched by the former Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, uncovered several cases of the fraud through the use of biometric data capture machine. Because ghosts have no finger prints, the bubble burst for those behind the inflated staff figures. Many of the fake workers who have regularly survived the “pay at sight” charade of the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) stood out like sour thumbs. But it would seem that many are still in the system.

In the MDAs today, there are reportedly several fictitious names on the payroll. Unfortunately, while labour unions should be proactive in championing procedural and tactical transparency in the management of workers’ data, it has remained notoriously opposed to biometric for the workers’ verification exercise. The unions actually went public to say there were no ghost workers and vigorously resisted the use of the BDC machines for months, before most of the appalling revelations became public. It must be stopped. We believe that it is the duty of labour unions to protect the interest of workers and protecting such interests include ensuring that the nation is not swindled in their name. It also includes ensuring that resources that could be deployed to engage more jobless Nigerians are not pocketed by a few selfish individuals. We also believe the federal government should take the issue of ghost workers more seriously by adopting a holistic, rather than ad-hoc, approach to tackling the menace. And those who are behind the racket should be exposed and brought to book.

This mindless plunder of scarce state resources has lasted long enough.

TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

Letters to the Editor

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EMOTIONS DON’T DECIDE OPINION POLLS

W

e teachers of science are lucky because our lives are more often than not guided by the objectivity that the scientific process espouses, viz: statement of fact, standard methodology, repeatability, etc., and in the ideal sense we are less likely to be superstitious and less likely to allow irrational emotions dictate our everyday actions. In the science of politics (that is, political science), this scientific objectivity is the route that the statistical process brings into predictive opinions polls; opinions polls are not published to satisfy partisan emotions. Usually, any such poll is a pointer to the most probable outcome of an election result; if anyone is thinking right about now that, “Oh, but the polls were wrong in the US in 2016” that person’s point-of-view would not be entirely correct because the polls predicted that the then Candidate Donald Trump would lose the popular vote and this was correct; it was the “check-andbalance” political tool called the Electoral College that the US built into its presidential electoral process that gave Donald Trump the presidency.

Now, over here in Nigeria, it does not do the people any good if the The Nation newspaper owned by Bola Ahmed Tinubu would go out and scream in its Monday 11th February 2019 front-page that Muhammadu Buhari will win by 60% in a ploy to downplay the humbling effect that the THISDAY

scientifically-certified polls had on the bigwigs of APC who are still bent on foisting an emotionallydrained Buhari on the body politic. Surprisingly, when it seems convenient to do, the Tinubu APC posse happily referenced a bogus pollster based in a country whose citizens an APC bigwig in the shape of Gov. Nasir el-Rufai threatened to send back home in body bags; ain’t this double standard in its naked form knowing that Tinubu did not chide Gov. El-Rufai for the death threat he made? The Nation newspaper would do well to learn from the objective reporting that the THISDAY practices. THISDAY gives equal space and balanced commentaries on the PDP and the APC and this newspaper went so far to inform its readers that the opinion poll it conducted plus those of the independent pollsters in the US and the UK that it reported on were those very polls that predicted an unlikely victory for the then Candidate Muhammadu Buhari in 2015. This past September, The Nation newspaper was wrong on the outcome of the Osun State gubernatorial election when its headline screamed that Candidate Oyetola was leading; in hindsight, even with deductions from the PDP overall tally and addition to the APC overall tally, Candidate Adeleke still won the overall count. What Tinubu should know is that emotions don’t decide opinion polls.

Sunday Adole Jonah, Department of Physics, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State

WHAT IS OUR NATIONALVIRTUE?

V

irtue is everything in life, from the earliest times the stoics reiterated the need for integrity and virtue as a moral foundation. This aspect is seriously lacking in the leadership of almost every African state. A very interesting story is that Diogene, whom Alexander the great once asked to name whatever he wanted and Diogene told him to please leave. Diogene said this because to a man of greatness the perception of virtue in itself is sufficient and superior to wealth. Once Epictetus was quoted to have said, “Consider the price you sell your integrity but I beg you in the name of God, don’t sell it cheap.”

Development in Nigeria has been lacking an understanding in virtue and it has to be said that not too many leaders have been fully able to grasp the concept of virtue; and this has brought incalculable risks upon our society. We might constantly berate the leadership but history has produced shinning stars like Alhaji Lateef Jakande and Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who seem to have taken their learnings from Zeno of Citium and the early stoics. It is rather unfortunate that a misunderstanding of the dichotomy between virtue and vice has characterized our society. Consequently, there is a constant fight between the two parallels as they strive to outdo each other. Yet, they can never meet. Philosophers like Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus gave stern warnings

about the need to uphold virtue and integrity. In his meditations, he declared, “Say to yourself in the early morning: I shall meet today the ungrateful, violent, treacherous, envious, uncharitable men. All of these things have come upon them through ignorance of real good and ill... I can neither be harmed by any of them, for no man will involve me in wrong, nor can I be angry with my kinsman or hate him; for we have come into the world to work together.”

Aside from understanding purpose, the national discourse I must say is a discourse of virtue. Hence, salient questions must be asked about national cohesion and virtue. We must ask: what is our national virtue? How do we chart a course in the face of vacillating headwinds of ideology? What should the virtue of governance be - the dynamics between the governor, governance and the governed?

Virtue should be addressed in the private sector and even individual lives.

An erudite Prof Lumumba Otieno at one time lamented that, “We live in a country where our young ladies who have recently attained the age of puberty cannot afford sanitary pads, but our men and women in public offices have I-pads which they do not even know how to use.” This statement strongly indicts dearth of virtue in our society. Sadly, the contrast Professor Otieno succinctly paints in those few words is the cataclysmic reality of the African society.

Rufai Oseni, rufai@rufai.com.ng

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Group Politics Editor NSEOBONG OKON-EKONG

POLITICS

Email: nseobong.okonekong@thisdaylive.com 08114495324 SMS ONLY

PERSPECTIVE

Preference for Best of the Pack Okey Ndibe writes on his preferred preidential candidate

Buhari

K

ingsley Moghalu of the Young Progressive Party (YPP) is by far the best presidential candidate in this weekend’s general elections. By any rational measure, he towers above the two men touted as frontrunners in the presidential race—incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Moghalu is so superior to the two men that—in a political universe that wasn’t absurd—both Buhari and Atiku would not be in the running at all. Instead, they would cast their votes for the YPP’s candidate.

Of course, one is not holding one’s breath for President Buhari and former Vice President Atiku to endorse Moghalu.

Nor am I surprised that many Nigerians, handicapped by poor information, persist in a binary worldview that swings between the APC and PDP. What I can neither fathom nor forgive is the laziness, ineptitude and ignorance manifested by that Nigerian demographic bracket that is supposedly enlightened. Included in that group are graduates of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

This cohort, whose members reign on social media and hold court at ubiquitous beer and pepper soup joints, chant the maddening creed that Nigerian voters have only two presidential candidates to choose from— Buhari or Atiku.

I was in Nigeria when a crucial debate took place between several presidential candidates in this weekend’s elections.

Even though Buhari was invited to the televised affair, he chose to keep away.

Atiku was also expected at the debate. He actually showed up at the venue, briefly, and then vamoosed. His argument: that Buhari’s absence from the stage rendered moot his own participation.

In the event, Kingsley Moghalu, Fela Durotoye of the Alliance for New Nigeria, and Oby Ezekwesili of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria squared off. It was an illumining debate, and featured robust exchanges. With clarity and eloquence, the debaters offered their visions and programmes for rescuing Nigeria from its crippling developmental crises.

Yet, in the wake of the debate, many Nigerians—included the so-call enlightened ones—seemed preoccupied with the two absentee candidates. A few friends and acquaintances told me that, as Buhari and Atiku were no-shows, the debate was a non-event.

That attitude, I thought, indicated the disturbing depth of Nigeria’s malaise.

Come to think of it, Buhari had excellent

Abubakar

reasons for keeping away from the debate; his presidency has been nothing short of disastrous. He has spent much of his tenure in Britain, tending to his failing health.

Were he a patriot, he might have realized that the running of any country—much less one as complex and trouble-prone as Nigeria—is no business for a sickly person. He should have resigned, pure and simple. Even when he was in Abuja, Nigerians noticed little if any difference.

He seemed content to doze as his country went to the dumpsters. He arrived in office with a terribly limited compass. His major political appointments, including in key security agencies, showed that, for him, Nigeria began in Daura and did not extend much beyond Katsina State. Before the 2015 elections, I had predicted that Buhari would prove a dud; as president, he was worse. His bid for a second term is—there’s no better way to put it—ridiculous. It’s also an insult to Nigerians who now have proof, if proof was needed, that this emperor has no clothes—that he simply doesn’t have the fiber and vision to lead a hamlet, much less a nation. If he had showed up at the debate, Nigerians would have seen a fumbling, confounded president on display.

Atiku, too, had good reasons for absconding from the debate. His party, the PDP, set the tone for the current

Moghalu recognizes that—as he said in a popular lecture—oil is the “god of small things.”His profound sense of history will release him from the lazy mindset of Nigeria’s current and past misleaders who view high earnings from our crude as an excuse to waste and low earnings as a handy excuse for their incompetence

Moghalu

maladies that plague Nigeria. These grave disorders include electoral fraud, reckless plunder of public treasuries, recruitment of some of country’s worst people into public life, institution of godfatherism, veneration of rustics as godfathers, enthronement of lawlessness, inflation of the powers of the executive arm of government at the expense of the judicial and legislative arms, emasculation of local governments, unbridled transfers of public assets to private pockets, inexcusably bloated packages for holders of public office, and scant attention to the basic needs of Nigerians.

Atiku was, with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, a major player in the abortion of Nigeria’s promise, the distortion of Nigerians’ expectations for a vibrant, development-focused democracy.

Atiku’s critics have rightly called to question his role in the privatization of some of Nigeria’s key assets. Should Atiku become president, the augury for Nigerians is dire. He’s already warned us that he intends to enrich his friends and to sell off more of the country’s prized assets.

Note what he didn’t say: he never said he’d invite his friends to bring their gifts to enrich Nigeria. Nor did he commit to a plan to ensure that those who acquired public assets—like power distribution companies—live up to their commitments to the Nigerian people.

Atiku has other negatives. Despite the fanfare of his recent visit to the US, Atiku kids himself if he thinks that it’s not common knowledge that, for several years, he stayed away from America on account of the certain legal jeopardy he faced there. Atiku would have impoverished, not improved, the televised presidential debate.

Nigerians are famous for excusing moral deficits by declaring that a person is not a saint. I’m not in the business of prospecting for saints. I’m looking for a person of vision, mental acumen, imagination and historical perspective who understands the depth of Nigeria’s travails—and is equipped to implement paradigm-shifting reforms.

Here’s the point. Nigeria is in deep, deep doo-doo. More and more Nigerians now haunt refuse dumps for food. Power supply remains epileptic, hampering enterprise and rendering Nigeria inhospitable to its citizens. Healthcare is a foreign idea to most Nigerians. Jobs are scarce.

The educational system is in a shambles.

The country’s infrastructure is inadequate and in disrepair. Nigerians have been reduced to neo-animal states of existence.

Anybody who denies it is a fool or shameless beneficiary from the destitution of

millions. Or both.

Buhari has demonstrated that he has no answers. In fact, I believe that his first term, a certified disaster, represented the best he has to give. To reelect him would amount to Nigerians pleading for more misery, more doldrums, and more death at the hands of marauding herdsmen who kill and occupy land. Give it to Atiku, he’s likely to be incrementally better than Buhari in at least one respect: he’ll invite a wider circle of friends—from north, south, east and west—to dine on the thinning carcass of Nigeria.

Moghalu is cut from a different cloth.

He and a handful of other candidates possess the vision and enlightenment to move the dial from the zone of hopeless to that of hope. Of that group—which includes Fela Durotoye and Tope Fasua— he stands out. Where Buhari and Atiku would be incapable of seeing beyond Nigeria’s crude oil earnings, Moghalu recognizes that—as he said in a popular lecture—oil is the “god of small things.”

His profound sense of history will release him from the lazy mindset of Nigeria’s current and past misleaders who view high earnings from our crude as an excuse to waste and low earnings as a handy excuse for their incompetence.

Nigerian voters should recognize the critical nature of their country’s condition. We—especially the enlightened among us—must realize the urgency of our situation, the desperate state of our being. That’s why it galls to hear people say, in one breath, that Moghalu is the best candidate in the election and, in the next breath, declare that he is too young and inexperienced, doesn’t have “structure,” money, or a presence in the rural areas.

My answer to such cynics: first, make a commitment to vote for him because he’s the best. Don’t recycle a failed Buhari or endorse an underwhelming Atiku.

Second, the likes of Nnamdi Azikiwe and Obafemi Awolowo were not Methuselahs when they took on British colonialism.

Third, if Moghalu has no “structure,” why not enlist yourself as part of his “structure”? Why not persuade your friends, acquaintances and drinking buddies to vote for him? If he’s not a blip in your hometown, why, make calls on his behalf to your relatives there.

For that matter, if you happen to have the contacts for Buhari and Atiku, ask them to do the right thing—for themselves and their posterity—by renouncing their ambitions. They should vote for Moghalu!

-Ndibe is a novelist, political columnist and an essayist

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY FEBRUARY 15, 2019

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PERSPECTIVE

Understanding the APM Factor in Ogun Politics Gboyega Akinsanmi writes that though the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State suffered much setback after its primaries, the rise of Allied Peoples Movement (APM) will be a blessing for President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election bid

Akinlade

T

he All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State has been enmeshed in intractable crisis since it concluded its primaries on October 2, 2018. Unlike other elective offices, the chapter’s governorship contest has completely thrown it off the balance as two factions conducted different primaries that produced candidates of their own preference.

On the one hand, the Managing Director of Hyden Petroleum Limited, Mr. Dapo Abiodun emerged from the faction of former Ogun State Governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba. On the other hand, the camp of the incumbent governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun produced a serving member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Adekunle Akinlade as its own candidate.

Amid the divergent outcomes, the National Working Committee (NWC) recognised Abiodun as the APC governorship candidate. After all efforts to reconcile their differences failed, Akinlade eventually dumped the APC and chose to pursue his governorship aspiration in the APM, a completely unknown political platform until he adopted it.

But Akinlade did not quit the APC alone. He left with a sizable number of Amosun’s political allies across all the senatorial districts in the state. He equally took advantage of the rift in the state’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to poach some of its chieftains, who according to findings, could help him realise his governorship ambition.

Under four months, the APM, a relatively unknown political party, has become a defining factor in Ogun politics. Even without definite structures at all levels, the APM now has state-wide spread, depending on its campaign coordinators from the state level to the ward level to win electoral contest, especially the March 2 governorship election.

Recently, Akinlade explained how the APM managed to gain statewide acceptance within a period of four months.

He ascribed the party’s astronomical growth to popular support the people of the state had accorded the Amosun regime and their decision to fight injustice he suffered in the hands of some powerful interests in the state and beyond.

On this ground, Akinlade said the 2019 election was not about him per se; neither was it in any way about the political platform he chose to pursue his governorship aspiration. Rather, according to him, it is about Ogun State.

It is about the people of the state. We do not even structure at all levels. Yet, the people know us and share our dream.

For the APC leaders, therefore, the APM has perhaps become a major threat, not just to the APC, but also to the PDP in the state. This came to the open

Abiodun

during the campaign rally President Muhammadu Buhari held in Abeokuta on Monday. At the rally, Amosun’s political allies protested the candidature of Abiodun before the president.

At some points, Amosun’s supporters booed the APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, whom they alleged, connived with other powerful interests within and outside the party to thwart the nomination of Akinlade as the APC governorship candidate. For them, it is an injustice they have probably sworn to fight to finish.

What implication does this internal rift have for the electoral value of the APC in the state? Amosun claimed that he was still in the APC “to deliver Ogun State for Buhari.” He explained his decision to remain in the APC, citing two different rationales. First, said it was borne out of his unwavering support for Buhari.

Second, he claimed that it was meant to protect the rights of those whose mandates were robbed by the NWC. He, therefore, observed that the people of the state “are solidly in Buhari support and will vote massively for him.” As much as he was committed to Buhari’s re-election, Amosun said he was absolutely committed to Akinlade’s governorship aspiration on the platform of the APM. After winning the governorship

APM has no presidential candidate; Buhari is its adopted flag bearer.

Consequently, there is little doubt the huge followers he has been able to garner within so short a period will overwhelmingly vote for Buhari. Akinlade has been urging them to do so. Besides, as Amosun said at different times, it is evident that if Akinlade win the governorship contest on March, he will at once return to the APC

contest on March 3, however, Amosun promised “to bring all his political allies back from the APM to the APC” By implication, the APM is merely a special purpose vehicle for Amosun, Akinlade and their political allies.

Like his political godfather, Akinlade claimed that he had the backing of the president “to pursue his governorship aspiration on the platform of the APM.” Aside, he claimed, Buhari was never part of the powerful interests that worked against his ambition in the APC. On this note, he said he had been working for Buhari’s re-election across the state.

Specifically, Akinlade explained his resolve to seek support for Buhari’s re-election everywhere he campaigned in the state on two grounds. He, first, claimed that the APM “is now stronger than major political parties, especially the APC and PDP, in Ogun State.” Also, he said his supporters would not vote for Buhari if he failed “to campaign for him.

“That is why the APM also adopted him as its presidential candidate. I campaign for Buhari’s re-election anywhere I go to in the state. If I do not campaign for him, they will not vote for the APC. I have to tell them to vote for Buhari. I had to tell them Buhari would have helped if not for the position he found himself in the party.”

Unlike the case of the governorship contest, coincidentally, the Osoba camp agreed with the Amosun faction on Buhari’s re-election. The former governor had led the APC governorship candidate to Buhari in Aso Rock just the way Amosun had introduced the APM governorship candidate to the president. After the separate meetings, the president had equally endorsed the two candidates of different political leanings for the state’s governorship contest.

Likewise, Osoba claimed that Buhari’s re-election was indisputable, noting that he had been deploying his massive grassroots contacts statewide to realise it alongside the guber contest. Across the 20 local government areas (LGAs) in the state, the former governor claimed that he had been leveraging on his goodwill to ensure the president secure landslide on February 16.

After a meeting with Buhari on December 28, 2018, Osoba observed that 2019 “will by the grace of God be a defining year for the president. In 2003, a judgment was given where they the election in Ogun State was fraudulent and nullified by the tribunal. If he could defeat the incumbent president in 2003 in Ogun State, he will win the 2019 presidential election.”

With all these political gladiators campaigning for his re-election across the state, the dichotomy between the APM

and APC ranks will shore-up Buhari’s electoral fortune in Ogun State compared with other South-west states. This is evident in the way Osoba, Amosun and Akinlade have been campaigning for Buhari’s re-election state-wide. The combined effort might give Buhari the largest votes in the region.

For reasons that hovered between Amosun’s political capital and the PDP’s self inflicted misfortunes in the state, findings showed that the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar might hold the shorter end of the stick in the state’s political calculus. Already, findings showed, a segment of Ogun PDP might be working for Akinlade.

Contingent on a recent survey, mainly in the state capital, Akinlade’s campaign machinery has been overwhelming with strong presence statewide. In Ogun West and Central, according to the survey, there is no appreciable showing that competes with Akinlade’s APM and Amosun’s wing of the APC. Even in Ogun East where Abiodun and the PDP governorship candidate, Senator Buruji Kashamu hail from, Akinlade’s presence is still very strong.

As much as APC’s leadership would have wanted to rein him in, Amosun’s time-honored relationship with Buhari has apparently been a limiting factor.

Although he could rightly be charged for subversive political activities against the APC, Buhari’s emergence can be said to be working either directly or indirectly in Amosun’s favour.

The political engagements in Ogun have been a campaign of wits, huge resource and tenacity of purpose.

Neither Buruji, nor Abiodun or even perhaps the governorship candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr. Gboyega Nasir Isiaka (GNI) can upset the applecart, which Amosun and Akinlade are currently shouldering.

As Akinlade recently said, the APM has no presidential candidate; Buhari is its adopted flag bearer. Consequently, there is little doubt the huge followers he has been able to garner within so short a period “will overwhelmingly vote for Buhari. Akinlade has been urging them to do so.” Besides, as Amosun said at different times, it is evident that if Akinlade win the governorship contest on March, he will at once return to the APC. Apart from Lagos with its huge resources, no other state in the Southwest has campaigned for Buhari.

Buhari’s electoral fortune of Buhari might be in the South-west in particular and other parts of the South in general.

Despite the rift in the APC, Ogun is sure to post an impressive showing for the president at the Saturday elections. With these convoluted issues, the APM has now become a defining factor in Ogun politics.

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T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍł, 2019

BUSINESSWORLD

Group Business Editor Obinna Chima Email obinna.chima@thisdaylive.com 08024557078, 08152447875

ÍŻ Ëœ Í° ÍŽ ÍŻ ͡ MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT

REPO 11.07 % 11.86 %

CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH

12 % 12.60 % ͯͰ˛;ͳ Ϲ

S & P INDEX INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY MONTH-TO-DATE

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EXCHANGE RATE ͹͎ʹ˛;ͳ˚ͯ ̊ ̊

Quick Takes FG Urged to Inaugurate Boards

The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has called on the federal government to urgently inaugurate the boards of the NSITF, PenComandotheragencies.

NECA noted that the current situation of non-functional boards was a violationofthelawssettinguptheagencies,andcoulderodeconfidence inthesystem.

Speaking in Lagos on the recent investigative activity of the National AssemblyontheNationalPensionCommission(PenCom),theDirectorGeneral of NECA, Mr. Timothy Olawale stated that “Section 19 of the Pension Reform Act 2014 provides for a Governing Board of PenCom, whichissaddledwithresponsibilities. “ItissaddeningtonotethattheBoardofthePenComhasnotbeenconstituted.

This raises a fundamental governance issue, as contributors’ funds are involved,beingcontributionsfromemployersandworkersinNigeria�.

TheNECABossfurtherstatedthat“theimplicationofthenon-governance framework,whichistoregulatetheactivitiesoftheseagencies,threeand half years down the line, is unfortunate especially for a government that pridesitselfintheruleoflaw. “Thereis,therefore,noreasonwhyboardsofvariousgovernmentagencies should, urgently, not be constituted and inaugurated – to avoid eroding theconfidencethathadbeenbuiltovertheyearsbyNigerians,especially whereContributors’fundsareinvolvedandshouldbeprotected.�

ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION

L-R: Director of Human Resources and Administration, Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Alhaji Dalhatu Kakangi; Commissioner/ CEO, Engr. Akin Olateru; Director of Engineering, Engr. Mohammed Hashim Wali and General Manager, Public Aairs, Mr. Tunji Oketunbi, brieďŹ ng the media on the release of the preliminary report on the accident involving Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, in Lagos‌recently PHOTO: KOLAWOLE ALLI

Why Airline Businesses Fail in Nigeria Chinedu Eze An industry expert and former Managing Director of Virgin Nigeria, Captain Dapo Olumide, has said the inability to save money for aircraft checks, poor infrastructure and lack of comprehensive maintenance facility are some of the major factors responsible for the failure of airlines in Nigeria.

Olumide, who revived the former Nigeria Airways after it became moribund said aircraft are highly maintenance intensive in terms of cost, especially when it is conducted overseas, noting that the huge resources spent on maintenance by Nigerian airlines make them uncompetitive with other carriers in Africa and others that fly into the country.

Olumide, who is currently the

AVIATION CEO of Ropeways, Cable Car Company explained: “We don’t have the maintenance facilities in Nigeria. You can’t do the entire spectrum of maintenance required on a typical commercial aircraft in Nigeria. “But we may have facilities for helicopters and small aircraft, such as the four-seater equipment that you have in a flying school; you can do all of the maintenance here. “But when you talk about commercial aircraft from a regional jet and above, we don’t have the capabilities. “Yes, we can do A check or B check. For an A check, they are simple things that can be done here. But when it comes

to a C check, there are very few facilities here to do it. Aero has facility that can do C-check now. “I give credit to them. But in the contrary, in Nigeria we don’t have the ability for operators to maintain their aircraft here.

So they pay the huge cost of having to fly the aircraft abroad for maintenance. That is a huge expense, so you are no longer competitive,� Olumide said.

He said most international carriers come from countries where they have easy access to maintenance facility and aircraft spares; that they spend less money on both aircraft maintenance and for spares. “You are complaining about the foreign airlines coming in here, they have an advantage because they do the maintenance of their aircraft right where they

depart from and they don’t have to worry about visas, crew change and buying tickets for the crew, which cost a lot of money. “They live about five miles away from the airport and the training facility is five miles from the airport. The aircraft is maintained right at the airport so their cost is much, much lower than yours. So those are the two big issues that I find holding back the industry. But there are other issues as to why operators in Nigeria are failing and have consistently failed,� Olumide said.

The former Managing Director of Virgin Nigeria said any airline that wished to succeed in Nigeria must have a financing model, stressing that indigenous airlines Continued on page 22

NPA to Partner FG to Enhance $15bn Trade Value at Seaports Eromosele Abiodun The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala-Usman, has stated that the authority will continue to work with the federal government to improve facilities at the nation’s seaports in order to attract more goods and services to the country.

Nigerian ports, she stated, are a major gateway into the country with over 85 per cent of all the goods and services coming into the country exploiting facilities at the nation’s seaports with aggregate value exceeding the $15billion mark annually.

She stated this at the presentation of the book, ‘Footprints of President Muhammadu Buhari in the Maritime Sector,’ written by the Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN).

Represented by the Executive

ECONOMY Director, Marine and Services, Mr. Seconte Davis, the NPA boss said the maritime sector was a major contributor to the Nigerian economy.

She said: “This is more so when we consider that the oil and gas sector, which is the country’s economic mainstay is itself almost completely dependent on the maritime sector.

Because the maritime industry is an intensely competitive one wherein stakeholders have the liberty of choice and the discretion to review those choices as often as they will, ports desiring any level of market share must be open in their practices and engender confidence, retain old patronage and gain more trust with the intent of increasing market share. “This is more so for us in

Nigeria where, as we said earlier the maritime sector is a significant contributor to national growth with yet untapped potentials to do more.

For most countries, developed and developing ones alike, incomes from maritime operations represent an enormous revenue line, the sort of which funds significant capital projects and social security systems. “Singapore’s maritime industry, as an example, contributes about seven per cent to the country’s $300 billion Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This administration understood that Nigerian must aspire for as much and even greater and a lot of this has to do with how much of integrity we are able to bring into our practices.�

She added that one of the greatest things the Buhari administration has achieved

is in the area of transparency. “From the NPA where we decided to open our budget to the public with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with BUDGIT Open Budget System Platform, to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), which launched a massive rebranding strategy to rebuild confidence and the Nigerian Customs Service that has posted unprecedented revenue returns in the course of the past three and a half years. “This administration has been deliberate about entrenching a culture of transparency and giving all stakeholders a sense of trust in the system which did not exist before 2015. A lot has also been done in the area of maritime security, NIMASA Continued on page 22

Ethiopian GCEO Receives Award

TheGroupCEOofEthiopiaAirlines,Mr.TewoldeGebreMariamhasreceived award as one of the most influential persons of African descent in the categoryofbusinessandentrepreneurship.

TheawardwasgiventoGebremariamataceremonyheldinAddisAbaba, recently.

The award, the most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD), is a globalcivilsocietyinitiativeinsupportoftheUnitedNation’sInternational DecadeforPeopleofAfricanDescent.Itrecogniseshighachieversinfour categoriesnamelypoliticsandgovernance,businessandentrepreneurship, mediaandcultureandreligiousandhumanitarian.

Commentingontheaward,GebereMariamsaid:“Itisanabsolutehonour tohavereceivedthisprestigiousrecognition,anaccoladethathighlights thecontributionofhighachieverstoAfrica. “Firstandforemost,myrecognitionisatributetothehardworkingEthiopian employees,ardentmanagementmembers,theboardandthegovernment ofEthiopiaatlarge. “TheawardatteststheincrediblyimportantroleEthiopianairlinesplays intheintegrationofAfricathrougharobustbusiness. “I have always taken a great deal of pride that Ethiopian is catalysing the muchneededtradeandinvestment,tourism,andpeople-to-peoplerelations in the continent and beyond.We, African business leaders, who wield an influenceinAfrica’sbusinessandeconomiccirclesshouldpromotebusiness and entrepreneurship in collaboration with all concerned stakeholders to help ensure sustainability and development, capitalizing on one if the greatestassetsofAfrica,whichisitsyoung,fast-growing,andincreasingly urbanizedpopulation�.

NAMA Demands Cashless Payments

In a bid to ensure total compliance to the presidential directive on the implementationofTreasurySingleAccount(TSA),theNigerianAirspace ManagementAgency(NAMA)hasheldasensitisationforumwithagents andrepresentativesofoperatorsofnon-scheduledflightsinthecountry ontheimperativeoftheTSAregimeoftheBuhariadministration.

Theevent,whichtookplaceinLagoswastargetedamongotherthings,at dialoguingwithoperatorsandfashioningoutwaystoaddressconcerns arisingfromtheprocessofadjustingtothenewcashlesspaymentsystem sinceitcameintooperationlastyear.

Inhisremarks,theManagingDirectorofNAMA,Capt.FolaAkinkuotu,said there was no going back on the federal government cashless policy and thatitwasanexecutivepronouncementthatdemandedtotalcompliance fromallstakeholders.

Heappealedtonon-scheduledoperatorsto“embracethenewinitiative astheentireworldisgoingcashless,�assuringthemthatthenewsystem wouldyieldpositiveresultsthatwouldbenefittheentireindustry. “Thisisaninnovationthatwouldnotonlyimproveandsanitisethenation’s financial system but also ensure accountability and transparency in the longrun.Ifwedesireanaviationindustrythatisgloballycompetitive,we havetoimbibeglobalbestpractices,�Akinkuotusaid.

“In a short while, I assure you we will stop anybody importing tomato paste into this country. It is going to happen faster than people think.

So, let the smugglers beware; production not smuggling; production not importation – definitely not importation of what we can produce�

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development,

Audu Ogbeh

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BUSINESSWORLD WHY AIRLINE BUSINESSES FAIL IN NIGERIA get it wrong when it comes to aircraft maintenance. “Reserves mean you are putting money aside. Because those checks and expenses are due maybe in a year from now, maybe five years from now but every hour you fly the aircraft you should set aside a reserve. “Let me simplify it by saying a savings account. You have to have a savings account somewhere where you put that money and don’t touch it. This should be separate from your ticket sales, don’t touch it, so that when that maintenance comes you have the money for it. “But they don’t do that and so they suddenly find themselves saying they don’t have the money for maintenance,�

Olumide noted.

