MONDAY 22ND APRIL 2019

Accolades, Commendations as Arise Fashion Week Ends Sagoe, Cortazar, Fashola extol event

By Joseph Ushigiale, Demola Ojo and Vanessa Obioha It was a fitting end to a well choreographed fashion event superbly put together by the

Arise Media as fashion makers, models and a cross section of fashion enthusiasts heaped encomiums on the organisers for another superlative show which ended in Lagos last

night.

Now rated as the biggest fashion event on the continent, the show, which held at the Intercontinental Hotel, Lagos, opened April 19 and closed

last night, pooled global fashion brands and models to the Lagos runway. It featured over 30 local and international designers from Africa, America and Europe, as well as over

150 models.

Speaking with THISDAY last night, leading fashion brand, Deola Sagoe praised the show organizers for creating variety. “The African narrative

is gradually being changed on the runway but a lot still needs to be done. We need to regulate the narrative we are pushing to ensure that it Continued on page 9

Discos May Cede Networks to Third-party Power Distributors… Page 8 Monday 22 April, 2019 Vol 24. No 8778. Price: N250

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Tinubu: Why I Am Rooting for Lawan, Gbajabiamila Says it’s in national interest, obligatory to obey party directive EJIOFOR ALIKE in Lagos and Deji Elumoye in Abuja The National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu,

yesterday explained his support for the candidacy of Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, and Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, for

ninth National Assembly leadership, saying it is in compliance with the directive of the ruling party.

The APC had nominated Lawan and Gbajabiamila for

the presidency of the Senate and the speakership of the House of Representatives respectively and enjoined all its members-elect in both chambers to support them

PDP to vote as a bloc when the National Assembly is convened in June.

But a couple of memberselect had kicked against the party’s directive, insisting that they would exercise their rights

to contest the positions even as this development tends to enhance the chances of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Continued on page 8

My Parents Are from Sokoto, Jigawa, Atiku Replies Buhari Davidson Iriekpen with agency report The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 23 elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has debunked the notion that he was Cameroonian by birth and thus not qualified to contest the presidential election.

Atiku, who was born in Jada in 1946, in Adamawa State, said he was born by Nigerian parents and, therefore, “a citizen of Nigeria by birth.”

According to his response to the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) documents filed before the Presidential Election Tribunal, the former vice president said his father, Garba Atiku Abdulkadir, is a Nigerian by birth who hailed from Wurmo in Sokoto State, while the mother, Aisha Kande,

is also a Nigerian, who hailed from Dutse in Jigawa State.

“The parents of the 1st petitioner (Atiku) are both Fulani, a community/tribe indigenous to Nigeria,” his lawyers said.

They added: “The birth of the 1st petitioner in Jada, in present day Adamawa State of Nigeria was occasioned by the movement of his paternal grandfather called Atiku, who was an itinerant trader, from Wurmo in present day Sokoto State to Jada in the company of his friend, Ardo Usman.

“That in Jada, Atiku, the grandfather of the 1st petitioner, gave birth to Garba, who in turn gave birth to the 1st petitioner and named him after his own father Atiku.

“The 1st petitioner’s mother, Aisha Kande was the grandContinued on page 8

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ON THE RUNWAY...

Designer Esteban Cortazar and British supermodel Naomi Campbell, during the closing of Arise Fashion Week in Lagos... yesterday KUNLE OGUNFUYI

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Discos May Cede Networks to Third-party Power Distributors NERC mulls new regulation Chineme Okafor in Abuja Worried by the inability of the 11 distribution companies to distribute power to many consumers, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has said it is considering a new regulation to allow third-party investors take up and maintain parts of the vast electricity distribution networks currently owned by the Discos.

The regulatory agency said the proposed regulation was necessitated by the lack of capacity of the Discos to deliver electricity to many consumers.

THISDAY gathered that under the regulation, Discos would be encouraged to cede parts of their networks to third-party investors on the basis of three likely business scenarios.

A consultation paper on the regulation, which was put out yesterday by NERC on its website, and titled: ‘Distribution Franchising in Nigeria,’ explained that by sub-franchising, the Discos would authorise a thirdparty to provide electricity distribution utility services on its behalf in a particular

area within the Disco’s area of supply.

NERC added that the franchising arrangement can either be initiated by Discos or customer groups, including communities within a specified geographical boundary that may approach a Disco to allow it take up parts or all of its functions.

In the consultation paper, NERC equally clarified that specific roles for a demarcated area or function within the total licensed coverage of distribution can be franchised out by a Disco to a third party.

The regulatory agency, however, maintained that the main elements of such franchising arrangement may include the Disco supplying electricity to the franchisee metered at some injection point at a pre-determined price as per the franchise agreement and the franchisee supplying electricity to consumers of the Disco in an allocated area with tariff approved by NERC. Depending on the franchising model chosen, NERC added that the franchisee may manage the metering, billing and collection (MBC) activities or the entire electricity distribution system

in an allocated area, which may include the maintenance, upgrade and strengthening of the distribution system.

It also stated that the franchisee shall pay in full the cost of bulk energy to the Disco in line with the terms and conditions of their franchise agreement, and retain a portion of the revenue collected from consumers after deducting amount payable to the Disco.

“The franchisee will operate under the overall guidance of the Disco’s license and the Disco remains responsible to the regulator for compliance with its licensing terms and conditions.

“The franchisee may also procure additional generation from bilateral sources (outside capacities contracted with NBET) through the transmission grid and/or from embedded generation through distribution network to supplement the existing supply but procured in compliance with existing regulations of the Commission,” NERC explained.

NERC also noted that within the planned arrangement, its approved tariff in the Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO) will be applicable.

“However, where distribution franchisee makes investments to provide additional power at a premium cost outside the provisions of the MYTO to cover the supply shortfall, it may attract “surcharge” subject to the commission’s approval in line with relevant rules and regulations,” NERC added.

On the business structures that may be adopted in the regulation, NERC stated that a franchisee could become a MBC (metering, billion and collection) company, thus allowing Discos to outsource their function of metering, billing and collection to a third party.

“A typical configuration may be to franchise the metering, billing and collection of a 33kV or 11kV feeder or a cluster of feeders to a third party for the supply of electricity to rural, semi urban or urban areas,” NERC said with regards to the MBC. Also, the arrangement could have the third-party take over total management of the Discos’ function and in which the franchisee is responsible for maintaining the electricity distribution system.

“The franchisee undertakes

the rehabilitation and upgrading of the distribution system, as required, by investing its own funds and recover through a project agreement with the distribution licensee,” NERC said.

The regulatory body added that the franchisee could undertake to procure more energy either through bilateral arrangements over the transmission network or embedded at local distribution networks level to meet the electricity deficit or peak demand deficit of customers within the franchise area.

“A carefully thought out and well implemented distribution franchise model is expected to result in a ‘win-win’situation for the Disco, the franchisee and the customers.

“The franchisee is required to have electrical distribution management expertise and the capacity to invest resources into the upgrade and expansion of the distribution system as required.

“The franchisee may implement the MAP Regulations, reduce ATC&C losses and carry out other services ordinarily carried out by Discos within the franchised area to achieve

targeted performance improvements in accordance with the franchise agreement between the parties,” NERC added.

According to NERC, it envisaged that this will not involve the issuance of a licence to franchisees because they are expected to operate under the Discos’ distribution license.

It said the Discos would however engage a franchisee through competitive procurement processes.

Justifying the proposed regulation, NERC said: “Since the commencement of the power sector reforms in 2005, the Discos in Nigeria are unable to satisfactorily meet stakeholders’ expectations in the provision of access to safe and reliable electricity services to all customers within their franchise territories, especially those areas that are not considered to be economically viable.”

“Accordingly, introducing sub-franchising of Discos’ operations and coverage areas is expected to improve quality of supply of electricity to customers through investment in metering, billing, collection and network rehabilitation and expansion,” NERC added.

In the statement titled: ‘Tinubu Focusing on the Issues of Today: Tomorrow is the Master of Itself,’ the former Lagos State governor pointed out that in 2015, Saraki bulldozed his way into the Senate presidency.

Tinubu said: “He planted himself at the apex of legislative power. But his actions as Senate president showed a man devoid of compassion for the average Nigerian. All he cared for was power and position.

“Soon he will be deprived of both. House Speaker Dogara has fared only slightly better.

Occupying these positions is not a guarantee of future success. It is only a guarantee of present duty.”

He added: “Politics requires jockeying and maneuvering for influence to get the right people in the right positions.

To be beneficial, politics must be tied to the greater purpose of governance such as with President Buhari’s goal to reform the national economy for the good of all Nigerians.

“In supporting the party and the president, Tinubu has shown his commitment to achieving the president’s

goals. Nothing more should be read into it.”

colleagues about the Lawan project and we had fruitful discussions and reasonable feedback.

"As you may know, most of the senators-elect are back to their various senatorial districts for the Easter break and it is just ideal for us to ensure that the Lawan for 9th Senate president is kept in the front burner through being in constant touch with our colleagues and thus we have done successfully through telephone calls in the last three days."

THISDAY further learnt that through the phone calls to senators-elect across party lines, the Lawan group was able to get useful feedbacks from the legislators-elect about the viability of the project.

The source added that the group was not taking the public endorsement of Senator Lawan for granted.

"We'll continue to engage all stakeholders, including opposition party senatorselect with a view to getting the anticipated support from our fellow senators-elect."

In a related development,

TINUBU: WHY I AM ROOTING FOR LAWAN, GBAJABIAMILA to determine which of the contending APC memberselect would mount the saddle of leadership.

Indications at the weekend were that the PDP memberselect would vote as a bloc in a strong bid to frustrate the APC’s determination to have its choice candidates emerge winners.

Tinubu in a statement by his media office yesterday in Lagos said his unalloyed support for Lawan and Gbajabiamila was to help the APC achieve its objective, explaining that it was obligatory for him to obey the party’s directive.

He said contrary to insinuations in certain quarters that he was doing so to prepare the ground for his presumed presidential ambition in 2023, his action was motivated to ensure that the party has a firm grip of both chambers in order to help the executive arm controlled by the party to have easier passage of legislations and policies required for the effective implementation of its programmes.

According to him, all his mind, heart and efforts are

focused on backing the APC and President Muhammadu Buhari in achieving their shared vision of a flourishing economy and a prosperous people, saying he would have committed a terrible blunder by navigating the president’s position.

Tinubu said those who cast aspersions at him were in reality bucking against the stated position of Buhari.

He urged rumour-mongers to court greater discipline and wisdom, adding that there is no action a person can take that constitutes a political guarantee as to what may come four years from now.

The APC national leader also dismissed the claim that having allies in the National Assembly leadership positions will greatly enhance someone’s presidential ambitions as spurious.

“Tinubu is neither inclined, nor sufficiently naïve, to take his eye off the present in the futile attempt to peer through the thick fog that is the future,” he said.

He added that the National Assembly positions are important to the fulfillment of the president’s agenda,

stressing that a painful lesson was learned in this respect in the last four years.

“With the Senate leadership usurped by regressive elites, that chamber constituted a brake on progress and good governance. The Senate leadership, and to a lesser degree the House leadership, stymied APC legislative initiatives while attempting to hoist noxious, reactionary and self-interested legislation on the nation,” he explained.

Tinubu accused the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, of hijacking the budget process these past four years.

“National budgets were delayed and distorted as these actors repeatedly sought to pad budgets with pet projects that would profit them.

Even worse, they cut funds intended to prosper projects that would have benefitted the average person. After four years of their antics halting the progress of government, we should do all we can to prevent a repeat of their malign control of the National Assembly,” he added.

Senate Leader’s Group Mobilises Senators-elect on Phone Meanwhile, the Senator Ahmad Lawan for Ninth Senate President Group has intensified its consultations with senators-elect across party lines through telephone calls at the weekend.

This is coming in the wake of the 43 PDP senators-elect’s agreement to work as a team towards the election of presiding officers of the ninth Senate in June.

Sources close to Lawan, a strong contender for the 9th Senate presidency, told THISDAY that the Lawan group made telephone calls during the Easter break to the senators-elect about the project at hand.

A source, who is a ranking APC senator from Northcentral zone, said the Lawan group used the Easter break to sensitise the senators-elect about the ambition of Lawan.

His words: "We worked on the phone and chatted individually with our

Continued on page 9

MY PARENTS ARE FROM SOKOTO, JIGAWA, ATIKU REPLIES BUHARI daughter of Inuwa Dutse, who came to Jada as an itinerant trader too from Dutse in present day Jigawa State.

“That all averments concerning Germany, British Cameroons, League of Nations and Plebiscite are false and misleading in relation to the 1st petitioner and therefore completely irrelevant more so that the 1st petitioner is a Nigerian by birth within the contemplation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

“The averments in the

aforesaid paragraphs are indeed fabricated, contrived, made in bad faith and designed to embarrass the 1st petitioner.”

Atiku said that the votes he secured in the presidential election were not wasted votes, and still claimed that he got more votes than President Buhari.

To buttress his Nigerian citizenship, Atiku listed his career path and political activities and the awards and honours that he had received.

These included his being a civil servant in the Nigerian Customs Service for over 20

years, retiring as a Deputy Director; a politician for about 30 years, who in 1992 contested the presidential primaries on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) alongside the late Chief M.K.O Abiola and Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe.

He also mentioned his participation in the 1999 governorship election in Adamawa State in 1999, which he won and the presidential elections of 1999 and 2003, which he won as running mate to former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

He also mentioned his being a recipient of the National Honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) and holder of the traditional title holder of Turakin Adamawa from 1982 to 2017 when he was elevated to Wazirin Adamawa.

He said: “In 2007, the 1st Petitioner contested Presidential election under the platform of Action Congress (AC) and the 2nd respondent contested under the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples’ Party (ANPP).

“In 2014, the 1st Petitioner

and the 2nd respondent contested the presidential primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the 3rd respondent for the 2015 presidential elections.”

Atiku’s response was signed by Dr. Livy Uzoukwu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria on behalf of 20 other SANs. They are Kabiru Turaki, Chief Chris Uche, Pius A. Akubo, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, Adebayo 0.

Adelodun, Saka Abimola Isau, Isiyaku Ibrahim, Paul Erokoro, K.C.O. Njemanze, Eyitayo Jegede, Sebastine T. Hon, Dr. Mike Ozekhome, Chukwuma-

Machukwu Ume, Prof.

Maxwell Gidado, Dr. Akinpelu Onigbinde, Emeka Etiaba, Chief Gordy Uche, Dr. Mrs. V.J.O. Azinge, Emeka Okpoko, and Olalekan Ojo. Other lawyers listed in the petition are Ebenezer Obeya, Emmanuel Enoidem. Peter Afuba, Prof. Yusuf Dankofa, Prof. Lanre Adeojo, Ahmed Tijjani Uwais, Alexander Ejesieme, Abdulaziz Ibrahim, Chike Okafor, Shikammah K. Sheltu, Jabiro Bashir Mohammed, Silas Joseph Ono, Dr. Jennifer Abubakar, Jude Daniel Odi, and Mohammed Malabo.

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Low Premium Limits Insurers’ Ability to Pay Claims Ebere Nwoji The insurance sector is currently facing severe challenges as the rising volume of claims is weighing down most firms following low premium being paid by the insured, THISDAY has learnt.

THISDAY gathered that many insurance firms now struggle to pay claims even as some are devising means of reducing claims’ ratio.

The sector regulator recently argued that the low capital base in the sector was also affecting their operation.

This development, it was learnt, has been attributed to the impact of naira devaluation experienced in the country about four years ago.

It was gathered that insurers failed to match the sum insured with the prevailing naira exchange rate at the time of consummating such contracts.

The President, Nigerian Council of Registered

Insurance Brokers(NCRIB), Mr. Shola Tinubu, explained at the weekend that this was part of the reasons Nigerian insurers seemed not to be matching their counterparts in other climes.

He, however, said insurers are to be held accountable for the situation, saying they ought to have set their pricing right when the naira was devalued.

He said the seeming high volume of claims currently coming the way of insurers was not a challenge as insurers in other climes experience even higher volume.

But, he stressed that in the case of Nigeria, inappropriate pricing during the recession and subsequent devaluation of naira remained a challenge.

He said: "Why are other foreign insurance companies doing so well in the world?

What is so different about us?

"The problem is that people who are selling insurance have not woken up. Let us take for instance an imported vehicle; anybody who is selling an

Tinubu

imported vehicle or item knows that as your items come, you have stock and then there is devaluation of currency. What do you do?” Speaking at a quarterly media briefing organised by the council in Lagos, Tinubu said: "When you have a devaluation in your currency immediately it affects claims, because the very next day you want to buy or repair the car, it has gone up immediately.

Meanwhile, the premium you paid at the beginning of the

year is still what the insurance company has.

“So, you have to know how to address it at the end of the year because of the hardship of that devaluation on the industries. What did they do?

None of them was increasing their sum insured. Most of them were supposed to do so because if your factory was once one dollar and you are insuring at that time at N160 to a dollar and then now it is N300 to a dollar and your factory is still one dollar, immediately you have to increase your sum insured.

“So, what were the insurers supposed to do? Those were the things I said you would have acted immediately. Now, if we had acted at that time the insurance industry wouldn't have been separated from the impact of the economy.”

The insurance sector was recently described as the weakest link in the Nigerian economy because of the low capital base of operators.

The Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Mohammed

Kari, who said this, had noted that the sector that ought to insure critical sectors such as aviation should not have capital base that is less than that of microfinance banks.

Kari expressed disappointment that whereas the Central Bank of Nigeria recently announced plans to increase minimum capital of micro finance banks to N5 billion and mortgage banks N6 billion, recent move by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) to do same was rejected by operators.

Decrying the poor attitude of operators towards the industry recapitalisation, Kari said: “The insurance sector, which ought to provide risk cover for other sectors seemed to be losing its ground as parties it should secure are breaking new grounds leaving it behind.”

“We are the weakest link in the Nigerian economy and now we are going to be less capitalised than mortgage guarantee banks with N6

billion and less capitalised than microfinance banks with N5 billion. “How can an insurance company that insures the aviation sector have capital less than that of microfinance banks? We should wake up.

“Some insurance operators argue that capital is not important. If capital has no function, how come banks bought over insurance companies that used to be owned by insurance companies?

“Insurance anywhere in the world is the mobiliser of funds and provider of security. You cannot provide security if you don’t have capital.”

He asked: “How can you approach a microfinance bank of N5 billion and tell them you want to give them protection. What is your capital?”

Referring to what happens in other climes, Kari had said: “Check any jurisdiction in the world; insurance companies are more capitalised than banks.”

Rising Debt: We are Mindful of Our Borrowings, FG Insists Nume Ekeghe

The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, has stated that while the federal government borrows to deliver on its promises, it was also mindful of rising debt burden, which eats up about 25 per cent of the country’s annual earnings.

Ahmed said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the side-line of the just concluded IMF/World Bank meetings, which took place in Washington DC. Nigeria currently has an external debt stock of about $24.27 billion as at December 31, 2018.

Euro bonds, loans from World Bank Group, China and Africa Development Bank Group make up over 80 per cent of the country’s

debt stock.

Ahmed insisted that in spite of warnings by the IMF and World Bank, the country was not in any way near a debt crisis.

“The World Bank and IMF are cautioning us on the rate at which we are borrowing.

“They are also cautioning us on the need to build fiscal buffers because the global economy is going to be facing some risks and we agree with that.

“We are very mindful of the level of our borrowings.

Our borrowing is very much within fiscal limits right now.

“What we are doing is to increase our revenue generating capacity to make it easier for us to meet our debt obligations and our routine as well as capital

expenditure,’’ she said.

NAN had raised concerns about whether the Chinese loans to finance the IduKaduna, Lagos-Ibadan and Abuja light rail projects, the expansion of four airport terminals and some hydroelectric projects across the country were healthy for the nation’s economy.

Concerns were also raised about whether the conditions for the loans were favourable to the overall interest of Nigeria.

Ahmed responded saying: “To borrow, we go through several processes of assessments as well as negotiations.

“We make sure we get the best possible terms and whether we are borrowing from financial institutions or in Europe or China or

anywhere else, we try to get the best rates of borrowing.

“So far, the conditions we’ve got are very good ones,’’ she said.

Ahmed restated the commitment of the President

Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to ensure that the country grows in a manner that would bring many people out of poverty.