He said that Nigerian airlines also operate old aircraft, which needs frequent maintenance, noting that problem with old aircraft is high cost of maintenance.

In addition, he decried the high cost of operating in the Nigerian environment.

NPA TO PARTNER FG TO ENHANCE $15BN TRADE VALUE AT SEAPORTS

and the Nigerian Navy work round the clock to reduce the incidence of piracy. “They have even gone ahead to form partnerships with other countries in the Gulf of Guinea region to ensure the safety of ships and crews on Nigerian waters. A fall out of this was the President’s visit to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea in 2017 for the signing of an agreement on Integrated National Security Strategy to stem the tide of insecurity on the region’s territorial waterways,� she said.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the board of SCAN, Mr. Bolaji Akinola, has noted that Buhari must be given credit for bringing decorum and instilling discipline in the sector as well as plugging revenue loopholes. “It is on record that the NPA, NIMASA, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and some other agencies in the sector now record little or no leakages in their systems unlike the norms of the past. It is also on record that the huge infrastructural deficit facing the sector is being committedly and honestly addressed by the present government.�

Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

NEWS

WACT Orders $2.5m Equipment to Handle Container Volume Stories by Eromosele Abiodun

The West African Container Terminal (WACT), Onne Port, Rivers State, has ordered 10 terminal trucks, two reach stackers and one empty container handler worth $2.5 million (N900 million), to cope with increasing volume at the terminal.

The Managing Director of WACT, Aamir Mirza, stated this during the inauguration of four new terminal trucks to enhance service delivery to its customers.

The four new trucks arrived the country recently.

Mirza, said the increase in cargo volume at the terminal necessitated the need to increase the number of the cargo handling equipment and truck fleet.

He said congestion on the port roads in Apapa, Lagos, had led to an increase in container volumes at Onne, as more customers find WACT attractive to handle their goods. “The traffic situation at Apapa is one of the reasons for our unprecedented growth. In 2016 and 2017, WACT recorded a growth of about 17 per cent.

This is because of the stability of the naira and government’s encouragement of agriculturalbased exports. “However, in 2018, we ended up with a 22 per cent growth as against our projections of 8 per cent growth in container traffic. A sizable portion of this volume is due to traffic at Apapa, as more shippers are diverting their cargo to Onne. “The equipment we ordered are

made to our specifications, which is based on the environment and weather conditions. Our equipment is not like cars that can be produced and kept in showrooms. It takes about four to six months for the equipment to be manufactured and shipped to us. “ He said the remaining six trucks and other equipment were expected to arrive the terminal before April. “Going by the growth of the Nigerian market in about one

and half years, our truck fleet will increase by 100 per cent, reach stackers by 50 per cent, and the empty handler fleet by 100 per cent. This is significant investment,� he said.

The Chapter Chairman of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Onne Free Zone, Michael Ebeatu, described the addition to the truck fleet as commendable. “This will go a long way to help with the huge volume of containers coming here, “Ebeatu

said.

Chairman of Ports Consultative Council, Eastern Ports, Godwin Ololuka, described the inauguration of new terminal trucks as “a laudable development.�

Also speaking, President of the Nigerian Importers Integrity Association (NIIA), Godwin Onyekazi, commended WACT for positively impacting on trade and economic activities in the South-East and SouthSouth regions of the country.

He said WACT has enhanced the competitiveness of Onne Port and made the port more attractive for importers and shipping lines.

According to him, “Onne Port is about the only port outside Lagos that can be said to be really competitive and we must commend WACT for its untiring effort at ensuring that containers shipped through the port are handled professionally and delivered in good time to the owners.�

BUSINESS EXPANSION

L-R: Chairman Majekkendo Nigeria Limited, Mr Kayode Majekodunmi; Olu of Ilaro/ Paramount ruler of Yewa land, Oba Kehinde Olugben; Oniko of Iko land, Oba John Olakunle Ojo and Marketing Manager, UAC Restaurants, Ethel Mba, at the opening of Mr Bigg’s Idi Iroko, Ogun State‌recently

Jamoh: CIoTA Will Partner FG on Intermodal Transportation The President of the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria (CIoTA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh has assured stakeholders that the institute will collaborate with other government agencies to ease the gridlock on ports access roads, introduce volunteer service for a more effective intermodal transportation and make the nation’s ports become more competitive.

He stated this in Lagos at his investiture ceremony as the newly elected President of CIoTA, stressing that it was efficiency that made other countries’ ports competitive. “The problem of this sector is synonymous to the problems of Nigeria. We as professionals we will try to look at the problems from three aspects: there are the problems we can solve on the short term, medium term and long term basis. “We will collaborate with ports security and other agencies to see how we can ease off the Apapa gridlock which

is the short term aspect�, he said, adding that the introduction of intermodal transportation would stop constant traffic on the ports access roads and reduce costs of doing business,� he said.

He stressed that intermodal transportation was essential in moving cargo, noting that once there is ease of transportation, things would move easily, and commended the federal government on the rail revolution. “Today we are using rail line from Abuja to Kaduna which was completed by this government. There is also mono rail transport from Abuja city to Airport, the Lagos -Abeokuta is already functioning and now Abeokuta to Ibadan. By the time we start looking at the cargo movement using the rail line, you agree with me that most of traffic problems will now reduce to about 40 to 50 per cent. “For example, in Singapore it takes less than 24-hours to clear cargo from the port but when you come to our port it takes

seven days to clear cargo out of the port. As an association, what we intend to do is to introduce volunteer services to see how we can ease the traffic situation as a short term,� he said.

He said there was need for possible utilisation of the Inland Water Services, adding that most of the cargos coming through the Western ports were heading toward the North.

Jamoh, who is also Executive Director, Finance, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), said that Baro Inland Port had been inaugurated to accommodate cargoes going to the north.

In his keynote address, the Chairman, Centre for Values in Leadership, Prof. Pat Utomi, challenged the institute on initiatives that would make the sector effective, adding that the country has moved from the primitive economy to a modern economy with transportation as the key to these developments, and noted that part of underperformance

reason is why we have not been effective in the transportation sector. “The transport sector has deteriorated and has not been maintained in Nigeria. Petroleum product, which is the bane of the problem in our country, is also the reason why you cannot enter Apapa as the tank farms are all there, because it is near the sea. “The product went from Port Harcourt refinery and came to Gauzo by rail. Today, the roads that we have built have been destroyed with tankers running from Lagos to every corner of our country, making transportation ineffective,� he said.

Utomi, condemned the celebration of railway construction, stating that they were once in existence but has deteriorated so much that we now see the new ones as a big deal, when things should be getting better as in other countries.

He said: “When Lagos was still a small coastal state, then I

schooled in Ibadan and lived in Lagos, and I use to go to school then by train and back. Trains were used then to transport oil products to places like Gauzo, Uzoro and all over the country.

Today they are not working. “How did we allow rail infrastructure to deteriorate so much and then we are now celebrating that we are doing Lagos-Ibadan rail and all of that.

It should never have gotten to this. Things should be getting better and better as it has been done everywhere else in the world. “It is a crying shame that trucks could move out for a political rally and are back again, it could have been an opportunity to stay wherever you parked within these couple of days go and stay there. When it is your turn to come in take your numbers, we call you up, you drive in, pick up your goods and move out, but you don’t cluster and not bring the city to a standstill as we have it.�

AgriBusiness/Industry Editor

Jonathan Eze

Customs Gets Forensic Toolkits to Counter Illicit Trade in Wildlife

Comms/e-Business Editor

Udora Orizu in Abuja

Capital Market Editor

The Minister of Environment, Alhaji Suleiman Zarma, has handed over six forensic toolkits to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to detect and identify the source of illegal wildlife trade in the country.

Zarma, who gave the toolkits to the Deputy Comptroller of NCS, Mr. Hammi Swomen, in Abuja, said the equipment would also identify the fingerprints of those responsible for illegal

Emma Okonji

Goddy Egene

Senior Correspondent

Ă‹Ă’Ă?Ă?Ă— Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ĂŒĂ™Ă–Ă&#x; (Advertising) Correspondents

Ă’Ă“Ă˜Ă?ĂŽĂ&#x; äĂ? (Aviation) Linda Eroke (Labour) ĂœĂ™Ă—Ă™Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă? ĂŒĂ“Ă™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă˜ (Cap Mkt) ÔÓÙĂ?Ă™Ăœ Ă–Ă“Ă•Ă? (Energy) James Emejo (Nation’s Capital) Reporters

Ă&#x;Ă—Ă? Ă•Ă?Ă‘Ă’Ă? (Money Market) Ă™Ă?Ă‹ Ă–Ă?Ă•Ă’Ă&#x;ÙÑÓĂ? (Maritime)

smuggling of ivory.

The minister noted that the fight to stem illegal trafficking of wildlife fauna and flora from and through the country was a collective one.

He stated that international trade in ivory was banned in 1989, adding that since then, there had been a burgeoning illegal trade, which is greatly contributing to the “But I must say that Nigeria has been able to curtail activities of illegal poaching and thus, our elephants in their

natural ecosystems are amongst the most protected in the world. “Unfortunately, the impact of globalisation has predisposed us to be associated with this illegal trade as the country has become a thriving hub for these illegal exports. “The global community is aware that Nigeria is being used as a transit and are willing to provide us with all the necessary support to stop these products from transiting through our country,� he said

The minister explained that the tools had the forensic capacity to detect and document fingerprints/palm marks, including the source of any person that had come in contact with the ivory that was illegally traded. “It gives me great pleasure to hand over these tools for the retrieval of finger/palm mark evidence off ivory to the Nigeria Customs Service,� he said The minister urged the Nigeria Customs Service and other relevant security agencies to

plug all loopholes to protect Nigeria from being used as a transit hub.

Responding, Swomen said the NCS would make good use of the toolkits, and that the Service would train its staff on how the handling of the toolkits.

He said that the toolkits would be deployed in some nation’s exit points, adding that more toolkits are needed to cover other relevant exits to address illegal wildlife trade and trafficking in the country.

23

T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͳ˜ Ͱͮͯͷ

BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

African Carriers’ Safety Record Improves Stories by Chinedu Eze In the last two years there have been no jet losses for African carriers, which indicates that the region has maintained good safety during the period and looks to improve in future.

Experts have attributed the development to increased compliance with global aviation standards, better regulation and younger fleets for the improvement because African jet aircraft losses first fell from an average of 2.21 hull losses between 2012 and 2015, to zero in 2016.

The experts said despite the loss of 14 lives, Africa looked set to maintain a positive air safety record for a third successive year, with no fatal commercial airline jet accidents reported during the first half of 2018.

They are also crediting increased compliance with global aviation standards, better regulation and younger fleets for the improvement.

From less than three per cent of global passenger air traffic but more than two-thirds of fatalities just over two decades ago, Africa entered new territory when it reported zero deaths attributable to a commercial jet aircraft accident in 2016.

The region maintained the record with no fatalities in 2017 as well.

African jet aircraft losses first fell from an average of 2.21 hull losses between 2012 and 2015, to zero in 2016.

That compared with 0.18 for the Asia Pacific, 013 for Europe, 0.92 for the Commonwealth of Independent States (former Sovet Union republics) and

0.41 for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2017.

While 556 people died in 15 fatal commercial airline accidents during 2018, data for the first half of the year shows that there was no fatal jet accident in the region. The only fatal accidents involved small propeller driven aircraft in which 14 people died.

One such accident was the FlySax Cessna 208 Grand Caravan that crashed into a ridge in Kenya’s Aberdare mountains killing eight passengers and two crew on June 5 and a June 24 Let410 cargo charter operated

by Eagle Air Guinea in which four people died.

Although the International Air Transport Association (IATA), is yet to release its final airline safety assessment for 2018, Africa is not expected to make alarming headlines.

Debate over Airport Concession

Firm to Deploy Simulators for Pilots’ Training New aviation training company in Nigeria, Leadstream has said that it will soon procure simulators to start re-training programme for pilots and others.

The company which recently obtained Aviation Training Organisation (ATO) from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), said it was studying the Nigerian market and would soon deploy simulators to bridge the training gap that exists due to lack of adequate training facilities locally to help save airlines downtime and foreign exchange.

All major retraining or simulator training, which is done every six months is carried out overseas because no Nigerian company has the facility to conduct the training locally. So, airlines spend huge resources in foreign exchange for their pilots and engineers.

Leadstream Accountable Manager and the chief executive officer, Roland Ahmed, in an interview with aviation correspondents said the ATO was doing a comparative study to show airlines what they could save in terms of cost, stress in getting foreign exchange and terms of downtime by utilising indigenous ATO s for their training.

Ahmed who explained that there was a vacuum, said the

organisation was looking at areas and possibilities where it could reduce capital flight.

“Naturally, people want to travel abroad for training because for us, it’s a status thing but the question is what value are you adding to the system, how are you trying to get the system to work seamlessly and effectively?

“You go for training outside.

People you are going to meet there are in their own homes; they have their own simulators. You go to Lufthansa, they have their own simulators, so if we come here and do this it saves us money.

It will bring in foreign exchange for us,” he said “We have put our strategy in such a way that we can penetrate into these airlines and do a comparative analysis for them to see how much they are going to be saving in terms of cost, in terms of stress in getting forex, in terms of downtime...because if a pilot is supposed to do his sim and travels out there will be a lot of ground time because when he gets there he is tired and starts his training in two-three days, finishes his training then he flies again and comes back and he will want to rest again for another one or two days and the airline is losing time

and his services,” Ahmed added.

He said, “ So we are going to be putting all these together, the stress alone trying to get the slot, they tell you there is none and you have to wait. Then your rating expires and NCAA doesn’t give you extension and so you pilots are due for recurrence, no slots and they are down there but if they make use of those of us around, it saves the airline so much, in terms of their operating cost.”

On its plan to bring in the simulator and the type giving the complexities of the Nigerian market, Ahmed explained that operators are currently shifting from the status quo and that will inform their decision on what simulator to bring in, in a couple of years but for now; there is still capacity to be built on the 737s He said, “Truth be told, the market is still there for all of us.

For us here we are going for the Boeing B737Ng because unlike other climes that have moved on, in Nigeria we still deal with the B737classics and we believe next 7-8 years this will still be relevant in Nigeria but we also have in mind that there are Embraers and CRJs and the truth is that operators are beginning to understand the usage of the right aircraft for routes.

Security Experts Harp on Information Sharing Aviation security officers at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, have said information sharing is key to preventing insider threat.

The Deputy General Manager, Aviation Security (AVSEC), headquarters, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN), Mr. Nath Onoigboria, said officers must be willing to make the needed change and key in and to always update their knowledge as new security information come.

According to him, “The major challenge we have is complacency among senior officers, it is the biggest challenge, the attitude of ‘I know it all.’

“There is nothing as dangerous as that, because when you get to a certain level and you say

I know it all, if you don’t say it with your mouth, you say it with your mind and the way you carry yourself, already you have a challenge and that is the biggest problem most of our senior officers have.”

Speaking on the theme of the seminar, “Aviation Security, MMA Perspective,” Onoigboria emphasised that the key to effective security was information sharing, adding that any agency that fails to share information was jeopardising the safety of passengers, airlines, ground personnel, crew members, the public and facilities.

He pointed out that this could pitch the security agencies against themselves thereby making the airport vulnerable to attacks or

criminal activities.

“We don’t want to share knowledge, we don’t want to share information, we take decision arbitrarily without making necessary contact and at the end of the day you instigate issues against stakeholders and other agencies within the airport personal issues become institutionalised, that must be dealt with,” he added.

On Insider threat abuse, the DGM security said, “the issue of insider threat abuse cuts across all the agencies and stakeholders, that’s one of the biggest issues we have as regards to abuse of access control measures, regulations with regards to passenger movement, staff access to restricted areas and enforcement of rules with regards to permit.”

Azman Air aircraft

Chinedu Eze The anticipation by international aviation organisations is that developing countries are going to have humongous growth in passenger traffic in the next 15 to 20 years.

But many of these countries expected to record growth, including Nigeria, do not have airport infrastructure that can contain the projection.

This, therefore, calls for urgent expansion of airport facilities. The states may not have the resources to deploy and build modern airports or expand and remodel existing ones.

So the concession of these facilities becomes an option, whereby the private sector is made to invest in these airports and recoup their investment by managing them.

This option works. But both the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Airport Council International (ACI) are circumspect about concession.

The Director General of IATA, Alexandre de Juniac told journalists from Africa and Middle East sometimes ago that states in developing countries might tend to give out the airports in concession to the investor that could provide the biggest funding, but might not have the ability to manage it effectively.

Also, the Director General, ACI Worldwide, Angela Gittings, had told THISDAY that in Africa, successful airports were not the ones given out in concession, but noted that it was the decision of the states to concession airports, adding that airport expansion was necessary in order to meet the need of increasing passenger traffic.

“Well, ACI doesn’t have a position on concessions in general; that is the government decision. It is up to the government to decide how to manage and designate airports, but I do know that with the growth in traffic, there is the need for airport infrastructure to accommodate that growth.

“This is because if you don’t accommodate that growth you will strangle your economy,” Gittens said.

But coming to Nigeria, there is a dilemma about airport concession.

The former Managing Director of Virgin Nigeria and currently the CEO of Ropeways, a cable transport company, Captain Dapo Olumide, told THISDAY recently that airport concession involves the giving out the airport terminal to private investor to build and manage but the safety critical infrastructure on the airside of the airport is left for the state to grow and develop. These include the runways, airfield lighting, navigational aids, instrument landing system, the radar and many others that make it

possible for aircraft to take off and land safely.

So the question is, when the airport terminal is given out in concession, what happens to these critical facilities at the airside? Will government be fully poised to modernise them and ensure they are state-of-the-art?

Olumide, however, lamented that most of these critical equipment have been allowed to degenerate and decay over time and there is no effective commitment to modernize them.

“Without airport infrastructure the challenges are too great because if you are privatising an airport you are actually privatising the terminal; the runways and associated infrastructure around there (the airside) are still the responsibility of the state or whoever that is in charge. “However, you cannot concession the whole thing; that would be a very brave concessionaire that can take on that responsibility.

“The whole airport infrastructure, including runways and airstrips are grossly inadequate. How can apron lighting, taxiway markings not working? It is when you land in the night that you will see how bad things are. It is usually totally dark because we don’t have taxiway lighting and markings,” Olumide said.

It has to be noted that when the Minister of State, Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, met with aviation stakeholders in 2016, he had emphasised that the priority of his administration would be to provide, modernise and expand infrastructure at the airside of the airport, which he described as very critical and promised that he would concession the airport terminals.

But the dilemma of airport concession in Nigeria is that most parts of the airport facilities at the land side, which is the terminal, have been given out in concession by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), so the question would be, if government gives wholesale concession of the airport terminals to investors, what happens to subsisting concessions of different parts of the airport facilities?

“As far as FAAN is concerned I don’t think there is any organisation in this country, apart from ports, that has a lot of concession like FAAN. If you go to any airport, if you look at the terminal building all the shops within the terminal building are run by private individuals, there is no shop belonging to FAAN in there. So, that is a level of concession.

“If you look also at other facility provided around the airport, they are all done by other parties not FAAN,” said the Managing Director of the agency, Saleh Dunoma.

Therefore, how this conflict is settled would determine the future of airport concession in Nigeria.

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Abdulsalam: Our Pilots among Best in the World The Rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, Captain Muhammed Abdulsalam, in this interview with Chinedu Eze, says the institute has been recognised as an excellent aviation training institution by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, to serve the entire West and Central Africa. Excerpts:

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ow many new aircraft have you acquired and what are your plans to add more to the training fleet?

On the issue of aircraft acquisition, the approval we have from the government is to acquire 20 Diamond aircraft; five of which are the two engines DA42 and 15 Assembly engine DA 40 aircraft. When I assumed office in 2017, we took delivery of one DA 42 aircraft in the April of 2017.

The college placed orders for additional aircraft, but we were informed by the contractors that the Diamond Aircraft Company was bought over by another company and that new owner decided to relocate the production place from Austria to Canada and they told us that they won’t be able to produce another aircraft until nine to 10 months, which is when the assembly line would have been completely relocated. That is what affected the delivery of the additional aircraft because we asked for additional four DA 40 aircraft, which is what we have on order now. That company is up and running in Canada presently and we expect to take delivery of those four DA 40 aircraft before the end of this year. We also have additional DA 40 aircraft that was given to the college by an insurance company as part of an insurance settlement. So, by the time we have the four aircraft delivered, we will have one DA 42 and five DA 40.

As of today, we have eight aircraft that are serviceable. These aircraft are not the same, we have the basic, advance and some that have two engines. So, depending on the stage of training of students, some of the aircraft that are serviceable may not be useful to students, for instance, who are starting afresh that need the basic and less complex aircraft and then they advance to more complex aircraft, with more instrument flying, before they now go into the multi-engine aircraft.

Sometimes, when you start with the new students, the multi-engine aircraft is actually parked and not doing anything until the students reach that time where they can now start multi-engine training.

During that period, we use that for our instructors to maintain their proficiency.

We encourage them to fly such aircraft.

NCAT was recently named as the Regional Training Centre of Excellence by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, how has this impacted on your operations?

The Regional Training Centre of Excellence (RTCE) has given NCAT more visibility worldwide. For instance, I was in China last December and a Chinese man asked me where I worked from and immediately I mentioned NCAT, he said ‘Oh, RTCE’. There are just few RTCEs in the world and it takes a lot of efforts and process before any institution is recognised as an RTCE. Now, when you have this status, it affords you the opportunity to develop courses in all the ICAO Annexes. We can also import courses from any part of the world that are ICAO approved courses and conduct them here.

With RTCE, the sky is actually the limit for us as we can run any course. Right now, we have some foreign students in the college; some from Cameroon, some from The Gambia who are doing training and we expect more. I am supposed to meet with the representatives of the West and Central African Region of ICAO. The countries that are in this region have headquarters in Dakar. They have indicated interest in whatever NCAT is

to stop the government and you know how our legal system works.

Right now, we are still fighting it; it’s a legal battle. There is nothing else we can do for now until the court determines the real owners of the land, but we are very confident that this issue would be resolved very soon.

Capt. Abdulsalam

doing. I am supposed to have a meeting with them on the training opportunities here at the college. A lot of them that I met recently, had this misconception that

As of today, we have eight aircraft that are serviceable.

These aircraft are not the same, we have the basic, advance and some that have two engines. So, depending on the stage of training of students, some of the aircraft that are serviceable may not be useful to students, for instance, who are starting afresh that need the basic and less complex aircraft and then they advance to more complex aircraft, with more instrument ying, before they now go into the multi-engine aircraft

Zaria is insecure and that is the main reason they are reluctant to come. We have gone to great length to convince them that Zaria is totally safe. We have had a lot of foreigners come and go.

Some of these people claimed that it is their embassies that tell them that Zaria is not safe, but we are making efforts to disabuse people’s minds in this regard.

What is your collaboration with Babcock University and other institutions in the country offering aviation courses?

We don’t have any collaboration with Babcock University, but we are making a lot of efforts to collaborate with some of the universities around. I just returned from Tunisia and I was actually asked to join the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) team between Nigeria and Tunisia, at the request of Tunisia. Tunisia wants a representative of NCAT to be part of the team because the country wants to collaborate with the institution. So, we are making efforts on this issue. We have the Vice Chancellor of Madonna University with us in 2018 and it wants to set up an aircraft maintenance engineering school there and they have approached us for help in seeing this dream come to reality.

How far has NCAT gone to reclaim its land from those who encroached into it?

This is a thorny issue for us. When this administration came into power, we approached the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam El- Rufai on this issue and he swung into action with the officials of Kaduna State Urban Development Authority, which came into the area and started marking the houses for demolition, but these illegal occupiers ran to the court and got court injunction

NCAT attempted to acquire an aircraft simulator, Boeing B737, how far has the institution gone with this process?

The initial plan for the Boeing B737 simulator aircraft was for it to be based in Lagos when the contract was awarded, but when this administration came into power, they took the decision to relocate it to Zaria. As we speak, the simulator is being installed in Zaria. So, when that decision was made, we had to move because the contract did not include the housing of the simulator. The contract was for acquisition and installation of Boeing 737GN simulator.

So, we looked at our existing facilities to see if they were adequate enough to house the simulator, but the simulator manufacturer after seeing the dimension, said the building was inadequate and when we looked at the cost of modifying and building another one to accommodate the simulator, so, we now had to make an arrangement to build a new complex that will house the simulator. So, we have to now start the process from the scratch; we have to get consultants, get the plan approved by the manufacturer before we could go forward. We had to go to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for the contract to be awarded.

It was only last year that we got FEC approval for the building. We have awarded the contract and it is our belief that the building would be completed and the simulator would be installed this year.

The simulator has been constructed, but it is there waiting for shipment; it is too big to enter a container. So, when they bring it in the counter, they won’t be able to cover it. So, if they bring it in and the building is not ready, it would be exposed to the elements and that is why the manufacturer advised us not to expose it until the building is ready. This simulator is very sensitive to temperature and humidity. The parts were made by Boeing. We believe that the stimulator would be installed this year.

In addition, we also have another simulator that is being installed in Zaria for this year. The simulator is for firemen. It is automatic fire simulator.

As you may be aware, we have never had fire simulator in Nigeria in spite of the number of firemen that we have in this country, all these years, we have been sending our firemen to Cameroon for training. So, this administration felt it is more economical for us to have our own simulator here in Nigeria and this decision was taken to house it here because we have the land. The simulator is being built in the United Kingdom.

As you know, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has gotten firemen in every airport and you can imagine the number of firemen that require training and retraining. We also expect people from the Federal Fire Service to make use of this simulator.

We also intend to incorporate some of our cabin crew training into the use of this simulator because you can simulate cabin fire, cabin smoke, lavatory smoke and the likes with this equipment. So, it is very ideal for us to have it here in Zaria.

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Peterside: FG’s Committed to Eradicating Sea Crime Unwavering The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has stated that the federal government is determined to ensure that the country’s territorial waters are free of piracy and all forms of maritime crime in order to facilitate economic development.

He made this known while speaking at a graduation ceremony held at the Nigerian Maritime Resource Development Centre (NMRDC) in Lagos.

In its effort to rid the Nigerian maritime domain of criminalities, he said the federal government through the agency has undertaken surveillance training for officers from the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, Nigeria Police, the Department of State Services (DSS), and NIMASA, on the C4I Integrated Surveillance Systems operation.

The system, he stated, will

aid the coordinated view of the entire Nigerian maritime domain.

Peterside, added that the C4I Integrated Surveillance Systems operation, organised by the agency in conjunction with an Israeli security firm, HLSi Security Systems and Technologies Limited, was another step towards building human capacity for the maritime industry, particularly the Deep Sea project. ‘’As part of our efforts towards tackling piracy and other maritime crimes, which continue to constitute threats to vessels plying our territorial waters, the C4I System Operator Course is a part of the ‘Total Maritime Security Strategy’ adopted under this management to give us the best eye view of our domain and ultimately halt insecurity in order to ensure that our maritime industry optimises its potential of contributing majorly to Nigeria’s economic growth,� he said.

Customs Distributes Seized Contrabands to Orphanages in Lagos Stories by Eromosele Abiodun The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced that it has commenced the distribution of seized smuggled rice, vegetable oil to orphanage homes in Lagos.

This was disclosed by the National Public Relation Officer of the service, Joseph Attah, in a chat with journalists in Lagos.

Attah said since peace has returned to the north-eastern part of the region, the need for seized rice at the camp of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) has reduced, hence the need to give orphanages across the country.

He said: “You will recall that in our breakfast meeting, I had announced that the comptroller general of customs, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) has secured

the presidential nod to extend the distribution of relief materials such as rice, vegetable oil, soap and spaghetti, used clothing and all that, to orphanages across the country. “Before now, the National Logistics Committee was distributing this items to victims of insurgency in the North East. It was restricted to the North East but with the relative peace in the region and increasing numbers of IDPs returning to their ancestral homes, there is need to extend the distribution of this to other victims of herdsmen crisis, communal and more importantly orphanages across the country.�

Attah, further disclosed that a sub-committee headed by Compt.

Yakubu Salihu, had arrived Lagos to begin distribution of 68,226 bags of rice to 98 orphanage

homes. “A sub-committee that is charged with the distribution of this items has arrived Lagos and the first phase of this kick-off is done in Lagos.

The sub-Committee is led by Comptroller Yakubu Salihu and consist of five senior officers including the representative of the legal adviser, “he said Giving further details on the distribution, Attah said 34,332 kegs of 25 litres of vegetable oil, 68,226 bags of rice, second hand clothing, used foot wears and spaghetti would be distributed among 98 orphanage homes in Lagos.

He continued: “A committee has arrived Lagos and within zone A we have a total of 68,226 bags of 50 kg bags of rice and the vegetable oil have 34,332 of 25kg.

We have foot wears, used clothing and other perishable seized items which we will try as much as possible to ensure that it gets to the intended recipients. We have Identified 98 orphanages and we are still identifying more and we are making contacts with them and already as I speak with you, five orphanages have already arrived and this are the early callers and there are many others on the road.� “Also, this relief items will be loaded and escorted to this orphanages and the recipient will sign a landing certificate indicating that the number taken from the warehouse actually gets to the intended orphanage and the management of the various orphanages received it and the escort officer returned with the landing certificate.�

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BUSINESSWORLD

MARITIME

Burden of Excessive Port Charges Eromosele Abiodun examines claims by the customs agents that shipping companies and terminal operators’ charges on storage and demurrage contravene Sections 20, 31 and 97 of the Customs and Excise Management Act

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nternational shipping is a complex subject that includes many variables. Proper handling paves the way for a reliable and cost-effective management of ocean freight. That is regardless of whether an importer ships one container now and then, several per month or more than 10 per day.

Many businesses depend on viable international shipping to ensure the persistence of partnerships and clients and sustain profitability. Avoiding delays is critical to guarantee an uninterrupted operation. However, international shipments could face shipping delay charges resulting from various clearance issues. Sufficient preparation and understanding the different resulting charges in advance is, therefore key.