According to her, it is for this reason that

the government takes its social investment programmes like the school feeding, Conditional Cash Transfers to the poor and vulnerable and trader moni programme, very seriously.

TINUBU: WHY I AM ROOTING FOR LAWAN, GBAJABIAMILA the leadership of PDP has said its senators-elect should remain focused ahead of the June inauguration of the ninth Senate.

The Prince Uche Secondusled National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP had last week met its senators-elect in Abuja on the need for the legislators-elect to have sincerity of purpose in the ninth Senate.

A ranking PDP senator from the South-east told THISDAY that the party leadership told the legislators-elect that their rank should be formidable.

The senators-elect were reportedly told not to allow the ambition of any ranking senator or senators for the office of Senate president distract them from the onerous task ahead of them.

"We were told in clear terms that we should remain as one as PDP senators-elect and should not involve ourselves in any politicking whatsoever for the ninth Senate leadership but to be a solid opposition group ready to work for a vibrant upper legislative chamber," he said.

The ranking senator also

confirmed that Lawan and former Senate leader, Senator Ali Ndume, had reached out to him as well as other PDP senators-elect about their ambition to be ninth Senate president.

"We will continue to listen to all gladiators as we have information that one or two other ranking Senators may also join the race. You know we still have about six or seven weeks before the Ninth National Assembly is inaugurated and anything can still happen before then," he further said.

year, AFW will be better, it is the future,” he said.

“It's been a realistic experience since we arrived,” added his stylist Jaime Rubiano, saying: “Coming from Colombia, a very AfroCaribbean environment, it feels like you are back to the source, to motherland.

Arise Fashion Week has been a pleasant surprise for all. We've seen a lot of craftsmanship, which is very indigenous of the Nigerian culture, celebration of movement and colour and beauty. I feel it is multicultural, it's not like they are copying from another. What I see is that the talents are expressing themselves in truth.”

The narrative is not different with the models.

For some of them, it is their first time on any runway.

Being on Arise Fashion Week gave them the assurance that their career is starting on a right path.

“It's been awesome,”

said 19-year-old Victoria of Pakistan and Nigerian heritage. “I am very excited.

It's indescribable, it's my first time on any runway show and I really wish it won't come to an end today.”

But getting selected for this year's edition wasn't a walk in the park confessed many hopefuls, particularly for Adedamola Fashola who was walking the runway for the third time.

“Last year seemed I got it on a platter of gold, but this time I had to fight for it. Almost 65% of models who participated last year didn't make it through this year. So there are a lot of new faces. The competition was tough this year. We were expected to put on our best, right from casting.”

He disclosed that walking the AFW runway has opened doors for him, adding that after his feature last year, he landed some TV commercial deal in addition to recently featuring in an ad for Trophy

beer and Google.

“They saw my picture on the runway and they called me up.”

Fashola is hoping that he will also be signed to international model agencies.

The show was also garnished with the screening of Seven Mothers, a film by Pyer Moss produced by Director X. This year's event featured the following designers: Turfah, Torlowei, Tzar Studios, Clan, Papa Oppong, Tokyo James, Nkwó, Paradis, Maisonnettes ARTC, Andrew Iyamah, Yutee Rone, Robert Cavalli, Selan Fessahaye, Mai Atafo, Deola Sagoe, GozelGreen, Lanre da silva Ajayi, Kenneth Ize, Style Temple, Loza Maleombho, Lulu, Shem Paronelli, WUMAN, Tiffany Amber, Esteban, Mwinda, Mowalola, Asai, U.MI.1, Bridget Awosika, Bethany Williams, Okunoren, Rich Minsi, Ituen Basi, Odio Mimonet, Pyer Moss and Ahluwalia Studios.

ACCOLADES, COMMENDATIONS AS ARISE FASHION WEEK ENDS are pushing to ensure that it represents Africa well and gives it the right credibility; which is what Arise Fashion Week has done for us. It shows our variety.”

Also speaking, Nkwó, an Abuja based fashion designer, pointed out that Arise Fashion Week has grown in leaps and bounds since its first edition and has been consistent in placing Africa on the global spotlight.

Nkwó said: “The fashion industry in Nigeria is super amazing because we don't have formal education, most people are self-taught, the amount of creativity, is so amazing. For long, we wanted to showcase our talents to the world, but I think Arise Fashion Week was the first show that brought the attention of the world to African fashion. It did it for Nigerian designers and has become the epicenter of fashion in Africa.”

For the Colombian

international designer, Esteban Cortazar, who was invited to the stage by the event headliner, Naomi Campbell, he said he was very impressed by the designs he saw on the runway and opined that indeed Africa is the future.

According to him, “I'm super excited to be here, this is the real future market to tap into. It is exciting to discover places that are up and coming, developing, where there is exciting energy for the future. And I really believe that Africa is it.

I come from Colombia, Latin America and I believe that Latin America and Africa are both having this moment of Arise that is happening naturally.

“I have always been one that celebrates diversity and cultures from all around the world. I come from multi-cultures myself so it's natural to me. It makes sense to come here because there is a lot of that sultry

and colourful prints and attitude, people here are so stylish.”

Cortazar said he found it hard to make a clear distinction between the Arise Fashion Week and other international shows.

He said from his experience as someone based in Paris, which is the epicenter of high fashion globally, that at a point, the show becomes so predictable.

He added that with the Arise Fashion Week, he finds an excitement and hunger for raw talents.

He asserted that with AFW, African fashion is on its way to becoming an international identity.

“I think sometimes it takes one person to make a difference, you see someone like Naomi so strong in what she believes in and you see her bring people like Andre Talley, and I think through that, things can really change. So I believe next

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

British National Among Two People Shot Dead at Kaduna Resort, Says UK Govt Don’t come to Kaduna, Shehu Sani warns tourists, others Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja A British national, Faye Mooney, was among the victims of the attack on Kajuru castle in Kaduna last Friday by unknown gunmen who also abducted three others.

This is coming as the senator representing Kaduna Central at the Senate, Shehu Sani, has warned tourists and any adventurer thinking of visiting Kaduna, to stay away, at least for now.

The victims were said to have travelled from Lagos to have some fun at the resort when they were attacked around 11pm.

Mooney, who worked with a non-governmental organisation, Mercy Corps, was killed alongside Mathew Oguche, a staff member of an international NGO, Safety Organisation.

The British High Commission in a statement by the Head of Communications, Policy and Corporate Lead, Department for International Development, David Smith, in Abuja yesterday, explained that the deceased Briton’s next-of-kin had been notified.

The commission stated that it was offering consular assistance to her family while also engaging with the Nigerian authorities on the incident.

While offering its sympathies and condolences to the family and friends of the victims of the attack, the Mission said it would not comment or speculate on the motive or nature of the attack ‘at this time.’

The statement said, “The British High Commission is aware of an incident involving the death of a British national and a Nigerian national in Kaduna State, late on Friday evening.

“Mooney was killed on Friday, April 19, 2019 in an attack at Kajuru Castle, near Kaduna, alongside a Nigerian national, Oguche. ” Mooney was employed in Nigeria with the NGO Mercy Corps. Oguche worked for the International NGO Safety Organisation.

“Her next-of-kin has been notified and we are offering consular assistance to her family. We are engaging with the Nigerian authorities, and we understand an investigation is underway.”

Meanwhile, the senator representing Kaduna Central at the Senate, Sani, has warned tourists and any adventurer thinking of visiting Kaduna, to stay away, at least for now.

He said his advice was based on the observation that gunmen who have laid siege to the state meant

business.

Sani made this known via his verified Twitter handle @ShehuSani yesterday; just as the Kaduna State Government announced its partnership with the World Bank Group and the Rockefeller Foundation to launch what it called @ ClickOnKaduna — a set of digital programmes designed to train youths aged 18-40 including women and disadvantaged groups with digital skills and digital entrepreneurship skills.

Sani had tweeted: “All those una wey wan come up here do tourism, escortion

(excursion) or sight seeing, make una chill, this gunmen no dey joke, life no get double.”

On Saturday, two people were shot dead by persons suspected to be terrorists, while three others were abducted during a social gathering at Kajuru Castle, a popular resort in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna.

Kaduna State Police Command yesterday said one of the persons killed at Kajuru Castle was a British female expatriate, and identified her as Miss Faye Mooney.

The state Command’s

Public Relations Officer, DSP Yakubu Sabo, who revealed this, said efforts were ongoing to safely recover those kidnapped and get the suspects arrested.

Earlier yesterday, the Kaduna State Police Command said it had restored law and order on Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway after irate youths blocked the bypass over an alleged overnight kidnapping in Kaduna.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that at about 1:00 a.m., suspected gunmen stormed Rariya community

near Kabala and allegedly kidnapped some people, leading to protests over the incident.

A resident, Abubakar Ladan, alleged that three women, a teenager and a man were kidnapped.

The Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Yakubu Sabo, confirmed the incident.

Sabo said when the incident was reported to the Divisional Police Officer, he led a team of personnel to the area for rescue.

“When they went there, the suspected kidnappers had run away.

Third Mainland Bridge is Safe to Use, FG Assures Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The federal government has assured commuters and Lagos residents that the Third Mainland Bridge is safe to use and does not pose any structural danger to the bridge.

It also insisted that all the tests done preparatory to closure of the bridge to commence comprehensive maintenance works indicated that the integrity of the bridge was intact.

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, disclosed this in a statement yesterday in Abuja.

He added that underwater confirmatory tests conducted in March this year, preceding the repair works to be done on the bridge, were carried out on the piles to determine if there was further deterioration or not on the piles from that done in 2013.

Fashola stated: “The general public is hereby informed that the expansion joint shown in a Facebook video clip, is one of those slated for change during repairs to the Third Mainland Bridge, which will commence soon.

“It is still functioning and our engineers and consultants have advised that it does not pose any structural danger to the bridge and it is safe to use.

“Commuters and Lagos

residents will recall that the Third Mainland Bridge was shut down for a three-day Investigative Maintenance in August 2018. Tests done on the expansion joints then - called static and dynamic load tests - were to check functionality.

A number of expansion joints were identified for replacement then.

“However, all the tests done preparatory to closure of the bridge to commence comprehensive maintenance works indicate that the integrity of the bridge is intact.

“Therefore the Third Mainland Bridge is safe for use, and people should desist from spreading or sharing false information about the bridge on social media platforms”, he said.

The minister stressed that the expansion joints to be replaced are part of a regular bridge maintenance programme that has been neglected for decades, which the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is now addressing frontally on many bridges nationwide.

Fashola explained that such maintenance works include resurfacing of the bridge, along with several others, which this administration is also undertaking as the bridge users would attest to a better driving surface.

DINNER WITH THE ANNOINTED…

L-R: Senator-elect for Ekiti North, Olubunmi Adetunmbi; Deputy National Chairman, South, All Progressives Congress (APC), Niyi Adebayo; Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan; Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; Senator-elect for Ekiti Central , Opeyemi Bamidele; and Senator-elect for Ekiti South, Dayo Adeyeye; during a dinner with newly-elected Ekiti State National Assembly members in Abuja...recently

Yari: No Apologies over Zamfara Air Strikes Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State has said the state government would not apologise over the alleged killing of villagers in the state during bombardment of suspected bandits camps in Dumburum village in Zurmi Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.

The governor, who made the statement when a sevenman investigation team on the matter visited him at his Talata-Mafara private residence, said Dunburum village had served as hideout for criminals over the last three years.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the state’s Council of Chiefs had a fortnight ago alleged that innocent citizens were recently bombarded through air strikes in the area by personnel of the Nigeria Air Force (NAF).

“As far as I am concerned and as the head of

government in the state, l haven’t seen anything wrong done by the air force, l haven’t received any brief on such matter.

“Dumburum has been a criminal hideout for over three years and the Emir of Zurmi has once asked me to go and wipe out the area, saying all those residing there were bandits.

So, l am surprised that the emir will be part of those saying innocent people were killed in an encounter in the area,” he said.

The governor who said some powers were working against the state, maintained that “some people will stay in Abuja and fabricate things against the operations in Zamfara State in order to distract the operation; this we must not allow.

“Please, all security agencies, especially the air force should continue with

your usual constitutional duties and the state government will give you all the support to facilitate your concentration in trying to bring back peace which has eluded the state since 2007.

“You should continue with fire power to show the criminals that there is a government in place and we won’t negotiate with them again because when we did that in the past, the leaders pretended as if all was well while they allowed their boys to continue to lay siege on the communities.”

Handing over a letter of condolence to the governor from the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar, the team leader, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Idi Lubo, said it was part of the NAF chief’s concern in case the allegations were true.

He said, “the Chief of Air Staff has directed us to properly investigate the matter in order to unravel the truth.

“We have visited other stakeholders and discovered that there was a misinformation, which we have now resolved and wish to assure the people of the state that we shall continue to discharge our assigned responsibilities in protecting the innocent with professionalism.”

The team which was conducted round by the Commander of 207 Quick Response Group, Squadron Leader Sunkanmi Thomas, thanked all stakeholders for the support given to the air operations in the state.

NAN also reported that the team visited heads of security agencies, traditional rulers and government officials among others while in the state.

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NEWS XTRA

Shari’ah Council Berates FG over Insecurity, Killings John Shiklam in Kaduna The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) has carpeted the federal government over its poor handling of insecurity and killings across the country.

Rising from its Ramadan meeting in Kaduna attended by about 80 Muslim leaders from 25 states across the

country, SCSN’s Secretary General, Nafiu Baba Ahmad, in a communiqué, called on the federal government to change tactics in dealing with the security challenges.

The communiqué read to journalists by the council’s President, Dr. Ibrahim Datti Ahmad, stated categorically that the federal government’s effort in checkmating

OPEC Harps on Importance of Dangote Refinery to World Oil Production Stability Peter Uzoho The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is upbeat at the prospect of the Dangote Oil Refinery serving to drive world crude oil refining capacity increase, especially in Africa, by 2020.

The organisation in the current edition of its World Oil Outlook (WOO), said that the Dangote refinery, which is the first privately-owned and operated refinery in Nigeria, will refine as much as 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day at installed capacity.

Presently, total world oil production in 2019 averaged 80,622,000 barrels per day.

Approximately 68 per cent is coming from the top ten countries, and an overlapping 44 per cent comes from the 14 current OPEC members.

OPEC said in the outlook that the world is expecting some capacity expansion coming from Nigeria by 2020, either through the rehabilitation of existing refineries – in part to raise their utilisation rates, or through grassroots projects, like the Dangote Oil Refinery.

OPEC stated: “Last year’s World Oil Outlook hinted that, in Africa, “new projects could improve the situation somewhat toward the end of the period”.

This year, increasing confidence that the Dangote project in Nigeria will go ahead is indeed changing the picture.

“Allowing for some uncertainty in the project’s start-up timetable, incremental potential in Africa is expected to continue to lag incremental demand-based requirements through 2020, after which the potential is for a balance or excess requirements.

“A deficit of around 0.2 million barrels per day (mb/d) in 2019 to 2020 is estimated to swing to an excess of around 0.3 mb/d by 2022 to 2023.

It must be borne in mind that this regional outlook is unusual in that it hinges largely on a single project”.

OPEC said the completion of the project would reduce the importation of petroleum products in West Africa. “Since the project is in West Africa, its implementation does not necessarily alter the situations in North and East/South Africa. What should happen, especially in West Africa, is a reduction in the need and opportunity for product imports,” it added.

According to OPEC, in Africa, there are some 50 listed refining projects, which, if all

built, would add nearly 5mb/d of new refining capacity to the continent. The organisation noted, however, that in recent WOOs, the proportion of projects considered firm has generally been low, for example, 0.4 mb/d for the 2017 to 2022 period in WOO 2017.

“This year, the outlook represents a significant reversal from recent history. For the first time in many years, projected firm additions at 1.1 mb/d exceed regional demand growth for 2018 to 2023 at 0.7 mb/d.

“This change relates primarily to one project in Nigeria now under construction. Recognising that this one major project is in West Africa, the prospects for North and East/South Africa continues to be for further increases in regional net product imports.

“It must be borne in mind that this regional outlook is unusual in that it hinges largely on a single project.

Moreover, since the project is in West Africa, its implementation does not necessarily alter the situations in North and East/ South Africa. What should happen, especially in West Africa, is a reduction in the need and opportunity for product imports,” it stated.

Reacting to the OPEC position, Group Executive Director, Strategy, Portfolio Development and Capital Projects, Dangote Industries Limited, Mr. Devakumar Edwin, said the organisation was correct in its estimation and that all hands are on deck to deliver the refinery on time.

He stated that the Dangote Group’s ongoing refining and petrochemicals project can meet 100 per cent of the domestic requirement of all liquid petroleum products (Gasoline, Diesel, Kerosene and Aviation Jet), leaving the surplus for export in line with the OPEC expectation.

He said that this high volume of petrol output from the Dangote Refinery would transform Nigeria from a petrol import-dependent country to an exporter of refined petroleum products.

Edwin disclosed that Dangote is also constructing the largest fertilizer Plant in West Africa with capacity to produce 3 million tonnes of Urea per year as part of the gigantic economic transformation project.

He explained that the Dangote Fertilizer complex consists of Ammonia and Urea plants with associated facilities and infrastructure.

insecurity in north eastern states and in Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina, Taraba and Benue States, “is grossly inadequate” The Islamic body however, advised the government to live up to its responsibility by reviewing current security strategy as well as holding security chiefs accountable for their actions and inactions.

The communiqué reads in part: “That the security situation in the country has reached an alarming state, in addition to the north

eastern States and now states like Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina, Taraba and Benue, where cases of kidnapping, banditry, and Boko Haram are unleashing terror with impunity.

“The efforts in tackling the situation are grossly inadequate. The council is accordingly calling on the government to braze up to its basic responsibility by reviewing its current security strategy and holding the security chiefs accountable for their actions and inactions.

“The government is therefore, called upon to engage the Fulani leadership, listen to their complaints and pay them compensation over their losses of lives and herds of cattle.

“We call on all Muslims to continue to pray for peace to reign in this country and both the Imams of Jumma’ah and other mosques to start saying the Qunut for the improvement of the security situation in the country.

“The council observes that the continuous

marginalisation of Muslims in the Armed Forces, intelligence and other law enforcement agencies has not abated.

“Justice demands that this prolonged marginalisation must be urgently addressed.

“That the recent political antecedent in the democratic landscape of the country has taught us that as the majority, henceforth the Ummah demands the implementation of democracy in its totality since democracy is a game of numbers”.

LET THERE BE GAS…

L-R: FirstVice President, Nigerian Gas Association (NGA) and SeniorVice President, Gas, AITEO,Victor Okoronkwo; President, NGA and Executive Director, Falcon Corporation Limited, Audrey Joe-Ezigbo; MD/CEO Eroton Exploration and Production Limited, Ebiaho Emafo; and Director, Powergas Delta Limited, Aloy Duru, at the NGA Business Forum 2019 in Lagos…recently

Terrorism: Christianity May Go into Extinction in Northern Nigeria, Says Cleric Hammed Shittu in Ilorin Spiritual father of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church worldwide, Most Reverend, Samuel Adefila Abidoye, has expressed fears that Christianity may go into extinction in the northern parts of the country.

He gave the prevalent acts of terrorism in the region as one of the reasons for his submission.

In his Easter statement issued in Ilorin, Kwara State capital yesterday, the cleric said that the church was yet to recover from the effect of destruction of lives and property in the North -east

by Boko Haram insurgents, “yet, we are witnessing killings in Kaduna State.

“Many of our churches in the North have become

redundant and unable to fulfill their obligations to the conference because of the parlous state of their finances. More importantly, membership in these churches have become scanty and there is real danger that if care is not taken, we may find many of them shut down in the nearest future”, he said.

Abidoye, who urged President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Assembly and well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on Kaduna State Government to guide and guard constitutional provision for freedom of worship and association as enshrined in the nation’s constitution, added that the governor should recognise the rights of Christians in the southern part of the state so that they

can live a meaningful life.

While commending and identifying with the present administration in the country on the successes recorded so far on the war against terrorism, the cleric urged the government to sustain the tempo.

He also urged Christians in the country to intensify spiritual efforts on the menace, saying that they should assist victims of terrorist acts.

“Our duty as co-members is to take their plights to our prayer answering Father and knock loudly on the door of heaven for divine intervention and revival.

As we dance and celebrate the Easter, some of these people will be despondent, hungry and lonely. I call on all members to remember these brethrens and do all

we can to help them survive the trying times.

“I also urge you to be praying fervently for the release of Leah Sharibu, that girl in captivity of Boko Haram, who refused to deny her faith in our Saviour Jesus Christ”, he said.

Abidoye also called on Christians in the country not to allow the death of Jesus Christ to go in vain, saying that they should shun all vices that are not expected of anyone who wants to be part of the last call.

He therefore said, : “It is in view of this that I call on all Nigerians, irrespective of religion, tribe or race to eschew bitterness and other characteristics that do not engender unity”, he said, adding that, “lack of unity is dangerous and a threat to peace and togetherness.”

Obaseki Tasks Christians on Sacrifice, Redemption, Love Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has called on Christians to imbibe the virtue of selfless service and love in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is the hallmark of the Easter season.

Obaseki made the call to mark Easter, a holiday in the Christian calendar which marks the end of

the 40-day Lenten season.

It is celebrated by several Christian denominations across the world.

The governor noted, “I join Christian faithful in Edo State and across the world in celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice to redeem mankind is an enduring example to all.

“As we mark Easter Sunday, it is important to reflect on the lessons of selflessness, the virtue of love and redemption.

I encourage everyone not just to uphold the love shared this period but also to ensure that it becomes a part of our lives every day.”

Obaseki added, “With selfless service and passion for the downtrodden as key

teachings on Easter, I enjoin everyone to be their brother’s keeper, work to foster peace and togetherness, and uphold the collective good of all in our dealings.”

The governor assured Edo residents that adequate security arrangements have been made to ensure a peaceful Easter celebration in the state.

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COMMENT

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

INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES DRIVING ACCESS TO FINANCE

Mudashiru Olaitan writes that the mandate of the development finance department is promoting access to finance to ensure job creation

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t the Central Bank of Nigeria we are open to attending conferences like the Future Banking Technology West Africa summit, because it gives us insights into emerging innovations in the financial, banking and technology landscape. It also provides an avenue for us to learn about innovative financial service solutions that could enhance delivery of development finance services to clients in Nigeria.

As the emerging technologies and programmes in the region that are increasing access to finance are necessary, the CBN in its bid to increase access to finance has embarked on a number of initiatives such as Establishment of National Collateral Registry for movable assets particularly for MSMEs and reduce the risks associated with lending to the sector. With the NCR Nigeria’s “getting credit ranking has improved from 32nd to 6th Position and the country is adjudged one of the 10 most improved economies. Credit penetration in Nigeria is currently at 3% according to recent surveys by EFInA. As part of the financial inclusion strategy, we hope to improve that number to 40%. This initiative will help towards that objective. The second initiative is Shared Agent Network Expansion Facility, as Nigeria seeks to roll out 500,000 agents across the 774 local governments in the country by 2020, capture 40 million Bank Verification Number (BVN) and rapidly drive financial literacy amongst the unbanked. This is to address the gaps of agent network, functional identity and financial literacy in Nigeria.

The third initiative is Establishment of a National Microfinance Bank that leverages Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) outlets in rural communities to deepen access to finance. The NMFB will revamp the postal system in Nigeria and make NIPOST agent outlets financial service points across the country as well as Introduction of Payment Service Banks. This initiative is aimed at leveraging mobile and digital service to enhance financial inclusion and stimulate economic activities at the grass roots. Promoters are expected to have 25% of their location in excluded areas of the country. Also, non-traditional players like the Telcos and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods companies (FMCGs) can now play in providing financial services.

The new age consumers of financial services in Nigeria demand convenient, fast, affordable, responsive and reliable products from financial service providers. In responding to these demands, the financial and banking sector in the region

THE NEW AGE CONSUMERS OF FINANCIAL SERVICES IN NIGERIA DEMAND CONVENIENT, FAST, AFFORDABLE, RESPONSIVE AND RELIABLE PRODUCTS FROM FINANCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS

have begun to innovate, embark on technology transformation and change internal processes to adapt to the needs of their consumers and compete in acquiring new customers.

For us as regulators, our policies most constantly consider and reflect the dynamic nature of an increasingly sophisticated consumer base, while also constantly seeking ways to develop policies that will close the financial inclusion gap.

To describe the future of the financial industry in Africa considering the advent of automation, artificial intelligence and big data; we must consider the availability of mobile phones in Africa, which has presented a huge opportunity to reach the consumer more than ever. With Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big data, customer insights can now be readily available to address specific needs in specific ways.

This will bring strongly to the fore, the issue of consumer and data privacy especially amongst the unbanked. To harness these potentialities, we need to first address the existing infrastructure gap plaguing the region. Also, we need to look at the regulation space in the region such that it is well balanced and does not stifle innovation.

There have been a lot of discussions surrounding telcos entering the financial space, especially since the CBN launched Payment Service Banks late last year. The primary objective of the Payment Service Bank is to provide financial services to about 36.6 million Nigerians who are currently unbanked. At the core of the revised National Financial Inclusion strategy are two principles: regulators providing a level playing field, and, promoters playing according to their strength. From the foregoing the intent of this new category of financial services producers is to enable non-traditional players come in and play to their strength with eyes on reaching the unbanked. So, we believe the telcos and the banks have their strengths and this policy will facilitate collaboration for the interest of the stakeholder.

The digital financial services changed over the last five years. From our experience, a focus on consumer needs is important to increase usage of these technologies. There is a need to constantly up the skill of our staff to enable them to manage digital platforms and processes. Our interest is and will always be on programmes that will help achieve monetary stability objective while ensuring inclusive growth and economic development.

Dr. Olaitan is Central Bank of Nigeria’s Director of Development Finance Department

UNMASKING RESOURCE CONTROL Nigeria should be run on basis of fiscal federalism, writes Tony Ademiluyi

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any supporters and friends of Chief James Onanefe Ibori contend that his incarceration in the United Kingdom was political.

They opine that the real reason he was a Guest of her Majesty was because of his belief in resource control and his clamour for true federalism which would make the centre less attractive. The current 13 per cent is too minute for the development of the Niger Delta and the governors want much more of the large pie.

One of the errors that the late General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi made was in making Nigeria a unitary state. That decision is still haunting Nigeria till date.

Abuja is too powerful and it makes nonsense of the constitutional powers that the governors are supposed to possess. Many states are insolvent because the mindset of the governors has been conditioned to running to the centre to collect bailouts to pay salaries and run recurrent expenditure. How tragic!

The 1963 constitution was a locus classicus for true federalism and should have been retained rather than the 1999 constitution that is a unitary state-favoured document. The military had a strong hand in the drafting of the 1979 and 1999 constitutions as they didn’t totally want to relinquish power to the ‘bloody’ civilians.

Governors weren’t elected to just pay salaries. Many are handicapped as they hardly generate sufficient revenue from their respective states to do massive infrastructural developments.

Let’s take a critical look at the security challenges. Most governors are the chief security officers of their states in name but not in practice as the commissioners of police take their orders from the Inspector-General of Police. This gives armed bandits the time and leeway to kill and maim innocent

citizens since the governor isn’t in control of the police. While I personally support veteran journalist Kadaria Ahmed’s position in blasting the Zamfara State governor, Alhaji Abdulazeez Yari for being irresponsible for ruling from Abuja, his hands would also have been tied if he had sat in Gusau as the bureaucracy in the police force would have made him extremely helpless.

Some aspects of the exclusive list will also be divested to the concurrent. For instance, the issue of seaports building. Imagine if there were seaports in Anambra, Bayelsa and Ondo amongst other states that have easy sea access, Lagos will automatically become decongested as businessmen will move to these other cities in droves. The rural-urban migration will be drastically reduced as well as the crime rate.

Resource control will inadvertently lead to state or community policing whereby the policemen are indigenes of the states they work in and live and are well acquainted with the neighbourhood. Many crimes including the herdsmen crisis would have been forestalled if this police model was the reality.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo would not have built the entire infrastructure in barely five years under this unitary system arrangement.

Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe wouldn’t have declined entering into the alliance with the Action Group to become Prime Minister if the regions were weak. Sir Ahmadu Bello would have become the nation’s first prime minister if the nation operated a unitary structure.

Before independence, there was healthy competition among the three regions. The west had its cocoa, east had its coal and oil palm while the north had its groundnut pyramids and cattle. A certain percentage was remitted to the centre and the premiers were not going cap-in-hand to Lagos, the then capital to beg for funds to meet the needs of their civil service.

The 13 per cent derivation currently given

to the south-south zone is rather small and smirks of a great injustice. The lopsided unitary system has made the nation witness the ugly scenario where the holders of the highest oil blocs hail from outside the Niger Delta. The zone has been raped with all manner of oil spills and long lasting damage to her rivers so that her inhabitants can no longer fish anymore. Resource control would mean that the states will control the allocation of the oil blocs and there will be more justice as more indigenes would be owners of them.

Also the international oil companies operating in that area would be forced to do more in terms of corporate social responsibility since they would be dealing directly with the state and not the centre.

It will also correct some imbalances currently plaguing the system. Lagos State for instance remits the highest VAT on alcohol and cigarettes but the biggest beneficiaries are the northern states which are supposed Sharia law bound. States will be forced to look inwards to generate their internally generated revenue while still remitting some to the centre. We will also witness the shift from natural resources to human resources.

The reality is that this is where the world is heading to and we mustn’t be left behind. Oil would most likely lose its global relevance two decades from now. What is the supposed ‘Giant of Africa’ doing to diversify her economy from the sole dependence on oil?

A state like Ondo with a seaport will become a major exporter of bitumen as it has one of the highest deposits in the world. If a dry port is built in Osun State, it will enable her become a major exporter of agricultural produce. Consider the fertile lands in Oyo and Benin and if a dry port is built in these places.

It will solve our current major challenge of food rejection at the international market when the states know that there won’t be any bailout funds for them coming from Abuja.

Nnewi will become an automobile hub and the vehicles made there will be exported abroad while the government gains through taxes. The seaport in Anambra will bring in lots of businesses which will translate into more jobs for the people especially the restless youths. Aba will be a cluster for the production of clothes and footwear and there will be a nationwide campaign for the wearing of clothes and shoes produced in Nigeria which will make these industrious traders up the ante of their game as their eyes will be set on capturing a fair share of the export market.

The need to imitate foreign clothes and shoes will be totally eliminated as Nigerians will take pride in putting them on.

The individual states will identify their areas of comparative advantage and develop them accordingly. There will be healthy rivalry amongst the states as they strive to outdo one another to provide nothing short of the best for their inhabitants and indigenes. The urge to go abroad at all costs – going by road to Europe will be reduced as the enabling to succeed at home will be greatly enhanced.

In every dysfunctional system there are beneficiaries who don’t want the party to cease.

There are politicians, special interest groups and businessmen who are profiting from this current political structure. It will be a herculean task to dislodge them but it’s not impossible to do so.

The onus rests on the National Assembly to prepare the grounds for the holding of a Sovereign National Conference so that this thorny issue of resource control can be heartily debated on for a more peaceful coexistence. The occupiers of the red and green chambers are elected representatives who should be recalled if they end up doing the bidding of the conservatives who want the current structure to subsist.

Power should indeed ultimately belong to the people.

Ademiluyi wrote from Lagos

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EDITORIAL Police And Movement Of Containers The new directive aimed at restoring sanity to the ports is welcome

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o the extent that doing business in Nigeria is being hampered by all manner of unwholesome practices, even when sometimes disguised as security, the recent directive aimed at restoring a measure of sanity to our ports is welcome. Henceforth, according to the Acting InspectorGeneral of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, policemen should desist from any unauthorised stoppage and search of containers after they had been released from the ports. And for any police formations to undertake investigations at the ports, it must be with the approval and active participation of the Assistant Inspector- General of Police (AIG) Maritime Command or Commissioner of Police in charge of Western or Eastern ports.

The directive was given during a visit by the management of the Nigerian Shippers Council led by the Executive Secretary/CEO, Mr Hassan Bello who decried the increasing disrupINCESSANT STOPPAGE tions on the moveOF CONTAINERS IS ment of duly released containers by different CAPABLE OF ERASING police formations.

ANY MARGINAL GAIN Such actions are not WHICH THE COUNTRY only hampering the HAS MADE IN THE EASE movement of imOF DOING BUSINESS ported materials, they are also increasing the cost in the conveyance of goods and services to their final destinations. Of particular concerns to Bello are the wider implications for the country both in terms of trade facilitation and ease of doing business.

On a daily basis, policemen from different formations, commands, units or teams waylay containers on highway and street corners not only for searching but also to scrutinise documents that had been checked and approved at the ports. Meanwhile, in several instances, both the vehicle and driver are detained until they are ‘bailed’ by the owners of the containers. Aside the fact that this shake-down approach to security is bad for the

Letters to the Editor

image of the country, it is also impacting negatively on the business environment.

Just recently, the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) complained that the existence of multiple Customs units at seaports and airports performing examination and similar duties was affecting smooth trade. “It is becoming worrisome as exited cargoes are recalled for duty payment, by virtually all customs units in contravention of best practices stipulated by the World Customs Organisation (WCO) guidelines on trade facilitation”, said ANCLA national president, Tony Nwabunike who also asked the Customs management to look into the issue of additional duties being levied on vehicles intercepted by its Federal Operations Unit (FOU).

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

e are aware of the numerous efforts being made by the federal government to stimulate the economy. But such efforts would amount to nothing if the untoward activities of some of the security agencies are not put in check. A situation whereby duly released containers are still subjected to unnecessary stoppage for presumed identification and verification does not bode well for the image of the country and the security agencies. Moreover, such incessant stoppage of containers is capable of erasing any marginal gain which the country has made in the ease of doing business. Inevitably, such delays caused by the stoppages are known to add additional demurrage charge to every container trapped in this avoidable milieu.

While we commend the efforts of the Nigeria Shippers Council in the manner it discharges its mandate, the management would require the cooperation of other agencies in making the movement of containers and other maritime cargoes stress free. Although the latest directive is in line with Adamu’s efforts to bring integrity to police operations in the country, we hasten to say that it is one thing to make an order, it is another thing to enforce it. We therefore call on all concerned to adhere strictly to the directive so as to restore sanity in the administration of port activities in our country.

TO OUR READERS Letters in response to specific publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-200 words) and straight to the point. Interested readers may send such letters along with their contact details to opinion@thisdaylive.com. We also welcome comments and opinions on topical local, national and international issues provided they are well-written and should also not be longer than (9501000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive.com along with the email address and phone numbers of the writer.

IGBO PRESIDENCY AS A MORAL BURDEN

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e have always pledged to Nigeria’s unity. But we have not gone beyond this ritual and work at it. How can we assert, “Nigeria’s unity is not negotiable”; yet we constantly chip away at the umbilical cord that holds us together?

It is obvious that the southeast has been politically quarantined. I think this is deliberate. Traditionally, the leadership of the three arms of government is dispensed on a “Wa-zo-bia” basis; that is, on the tripod – north, east and west – the country reclines.

Political balance is a sine qua non for national equilibrium. We cannot pontificate on unity and be insensitive to issues of political equity. The fons et origo of strife in society is inequity and imbalance. We talk of gender inequality today, which is unjust and unfair, political inequity is as much ghastly.

It is convenient to rationalise the political imbalance of this time because it indulges the sentiments of those it serves and those who feel it serves them.

As it is, with Buhari and Osinbajo in the executive, and with the APC picking Ahmed Lawan for senate president and Femi Gbajabiamila for speaker, and with Justice Tanko as the acting head of the judiciary, the government as we know it is in the paw of two sections of the country. Where is the place of the southeast, south-south and north-central in all of these?

How do we build an inclusive country with this kind of imbalance? How do we foster oneness with this depressing level insensitivity to matters of national unity? This is an issue too critical to ignore.

Some persons have argued that the regional background of the heads of the government is unimportant because, most times, the living conditions of people who have sons and daughters in political offices are not improved.

I agree. But this argument fails completely when tested in the lab of equity.

An organisation that is completely filled with males where females can functional effectively as well will naturally be termed gender-insensitive and discriminatory.

The point is, there is no excuse for inequity, in whichever form or place.

Equity is not about niceties or farcical and politically correct arguments; it is about inclusion and being sensitive to divergences and interests. And besides, there is a psychological warmth people get from knowing that someone from their axis is at the decision-making table, who they can cry to, summon to village or group meetings for censuring when necessary.

As I said in a previous article, a country as enormous, diverse and delicate as Nigeria cannot evolve organically when a part of it is marooned and confined to the fringes of political exclusion. The argument has always been, “the Igbo are not ready”, and “they are not playing the right politics”. But this argument is classically insipid and hollow.

Some people have also argued that the Igbo are “putting their eggs in one basket”. This is also a moot point. The Igbo are no different from the Yoruba, the Hausa and the Fulani in the game of politics.

A plethora of interests has always driven the politics of these ethnic groups.

If we are agreed that interest is the highest common factor in the political calculations of these groups, then we cannot berate the Igbo for choosing to swing whichever way they want to.

It is now a moral burden on Nigeria that a president of Igbo extraction emerges in 2023. If we are serious about our unity, then we must take cognisance of the country’s sensitivities. Our unity becomes truly not-negotiable, when all Nigerians matter.

Fredrick Nwabufo, fredricknwabufo@yahoo.com

SACKED FOR BEING TOO HONEST

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here are many people who think many teachers should be fired for not doing their job properly but in the latest case of educational stupidity a teacher has been sacked for being honest.

Diane Tirado is/was a teacher at West Gate K-8 School in Port St Lucie, USA. This school has a rather generous 50% minimum for any work even if there is no work. Does that school pay their teachers 50% of their wages when they don’t even turn up? If so, then I am willing to ‘work’ there.

Students should be encouraged and rewarded for their work, the important word being WORK. In most real world cases a zero performance gets a zero reward.

No teacher should be sacked for doing the sensible thing unless the world has gone mad although it appears to happen frequently in the educational environment.

Sack 50% of this school education board where there is 0% sensible thinking.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia

T H I S D AY ˾ MONDAY APRIL 22, 2019

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Group Politics Editor NSEOBONG OKON-EKONG

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

M O N D AY D I S C O U R S E

A Parliament Filled with Dramatic Events

Nseobong Okon-Ekong and Deji Elumoye capture some of the historic occurrences in the 8th Senate, which winds down in a few weeks

Saraki

Ndume

Ibrahim

Omoworare

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s the end of the 8th senate approaches, the tenure of that legislature will go down as one filled with very exciting and dramatic events; and apparently creating moments of high drama. So intense were the frequent occurrence of unfortunate but laughable spectacles that it mostly overshadowed the time-consuming work performed by the legislators. Upon its inauguration on June 9, 2015 and the emergence of former two-term Governor of Kwara state, Dr Bukola Saraki, as the Senate President, the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly took some time to stabilise. Saraki, who was not the

choice of the then leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) teamed up with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senators to emerge as the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Number Three citizen. Thus began an enduring season of chaos that attended the better part of the Saraki-led Senate. The leadership of the party never supported him and initiated a long-drawn battle to oust him.

For five months the 109-member Senate ran without the statutory committees, as only four special committees were constituted for legislative business. The special committees set up by Saraki in July, 2015 included Ethics, Privileges and Public Petition

headed by Senator Sam Anyawu (PDP Imo East); Rules and Business chaired then by Senator Babajide Omoworare (APC Osun East); General Services headed by Senator Ibrahim Gobiri (APC Sokoto East) and Public Accounts (SPAC) which is the only constitutionally recognised committee headed by Senator Andy Uba (PDP Anambra South).

On November 4, 2015, the Senate leadership decided to constitute 65 statutory committees which was later increased to 69 and priority was given to ranking Senators in the choice of the Chairmen of the committees.