When it comes to clearance delays, importers, as well as exporters seem to throw around three terms interchangeably: demurrage, detention, and per diem. From common usage, it may seem like they all mean storage when they, in fact, do not. If your international shipment stays beyond a certain amount of allowed free time at a site, you face storage charges. That include ports, airline terminals, rail facilities or a bonded warehouse. The storage fee compensates the facility for the use of their space and equipment, i.e. a container taking up space or blocking processing.

The amount of free days and the charge for storage will differ from one facility to another. This is often also based on the volume an importer or your freight forwarder is passing through the facility. It is a norm the world over for steamship lines to charge demurrage, a fee to compensate for the use of their shipping containers.

Experts believe demurrage fees are in place to discourage using the provided containers for storage and to compensate for container usage.

“Before you pick up your international shipment, you must pay all demurrage charges in full. The fee may differ greatly from carrier to carrier and from port to port. You are granted a limited number of free days, depending on the carrier and the location. After your free time runs out, you will be charged demurrage for each additional day. These charges tend to increase per day after exceeding a certain amount of days,” said a top player in the maritime sector The detention charge, he stated, usually applies to domestic trucking adding, “the trucking or drayage company bills you for the so-called detention of their trucker or driver in cases.

This happens when the loading or unloading of your shipment or containers takes too long.

Detention fees are billed at an hourly rate. You can usually expect a free time or grace period of around one to two hours for loading or unloading a container. But this will depend on whether it is a domestic shipment or destined for import or export.”

He added that per day applies when an importer require the use of equipment beyond a set amount of free time.

“Steamship lines and airlines charge this fee, and equipment include ocean containers and unit load devices (ULD). You have some free days, depending on the equipment and the carrier, before per diem kicks in. With imports, the charge applies to cargo leaving the arrival terminal. With exports, it applies to shipments leaving the departing terminal. Per diem fees accumulate until you return the equipment to the terminal of the port, rail yard dock or airline,” he stated.

Analysts believe terms of shipping delay charges, often used interchangeably, results in confusion when receiving bills for detention, demurrage and per day charges.

Nigeria’s Peculiarity While it is a known fact that international shipping is complex, the confusion in the Nigerian maritime industry over shipping companies charges has over the years raised dust with stakeholders at daggers drown as to who is right or wrong.

The problem assumed a new dimension recently when customs brokers plying their trade at Lagos ports declared war on terminal operators and shipping companies over the N4billion demurrage accrued from the recently shelved strike by truck drivers.

For six days last month truck drivers shunned lifting of cargoes at the ports in protest over

alleged extortion by security agencies. Resulting to over N4 billion accrued as demurrages and storage charges that importers had to clear.

THISDAY investigations revealed that N668 million demurrage was incurred daily for the duration of the strike which translated to N4billion.

The humongous amount resulted to a running battle between clearing agents, importers on one hand and the service providers on the other.

While the clearing agents were calling for waivers over the strike period, the terminal operators remained indifferent.

According to a manager in one of the container terminals in Lagos, the terminal operators will collect the demurrage accrued during the period under review.

Vice President, Western Zone of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Ibrahim Tanko, appealed to the shipping companies and terminal operators, on behalf of other freight forwarders, to grant them waivers on accrued demurrage.

He declared that the strike action was not the making of customs brokers, hence the need for the service providers to grant demurrage waivers.

“Is it our fault that the containers are incurring storage and demurrage? It is not the fault of the importers but the fault of the importers representative. Clearing agents are representative of importers and not terminal operators nor shipping companies. Why are we bearing the cost of someone else’s action don’t forget we are in business looking for profit. That is why we are here,” a manager in one of the terminal operators declared.

He added: “Why didn’t government call terminal operators, shipping companies to a meeting and give concession to cargo owners and we tell them that since we are also going to pay our lease fees like we use to pay every time, they should give us concession so that we can give others concession. If government is not giving us concession why are we giving other people concession.”

“If people are saying truckers went on strike because of the roads, they incur demurrage and all that, it is government that is supposed to be discussing with us because if not, everyone can go on strike and they will ask us to give them waivers we can’t do that.”

Reacting, the National Publicity Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Joe Sanni, asked clearing agents not to pay the demurrage accrued to terminal operators and shipping companies during the strike period.

He said the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Hassan Bello, promised to visit terminal operators and shipping companies

on how to reduce the storage and shipping demurrages.

Sanni, who quoted the Chairman of Tin-Can Island chapter of ANLCA, Segun Oduntan, said in a meeting with the shippers’ council boss, he promised to intervene.

He said: “Coming out from the meeting with shippers’ council, the chief executive will be going out on Monday to the terminals and shipping companies to tell them why they have to waive and refund if they collect any during the strike.”

He, however, charged clearing agents not to make further payments on demurrage to terminal operators or shipping companies.

Before the truckers’ industrial action, some customs agents in the country had called on the federal government to urgently check the unlawful activities of shipping companies and terminal operators whose actions, they said, hinder imports and exports and violate the ease of doing business directives issued by the government.

Customs and Excise Management Act In a petition addressed to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, the customs agents alleged that the shipping companies and terminal operators’ charges on storage contravene Sections 20, 31 and 97 of the Customs and Excise Management Act that limit the days for rent charges and conferred authority to Nigeria Custom to charge rent after specific days by the board.

The agents, in the petition signed by National President of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Lucky Amiwero, stated that duplication of charges such as terminal delivery charges/ terminal handling charges, deposit repayment delays and process procedure that lack regulation of the economic interest in the port.

They stressed that there is the need for the federal government to intervene to address the cost of doing business by a total review of the procedure, process and cost in the ease of doing business.

The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PBBEC), they added, should urgently address the following short falls, which is militating against import and export trade that resulted to massive diversion of goods to neighbouring ports.

Also, the agents called on the federal government to use part of the seven per cent port development levy for the development of port access roads, trailer parks.

According to Amiwero, “The condition of the Tincan Island Port axis of Apapa Oshodi express road leading to the ports is a death trap, big potholes and gridlocks resulting in loss of lives and continued destruction of loaded goods

that always fall on cars, trailers and sometime persons.

He said: “It is a complete setback to trading across borders (TAB) for ease of doing business on trucks that spend weeks to access and exit the ports which result in delay and rejection on most of the fragile export products in international market and high cost in import clearance.

“The Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) is no more in port operation, the percentage collected from the seven per cent Port Development Levy should be used for the development of the trailer parks and port access roads.”

On the increase of revenue collection on the recovery of short levied duties on discrepant cargo as provided under Section 142 of Customs and Excise Management Act, he said: “The discrepant cargo, as covered under Section 142 of the Customs and Excise Management Act and the Import guideline paragraph J are non contraband goods with discrepancy, which is allowable for treatment and issued with demand notice (DN) Section 142-(2).

“Recovery of Duties states: Where any duty has been short levied or erroneously repaid, then the person who should have paid the amount short levied or to whom the repayment, has erroneously been made, shall on demand by the proper officer, pay the amount short levied or repay the amount erroneously repaid as the case may be. Any such amount may be recovered as if it were duty to which the goods in relation to which the amount was so short levied or erroneously repaid were liable.”

Amiwero also called on the government to address multiple checks and delays of clearance

by Nigeria Customs Service.

He said: “The process of clearance is associated with multiple interventions of various alerts headquarters Abuja, CIU, Valuation Gate etc that takes days and increase the cost and time in contravention of WCO Kyoto convention on simplification and harmonization of Customs procedures.

“The Customs procedure should comply with WCO Kyoto convention and (FAL) Convention of (IMO) for Minimisation, harmonisation and simplification of Customs procedure with regards to various checks after release from the Port, (FOU), CG Squad in line with international best practice of One-Stop-Shop process.”

The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo had in a bid to boost business activities in the country earlier in the year signed the ease of doing business executive order.

The effort was in the attempt to grow the country out of recession, stimulate economic activities and generally improve the business environment in Nigeria through promotion of transparency and efficiency.

THIS WEEKEND WEEKLY MAGAZINE

NEWS METRO THISLIFE ART WEEKEND ENTERTAINMENT Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com 08152252325

Valentine’s Day: Celebrating Love, Commitment

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COVER VALENTINE’S DAY: CELEBRATING LOVE, COMMITMENT Valentine’s Day, also called the Feast of SaintValentine is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Western Christian feast day honouring SaintValentinus. Although it’s not a public holiday, it’s a day for the celebration of love and affection.To celebrate the season in this era when marriages are seemingly doomed even before they start, AYODEJI AKE and SUNDAY EHIGIATOR speak with couples whose marriages have stood the test of time despite the storms that often buffet them.The general consensus was the importance of commitment in every relationship as they share with us some of the factors that sustained their marriages Prince and Princess Sulaimon and Titilayo We got married in December 1984 and now, we are blessed with three children and one grandson. Why we are still in this marriage is because of the love we have for each other coupled with my children and grandchild. The downsides are when two young persons from different backgrounds gets married, there are definitely challenges but each person’s willingness to compromise and accept that there’s is no Miss or Mr. perfect will make it work out.

But any marriage could crash even after 30years if the the Almighty God is not in charge. Sometimes, even love isn’t strong enough to withstand pressures but the ability to forgive each other, among others.

Mr. and Mrs. John Oyeku We have been married for over 42years and we are blessed with children; both boys and girls. We thank God for his grace,undiluted love ,and protection over us to be together till date. We put God first in all we do, we don’t allow third party in our relationship.

Our children are our friends and I don’t carry my family affairs to any family or friends, though we let them know what they should know when necessary. Since I got married to my husband, we ensure true love dwells in our home. I have true love for him and I am sure he loves me dearly too.

I take good care of him in every aspect you can think of. We eat together most times if he hasn’t eaten, I will not eat up till now; even if we have little. I will first offer him food, I will not let him know that I have not eaten, later I will find something to eat if any. Since I have been married to my sugar I have never requested for money for food because I believe that if he has, he will give me. I learnt this from my mummy. And he does his best to care for us. I always monitor my husband’s dressing. I get upset with him if he is not properly dressed. I do choose the style of what I want him to wear for his tailor and he always trusts my judgement. Also, I wash his clothes and underwear. We are best friends. I do pray for him when he is going out and coming in.

At times his actions sometimes hurt me but I will over look it and I will asked myself where am I going to? I will endure and call him at midnight to discuss our issues and it will be over. Secondly, to God be the glory, we have mutual respect and understanding for each other. We tolorate each other and this is helping our love grow stronger.

Understanding and tolerance have kept us this far. We are content with whatever we have in my family. I never look at other family to judge my husband. He is the only sugar in my tea. We like to wear matching clothes as well. To say the fact, I built my home. We are both disciplinary parents. Meanwhile, my husband is most handsome man in my face in the whole world. I will chose my family over and over again. Young couples should note that tolerance, understanding and love is the true answer to a successful marriage.

Mr. and Mrs. Okechukwu Nwanguma I have been happily married for about two decades now, and blessed with children. On what has kept me in marriage for this long, I will simply saw that I am a lucky man. I have a wife who understands; because by the nature of my work, I am not always around, I am always on the move. And it is not every woman that can bear that kind of man who is never there all the time.

My wife has come to understand who I am, the work I do and decided to

Mr. and Mrs. John Oyeku

Prince and Princess Sulaimon and Titilayo

accommodate it without complaining. But occasionally, as a human being, she always wants to express this desire to always have me around. And what I do to make up is that, whenever I am around, I try to give them the full attention as much as I can to make up. Otherwise, I still think I am a lucky

man, because some other women would have just decided to end the marriage due to my lapses.

However, some of the reoccurring challenges we faced at the early stages of your marriage and how we dealt with them were the fact that the first thing was that I

met my wife when I was still trying to find my feet in life. She too wasn’t that kind of woman who was looking for a man already made. She was prepared to work and grow with me. So we grew together and built a home together, and today I can saw that we are both happy for those decisions we made back then, because, we have not been doing badly.

Although, some years back we used to have the challenge of child birth, but eventually, they came and thank God they grew up so quickly, and by the grace of God we have been able to take care of them to the best of our abilities.

I can’t really point to any challenge back then, except; like I said, it wasn’t really easy as at when we met. There were a lot of expectations then, which weren’t fully met, but because she is a woman made for me from heaven, she was able to cope with me with maximum understanding and support.

On words of advice to young and intending couples he said he thinks the reason why we have so many broken homes, especially among modern days couples, has to do with changing moral values in our society; the values that our young people imbibe.

The damage done to our society and democracy by the military which led to economic downfall, and crippled our education system, moral beliefs, and lack of job, has now made every young man as we have now, born into a society of ‘how to make it quick’. The value of hard work is now eroding. There is now the culture of advance free fraud. Everyone wants to be on the fast lane, and you know; some succeed, and some don’t. And even those that succeed, their success don’t last.

So, when people go into marriage today, you find out that a lot of those women are only concerned about the already made man, throwing caution into the air of other important aspect of marriage worth consideration, like character and moral values, or the family background of the man or woman as the case may sometimes be.

So because such wealth is ephemeral, once it perishes, the love dies. Or once, the man starts to exhibit some characters, they never had cared to check, they immediately want to opt out.

So it is an issue of moral values. We also need to tackle it from the educational system, because it addresses the issues of values in our system, and illiteracy, and build the mindset of every young one out there to work hard before spending.

And again, who are the role models of our young people, the 419’s, Politicians who steal money and not through hard work. So, the culture of hard work is gone.

This valentine, for me, there is also a twist in what the name valentine represents. It ordinarily ought to be a solemn occasion when people demonstrate love to each other. It is been celebrated after a man called St. Valentine who was actually a religious figure, but today, what a lot of people know about valentine is a day, the young men and young people go out to party, drink, fornicate and all that. But, I think it is also a time to reflect on how to show love to each other, in terms of helping the needy in our society.

There are those who are well placed in the society, there are others looking up to daily meal; not even sure of what to eat as we speak talk less of the next day. So for me, while I celebrate with my family, I would rather like to visit places that people have certain needs that I can meet; either through donations or think about someone around my environment who needs food or other form of help.

And that is the best way to celebrate love.

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NEWS Mary Nnah

Royal Fathers Seek Peace as Elections Approach

The need for peace and stability to reign before, during and after the February 16 and March 2 elections was the bone of contention at the 10th general meeting of National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN), South-south, Southeast Chapter.

Subsequently, traditional rulers from the North, South, East and West converged recently on the prestigious Sheraton Hotel, Abuja to deliberate carefully on need to ensure peace and stability in their various domains.

The event which had the theme, “Building a Synergy towards Free, Fair, Credible and Violence-free 2019 Elections The Role of Traditional Rulers,”, had in attendance royal fathers representing all the tribes and kingdoms that make up the Nigeria nation, who during the meeting also expressed concerns over the need for them to be adequately included in the scheme of things.

Presided over by co-chairman of the council, Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III , the event was declared opened by President Muhammadu Buhari represented by the Vice President, Prof. Yomi Osinbajo who reiterated the federal government’s commitment to partner with the royal fathers to ensure lasting peace before, during and after the elections.

“How do we build the synergies that are important in ensuring free, fair and peaceful elections? Coming at this time, this annual gathering of the royal heads of our traditional institution, is indeed a blessing and the theme most appropriate”, Osinbajo asked The vice president who stressed on the role of the traditional rules in nation building and in ensuring a

From left, the Ebere Emere Okori, Eleme of Eleme Kingdom, Rivers State; HRH (Dr) Appolus Chu and Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Abubakar III at the event

peaceful elections cannot be overemphasised, said, “The role of your royal majesties and our traditional institution are crucial for connecting the people from your kingdoms and domains to the federal and states agencies responsible for the conduct of the elections.”

The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Abubakar III said that the general assembly of the traditional rulers came at a crucial time in the history of the nation. “This is coming a couple of days before the start of the general elections in the country and we have the chairman of INEC to give us the keynote address on the preparation the commission has made so far and also to convince us of their readiness”, the Sultan noted.

The Sultan of Sokoto said the traditional rulers were 100 per cent ready to support the works of INEC at all levels as well as

the security agents all over the country, adding that focus of discussion during the two-day stakeholders meeting was on fair play, fairness, fair of God in how individuals discharge their responsibilities so as to ensure free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria.

“We are very much happy about the various comments that the president has been issuing out across the country of his commitment to ensure free, fair and credible election in the country.

“Now, these two major bodies, the electoral empire and the security agency, have to key into Mr. President’s resolve and stand. And if any falters, we would wait to see what Mr. President would do to him/her.”

“We are 100 per cent ready as an institution to give our 100 percent support to these

organisations to ensure a free, fair and credible elections in this country”, the Sultan said.

Also speaking was the co-chairman of the council, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi who assured the readiness of the traditional institution to bring lasting peace and stability to the country.

He called for adequate inclusion of traditional rulers in the scheme of things as the roles of the traditional rulers were fundamental in the process of ensuring a free, fair and violence –free elections.

“We are the closest to the people; we know where the good people in our kingdoms are and of course where the bad ones too are. We know how to easily track them down. So as a result, we must have adequate inclusion in governance.

“We must have very key role to play in terms of free and fair

elections. What we do basically is to coordinate amongst us stakeholders, be very neutral as traditional rulers because all political parties usually visit our palaces and as a result of our closeness to our people at various kingdoms, and that is very common to each one of us across the length and breadthI of Nigeria. “So as a result, we play a very pivotal role, probably the most pivotal role in free and fair elections and in the stability of our country”, Oba Ogunnusi said.

In the same vein, the Ebere Emere Okori, Eleme of Eleme Kingdom, Rivers State; HRH (Dr) Appolus Chu, affirmed his stand as a royal father to ensure violence- free elections at his domain. He thanked INEC for it efforts so far and for elaborating on the voting process which will be taken home to his people.

“We have been informed on the preparation for the elections. We are to go back home to our various domains and educate our people about the process of the elections, mostly to ensure that our environments are calm and peaceful.”

“If the situation at the polling units is not calm and peaceful, it means that we would create room for violence and other election malpractices. So we are to talk to the people about the need for them to corporate with INCE to ensure the elections are conducted in peacefully”, Chu said.

Special guess at the event was INEC Chairman, Prof.

Mamood Yakubu who expressed INEC readiness to conduct free, fair, credible and violence-free election.

He called on traditional rulers to be partners in progress with the commission.

“We need the support of the royal fathers to speak to their people in their various domains that when people try to copy information on their PVCs, they should politely say no and even more when they try to deprive them of their PVCs. We are doing everything possible to encourage Nigerians to participate in the elections.

“We need the voice of the traditional rulers to add to this calling for the establishment of election offences commission and tribunal.

Our belief is that any nation that does not punish violators of its laws is doomed.

We really need the support of the traditional rulers in this respect”, he noted.

Questions ranging from failure of card readers on election day to intimidation by law enforcement agents and others were raised and tackled.

Why the Righteous Must Contest and Win Elections – Cleric Ned Nwoko Splashes N20M on Mary Nnah The senior pastor, God’s Kingdom Christian Centre International, Dr. John Kome, has said Nigerians must elect “righteous” people into places of authorities in the forthcoming elections.

He posited that at end, the citizens would rejoice in the abundance of peace that comes with the wisdom with which the godly persons rule.

Kome, who at the moment is vying for a position in the Lagos House of Assembly as a representative for the Ikeja Constituency 1 in the March 2 election under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) party, said Nigerians are mourning presently due to the various pains that the present leaders have inflicted on them.

He said therefore that what Nigerians need at the moment are righteous leaders who will liberate them from the clutches of the wicked rulers.

“Don’t forget that the Bible says, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked rules, the people mourn.” “ And I want to ask: are Nigerians rejoicing or mourning presently? They are mourning of course. And they need the righteous in power and that is why righ-

Kome

teous men must contest and win the elections in Nigeria.

“Are you aware that when God created man, he gave man the authority to govern the earth, so if God gave man the power to govern the earth, why must a pastor not govern his domain? So a pastor must be the right person to go into politics”, the cleric noted.

Speaking further, Kome said,

“I must also add that a lot of people have asked why I am going into politics because a lot of people have the impression that whoever goes into politics, goes there for money or fame.

“So, I tell them that I am not going there for money or popularity because by the grace of God, I have both.

I am comfortable and I am popular. I have travelled around almost all the coun-

tries in the world and I have affected lives positively.”

Asked how he was going to maintain his status as a pastor while in politics, he said, “it is an error that when people go into that politics they change. To be very candid without any prejudice to anybody or any party, there is a man called Peter Obi, the former governor of Anambra State. “ He came into power as a righteous man, worked as a righteous man and also left as a righteous. And a lot of Nigerians agree that the man was righteous. So if there is any spirit that changes people whenever they enter that politics, I think Peter Obi has not changed. And there are other people that have gone into governance and came out pure “Therefore, if any one changes when he/she get into power, it is the spirit that they entered into power with that keeps changing them to become worse.

“So if you go into politics with the spirit of God, the spirit of God follows you right there and while in governance, the spirit of God determines what you do out there.

“So I am not going into politics to forget where I came from. For 40 years I have been a pastor and for 40 years I have been doing righteous things; the spirit of the almighty God has been leading me all along.

Team Delta The humanitarian, therefore

Delta-born billionaire and politician, Prince Ned Nwoko has splashed a whooping N20 million on Team Delta for their outstanding performance at the 19th National Sports Festival in Abuja.

Nwoko who hosted the team and their officials to a gala night on Monday, February 11, 2019, at the Mount Ned Nwoko Resort, praised the hardworking spirit, which has distinguished Deltans and given them control in sports, banking, media, oil, Nollywood, theatre and other sectors. He also expressed excitement that one of the beneficiaries of his scholarship was among the team that represented Delta at the national sports competition; adding that he took special interest in her when months ago, he organised a sporting competition at the Mount Ned Nwoko Resort.

“Sports means life to me.

When I was growing up as a young child, I had a choice of going into sports. However, I chose to read Law. Today, you can no longer make those choices, because you have the opportunity of studying in the university and still do sports.

“This is another reason I decided to build a Sports University called STARS University, one of its kind in the whole of West Africa. It makes me feel proud as a Deltan and Nigerian wherever I am in the world. I have decided, we must catch them young and provide them with the best of opportunities to excel in life”, Nwoko said.

dolled out N20 million to encourage the courageous team, while also promising to place 20 of them on scholarship to study anywhere with N400,000 each annually for the duration of their studies.

Responding to Nwoko’s gestures, the Chairman of the Delta State Sports Commission, Chief Tonobok Okowa appreciated him for his passion for sports and youth development.

“Though the Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa had done so much for us in the Commission, we are proud of Ned Nwoko for his supports and encouragement. I assure you that this boost will spur our sports men and women to do much more in subsequent sporting editions” he said.

In addition, the CEO of Warri Wolves, Comrade Moses Etu commendedNwokoforhisunquantifiable sports sponsorships in recent times, including sponsoring NUJ Lion Tennis Competition. Etu however, called on other well meaning Nigerians to emulate the selfless personality of Prince Ned Nwoko, maintaining that he has done exceedingly great in sports mentorship and sponsorship.

It was indeed a night of splendour, depicting colours, glitz and glamour. The presence of two prominent Nigerian sports legends, John Fashanu and Chioma Ajunwa equally added some sort of spicing on the event.

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E-TRENDS

MUSIC SHOWBIZ

…Your weekly entertainment delight

NOLLYWOOD

New Reality TV Show Hymnodia Berths on a High Note Vanessa Obioha

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ou can tell from the look in his eyes that Kufre Ekanem, the former Corporate Affairs Adviser at Nigerian Breweries Plc, is very happy. Not because he is surrounded by his friends and family on this particular Sunday afternoon. Ekanem’s happiness stemmed from seeing a ten yearidea finally becoming a reality. That idea is Hymnodia, a new reality TV show focused on hymns. His close pals gathered at the event to witness the arrival of the contestants who are referred to as hymntestants enter the show’s house (also referred to as Hymnstitute) shared in this euphoria as they congratulated him.

As the story goes, Ekanem had always shared his marvy idea of having a music contest focused on hymns to his friends.

“My friends kept asking me when will Hymnodia happen. I am so glad that it is finally happening today,” he told his audience at the Ikeja residence that is the Hymnstitute.

“Hymnodia is a wholesome entertainment. It is hymns coming back in a way that the whole world will be engaged with it. It is an art of worshipping where the classical meets the contemporary and vice versa.”

To set the ball into motion, a flash mob was held at Ikeja City Mall in December last year that recorded over 1500 entries. Only 200 made it to the audition. That number was further trimmed to 14. For 13 weeks, the hymntestants would stay at the Hymnstitute where they will be grilled in writing and singing hymns by professional music directors who make up the faculty. Renowned music instructor Ben Ogbeiwi is the Dean of Hymns and will be bringing his nononsense persona to the show.

Hymnodia follows the normal

The 14 Hymntestants for Hymnodia

music reality TV show format: dramatic performances, eviction and all the drama in between. For the hymntestants, it will be a very challenging journey as their wits will also be on trial. Clinical psychologist, Pamela Udoka will be evaluating their actions at different schedules. Also, hymntestants who fail to abide by the rules of the house will be taken to the ‘Wilderness’ – a solitary confinement – till they repent or show remorsefulness for their actions.

“Who knows, they might even be inspired there,” Ekanem added during the tour of the residence.

For the arrival show, the 14 contestants – six females and eight males - gave the audience a snippet of their talents, singing popular classical and contemporary hymns such as ‘Until

Then’, ‘Old Rugged Cross’, and ‘Great is Thy Faithfulness’.

Things got a bit dramatic when a 15th contestant was introduced. The contestant Casey Edema, a tenor singer was given the opportunity to enter the Hymnstitute by battling any of the male hymntestants. Picking the names from a ballot, a baritone singer Kenneth Ekhuemelo, was selected to battle with Edema.

Urging Edema and Ekhuemelo to demonstrate their talent as an evictee would only be part of the Hymnodia Choir if it suits him, Ogbeiwi stated: “this is a battle for success. May the best hymntestant win.”

With high spirit, both hymntestants put up classic performances. Edema who sang ‘Great is Thy Faithfulness’, was evicted while

Cardi B, Michelle Obama, Steal the Show at 2019 Grammy Awards Vanessa Obioha The 2019 Grammy Awards that held on Sunday reiterated the commitment of the Recording Academy, the organization that organizes the Grammys on making the show as diverse as possible. Like the Oscars, the Grammys have been confronted with diversity issues, particularly from the hip-hop world and black musicians who are often times snubbed in the top prizes.

All that changed with the 61st edition. Not only did women dominate the nominees list, they were historic wins for most of the female nominees as well as hiphop artistes.

Female rapper Cardi B who nabbed five nominations made history as the first female solo artist to win the Best Rap Album for ‘Invasion of Privacy’. Kendrick Lamar won the award last year.

Lauryn Hill however was the first female artist to win in this category in 1997 with the Fugees while Eminem holds the record of most wins till date, having won six times.

During her acceptance speech, Cardi B who was also in the company of her husband, rapper Offset was so surprised by her win that she joked about her lack of composure, stating she may need to “start taking weed” to gain

Cardi B at the Grammys

balance. She also talked about how she worked long nights to finish the album and how difficult it was shooting while pregnant. It was also the first Grammy win for the rapper.

Another historic moment at the female dominated awards was when Childish Gambino’s protest song ‘This is America’ was announced winner of the Best Song and Best Record prizes.

It was the first time a rap song will win in these categories but the rapper was absent. Due to its diversity issues, some entertainers skip the awards, preferring to

watch it from the couch and comment online like the ‘Thank You, Next’ singer Ariana Grande who was earlier scheduled to perform at the ceremony but turned down by a controversy between her and the awards producers.

Also visibly absent were The Carters: Jay-Z and Beyoncé, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Kendrick Lamar.

Drake and Lamar who fetched the most nods in this year’s awards won only one award. Drake won for Best Rap Song for ‘God’s Plan’ while Lamar’s ‘King’s Dead’ tied for Best Rap Performance with

Ekhuemelo, who performed ‘Old Rugged Cross’, joined the other 13 hymntestants into the Hymnstitute following the verdict of the faculty.

Elimination from the show, called Hymnviction by the organisers, will be by audience voting once the performance shows start during the 13 weeks of wholesome fun which the initiative would run. This will culminate into a grand finale of the show in April 2019, where the ultimate winner will receive an Asaph, (a specially designed award named after David’s chief musician), a brand-new car and cash prize of N5 million.

Hymnodia will be shown for one hour every Sunday on Lagos Television (LTV) with a magazine show on same channel on Thursday evening.

Kelly Anthony Releases New Song for Charity Vanessa Obioha Anderson .Paak’s ‘Bubblin’. They also turned down performance spots on the show, widening the gulf between the Grammys and the hip-hop world.

The Album of the Year went to country singer Kacey Musgraves while Dua Lipa was the Best New Artist.

In a category dominated by pop big weights like Taylor Swift, P!nk and Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande took home the award for the Best Pop Vocal Album for ‘Sweetener’. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper beat artistes like Maroon 5, Backstreet Boys, Christina Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake to win the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their song ‘Shallow’.

Afrobeat singer, Seun Kuti who couldn’t perform due to a mix up in his flight also lost the Best World Music Album prize to South African Soweto Gospel Choir.

Hosted by Alicia Keys, the award featured powerful empowerment speeches from women including the former First Lady of United States of America, Michelle Obama, who said that music from artistes like Motown and Beyoncé helped her to tell her story “Whether we like country, R&B, rap or rock, music helped us to share ourselves. Our dignity and sorrows, our hopes and joys.

Canada-based Nigerian singer, Kelly Anthony has staged a big entrance into 2019 with the release of his new song, ‘Eko’.

The song, which was written by the singer focuses on the daily struggle of Lagosians trying to make ends meet.

‘The struggles and hardship I had to go through to accomplish my goals and make my dream become reality inspired me to write this song.”

Directed by Toronto based Nigerian cinematographer, Seeds Visuals, the new single exposes the artiste’s philanthropic gestures. Kelly as he is fondly called, started his Kelly Anthony Foundation (KAF) eight years ago in Toronto Canada, supporting the homeless and giving clothes, food items to the under-privileged.

He will be extending that gesture to Nigerians by moving his foundation to Nigeria. He boldly declared that he will donate all his proceeds from ‘Eko’ to charity.