With the composition of the committees, the Senate swung into action

QUICK FACTS:

legislative business 6. On November 4, 2015, the Senate leadership decided to constitute 65 statutory committees which was later increased to 69 and priority was given to ranking Senators in the choice of the Chairmen of the committees 7. Almost four years down the line, the relationship between the legislature and the executive remains as it was in the beginning-everything but cordial 8. The cat and mouse relationship between the two arms of government really affected governance as most Executive bills were not promptly worked on by the Senate while President Buhari also failed to assent to, not less than, 38 bills transmitted to him by the National Assembly in the last four years 9. In the areas of legislative duties

and oversight, the Eighth Senate is working on priority bills at various committee stages 10. Senate legislative interventions since June, 2015 include the firstever National Assembly Joint Public Hearing on the budget which gave the public, Civil Society Organisations and stakeholders like labour organisations an opportunity to weigh-in on the 2017 Appropriations Bill 11. In September, 2016, the Senate constituted an eight-man Ad Hoc Committee on the North-east charged with ascertaining the total amount of funds that have been released to the Presidential Initiative on the Northeast and probing spending by the Federal Government on the humanitarian crisis in the North-east. The Committee indicted the then Secretary to the Government of the Federation for

1. The 8th Senate was inaugurated on June 9, 2015 2. The emergence of former two-term Governor of Kwara state, Dr Bukola Saraki, as the Senate President was frowned at by his party, the APC 3. Saraki teamed up with PDP Senators to emerge as the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Number Three citizen 4. The Upper Chamber of the National Assembly took some time to stabilise.because Saraki was not the choice of the then leadership of the APC 5. For five months, the 109-member Senate ran without the statutory committees, as only four special committees were constituted for

in the performance of its legislative duties and oversight.

Almost four years down the line, the relationship between the legislature and the executive remains as it was in the beginning-everything but cordial.

In between time, Saraki who entered the Senate as an APC legislature, switched political party loyalty to PDP. The Executive as represented

by President Muhammadu relates with Saraki with suspicion because to them Saraki went against the directive of the ruling APC to emerge Senate President.

At the height of his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, senators frequently abandoned their duties misappropriating funds upwards of N200million 12. The Senate has passed 247 bills and treated 197 petitions since June, 2015 13. The Senate also submitted a 21-point resolution on executive actions that the executive needed to take to shore up investor confidence, create jobs, increase revenues and get Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy back on track 14. The leadership of the 8th senate was known for not tolerating indiscipline. Senators who found themselves at cross purposes with the leadership were whipped into line. On the other hand, the senate leadership stoutly defended members from being victimized by institutions of state. However, Saraki was often criticized in some quarters for shielding his â&#x20AC;&#x153;friendsâ&#x20AC;?

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MONDAY DISCOURSE

Ekweremadu

Sani

Anyanwu

Melaye

to accompany Saraki to the tribunal. Sometimes he had as many 50 senators and some members of the House of Representatives as escort. At such times, Ike Ekweremadu, deputy senate president, would preside over the plenary with only a few senators at the sitting. Saraki was being tried on three of the 18 counts of false assets declaration filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The matter went all the way to the Supreme Court, which finally laid the trial on assets declaration and sundry charges instituted against Saraki before the Code of Conduct Tribunal to rest.

To President Buhari and others around him Saraki is a usurper and they tried everything possible to frustrate him but that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work. The Executive also worked on APC Senators with a view to removing Saraki and the plan also failed because the Senate Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s popularity among the Senators cut across party lines. The cat and mouse relationship between the two arms of government really affected governance as most Executive bills were not promptly worked on by the Senate while President Buhari also failed to assent to, not less than, 38 bills transmitted to him by the National Assembly in the last four years.

The rejected bills by President Buhari included the controversial National Housing Fund Bill, Ajaokuta Steel Company Completion Fund Bill, Nigerian Aeronautical Search and Rescue Bill, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency Bill and National Biotechnology Development Agency Bill.

Others are the National Institute of Credit Administration Bill, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria Bill as well as the Chattered Institute of Training and Development of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill.

Other bills earlier rejected by Buhari include: Industrial Development (Income Tax Relief) Amendment Bill, Petroleum Industry Governance Bill, Stamp Duties (Amendment) Bill, National Institute of Hospitality and Tourism (Est.) Bill, National Research and Innovation Council (Est.) Bill and National Agricultural Seeds Council Bill.

Also rejected are: Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund (Amendment) Bill, Chattered Institute of Entrepreneurship (Est.) Bill, Subsidiary Legislation (Legislative Scrutiny) Bill, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (Amendment) Bill, Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences (Amendment) Bill as well as six constitution amendment bills.

Others include: Nigerian Film Corporation Bill, Immigration (Amendment) Bill, Climate Change Bill, Chattered Institute of Pension Practitioners Bill, Digital Rights and Freedom Bill, National Transport Commission Bill, Federal Road Authority (Establishment) Bill, National Broadcasting Commission Amendment

Bill, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) Act (Amendment) Bill and Federal Polytechnics Act (Amendment) Bill.

The President also rejected the four versions of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill passed by the Eighth National Assembly.

In the areas of legislative duties and oversight, the Eighth Senate is working on priority bills at various committee stages. These include Customs and Excise (SB 246); Federal Competition Bill (SB 257); Federal Roads Authority Bill (SB. 219); Ports & Harbours Reforms Bill (SB 243); Independent Warehouse Regulatory Bill (SB. 255); National Road Funds Bill (SB 218); National Development Bank Bill (SB 8); and National Transport Commission Bill (SB 242) Senate legislative interventions since June, 2015 include the firstever National Assembly Joint Public Hearing on the budget which gave the public, Civil Society Organisations and stakeholders like labour organisations an opportunity to weigh-in on the 2017 Appropriations Bill. Senate also intervened in the Abuja Airport Closure in 2017 saying the closure would affect businesses operating in the federal capital and pushed for alternatives to the closure of the Abuja airport.

In September, 2016, the Senate constituted an eight-man Ad Hoc Committee on the North-east charged with ascertaining the total amount of funds that have been released to the Presidential Initiative on the North-east and probing spending by the Federal Government on the humanitarian crisis in the North-east.

The Committee indicted the then Secretary to the Government of the Federation for misappropriating funds upwards of N200million.

The Senate has passed 247 bills and treated 197 petitions since June, 2015. Other legislative interventions performed by the Senate include allocation of N10bn in March, 2016 to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North-east in recognition of the dire situation.

The Senate also submitted a 21-point resolution on executive actions that the executive needed to take to shore up investor confidence, create jobs, increase revenues and get Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy back on track.

Although the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu could not be reached as calls placed to his line didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go through, his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Uche Anichukwu, however, said the 8th Senate had set a record in terms of the number and quality of bills passed as well as preserved of the independence of the legislature.

According to him, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Although this Senate has been through tough times, Senators have bravely preserved the fine principles of democracy such as the separation of powers and the independence of the legislature. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I vividly remember the day armed

hoodlums invaded the Senate and snatched the mace, the Senate did not buckle. Instead, Ekweremadu, who presided on that occasion said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We will stand by our democracy. We will defend our democracy. We are going to stand together to ensure that we continue with the assignment Nigerians gave us to represent them. We will conclude everything here (order paper) because that is what we are being paid to do. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And in the area of constitution amendment, the age requirement for the presidency and other political offices were reduced; time frame for the determination of pre-election matters was successfully set, while the state legislatures and judiciaries got their financial autonomy. These, among several other amendments will go a long way in deepening the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s democracy.â&#x20AC;?

For Senator Shehu Sani (PRP Kaduna Central), the Senate has been able to play its constitutional role and defended it. According to him, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Senate has also been able to prevent the country from sliding into tyranny and any threat towards totalitarianism and dictatorship.â&#x20AC;? Sani, an activist, added that, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We must accept the fact that the Eighth Senate is one that runs through turbulence and hazardous moments in the history of democracy in Nigeria. It will be remembered that 8th Senate refused to be rubber stamp of the Executive and also resisted dangerous moves by the Executive to neutralise the voice of the peopleâ&#x20AC;?.

The Senator who is Chairman of Senate Committee on Foreign Debts and Loans stated that the Senate has achieved an unprecedented level of success in terms of passed motions and bills â&#x20AC;&#x153;and for the first time, the opposition and ruling party worked together in the interest of the country.â&#x20AC;?

On the part of Senator Rafiu Ibrahim (PDP Kwara South), the Eighth Senate has surpassed all previous Senate in the passage of numerous bills especially economic ones in line with the promises the leadership of eighth Senate made at inception in June, 2015. According to Ibrahim, who is Chairman of Senate Committee on Banks, Insurance and other Financial Institutions, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We hope the passed bills will help restructure the economy with the hope that the Executive will look into the bills and not play politics with the bills.â&#x20AC;? He said he was proud to be a member of the eighth Senate having gained a lot from the upper legislative chamber in the last four years.

On its relationship with members, the leadership of the 8th senate was known for not tolerating indiscipline.

Senators who found themselves at cross purposes with the leadership were whipped into line. On the other hand, the senate leadership stoutly defended members from being victimized by institutions of state.

However, Saraki was often criticized in some quarters for shielding his â&#x20AC;&#x153;friendsâ&#x20AC;?. An Abuja-based lawyer

who preferred to remain anonymous said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you were a known antiSaraki senator, he would either not recognize you to speak or he overrule whatever you had to say, no matter how relevant.â&#x20AC;?

On March 29, 2017, Senate suspended for six months, the Senator representing Borno south, Mohammed Ali Ndume, who raised a motion on the floor of the senate, demanding the senate to investigate media reports alleging that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki imported a bullet proof Range Rover with fake documents; while Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi west) forged Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria first degree certificate. Majority of the senators held that he should have investigated the truth in the media reports before bringing it to floor of the senate. They insisted that the motion

by Ndume was in attempt to bring Melaye, his colleague, and the institution of the senate to, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Unbearable disrepute at this time of our National life when caution, patriotism, careful consideration and due diligence should be our watchwords.â&#x20AC;? The senate Ethics and Privileges Committee chairman, Senator Samuel Anyawu and few of his committee members that signed the committee report handed down a 181 legislative-day suspension.

Though the sentence was commuted to six months of suspension against 181 legislative days or one year, the Senate Rules actually prescribes a maximum of four legislative days of suspension for a senator involved in a highly serious offence. Ndume served out 90 legislative days of suspension, but a Federal High Court in Abuja declared the suspension of Ndume by the Senate as illegal and ordered that he be paid all his outstanding salaries and allowances.

Another notable suspension was that of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege representing Delta Central by the National Assembly joint ad hoc committee for 180 legislative days over the theft of the Senate mace. The committee also recommended that Senator Omo-Agege be prosecuted alongside six other suspects who allegedly accompanied him into the chamber on the day of the incident. They were to be prosecuted for treasonable felony, assault on National Assembly members of staff, conspiracy to steal and eventual theft of the Senate Mace.

On the other hand, for all his theatrics, Melaye, an avowed ally of Saraki was often let off with a slap on the wrist, for instance when he assaulted his colleague, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. Incidentally, both Ndume and Melaye survived a recall bid by their constituents.

Much as the Eighth Senate surpassed earlier Senate in the areas of passage of bills, motions and other legislative interventions, it is hoped that the leadership of the current Senate will do justice to all other outstanding bills before it adjourns in June without appointing a day on which to appear or assemble again.

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Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi Email chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, 08152252325

Five Years of Anguish for Missing Chibok Girls Chiemelie Ezeobi writes that the inability of the government to rescue the remaining Chibok schoolgirls, five years after they were abducted by the Boko Haram terrorists, remains an albatross on the nation's neck

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losure, they say, often happens when one makes peace or comes to terms with an unpleasant event. While this might be true, the same cannot be said to hold true for the families of the 112 Chibok girls who are still missing after their abduction five years ago by the Boko Haram sect. For them, April 14, 2019, marked five long years of unfulfilled promises, pain, uncertainty and disillusionment.

On exactly April 14, 2019, the abduction of 279 school girls from Chibok clocked five years.

But that is not the issue at hand. Five years later, about 112 are still in captivity, with their survival status unknown.

Abduction It's no gainsaying that prior to April 14, 2014, Chibok Town was just one of the obscure towns in Borno State until the Boko Haram sect struck and brought global focus to it for the wrong reason. The sect had struck at Chibok Government College, Borno State that fateful night and abducted 276 girls in one fell swoop. 57 girls however were able to escape. That began the days of anxiety and anguish for the affected families.

Although the school had been closed for four weeks prior to the attack due to the security situation at that time, the students had been recalled to write their final exams in physics amidst heavy military presence. When the news of the abduction broke, it was first deemed as rumours until the parents of the abducted girls began to speak up.

The confirmation of the abduction was further concretised when the Boko Haram sect had claimed responsibility and in a video they released, promised to treat them as slaves. In the video, the girls were draped in hijabs, a Muslim dress style.

Three weeks after they were abducted, the Federal Government had said they were not in the know of where the girls were taken to. When it was finally certified that the girls were indeed abducted, attempts to secure their release proved abortive despite help from global powers like United States, France, Israel and even Britain.

Shocked at the brazen abduction of the girls despite military presence, street protests and online campaigns were held with solidarity for the cause gaining wide acclaim and attracting sympathy beyond Nigeria's shores.

That was then. Except for the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group and the parents of the missing girls, who have kept faith, the clamour is practically dead now.

Some of the abducted girls

Photo credit: AFP

Initial Global Support Although the global support had died down over the years, the disappearance of the girls had cooked up a storm globally. To show solidarity to the BBOG then, world leaders and famous celebrities joined the hashtag #BBOG including United States' First Lady, Michelle Obama and activist, Malala Yousafzai. Countries like the United States, France, United Kingdom, Israel also reached out to Nigeria then.

Also showing their support, about 900 Bangladesh Students in 2016 stood in solidarity with the BBOG group in Nigeria, creating the hashtag #EndChildMarriage. In a picture posted on the twitter handle of @WGLBangladesh, it showed girls with cut-out papers spelling out 'Bring Back Our Girls' at the Tillagaon High School, in Kuluara, Mouivibazar, Bangladesh.

In the same vein, Nobel peace laureate, 17-yearold Malala Yousafzai, had also written a letter to the Chibok girls, where she lamented that both the Nigerian government and international community failed them.

She said, "In my opinion, Nigerian leaders and the international community have not done enough to help you. They must do much more to help secure your release. I am among many people pressuring them to make sure you are freed.

"Nigerian forces are re-gaining territory and protecting more schools. Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s elected president, Muhammadu Buhari, has vowed to

The tables and chairs used by the BBOG at the Unity Fountain to commemorate the continued disappearance of the 112 Chibok girls make securing your freedom a top priority and promised his government will not tolerate violence against women and girls. I look forward to the day I can hug each one of you, pray with you and celebrate your freedom with your families.

Until then, stay strong and never lose hope.

You are my heroines."

UnfulďŹ lled Promises Undoubtedly, it has been a case of unfulfilled promises from the past administration or partial fulfillment for the present administration. Although 297 girls were abducted from Government College, Chibok in Borno State, 57 were able to escape, leaving 219 girls still in captivity.

Years down the line, four others escaped and were rescued. Afterwards, the Muhammadu Buhari-led government secured the release of 103 after a deal involving ransom payment was made to the terrorists. This deal also purportedly included the release of five Boko Haram commanders.

The release of the 103 was a bitter sweet moment for the movement and the parents.

While those whose daughters were among those released were rapturous in their joy, it was the

opposite for those whose girls werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t among those released.

Keeping Faith While the nation still battles with the stain the continued loss of the girls portends, credit however must be give to the BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) advocacy group, who for five years have kept the faith. At the kick off of the group, it was championed by Hadiza Bala Usman Maryam Uwais, Saudatu Mahdi, Aisha Yesufu and former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili and it became a worldwide phenomenon. Week after week, they staged marches, protests, had meetings, all on strategies to bring the girls back.

The group even had a global week of action to mobilise everyone around the world to demand for the immediate rescue of the Chibok girls and end this humanitarian tragedy. Everyday, the group met at the Unity Fountain in Abuja, where they held daily sit-outs despite the elements, praying, encouraging themselves and liaising on the way forward.

This group has for five years now highlighted the plight of the missing girls and other victims of the insurgency, both at global level, and at

home through protest and through constructive engagement with the government and other agencies. According to them, their advocacy includes five years of a daily sit-outs in Abuja; weekly sit-outs in Lagos, Oshogbo, and Ibadan; visits to key local and international stakeholders; development of strategies and tools such as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Citizens Solutions to End Terrorismâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Verification, Authentication and Reunification System (VARS)â&#x20AC;&#x2122; for missing persons.

Shame of a Nation As they are known to do, the BBOG issued a statement to commemorate the day. This year, the statement tagged â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the shame of a nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Today marks five years since the tragic abduction of 276 #ChibokGirls from the Government Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Secondary School, Chlbok, Nigeria. Nothing prepared our movement for the shameful reality that 112 of our Chibok Girls would have their freedom, dignity and dreams taken away for five agonising years, because their government has failed to do everything necessary to give them justice of rescue. â&#x20AC;&#x153;None of us, who are not biological parents of the 112 remaining girls, can accurately imagine

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The names of the remaining 112 Chibok girls who are still missing what their parents and families must feel on a day like this. We however know that one thing they have uniformly expressed is the deepest level of disappointment at the way that the tragedy the abduction of their daughters and the grief of parents have been badly managed by two successive governments. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For these parents, they feel that our country let down their daughters by failing to uphold their right to freedom and life. For these parents, the worse is that the current administration, which while in opposition, promised to dignify them and their daughters by taking speedy actions of rescue and keeping them abreast of developments. This is indeed the shame of a nation. The shame of leadership that has failed the citilens who have every right to the constitutional duties of government to guarantee their safety and security. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Today, five years after, the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has persisted to deny "Chlbokgirls and their parents the speedy action of rescue promised. Even worse, it has denied them the simple and basic: respect of providing updates on the status of the federal government effort, if any at all to rescue them.

It is condemnable that the same president, who made the abduction of "ChibokGIrls the epicenter of his campaign in the 2015 Presidential elections, no longer remembers that 112 children of his poor citizens are still languishing in the den of terrorists despite his many pledges to rescue them. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The world which cried out in unison for justice on behalf of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chibokgirls are not at all fooled by any statement that may be made today by the government of President Buhari.

They can see that the parents of our remaining school girls have wickedly been forgotten and abandoned to their fate, and left to grieve the loss of their children without any form of closure being declared by the Federal Government.

No serious government handles a matter like the still missing 113 school girls of Chibok and Dapchi with the levity of an unending saga. The same manner of gross neglect and abandonment has also been extended to the parents of Leah Sharibu. We question the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s silence on Leah Sharibu. We question governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s silence on the state of Alice Nggadah of UNICEF. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were tempted to not direct any further statements to the president and his government on this fifth year since abduction of our Chibok girls.

We contemplated allowing our silence make the loudest statement considering that a word count would record that our movement has already spoken and written in excess of 1 million words in our effort to get the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to give the justice due to the remaining 112 girls to them and their families.

However, our voice shall continue to make the same demands no matter how impervious to its duty to our Chibok girls the president and his administration may act.

President Muhammadu Buhari

Oby Ezekwesili (far left) and others at Unity Fountain â&#x20AC;&#x153;Since our first march on the streets of Abuja, Lagos, New York, Washington DC, London and other cities of the world from April 30, 2014, we have never ceased to advocate for our #Chibokgirls and other abducted citizens.

What have we not said or done in the past to get the president and his government to treat the victims of the Chibok and Dapchi tragedies with the humanness and dignity that serious nations accord their citizens? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our movement has written, spoken, held meetings at local and global levels and marched to mount pressure on the Nigerian government, leading countries and the United Nations to give justice to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chibokgirls and other abducted persons like Leah Sharibu.â&#x20AC;?

Demands Over the years, their demands have always been for the girls to be rescued. According to them, while they are aware of the efforts made so far, and commend the government for the recovery of 107 Chibok girls, and 106 Dapchi girls, they will not relent in their advocacy and strident demands for the rescue of our school children and fellow citizens from captivity.

In demanding justice for the slain, they also acknowledged and honoured the sacrifice of the military and expressed their thoughts and prayers to the families of the heroes in the armed forces.

Therefore, the sum total of their demands were for government to, â&#x20AC;&#x153;bring back our girls now and alive, equip and look after the welfare of our police and our troops, give our children

safe and secure schools, properly rehabilitate those who have been victims of conflict or crisis, respond quickly whenever something bad happens to our citizens, and communicate about what they are doing to the victimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s families and the general publicâ&#x20AC;?.

Legislative Call The House of Representatives also called on the Federal Government to redouble efforts towards securing the release of the remaining Chibok schoolgirls and the last Dapchi girl, Leah Sharibu. The call was made at the plenary last Wednesday, after it adopted a motion moved by a member representing Chibok/Gwoza/ Damboa Federal Constituency in Borno State, Asabe Vilita-Bashir.

Moving the motion, which was largely debated and unanimously adopted by the lawmakers, Vilita-Bashir said it was disheartening that after five years of their abduction, about 112 of the Chibok girls were still being held by the insurgents.

Deputy Speaker, Mr Lasun Yusuff, who presided over the plenary, said it was painful that after the Chibok girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; abduction, more girls were captured by the insurgent in Dapchi.

He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is painful because in my area, my people say it is better for a child to be announced dead than to be declared missing.

Some of the girls might have died in the hands of their abductors, and some security personnel might have lost their lives in the course of rescuing the girls. We just need to improve on our security architecture.â&#x20AC;?

Photo credit: Channels TV

Fresh Promise Undeterred by the bleak future, President Buhari, however promised not to forget the girls. He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Today marks five years since the abduction of our Chibok daughters. We have succeeded in bringing back 107 of them, but we will not rest until all the remaining girls are back and reunited with their families. I made this promise when I became President, and I will keep it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will never give up on our missing daughters, including Leah Sharibu; and all the other people held hostage by Boko Haram. In the last four years our security agencies have successfully rescued thousands of captives, and they will not relent until every captive is free. It gladdens our hearts to see the progress being made by the young women rescued from Boko Haram. We celebrate their courage & determination to defy the evil ideology of the terrorists, by continuing to pursue their education. There is no doubt that the world is inspired by them. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I extend our best wishes to all the Chibok girls in various schools in Nigeria and around the world. Special congratulations to Kauna Yaga Bitrus, who has excelled in her college in Maine, USA, and will very soon be receiving an 'Against All Odds Award' from her school.â&#x20AC;?

While Buhari's fresh promise may evoke hope for the bereaved parents, its fulfillment would actually be better. In essence, there are families that continue to hope against hope for the safe return of their daughters after five long years, despite the fact that their fate and whereabouts remains unknown.

22

T H I S D AY ˾ MONDAY APRIL 22, 2019

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BUSINESSWORLD

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

ÍŻ ͡ Ë&#x153; Í° ÍŽ ÍŻ ͡ MONEY MARKET OVERNIGHT OBB

REPO 10.57 % 9.86%

CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH

10% 12.75% 12.88%

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

386.54% -0.08% -0.01%

S & P INDEX 1/4 TO DATE YEAR TO DATE

-0.01% 8.28%

EXCHANGE RATE ͹͎ʹË&#x203A;͡ͳ˚ͯ ĚŠ ĚŠ

Quick Takes Heritage Bank Sends OďŹ&#x20AC; CCO

Heritage Bank Plc, in celebration of its retiring General Manager and Chief Compliance OďŹ&#x192;cer, Mr. Adewumi Adeniyi, recently held a sendoďŹ&#x20AC; party. Management and colleagues of Adeniyi praised him for his exceptional contribution to the growth of the sector after an unbroken stint of 37 years of working in the banking industry.

Speaking at the send forth party at the corporate headquarters of the bank, Executive Director South-west, Heritage Bank, Mr. Jude Monye, described the celebrant as, â&#x20AC;&#x153;an embodiment of everything called Heritage Bank,â&#x20AC;? as well as being a consummate banker of note. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He cares for his colleagues, both senior and junior members of staďŹ&#x20AC; of the bank and he is also full of compassion,â&#x20AC;? Monye said. The newly appointed Chief Compliance OďŹ&#x192;cer for Heritage Bank, Mrs. Oluwatomi Ojo, in her remarks on the occasion, described Wumi in glowing terms. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our relationship was very cordial. He is someone who has extensive banking experience in various areas. He is also someone that is extremely matured, calm, thinks rationally and very strategic. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People that worked with him also received the fatherly touch but he is also a ďŹ rm professional who is not afraid to take the unpopular decision when circumstances call for it. He is a well-rounded leader and very compassionate to his colleagues both at personal and oďŹ&#x192;cial levels.â&#x20AC;?

In his remarks, Mr. Adeniyi appreciated the board and management of the bank for the honour and also thanked God for such a memorable day.

While assuring his now former colleagues that he is just a phone call away, Mr. Adeniyi encouraged them to carry on professionally and to occupy the space that God has given them.

LCCI to Hold Mining Summit

DISCUSSING OIL AND GAS SECTOR

L-R: Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Maikanti Baru; American Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington and Chairman, PetroleumTechnology Association of Nigeria, Mr. Bank Anthony Okoroafor, discussing ways of moving the oil and gas industry forward at a summit held in Abujaâ&#x20AC;Śrecently

MANCallsforDialogueonFuelSubsidy Chris Uba The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has called for a dialogue between the federal government and other relevant stakeholders on how to resolve the lingering problem of petroleum subsidy.

MAN stressed that if no efforts were made to carry Nigerians along on such a national issue, any other moves by the government would end up as a recipe for national disaster in the near future.

The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, recently said the federal government had no intention to remove fuel subsidy. She explained

ECONOMY that subsidy would only be removed when the federal government finds a formula that would cushion the effect on Nigerians.

But the Director-General of MAN, Mr. Segun Ajayi-Kadir, who spoke to THISDAY in an interview, said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;now the consideration of fuel subsidy, even though an economic issue and requires deep circumspection and far sightedness, has been infested with social and political considerations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whether you retain or remove the subsidy, there are economic, social and political consequences. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So government needs to

engage in frank and strategic conversation with the relevant stakeholders in the value chain and be ready to inform the people and carry them along on the choices we have before us as a nation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We must be interested in the future, the young and future generation. No nation can afford to live for the now, because the future is actually rushing at us.â&#x20AC;?

He added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;There has to be a plan, with timelines and milestones that must not be missed on the road to removal of fuel subsidy because it is simply unsustainable in the medium to long term.â&#x20AC;?

Continuing, Ajayi-Kadir said,

â&#x20AC;&#x153;the government has to lead the people in a conversation as to what is priority and deserving of subsidy, when and for how long. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The right solution you alluded to has to be one that supports and incentivises the inflow of investment into the sector and allows Nigeria to reap the enormous potentials in the value chain.â&#x20AC;?

The Director-General of the Nigerian Employers Consultative Association (NECA), Mr. Timothy Olawale, who also spoke to THISDAY, said â&#x20AC;&#x153;it will continue to be a recurring problem of wastage and Continued on page 24

FG May Sell BoAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bad Loans to AMCON James Emejo in Abuja The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh has indicated that farmers would be given the opportunity to acquire shares of the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) within the next three months when its privatisation processes is expected to have been concluded.

It also emerged that the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and other related risks takers may consider taking over the existing bad loans of the BoA at a discounted rate. This is to allow the new management team that would emerge after the recapitalisation to have a clean balance sheet to allow for a fresh start.

Speaking at the kick-off

AGRIC meeting for financial advisory services for the restructuring and recapitalisation of the Ogbeh, stressed that there could be a new management team of the bank by May. He said the federal government has a new vision for agriculture, part of which is to create a farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bank.

The minister said a new arrangement was expected to make the BoA a strong instrument in making the agricultural sector of the economy stronger. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And we urged everyone to pass the good news to farmers that this a chance to become co-members, owners of the bank,â&#x20AC;? he said.

He said government would

soon write to farmers and sensitise them to buy the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shares- a conscious effort to discourage abuse of its lending system as farmers tend to have a sense of ownership.

Ogbeh, said the Bank has to support growth as the country needed to create jobs for the growing population of youths.

He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;What we doing is a big leap forward. By end of May, there will be a new management. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s have a strong bank, a farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bank.

Also speaking, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri expressed happiness that the eventual privatisation and recapitalisation of BoA was becoming a reality, though at the tail end of their tenures as minister.

He noted that effort to reposition the bank was spearheaded by both ministers from the inception of office.

He said it had become a sad tale to compared the BoA with the Bank of Industry (BoI) as the latter is well capitalised and performing well while the former had been lagging behind even though both are owned by the Federal Government.

He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are not surprised because before this government came, agriculture was not being given priority attention but now that everybody had realised that there is no more money to import food, we have policies today that tend to create jobs through the agricultural sector and then substitute for import.

Continued on page 24

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) is set to hold its mining summit.The event would hold in collaboration with the Association of Metals Exporters of Nigeria (AMEN). The summit, which is a two-day event, is expected to hold on Tuesday 23rd and Wednesday 24th April, 2019, in Lagos. Director General, LCCI, Muda Yusuf, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The summit has been designed to oďŹ&#x20AC;er local and international players in the industry an opportunity to meet and deliberate on the opportunities of the industry with a view to making Nigeria indeed an investorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s destination in mining and metals exports. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Expected to be in attendance are key regulators of the industry, Captains of industry, investors and budding investors in the sector, ďŹ nanciers, bankers and insurance companies and all critical players in the industry. The aim is to give exposition to the numerous investment prospects and the management of associated risks.â&#x20AC;?

Yusuf also added that, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The summit is also aimed at identifying and appraising the challenges in mining and metals exports in Nigeria and enhancing better understanding of the value chain in mining and metals exports in Nigeria.The summit is also targeted at practically assessing the present Nigerian mining industry relative to an ideal mining jurisdiction. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Further, the summit will appraise existing ďŹ nancing opportunities for mining and metals export in Nigeria. It will also proďŹ&#x20AC;er practical solutions to the challenges militating against mining and metals exports in Nigeria.

Canon Partners Nafham

Canon has announced a partnership with Nafham, a free online crowdsourced educational platform, to create an innovative photography and ďŹ lm making online course, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hekayet Sora.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;The e-learning course, which falls under the Canon Academyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s umbrella, would oďŹ&#x20AC;er Nafham students in Egypt aged between 11-18 practical training for photography and ďŹ lm making through a series of instructional videos.

Nafhamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crowdsourced videos are ďŹ ve to 20 minutes in length and are revised by experts and professionals. The videos are explained through concepts usually taken in class using a variety of simple and engaging methods, making it easier for students to understand and apply them.

In addition, these videos are categorised by grade, subject, term and academic schedule to make the curriculum easier for students to navigate and get the lessons they want to review immediately.

Mai Youssef, Corporate Communications & Marketing Services Director, Canon Middle East and Central and North Africa, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our partnership with Nafham is a wonderful opportunity to support youth explore and gain the latest knowledge in the art of photography and ďŹ lm making.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Despite pressures from the IMF and the World Bank that Nigeria should stop the fuel subsidy regime, the federal government of Nigeria has reiterated that there is no immediate plan to remove fuel subsidy. The subsidy will remain because government is yet to have an alternative to cushion the effect of the removalâ&#x20AC;?

Minister of Finance,

Zainab Ahmed

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24

BUSINESSWORLD MAN CALLS FOR DIALOGUE ON FUEL SUBSIDY

systemic opportunistic stealing as long as at lasts.â&#x20AC;?

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), had penultimate week described fuel subsidy which the World Bank said cost Nigeria N731 billion as the biggest fiscal burden that currently hamstring the growth of the Nigerian economy.

Director-General, LCCI, Mr. Muda Yusuf, had said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Perhaps the biggest fiscal burden on the economy today is the petroleum subsidy regime. It is a big hole in the finances of government. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It puts tremendous pressure on the foreign reserves and the foreign exchange market, just as it exerts immense stress on the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s treasury. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It remains a cause for concern that the subsidy regime had subsisted, especially at a time when the economy is facing unprecedented fiscal challenges; at a time when productivity in the economy is constrained by acute infrastructure deficit; at a time when public institutions are finding it hard to fund their basic obligations.

FG MAY SELL BOAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BAD LOANS TO AMCON We have a policy that instead to be importing food, we should be exporting food.â&#x20AC;?

He added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Today, we believe that if the BoA is fully recapitalised, it will be able to compete with other banks and that will attract other banks to also doing business in respect of agriculture.â&#x20AC;?

Also, speaking at the meeting, Director General, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Alex Okoh, said a final sum for the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recapitalisation had not been ascertained as the level of liabilities was still being evaluated.

He, nevertheless, gave a tentative figure of about N200 billion.

According to him, although the modalities were still being worked out by the appointed financial advisor, the federal government envisages a new holding structure where the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) holding would be reduced to about 20 per cent while that of the Federal Ministry of Finance Incorporated will be reduced to about 20 per cent.

Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Non-implementation of Audit Recommendation, Bane of Anti-Corruption James Emejo in Abuja The Auditor General for the Federation (AuGF), Mr. Anthony Mkpe Ayine, has said the poor implementation of audit recommendations contained in the auditor-generalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inspections and annual audit reports remains a clog in the wheel of efforts to rid the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s public sector of corruption.

Speaking when he received a delegation from the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) led by its Executive Secretary, Sharon Ikeazor, which paid him a courtesy visit, he said implementing the recommendations contained in the Audit Inspection Report to management of MDAs and Annual Audit Report would serve as deterrent and promote a more transparent and accountable system.

He, however, regretted that audit findings were largely not acted upon to enable it add value to the public service. He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The impact of audit work is in the value it adds by creating improvement in the system and to re-echo President Muhammadu Buhariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s words, if we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t kill corruption, corruption will kill us. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The fight against corruption cannot be won by any single individual or organisation; we must collaborate.â&#x20AC;?

The AuGF further stressed the need for strong internal control in public service which he said was

AgriBusiness/Industry Editor

Jonathan Eze

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Senior Correspondent

Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents

Chinedu Eze (Aviation) Eromosele Abiodun (Maritime) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Chineme Okafor ((Energy) Reporters

Nume Ekeghe (Money Market) Nosa Alekhuogie (ICT)

the responsibility of the management of MDAs and urged them to live up to this task.

He commended the PTAD boss for her efforts in repositioning the office, noting that there have been remarkable achievements recorded since she took over the reins of power and assured her

that the OAuGF would continue to provide relevant support to her work. Ikeazor, had earlier informed Ayine that PTAD had acted on the recommendations of the OAuGFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual report and a personnel audit carried out in 2015 which led to the disengagement of four directors who had

been irregularly employed when they were above the age of 50 years. The Executive Secretary also sought the advice of the auditor-general in implementing the recovery of monies that were paid to the four dismissed directors during the time of their engagement and to return same

to treasury. She also requested that more auditors are deployed to PTAD to support the ongoing Parastatal Pensioner Verification Exercise, saying federal auditors previously sent to the agencies were useful and helped in saving the government billions of naira that could have been fraudulently

COURTESY VISIT

L-R: Lagos State Governor Elect, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Group Managing Director/CEO, United Bank for Africa Plc, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, during a congratulatory visit by the management of the bank to the Governor-elect in Lagosâ&#x20AC;Śrecently

OTC 2019: PETAN to Deepen Opportunities for Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Oil and Gas Companies The Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) has stated that the 50th Annual Offshore Technology Conference (OTC 2019) which holds between May 6th and 9th 2019, in Houston, United States of America will promote investment collaboration opportunities for Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oil and gas companies.

The Publicity Secretary of PETAN, Mr. Ranti Omole, disclosed this in a statement at the weekend.

According to Omole, PETAN is committed to the promotion and capacity development of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.

The OTC gives energy professionals an opportunity to meet and exchange ideas , create business relationships,

advance scientific and technical knowledge for offshore resources and environmental matters.

The conference would include more than 500,000 square feet of exhibit space as well as more than 350 peer-selected technical presentations covering topics from the wellbore to topsides.

More than 60,000 professionals from more than 100 countries are set to attend. Typical attendants include engineers, technicians, top executives, operators, scientists and managers in the offshore energy sector. The OTC ranks among the largest 25 trade shows held annually in the US and is among the 10 largest meetings in terms of attendance. Omole, pointed out that the OTC provides excellent opportunities for promotion of the

great potential in Nigeria and the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oil and gas industry.

In addition, he said it would also provide a unique platform for close interactions and business development with leading international and major Nigerian oil service companies, indigenous oil companies, industry executives, government policy makers and political leaders, and to share ideas on improving the Nigerian oil industry. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is a lot of misconception concerning the OTC and this stems from the fact that we have not fully explored all the opportunities available to us at the event, understand all the intricacies about the OTC and why the global O&G businesses would go to the OTC to exhibit

their services, use the platform for global business expansion and seek to forge relationships with reputable regional and international service companies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;PETAN is committed to the promotion and the development of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria, through the organisation of and participation in conferences, seminars and workshops, as well as creating opportunities for Nigerian oil and gas companies to develop, in a highly competitive environment. â&#x20AC;&#x153;PETAN member companies and many other indigenous oil service companies will be part of a robust Nigerian contingent exhibiting at the OTC, to showcase the dynamism and potentials of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Petroleum Industry. About 2,500 professionals

and industry leaders from Nigeria and beyond her shore will attend this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s event.â&#x20AC;?

Furthermore, he said the Nigerian Pavilion organised by his association would be at the OTC along with 22 other National Pavilions at this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s event.

These National Pavilions include Canada, Scotland, USA, Norway, Japan, Brazil, Germany, France, China, South Korea, Singapore, etc. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are also expecting oil and gas contingents from other African countries. It is an event that strategic and forward looking organisations must not miss. â&#x20AC;&#x153;PETAN has been organising and hosting the Nigerian pavilion at the OTC Houston, Texas since 2005, and we also organise annually discussion panels at the event.

NCC, FRC to Enforce Corporate Governance in Telecoms Sector Emma Okonji

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

NEWS

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRC) have agreed to collaborate to strengthen the level of compliance by players in the Nigerian telecommunications sector.

The move is to ensure that operators in the sector adhere strictly to both the national and sectoral corporate codes of governance.

Speaking during a courtesy visit by the management and board of FRC to the Commission in Abuja

recently, the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management at NCC, Mr. Sunday Dare, who received the FRC team on behalf the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, said the Commission was ready to provide full support and collaboration by working together to entrench the best corporate governance practices in all sectors of the Nigerian economy.

He said the NCC believed that sound corporate governance was essential for meaningful growth and economic development, particularly for an industry as

dynamic and complicated as telecoms. According to him, this was why the NCC issued the Code of Corporate Governance for telecom industry in 2014 and made it mandatory for its larger licences in 2016. He noted that the FRC also launched the Nigerian Code of Corporate Governance in 2018, to achieve broadly the same objectives as the NCC Code on an economy-wide basis.

The FRC Code, however, takes effect from January 2020.

Dare, explained that while the two codes have the same primary objectives of enhancing corporate performance through

adherence to best practice, it was natural that there would be areas of divergence, which he said the Commission and FRC can work harmoniously together to address for the overall benefits of the country. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is our understanding that the national code will exist simultaneously with sectoral codes such as the NCC Code, which will now be described as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Guidelinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Where conflicts exist between the two codes, the stricter provisions will apply, and the National Code of FRC gives flexibility for sector regulators such as the NCC to adapt governance principles to

suit the peculiar needs of the sector,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Dare further explained that regulatory certainty and predictability were very critical for the telecoms industry and therefore require continuous and harmonious engagements between the two organisations to address grey areas.

The Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, FRC, Mr. Daniel Asapokhai, who led the delegation to the Commission, commended the NCC, stressing that increased engagement of the businesses and licensees affected by such Code must be strengthened.

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Dividends Declaration, First Quarter Earnings Lift Equities Market Goddy Egene The stock market pared losses of many weeks as the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index rose by 1.78 per cent to close at 30,086.31 last week, compared with a decline of 0.19 per cent the previous week.

Similarly, market capitalisation appreciated by same margin to close higher at N11.301 trillion. In the same vein, all other indices finished higher with the exception of the NSE Oil/ Gas Index that depreciated by 2.12 per cent.

Market analysts said the recovery in the market could partially be attributed to investorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; reaction to the financial results declared by some companies which included dividends recommendation.

FBN Holdings Plc announced a dividend of 26 kobo for the year ended December 31, 2018, while Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc recommended a dividend of 25 kobo for the 2018 financial year. AIICO Insurance Plc declared a dividend of three kobo, while Prestige Assurance Plc and Regency Alliance Insurance Plc recommended a dividend of three kobo apiece.

FBN Holdings Plcâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s results witnessed an improvement, showing a profit after tax (PAT) of N59.667 billion, which is a jump of 58 per cent compared with N37.708 billion posted in 2017.

A breakdown of the audited results showed that FBN Holdings recorded gross earnings of N583.477 billion, indicating a marginal decline from N595.446 billion recorded in 2017.

Net interest income reduced from N332 billion to N284.168 billion, while impairment charges declined by 43 per cent from N150.424 billion to N86.911 billion.