Speaking further on his plans to take over the Nigerian music scene, Kelly boasted that his plan for 2019 is to take on the spotlight of the music scene; with so many collaborations from Nigerian top artistes in the pipeline “and also make my name bold in the industry and create a solid foundation fan base in the music industry in Nigeria and across

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HEALTH H E A LT H C A R E A G E N D A 2 0 1 9 – 2 0 2 3

Setting Healthcare Agenda for Nigeria (1) As Nigerians go to polls on Saturday, February 16 and Wednesday, March 6 for the presidential and governorship elections respectively, to usher in successive governments that would steer the nation and various states until 2023, experts have shared templates they believe would change Nigeria’s healthcare narrative and put the sector on the global map. Martins Ifijeh reports

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ver wondered a scenario where Nigeria’s healthcare system is adjudged one of the best in the world, and the previous poor indices the country is known for now becomes a thing of the past? Wonder no further. Some players in the healthcare industry believe this is possible with conscious decisions, political will and deliberate actions.

According to them, with implementation of working models in various areas of healthcare, the country’s maternal and child health will improve, disease burdens will reduce, doctors and patients will no longer need to travel abroad for work or treatment respectively, expectancy rate will increase, among other benefits.

But they are also quick to warn that these templates can only be feasible in the face of an enabling policy environment driven by committed leadership and a government that is sincere about its human capital agenda.

They are also of the opinion that Nigerians, armed with their PVCs should vote in leaders who will be interested in their health and human capital development.

National Mental Health Agenda A recent study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has shown that one in four people globally will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives; that is at least 1.7 billion persons worldwide.

Across the world, not fewer than 450 million people are currently suffering from such condition; making mental disorder one of the leading causes of ill-health and disability globally.

Mental health has been ranked the fourth leading cause of global disease burden, while it is estimated that it will rank second by 2020, lagging behind only ischemic heart diseases.

Despite being an alarming public health issue due to the large population affected, studies have shown that mental disorder is not taken as a priority, especially in low and middle-income countries like Nigeria, where it is highly misunderstood.

Statistics on Mental Disorders in Nigeria Several indications show that over 60 million Nigerians have one form of mental disorder or the other with only about 20 per cent of persons in such category seen to have the obvious forms of it, which includes what the ordinary Nigerian refers to as madness, schizophrenia, and perhaps extreme case of drug or alcohol addiction; a reason that has largely made mental disorder in the remaining 80 per cent or 48 million Nigerians ignored or poorly understood.

To be exact, the WHO in 2017 said 7,079,815 Nigerians suffer from one of the most ignored and misunderstood form of mental disorder in the country – depression.

This, according to the world health body, represents 3.9 per cent of the entire population of the country, thereby making Nigeria the most depressed country in Africa. Globally, Seychelles has the lowest number of depressed persons with just 3,722, according to WHO. It also said 4,894,557 Nigerians, that is 2.7 per cent of the population, suffer anxiety disorders.

The country is closely followed by Ethiopia with 4,480,113 sufferers, Democratic Republic of Congo with 2,871,309, South Africa with 2,402,230, and Tanzania with 2,138,939 sufferers

Good healthcare is possible in Nigeria

WHO data has shown that although treatments are available, nearly two-thirds of people with a known mental disorder never get help from a health professional as stigma, ignorance, discrimination and neglect continues to prevent care and treatment from reaching majority of people with mental disorders.

Tackling stigma and ignorance thus remain one of the greatest challenges to accessing mental health care Nigeria, and other low and middle income countries.

Despite the apathy in accessing mental care in Nigeria, government records show that the branch of science is underfunded in the country, leading to poor awareness and inadequate service provision.

This, in no small measure has aided the increased prevalence of drug abuse, use of prescription drugs, and recent increases in suicide reports in the media.

In tackling this, as the country moves into another political dispensation come May this year, a UK trained Consultant Psychiatrist and Medical Director, Lakeside Hospital, Wyboston, Bedfordshire, Dr. Olufemi Oluwatayo believes going forward, deliberate efforts should be made to tackle the growing public health concern in Nigeria.

He said the incoming federal government should appoint a National Mental Health Czar with a sole purpose of pushing a National mental health agenda for the country, especially with the spate of mental health issues in the country, adding that states should appoint same.

He called for review of the present National Mental Health Policy to reflect current needs, noting that the mental health desk of the Federal Ministry of Health should be revived and revitalized.

Oluwatayo, who is also the Chief Executive Officer, The Retreat – a mental healthcare facility in Lagos, said: “We should urgently pursue and push through the Mental Health Bill at the National Assembly and other relevant legislation, such as decriminalising suicide or attempted suicide. We should push for relevant

legislation that will commit the federal and state governments to provide specific amount of their annual budget to mental health and ensure that the money should be ring fenced for use of mental health services only.

“Because governments alone are unable to meet the need of the teeming Nigerian population, there is massive scope for private, International organisations and charity sector participation in mental health services provisions. There should be an active programme to involve, encourage and give incentives to involve these providers.

“There should be collaboration with the National Health Insurance Scheme such that a modality is provided that will include treatment of common mental disorders under the current health insurance payment systems.

Government should explore the option of collaborating with the pharmaceutical industry for affordable psychotropic medications purchased nationally and disbursed nationwide,” the psychiatrist said.

While also stating that government should establish the Federal Institute of Mental Health, he said the role of the institute will include conducting mental health related researches.

“This will help to plan services adequately, establish a national database of the prevalence of various mental disorders in Nigeria by collating existing researches and commissioning new ones as appropriate. Government should also complete a national mental workforce planning audit to determine how many psychiatrists, mental health nurses, psychologists, occupational therapists, social workers and speech and language therapist that the country needs.

“Based on the outcome of this, government should liaise with Nigerian universities and institutions to offer courses that will address the deficits. There should also be a national standard and regulatory body that can produce national standards for provisions, treatments, monitor and enforce compliance to the standard.

Government should also set up National Audit standards and systems,” he added.

He said while these models can be adopted going forward, preventive care should be given utmost priority, adding that with general improvement in quality of life of Nigerians mental disorder will be reduced.

He suggested that there should be a suitable work-life balance, appropriate lifestyle choices (no smoking, drinking alcohol in moderation and avoiding obesity). “We should endeavor to educate the public through various educative programmes and media. There should be suicide prevention activities such as education and managing suicide hotspots that are beginning to emerge in Nigeria,” he added.

On treatment at primary, secondary and tertiary levels, he said “There should be full integration of mental care into primary healthcare with front line staff being able to identify and treat common mental disorders such as anxiety, stress, depression and sleep problems using resources such as the mental health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) tool.

“There should be the establishment of fully functioning psychiatric departments that can treat most mental disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder in all general hospitals in the country. Also, there should be a referral centre for treatment of the most severe mental disorders that require long stay in hospital and specialist interventions in psychiatric departments of all Teaching hospitals and Federal Medical Centres and national Neuropsychiatric hospitals,” he added.

Healthcare Financing Template Nigeria currently has one of the poorest healthcare financing models in the world; a scenario that has played a major role in the abysmally poor healthcare indices the country is presently known for. The Nigerian government on its part has not helped in addressing the financial gap.

With the country presently spending less on healthcare than nearly every country in the world

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SETTING HEALTHCARE AGENDA FOR NIGERIA (1)

Kana

– a reflection of its under-prioritisation of the sector, health spending has become dominated by out-of-pocket expenditures with its wellknown impoverishing effects, especially since majority of those who purchase healthcare in the country are poor Nigerians.

In 2016, total government health expenditure was 0.6 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). And as a share of total government expenditure, government health spending was also low at 6.1 per cent, amounting to just $11 per capita.

This level of spending is grossly below regional and lower middle income averages and the recommended US$86 per capita for low and middle income country benchmark needed to deliver a limited set of key health services.

But Senior Health Specialist, International Finance Corporation and World Bank, Olumide Okunola believes moving into another political dispensation, Nigeria can get it right if the present reforms instituted by the federal government were built upon.

Among such reforms presently instituted are the implementation of the transformative National Health Act, of which the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) is a major financing vehicle.

This BHCPF, according to the federal government will mobilize close to N60 billion (approximately US$150million) in new money per year for Primary Healthcare Centre strengthening and service delivery.

The reform also include institutional reforms, and among those that stand out are the development of state social health insurance schemes by state governments which mobilises additional financial resources from states, pools resources and is a veritable strategic purchasing mechanism; and then the Primary Healthcare Under One Roof (PHCUOR) which emphasises the integration of primary care services and

Nkechika

promotes governance and accountability for delivery of primary care.

The present government also ensured reforms recognising private participation in health delivery through expanded service delivery by private providers and provision of financing by financial institutions.

However, Olumide believes for Nigeria to meet its expected outcome in healthcare in the next political years ahead, series of approaches should be considered.

He said the new government must give emphasis to Basic Minimum Package of Health Services, noting that the significant resources from the recently launched Basic Healthcare Provisions Fund (BHCPF) means that there will be a significant reallocation of resources towards the defined package of services as stipulated in the National Health Act. “I am of the opinion that if we scale up strategic purchasing approaches, there will be a healthy competition in the healthcare market.

The increased use of strategic purchasing means that public providers will now compete with private providers for the delivery of the package of services financed through the BHCPF.” He believes empaneling private providers will expand the capacity to deliver services while also incentivizing more private participation in underserved areas, adding that such approach will force providers both public and private to focus on quality and efficiency in the delivery.

Okunola, who is a healthcare and finance expert noted that the concept of strategic purchasing will expand the use of innovative approaches to expand coverage in underserved services like Oncology.

He said: “For instance, the creation of a special fund for oncology will incentivise private providers to develop greenfield projects or partner with public facilities to develop Public Private Partnership projects which will serve as off takers to bid for the delivery of services.”

He said one of the key ways of addressing healthcare financing issues in Nigeria is to leverage financing from outside the public health sector.

According to him, the next five years will see a wave of new investments from non-traditional sources of financing from the health, adding that as a necessity, the public sector will need to redesign current modes of service delivery to keep pace with reforms.

“With this, public sector managers will realise that they need to earn their payments; existing public PHCs will be outsourced to the private sector to form networks of high performing facilities, and financial institutions like banks will begin to see opportunities in the sector and develop financial instruments to support private operators who are mostly micro, small and medium enterprises.”

He believes the future of health financing in Nigeria is dependent on the continued commitment to the implementation of the BHCPF. “It cannot be a one off implementation.

Also, it is important to note that the BHCPF is currently implemented as a “service wide vote” and not as a “statutory transfer” like the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) as such monies are not rolled over at the end of the financial year. This brings with it a level of uncertainty that needs to be addressed.

Okunola also warned that financing itself was not on its own a sufficient condition for improved health outcomes, emphasising that there is a need for the establishment of both public and social accountability mechanisms that will help in the improvement of service delivery.

He said: “In this regard, financial reports showing the source and use of funds as well as improvements in monitoring and quality assurance criteria are a necessity while on social accountability; a focus on participatory

approaches will renew and reinvigorate the current lack of a consequential and votersensitive compact between the government and the population.

“This will impact the future of health financing in two distinct but interrelated ways – politicians will take seriously the prioritisation of health financing when making budgets, and secondly it could mobilise additional resources from development partners who are waiting with resources to catalyse a much needed change in the sector.”

Universal Health Coverage While Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is currently the single most discussed healthcare agenda globally, many countries, including Nigeria are still far from achieving it; making access to quality healthcare a herculean task for millions of Nigerians, especially the poor ones who still pay out of pocket to get treatments.

On specifics, about 73 per cent of Nigerians are presently paying for their healthcare, with a major chunk of them not able to access quality care due to lack of funds. This therefore has in no small measure increased the country’s mortality rate, reduce life expectancy, and the myriads of poor healthcare statistics which the country is known for.

No wonder when health indices are discussed on global stages on a country-by-country basis, Nigeria often emerges one of the countries with the worst indices among key global health issues. The country sits comfortably among the 10 worst countries in the world with disease burdens.

On specifics, Nigeria has the highest burden of malaria globally, with about 40 per cent of global malaria deaths occurring in the country and Democratic Republic of Congo alone. Not only that 90 per cent of Nigerians are at risk

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SETTING HEALTHCARE AGENDA FOR NIGERIA (1)

Oluwatayo

of it, it kills over 300,000 of them yearly, with 11 per cent of maternal deaths linked to it.

Also, Nigeria is rated as the second worst country with maternal and child deaths globally, just second to India. About 15 per cent of global maternal deaths occur in Nigeria alone, and the deaths of newborn babies in the country represent a quarter of the total number of deaths of children under five worldwide. In fact, a woman’s chance of dying from pregnancy or childbirth in Nigeria stands at one ratio 13, if indices from the World Health Organisation (WHO) are referenced.

Among other areas, Nigeria is the second worst recipient of malnutrition burden globally, just second to India.

Several countries with similar poor health indices decades ago have prioritised universal health coverage. For instance, countries like Turkey, Mexico, Thailand, Kenya, Ghana, among others are currently doing well in healthcare coverage for their citizens; an approach that has reduced their disease burden. While UHC has helped in shaping healthcare globally, Nigeria just recently woke up to the reality that that is the way to go. Thankfully, the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole and his ministry are championing the cause.

First, it was through a pledge to implement the once abandoned National Health Act, and then the launch of the Basic Healthcare Provisions Fund (BHCPF), Saving One Million Lives Reward for Performance, and a host of other initiatives.

These initiatives have recently started paying off with the earmarking of N57.15 billion for BHCPF, and the seed fund from International Global Partners (World Bank Group, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Dangote Foundation).

But the Director General and Chief Executive Officer, Delta State Health Contributory Scheme (DSHCS), Dr. Ben Nkechika believes going into the next political dispensation, the country must do if it truly wants to achieve UHC, adding that when all Nigerians are covered, many of the health issues affecting the country will reduce or in many cases tilt towards being eradicated.

Nkechika said: “To consolidate on the above achievements in 2019 and beyond, the country should put in a greater effort that is focused on improving healthcare service access in rural communities spread across the country through

Adewole

innovative partnerships, implementation of quality of care, improvement of programs that encourage performance based incentives, better resource management that ensures accountability through strategic purchasing mechanisms and a pragmatic monitoring and evaluation program to track performance for reviews and adjustment that improve outcomes.”

He said the plan by the federal government to implement the BHCPF across the country in 2019 was a great step in the right direction, but however stated that the requisite processes and infrastructure that will drive the implementation especially in the rural communities that mostly need these interventions should be aggressively considered to ensure that the rural populace are not disenfranchised from getting the program benefits.

Of what value would the BHCPF be if only few states key into the drive for universal health coverage, or if in the end, only few states benefit from federal government support in the disbursement of basic healthcare fund?

Nkechika, who has grown the Delta State health insurance scheme to the tune of 500,000 enrollees – the biggest so far in the country, apart from the National Health Insurance Scheme – believes if all states of the federation are given the support they need from the federal government to ensure that no state or rural community is denied the benefits in one way or another of the Basic healthcare Provision Fund, this would push the nation an inch further towards achieving UHC. He said: “The resources are there to be harnessed. A focused strategic planning and implementation with proper resource mobilisation and utilisation that granulates care at the basic level will help achieve better health outcomes in 2019 and beyond.”

Believing that if all states adopt the Delta State model, there would be a significant improvement in achieving UHC, he said in the next political dispensation, no state should be left out of establishing health insurance scheme, as that is the way to go in the 21st century.

Nkechika said: “Delta State in the forefront of the implementation of the state health insurance scheme currently has over 500,000 registered enrollees with over 300 government primary healthcare facilities, 65 government secondary healthcare facilities and 50 private healthcare facilities accredited to provide healthcare services

Okunola

under the DSCHS. “Several States that include Kano, Lagos, Oyo, Bayelsa amongst others, have also commenced the state health insurance scheme and are making significant progress in its implementation.”

The DG, who says he was sharing the Delta model because he believes if between 2019 and 2023 all states adopt same, Nigeria would be able to meet the 2030 target on UHC set by global health bodies, emphasised that the state has commenced the implementation of its “Access to Finance” program to rehabilitate and revitalise 25 previously defunct healthcare facilities spread across the state, especially in rural riverine communities.

“We have also achieved the ‘One PHC per Ward initiative’ with a Ward Development Committee (WDC) to support PHC services in each federal ward, using monitoring and evaluation program tools that ensure accountability and performance based incentives.

“Each accredited primary healthcare facility and secondary healthcare facility will have an ICT Platform program that covers e-medical records, e-treatment support, e-pharmacy and e-billing protocols, as well as provide analytics and reporting with follow-up management and reminders of post care requirements. The software for the above programmes will be embedded in a solar powered ICT Infrastructure to ensure 24 hours service in rural communities that have power challenges,” he said.

Primary Healthcare Agenda It is no longer news that for a country to have a better healthcare system, its primary healthcare must be accessible, affordable and qualitative to its people. But same cannot be said of Nigeria’s primary healthcare facilities, where many Nigerians still lack access to basic healthcare, especially in rural and hard to reach areas.

As the engine room of healthcare all over the world, there is no gainsaying that if governments at all levels, moving forward, fix primary healthcare, it would have solved more than half of the problems in the sector.

A public health expert, Dr. Richard Salu said the country presently has about the worst maternal, newborn and child mortality rate in the world, with children and mothers dying from what ordinarily can be prevented. He believes if this is the only thing in the health sector the government will focus on from

now till 2023; they would end up making a difference in the health sector.

“When basic health facilities are put on ground, pregnant women will no longer give birth at home or with traditional birth attendants. With functional PHCs, children will be immunised, they will not die from malaria, cholera, pneumonia or diarrhea. This is how other countries run their system,” he said.

Sharing his template for a functional PHC in Nigeria, National Programme Manager, Saving One Million Lives Results for Performance, Dr. Ibrahim Kana said the country can achieve universal health coverage through an effective primary healthcare system.

He noted that as the country moves towards another political dispensation, priority should be given to strengthening compulsory state social health insurance schemes while also revatilising primary health facilities across the country.

“Moving forward, we should have a massive recruitment of human resource and deploy the personnel appropriately. We should also establish efficient primary healthcare development agencies. The country should invest in infrastructure, equipment, strengthen cold/ supply chain system, and all PHCs should have water supply, power, among others.”

He called for boosting of a comprehensive outreach programme and engage in maternal, newborn and child health weeks to sustain Penta3/ Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN) coverage.

“Going forward, there should be a comprehensive mass media campaigns with community-health-worker-led family planning programmes which are sure to boost modern contraceptive prevalence rate.”

Kana said to holistically address lack of health coverage, especially in primary healthcare level, state governments should be supported and encouraged to launch the Basic Health Care Provisions Fund.

“For effectiveness, we should strengthen supervision, pay for outputs, not in puts. We must also decentralise funds, as well as pay laser focus on data analysis and utilisation.”

On training, Kana said there should be review of training methodology of primary healthcare workers, adding that trainings on biostatistics and other focus areas should be given priority, just as he stressed that each state should achieve universal health coverage at their pace.

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F R I DAY ˾ ͯͳ˜ Ͱͮͯͷ

ART WEEKEND

…For pure art enthusiasts

A Trip to Ilorin with Author, Ladies Calling The Shots Yinka Olatunbosun reports on the Lagos to Ilorin road trip with Niran Adedokun, the author of Ladies Calling The Shots to Kwara State University

D

estination was Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete- a convergence point for film students, movie makers and enthusiasts when the author of the book, Ladies Calling The Shots, Niran Adedokun was received warmly at the Department of Film and Film Production at the University’s School of Visual and Performing Arts for a special interactive session.

In three hours and some minutes, the non-stop smooth ride through Ibadan, Oyo and Ogbomosho allowed for a close-up with two of the listed 17 directors in the book, Ema Edosioand Adeola Osunkojo who were joined the next day by another film maker, Ronke Macaulay.

With a clapperboard cover design, the 251-page book written by the seasoned journalist and lawyer articulates the creative efforts of select female directors in Nigeria’s movie industry and becomes an instant hit with some of the lecturers at the department. Hence, to mark its first edition of “Nollywood’s Town Meets Gown’’, the Co-ordinator, Centre for Nollywood and New Media in Africa (CiNNeMA), KWASU, Elizabeth Olayiwola teamed up with the author to have three of the directors discussed in the book engage with the film students.

Flash back through the event revealed in attendance the Vice Chancellor, KWASU, Prof. AbdulRasheed Na’Allah whose unwavering commitment to the development of film studies at the university gave birth to the construction of a building to curate film studies and production and a culture of interactive sessions with key players in the Nigerian film industry and film scholarship. He expressed his satisfaction at seeing the author of Ladies Calling The Shots alongside three of the 17 directors highlighted in the literary effort.

Dissolving into film screening sessions, which was moderated by Dr. Joe Odedina, the audience saw for the first time the 90-minute movie titled, “Kasala” directed and produced by EmaEdosio. ‘Kasala’ had been screened at several international film festivals across the globe despite its rejection by some cinemas in Nigeria. The movie tells the story of the four resilient young men from a less-privileged com-

L-R: Dr. Joe Odedina, Ema Edosio, Ronke Macaulay; VC KWASU, Prof. Abdulrasheed Na’Allah, Adeola Osunkojo; author, Ladies Calling The Shots, Niran Adedokun and Elizabeth Olayiwola

munity who are bound by their ambition in music as a career. The fast-paced suspenseful drama which lasted one day is a true Nigerian story that provoked laughter and excitement as its existential themes resonated with the youthful audience.

Macaulay’s “Green Passport in the Rainbow Nation’’ was the second movie to be screened at the event. The 30-min documentary movie focuses on the lives of Nigerians in South Africa. It featured interviews with the Nigerian Consular General, Mrs. Uche Ajulu-Okeke, Nigerian students at South African University, Nigerian entrepreneurs and others. The documentary-an expose on the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa- tells of the cases of some criminals who steal Nigerian identity and the peculiarities of being a Nigerian in South Africa.

For Osunkojo, the screening of her work titled, “The Life of a Nigerian Couple’’ was a first a thrill and then a puzzle to the audience with a careful deployment of new media techniques in film making to tell the story of a young couple whose marriage is

experiencing teething problems.

Macaulay, Edosio and Osunkojo had an interactive session with the students after their movies were screened. They spoke about their collective challenges of funding and distribution. Edosio encouraged the students to make movies regardless of the limited funding while Osunkojo mirrored the same sentiment when she advised the students to manage available resources such as mobile phones to make videos.

In his remarks, the author, Adedokun explained the rationale behind bringing the book and the subjects in it to the university.

“When I saw the stories of the women in the book, I saw that the book is really an inspirational material especially in these days that models are rare. The young ones are bereft of ideas and the kind of people they should follow. You see the get rich quick idea of life is everywhere. These ladies are where they are today because they have passed through all sorts of stages.

We thought it could be a good way to

inspire girls and even young men who are aspiring to be in the film business or actually want to become anything significant in life,’’ he said.

Dr Odedina who gave credit to Mrs. Olayiwola for this brilliant initiative said the event had been planned since December but shifted after the Christmas and New Year holidays to give a rousing start to the year. He said these interactive sessions had been supported by the VC since the centre had been founded.

“The VC is a very passionate man about any kind of education. If you see the way he responds to engineering matters, you will think he is an engineer. He was the one who invited me to KWASU to teach film productions,’’ said the lecturer who spent three decades in the US before returning to Nigeria for his PhD. The event was attended by hundreds of students some of whom expressed their gratitude for this rare encounter with female directors from Nigerian movie industry. Copies of the book were sold at the venue at subsidized rate.

Awaiting Floodlights, Frenzy and Fans at LagosTheatre Festival 2019

InAbuja,Garden AfterWorkReturns

Yinka Olatunbosun

Yinka Olatunbosun

Lagos Theatre Festival (LTF) is one of the reasons for culture buffs to witness a surge in theatrical performances in Nigeria and this year retains the tradition. Asides Freedom Park, which is the main venue for this event, 19 other venues had been selected as the platforms for promoting artistry rendered in no fewer than 100 performances.

The theme, “Imagine the Unimaginable,” will run through the performances from March 4 till 10, whether it is monologue or 5-act play. Like last y e a r ’ s edition, the 2019 edition will have curated and fringe strands.

The fringe is an open access festival for all genres in the performing arts including small theatre, children’s theatre, dance, film, spoken word, comedy, puppetry, cabaret, music and interdisciplinary arts; it is designed to

Art enthusiasts in Abuja will be elated soon as the secondedition of Garden After Work returns on February 21.

Featuring the curator and artist, Nduwhite Ndubuisi Ahanonu; Nigeria’s first circus company, Patatrak Circus which was established in 2017 by acrobat and teacher, Ekpoawan Eden and live guitar music by Jonbethel Ezeugo. Born in EbonyiState, Ezeugo had been travelling across the country with his rare African sound which he calls “Afro soul”. He is currently working on a revolutionary album titled, “1967”.

Garden After Work is a hub of creatives in Abuja to share new creative projects with like-minded artists in a relaxed atmosphere. The event usually takes place every third Thursday of the month.

It is hosted by Institut

A scene from Soyinka’s play, Death and the King’s Horseman

allow performers and companies not participating in the curated festival an opportunity to present work for viewing.

Founded by the British

Council in 2013, the LTF has been an international rallying point for performers drawn from Nigeria, US, UK, Europe and Africa at large. What makes the festival unique is

the use of unconventional space for performances. This concept has revolutionised theatre practice in Nigeria, validating in practical terms the iconic words of the Elizabethan period playwright,

William Shakespeare that “All the World’s a stage.”

For seven days, fans will mill around the venues, pop corn in hand, as they watch their preferred shows, based on reviewsor word of mouth.

35

F R I DAY Ëž ÍŻÍłËœ Ͱ͎ͯ͡

FERTILITY

W

with DR. KEMI AILOJE Info@lifelinkfertility.com; Ă?ĂŒĂ?Ă“ĂžĂ?Ë? lifelinkfertility.com 08033083580

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with LEKAN FATODU

Overscenes

lekantodu@yahoo.com 08060140882

Over 100 UK Observers to Monitor Nigeria’s Presidential Election

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t has been confirmed that over 100 observers from the United Kingdom (UK) will monitor Nigeria’s Presidential and /BUJPOBM "TTFNCMZ FMFDUJPO DPNJOH VQ UIJT 4BUVSEBZ *U is not surprising that the UK, one of Nigeria’s closest foreign BMMJFT XJMM CF EFQMPZJOH TVDI TJHOJGJDBOU manpower to ensure successful running of the election.

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Ambassador Catriona Laing

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36

F R I DAY ˾ ͯͳ˜ Ͱͮͯͷ

COLLAGE EVENTS

SWYF Preaches Togetherness Ayodeji Ake

L-R: Bolaji Braithwaite (brother of celebrant); Tamilore Braithwaite (daughter of celebrant) Kunbi Braithwaite (celebrant); wife of the celebrant Fumilayo and son, Oreoluwa at the 50th birthday of Kunbi in Abuja..recently J ULIUS ATOI/THISDAY IMAGES

As Nigerians prepare for the general elections, the South West Youth Forum (SWYF) had an inclusive meeting having delegates in the South West geo-political Zone comprising Ondo, Ekiti, Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Lagos states and reviewed the state of the nation, the group called on Nigerians to salvage the country together.

In a communique signed by the Secretary, SWYF, Comrade Adeola Akinjeji, the forum at the meeting considered it important to make its position known to the general public, especially as to where it pitches its tent among the various candidates and parties in lieu of the approaching general elections.

Some of the points made by the group as contained in the communique read: “Given the current heated political climate arising from 2019 general elections which are at a corner, the forum took a critical look at the performance of the President Muhamadu Buhari -led administration in the country vis-à-vis issues confronting our maturing democracy and then resolved as follows: “Noted that the country is at a critical time of choosing their leaders across state and federal elections via the ballots and that the country needs credible leaders whose integrity cannot be questioned as individuals; “Observed that the problem of Nigeria political system is not the political parties per se but of individual players who are found of changing parties but not their characters by doing the right thing because of their primordial, selfish interest; “Noted with grave concern that corruption has eaten deep into the fabric of the nation so much so that if we do not kill corruption, corruption will kill the nation as we can see that corruption is fighting back whilst the present government is tackling the menace headlong.

“We Encourage other youth to join the fray and rally round the federal government and cast their votes for Buhari-Osinbajo at the February presidential poll; “Resolved today to continue to mobilise aggressively the electorate (youth) to vote massively to Buhari, work assiduously to ensure President recorded a resounding victory at the poll in the February 16th election for the next level sustainable growth and development of our dear nation; and thus, we call on Nigerians to salvage the country together.

R-L: Editor, Our Moment Newspaper, David Olanrewaju , presenting a Life time Achievement Award to an educationist and f inancial ETOP UKUTT analyst, Sanmi Akindipe in Lagos... recently

The Business of Photography Conference Holds April

L-R: Presidential Candidate of the Independent Democrat (ID), Edozie Madu; Presidential Candidate, National Democratic Liberty Party, (NDLP), Robinson Akpua and Senate President Bukola Saraki during the 2nd Signing of the 2019 National Peace Accord in Abuja...recently

L-R: Azeezat Olaoluwa, Nifemi Oguntoye, Ngozi Alaegbu, Mike Okwoche and Veronica Onuchi; all Lead Anchors at TVC News during the unveiling of a brand-new high definition news studio at its headquarters in Lagos...recently

Over time photography has evolved from being just art to being a profession. Gone are the days when photography was a side hustle or a means to make ends meet.

Photography today requires much more than skill and a good eye as the photography industry has become very lucrative and competitive.

The Business of Photography Conference is an event that seeks to proffer solutions to the problems that photographers face in the course of carrying out their various activities.

Asides helping photographers get better at their craft, The Business of Photography Conference is also aimed at converging Photographers, photography manufacturing and servicing companies as well as photography retailers together under one roof to discuss, learn, exhibit, sell and buy everything photography.

This year ’s edition set to hold in April is Themed, “Shaping the Narrative” will be bigger than the first edition which took place in April 2018.

The first edition had over 1,000 participants in attendance with panellists including, Yetunde Ayeni Babaeko, Wani Olatunde, Emmanuel Oyeleke, Kelechi Amadi-Obi, Shola Animashaun, Oyinkan Badejo-Okunsanya, Bukky Karibi-Whyte, Georgette Monou and many more as panellists speaking on different topics affecting photography in Nigeria, master classes on specific photography areas were by handled by TY Bello, Yetunde Ayeni- Babaeko, Hakeem Salaam and Kelechi Amadi Obi. The convener of The Business of Photography Conference, Kola Oshalusi promises that this year will be more exciting and packed than the last one with more activities, master classes, panel sessions. as well as exhibitors.

According to organisers, media organisation that is interested in partnering with the conference to promote global marketing awareness in general and generate ‘buzz’ for all parties involved are free to be part of the event. So also are corporate sponsors.