In terms of first quarter (Q1) results, Access Bank Plc posted PAT of 86 per cent in 2019. Details of the results showed that net interest income rose to N56.838 billion, from N44.653 billion, while net fee and commission income stood at N13.068 billion as against N13.923 billion in 2018. Net impairment charges fell from N4.961 billion to N3.375 billion in 2019. The financial institution also reduced its personal expenses from N12.290 billion to N12.786 billion. PAT grew by 86 per cent from N22.116 billion in 2018 to N41.147 billion in 2019.

Commenting on the results, Group Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank Plc, Mr. Herbert Wigwe said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The group delivered solid earnings underscoring the value potentials of the newly expanded business model. Gross earnings showed a 16 per cent increase to N160.1bn from the prior year, comprising strong earnings on interest income and non-interest income of 69 per cent and 31 per cent respectively, whilst Profit before Tax (PBT) grew to N45.1 billion.

Similarly, Guaranty Trust Bank Plcâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s PAT rose 10.37 per cent from N44.67 billion in 2018 to N49.302 billion in 2019. Customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; deposits also rose by 6.0 per cent to N2.41 trillion in March 2019 from N2.274trillion in December 2018, whilst the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s loan book grew by 1.6 per cent from N1.262trillion as at December 2018 toN1.282trillion in March 2019. Its balance sheet remained strong with the bank closing the quarter with total assets of N3.556 trillion and shareholdersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; funds of N627.2 billion. In terms of assets quality, non-performing loan (NPL) ratio and Cost of Risk closed 7.03 per cent and 0.05 per cent in March 2019 from 7.30 per cent and 0.34 per cent in December 2018 respectively.

According to the Managing Director/CEO of GTBank Plc, Mr Segun Agbaje, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Going into 2019, we knew that it would be a challenging year, but our strategy and unwavering focus

cent for the period. This was achieved as impairment charges declined by 54 per cent(N2.5billion year on year reduction). Our cost of funds also improved, declining by 25 per cent from four per cent Q1 2018 to three per cent Q1 2019. This was supported by a 22 per cent decrease in interest expense of N10billion over the same period, affirming the Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s robust treasury and liquidity management. Our prudent cost management led to a five per cent decline in our cost-to-income ratio by five per cent from 53.3 per cent in 2018 to 50.9 per cent in the period with an absolute reduction in operating expenses by N2.3 billion year-on-year,â&#x20AC;? the bank explained.

on delivering value for our customers and shareholders continues to underpin our ability to consistently deliver solid results despite changing market variables.

We carried on the momentum of the previous year, posting strong growth in earnings, effectively managing costs and leveraging our digital-first customer-centric strategy to deliver world-class services that are simple, cheap and easily accessible.â&#x20AC;?

On its part, Zenith Bank Plc an-

nounced gross earnings of N158.1 billion in Q1 of 2019, down seven per cent from N169.2 billion in the corresponding period of 2018. However, net interest income rose 23 per cent from N69.997 billion to N86.137 billion in 2019. The bank reduced its operating expenses by four per cent from N61.701 billion to N59.404 billion. PAT rose seven per cent to N50.2 billion, compared with N47.79 billion in 2018.

According to bank, the growth in net

interest income and operating income by 23 per cent and one per cent respectively mitigated the decline in gross earnings.

It noted that the effective management of cost-to-income ratio, cost of funds and cost of risk offset top-line declines to deliver an enhanced operating income in the period. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our risk and asset quality continues to improve as cost of risk dropped significantly by 52 per cent from 0.9 per cent in the prior year to 0.4 per

Market Turnover Meanwhile, a total turnover of 988.692 million shares worth N11.432. billion in 13,596 deals were traded last week by investors down from 1.770 billion shares valued at N15.264 billion that exchanged hands the previous week in 17,015 deals. The market opened for four trading days last week as the Federal Government of Nigeria declared Friday 19th April 2019 (Good Friday) and Monday 22nd April 2019 (Easter Monday) Public Holidays to mark the end of the End of the Lenten season and Easter celebrations.

The Financial Services Industry led the activity chart with 766.191 million shares valued at N7.261 billion traded in 7,820 deals, thus contributing 77.50 per cent and 63.51 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively. The ICT Industry followed with 74.769 million shares worth N24.600 million in 212 deals.

The third place was Consumer Goods Industry with a turnover of 48.022 million shares worth N3.095 billion in 2,374 deals. Trading in the top three equities namely, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, Access Bank Plc and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc accounted for 355.043 million shares worth N4.845 billion in 2,133 deals, contributing 35.91 per cent and 42.38 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

There was no Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) traded during the week compared with a total of 13,740 units valued at N215,010 that was transacted the previous week in two deals. A total of 14,246 units of Federal Government Bonds valued at N14.980 million were traded last week in 17 deals compared with a total of 787,527 units valued at N795 million transacted the preceding week in 26 deals.

Price Gainers and Losers The price movement chart showed that 33 equities appreciated in price during the week, lower than 35 in the previous week, 33 equities depreciated in price, higher than the 31 equities of the previous week. Chams Plc led the price gainers with 28.5 per cent, trailed

by First Aluminium Nigeria Plc with 28.1 per cent. Dangote Flour Mills Plc with 27.3 per cent, just as Access Bank Plc and AIICO Insurance Plc garnered 15.1 per cent and 10.2 per cent in that order.

Other top price gainers are: The Initiates Plc (9.5 per cent); Livestock Feeds Plc (9.0 per cent); Cadbury Nigeria Plc (8.9 per cent); Nestle Nigeria Plc (8.5 per cent); and Consolidated Hallmark Insurance Plc (8.3 per cent).

Conversely, Associated Bus Company Plc led the price losers with 17.5 per cent, trailed by Royal Exchange Plc with 12.0 per cent. C & I Leasing Plc shed 9.8 per cent. A.G Leventis Nigeria Plc, shed 9.8 per cent and 9.6 per cent apiece. UACN Property Development Company Plc, John Holt Plc and Vitafoam Nigeria Plc went down by 9.6 per cent apiece. Julius Berger Nigeria Plc and Niger Insurance Plc depreciated by 9.0 per cent each.

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Adebise: Banks Must Be Innovative to Remain in Business The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Wema Bank Plc, Mr. Ademola Adebise, who assumed the position six months ago has over 28 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience in the banking industry, inclusive of four years in management consulting. He had worked in various capacities in Information Technology, Financial Control & Strategic Planning, Treasury, Corporate Banking, Risk Management and Performance Management. In this interview he speaks about efforts to transform the bank as well as plan to remain a dominant player in the retail segment of the market. Obinna Chima provides the excerpts: What has been your experience since your appointment as CEO and what was the journey like for the bank to get to where it is presently?

I was appointed in October 2018. I joined the bank in 2009, with Mr. Segun Oloketuyi, the erstwhile Managing Director. When we joined the bank we embarked on what we called Project LEAP, which was basically a strategy to take the bank out of the woods.

Of course we all knew the precarious state of the bank at that time. The first thing was basically to address the liquidity situation. We called that the phase of stabilising the bank.

The next phase was basically to begin to have those building blocks put in place and the last stage, which we are in now, is basically to grow the bank. It has been a very tough, but exciting journey. Last year was a major milestone for us as we declared dividend for the first time in 14 years. The last time dividend was declared in this bank before last year, was during the era of Mr. Tunde Lemo. The efforts of all the transformation over the last nine years has culminated in the payment of dividend for the first time in 14 years. Where do we intend to be? We intend to be a strong retail bank, leveraging technology and innovation. For us, what we have said is that in the next two years we will try to double our key indices of assets, deposits, profit, so that by 2020, we would have achieved the doubling of our numbers and we would then embark on looking at opportunities in mergers and acquisition (M&A) for inorganic growth. We have key sectors of the economy that we have mapped out to achieve this growth. We are also trying to ensure that we have well-trained and remunerated staff to be able to achieve this vision and we are very committed to it.

Looking at your results for the year ended 31st December 2018, your efforts in taking the bank out of the woods appears to be yielding positive results. Now that the International Financial Reporting Standard 9 (IFRS 9) is expected to rub off on banks, how are you going to manage that situation?

The issue is that in 2018 we adopted IFRS 9 and the impact was felt, but not heavily felt like some of our peers. Again, this is based on the quality of the collateral you have against your risk assets. For us, going forward, it is to ensure that we have that discipline in creating loans. We need to ensure that we have good quality loans. If you create good quality loans, you are not going to have an adverse effect of IFRS 9. So, that is the panacea to ensure that you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t incur the wrath of IFRS 9. So, discipline, corporate governance and ensuring that you book quality loans are very important.

There was a N30 billion increase in your loans and advances in same year. What were the sectors you concentrated on in terms of lending?

Basically, oil and gas was the major sector and of course, the SMEsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; space. There was a number of intervention schemes from the Central Bank of Nigeria towards the agriculture and manufacturing sectors and we took advantage of all that. But largely, the oil and gas downstream was a major contributor to the growth in lending.

What strategy are you deploying to remain competitive in the retail segment of the market?

To remain competitive in this market, you need to be innovative. That is because basically what you see is that everything in the banking industry is commoditised, talking about products.

Adebise You will notice that product A which is in one bank, is also in another bank. For us, we want to be an idea bank. We want to be known for innovation and we want to be very agile.

For you to make a mark in this space, you need to be very agile and speak to market with products that appeal to customers. It is not about developing products, it is about appealing to the needs of the customers, which for us is very key. We are going to leverage technology as much as possible. Of course you know about ALAT, the fully digital bank that we launched two years ago, it is doing very well and what we are doing now is that we are reviewing ALAT to take it to the next level. That is, to take it to a platform where

we would be appealing to lifestyles. We have a lot of value creators and value consumers, that is buyers and sellers, on the platform. The whole idea is basically to reduce the cost of doing business and improve out top-line. We have sectors that are clearly mapped out that we play in the retail space. Of course, in the SMEsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; space we have different verticals that we can work with. We have the creative, the micro-businesses, the agriculture value chain, and other clearly mapped out products that we would use to appeal to these segments of the market. By the way, the bank was set up in 1945 as a retail bank. We have not moved away from that vision; it is just that things have been evolving.

We want to be known for innovation and we want to be very agile. For you to make a mark in this space, you need to be very agile and speak to market with products that appeal to customers. It is not about developing products, it is about appealing to the needs of the customers, which for us is very key

It appears that you are aiming at somewhere in the industry because you earlier talked about leveraging M&A opportunities for growth. What actually is your aim in the industry?

You know there are two ways to grow- it either you grow organically or inorganically.

What we are saying is that in the next two years, we want to double our key indices through an organic growth. Now, after 2020, if there are opportunities for M&A, we are not saying that we are going for an M&A, but if the opportunities exist. It is important I clarify that. Today, we are in the neighbourhood of about N500 billion in terms of assets, if we stretch that, we should be getting to about N800 billion by the time double those numbers and if you want to get into the trillion-naira mark in terms of assets base, you then have to consider that. But it is not that we are saying we would get there through M&A.

Are you not looking at the agriculture sector?

For us in agriculture, we have our strategy.

We have looked at the value chain and for us we want to focus on the processing end and of course we look at the aggregators to the small farmers. For us, that is where to be.

Of course, in supporting the aggregators, we look at key crops. These include cassava in the South-west and rice in the north. Another thing which is interesting in the agriculture sector today is the fact that the business model is changing. It is not the old style of doing agriculture. We are talking about the different players within the value chain and being able to use technology to put everything together. To grant a loan and if you are not able to get it back, the loan becomes bad. If you grant a loan at commercial rate, from day one, the loan becomes bad. So, you need to see if there are intervention schemes in the economy. The central bank has provided intervention schemes through the Commercial Agricultural Credit Scheme and we have the Anchor Borrowerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Scheme. If you get an anchor that you are supporting, the anchor has access to thousands of farmers and if you are able to bank all these farmers, the loan is repaid. And as you know, agriculture is a major contributor to our Gross Domestic Product. Once you put that in order, another thing is to boost export. Export will bring back a lot of foreign exchange into the system and it will support our external reserves. At the end of the day, if you are able to boost your GDP, tax revenue also increases. We also CONTINUED ON PAGE 27

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ADEBISE: BANKS MUST BE INNOVATIVE TO REMAIN IN BUSINESS

LCCI Urges Buhari to Sign CAM BILL 2018 Oluchi Chibuzor

Adebise see opportunities in the creative sector and we are trying to build a structure, to ensure we take advantage of that space. Government is interested in certain sectors and we have keyed into those sectors and we have started building competences in those sectors.

Why not cocoa?

As we speak today, cassava is on the front burner for the central bank and it is a crop you can cultivate and harvest within a short period. Cocoa takes about three years. And a lot of companies in the south west are already processing cassava to take advantage of the opportunities.

There is an inscription at the entrance of your head office that states that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We Make Magic in Wema Bank,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; and that got me thinking about the type of magic you do at Wema Bank and if I may ask, what was the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;magicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; wand behind you paying dividend after 14 years. Also, you talked leveraging technology especially with your ALAT platform, but the information we have is that the ALAT is still facing some challenges. What are you going to do to make it more seamless for customers?

Let me start with magic. There is nothing like magic in banking curriculum. So, when we say we are doing magic, it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really mean magic in the real sense of it. You know we said we want to be an innovative bank and innovative banking has to do with generating new ideas. We just launched a hackathon recently and the whole idea about it is to be able to generate ideas, solve problems in the society and the banking industry, using technology. We go young, very brilliant minds to come together to pitch to solve some of those problems. We had it about two weeks ago. The who aim was to generate good ideas and we are putting money behind the best idea to take it to commercial level. Some of these problems were basically to solve three things- reduce cost; service our customers and improve top-line revenue for the bank and solve societal problems. We got very interesting ideas from young, talented and energetic Nigerians and we intend to take this to the next level. That was what we meant ideas generation, with a view to being a very innovative bank and we christened it â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hackaholics.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; So, for dividend, there is no magic wand about it. Basically, this was a journey of over nine years from the era of my predecessor. We started from 2009 with the transformation plan was what led to the payment of dividend. Again, you might say 3k, but it was because we have 38 billion units in circulation. If we had 15 billion or 10 billion units of shares in circulation, we would be talking about 10 kobo or 15 kobo.

Really, it was a journey of the transformation that led to where we are today. What do we intend to do going forward? We would ensure that we continue to improve on this as we move on. By 2019 and 2020, we would continue to ensure that we improve on this.

What are the things we are doing? We have

made sure we have all the right tools in place.

You mentioned ALAT. As we speak today, we are refreshing our information technology.

Information technology is expensive, but we are also being very responsible. I have an IT background, the Deputy Managing Director has an IT background and our Executive Director, Folake Sanu, has been involved in a lot of IT projects in the past. So, technology is not strange to us and technology is not about just pumping money into what we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what we are doing. Also, IT is not just exciting ourselves. Our shareholders are interested in returns and so we must ensure that we deploy this limited resources in a way that would benefit all stakeholders. So, for us we have a clear digital journey that we are working on to ensure that we deal with whatever comes up. Of course, you have heard about banks deploying robots today, basically to resolve internal issues and problems. Another question you might ask is if people are not going to lose their jobs? No, business models are changing with the adoption of new technologies. All these technologies are already here in Nigeria. It now depends on how we apply those technologies.

What actually is happening with technology adoption is that business model is changing.

It is not about technology adoption, but about business model changing. The amount of data that you have, what does it mean to you?

How can you monetise it and what patterns are you seeing? Today, we see Amazon, which started as a retail outlet, but now plays in all sectors. Today, it is a big IT firm, it is into e-Commerce, logistics and several other sectors.

What has changed? Nothing has changed, but the only thing that changed it just their business model. When we say disruption, it is not about technology, but about business models changing.

How are your branches in the north performing?

When we got our national licence in 2015, we decided to go back to the north and to the east. In the north, today we are in Kano, Kaduna, Lokoja, Minna and Bauchi. So, we are in five locations already in the north. In terms of performance, they are picking up.

Some of them have not broken even yet, but they are picking up in terms of businesses. We hope to go to other areas also in the north.

But, branching out is not based on wishful thinking. It is based on business exigencies.

If there are business opportunities there, we would open. In the east, we have a branch in Aba. In fact, we are on the verge of opening a second location in Aba. Aba branch broke even and we are making money from that branch, that is why we are opening a second branch inside Ariaria market as we speak.

So, it is not about just launching out, it is about where there is business. We are looking for a location presently in Onitsha. So, really it is based on business opportunity and not sentiments. If Aba will give me five branches that are profitable, I would open more branches I that state.

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to expeditiously assent to the Companies and Allied Matters (CAM) Bill 2018.

The chamber also commended members of the National Assembly for passing the bill.

A statement signed by the Director General, LCCI, Mr. Muda Yusuf, said it was delighting to note that the bill has been sent to the president for assent. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The LCCI urges the president to expeditiously assent to the bill in view of its immense potential impact in catalysing the growth and transformation of the MSMEs in the Nigerian economy,â&#x20AC;? the statement obtained at the weekend added.

The Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990 is the extant legislation governing business registration and related issues in the economy.

The Act is a 29-year old legislation governing businesses in 2019. Many of its provisions are obviously not in tune with current realities of the business environment. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The CAM Bill 2018 is therefore a laudable move to make the legislation more contemporary and also bringing it in alignment with the Ease of Doing Business Agenda of the present administration,â&#x20AC;? Yusuf explained.

The bill is expected to make it possible for a company promoter to establish a private company with only one shareholder; review of the concept of Authorised Share Capital to be replaced with Minimum Share Capital, thus saving the promoters the trouble of having to pay for shares not needed at a specific time as well as simplification of the processes for the registration of Private Company Limited by Guarantee.

In addition, it is expected to broadening the scope for

technology applications in compliance processes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;CAM Bill 2018 has provisions for electronic filing; electronic share transfer and e-meetings for private companies. This would make the processes smarter and cost effective. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Bill when signed into law, will reduce the cost of doing business, especially for small businesses; boost the growth of SMEs; promote economic inclusion, boost job creation by small businesses, and encourage informal sector players to relocate to the formal sector. In the light of the huge potential benefits of this law, we request that the bill be expeditiously signed so that the SMEs in the economy can begin to reap the benefits of its provisions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The presidents assent to this bill would also position the SMEs in the economy to contribute to the realisation of the objectives of the Economic Recovery & Growth Plan (ERGP),â&#x20AC;? Yusuf noted.

Stakeholders to Tap UK, EU Mortgage Market Stakeholders in the real estate and housing finance sector of the Nigerian economy are set to hold a two-day conference/ exhibition in London focused on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Home Ownership and Property Investment in Nigeria Made Easyâ&#x20AC;? for Nigerians in the United Kingdom and Europe.

Due to hold on 17-18 May 2019 in London, the event is designed to show Nigerians in the UK and EU safe and credible steps towards owning their own homes or buying a property for investment income purposes in Nigeria.

A statement also explained that the conference was meant to begin the reversal of the many sad stories of Nigerians in the United Kingdom and the EU trying to buy properties back home that they can return to for vacations or for rental income and of having been swindled out of their hard-earned remittances, by either unscrupulous agents or worse still, family members and friends; and by so doing incentivize investment in the real sector in Nigeria.

The exhibition is being jointly hosted the Mortgage Banking

Association of Nigeria (MBAN), Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company Plc (NMRC), the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), Urban Shelter Limited, Dunn Loren Merrifield, Amiable Financial Services UK, Diaspora Realty UK, among others.

Executive Secretary/CEO of the Mortgage Banking Association of Nigeria, and lead conference host, Kayode Omotoso, said the conference would among other things, â&#x20AC;&#x153;showcase the Deployment of the Uniform Underwriting Standards for Diaspora Mortgages recently approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria as new Guidelines for long-term Diaspora Mortgages.

The new Guidelines would for the first time enable Nigerians living in the Diaspora to access 15 to 20 - year Mortgages from Mortgage Lending Banks in Nigeria to buy their homes; or for those who already own their homes, to buy additional homes for investment income purposes.â&#x20AC;?

According to the Conference Coordinator, Dr Chii Akporji, Founder/ Chief Executive Officer of ALPHACITIESAFRICA, the event would also, â&#x20AC;&#x153;focus on addressing all issues and concerns along the housing value chain that potential buyers in the Diaspora often come across: from accessing land for off-plan development; issues of title and C of O duplication; associated legal and regulatory issues around home purchase and ownership; the deployment of Proptech, blockchain technology; the mechanics of the National Housing Fund; buying from state owned housing door-orations; payment platforms for diaspora focused mortgages; accessing mortgage finance, interest rates issues; mortgage refinance and opportunities for mortgage securitisation.â&#x20AC;?