And as partner of the BOP Conference, the company, large or small, will be supporting a great initiative as the conference will be offering various levels of event and national sponsorships allowing sponsors and companies to customize their level of support

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F R I DAY Ëž ÍŻÍłËœ Ͱ͎ͯ͡

ENTREPRENEUR

KENIM OBAIGBENA: The Filmmaker Who Deconstructs Nigeria on Filmmaking, Re-inventing and Nation-building Ă&#x;ĂŒĂ–Ă“Ă—Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ă&#x;ĂŒĂ?ĂžĂ‹Ă˜ĂžĂ“Ă‹Ă–Ëœ ÞÒĂ? Ă Ă“ĂŽĂ?Ă™ ÞÙĂ&#x;Ă?Ă’Ă?Ă? Ă‹Ăž ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ? Ă™Ă? Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹ËŞĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă?Ă“Ă™Ă?Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă™Ă—Ă“Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ÚÙÖÓÞÓĂ?Ă‹Ă– Ă›Ă&#x;Ă‹Ă‘Ă—Ă“ĂœĂ?Ë› Ăž Ă?ÒÙåĂ? ĂĄĂ’Ă?ĂœĂ? ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă–Ă“Ă?Ă? ĂšĂ?ĂœĂ?Ă’ Ă™Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? Ă?×ÚÞã ĂŒĂ™ĂĄĂ– Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? ĂšĂ™Ă™Ăœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ÒÙå ÞÒĂ? ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă’ Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ă– ÞÒĂ? Ă‹Ă“Ăœ åÓÞÒ ÞÒĂ?Ă“Ăœ Ă?Ă‹ĂœĂžË› Ă’Ă? ĂŒĂœĂ‹Ă“Ă˜Ă? ĂŒĂ?Ă’Ă“Ă˜ĂŽ ÞÒĂ? Ă Ă“ĂŽĂ?Ă™ ĚŽ Ă‹ ĂŽĂ™Ă?Ă&#x;Ă—Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ‹ĂœĂŁ ĚŽ ÞÓÞÖĂ?ĂŽËœ ËŠ Ă’Ă“Ă? Ă? Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹ËŞ Ă“Ă? Ă˜Ă™ ÙÞÒĂ?Ăœ ĂžĂ’Ă‹Ă˜ Ă?Ă˜Ă“Ă— ĂŒĂ‹Ă“Ă‘ĂŒĂ?Ă˜Ă‹Ëœ ÞÒĂ? Ă™Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂŽĂ?Ăœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă’Ă“Ă?Ă? âĂ?Ă?Ă&#x;ÞÓà Ă? Ă?Ă?Ă“Ă?Ă?Ăœ Ă™Ă? Ă?ĂŽĂ“Ă‹Ë› ĂœĂ‹Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă˜ĂŽĂ?Ă˜Ăž Ă“Ă˜ ÞÒÙĂ&#x;Ă‘Ă’Ăž Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂœĂ?à ÙÖĂ&#x;ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă‹ĂœĂŁ Ă“Ă˜ ĂœĂ?Ă‹Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ëœ Ă?Ă˜Ă“Ă— Ă?Ă˘ĂšĂ–Ă™ĂœĂ?Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă‹ĂœĂ?Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ă‹Ă?ĂžĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă˜ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă—Ă“Ă–Ă–Ă“Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ă™Ă? Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹ Ă‹Ă? ÞÒĂ?ĂŁ Ă’Ă?Ă‹ĂŽ ÞÙ ÞÒĂ? ÚÙÖÖ Ă?Ă–Ă?Ă?Ăž Ă˜Ă?ĂĄ Ă–Ă?Ă‹ĂŽĂ?ĂœĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂœĂ?ĂšĂœĂ?Ă?Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă Ă?Ă? Ă“Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? ͺ͸͚ΠÑĂ?Ă˜Ă?ĂœĂ‹Ă– Ă?Ă–Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă?Ëœ BAYO AKINLOYE ĂœĂ?ĂšĂ™ĂœĂžĂ?

I

n the background you can see the runny nose of a malnourished boy and the buzzing flies menacing his face in a neighbourhood that appears far removed from Lagos so-called civilisation. Here poverty reigns in the shadow of Lagos Island’s opulence that shimmers and towers above the neighbourhood. In this paradoxical coexistence, the young and sublime Kenim Obaigbena emerges to tell a story.

Transcendent in thought and revolutionary in reason, Kenim is taking a different approach to what many media content producers have been busy doing during the political season. While many producers are pitching their tents with one political gladiator or another, she has chosen a different path.

When asked what drives her vision – whether she is producing a film or documentary – Kenim did not hesitate to say: Nigeria.

Kenim also attributes her gut and gumption to “God and purpose�. “I love this country. This is why I left Los Angeles because I couldn’t tell raw and authentic Nigerian stories (in the US),� she acknowledges.

Such a path is telling considering her latest production – a three-part documentary – ‘This Is Nigeria’. “In Nigeria the poor are invisible. They are neglected, underpaid and mistreated. I wanted to give them a voice,� Kenim says as she talks about why she has decided to do the docu-series. “I hope that voters will vote for the candidate they believe can fix Nigeria – not who they believe is popular or who they think is going to win. Vote for whoever you believe in. “I believe that people should make the right decision for themselves. I would never tell anyone who to vote for. But I hope voters can do their research, watch my documentary, and make an independent decision.�

The idea to produce ‘This Is Nigeria’ was thought up sometime in January; a couple of days to the first set of the general elections. “To be honest the idea came to me a month ago. And so I went all in and have done my best to reach this deadline,� Kenim admits with a sense of satisfaction. “I have hope for Nigeria. And, I’m excited to make more documentaries like this and unearth real Nigerian stories.�

The documentary series are now available on youtube.com/ovgmedia.

Those are not are first and she says they will not be her last. “I plan to make more documentaries like ‘This is Nigeria’. I want to grow my YouTube channel: www.Youtube.com/OVGMedia.

You can like and subscribe. I want to pave my way independently in the digital space.

I want to make feature films, dramas, TV shows, etc.,� Kenim discloses her future plans. For the tenacious and intrepid Kenim, there was a moment in her life that she found quite challenging. “In the middle of my career, about six years ago,� she recollects. “When I was waiting around for people to give me a chance, yes, it got depressing. I had all this energy and nowhere to release it. I wanted to make multimillion-dollar films and no one wanted to invest in me.�

That moment led Kenim to believe more in herself. “The truth is you have to invest in yourself before others will. Then I decided to make a comedy series, ‘When Will You Marry?’ This was when I still lived in LA. I worked with actors and it was a nightmare because I didn’t have the resources to pay them. I literally made that with no budget. I appreciate them working with me for free. “But the whole experience allowed me to see that I genuinely had to work by myself in every capacity if I wanted to release all my creative energy. And so I built up the courage to be in front of the camera and I started making YouTube videos. At this point, I am in full control of my destiny. Not only can I write, shoot, produce, edit and host, I can also distribute,� she discloses.

YouTube, Kenim reveals, allows her to take her destiny into her own hand. She adds:

Photos from documentary

Kenim Obaigbena

“I get to create whatever I want, how and whenever I want and that is the greatest gift to any creative person. Because of this, I get to release stuff like ‘This is Nigeria’ on my YouTube channels.

But how does she make money out of all this? “Here’s how,� she volunteers, “through OVG Media, I make exclusive content for international buyers and I also own OVG Space – we create commercials and documentaries for local companies and brands. So if you want compelling content for your brand, call us now: 09037694056.�

Her journey into creativity and production did not start today. Kenim has been making films since 2007. She has spent at least 14 years in the media industry. “It took a while to find my place; I’ve done every type of filmmaking under the sun: from news to music videos, commercials, promos, documentaries, dramas, and even artsy films.

You name it,� explains Kenim.

A few years ago, however, she came to the realization that she wants to tell stories that matter –stories that inspire a progressive nature in people. “That could be a documentary, a sci-fi, a drama, whatever it is, I hope to inspire people to be better in their lives,�

Kenim tells THISDAY. The eclectic producer started out young – producing a magazine with her sisters when she was 15. It runs in the family. In high school, she took a keen interest in painting.

But she is always pushing for something more. “It then evolved into photography and Photoshop editing,� Kenim recounts. “But I wanted more; so I moved into film. I started shooting music videos and short films in college. I went to Tufts University. It’s a very academic school. My friends would laugh and say, ‘You’ll never get a job!’ It’s funny because my parents always supported me.

But my peers didn’t. “Either way, I ignored them. I did internships in Hollywood over the summers. I worked for Chris Robinson and Benny Boom.

I also worked at Anonymous Content. I continued to follow my dreams. I took one step at a time. Eventually, I was working on $100Million sets with top US directors, and shooting and producing news coverage and interviews with global leaders for ARISE News, in its early days.�

For the sublime soul that she is, Kenim has always kept making her own “side projects�, honing my craft. She knows where her passion lies. “I’ve always known what I want to do, which is to tell compelling stories through audiovisuals.�

Unsparing in approach and pragmatism, Kenim points out: “When it comes to storytelling I am my toughest critic and I push myself to do better. I am also very detailoriented. I taught myself everything from the ground up: screenwriting, editing, shooting, directing, colour grading, and now presenting. I also always seek advice and critiques from those that are more talented than me in a specific craft. “I’m not interested in being the most talented person in a room, but in surrounding myself with the most talented people.

Whenever I have the budget I will always choose to hire someone better than me in each specific craft and because I know how to do most things necessary for a production, it creates a different level of understanding and communication than if I didn’t.�

Reflecting again on ‘This Is Nigeria’, Kenim acknowledges that in doing such documentaries there were times she was left with more questions than answers – feeling less hope than when she set out for the projects. Yet, with a sublime heart driving substantially by her love for Nigerians Kenim has risen above those feelings. “But over the years I have truly learned and experienced that failing to plan is planning to fail. And I learned it the hard way – trust me. If you don’t have a plan it can take you 10 years or more to complete a documentary. Now, I don’t go into a documentary without a plan. “By that, I mean the first thing I do before I start is I structure my documentary.

For anyone interested in how to make a documentary, I have a full video on it on my YouTube channel, youtube.com/ OVGMedia,� she adds. The inventive young mind also talks about Nigeria’s film industry, Nollywood. In order for a film to truly be successful, she explains that it must have an amalgamation of strong business structures and craftsmanship. “The business side of things is probably the hardest. This is why there are so many starving artists in Los Angeles, where I use to live. When it comes to business, Nollywood is growing exceptionally well – especially considering the financial climate in Nigeria. There are many producers that are paving the financial structures for tomorrow’s Nollywood. Like they say, content is king, but distribution is God,� Kenim says.

While she admits that Nollywood has become a money-spinning industry, Kenim expresses concern about its craftsmanship. “For Nollywood to truly be successful, and break into the international market – which is where the real money is – filmmakers will

need to pay close attention to the core areas of filmmaking: storytelling, acting, and editing.

Today, there is more than enough resources in the industry and no excuse for the dearth in these key areas,� she explains.

Kenim argues that Nollywood filmmakers only focus on the “glossy side of things� like the cameras, the lenses, having amazing shots etc.

She, however, notes: “While that is all good and great, cameras don’t tell stories, people do. Hollywood has proven time and time again that you can make a blockbuster on a cheap camera.�

She gave the example of Paranormal Activity. “The production budget for the first film in 2009 was $15,000. Today, the franchise has made hundreds of millions of dollars.

Why? Because the story was compelling and engaging, the acting was believable, and the distributor was top-notch. In 2019, $15,000 can go a lot further, especially in Nigeria,�

Kenim thinks. Her advice for filmmakers, actors, screenwriters, and editors is quite simple: she wants them to work on their craft. “Actors, train every single day. Take acting classes,� Kenim suggests. “I don’t know one working actor in Hollywood –famous or not – that doesn’t train every single day and that doesn’t consistently take acting classes. Even Viola Davis does. If you are an actor, there is no excuse for you not to train.

The US-trained producer believes that Nigerian screenwriters can also up their ante, urging them to “structure� their films “properly�, and learn how to write compelling dialogues.

Kenim believes Nigerian musicians have put Nigeria on the global spotlight thinking such approach of the music industry can help Nollywood to have a global breakthrough. “They have made music that is high quality and it exports around the world. Sure it takes more resources to make a film than a song and music video. But it is time to stop making excuses. Filmmakers, it is time to do Nigeria justice and export our high-quality stories and culture around the world. Finally, to all filmmakers, if you want any advice on how to improve your craftsmanship, by all means, reach out to me on social media. My Instagram is @Kenimness,� the intuitive Kenim says. Large-hearted and with undying love for her fatherland, there is one dream that Kenim yearns to fulfil.

She discloses, “By the time I’m 50 I want to feed one million Nigerians every day. I figured I’d just put that out into the universe so it can come true.�

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METRO The Grassroot Campaign in Enugu ‌Your city life in print

Governor Ugwuanyi and his entourage acknowledging cheers from jubilant crowd at Kenyetta Market Enugu

Samson Ezea

J

ust few days to the elections and despite the prevailing atmosphere of sure victory for Enugu State Governor, Rt. Hon.Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and his party, Peoples Democratic Party in the state, the governor has vigorously continued his street-to-street, door-to-door, market-to-market and community-tocommunity campaigns, interfacing with the teeming voters and reminding them of the social contract he had with them in 2015 and how he has fulfilled and abided by it in the last three years plus, through the provision of good governance in all sectors of the state economy. Places, markets and streets already visited by the governor so far include One Day Road, Garki, Timber, Kenyetta Market, Owerri Road, Artisan Market, Ninth mile corner, New Heaven market, GSM village, Aria New Market, Udi Town, Four Corner Junction, Oduma, Mpu in Aninri, Apugo in Nkanu West, streets and markets in Igbo-Eze North, South, Nsukka, Udenu and others.

The exercise which is the last lap of the governor’s campaignwill continue across the nooks and crannies of the state, until thecampaign deadline. The governor, being the people’s leaderrecognises the need and importance of taking his campaignmessages to the busy residents of the state, who their tight schedules may have not allowed to participate actively in the ongoing campaigns and political activities in the state ahead of the polls. So encouraging and surprising is the boost, admiration, acceptance and commendations, the exercise has received fromthe traders, artisans, rural dwellers, party supporters and majority residents, who usually troop out en masse to welcome the governor in their areas.

They are often taken aback by the governor’s surprise and unscheduled campaign visit, considering that it is the first of its kind by any governor in the state since 1999. Renting the airwherever the governor visits are accolades, encomiums and assurances by the jubilant crowd, who say Gburugburu carry go!!! Gburugburu

our man, 2019 is assured!!! We will vote forGburugburu massively!!!, No vacancy in Lion Building come May 2019, Enugu people have already decided that Gburugburu is their choice and other words of fillip, commitment andassurances.

Majority of them told the Gov. Ugwuanyi not to stress or bother himself coming to campaign on the streets or markets, saying that he has no opponents and that his good works in office speak for him. They praised him for providing good governance, massive infrastructures and enduring peace in the state.

But the performing, energetic and grassroots governor, who often enjoys interacting with the residents sees the exercise as normal engagement to keep in close touch with the people at the grassroots and reminds them of the glaring giant stride of his government across the state. Wherever he stops, he assures the voters that his second term will be a continuation of his monumental achievements in office, which was made possible by the massive support his government enjoys from them. So obvious across the streets, communities, strategic locations and markets in the state are numerous billboards and banners of different sizes with the governor’s picture and bold inscriptions endorsing him for second term. These were sponsored by public spirited individuals and nongovernmental groups in appreciation of the governor’s outstanding performance in office and support for his second term.

Also considering that every politics is local, PDP stakeholders, party’s candidates, elective officers at various levels and their supporters are busy campaigning for the party at all the wards, council areas, village square, town halls and rural areas in the state. The campaigns are momentous and carnival-like with party supporters and voters catching fun.

In the same vein and buoyed by Gov Ugwuanyi’s inclusiveleadership style, youths of Hausa extraction resident in the state had after campaigning for the governor on the streets on Tuesday, trooped in large numbers to Government House to pledge their unalloyed support for his second term bid. Speaking during the visit, the youths described the governor as a

peaceful and detribalised leader, that treats everybody equal, regardless of religion and tribe and equally commended him for developing the state, like no one had ever done. “Most of us were born and brought up here in Enugu and don’t know anywhere else as home,� Alhaji Hamza Buba, leader of Arewa Youths said amid cheers from the excited crowd. “According to him, youths in the Hausa community in the state have been members of the PDP and will always remain in the party. We remain loyal to you because you are our father. Our votes will be cast entirely for you and the PDP. We will definitely ensure you return to Lion Building, he said, adding that they would be going into the streets from Government House to campaign vigorously for him.�

A former Youth Leader, Alhaji Danladi Abubakar, praised the governor for enthroning an inclusive policy that gives every resident a sense of belonging. “You are the first to give the position of Chairman of Pilgrims Welfare Board to us. No governor has ever done that. We are 100 per cent with you. You visit us during our period of fasting, you assist widows, women,� Alhaji Abubakar, who is also the chairman of New Artisan Market said. Responding, Gov. Ugwuanyi in his usual humility thanked the youths for the solidarity visit and tremendous support, they have always shown his administration, and for the prevailing peace in the state. He also pledged to continue to work with them for the development of the state.

Relatedly, coalition of governorship candidates of political parties in Enugu State, had on Monday, unanimously endorsed Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for reelection, saying that the decision was to allow and support the governor to complete the good work he has started in the state. Briefing journalists during a solidarity visit to the Government House, Enugu, the candidates of different political parties, through their coordinator, Dr. Vicgenial C Odumejemba of National Conscience Party(NCP)said the action was in recognition of the sustainable security and peace in the state made possible by Ugwuanyi’s administration.

The governorship candidates added that the decision was taken based on Gov. Ugwuanyi’s humane and down-to-earth handling of issues without discrimination, prudent spending and refusal to embark on unnecessary loans as an economic expert and debt manager.

Pledging to mobilise their teeming supporters to vote massively for Gov. Ugwuanyi, the candidates said: “We are committed to working together with the government to ensure peaceful elections in the state. There will be no recruitment of thugs, no character assassination and hate speech which will ruin our relationship. No buying or selling of votes, because majority votes will be cast for Ugwuanyi.�

Other prominent governorship candidates in the delegation, who were accompanied by the Director General of Political Parties Strategic Forum, Chief Adonys Igwe, include Hon. Frank Emeka Ugwu (ANDP), Hon. Engr. Chinedu Anuche, (KOWA), Dr. Gerald Abonyi (LP) Hon. Anthonia Nwobodo (ACD) and others. This endorsement is not different from the gale of endorsements of Governor Ugwuanyi’s second term bidby various groups, including the Inter-Party Advisory Council, the umbrella body of all registered political parties in the country that conferred the award of Commander of Good Governance and Democracy Dividends in the state on him. Withthe endorsement by the coalition of governorship candidates of political parties in the state, it simply means that Gov. Ugwuanyi has no opponent going into the election on March 2.

These unfolding political events in the state few days to the elections are strong and enough indicators that Gov. Ugwuanyiand his party, PDP, are not only on ground in the state andwidely accepted by the people, but they have earned the confidence and trust of majority voters ahead of the elections.This, the governor did by the good governance, massive infrastructures, enduring peace, youth empowerment, and other numerous achievements of his government in the state since he assumed office. t &[FB XSPUF JO GSPN &OVHV

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CRIME&SECURITY

Boko Haram Escapee Recounts Ordeal, Seeks Help

Kanu

Kayode Fasua

His lachrymose mien says it all. A trader of Igbo extraction who had spent several years in the northern part of the country with a long spell of blossoming era, the story to tell these days is how he is straddling in the vall e y o f l i f e , a w a y f ro m t h e mountain.

For Mike Kanu, the middle aged trader in Maiduguri, Borno State, the chummy era has come an end, no thanks to the virulent Boko Haram i n s u rg e n c y.

Kanu, who claimed to have escaped from the Boko Haram dungeon in 2016, is expressing frustration with the country’s authorities, claiming to have been abandoned while he is on the wanted list of the insurgents.

Kanu in a statement issued in Lagos at the weekend, recalled his ordeal in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, saying he was still to overcome the trauma arising from his experience. “In October, 2015, I was kidnapped by Boko Haram insurgents on my way to Maiduguri and was in their confinement for months. “On January 27, 2016, however, they said I had to go for an operation for them and I was given a jacket made of bomb, to go to a church in Chibok village, Borno, to kill some Christians. “That, I could not do because I am a Christian but I played along to secure my freedom, and with the help of the pastor of the church. I escaped,� he recalled.

Kanu lamented that since

that incident, he had been uprooted from his legitimate trading business in the North, as the insurgents declared him wanted and even issued a fatwa (order to kill) against him. “Since that occurrence, my life has become meaningless as a result of several traumas that I suffered,� he said, noting that he had virtually become a vagrant in his own country. “My case is like the case of many others who are never attended to by the authorities.

I’ve made appeal to government to no avail so that I can get support to begin life afresh,� he further regretted. Kanu thus appealed to well-spirited Nigerians for assistance to “help me so that I can put the traumatic experience behind me and move on with life.�

Retired DIG of Police Chris Omeben Passes On Archbishop Chris Omeben who retired from the Nigerian police force in 1989 as a Deputy Inspector General of Police has passed on at the age of 83.

Omeben was born on October 27, 1935 to the family of Chief Alfred Omeben of Ujiogba, Esan West Local Government area of Edo State.

He served in various capacities whilst in the police force. He was the first Divisional C r i m e Officer in the force. The first Commissioner of police in Ogun State, AIG

Omeben

in charge of Research and DIG Federal Criminal and Investigation Department (FCID).

Omeben was the founder and General Overseer of Jesus Family Ministries C h u rc h w i t h h e a d q u a r t e r s in Lagos, until his death.

He is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren and great grandchild re n . B u r i a l a r r a n g e m e n t s will be announced by the f a m i l y.

CRIME SITUATION REPORTS

SECURITY TIPS (PART 47)

...Security Tips for the Election Period t Do not argue about politics in public: *G ZPV CFMPOH UP B QBSUJDVMBS QPMJUJDBM QBSUZ BOE UIFSF JT BO BSHVNFOU BCPVU BOPUIFS QPMJUJDBM QBSUZ UIFO JU JT JNQPSUBOU UIBU ZPV EP OPU KPJO JO 5IJT JT TP UIBU ZPV EPO U EBCCMF JOUP UIF BSHVNFOU UIBU NBZ MFBE UP B mHIU t Always get back home on time: 5IF FMFDUJPO QFSJPE JO WBSJPVT DPVOUSJFT PG UIF XPSME NBZ CF B UJNF GPS WJPMFODF UP EFWFMPQ UIFSFGPSF JU JT BQQSPQSJBUF UIBU ZPV EP OPU TUBZ PVU MBUF "T B NBUUFS PG GBDU ZPV IBWF HPU UP HFU IPNF FBSMZ t Do not criticise any politician especially in public: %P OPU BUUFNQU UP DSJUJDJTF BOZ QPMJUJDJBO PG UIF PQQPTJUJPO QBSUZ JO ZPVS DPNNVOJUZ JO QVCMJD 5IJT JT CFDBVTF JG ZPV EP ZPV NJHIU CF TUFQQJOH PO UIF UPFT PG PQQPTJUJPO TVQQPSUFST XIP NBZ XBOU UP CF IBSNGVM t Do not support or wear political campaign uniforms to polling units: *G ZPV CFMPOH UP BOZ QPMJUJDBM QBSUZ JU NBZ CF CFUUFS UIBU ZPV EP OPU XFBS QPMJUJDBM QBSUZ VOJGPSNT PS JOTJHOJB 5IJT JT TP UIBU ZPV EP OPU BUUSBDU UIF BUUFOUJPO PG PQQPTJUJPO QBSUZ NFNCFST XIP NBZ CF JSSJUBUFE CZ JU .PSF PGUFO UIBO OPU UIFTF QBSUZ NFNCFST NBZ CF BMM PVU UP JOKVSF PUIFST t Always listen to the news: 0OF PG UIF XBZT UP CF TFDVSJUZ DPOTDJPVT EVSJOH FMFDUJPO UJNF JT UP BMXBZT TUBZ BCSFBTU XJUI JTTVFT 0OF PG UIF XBZT UP DPNGPSUBCMZ EP UIJT JT CZ MJTUFOJOH UP UIF OFXT BMXBZT t Don’t disclose who you will vote for at the polls: %VSJOH FMFDUJPO QFSJPE QFPQMF IBWF EJGGFSFOU DBOEJEBUFT UIFZ QMFEHF BMMFHJBODF UP 4PNF PG UIFN HP BT GBS BT QJDLJOH VQ B mHIU XJUI UIPTF XIP BSFO U JO UIF TBNF DBNQ XJUI UIFN 5IFSFGPSF JU XPVME EP ZPV XFMM OPU UP EJTDMPTF XIPN ZPV QMBO UP WPUF GPS t Once you cast your vote, go straight home: 0OF PG UIF XBZT UP TUBZ TFDVSF EVSJOH FMFDUJPOT JT CZ SFUVSOJOH IPNF BGUFS DBTUJOH ZPVS WPUF 4UBZJOH CBDL GPS MPJUFSJOH XJUI PUIFS TVQQPSUFST BGUFS DBTUJOH ZPVS WPUF NBZ CF EFUSJNFOUBM "MUIPVHI UIJT JT EJDFZ BT QFPQMF BSF FODPVSBHFE UP QSPUFDU UIFJS WPUFT t Don’t move about with huge cash/expensive gadgets : *G ZPV IBWF QMBOT UP NPWF BSPVOE XJUI IVHF BNPVOU PG DBTI EVSJOH FMFDUJPO UIFO ZPV XBOU UP DPOTJEFS IBWJOH B SF UIJOL BT UIJT JT OP UJNF UP EP TVDI .JTDSFBOUT UBLF BEWBOUBHF PG UIF QFSJPE UP SPC QFPQMF PG UIFJS WBMVBCMFT "MTP EPO U NPWF BCPVU XJUI FYQFOTJWF HBEHFUT :PV XPVME CF EPJOH ZPVSTFMG B XPSME PG HPPE JG ZPV EP OPU NPWF BSPVOE XJUI FYQFOTJWF HBEHFUT 5IJT JT TP UIBU ZPV EP OPU SVO JOUP TDPVOESFMT XIP NBZ XBOU UP SPC ZPV PGG UIFN t Steer clear of undefined crowd: *U JT WFSZ OFFEGVM UIBU ZPV EP OPU BTTPDJBUF ZPVSTFMG XJUI VOEFmOFE DSPXE PS HSPVQ PG QFPQMF XIP UBLF EFMJHIU JO BOBMZTJOH QPMJUJDBM JTTVFT BOE DBOEJEBUFT JO QVCMJD t Minimise family outings: *U JT JNQPSUBOU UIBU ZPV NJOJNJ[F ZPVS GBNJMZ PVUJOHT 0VUJOHT EVSJOH FMFDUJPOT 5IJT JT CFDBVTF PG UIF QPDLFUT PG USPVCMFT XIJDI NBZ FOTVF BOE XIJDI NBLFT ZPVS GBNJMZ WVMOFSBCMF UP BOZ BUUBDL t Stock up your home with food: 5IF FMFDUJPO QFSJPE JT B QFSJPE UIBU FOGPSDFT UIF TUBZ BU IPNF PSEFS 5IFSFGPSF JU JT WJUBM UP TUPSF VQ UIF IPVTF XJUI BMM UIF GPPE TUVGG BOE JOHSFEJFOUT UIBU BSF OFFEFE * N PSEFS UP BWPJE JODFTTBOU PVUJOHT UP UIF NBSLFUT BOE NBMMT t Have your doctor’s number handy: *G ZPV EP OPU IBWF B NFEJDBM QFSTPO T EFUBJMT IBOEZ UIFO ZPV NBZ XBOU UP LOPX UIBU ZPV OFFE UP EP UIJT TP UIBU ZPV DBO DBMM XIFOFWFS ZPV OFFE NFEJDBM BTTJTUBODF EVSJOH FMFDUJPOT t Cast your vote once: 0OF PG UIF XBZT UIBU ZPV NBZ CF GFSNFOUJOH TFDVSJUZ USPVCMF JT XIFO ZPV EFDJEF UP WPUF UXJDF PS NPSF 5IFSF NBZ CF PUIFS QBSUZ DBOEJEBUFT UIBU NBZ XBOU UP HFU WJPMFOU XJUI ZPV 4P WPUF GPS ZPVS DBOEJEBUF KVTU PODF *O BOZ DBTF UIJT SFOEFST ZPVS WPUF B OVMMJUZ XJUI UIF DBSE SFBEFS

t Don’t talk recklessly at the polls: 5P CF TBGF JU JT GPSCJEEFO UP UBML SFDLMFTTMZ BU UIF QPMMJOH VOJU BCPVU BOZ DBOEJEBUF PS UIF FMFDUJPO QSPDFTT %PJOH UIJT NBZ BUUSBDU TPNF HSBWF DPOTFRVFODFT t Celebrate in a civil manner: *G BGUFS UIF FMFDUJPOT ZPVS DBOEJEBUF XJOT UIFO JU JT JNQPSUBOU UIBU ZPV DFMFCSBUF JO B DJWJM NBOOFS *U JT OP UJNF UP CFHJO UP QBJOU UIF UPXO SFE JO B MBWJTI TUZMF 3FNFNCFS UIBU TPNF GPMLT XIP BSF JO TVQQPSU PG UIF PQQPTJUJPO NBZ OPU CF IBQQZ t Don’t partake in election violence: %P OPU QVU ZPVSTFMG VQ UP CF VTFE CZ QPMJUJDJBOT UP QFSQFUSBUF FMFDUJPO WJPMFODF 5IJT JT CFDBVTF TPNF PQQPTJUJPO QFPQMF NJHIU BT XFMM CF MVSLJOH JO UIF EBSL UP IBSN UIPTF XIP EP UIJT Source: Unknown

LAGOS POLICE CONTROL NOS FOR ELECTION 5IF PQFSBUJPOT SPPN XJUI UIF GPMMPXJOH EFEJDBUFE MJOFT UISPVHI XIJDI NFNCFST PG UIF QVCMJD DBO ESBX UIF BUUFOUJPO PG UIF QPMJDF UP EJTUSFTT TJUVBUJPOT PS BOZ VOUPXBSE FWFOU JO UIFJS MPDBMJUZ 5IF OVNCFST BSF $POUSPM BOE $POUSPM BOE $POUSPM BOE

POLICE SERVICE COMMISSION CONTROL NOS 5IF 1PMJDF 4FSWJDF $PNNJTTJPO IBT BMTP QSPDVSFE EFEJDBUFE UFMFQIPOF MJOFT GPS BMM UIF TUBUFT PG UIF GFEFSBUJPO XIFSF UIF FMFDUPSBUFT BOE PUIFS DJUJ[FOT DBO BDDFTT JUT NPOJUPST UP DPNQMBJO PS DPNNFOE UIF DPOEVDU PG UIF QPMJDF UIF MFBE TFDVSJUZ BHFODZ GPS UIF FMFDUJPOT 5IF EFEJDBUFE MJOFT BSF "CJB ,XBSB "EBNBXB -BHPT "OBNCSB /BTBSBXB "LXB *CPN /JHFS #BVDIJ 0HVO #BZFMTB 0OEP #FOVF 0TVO #PSOP 0ZP $SPTT 3JWFST 1MBUFBV %FMUB 3JWFST &CPOZJ 4PLPUP &EP 5BSBCB &LJUJ :PCF &OVHV ;BNGBSB (PNCF '$5 *NP +JHBXB ,BEVOB ,BOP ,BUTJOB ,FCCJ ,PHJ

40

F R I DAY ˾ ͯͳ˜ Ͱͮͯͷ

LIFE

Unuigbe: A Legacy That Endures Forever The exemplary life led by Lt. Colonel Christopher Edorhe Unuigbe still evokes fond memories 23 years after his passage, DAVIDSON IRIEKPEN writes

T

o the family of the late Lt. Colonel Christopher Edorhe Unuigbe (rtd), if the pain and sorrow they have had to cope with could wake the dead, he would have long risen from the dead a long time ago. Unfortunately, this has not happened.

Like every other year, last Monday marked exactly 23 years since he departed this world, yet members of his immediate and extended families have still not come to terms with his departure. Everyday, happenings around them still make them mull and sigh as they try to control their emotions inflamed by inestimable grief.

Col Unuigbe died on February 11, 1996 at the age of 52, leaving behind his wife, Patience, and five children who though have grown up, still greatly miss their dad due to happenings around them.

Admired by both the young and elderly, Christopher or Colonel as he was fondly called depending on one’s generation, died a great man. Perhaps, if he had lived in about 2,400 years ago, he would have qualified for the Pens of Pericles, a chronicling of the great by the great; a scribbling by the best of pens in the land.

Even though 23 whopping years have passed his passing on, his fond memories have not been dimmed by the lapse of time. Although a few other deaths have occurred in the family over the years, losing Christopher was specifically devastating and unforgetable. There often seems to be something that rekindles thoughts of how remarkable his life had been.

Despite the fact that he died young, his life was a strong affirmation of the saying that it’s by no means the number of years one lived that matters but the impact such a person made while alive and the lives they impacted.

Christopher led an exemplary life that proved to be a positive inspiration for everyone that came in contact with him. His generosity was not limited to his immediate family; friends, associates and in-laws had endless experience of his benevolence.

Colonel’s death thus represents a great loss not only to his immediate and extended families but his community. To the extended family, he was a unifying voice that fought doggedly to foster unity. He abhorred disputes and rancour and ensured that every disagreement, especially those that could potentially cause disunity in the family were promptly dealt with.

He believed very strongly and worked towards the education and uplift of every member of his family. He was a pillar.

To his brothers and sisters, he was more or less a father; to his children, he was a guardian angel; indeed, to his wife, he was a dependable ally. To his in-laws, he was indeed God sent.

While he was alive, Colonel was a beacon whose light shone brightly on the entire family. His house was a Mecca of sorts; a place where virtually everyone sought and actually found succour. It’s instructive he never despised anyone, but rather drew everybody close and in doing so united members of the family.

Such were the impacts in made in people’s lives that even with the passage of time, words like “if only Christopher or Colonel were alive” still resonates.

His selflessness was evident in the fact that there was hardly anybody who left with a sense of dissatisfaction after having met him. From his meagre salary as military officer, he tried to make everybody happy. Perhaps the most enduring legacy lay in the tireless steps he took in bequeathing a yearning for education in his family. Having benefitted so much from education, which saw him traversing various cities of the world, Unuigbe encouraged members of his immediate and extended families to embrace education. He didn’t merely inspire them to pursue learning, he also paid their tuition fees. Even on his sick bed when those whose fees he had long borne feared their education would be truncated, he did not disappoint them. He carried on till his last breath. Those he persuaded to school and who refused are today regretting due to how the country has evolved.

In good times and bad, he never lost his capacity to smile and laugh, nor to inspire others with his warmth and kindness. He

Unuigbe

was admired and respected for his energy and obligation to others, and especially his devotion to the betterment of is people.

Born on May 24, 1944 to Pa Oviosun Unuigbe and Madam Comfort Imoafen, his early life was greatly influenced by his father (alias “De Bala” of blessed memory).

He learnt from him the values of being upright, bold, truthful and caring for the welfare of all. Little wonder, then, that these qualities featured prominently in the life of Christopher Unuigbe even unto his death.

He had his primary education at St. Peter ’s School, Uhonmora-Ora, and at Christ Church School, Ilaro. Thereafter, he had his secondary school education at Holy Trinity Grammar School, SabongidaOra, from 1959 to 1963 and was popularly known as “Chro Unisco.” He passed the concessional examination into University of Ibadan in 1964 and graduated with B.A. Hons (History) in 1968. He became a teacher on graduation and taught as a senior tutor at Anglican Girls Grammar School from June 1968 to March 1971.

He left his teaching job and joined the Nigerian Army as a commissioned officer in March 1971. He held several positions in the Nigerian Army comprising the following: history instructor at the Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna from 1971 to 1975 and Commandant, Command Secondary School Kaduna from 1984 to 1987, among others.

While in service, he returned to school and obtained a Post-Graduate Diploma in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos in 1975. He retired from the Nigerian Army in September 1990.

Upon retirement from the army, Colonel returned to his country home where he established a poultry business. He would later go into politics the next year when the Gen. Ibrahim Babangida administration

lifted the ban on political activities. His genial personality and reputation endeared him to politicians in both the Owan axis as well as in the entire Edo North.

First, he pitched his tent with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) where he ran as running mate to Dr. Asuen who eventually lost the party’s ticket to Chief John Odigie-Oyegun who later became the state governor in 1992.

The high point of his political career was when he was appointed the Edo North Coordinator of the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur Presidential Campaign Organisation on the platform of the National Republican Convention (NRC). Shortly after the process was truncated by Babangida, he became ill and never recovered until his passage in 1996.

For those who knew him, his death was quite devastating. But they often found solace in his immense contributions to humanity and the positive impression he made on the lives of those fortunate to have known him in such a short sojourn on earth. It’s one memory that would always linger.

For those who knew him well, no doubt his democratic ideals as a great statesman with a strong voice who could have made a difference especially in these trying times of dearth of good leadership in the Owan axis will always be missed.

So is his input in giving his people a very strong voice.

Despite the fact that it’s been 23 years since he passed on, the family is consoled that while Christopher was alive, he lived his life in the service of God and mankind. No doubt in the years to come, he will certainly live in the hearts and minds of all those he touched positively during his short but eventful life.

Speaking with THISDAY on how the family has been coping with the absence of Colonel, his wife, Mrs. Patience Unuigbe, who is the most affected by the loss, described him as great man, a loving and committed husband and father.

With an emotion-laden voice, she said: “It is only he/she who wears the shoes knows where and how it pinges. Life has not been easy since I lost my husband.

How I have been able to cope for the past 23 years, only God can tell.”

To show how affectionately and intimately she missed her husband, Mrs. Unuigbe said, “It has been 23 years of lonely life.”

She, however, thanked God for keeping her and the children alive and healthy, adding. “It has been very challenging, but God’s grace and mercies have been able to see me and the children. God has been my shield and buckler.”

Barely managing to speak because of the emotions the loss of her husband still evokes, she said: “He was a loving and committed husband and father. This love was also extended to everyone that crossed his path/way.

“We thank God for giving him to us. His life was a light that shone for all to see and follow. It gave hope, counsel and pointed people to their destinies. We cherish our memories of him and they will forever remain evergreen in our hearts.”

With the devastation of losing him still fresh in her mind, she noted: “My pain each time is that he died young, he worked very very hard, but he did not live to reap the fruits of his labour.

Still trying to console herself, she concluded: “In all of these, God has proved himself strong and mighty, since He is husband of the widows and father of the fatherless.

41

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍłËœ Ͱ͎ͯ͡

Abdulsalam: Our Pilots among Best in the World There was an advert in the media recently where NCAT said it wants to commence Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) programme in aviation in Lagos, please, can you throw more lights on this?

NCAT is not going to have a campus in Lagos. If you remember, this administration suspended all works for campuses outside Zaria for the college; rather, we are concentrating on developing NCAT first before moving anywhere. We have a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a sister organisation in Lagos that has training schools. We hope to use their training facilities and send the instructors to Lagos to conduct this.

As part of our efforts to expand our client base and increase our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), we have two teams, which are called Reach Teams to interact with the airlines and other industry players on their training needs.

A lot of them showed interests in the courses that we are running here, but the major constraint is that they don’t want to leave Lagos. For these courses that we will be running outside Lagos, we intend to be running them on a regular basis.

That way, we also have some aircraft engineers who have indicated interest in running some of these Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes that we have been accredited to do.

They have indicated interest in pursuing those programmes. So, you will be seeing some of these programmes being run out of Lagos in the near future.

Can you give us the number of engineers and pilots that turn out annually from this institution?

Pilots and engineers are the trainings that take a longer time. On the average, it takes about two years to train a pilot and engineer. So, it is not on annual basis that we graduate these types of trainees. By ICAO standards, there is a limit to the number of students we can have in a class, but for management and other courses, we are allowed to have huge number of students in a class.

For a typical pilot class, we limit the number to 20 in a class. Same thing applies to engineers. Sometimes, in a year, we have three engineering courses staggered, starting at different period, but they can’t be more than 20 in a class.

This problem of ageing workforce in aviation industry, ICAO recognizes this and that is why it has come up with a new set of aviation professionals called ENDGAP programme and NCAT has signed up to this, we have been attending all the ENDGAP summits since they started.

At the local level, we have a team that is responsible for this. The team goes out and reaches out to secondary school students with the aim of catching them young. As ICAO and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said, there is going to be severe shortage of pilots in coming years based on the aircraft orders and the ageing workforce.

So, there is a need for us to start early and that is why we are starting it at the secondary school level. We have teams that go out for career talks in secondary school and later this year, we intend to have an open day, which will be dedicated to secondary school students and they will be opened to a lot of opportunities in the sector.

Why is it difficult for Nigeria to do type-rating training for pilots before they are absorbed into the system and how is the industry resolving the unemployment of pilots?

The issue of unemployment of pilots is not common to Nigeria. As you know, NCAT is a council member of Association of African Approved Training Organisation (AAATO). We hold two council meetings a year and at every meeting, we discuss this pilot unemployment. Some countries

Capt. Abdulsalam

have different requirements for pilots. A lot of these countries, you need to have certain requirements of experience as a pilot before you can fly in the airline industry. For instance, in the United States, you have to have a minimum of 1,500 hours as a pilot before you can fly and join the likes of United and American Airlines and others.

So, when pilots come out of school, they join commuter airlines, or go into general aviation. Some stay to work in the flying school as instructors and build their experience to get the required hours before they are qualified to get the required hours to work in the airline industry. Same thing applies to South Africa. You need to have that flying hours.

Fortunately for us in Nigeria, we don’t have that requirement and the airlines on their own may have certain requirements

NCAT is not going to have a campus in Lagos. If you remember, this administration suspended all works for campuses outside Zaria for the college; rather, we are concentrating on developing NCAT ďŹ rst before moving anywhere. We have a Memorandum of Understanding with a sister organisation in Lagos that has training schools

based on their own procedure manuals where they may have the need for a certain experience for their brands of aircraft for insurance purposes before they can employ their pilots. From time, the practice has always been that they when they finish from school, they will be qualified to fly the type of aircraft that we are flying here. So, when they go to look for work, as long as it is the same aircraft brand they get, they won’t need additional training, but if it is another brand of aircraft, they have to go for type-training.

So, it is not possible for you to have simulators to provide training for all types of aircraft. Simulators are very expensive and you need to operate them for almost 24 hours for you to recover your investment. So, if you have somebody who has 10 aircraft of a type, he doesn’t make any sense for you to install a simulator for training.

There is no way you can recover your investments. That is why operators go for training providers all over the world.

That is the most cost effective way of doing it.

On the use of expatriate pilots, the government has said it several times that as long as a qualified Nigerian is here on ground, it would not approve a foreigner to do the job in Nigeria. For instance, if an airline introduces new equipment, there may not be local pilots to operate that equipment and as a stop gap, you have to bring in qualified people anywhere you can get them to come and start utilizing the aircraft.

For instance, Air Peace bought a number of Embraer 45 and before then, few Embraer 45 were flying in Nigeria, which means that very few Nigerians had that type-rating. A number of that aircraft were parked because we had no pilots. So, the airline had to bring a number of foreigners from abroad to fly the planes till such a time their own people they are training are qualified to take over. It is a common practice in the industry.

What is the management doing on the new condition of service for workers?

This issue is very important to me

because it is only when people are happy that you can get the best out of them.

When you have issues, it also bothers on safety. So, it is very important. As you may be aware, the issue of new condition of service for aviation workers has been with the salaries and wages commission. Before then, on our own, internally, we have introduced some changes like the severance benefits for our staff, which was non-existence in the past, we have sent a request for review of the allowances for the staff, we have introduced a lot of training for the staff. We ensured that all the people that required to go for these trainings attend them as at when due.

In addition, we arrange for other trainings we feel that will be beneficial to everybody. For instance, in late 2018, we sent a number of our staff to Public Service Institute Nigeria (PSIN) and we intend to make that a continuous training for the staff.

What are the sustainability plans the school has for the RTCE? ICAO that gives you the RTCE status has a lot of expectations from you. There are a lot of things you have to do to retain the status and if you don’t do that, they will yank it off from you. One of such is that you have to develop ICAO Training Package (ITP); you have to be able to train people from outside the country since it is for region. You are not a local organization, but now a regional organization.

During the certification process, you are required to develop a certain number of other training packages. The minimum requirement to qualify as an RTCE is three, it used to be one and we were the first to go to three when it was changed from one to three. At the time that NCAT became an RTCE, we have developed six standard training packages and we hope to develop additional three packages before the end of this year.

Right now, we are about one of the institutions with the highest number of packages developed, which is what has been acknowledged by ICAO in their reports to the President of the Council.

There are lots of things that we are doing and we are up to the task of sustaining

42

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍłËœ 2019

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

FGApproves CIBN’s DisciplinaryTribunal Rules The federal government has approved the rules governing the conduct of the Disciplinary Tribunal of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN).

According to a statement, the approval has further strengthened members and bank customers’ confidence in the industry.

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami consented to the rules on behalf of the federal government.

The rules prescribe the proceedings to be observed by the tribunal in the hearing and determination of complaints as well as recommending appropriate sanctions to be meted out to erring members of the Institute upon establishment of a prima facie case by the

Investigating Panel.

The tribunal which also looks into cases of ethical and professional misconducts by members of the institute, has the following provisions: appointment of chairman and other members of the disciplinary tribunal; reference to the disciplinary tribunal.

It also include convening of the tribunal; composition and proceedings of the tribunal, parties to the proceedings before the tribunal, service of processes, mode of entering appearance, decision in the absence of a party and the application for re-hearing; additional, substitution and removal of parties; restriction on abatement of processing; directions and case management; practice directions; failure to comply with rules, practice directions

or tribunal directions; general powers of the tribunal, lead compliant, petition or matter; consent orders; amendment of processes before the tribunal and withdrawal, among others.

The rules stated that “any complaint, written allegation or petition that relates to professional or ethical misconduct or breach of any of the provisions of the Banker’s Code of Conduct in the Nigerian Banking Industry, shall be addressed to the Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.�

The disciplinary tribunal adjudicates on cases of ethical and professional misconducts by members of the Institute. The rules are expected to further improve and promote ethical practice and professionalism in the Nigeria banking industry.

L-R: Head, Retail Banking, Diamond Bank Plc, Robert Giles; Winner Season 10, DiamondXtra Salary for Life, Oluwaseun Alonge; Head, Consumer Liability Product, Diamond Bank Plc, Osita Ede; winner DiamondXtra Salary for Life, Uchenna Amala and Head, Consumer banking, Karimot Tukur, Diamond Bank, at the launch of DiamondXtra season 11 in Lagos‌recently

‘Human Right Abuses by Nigerian Businesses Taking Huge Dimensions’

MARKET INDICATORS

Chineme Okafor in Abuja

MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

Global Rights, which advocates for the rights of people across sectors of the national economy, has expressed concern over what it described as the growing breach of human rights across all sectors of the Nigerian economy by businesses.

It explained that such abuses were done even by mining companies in host communities as well as to passengers who are treated poorly at the airports by airlines. According to the group, while attention are mostly focused on rights abuses by governments and their agencies, relative attention are however paid to the breaches perpetuated by businesses run by private investors.

Speaking at a recent stakeholder workshop in Abuja to review a draft National Action Plan (NAP) on Business and Human Rights, the Executive Director of Global Rights, Abiodun Baiyewu, said when operational the document would outline specific terms on how issues of human right breaches by these businesses would be tackled. Baiyewu, explained that NAP was founded on the United Nations’ guiding principles on business and human rights which has three pillars of ‘protect, respect and remedy’. “Today, we are reviewing

the draft national action plan on business and human rights which is based on the UN guiding principles on business and human rights. Nigeria is one of the few countries that had initiated the guiding principles and the need for a national action plan. “But unfortunately many other countries have taken over and have already developed their own nation action plan on business and human rights but Nigeria is yet to submit this at the UN,� said Baiyewu.

She added: “So, the essence of this meeting is for us to be able to sit together as stakeholders to begin to think of how do we begin to work on development of human rights and the development of businesses and growth of the communities and the people of Nigeria in a plan that will work for Nigeria and not just a generic plan that is proposed or adopted anywhere else.�

Baiyewu, indicated that the initial draft had among other things recommended that the National Human Rights Commission with other agencies of government and the business sector should begin to work on the laws that exist in the country to bring them in line with the UN guiding principles. “It is an action plan of realignment of the laws and the policies, and which institutions

should be responsible, which is extremely important because impunity is why a lot of things go wrong in Nigeria not so much of corruption. “Which institution should be responsible and how institutions should respond, how government should ensure that rights are protected and remedies are available and how the access to these remedies are made available.

How businesses make sure that rights are protected as well,� she explained.

She further said that breach of human rights by businesses was a big problem in Nigeria, noting that often when issues of human rights come up, the thinking was more of government abuses and not about breaches by businesses. Baiyewu, equally stated that when governments do not supervise businesses to ensure that human rights are protected, businesses will disrespect rights of people they even serve. “One of the big issues today is what is going on at the airports where airlines will violate the rights of travelers and we do not do anything. Two days ago, it was reported of a case of a woman living with disability who was disallowed from boarding a flight just on the basis of her disability.

That is outright discrimination and violation of her rights,� she added.

Stable Naira Excites ABCON The naira has in over 18 months remained stable at both the official and parallel markets despite several odds facing it ahead of the 2019 general elections, President, Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), Alhaji (Dr.) Aminu Gwadabe has said.

In a statement yesterday, the ABCON boss commended the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over its financial sector reforms, and the contributions of the Bureau de Change (BDC) operators to the current exchange rate stability, as against the common practice of currency devaluations and depreciations across the world at election times.

The naira exchanges at N306/$1 in the official market and N358/$ in the parallel market despite the election fears.

Gwadabe said that the absence

of foreign exchange volatility before and during the 2019 elections year was a major achievement by the CBN and federal government.

He said: “The dexterity of the government policies in ensuring that naira remained stable in an election year is commendable.

Election years, as witnessed during the 2015 general elections, are marred by exchange rate volatility and spikes in the market.�

He disclosed that financial pundits had had in early 2016, speculated that the naira would depreciate to as low as N1000/$.

The election period of 2015, he added, witnessed over $100 billion capital flight outside the country. The activities of currency hoarders, speculators and rent seekers reached its peak in 2015.

He disclosed that ironically,

the trend in the foreign exchange market during this year’s election showed hope for the economy, sustained exchange rate stability, adequate dollar liquidity, increasing foreign capital inflows and most importantly, a unified and convergent exchange rate of the BDCs and the parallel market.

These feats, he said, are commendable by all standards.

Gwadabe, appealed to the CBN to issue Letter of Consent to ABCON proposed training institute. This, he added, was going to boost the current ABCON Management commitment to capacity building for its members to stimulate competency in the sector and make room for better foreign exchange management.

Continuing, Gwadabe also listed factors that led to the current successes in the foreign exchange market.

(MILLION NAIRA)

NOVEMBER 2018 Money Supply (M3)

31,794,803.44

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

6,333,064.28

Money Supply (M2)

25,461,739.17

-- Quasi Money

14,773,076.98

-- Narrow Money (M1)

10,688,662.18

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,711,763.59

---- Demand Deposits

8,976,898.59

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

18,990,400.78

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

12,804,402.66

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

26,062,986.22

---- Credit to Government (Net)

2,980,229.66

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

7,093,619.43

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

-4,144,571.43

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

23,082,756.56

--Other Assets Net

13,258,583.57

Reserve Money (Base Money

6,811,192.37

--Currency in Circulation

2,100,129.91

--Banks Reserves

4,366,259.05

Ëž Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă? Ě‹

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR)

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

Ëž Ă™Ă˜Ă?ĂžĂ‹ĂœĂŁ ÙÖÓĂ?ĂŁ Ă‹ĂžĂ? Ě‹ ͯ͹Ϲ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT WEDNESDAY, 13 JANUARY 2019

The price of OPEC basket of fourteen crudes stood at $62.94 a barrel on Wednesday, compared with $61.88 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), Oriente (Ecuador), ZaďŹ ro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

43

T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͳ˜ Ͱͮͯͷ

MARKET NEWS

NSE All-Share Index Rises 0.12% as Market Rebounds Goddy Egene After one day of negative performance the stock market rebounded yesterday as the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index (ASI) gained 0.12 per cent to close at 32,453.69 compared with a decline of 15 per cent. Market capitalisation added N14.0 billion to close at N12.1 trillion.

The market had on Wednesday depreciated due to profit taking

after days of rally that led to a gain of about 6.7 per cent since the beginning of February.

However, the market rebounded yesterday as 22 stocks appreciated. Associated Bus Company Plc and Livestock Feeds Plc with 10 per cent apiece.

Unity Bank Plc trailed with 9.6 per cent, just as Unilever Nigeria Plc. Wema Bank Plc went up by 6.7 per cent, while PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc chalked up 5.4 per cent.

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

PZ Cussons has been attracting more demand following restatement of its commitment to remain in the country. Contrary speculations, the company said it had no plan to leave Nigeria, stressing that the country still remained a market of interest for it. Chief Executive Officer of PZ Cussons , Mr. Christos Giannopoulos, said the company would be celebrating 120 years of PZ Cussons making life better and adding value to Nigerians.

S E C U R I T I E S MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

“In our 120 years of doing business in Nigeria, we have faced different conditions and come out stronger at the end.

We confirm to our consumers, customers, employees, business partners and stakeholders that Nigeria still remains a market of interest for us and have made no plans to leave Nigeria . Our factories in Ikorodu, Aba and all our distribution centres around the country are operational and will continue to be,” he said.

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

Conversely, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc led the price losers with 8.3 per cent, trailed by Oando Plc with 5.1 per cent.

Dangote Flour Mills Plc shed 4.5 per cent and Union Diagnostic went down by 3.2 per cent among others. In all, investors traded 422.7 million shares worth N3.7 billion, which is lower than the previous day’s performance. The most active stocks by volume were Diamond Bank (97.6 million shares), Transcorp (41.1

O F

million shares) and Zenith Bank (40.3 million shares) while Zenith Bank (N997.1 million), GTBank (N992.6 million) and Access Bank (N263.7 million) led in terms of value. In terms of sectoral performance, three out of five sectors tracked advanced. The NSE Insurance Index led with 1.2 per cent. It was followed by the NSE Industrial Index and NSE Consumer Goods Index with 0.7 per cent and 0.3 per cent in that order.

0 4 / 0 2 / 2 0 1 9 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

44

5 ) * 4 % ": t FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

45

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͹ͽ˜ ͺ͸͹ͷ

MARKET NEWS

Stockbrokers Move to Improve Technical Analysis of Investments Judith Obaze

The Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS) has concluded arrangements to train stockbrokers on the technical analysis of capital market asset classes as part of its capacity building policy to enhance its members’ global competitiveness.

The training, under the Institute’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Programme is a compulsory requirement for all Stockbrokers in order to upscale their skills and

competencies.

Participants will be exposed to the theme titled “Understanding the Dynamics of Technical Analysis for Capital Market Investment. “ The training is also designed to provide thorough grounding in technical analysis for various categories of investment professionals, traders and nvestment managers of all asset classes.

CIS said in a statement that the training covers the essentials of technical analysis from a purely short-term timing perspective

A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager.

Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return.

An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

to longer-term analysis and it is intended to enable participants apply technical analysis to the markets they cover. “ They shall gain an understanding of technical analysis and its application to stock monitoring . This will enable them to appreciate how analysis of price trends and momentum assist a trader or investor in understanding the attributes specific to an individual stock. Technical analysis shall provide personality

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg.

Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 13Feb-2019, unless otherwise stated.

of the stock as every stock acts differently. Participants shall be exposed to basic psychology of profitable trading. They will be exposed to technical understanding and interpreting of indicators, trend analysis, trade timing, graphical representation of points and sound Knowledge of technical analysis among others,” the institute said.

Head of Training, CIS, Mr. Chukwudi Nga explained that the training is not only targeted at stockbrokers, but

other operators in the financial market including, investment analysts, fund managers, investment advisers private and institutional investors and stock traders .

“The training shall touch on the tool for recognising when a price reversal is likely to occur and when combined with other reversal signals. Technical analysis will be presented in a non-technical manner. This course is designed to overcome the odd use of language by demonstrating concepts not only

with explanations, but also in context. Traders endlessly seek winning formula for improved timing of entry into a position as well as exit. This course pulls back the curtain so that one can see how it’s done in its entirety.

The use of price, volume and momentum indicators helps analysis by providing specific changes in trends that indicate when the timing of entry and exit is most likely to succeed.

Reversal is the most prominent and actionable change in a price trend,”Nga said.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors.

Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return.

NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 1 270 1680 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 163.34 163.67 3.23% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 11.00% Nigeria International Debt Fund 278.47 278.91 2.00% ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 0.86 0.87 2.05% ACAP Income Funds 0.62 0.62 11.34% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 13.22% AIICO Balanced Fund 2.27 2.30 2.35% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 17.43 17.96 5.07% ARM Discovery Fund 370.67 381.85 3.93% ARM Ethical Fund 29.00 29.87 2.68% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 13.45% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 103.82 104.55 2.60% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 13.25% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 13.87% Paramount Equity Fund 11.98 12.08 1.43% Women's Investment Fund 106.25 104.94 1.65% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.67% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 100.06 100.48 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 103.82 104.44 CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 13.05% Coronation Balanced Fund 0.86 0.86 Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.14 1.14 1.96% EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 12.45% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 12.99% FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,208.39 1,209.16 1.93% FBN Heritage Fund 145.98 147.30 1.79% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 14.09% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional 115.52 115.90 1.43% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 115.48 115.86 1.65% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 153.40 155.67 2.27% FIRST CITY ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD fcamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcamltd.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Equity Fund 1.23 1.25 1.06% Legacy Debt Fund 3.29 3.29 1.44% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.04 1.04 0.54% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund 3,006.64 3,036.97 0.75% Coral Income Fund 2,801.03 2,801.03 2.27% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.82% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 108.98 109.47 2.32% INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 13.37%

Vantage Balanced Fund 2.19 2.21 1.70% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 15.99% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 121.52 121.72 -2.72% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.17 1.19 1.96% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,087.45 1,087.45 1.68% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 11.83 11.91 -2.73% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 12.54% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.37 1.40 7.34% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.43 12.49 1.83% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 12.83% SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 121.58 122.14 0.70% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.02 1.02 1.56% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 2,363.43 2,377.98 4.30% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 192.05 192.05 2.32% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.97 0.98 2.63% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 250.63 250.67 3.43% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 166.94 168.79 2.33% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 13.11% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 8,627.55 8,731.06 3.39% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.12 1.12 3.46% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD unitedcapitalplcgroup.com Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.20 1.21 0.59% United Capital Bond Fund 1.62 1.62 1.44% United Capital Equity Fund 0.71 0.72 -0.53% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 13.20% United Capital Eurobond Fund 108.29 108.29 0.96% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.10 1.10 0.60% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD info@zenith-funds.com Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 11.40 11.56 7.68% Zenith Ethical Fund 12.50 12.62 4.00% Zenith Income Fund 20.91 20.91 8.61% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.64%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

5.95 118.53 51.87

-39.35% 0.03% 0.00%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

10.93 118.21 92.42

11.03 120.77 94.16

3.57% 0.79% 4.25%

Fund Name FSDH UPDC Real Estate Investment Fund SFS Skye Shelter Fund Union Homes REIT

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund SIAML Pension ETF 40 Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

4.33 7.60 15.29 12.77 148.63

4.37 7.68 15.39 12.97 150.63

8.12% -0.24% 2.26% 3.28% 3.52%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.13

17.03%

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

The value of investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise. Past performance is a guide and not an indication of future returns. Fund prices published in this edition are also available on each fund manager’s website and FMAN’s website at www.fman.com.ng. Fund prices are supplied by the operator of the relevant fund and are published for information purposes only.

46

5 ) * 4 % ": t FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

˾ FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

WORLD OF ISLAM

Edited by: MJO Mustapha Email deji.mustapha@thisdaylive.com

On Love and the Mystery of Being Human Mansoor Alam/IslamiCity

N

o one can argue that love is quintessential of being human. Without love, life becomes empty and meaningless. The word “love” is very comprehensive.

People associate the word “love” with almost anything ranging from physical to metaphysical, from temporal to spiritual. What does love mean and is it possible to define it? How does one differentiate between real love and superficial love? And why is real love essentially disappearing from modern society?