It pointed out that aside from the organisers, several leading Nigerian developers as well as mortgage banks would be exhibiting at the event, in addition to senior level experts on the policy and regulatory issues pertaining to the housing market in Nigeria.

SIFAX Launches New Subsidiary The SIFAX Group has launched a new subsidiary, Sky Capital and Financial Allied International Limited. The new subsidiary is an investment and asset management firm that offers wealth creation opportunities through a unique blend of traditional investment management and alternative investment services.

Some of the services that the new firm offers include strategic financial planning advice to SMEs, investment portfolio/ funds management, bureau de change operations (BDC), foreign exchange (FOREX), insurance brokerage and

credit assessment & analysis.

The company explained in a statement that it would in the second phase of its growth, also offer services like microfinance/ consumer lending and corporate funding after licencing by relevant regulatory agencies has been finalised. Sky Capital and Financial Allied International Limited is also expected to oversee the management of the commercial banks which SIFAX Group recently acquired in The Gambia and Sierra Leone.

Speaking on the newlyestablished firm, the Group Managing Director, SIFAX Group, Mr. Adekunle Oyinloye,

said the decision to invest in the financial sector was part of the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ongoing restructuring and strategic growth planning, aimed at diversifying the investment portfolio of the organisation.

To drive this new business, SIFAX Group has appointed Mrs. Olubukola Abitoye as the General Manager of the company. A banker and financial strategist who has previously worked at Skye Bank Plc, Stanbic IBTC Bank, United Bank for Africa and Keystone Bank Limited, Abitoye brings over a decade of professional experience to her new role.

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Firm Boosts Local Rice Production with 140,000MTs Milling Facility Bennett Oghifo Production of local rice in the country has received a major boost as Popular Farms and Mills Limited, a subsidiary of the Stallion Group has inaugurated a multi-billion-naira rice mill expansion of 140,000 metric tonnes (MTs) per year.

Popular Farms also laid the foundation for a 44,000 MTs per year Sesame Processing Plant at its Challawa Unit in Kano.

The company has commercial interest in the rice value chain, with an installed capacity for 430,000 metric tons and plan to expand to 1.5 million tons of paddy rice processing per annum. This is expected to impact positively on the Nigerian economy and the food sector.

Speaking on the planned expansion, Managing Director, Popular Farms, Mr. Amit Rai, stated that over 80,000 farmers across paddy and sesame supply chain are going to be positively affected, while saving the country the needed foreign exchange.

He noted that over 1500 direct and indirect jobs would be created. The initiative, he added, would also boost Popular Farmsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; initiative in empowering farmers in the rice and sesame value chain to become better business people with strong technical and business knowledge and skills.

Popular Farms & Mills, according to Rai, is currently in direct contact with over 40,000 farmers and approximately 1000 rice cooperative societies across the country, and with its flagship training programs for intensive farming at no additional cost to the farmers and but with maximum productivity. This increases economic scaling in rice farming to over 36,000 out grower through its 16 Popular Aggregation Centres in Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Niger, Gombe, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kano Zamfara and Kwara.

He acknowledged efforts of President, Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe and his team of experts at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, with regards to the agriculture sector. He also commended the government at all levels for the positive initiative and robust policies which support the Agribusi-

ness in Nigeria. According to the Chief Executive Officer of Stallion Group, Anant Badjatya, the company was committed to the growth of the Nigerian economy, while contributing to governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts on backward integration.

He said the goal of Stallion Group and Popular Farms was to spearhead and lead the rice revolution in Nigeria, stating that the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desire to do things right, spurred the ground-breaking ceremony of the project in Kano.

Badjatya also commended the inventiveness of the president Buhari-led administration and the policy direction of the agriculture sector been driven by Ogbe and Emefiele, saying that Popular Farms was already making a difference and bringing positive benefit to the Nigerian economy.

He urged the federal government not to relent in its quest to provide an enabling environment for the agriculture sector which in turn helps in reducing unemployment and generate revenue for the government.

In this regard, he lamented the unabated smuggling of rice via the countries porous borders and praised the efforts of the Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN) for its fight against this scourge.

Badjatya said the group was steadfastly in support of all efforts aimed at stopping the smuggling menace.

He said the group gave 150 vehicles to the Nigerian Customs Services through RIMIDAN association at a discount of N250 million in a single transaction as its contribution towards the war against smuggling of rice.

Speaking further, the Group CEO noted that the menace of smuggling not only affects Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s potential in rice, but also extends to the smuggling of new and used cars which is currently happening with impunity, thereby putting at risk thousands of much needed jobs in Nigeria.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbe, represented by Mallam Munir Mohammed, praised Popular Farms and Mills Limited for its ingenuity and contributions not only to the agriculture sector in Nigeria, but also efforts and commitment to reducing unemployment and empower farmers.

Nigerian Firm RankedTop in New Research on Seeds Hamid Ayodeji A Dutch Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Access to Seeds International Foundation, has revealed stated that Nigerian agricultural firms led in a new research that ranked seed companies operating in Western and Central Africa, with Value Seeds emerging first.

According to the Executive Director of Access to Seeds Foundation, Ido Verhagen, the overall findings showed that international and African seed companies fell short in delivering quality seed and new varieties to smallholder farmers, adding that like most other companies from the region, Value Seeds operates

solely in its home country.

The Executive Director, Access to Seeds Foundation, while speaking at an event in Lagos, disclosed that the report was first of its kind to be published as part of the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA), launched in September 2018 during the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York.

The objective was to increase the contribution of the private sector so as to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Verhagen explained: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Value Seeds stands out for its maize and rice value kits, all-in-one input packages tailored for smallholders whilst also providing capacity building activities that specifically

target women and next-generation farmers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Other Nigerian companies that also dominated the top half were Maslaha Seeds, Premier Seed, and Da-Allgreen Seeds. This showed the relative strength of the seed industry in Nigeria. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Value Seeds partnership with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) paid off, as its grant-based support enabled the company to improve its products and intensify its outreach to smallholder farmers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For the most part, openpollinated varieties still dominate across the region, in contrast with Eastern Africa and South Asia. The exception is maize, for which hybrid varieties are more

commonly available.â&#x20AC;?

He also explained that while there was a growing number of seed companies active in the region, both home-grown and international, less than half of the 23 companies researched conduct plant breeding in Western and Central Africa. This, according to him, limits the release of new varieties adapted to the region, and explains the high number of varieties that are older than five years offered in company portfolios.

Verhagen added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Research shows that for almost half (48%) of the crops, the most recent variety is older than five years, with only a fifth (21%) having a variety less than three years.

GLOBAL MEETING

L-R: President/Chairman of Council, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Dr. Uche Olowu; Senior Financial Sector Specialist, World Bank Group, Mr. Andrej Popovic and Registrar/CEO, CIBN, Mr. Seye Awojobi, at the recently held 2019 Spring Meetings of the IMF/World Bank Group in Washington D.C â&#x20AC;Śrecently

Group Urges FG to Address Disparity in Retireesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; BeneďŹ ts Ebere Nwoji The Association of Retired Federal Senior Public Officers of Nigeria (ARFESPON), Lagos branch, has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to address lingering problems affecting pensioners under Defined Benefit Pension Scheme.

They also urged the president to approve the payment of outstanding 20.4 per cent alleged illegal deduction effected on their benefits by a technical committee set up by a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Anyim Pius Anyim, under former President, Goodluck Jonathan in 2010.

ARFESPON, also requested president Buhari to find final solution to what it described as anomaly of the disparity between pensionersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; payment and regular workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; payments by ensuring that pensioners are on parity with serving officers.

The pensioners also demanded that the federal government should address the disparity in payment of pension benefits in such a way that a director in Federal Civil Service who retired many years ago would be at par with a Director who retired in recent time, in terms of benefit payment.

ARFESPON Chairman, Lagos Branch, Olufemi Odewabi, while speaking at a media briefing in

Lagos, which was to highlight the challenges associated with Defined Benefit Pension system funded by government, however thanked government for clearing the outstanding 33 per cent increase owed by the Jonathanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s administration.

But, they appealed to government to commence payment of the illegal 20.4 per cent made by same administration.

According to him, in 2010 when the federal government under Jonathan effected 53.4 per cent increase on workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; salaries, instead of effecting same increase in line with Section 173, Sub-section 3 of the Constitution, the Technical Committee set up

by Secretary to the Government

of the Federation made some technical deductions such as housing scheme, contributory pension scheme and tax.

According to him, the constitution and Federal Civil Service conditions did not approve the above deductions for pensioners.

On the parity issue Odewabi said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We call on your government to get a final solution to this anomaly in the disparity between the pensioners payment and regular workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; payment which simply is putting pensioners on parity with serving officers, which is a simple conversion of pension payment to that of serving officersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; salary scale,â&#x20AC;? Odewabi added.

Infrastructure: XEM Consultants to Partner China Chambers of Commerce Kasim Sumaina in Abuja A Nigerian firm, XEM Consultants Limited is set to partner the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products (CCCME) to support infrastructural development and maintenance in the country.

The move, XEM, disclosed was essentially to train Nigerians to manage and maintain the infrastructure built by the Chinese

firms in the country through their service centre and after-sale service.

The Managing Director, XEM, Eugenia Ndukwe, gave the hint when she received the Vice President of CGCOC a Chinese construction firm, Mr Yanguo BI, recently in Abuja.

She said the partnership was strategic for the country as it meant more job opportunities for Nigerians and sustainability of the anticipated development from China to Nigeria.

According to her, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are partnering through the training and development projects that they have. They said they do not want to build these infrastructures and be the ones to maintain it but that they want to train Nigerians who would be able to do that.

So this strategic partnership is a new dawn for Nigeria.â&#x20AC;?

Ndukwe also disclosed that the firm was able to broker a strategic partnership between the Ministry of Petroleum and a

Chinese university, for the training of over 50 Nigerian students in oil and gas development in China.

The students were under the sponsorship of Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF). â&#x20AC;&#x153;We do also thank PTDF for giving us the opportunity of having to test our service and I can tell you that our students are doing very well. Very soon we will be having China-Nigeria Science and Technology Sum-

mit which is a product of the students of PTDF studying in China,â&#x20AC;? she revealed.

Speaking earlier, the Vice President, CGCOC, Mr. Yanguo BI, stated that the visit was based on the framework for strategic partnership between the CCCME and XEM on after sale services.

He stressed that the partnership was a priority for the Chinese Service Centre of Electro-mechanical products in Africa, to bring about mutually beneficial cooperation

between Chinese companies in Nigeria and the country.

He disclosed that human capital development and training were key to achieving the objective of the collaboration. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For the Chinese service centre, this partnership is the first priority for this year especially for CGC Nigeria. We have had a very fruitful meeting and I believe there is a very bright future for both Nigeria and China in terms of cooperation.â&#x20AC;?

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Group Calls for Increased Support for Female Entrepreneurs Peter Uzoho Heads of state, ministers, leaders of multilateral development banks, private sector executives, women entrepreneurs, and contributing governments of the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) recently convened at their first regional summit to discuss concrete ways to strengthen support for women-led small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in West Africa.

Attended by more than 400 public and private sector leaders from West Africa and other regions, the summit was organised

by We-Fi in collaboration with the African Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and the World Bank Group.

It was hosted by the government of the Republic of CĂ´te dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Ivoire.

According to a statement,

the summit concluded with a joint Call to Action, urging wideranging public policy reforms and private sector actions to help women entrepreneurs overcome persistent barriers, both financial and non-financial. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Women constitute the majority of Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s self-employed population and play a key economic role, with significant benefits for their families, communities, and countries,â&#x20AC;? summit leaders noted in a joint statement.

Acknowledging the challenge of full economic participation, they stressed that: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Women entrepreneurs also face other barriers that prevent them from accessing finance, markets, technology, mentoring, and capacity-building support. This limits the potential of women entrepreneurs and impedes economic growth and poverty reduction across Africa.â&#x20AC;?

Due to these constraints, female entrepreneurs in the region consistently lag men on several key indicators of business performance, the statement added.

A recent World Bank study found that monthly profits and sales from female-owned firms in the region were on average 34 percent and 38 per cent lower, respectively, than those of male-owned firms.

Participants at the summit called on governments to undertake policy and legal reforms to increase women entrepreneursâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; access to financial services, government contracts, and the basic infrastructure of the digital economy. They also highlighted the urgent need to remove labour and mobility restrictions for women and to ensure their equal rights to property.

In the past decade, African

governments had improved womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic inclusion by implementing 71 legal and regulatory reforms-more than any other regions in the world, according to a World Bank report.

While African countries have made significant progress in closing the gender gaps, further strengthening womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roles as entrepreneurs would transform the continent. Acknowledging the importance of public and private sector collaboration, the summit leaders underscored the vital role that private sector and civil society organisations play in improving womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s access to capital, markets, digital skills training, mentorship, and business networks. In addition, they called for better collection and reporting of sex-disaggregated data by both the public and private sectors to help measure the impact of policy reforms on

women entrepreneurs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am pleased that CĂ´te dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Ivoire hosted the first regional Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) Summit,â&#x20AC;?

President of the Republic of CĂ´te dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Women play as critical a role as men in the growth of our economy. I am confident that this summit will result in concrete actions and expand opportunities for womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entrepreneurship across West Africa,â&#x20AC;? he added. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was honored to join our We-Fi partners and inspiring entrepreneurs in a meaningful dialogue with West African leaders on the economic empowerment of women.

The White House, and the whole of U.S. government, stands firmly behind the goal of economically empowering 50 million women through W-GDP by 2025 and in so doing,

championing American values of freedom and equality around the world. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This mission is crucial to the peace and stability of Nations and is achievable if we focus our collaborative efforts on job training, entrepreneurship and breaking down the legal and cultural barriers that restrict women from achieving their full economic potential,â&#x20AC;? Advisor to the President of the United States of America, Ivanka Trump said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Through the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) program, the African Development Bank is transforming financial markets by de-risking lending to women on the continent. We invite all stakeholders to join us and be part of this game-changing initiative that will result in greater women empowerment,â&#x20AC;? said African Development Bank Group President Akinwumi A. Adesina.

Global Accelerex Eyes Market Dominance The Global Accelerex has disclosed that it is expanding its footprints to Sub-Saharan Africa, having fully established itself as the Fintech company of choice in Nigeria.

The Company was recently awarded, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Cashless Driver: Point of Sale (PoS) Transactions,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; by the Central Bank of Nigeria after it achieved the highest volume of PoS transactions on behalf of banks in 2018.

The award reinforced the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s position as the market leader in the Nigeria fintech space. A statement from the company quoted its Managing Director, Tunde Ogungbade, to have stated that the Global Accelerex has positioned itself for rapid expansion into the African fintech market, following the giant strides it has recorded and its remarkable achievements in Nigeria.

Highlighting some of the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s major milestones, Ogungbade explained in the statement: â&#x20AC;&#x153;In our quest to constantly deliver excellent customer satisfaction, we opened

the first customer contact centre in the industry. The facility is staffed with a team of passionate customer service professionals that provide sterling service to the delight of customers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The centre which is open 24/7 enables seamless reception of inbound, outbound calls, and live call monitoring to guarantee quality assurance even on public holidays.â&#x20AC;?

He further stated that the company launched the first android PoS terminal certified for payment acceptance in Nigeria, which is the N5 android PoS device. It performs four times faster than any other payment terminal and has efficient battery conservation, lasting up to five days before the battery drains out. It is loaded with a plethora of applications for the enhancement of business operational efficiency such as creation of sales records and invoices for merchants, and Inventory management which includes monitoring the stock, re-order level and automatic replenishment systems.

PROMOTING FINTECH

Lâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;R: CEO, Capricorn Digital, Adegbola Abudu; CEO, Riby, Salami Abolore; Board Chairman, EFInA, Segun Akerele; Deputy British High Commissioner, Laure Beaufils; CEO, Extramile Africa, Bankole Olalekan; CEO of EFInA, Esaie Diei; CEO, Smart Teller, Oluwole Ogunwande and CEO, Social Lender, Faith Adesemowo, at the EFInA $2M Fintech Grant presentation in Lagosâ&#x20AC;Śrecently

Oil Spill: Group Urges NOSDRA toVisit Affected Communities

Bitcoin Operator Keys into Anti-Money Laundering Fight

Sylvester Idowu in Warri

Ikenna Ekwerike

A Niger Delta-based NonGovernmental Organisation, the Center for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ), has called on the Director General of National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Mr.Idris Musa, to visit communities and creeks in the Niger-Delta region affected by oil spill.

CEPEJ, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Sheriff Mulade and made available to newsmen in Warri recently, noted that oil spill related environmental damages need urgent attention, adding that NOSDRA needed to be abreast with numerous oil spill in the region to enable it discharge the agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s statutory

obligations to the people. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We see reasons to redirect the attention of NOSDRA to several explosions of oil and gas facilities, pipelines resulting to severe environmental and ecological damages. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are numerous sub-standard oil and gas transportation facilities that are often prone to leakage, spill and explosion and if NOSDRA makes it a priority to know the locations of such facilities they could give better response operations which includes detection, prevention and result oriented response,â&#x20AC;? it added.

The NGO drew the attention of NOSDRA to the preventable incident of 11 persons that allegedly died in 2016 from pipeline explosion at Agipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oilfield in

Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, noting that it was necessary to call on NOSDRA to plan for a familiarisation visit to oil spills affected sites particularly in the creeks and interact with host communities across Niger Delta.

The CEPEJ further called on NOSDRA to correctly evaluate the volume of crude and gas that had been discharged into the surrounding environment arising from various explosions, leakages, equipment failures and third party interference. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is also important to inspect some pipelines that are due for remedial maintenance and proffer solution aimed at forestalling reoccurrence of preventable explosion and spills for the sake of the environmentâ&#x20AC;?, it stated.

As part of efforts to strengthen investor confidence in digital currency trading, Paxful, a peerto-peer Bitcoin marketplace, has announced partnership with Jumio, a digital identity and address verification company, with the aim to improve Anti-Money Laundering (AML) procedures and also implement Know-YourCustomer (KYC) requirements on the virtual marketplace.

In a statement, the company disclosed that Jumioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s AI-powered Trusted Identity Service and verification process would help minimise risk and ensure all users have submitted proper documentation.

The release stated that the new measure was necessary to check fraud and maintain compliance

when onboarding users in order to continue to enrich the community that already exists on the Paxful platform. â&#x20AC;&#x153;By adding Jumioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ID Verification to the platform, Paxful has taken a stance to improve its AML procedures and compliance program in every operating country. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Paxful is constantly improving to protect honest customers in the marketplace. The company boasts a growing community of consumers in Africa; and their feedback has been vitally important in advancing security and compliance on its peer-topeer marketplace,â&#x20AC;? the statement explained. How this would be implemented the statement revealed: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Through Jumioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s AIpowered Trusted Identity Service, Paxful will now be able to verify

customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; real-world identities, with a simple ID scan and realtime biometric authentication and liveness detection which will go into full effect in April. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Paxful will now require users around the world who reach an equivalent of USD $1,500 in trade volume or wallet activity to verify their accounts through ID verification. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In addition, users who reach USD $10,000 in trade volume or wallet activity must provide ID verification as well as address verification.â&#x20AC;?

Also, Paxful disclosed that it has unveiled its new Compliance and Information Security team headed by Lana Schwartzman as Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) with a 14 year experience in compliance and anti-money laundering services.

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Accelerating Financial Inclusion Emefu Ibeayoka It is gratifying that over the years, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in its various initiatives, has made a lot of progress in creating a robust financial system framework through several reforms.

The central bank apex institution, in its bolstering policies, has focused on fostering stability, sensitiszing the gains in serious governance and restoring confidence in the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s financial system.

In 2007, it floated the Payment System Vision (PSV 2020) initiative and in 2013, CBN revisited the idea of providing mechanisms for making and receiving payments.

With the minimum risk to the central bank, the payment service providers and end users, the operation aimed at accommodating the banked, underbanked and the unbanked.

This was structured to conform to regulatory, technical and operational standards across all economic activities, geographies and accepted across all international boundaries.