Although humanity’s yearning for love remains forever strong, most people find it rather elusive. “The paradoxical situation, with a vast number of people today, is that they are half asleep when awake, and half awake when asleep,” notes Erich Fromm, the famous psychoanalyst in his book, The Art of Loving. He tries to diagnose this paradoxical problem thus: “Modern man is alienated from himself, from his fellow man, and from nature...

Human relations are essentially those of alienated automatons, each basing his security close to the herd… While everybody tries to be as close as possible to the rest, everybody remains utterly alone… Man’s happiness today consists in ‘having fun.’ Our character is geared to exchange and to receive, to barter and to consume. Everything, spiritual as well as material objects, becomes an object of exchange and consumption…

Automatons cannot love; they can exchange their ‘personality packages’ and hope for a fair bargain.”

Is there a way out of this modern predicament? Fromm digs deeper and tries to find a solution: “While life in its merely biological aspects is a miracle and a secret, man in his human aspects is an unfathomable secret to himself and his fellow man.

We know ourselves, and yet even with all the efforts we may make, we do not know ourselves. We know our fellow man, and yet we do not know him, because we are not a thing, and our fellow man is not a thing. The further we reach into the depth of our being, or someone else’s being, the more the goal of knowledge eludes us. Yet we cannot help desiring to penetrate into the secret of man’s soul… But inasmuch as the desire is to know all of man, and his innermost secrets, the desire can never be fulfilled in knowledge of the ordinary kind, in knowledge only by thought… It is assumed that I can know God in my thought. In mysticism… the attempt is given up to know God by thought, and it is replaced by the experience of union with God in which there is no more room – and no need – for knowledge about God… It is the knowledge that we shall never “grasp” the secret of man or the universe, but that we can know [this secret], nevertheless, in the act of love.”

What then is an “act of love” and how can it best be practiced? Fromm asserts: “Love is an activity, not a passive affect; it is a ‘standing in,’ not a ‘falling for.’ In the most general way, the active character of love can be described by stating that love is primarily giving, not receiving.”

He further states that the act of love requires care, responsibility, respect and knowledge; that the loving person should ever remain “in a constant state of awareness, alertness, activity.”

As for God, how do we love Him and in what way does He love human beings? And how is “union with God” achieved? These are questions that have consumed the best minds of all ages and cultures. As for not being able to know God by thought, Fromm only echoes the words of the Qur’an which states that humans cannot comprehend God (6:104) and that no example can be given of Him (42:11). How can a finite being comprehend an infinite being?

How then do we love God and achieve “union with Him” whom we can neither comprehend nor give example of. It is impossible to love something or to achieve “union with it” if it is unseen, imperceptible, or incomprehensible. One can have deep respect for some abstract realities or metaphysical concepts, but we cannot term that as love.

We are indeed fortunate that God sent His Prophets to teach us how to love God and how to achieve “union with Him.” The Arabic word Al-‘Hubbu (root ‘h-b-b) has many meanings but these four are most important: 1) to hold onto something steadfastly; 2) to appear as the result of an action, like the appearance of grain budding within a well-tended plant; 3) to like and to love someone; and 4) to protect someone.

In the light of the above, our love of God means to hold steadfastly onto His Book (Al-Qur’an), i.e., to follow and obey it. That is why the Qur’an has been called the rope of Allah and we have been asked to hold onto it steadfastly and to aspire to achieve “union with Him” (3:102). For Muslims there is no other way to achieve this union except through the Qur’an. And God’s love towards human beings, once again according to the above root meanings, is that He will protect them, will support them, and will bring to fruition results of their actions. “Say [O Prophet]: If you love God, follow me, [and] God will love you and forgive your sins; for God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace” (3:31); “God loves the doers of good deeds” (2:195) [Asad].

Following the Prophet (PBUH) means to follow Allah (4:80) and his guidance.

In following the Qur’an, we reflect our love for Allah which implies, in return, that He loves us and thus we achieve “union with Him.” This means that the love of God is not restricted to a personal realm but is inseparably connected with the social realm.

Eric Fromm concludes his reasoning by stating, in essence, what the Qur’an proclaimed 1400 years ago: “Those who are seriously concerned with love as the only rational answer to the problem of human existence must, then, arrive at the conclusion that important and radical changes in our social structure are necessary if love is to become a social and not a highly individualistic, marginal phenomenon… To analyze the nature of love is to discover its general absence today and to criticize the social conditions which are responsible for this absence. To have faith in the possibility of love, as a social and not only an exceptional individual phenomenon, is a rational faith… based upon insight into the very nature of man.”

47

INTERNA TIONAL

Egyptian Parliament Votes to Extend President’s Term Limits The Egyptian parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly approved proposed constitutional changes which would allow President AbdelFattah al-Sissi to stay in power beyond 2022 when his current term ends.

The proposals, approved by 485 lawmakers in the 596-strong parliament, include extending the presidential term from four to six years, and envisage a bigger role for the army.

Each lawmaker was asked whether they accepted or rejected the “principle” of amending some articles in the charter, Egyptian state television reported.

Thursday’s vote was only the first of several stages in amending the constitution.

The proposed changes will now go to the assembly’s Legislative and Constitutional Committee for further study,

which could take up to two months.

The changes must then be approved in a final vote by at least two thirds of parliament before they are put up to a public referendum.

The legislature, led by al-Sissi’s loyalists, held a marathon debate on Wednesday on the draft amendments to the 2014 constitution.

The draft also proposes a “transitional’’ provision that allows al-Sissi to stay well beyond his second and final term under the current constitution.

Should the proposed amendments be finally adopted, al-Sissi can run for two more terms – six years each, potentially staying in power until 2034.

The amendments also suggest creating a supreme council for the judiciary,

headed by the president of the country, with the aim of coordinating different judicial institutions.

Proponents say the changes are necessary for long-lasting stability in Egypt, roiled by turmoil that followed a 2011 revolt and a wave of militant attacks.

Opponents say the amendment are aimed at tightening al-Sissi’s hold on power and breaches the judiciary’s independence.

Al-Sissi has been governing Egypt since 2014, a year after he led the army’s ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi following mass protests against his rule.

In 2017, al-Sissi ruled out changing the constitution to allow him run for a third term.

In 2018, he was re-elected with a landslide in polls that pitted him only against a self-declared loyalist.

20 Feared Dead in Zambia Boat Mishap Twenty people are missing after a boat capsized in bad weather on a lake in northern Zambia, a government official said Thursday.

Luapula provincial permanent secretary Felix Phiri said the vessel was

carrying more than 40 passengers and goods when a storm struck Lake Mweru, on the border with DR Congo, on Wednesday.

“So far 20 people are feared dead but 21 survived.

Marine soldiers managed to

save some lives while three managed to swim to safety,” Phiri told AFP. The boat had left the town of Nchelenge and was heading for some small islands on the lake when the accident happened.

UK Runaway Teen Who Joined ISIS Seeks to Return Home A British teenager who fled to join the Islamic State group in Syria is living in a refugee camp and wants to return home, The Times reported on Thursday.

Shamima Begum, now 19, expressed no regrets about fleeing her London life four years ago but said that two of her children had died and, pregnant with her third, she wanted to return.

She left the jihadists as they staged their last stand

in Baghouz in eastern Syria, near the Iraqi border.

“I was weak. I could not endure the suffering and hardship that staying on the battlefield involved,” she told the newspaper from the Al-Hawl camp.

“But I was also frightened that the child I am about to give birth to would die like my other children if I stayed on.

“So I fled the caliphate. Now all I want to do is come home to Britain.”

She described life under IS with her Dutch husband, who surrendered as they left, telling The Times: “Mostly it was a normal life in Raqqa, every now and then bombing and stuff.

“But when I saw my first severed head in a bin it didn’t faze me at all. It was from a captured fighter seized on the battlefield, an enemy of Islam.

“I thought only of what he would have done to a Muslim woman if he had the chance.”

White House Confirms Trump will Declare National Emergency to Fund wall The White House confirmed on Thursday that President Donald Trump would declare a national emergency in an attempt to bypass Congress and get more funding for his Mexico border wall project.

Trump will also sign off on a congressional bill that would authorize a much smaller amount of wall money than the president had been demanding.

“President Trump will sign the government funding bill, and as he has stated before, he will also take other executive action — including a national emergency — to ensure we stop the national security and humanitarian crisis at the border,” spokeswoman Sarah Sander said.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had revealed that Trump would sign a spending bill averting a government shutdown but would also issue an emergency declaration to fund

his contested border wall, the Senate’s top Republican.

McConnell told colleagues that he spoke by phone with Trump, who “indicated he’s prepared to sign the bill. He will also be issuing a national emergency declaration at the same time.”

The White House confirmed the plan minutes later.

“He will also take other executive action — including a national emergency — to ensure we stop the national security and humanitarian crisis at the border,” Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said.

Declaring such an emergency, a rare step, would free Trump to seek to redirect federal funds from elsewhere to help pay for a wall along the US-Mexico border.

Trump saying he will sign the spending bill, expected ahead of a Friday midnight deadline, eases some pressure in Washington after he had openly expressed concern

about the deal reached earlier in the week between Republicans and Democrats.

The measure includes only $1.375 billion for border barriers or fencing, far from the $5.7 billion that Trump has demanded for his longsought border wall. Trump’s misgivings put the fate of the bill in question. But minutes after McConnell announced Trump’s intention, the Senate took up the measure and advanced it overwhelmingly.

A final Senate vote was to follow, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said her chamber would vote later Thursday.

Pelosi, Trump’s Democratic nemesis, expressed disdain for the president’s upcoming emergency declaration, warning that he was doing “an end run around Congress.”

“It’s not an emergency, what’s happening at the border,” she said.

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Wike Accuses Amaechi of Plot to Bomb INEC Offices Declares public holiday to pray for peace Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has alleged that the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, has concluded plans to bomb the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), destroy

voting materials at Registration Area Centres and disrupt the peaceful conduct of the general election in the state using some unpatriotic military and police officers.

The governor also declared today (Friday) as public holiday for Rivers people to pray for

Agbakoba Wants NBA to Remove CCT Chairman’s Name from Roll of Legal Practitioners Martins Ifijeh A former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), has urged the association to strike out the name of the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Mr. Danladi Umar, from the roll of legal practitioners in the country.

Umar in his reply to the query issued to him by the NBA, had claimed that as Chairman of the CCT, he is only subject to disciplinary procedure under the presidency.

But Agbakoba in his response,

said Umar, having admitted that he is not a judicial officer, he is therefore subject to the NBA being a legal practitioner.

He noted that as Chairman of the CCT, he is also subject to the disciplinary procedures prescribed by the Constitution.

Agbakoba asserted that Umar is subject to disciplinary procedures prescribed as Chairman of CCT and also disciplinary procedures prescribed by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee of the NBA as he is a legal practitioner not a judicial officer.

Rivers governor is childish, afraid, coward, says Amaechi

God’s intervention in ensuring that the elections are peaceful.

But Amaechi has described Wike’s accusations as childish and an indication that the governor is afraid and a coward.

The minister also accused INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, of working for Wike, who was minister of state while he served as Director of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND).

In a state broadcast yesterday ahead of the general election, Wike said he had credible intelligence that revealed the plot of the minister.

He said: “Credible intelligence has linked Rotimi Amaechi and his cohorts in the factionalised APC to prevent the peaceful conduct of the general election in Rivers State with the support of some unpatriotic military and police officers.

“The security officers have been detailed to provide covert

operational covers for Rotimi Amaechi’s armed militants and thugs on military camouflage and fake police uniforms to bomb INEC offices, cart away or destroy voting materials at Registration Area Centres, and disrupt the voting processes across the state on a scale that will force INEC to abruptly call off elections on the ground of insecurity.”

The governor said several Hilux vehicles painted in military colours and gunboats donated by the Executive Director (Technical) of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Hon Sekonte Davies, have been handed over to the militants to carry out the attacks across the state.

He said: “May I call on the international community, particularly the United Nations, the European Union, ECOWAS as well as the governments of the United States of America, United Kingdom and France to

hold Rotimi Amaechi, his cohorts in the factional APC and the compromised security officers responsible for any electoral and or related violence in Rivers State during and after the general elections”.

But in his reaction, Amaechi, described Wike as childish, afraid and a coward in his allegations.

Addressing journalists in Port Harcourt yesterday evening, he said while he would never support or embark on violence, he would never condone injustice.

Amaechi explained that his speech during Tuesday’s presidential campaign was not aimed at inciting violence but to warn Wike and his group that APC would not allow its members and supporters to be killed or harassed as was the case in 2015.

“In 2015, APC leaders were either arrested or killed. Today, we are telling him that he cannot

do that again. We assured Nigerians to go out and vote peacefully. We will not allow people to be killed.

“Before today, Wike could chase us out with his thugs; he could behead us. But today, he cannot. We mean we will defend ourselves,” he said.

On the political developments in the state, the minister said, “I know that everybody has been expecting me to talk on the court cases but I will not because I am just a member of the party. The party chairman has already said that the INEC is working for the PDP. “An example that INEC is working for the PDP is a fact that there is a stay of execution granted by the Court of Appeal, just because the INEC Chairman was Director of TETFUND under Wike as Minister of State for Education, he now chooses the Court order to implement and the one not to implement.

Police Arrest Two Men in Kano with 14 Bags of Ballot Papers The Kano State Police Command yesterday said it arrested two suspects in possession of 14 bags of fake specimen of ballot papers in Kano metropolis.

The Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Abdullahi Haruna, who confirmed this to journalists in Kano, said the suspects were apprehended around Metro Police Area Command.

He said the suspects were arrested last Wednesday evening by some Police officers attached to Metro Area

Command in the metropolis.

Haruna said during interrogation, the suspects said they came from Jigawa State, and that the materials were meant for sensitisation and orientation purpose.

“The ballot papers are specimen, so they are not genuine ballot papers,” Haruna explained.

The state police spokesman said investigation was still ongoing, as the case had since been transferred to the state Criminal Investigation Department.

Shell Invites Bid for New FPSO in Bonga Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) has announced the release of Invitation to Tender (ITT) to contractors for the development of the Bonga South West Aparo (BSWA) oil field.

The project’s initial phase includes a new Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel; more than 20 deep-water wells and related subsea infrastructure. The field lies across Oil Mining Leases (OML)118, 132 and 140, about 15km Southwest of the existing Bonga Main FPSO. The ITT is for engineering, procurement and construction contracts for the 150,000 barrels per day project in the Gulf of Guinea.

“This is a new vista for deep offshore oil and gas exploration in Nigeria based on a revised commercial framework embraced by government and the project investors,” SNEPCo’s Managing Director, Bayo Ojulari, stated this yesterday after the execution of the Heads of Terms by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), SNEPCo and its Unit partners, revising the terms of

the OML 118 Production Sharing Contract.

Ojulari said: “SNEPCo has concluded OML 118 negotiations with the NNPC. We now have a clear commercial framework, supported by the government and project investors toward a potential Bonga South West Aparo Final Investment Decision (FID).”

He described the conclusion of the commercial framework as a key milestone for the project and the development of Nigeria’s deep-water oil and gas industry.

“The new framework marks the start of the second generation of deep-offshore exploration and development, not just for SNEPCo, but for all players in Nigeria’s deep water. This is a model that we see being replicated in the industry to further unleash Nigeria’s potential in deep-water exploration,” he stated On the estimated project cost, SNEPCo’s General Manager for BSWA, Adam Bradley, said: “The release of ITT will allow ourselves, government and investing parties to understand the actual costs for the initial phases which we expect will be very competitive.”

MEGA RALLY…

Enugu State Governor, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (middle), being welcomed by teeming supporters and admirers during the Enugu North senatorial district mega rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), held in Government Field, Nsukka Local Government Area… yesterday

DPP Presidential Candidate Endorses Atiku Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja The presidential candidate of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), Felix Patrick Osakwe, yesterday endorsed the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Atiku Abubakar,

saying they both share same idea.

Osakwe, who was last week endorsed by over 10 prominent groups, hinted that his decision to support Atiku came from his sincere belief that the PDP presidential candidate possesses the economic and political capacity required to lead the

country into greatness.

He added that, “The government of the day has failed to better the lives of the ordinary Nigerian leading to acrimonious poverty and anarchy. He noted that Atiku on the other hand is an embodiment of experience, unity, nationality and clearly

demonstrates the political will to make Nigeria work again.

“I call on all my followers and supporters to turn out massively and cast their votes for His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar on Saturday.

I also want to thank all the groups that have declared their support.”

Don’t Plunge Nigeria into Anarchy, FG Tells PDP Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja Barely 24 hours after the presidential candidates of the political parties signed the second peace accord, the federal government has admonished the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) not to destabilise the country out of its desperation for power.

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who made the admonition yesterday in Ilorin, Kwara State while briefing journalists, said Nigeria’s unity and survival override any party’s ambition.

He warned that the ongoing attempt by the PDP to discredit the results of the yet-to-be held general election was an invitation to anarchy.

Mohammed condemned PDP’s decision to set up a Parallel Voting Tabulation (PVT) System and for lacking confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) through its avowed determination to discredit the outcome of the 2019 elections. ‘’Consistently, the PDP has been attacking the two national institutions that are most pivotal to the elections - the INEC

and the police. This is part of the party’s strategy to erode confidence in the institutions, preparatory to faulting the outcome of the elections. ‘’We have also been calling national and international attention to this strategy by the PDP. We warned that the PDP will do everything to scuttle the polls, failing which the opposition party will work to discredit the results.

The persistent accusation of planned rigging of the polls, which is not evidence-based, the not-so-subtle threat of violence issued by the PDP at its press

conference on Wednesday and the setting up of the PVT are all geared to achieve one objective: discredit the election results,’’ Mohammed said.

According to him, what the PDP intends to achieve through the PVT is to set up a parallel electoral commission that will announce its own concocted results and throw the nation into crisis. He, however, warned that although it is standard practice for political parties to have their own monitoring system during elections, PDP will bear the dire consequences, should it proceed to usurp the role of INEC.

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Be Guided by Rule of Law, Acting CJN Tells Election Tribunals Alex Enumah in Abuja The acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Muhammad, has appealed to chairmen and members of the Election Petition Tribunal that would handle cases arising from the 2019 general election to be guided by the rule of law and not sentiment.

Muhammad, who made the

appeal yesterday in Abuja at the swearing-in ceremony of a batch of 17 chairmen and members of the panel, said the judicious adjudication of electoral matters that would be brought before them would go a long way in determining the peace in country.

The acting CJN, who was assisted by seven other justices of the Supreme

Elections: INEC Takes Delivery of Sensitive Materials to Plateau, Kwara HammedShittuinIlorinandSeriki AdinoyiinJos

As part of the preparation for tomorrow’s elections, the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) has taken delivery of sensitive materials to its offices in Plateau and Plateau State.

The office in Plateau has also gone ahead to distribute materials at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) premises.

The materials distributed yesterday evening are ballot papers and result sheets with a view to showing everybody in the country that INEC is willing to conduct a free, fair and credible election.

All the officials and agents of the political parties witnessed the offloading of the materials and subsequent distribution, and they expressed satisfaction.

Speaking to the stakeholders, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mallam Halilu Pai, said that the distribution of the sensitive materials was done in the open glare of all to show the Commission’s transparency.

“You can see, the political parties are here, the security personnel are here and the press and other stakeholders are all here. We are going to now share these things local government by local government. And we intend to start from the farthest distance.

“Fortunately, INEC has always intended, with the support of the stakeholders, to improve on the delivery.

“Now all these materials are being customised, unlike before when they came we just pieced them here but this time, they are already being arranged local government by local government and by offices. Is it the presidential, the senatorial or the House of Representatives?

“And because of time, it is already 5.30 p.m. We have far places like Wase, Quaan Pan, Langtang North, Langtang South and others. So, we seek your understanding and cooperation to view this that we are doing it transparently,” Pai added.

He said that whoever had any comment or observation to make, they should take note of what is being delivered to any local so that the agent there at the local government office will also witness what has been delivered to them at the CBN and what is offloaded at the local government level.

Meanwhile, INEC’s resident electoral commissioner (REC) in Kwara State , Malam Garba Attahiru- Madami, has said the commission has taken the delivery of all sensitive materials meant for this Saturday elections.

The sensitive materials, include ballot papers, Form EC 8 and result sheet forms were being sorted into the various local governments councils areas of the state.

Attahiru-Madami said this yesterday in Ilorin that all the sensitive materials were in the custody of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

US INSISTS ON FAIR, CREDIBLE, PEACEFUL ELECTIONS that violators of restriction of movement on the day of election, no matter how highly placed will be arrested and detained, except those on essential duty and election observers.

NAN recalls that the Acting Director Defence Information, Brig-Gen. John Agim, had at a news conference told personnel, who want to exercise their franchise to do so in mufti.

In a related development, as Nigerians prepare to go to polls tomorrow to elect their new president and National Assembly members, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby said the world was praying for a peaceful, free and fair election in the country.

In a Twitter post made in his verified account yesterday, he said, “around the world, we are praying with great hope for peaceful and fair elections in Nigeria, which build on the successful voting and calm transition in 2015.

“May God bless Nigerians in his power and may he bless this wonderful nation,” he said.

Earlier in October 2018, Welby, who is the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury and the most senior bishop in the Church of England, had in Abuja, met Nigeria’s two leading presidential candidates, Muhammadu Buhari of the APC and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, where he called for peace during the coming general election.

Court to administer the oath of office on the panelists, noted that the task before the election petition panel is an onerous one that would impact heavily upon the judiciary and the country as a whole and as such they cannot afford to fail.

“It is the general belief that elections held when the rule of law is to fragile, seldom lead to lasting democratic governance. You are enjoined to always strike a balance between justice and rule of law as you embark on this

critical national assignment.

“As you all know, the rule of law delayed, is lasting peace denied because justice is a handmaiden of true peace. We need this in Nigeria more than ever before. The trumpet must first sound from the temple of justice; hence we put you forward as champions of this noble cause.

“By virtue of this oath, you are now armed with the power to adjudicate on electoral disputes and take decisions in accordance with

your convictions, which must be deeply rooted in law and not sentiments or public opinion,” he said.

Muhammad accordingly charged them to submit themselves to the sanctity of the rule of law and supremacy of the constitution in the discharge of their judicial functions, adding that their participation in these tribunals at this crucial phase of the Nigerian judiciary is not by accident but a clear design of the Almighty God. He noted that in the

INC: Why We Endorsed Atiku Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa Leaders of the Ijaw nation yesterday explained the reason behind the endorsement of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

Under the aegis of the Ijaw socio-cultural organisation, the Ijaw National Congress (INC), at the end of their meeting in Yenagoa, said Atiku’s manifesto aligned more with the aspirations of the group.

Briefing journalists in Yenagoa, Prof. Joseph Ajierika, who doubles as the Chairman of the INC steering committee, said the body had reviewed the state of the country and the credentials of two aspirants ahead of the general elections, noting that there was only one way to go.

The INC reaffirmed its position to support candidate who believe in restructuring the country for the purpose of peace, harmony, equity, fairness and Justice.

According to leaders of the Ijaw nation, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has made very scant comments with regards to the question of restructuring throughout its campaign even when the party’s committee on restructuring led by the Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El Rufai submitted its report in September 2017 without implementation.

The leaders said rather than taking a critical look at the issue, President Buhari stated during his recent visit to Bayelsa that the present Nigerian Constitution which gives Kano 44 LGAs and Bayelsa 8 LGAs

was perfect since both sates have three senators each.

“The ruling party has continued to show great insensitivity and disregard for the feelings of the Ijaw people despite enormous contribution to the socio- economic growth of the country.

“However, the candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar had in the past and throughout his campaign restated his belief and commitment to restructuring the country.

His views and blueprint on the matter have also been sufficiently articulated” Ajirenka said.

He added that it was on that premise that the INC adopted the candidate of the PDP as the unanimous candidate of the Ijaw ethnic nationality.

discharge of their duties, they would be confronted with a lot of temptations as well as blackmails, but they should rather see such as a test of their strength of character, honesty and integrity.

“My candid advice is that, in whatever circumstance, you should always be mindful of this oath you have just taken because it now stands as an uncompromising witness between you and your creator,” he added

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Stop CCB’s Attempt to Erode Confidence of Nigerians, CSOs Tells AGF Martins Ifijeh A Coalition of Nigerian civil society groups has called on the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, to intervene and forestall attempts by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to erode the confidence of Nigerians in the fight against corruption.

In a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday and signed by 12

CSOs, the coalition said Malami should address the persistent refusal of the CCB to honour the Freedom of Information (FoI) requests for access to asset declaration forms of past and serving senior public officials in government.

The organisations noted that “the Nigerian government’s decisive action to suspend the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen for his alleged breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers,

CDHR Raises the Alarm over Deaths at Political Campaign Rallies The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) has raised the alarm over what it described as the spate of avoidable deaths caused due to stampedes that occurred during election campaign rallies organised by political parties in the days leading to the 2019 general elections.

The group noted that several people were killed in a stampede on Tuesday, February 12, 2019 during a political campaign rally organised by the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), which took place in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

It added that on January 8, 2019, violent clashes between members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers and party supporters marred the inauguration of the campaign of the Lagos State APC gubernatorial candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in Ikeja.

According to CDHR, these reported cases of violence are deeply disturbing. “: By virtue of the provisions of Section 33 of

the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the fundamental human right to life of every person is protected. No election campaign is worth spilling the blood of innocent Nigerians who are expressing their support for their political candidate by simply exercising their fundamental right to assemble freely, associate with other persons and belong to any political party for the protection of their interests as provided for

by Section 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

“Rather than only render apologies for these unfortunate deaths, the CDHR demands tangible attempts must be made by government at all levels to ensure that such avoidable loss of lives does not occur in any future political campaign rally organised in Nigeria. The people deserve the right to be able to gather for such political events with peace of mind knowing that their security is taken to be of paramount importance.”

Elections: HURIWA Tasks DSS, Police, Armed Forces on Neutrality Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has decried the sudden upsurge of politically tainted arrest and detention of officials of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).

HURIWA warned that should the trend continue then the elections would be tainted by corrupt practices in favour of the incumbent thereby denying legitimacy and credibility to the process and the outcomes may occasion upsurge of migrations from the country by those genuinely afraid for their lives because of their political differences with the incumbent President who has demonstrated overwhelming preferences for appointing only his tribesmen and religious cohorts into strategic internal security and defence portfolios.

The Rights group particularly condemned the illegal activities of the Kaduna State Directorate of the Department of State Services (DSS) which is akin to a total clampdown on the leading opposition political party (PDP) under guises of some phantom and trumped up charges that the political leaders are involved in the use of hate speeches.

The group lambasted the highly partisan Department of State Services for keeping mute and for her conspiratorial silence when the Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nassir El Rufai, openly canvassed hate crime by threatening to kill off foreign observers should they interfere in the February 16 polls.

The group said the actions and inactions of the secret police which portrays it as highly partisan and politically compromised will inevitably damage the institutional integrity of the body which is a statutory and corporate entity funded by the people of Nigeria even though the office is domiciled wrongly under the presidency.

HURIWA has also promised to sponsor a bill before the National Assembly in the next session to grant full automomy to the DSS to operate just like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States of America.

“We are by this media intervention calling on the Director General of DSS to abide by the tenets of the constitution and carry out the obligations of the department in total compliance with the due process of the law and not turn the institution to private guards of the APC.

underscored the seriousness and attendant implication for all Nigerian public officers who fail to timely and correctly declare their assets according to law.”

The coalition accused the CCB, which is the sole custodian of asset declaration forms of all public office holders in Nigeria, of compromise, betraying public trust, and failing to be transparent and accountable to the Nigerian people, noting that since the FoI Act 2011 was enacted, the CCB has persistently refused to grant requests to CSOs, media, and concerned citizens, seeking access to asset declaration forms

of past and serving elected and appointed public officers.

They stated that events leading to Justice Onnoghen’s suspension began when the Anti-Corruption and Research-Based Data Initiative (ARDI), a civil society organisation, obtained the CCB asset declaration forms SCN000014 and SCN000015 of Justice Onnoghen, which was investigated and cited in ARDI’s petition acknowledged by the CCB on January 9, 2019.

“While the CCB allowed ARDI access to the CJN’s asset declaration, it had previously, consistently denied similar request for access to

the asset declaration forms of senior public officials of both previous and the current administration,” the statement noted.

The coalition submitted to Malami a list of several FoI requests seeking information and access to the asset declaration forms of different categories of public office holders, including Justice Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed, Acting CJN; Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustaph; heads of government ministries, departments and agencies, among others, which the CCB

has ignored.

CSOs who signed the statement are: African Centre for Media & Information Literacy; International Centre for Investigative Reporting; Centre for Impact Advocacy; Public and Private Development Centre; Right2Know; Media Rights Agenda; Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre; Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism; Social Development Integrated Centre; Civil Society Network Against Corruption; Network on Police Reforms in Nigeria; and Citizens Advocacy for Social & Economic Rights.

GIVING BACK TO SOCIETY…

L-R: Manager, Brands, Events and PCSR, Ikeja Electric, Titilola Aikhomu; Chief Nursing Officer, National Orthopaedic Hospital Igbobi, Lagos (NOHIL), Mrs. Theresa Ebode; Business Manager, Somolu Business Unit of Ikeja Electric, Mr. Olanrewaju Yusuf; and Assistant Chief Nursing Officer (NOHIL), Mrs. Akhiomen Amewie, during the donation of items to kids at Children’s Ward of National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi

by Ikeja Electric to celebrate Valentine’s Day 2019…yesterday

Rivers APC Takes over INEC Office, Demands Relisting of Candidates Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt National and State Assembly candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State and hundreds of their supporters yesterday blocked the main entrance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Port Harcourt, demanding the relisting of the party’s candidates for the elections.

This is as the State Working Committee (SWC) of APC in the state expressed confidence that candidates of the party would be on the ballot for Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections.

The protesters, led by the candidate for Rivers South East senatorial district and Nigeria’s Ambassador to The Netherlands, Oji Ngofa, blocked the traffic on the Port Harcourt-Aba expressway as well as the entrance to INEC office, refusing anyone from entering or leaving the office.

Carrying placards that read: ‘No APC, no election in Rivers State’; ‘INEC obey the Stay of Execution Order of the Appeal Court’, among others, and chanting war songs, they vowed to resist what they described as attempts by INEC

to deny them their right.

They demand that APC candidates be relisted on the ballot in line with orders of both the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court.

Attempts by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Obo Effanga, to gain access into his office was resisted by the protesters who forced the driver of the white Toyota Hilux van to retreat.

However, security agents were able to disperse the protesters by shooting teargas canisters into the air, after Effanga and their leaders finally met and discussed.

Addressing journalists, Ngofa said they would not leave the INEC office until the electoral body obeys the order of the courts and relist the APC and all its candidates in the ballot.

Ngofa said: “We have come here peacefully to compel INEC to obey the laws of Federal Republic of Nigeria. APC has a Stay of Execution order on INEC on the Federal High Court judgement of January 7, 2019. That judgement has been stayed by the Appeal Court.

“We are shocked and displeased with the fact that

INEC was in a hurry to delist candidates of APC on the basis of Omotosho’s judgement but has refused to act on an Appeal Court order staying the execution of that judgement.

“We are shocked that INEC will choose the court orders to obey and the ones not to obey.

“We are here today to tell INEC that it must obey the laws of this country. All that the Supreme Court has ruled on are all applications that do not bother on the substance of appeal. That is why the Supreme Court asked us to go back to Court of Appeal. We are back to the Appeal Court that stayed the execution of that judgement. INEC is conniving with PDP.” Addressing leaders of the protesters, the INEC REC, Effanga, assured them that INEC would meet to reach a decision on their demands.

Meanwhile, the leadership of APC in the state declared that INEC has no other choice than to relist candidates of the party in the ballot for the forthcoming general election in line with the orders of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal.

Addressing journalists further shortly after an emergency meeting of State

Working Committee (SWC) of the party, the Publicity Secretary of APC in the state, Chris Finebone, said: “After a meeting of SWC of our party where we meticulously deliberated on the recent rulings of various courts, especially the decision of the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt yesterday, which reaffirmed its earlier order that stayed the execution of the judgement of the lower court, there were some reasons to say the APC and its candidates will most certainly be on the ballot this Saturday.

“No order or judgement given since, including orders of the Supreme Court on both jurisdiction and representation, has said otherwise. We opted not to rely on media circuits to convey our right to be included unlike many news reports that were suggesting that we were dead and buried.

“We have since seen the orders and the Supreme Court judgement on stay of execution, which proved beyond reasonable doubt that INEC has an obligation to relist APC or risk being sanctioned for excluding us and disobeying a subsisting court order.

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ÜÙßÚ ÚÙÜÞÝ ÎÓÞÙÜ Duro Ikhazuagbe ×ËÓÖ duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com 0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Ighalo Reunites with Former Watford Coach in China Femi Solaja áÓÞÒ ËÑÏØÍã ÜÏÚÙÜÞ Nigeria’s Odion Ighalo is ‘excited’ to reunite with former Watford manager Quique Sanchez Flores at Chinese Super League (CSL) side Shanghai Shenhua.

The 29-year-old striker moves to the three-time CSL champions on a three-year deal.

He admits the Spaniard pulled out all the stops to make the move happen.

“It’s important to sort my club future and I’m happy that it comes with a great opportunity to play under coach Quique again,” Ighalo told BBC Sport.

“From the beginning he made it clear that he wanted me and I completely understand what that means.

“We’ve had some good

times together and importantly it’s good to continue in a league you’ve come to understand, so I am really excited.”

Both made history for Watford by winning the English Premier League player and manager of the month awards for December 2015 - the first time anybody from the club had received either honour.

His new club were seventh last season, 30 points behind winners Shanghai SIPG. Ighalo finished as the CSL’s second top scorer with 21 goals, but it was not enough to save his former club, Changun Yatai, from relegation.

“I thank Changun Yatai for the love, support and everything we shared together in two amazing years. I wish the club all the best in what

NPFL: Mfon Udoh Leads Goals Chart asAkwa Utd HoldsAbiaWarriors Mfon Udoh is now the leading scorer in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) with five goals after he grabbed an equaliser for Akwa United at Abia Warriors, while FC Ifeanyiubah consolidated leadership of Group B with a home win over closest rivals El Kanemi Warriors.

Mfon Udoh is turning back the hand of the clock five years after he set an all-time NPFL record of 23 goals with Enyimba.

His strike earned Akwa United a vital point at Abia Warriors.

In continuation of Week 9 matches, FC Ifeanyiubah pipped El Kanemi Warriors 1-0 and Remo Stars were 2-1 winners at home to Kwara United.

FC Ifeanyiubah thus remain top of Group B with 18 points from nine matches.

However, Sunshine Stars were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Bendel Insurance, Heartland were also pegged back by Gombe United 1-1 in front of their fans and Go Round FC could only play a 1-1 draw with Nasarawa United in Omaku.

NPFL Results 2Remo 2-1 Kwara Utd Sunshine 1-1 Insurance Go Round 1-1 Nasarawa Abia Warriors 1-1 Akwa Utd Ifeanyiubah 1-0 El-Kanemi Heartland 1-1 Gombe Utd

NewYenagoa Airport Big Boost for Sports,Tourism r&HCF UIVNCT VQT %JDLTPO GPS BDUVBMJTJOH UIF ESFBN GPS #BZFMTBOT Chief Executive Officer of Monimichelle, a sports facilities construction outfit, Ebi Egbe, has said that sports and tourism would be the biggest beneficiary of the international airport commissioned by the state yesterday in Yenagoa.

An excited Egbe was full of praises for Gov Seriake Dickson who he stated was matching words with action in the area of infrastructural development of Bayelsa State under his Restoration Agenda.

Egbe noted that the Yenagoa airport would not only open up the state but make the hosting of local and international sporting events in Yenagoa easy.

“Every Ijaw man is happy with the development going on in the state. Dickson deserves a pat on the back for making the airport project a reality. The airport is one facility that would not only open up the state, but also boost sports and tourism,”

Egbe said.

The FIFA licensed match agent noted that Dickson is also providing world-class sports facilities that would in the near future make Bayelsa the new Mecca of Sports in the country.

“The Samson Siasia Stadium as we speak boasts of a geotech playing turf that is one of the best in the country. The state has a wonderful golf course and the Asoama Sports Academy project is on course. Now that we have an airport in Yenagoa, taking international sporting events to Bayelsa would be easy. Bayelsa would soon become Nigeria’s new Mecca of sports,” Egbe said.

Two aircrafts yesterday made their inaugural flights into Yenagoa international airport. The state was agog just as there has been an outpouring of commendation and encomiums on Governor Henry Seriake Dickson, the architect of the New Bayelsa.

lies ahead.

“Right now, I want to give my best to Shanghai Shenhua and make important contributions.

“I also had a good chat with Obafemi Martins [former Shenhua striker] and he gave me an insight on life, football, the club and it’s fan base. Now I know what to expect.”

Since his move from Watford in January 2017 Ighalo scored 36 goals in 55 appearances in China.

Ighalo, who has played in Norway, Italy, Spain as well as Watford, was a target for many teams in China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

A former youth international, he has 10 goals in 25 appearances for the Super Eagles and his six goals helped Nigeria seal a return to the Africa Cup of Nations.

Odion Ighalo (right) and Former Watford Manager, Quique Sanchez Flores when they won Player of the Month and Coach of the Month in December 2015 in the English Premier League. Now they have reunited at China’s Shanghai Shenhua

FIBA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS:

Nwaiwu, Abuchi to Replace Obekpa,Nwamu as D’Tigers Open Camp Rivers Hoopers player Buchi Nwaiwu and Ibe Abuchi Agu of Gombe Bulls have been invited to Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, as replacements for Ike Nwamu and Christopher Obekpa.

D’Tigers camp officially opens on Tuesday, 19th of February in Abidjan for the last window of the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifiers. Nwamu and Obekpa will be absent due to club commitments and administrative reasons.

According to the Team’s General Manager, Musa Adamu, Nwamu whose national team

debut was at the 2017 FIBA Afrobasket for men in Tunisia just got traded from Wisconsin Herd to Indiana Pacers franchise and so he needed time to settle in. “Nwamu could not make it.

He has just been traded from his club to Indiana Pacers, so he cannot afford to leave immediately.”

The team manager of the high flying D’Tigers who are on a 9-game unbeaten streak said the inclusion of Buchi and Ibe Abuchi was based on their outstanding performances in 2018. “Buchi Nwaiwu was the Most Valuable Player of the

FIBA Zone 3 club Championship in Cotonou where he helped his club (Rivers Hoopers of Port Harcourt) qualify for the maiden edition of the FIBA Afro League.

He played very well and he was the most valuable player and the highest scorer.”

“Ibe too was the MVP of the invitational championship played in Kano last year and also put up a good show at the National Sports Festival.

Their performances never went unnoticed”, Adamu said.

Having qualified for the World Cup holding later this year in China, Nigeria will hope

to finish the qualifiers with their unbeaten record intact when they face host- Côte d’Ivoire on the 22nd of February.

The team will battle Central Africa Republic on the 23rd while it will be the clash of two basketball powerhouses in Africa when Nigeria meets Senegal on the 24th.

Nigeria who became the first country in the world to book its ticket to China defeated Senegal on Sunday, 16th of September 2018 by 81-61 (27-12, 22-17, 17-18, 23-12) with Ike Diogu weighing in with 17points and 9 rebounds.

UEFA Investigating Sergio Ramos Semenya’s Woman Status, Unquestionable, Says Lawyer over Booking Comments South Africa;s Caster Semenya’s lawyers have insisted that the world and Olympic 800m champion is “unquestionably a woman” before a court case against athletics’ governing body.

Semenya is challenging a proposed IAAF rule that aims to restrict the levels of testosterone in female runners.

UK’s The Times reported that IAAF lawyers will say Semenya, 28, is a “biological male” as well as classified as female.

The IAAF denied on Wednesday it will class any athlete with “differences of sexual development” (DSD) as male.

“Ms Semenya is unquestionably a woman,” said Semenya’s lawyers in a statement on Thursday.

“She is a heroine and an inspiration to many people around the world.

“Ms Semenya is fighting for her right to run without being required to undergo unnecessary medical intervention - she is fighting to run free.”

The case will be heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) next week.

The IAAF intended to bring in new rules on 1 November last year but put that back to 26 March to wait for the outcome of the legal challenge

from Semenya and Athletics South Africa.

The rules will apply to women in track events from 400m up to the mile and require that athletes have to keep their testosterone levels below a prescribed amount “for at least six months prior to competing”.

Semenya’s lawyers said she asks to be “respected and treated as any other athlete”.

“Women with differences in sexual development have genetic variations that are no different than other genetic variations that are celebrated in sport,” they said.

“Her genetic gift should be celebrated, not discriminated against.”

The IAAF said it accepted the legal sex of DSD athletes - of whom Semenya is the most notable - “without question” and permit them to compete in the female category.

“However, if a DSD athlete has testes and male levels of testosterone, they get the same increases in bone and muscle size and strength and increases in haemoglobin that a male gets when they go through puberty, which is what gives men such a performance advantage over women,” it added.

UEFA is investigating comments from Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos after it was suggested he was booked on purpose late in Wednesday’s Champions League last-16 first leg at Ajax.

Ramos fouled Kasper Dolberg in the 89th minute with Real leading 2-1, earning a suspension for the second leg.

A player who purposely obtains a booking can be banned for two games.

Ramos said suggestions he intentionally played for the yellow card “hurts”, tweeting “I have not forced the card”.

Earlier Ramos had told reporters he would “be lying if I said I didn’t force [the booking]”.

On Thursday, Uefa said: “A disciplinary inquiry has been opened in connection with the statements made

by Real Madrid player Sergio Ramos.”

The Spain international was making his 600th appearance for Los Blancos and his side secured a first-leg advantage through Marco Asensio’s goal two minutes before the controversial booking.

Pundit Martin Keown said it was “very obvi-

ous” Ramos was looking to pick up a third booking in the competition to be banned for the second leg - a suspension at this stage greatly reduces the risk of missing a match later in the competition with all bookings wiped following the quarter-final stage.

“In a game there are many tensions, many sensations and many pulsations,” Ramos tweeted. “You have to make decisions in seconds. The best of today is the result. The worst, not being able to be with my team-mates for a game.”

Ramos’ team-mate Dani Carvajal received a two-game ban from Uefa when he was judged to have been booked on purpose in the final minute of a 6-0 win over Apoel Nicosia in last season’s tournament.

Ramos and former Real midfielder Xabi Alonso were both booked late on in a 3-0 quarter-final first-leg victory over Galatasaray in 2013.

Both players were also criticised in 2010, when they were booked and sent off in the final five minutes of a group game with Ajax, meaning they missed the next fixture, with Real already assured of progress to the knockout stage.

55

T H I S D AY ˾ FEBRUARY 15, 2019

FRIDAYSPORTS

Europa: Lacazette Sent off as Bate Borisov Beats Arsenal

Arsenal’s Alexandre Lacazette (2nd left) was sent off for an elbow on Aleksander Filipovic during Gunners’ Europa clash with Bate Borisov ...last night

Arsenal slumped to a disappointing first leg defeat against Bate Borisov in the Europa League last 32.

Stanislav Dragun nodded home Igor Stasevich’s free-kick for the game’s only goal just before half-time.

Arsenal’s Alexandre Lacazette had a goal disallowed early in the second half before being sent off for elbowing Aleksandar Filipovic.

A resolute Bate held on for the win, their first over an English side at home in European competition.

The Belarusian champions will now take a slender lead to Emirates Stadium for the second leg next Thursday.

It was no more than Bate deserved as Arsenal faded quickly after a bright start on a bumpy pitch and sub-zero conditions in Belarus.

Aliaksei Baga’s side were playing their first competitive

match since December and doggedly held on to their lead in the second half.

Arsenal, in contrast, managed just three shots on target despite enjoying nearly 77% possession.

Unai Emery will have hoped the resumption of the Europa League would have given his side some momentum after an inconsistent few weeks.

The Gunners’ final Europa League group game against FK Qarabag in December extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 22 games.

But since then Emery’s side have lost six out of 13 matches, going out of both domestic cups in the process.

Emery responded to that patchy form by naming a strong side for the game in Belarus, showing just two changes from the team that won at Huddersfield last weekend.

There was early promise as

Henrikh Mkhitaryan drew a smart stop from Denis Scherbitski within 90 seconds.

Further chances for Lacazette and Alex Iwobi followed, but the Gunners quickly deteriorated.

Bate Borisov, meanwhile, are effectively in pre-season having not have not played a competitive game since their final Europa League group game two months ago.

They showed little sign of rustiness, however, and grew in confidence as the game progressed, cheered on by a boisterous home crowd.

Most of their attacking play went through captain Stasevich, who delivered more assists than any other player during the group stages.

Bate debutant Nemanja Milic had already clipped the post from Stasevich’s drilled cross before the midfielder laid

on the opening goal from a set-piece.

His free-kick from the right found the head of Dragun, who had evaded marker Sead Kolasinac and powered a header beyond Petr Cech.

Even the second half introduction of top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and January signing Denis Suarez failed to spark a response from Arsenal.

Their misery was compounded when Lacazette needlessly lashed out at Filipovic and was deservedly sent off, with the Gunners suffering a fifth defeat in eight away games in all competitions.

The Gunners will still feel confident of having enough in next week’s second leg to progress, but they have made their task considerably harder than it might otherwise have been.

Barkley, Giroud Give Chelsea Narrow Win in Sweden Chelsea claimed a narrow victory over Malmo in the Europa League after they were greeted with a rousing atmosphere in Sweden for the first leg of their last 32 tie.

Ross Barkley poked in a curling cross from Pedro to score in the first half.

Olivier Giroud flicked in the second after Willian cut the ball back having beaten his opponent in the box.

Malmo ensured it was a nervy ending for Chelsea as Anders Christiansen slotted home in the 80th minute.

Victory eases the pressure slightly on manager Maurizio Sarri who said his “job was at risk” after Chelsea were thrashed 6-0 by Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.

Chelsea remain unbeaten in the Europa League this season before the second leg

at Stamford Bridge on 21 February.

Sarri looked dejected on the sidelines as he watched Chelsea suffer their worst defeat in 28 years at Etihad Stadium.

It was their fourth loss in 10 games and meant they dropped down to sixth place in the Premier League - 15 points behind leaders Manchester City.

Victory was needed against a Malmo side who have qualified for the knockout stages of the Europa League for the first time.

There were signs of nervousness from Chelsea at the start of the match, Malmo winning two corners within the first minute and having a shot blocked by Jorginho in the box.

But the Blues became more comfortable as the game went on and when Giroud coolly doubled Chelsea’s lead to score his fifth goal in the competi-

tion this season, Sarri could be forgiven for breathing a sigh of relief.

Chelsea made hard work of it in the end, though. Malmo threatened to equalise in stoppage time but as Sarri had stated before kick-off, his side “need targets in the short term” and victory of any kind was just that.

Chelsea went into this tie as resounding favourites - Malmo coach Uwe Rosler said the “odds are 80 million turnover against 450 million turnover” before the match.

Rosler also expected a response from Chelsea after their mauling by his former club Manchester City, saying: “When a grizzly bear is wounded he’s a very, very dangerous animal.”

Sarri’s side were certainly wounded but they were made to battle for their victory after

Christiansen’s late goal lifted the hostile atmosphere in Sweden for the last 10 minutes of the match.

David Luiz had earlier deflected away midfielder Arnor Ingvi Traustason’s half-volley and Barkley was forced to make two headed clearances to deny Soren Rieks in the first half.

The hosts - who were encouraged by their fans to press and hassle the Chelsea back four - seemed to tire in the second half which was not surprising given this was their first competitive fixture since December.

But they regained a bit of spark at the end after Chelsea had missed opportunities to extend their lead. Barkley had a close-range effort tipped over the bar by goalkeeper Johan Dahlin before Pedro’s curling effort was deflected narrowly wide.

Mourinho Reaps Heavy Pay off from Man Utd Manchester United paid Jose Mourinho and his staff £19.6m in compensation following his sacking in December.

United revealed the figures in their second quarter financial results.

Mourinho was sacked after a run of poor results, culminating in a 3-1 defeat

by Liverpool, that left them 11 points off fourth place in the Premier League.

Caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer won 10 of his first 11 games before Tuesday’s 2-0 Champions League last-16 first-leg defeat by Paris St-Germain.

Within the financial results, which were released to the New York Stock Exchange, it said: “Exceptional items for the quarter were £19.6m, relating to compensation to the former manager and certain members of the coaching staff for loss of office.”

Mourinho, 55, took over in May 2016 and led United to League Cup and Europa League titles. In January 2018 he signed a contract extension until 2020 with the option of an extra year.

United executive vice-

chairman Ed Woodward says Solskjaer ’s appointment, along with that of Sir Alex Ferguson’s former coach Mike Phelan as his assistant has “had a positive impact throughout the club”.

“Ole has made a fantastic start reviving performance of team,” Woodward said.

Woodward says he thinks United, who have reached the fifth round of the FA Cup and are now fourth in the Premier League, above Chelsea and Arsenal, will now have “a strong finish to the season”.

He refused to offer any update on Solskjaer ’s future, insisting the club will stick to its plan of offering an update at the end of the season.

When asked about recruiting for a director of football role, he said: “Looking at our structures and how we should strengthen all areas at the club is something we do on a continual basis.

We have invested on the player care side. The evolution is continuing but it is not necessarily visual.

We are looking at ways we can make the structures stronger.”

2019 NBA All-Star Weekend Live on Kwesé Free Sports One of the most talked about and highly anticipated events on the NBA calendar is upon us. From today, Kwesé Free Sports will transport basketball fanatics to Charlotte North Carolina, for the 2019 edition of the NBA All-Star Weekend.

African basketball fans will enjoy a weekend of fast-paced action, captivating events and up to the minute coverage of the weekend’s festivities.

The NBA All-Star Weekend will be broadcast on Kwesé Free Sports available on Kwesé TV’s decoders on channel 285, the Kwesé iflix mobile application (through a one day, three day, seven day or monthly subscription) and Kwesé Play.

Kwesé’s All-Star Weekend coverage kicks off with the Rising Stars game on Saturday 16 February from 03:00 – 05:00 am.

This exhibition game which showcases 20 of the league’s best rookies and second-year players, follows a Team World vs Team USA format. In this year’s game, Africa will be represented

by Minnesota Timberwolves Shooting guard of Nigerian decent, Josh Okogie who will show off his skills on the court as a member of Team World.

In anticipation for Sunday’s game, African basketball fans can continue to whet their appetite with the three-part basketball extravaganza that is the All-Star Saturday showcase. This will air on 17 February from 02:00 – 04:30

am local time.

For two and a half hours basketball lovers can feast their eyes on the Skills Challenge, followed by the Slam Dunk Challenge – which features Hamidou Diallo with Guinean roots – and closes off with a 3-Point Contest.

The real hero for the weekend however, will of course be Sunday’s AllStar Game. Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James and Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo will lead their respective teams in a match-up that is sure to set the court on fire. Antetokounmpo of Nigerian decent, will represent the continent alongside Cameroonian Joel Emiid. With two sons of the soil representing the continent, there is no doubt that viewers across Africa will have their eyes glued to Kwesé for all the three pointers, rebounds and offensive play. The All-Star Game will air in the early hours of Monday from 02:00 – 05:00am local time.

According to Kwese, viewers who missed out on weekend’s festivities can indulge in a two-hour highlights package which will broadcast on Kwesé Free Sports on Monday 18 February at 7.30pm.

“Inactive Kwesé TV subscribers who want to the partake in the NBA All-Star Weekend festivities will need to pay the annual access charge of N1,900 to be part of the show ,” observed Kwese in a statement yesterday.

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Price: N250

MISSILE Wike to Amaechi

�If I am their problem, why should I be negotiating with the president? It is utter rubbish.

It is totally untrue. The president should help us bring a psychiatrist to review the situation of the Minister of Transportation.� – Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, berating the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, for his comment the negotiated with President Buhari to be allowed to return as governor

FEMIFALANA Access to Information and the Law GUEST COLUMNIST

U

nder Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution the mass media is required to uphold the fundamental objectives of the State and hold the government accountable to the people.

While the duty imposed on the media has been frustrated by the denial of access to information on public affairs, access to information is a fundamental right by virtue of Section 38 of the constitution which stipulates that “every citizen shall have the right to freedom of expression including the right to obtain information and impart ideas�.

Access to information is equally protected by Article 9 (2) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, which provides that “every individual shall have the right to receive information.�

In SERAP & Ors v Attorney General of the Federation (Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/640/2010) the applicants applied for information on the mismanagement of the $12.4 billion in the dedicated accounts in the central bank by the General Ibrahim Babangida regime. Following the refusal of the federal government to release the report of the Okigbo Panel, which had investigated the allegation, a suit was filed at the Federal High Court by the plaintiffs seeking to compel disclosure of information of the fund pursuant to Section 38 of the constitution and Article 9 of the African Charter. The trial judge dismissed the case for want of locus standi on the part of the applicants.

However, in Dododo v EFCC the Court of Appeal upheld the human right of the appellant to access information when it was said that he was entitled to a copy of the report of the investigation in respect of the petition alleging corruption by a public officer, which he had submitted to the respondents. Nwodo J.C.A., who delivered the leading judgment of the court, said: “The Appellant is entitled to the investigation report on his right as the complainant. See Article 9 of the African charter.�

We have cited the aforementioned provisions of the relevant laws and cases to emphasise the point that the struggle for access to information in Nigeria predated the enactment of the Freedom of Information Act. All the same, the human rights community, the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), Media Rights Agenda and other media bodies which fought the battle that culminated in the enactment of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011 deserve immense commendation.

The essence of the law is to open up the government to the public, promote transparency and accountability in government. Thus, the law has recognised the right of every citizen to access information from any record under the control of the government or public institution.

The law is also applicable to private institutions, which utilize public funds, perform public functions or provide basic services. Private organisations such as telecommunication companies and other public quoted companies fall into this category.

Religious bodies, which engage in business, may also be asked to disclose information with respect to funds collected from the members of the public.

The law requires public officers to keep the records of the government. They shall be made available upon demand by interested members of the public including the media (Section 1 & 3).

An applicant is required to apply for access to information in writing and to provide sufficient detail in the application. An oral application is not allowed under the law. Under Section 2(2) thereof an applicant is not obliged to give any reason or demonstrate any specific interest in the information.

Upon the receipt of a written request the

Attorney-General Abubakar Malami

information shall be provided within seven days.

The request shall be attended to by the head of the organisation. If a letter is wrongly addressed to any department it shall be forwarded to the appropriate office as the case may be. There are adequate provisions for the information needs of illiterate and physically challenged people to access information. It is also important to note that there is protection for whistle blowers. Refusal of information shall be communicated within seven days. Public officers may ask for extension of time within which to make requested information available to an applicant (Section 6).

An applicant may be requested to pay reasonable standard charge for search, duplication and transcription (Section 8). But where the information is in the public interest payment is not required. Where information is withheld it shall be communicated to the applicant within seven days. The letter shall contain information that the applicant has the right to challenge the refusal in court. An applicant who has been denied access to requested information is at liberty to apply to the court for a review of the matter within 30 days after the denial. To prevent delay the court shall hear an application for mandamus to compel disclosure.

To ensure the implementation of the law the government is required to publish in the gazette a description of its responsibilities, the records under its control, administrative manuals etc. Public institutions are compelled to keep records and information and organise them in a way that they can be accessed. The Act requires government and public institutions to provide training for officials on the public right to access

“The media, which led the campaign for the successful enactment of the FOI Act, has not signiďŹ cantly taken advantage of the law to seek information‌â€?

information of public records.

The law has created reporting obligations on compliance with the law for all institutions affected by it. These reports are to be submitted annually to the office of Attorney General of the Federation who in turn is required to oversee the effective implementation of the Act and report on the execution of implementation of the Act to the National Assembly.

If it is proved that information has been altered or destroyed by a public officer or any person he shall be liable to be tried and if convicted he shall be sentenced to one- year imprisonment. However, Sections 29 and 30 have provided immunity for public officers from civil or criminal prosecution for disclosing information without authorisation.

In violation of the Act some public officers have been victimised for disclosing information to the members of the public, the media and the anti - graft agencies.

The exception to the FOIA includes information that could compromise national security, the conduct of international affairs, records that could expose trade secrets, test questions, architectural engineering designs, research materials under preparation, legal practitioner – client relationship, health worker – patient relationship and journalists’ confidential source of information (Sections 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 & 17).

The disclosure of personal information is also exempted except where the person involved agrees to its disclosure or where the information is already publicly available, or where the disclosure is in the public interest. For instance, members of the public are empowered by the Electoral Act 2010 to seek information with respect to nomination forms submitted by candidates who are contesting elections in Nigeria.

The Official Secrets Act and other - freedom of expression enactments and regulations cannot be invoked to prevent the disclosure of official information. This is the purport of Section 2(b) of the FOIA, which has guaranteed access to official information notwithstanding anything contained in any other law or regulation.

Ironically, the media, which led the campaign for the successful enactment of the legislation, has not significantly taken advantage of the law to seek information with a view to discharging the duty of promoting public accountability pursuant to Section 22 of the Constitution.

Our law firm has invoked the law to obtain information from the Universal Basic Education Commission (on the total amount paid to the UBE Fund since 2005 by the federal government and disbursement of the fund to states), Nigerian Communication Commission (on the disbursement of the fine of N1 billion imposed on GSM operators for disrupting services), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (on the list of 197 persons who were convicted for drug trafficking but who were not found in prisons), Corporate Affairs Commission (on whether there was a move to ban the Nigeria Governors’ Forum).

In order to deny access to information some agencies have asked applicants for information to pay prohibitive fees. For instance, when our firm requested the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency to provide information on the Bonga Oil Field spillage we were asked (NOSDPRA) to pay N100, 000.00. We made the payment and collected the report. But after collecting the report we petitioned the office of the Attorney General of the Federation to protest the commercialisation of access to official information by the NOSPRA. Upon the intervention of the then Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Adoke SAN, the sum of N95, 000 was refunded to us while the

remaining N5, 000 was retained by NOSDRA for reproducing the report in line with the FOI Act. Since the FOI Act was enacted on May 28, 2011, the human rights community has been responsible for the majority of the cases filed under the FOI Act. Some of the cases include the following: r *O 0MBTVQP 0KP W &DPOPNJD BOE 'JOBODJBM Crimes Commission, the EFCC under the leadership of Mrs. Farida Waziri claimed that the CDHR was critical of the activities of the EFCC because it had been paid by some unnamed corrupt persons. The CDHR invoked the provision of the FOI to demand for the identity of those who had paid it to attack the EFCC. As there was no response the then CDHR president, Mr. Olasupo Ojo, approached the federal high court to compel disclosure. The order was granted. r *O -FHBM "TTJTUBODF BOE "JE 1SPKFDU W National Assembly the applicant requested for information on the details of the jumbo salaries and allowances of National Assembly members. When the information was not provided the applicant dragged the National Assembly to court. In a judgment delivered on the matter the federal high court ordered the defendants to accede to the request of the applicant. Dissatisfied with the verdict the National Assembly has taken the matter to the Court of Appeal. r 5IF 4PDJP &DPOPNJD 3JHIUT BOE "DDPVOUBCJMJUZ Project (SERAP) has sued the Federal Government to account for the repatriated loot of the late military ruler, General Sani Abacha. In granting the order of mandamus, the trial judge, Idris J (as he then was) directed the federal government to provide detailed information on the loot. Following the judgment the anti - graft agencies as well as the ministries of justice and information have regularly provided information on the loot recovered by the Buhari administration.

While the Act has been effectively invoked to hold the federal government accountable it has been difficult to promote public accountability in the states. Apart from the Ekiti state government, which has adopted the Act, others have rejected all requests by concerned citizens to access information.

In Alo v Ondo State House of Assembly the Court of Appeal held that the applicant, a journalist, was entitled to a copy of the audited accounts of the defendant between 2012 and 2016. According to the Court, “ in a democratic dispensation such as Nigeria’s, the citizens have been proclaimed owners of sovereignty and mandates that place leaders in the saddle.�

However in Edocasa v Osakue, the Benin judicial division of the same court held that the Act is not applicable in states which have not adopted it. It is hoped that the Supreme Court will soon resolve the contradictions in the two decisions of the Court of Appeal.

Any public officer who withholds information is liable to be prosecuted apart from being ordered to disclose the withheld information. The human rights community should however ensure that the masses are mobilised to take advantage of the provisions of the FOI Act to demand accountability from public officers and officials of private institutions that render public service.

Since the law is designed to improve transparency in the conduct of public affairs by making it easier than hitherto to access public records and information that are deemed to be in the public interest, sufficient pressure ought to be mounted on state governments to adopt the Act. With guaranteed access to information I am confident that Nigerians will continue to challenge the quality of governance and use of public resources.

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