Not long ago, the CBN berthed the National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS) which seeks to ensure over 80 per cent% bankable adults in Nigeria have access to financial service by 2020.

In addition to what the deposit money Banks and other financial institutions have been doing, the CBN has cleared the way to license a new set of operators referred to as Payment Service Banks (PSBs). It has also spelt out the requirements, the structure, what will be allowed and what will be considered illegalities. The key objective is to accelerate financial inclusion in rural areas.

By so doing, there wouldill be increased access to deposit products, payments and remittance services to small businesses, low income households as well as entities through high-volume low-value transaction in a secured technology-driven environment.

That is why industry experts and bank customers have continued to commend Commendations are now rolling in to First City Monument Bank (FCMB) for a recent feat it achieved.

The 40-year old financial institution recently is said to be the first that jumped ontointroduced the driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seat with its FCMB Easy Account offering. It launched the product to give full supporttranslations to the CBNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision of truly taking banking to the nooks and crannies of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s towns and villages, particularly to everyone who has never owned a bBank account. Commonly associated with, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x153;Your Phone Number is Your Account Numberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;?The Last Ten Digits of Your Phone Number are Your Account Number,â&#x20AC;?,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; findings revealed investigations reveal that the bank FCMB has invested heavily in state-of-the-art technology and wais perfecting a world class infrastructure that conforms to the best practices on data, storage, security and integrity, to continue to give its customers sustainable positive experience in quality and satisfactory service.

George Ogudu of the apex Bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Financial Inclusion and Strategy Secretariat commended FCMB for taking the lead in developing the product.

While endorsing FCMB Easy Account, he stated, â&#x20AC;&#x153;FCMB has taken a giant stride to prove its commitment to bringing more Nigerians into formal bBanking. The fact it targets those who have never owned bank accounts and serves as a convenient opportunity for this category of Nigerians to do so, is very laudable. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We consider this as further strategic support towards the full realisation of the CBNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s financial inclusion initiative. We appreciate FCMB for consistently being very innovative and a partner in progress.â&#x20AC;?.

FCMB Easy Account is said to have been designed to make banking accessible to all Nigerians and help to achieve the laudable goal of financial inclusion for most Nigerians as set by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The product is has been made open to all, particularly to meet the needs of low-income earners and the unbanked segment of the society. It allows the account holders have access to convenient and secured financial services, irrespective of their locations.

The bBank stated that the self-service, stress-free and secured offering, available

on all the Global System for Mobile (GSM) networks in Nigeria, (Globacom, MTN, 9Mobile and Airtel), enables everyone anywhere in Nigeria open an account from his or her location, by dialling *329# from a mobile phone and following the instructions.

The development now enables Nigerians who wish to open accounts and carry out banking transactions on any type of mobile phones do so from any location-rural, urban and remote, even if there are no banks physically located at the area. Internet service availability or data is not required for FCMB Easy Account as the account operates on the USSD platform. Its customers can send and receive money to and from friends, families and business partners across all banks in Nigeria. Customers can also deposit funds into their accounts at more than 100,000 agent and banking locations of FCMB and other banks and mobile money operators in Nigeria. FCMB Easy account customers can also use their accounts for airtime purchase, bill payments and other payments.

Every day we are developing digital innovations and ideas that will make our relationship with our customers seamless in so many areas including Channels Management among others. FCMB Easy Account is one of such innovative offerings that make Banking services available across all informal segments, particularly the unbanked

FCMBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Managing Director, Mr. Adam Nuru said the product what the Bank unveiled in FCMB Easy Account is a part of the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s its long-term strategic plan to embark on a digital transformation initiative where it aspires to scale business operations, build capabilities and find the best way to simplify banking for customers, using technology.

Nuru explained: said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every day we are developing digital innovations and ideas that will make our relationship with our customers seamless in so many areas including Channels Management among others. FCMB Easy Account is one of such innovative offerings that make Banking services available across all informal segments, particularly the unbanked. It is banking made easy. All you need is to own any type of mobile phone, and you do not even necessarily need to buy data.â&#x20AC;?.

The African Development Bank (AFDB) hads said, for sustained inclusive development to thrive, a great deal of innovation and thinking are needed to ensure appropriate financial services and instruments should be deliberately put in place for the benefit of the poor and other vulnerable groups.

The Bank said there must be provision of appropriate service that is both accessible and affordable to low-income and vulnerable households.

This is what the bBank hads targeted with the FCMB Easy Account.

On his part, Iits Executive Director, Retail Banking, Mr. Olu Akanmu said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;d, â&#x20AC;&#x153; With the launch of FCMB Easy Account, we make a bold statement on our commitment in FCMB to the greater social purpose of banking, that banking should be socially relevant not only to the privileged but to all people. That the benefit of financial intermediation, particularly the ability to have a bank account, should be more inclusive for all Nigerians. That every Nigerian should be able to own a bank account no matter their geographic or social location, whether they are in urban or rural areas, whether they are in cities or villages or whether they are rich or poor.â&#x20AC;?.

Uche Uzoebo, who heads Agency and Merchant Services in one of the new generation bBanks, while responding to a media inquiry on the challenges facing financial inclusion in Nigeria had said:, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bangladesh for instance has a bank-led model of financial inclusion, Kenya has Telco-led; Brazil has a combination of both bank and Telcos. I see Nigeria having a combination of banks and Telcos. The truth is that Nigerian government and the governments of other countries are not the same, so we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t also have the same basis for judgement.â&#x20AC;?.

She said most of the time, when people discuss financial inclusion, they often compare Nigeria with Kenya.

Uzoebo would not make such a comparison because they consistently got a lot of strategy right in Kenya, a scenario that is different in Nigeria. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In Kenya, there are people in remote areas carrying out transactions through mobile money and several agents are championing those transactions, but in Nigeria, there are some locations one cannot get to because of security issuesâ&#x20AC;?.

But the FCMBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Executive Director, Retail Banking, Mr. Olu But Akanmu, stressed that aid FCMB Easy Account wasis a part of the bBankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s core strategy to innovate and expand its service channels by promoting and deepening financial inclusion and the cashless policies of the CBN entral Bank of Nigeria (CBN) across regions in Nigeria.

The differentiating factor Akanmu said is:, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC; â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x153;FCMB Easy account helps to achieve the goal of national, financial and social inclusion where all Nigerians have access to formal financial services and their benefits, no matter their situation or location. In FCMB, we are determined to be a critical part of the effort to create a more inclusive society of shared prosperity, where all Nigerians, informal traders, micro SMEs and small holder farmers in agriculture are connected to the shared prosperity that formal financial services engenderâ&#x20AC;?.

Emefu Ibeayoka, a ďŹ nancial and public opinion analyst, writes in from Abuja

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32

T H I S D AY Ëž Ë&#x153; Í°Í°Ë&#x153; Ͱ͎ͯ͡

Enhancing Affordable Housing for Workers

Terungwa Isaac The emerging climate of reform at the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) is necessary, timely and commendable. The results in terms of increased access to affordable housing loans, reduced turnaround time for processing applications for mortgage loans and better delivery of FMBN funded housing projects give hope for a new era of affordable housing delivery for Nigerian workers. Marks of high-performance dot key aspects of the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s operations.

Take the distinctly historic number of housing loans to Nigerian workers that the bank has processed in the past 22 months.

Recent statistics from the bank show that between April 2017 to February 2019, the FMBN processed and disbursed 21,741 housing loans totaling N55billion. This represents an average of over N25billion worth of housing loan disbursements per year.

To better grasp the historic significance of this achievement, consider that from 1992 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; April 2017, before the new management came on board, the FMBN had only disbursed a total of N152billion to 19.671 beneficiaries â&#x20AC;&#x201C; averaging N6.3bn per year! The difference is massive.

Equally noteworthy is the dramatic increase in the speed of handling applications for refund of National Housing Fund (NHF) contributions to by workers who have retired from service.

Within this same period, statistics reveal that the bank has treated a total of 116,560 refund cases totalling N15.7 billion. As at April 2017, when the new management took over, only 132,605 cases totalling N10.5billion were treated in the over two decades of the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history.

This positive trajectory of high performance and responsiveness at the FMBN is evidence of a new leadership dynamic. Notably, it demonstrates that the new FMBN management understands the urgent need to improve service delivery and is committed to increasing access by Nigerian workers to its suite of affordable housing solutions.

Secondly, it shows the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s respect for the humanity of the Nigerian worker by ensuring that workers, who have contributed dutifully to the NHF fund, have quick access to their contributions soon as they leave service and apply for their funds.

The emerging positive indices of deepening access to mortgage loans demonstrates the inherent potential of the FMBN to play a leading role in governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts to sustainably tackle the problem of affordable social housing delivery to Nigerian workers. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s potency as an effective housing policy tool also underscores the need for housing industry stakeholders, the

public and well-meaning Nigerians to support ongoing efforts to bolster and strengthen the capacity of the FMBN for greater and more expansive impact.

Despite challenges, which can be corrected, the FMBN remains Nigerian workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; most affordable route to owning a home. For instance, workers who contribute to the National Housing Fund (NHF) that the bank manages, can access housing loans of up to N15million at best market rates of between six per cent and nine per cent and pay back over tenors of up to 30 years.

The new FMBN management has also reduced requirement for equity contributions to lessen the financial burden on workers. For loans under N5 million workers do not need to pay any equity contribution while for loans ranging from N5 million and N15 million, only 10 per cent is required.

Clearly, the FMBN housing loan offer stands out when compared to those on offer by commercial banks, who typically charge interest rates of up to N25 per cent for tenors of less than 15 years in addition to very stiff requirements and collateral. This strengthens the case for it as a more potent tool for driving affordable housing delivery with a focus on the Nigerian worker.

In the last quarter of 2018, the FMBN as part of efforts to ensure greater value for workers who contribute to the NHF scheme, commenced

This positive trajectory of high performance and responsiveness at the FMBN is evidence of a new leadership dynamic. Notably, it demonstrates that the new FMBN management understands the urgent need to improve service delivery and is committed to increasing access by Nigerian workers to its suite of affordable housing solutions

work on the National Affordable Housing Delivery Program for Nigerian workers. The program - to build and deliver decent, safe and quality housing for Nigerian workers at a price that they can afford - is a collaboration with the labor union including the Nigerian Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigerian Employersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Consultative Assembly (NECA) was launched nationwide.

Under the pilot phase of the project, about 1,400 housing units in a mix of one bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom units are planned for construction and delivery at fourteen sites nationwide. 200 housing units are to be built in each of the six geopolitical zones with 100 units in two selected states while Abuja and Lagos are to be treated as special sites. The house types designed for construction under the program are based on proven social housing models with prices ranging from N3.1M to N8.3 million.

Recently, the FMBN Management team led

by Arc. Ahmed M. Dangiwa commenced an inspection and assessment tour of the project sites to monitor construction progress and quality of work done. The management team visited the five hectare project site in Nasarawa State along the new Kwandare, Keffi road Lafia and noted with satisfaction the pace of construction work by the developer at the site. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The quality of work and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impressive. We have made few observations and drawn the attention of the developer to make necessary corrections within time. We have also noted that the developer is within completion period.

However, we are urging him to deliver within the next 30 days so that we can commission this project so that off takers can start enjoying the houses,â&#x20AC;? Dangiwa observed.

The FMBN Management team also visited the 100-housing unit project site in Lokoja, Kogi State where it also noted that the contractor is on schedule to deliver the project as planned.

In his remarks after the project site tour, the FMBN MD/CEO was quoted to have said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;With the level of progress that we have seen from the developer, we are optimistic that the project will be ready for commissioning next month as scheduled. The developer has almost finished most of the internal work, the tiling, the ceiling, electrical and plumbing work for over 80 of the houses, the remaining ones are being roofed now.

He has also commenced the infrastructure. The drainage has already been constructed, the roads have been levelled, and ready to receive MC1 and asphalt. The electrical aspect is already in place, the tank, the water reticulation is already

done, and he has sunk two boreholes with a good yield to serve the entire estate. In a nutshell we are highly impressedâ&#x20AC;?

With the reported progress at the sites visited, there are many reasons to believe that this affordable social housing project will succeed and not become yet another abandoned national project.

The first reason is the availability of funds to ensure project delivery as well as selection and mobilisation of competent developers. The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria has leveraged its pool of funds from the National Housing Fund to finance the construction work and delivery of the project. The bank has already mobilized reputable indigenous developers with the capacity to deliver to start work. The rapid and simultaneous construction activities at the pilot sites of the project nationwide inspire hope for the speedy delivery of the projects within the 6-months timeframe as planned.

The second reason is the active involvement of the labour unions in the design of the program.

The participation of leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress and Nigeria Employersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Consultative Association in the development of the framework for delivering the project made it possible for them to make constructive inputs to the housing designs, selling prices and conditions for delivering the project. This has given them a strong sense of ownership of the project, a critical factor for its success.

It is also heart-warming that a plan is in place to ensure that once the houses are built and delivered, the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria will provide mortgage loans through selected Primary Mortgage Banks (PMBs) to Nigerian workers that contribute to the National Housing Fund (NHF) to enable them to purchase the houses and repay over a maximum period of 30 years.

Unarguably, the past 22 months have revealed a strikingly new commitment by the management of the FMBN to the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mandate and the urgency of reforming the mortgage institution so it can have greater and more expansive impact. The Arc. Dangiwa-led management has taken bold actions and posted impressive performance results to prove their capacity to deliver. For a stronger FMBN, it is imperative that housing industry stakeholders and the public rally in support of their efforts to reform and reposition the FMBN as a key institutional tool for tackling the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s housing crisis.

Terungwa Isaac is a housing industry analyst based in Abuja

33

T H I S D AY Ëž Ë&#x153; Í°Í°Ë&#x153; Ͱ͎ͯ͡

Boosting Growth through Diversity in Financial Leadership David Lipton I know this is a busy day for everyone, so Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m grateful you could join us for todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seminar on Gender Diversity Dividends in Finance. It was very important to me to come here to contribute to a discussion of this consequential issue.

Gender in finance has macroeconomic, moral and ethical implications extending across national borders, cultural chasms, and class divides. It affects women all over the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;from executives in boardrooms to women who seek education, access to financial services, and employment opportunities.

A few statistics offer a glimpse of the problem with access to financial services. r 0G UIF CJMMJPO QFPQMF VOCBOLFE globally, nearly one billion of them are women. r -PXFS BDDFTT UP CBOL DSFEJU SPCT women of opportunities to educate their children, start businesses, or tide over hard times. r "DSPTT UIF XPSME GFXFS UIBO percent of bank and supervisory board members are women. I am sorry to say the IMF is no exception â&#x20AC;&#x201C; on our &YFDVUJWF #PBSE PG DIBJST XF POMZ IBWF XPNFO BOE XIJMF * BN QMFBTFE to say we look forward to welcoming a third female Executive Director in a few weeks, we should do much better. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interesting to note that many low- and middle-income countries actually do better than advanced economies in having women in those leadership positions. r "OE JU XJMM OPU TVSQSJTF ZPV XIFO * SFQPSU UIBU POMZ QFSDFOU PG CBOL $&0T worldwide are women.

There is now considerable evidence of what this inequality means. Recent IMF research shows that increasing financial inclusion, of both women and men, lifts economic growth. That research also shows that having more women in leadership positions leads to greater financial stability, lower levels of nonperforming loans, and higher profits.

Banks with a higher share of women on UIFJS CPBSET XFSF NPSF TUBCMF JO XIFO UIF (MPCBM 'JOBODJBM $SJTJT IJU 0OF SFBTPO GPS UIJT QFSGPSNBODF JT clear: greater diversity means more diverse views, which helps avoid group-think and leads to better decision making. So why donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t financial institutions put more women in these top roles? Here, too, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think the explanation is going to surprise you.

Women continue to face conscious and unconscious biasâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;cultural, religious, or just the propensity of men to hire people who are like themselves. In addition, studies have found that women are held to a higher standard of performanceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;with women of color facing even bigger obstacles.

Given all these challenges, it may be that the women who persevere tend to be among the most talented and skilled executives to make it to the top. I have the privilege of working for IMF Manag-

Lipton JOH %JSFDUPS $ISJTUJOF -BHBSEF BOE MJBJTF DMPTFMZ XJUI UIF 8PSME #BOL $&0 Kristalina Georgieva, so I can attest to this! There is one more dimension to this issue; an ugly dimension: harassment and violence against women. At the economic level, it is very costly in terms of health and services, reduced productivity and lost opportunities. At the organizational level, sexual harassment cuts to the very soul of an institution, a lesson we learned in the case of our former Managing Director. And at the personal level, it is a sad fact of everyday life. Fortunately, women have forced this issue into the openâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;where it should beâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;through the #MeToo movement.

I speak for everyone at the Fund when I say that we must confront sexual harassment and stop it.

With all of that in mind, I found it

disheartening to read recently about the results of a survey conducted by the American Economic Association.

A shockingly large number of women economists reported being victims of sexual assault. This is criminal behavior we are talking about.

In addition, nearly half of women economists said they avoid speaking at conferences for fear of harassment or â&#x20AC;&#x153;disrespectful treatment.â&#x20AC;? This is unethical behavior.

'JOBMMZ UIJT TVSWFZ SFQPSUFE UIBU percent felt that male colleaguesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; work was taken more seriously than their own. This must end.

Many young women aspire to join our institutions from graduate programs, but the behavior they face during their studies and early careers drives too many away from our field. That drains our intellectual capital. I applaud the AEA

for putting in place sanctions against harassment and hope every economist will take a stand.

As you know, at both the World Bank and the IMF our chief economists are women. At the Fund, we have almost SFBDIFE PVS HPBM PG QFSDFOU PG management positions filled by women m BMNPTU USJQMJOH UIF SBUJP GSPN ZFBST ago. I am proud of this progress. It will help to make our world a better place.

In conclusion, let me leave you with one last thought. As we work to empower women in the global economy, as we strive to make more room for them in the boardroom, let us not forget that the fight for equality and dignity should begin right here, where we live and work. Thank you for listening today.

Lipton is the IMFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s First Deputy Managing Director

WTO Boss Urges Finance Ministers to Address Economic Imbalances Meeting with finance NJOJTUFST BOE $FOUSBM #BOL presidents from around the world at the recently held IMF/ World Bank Spring Meetings in 8BTIJOHUPO %$ UIF %JSFDUPS General of the World Trade 0SHBOJTBUJPO 850 3PCFSUP AzevĂŞdo warned that the global imbalances driving current trade tensions can only be addressed by coordinated action.

He cautioned that responding through trade policy measures alone would not solve these imbalances, but would likely make the problem worse.

The Director-General pro-

WJEFE B TVNNBSZ PG UIF 850 view on trade and economic growth, telling ministers that with global Gross Domestic Product slowing, trade was also slowing from the progress made just two years ago.

"GUFS HSPXJOH BU QFS DFOU JO USBEF HSPXUI JT OPX FYQFDUFE UP TMPX UP QFS DFOU JO 5IF 850 FYBNJOFE all the possible reasons for this deceleration and the common view among economists is that increased trade tensions are a critical factor in the slowdown.

Rising tariffs and increased uncertainties around trade

are making investors more DBVUJPVT BDDPSEJOH UP 850 economists. The DirectorGeneral told ministers that global imbalances were core drivers of current trade tensions as many countries have carried long term large current account surpluses while others have had long term deficits. Increasingly trade and trade policy is being used to try and address these imbalances, but there are better policies that countries could use, he argued, such as stimulating domestic demand in surplus countries which would help reduce these imbalances.

Another factor behind current trade tensions, the DirectorGeneral said, was the political pressure that policy-makers face to create jobs. The loss of jobs in traditional manufacturing has sparked intense pressure to generate employment in industrial sectors of the economy. Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s structural imbalances are concentrated in manufacturing goods and job losses in those sectors are predominately driven by new technologies and increased productivity, he said.

AzevĂŞdo argued that the use of trade policies was

actually exacerbating tensions instead of diminishing them, by creating surpluses in global markets in manufacturing sectors.

0WFSDBQBDJUZ JT BMSFBEZ FWJEFOU in some sectors like steel, but other sectors may be suffering the same problem if policies that artificially stimulate production continue.

The Director-General said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;To diminish these tensions, I suggest that countries sit down, look at all of these policies and the big picture impacts and begin to take coordinated actions to decrease the imbalances and not aggravate them.â&#x20AC;?

AzevĂŞdo invited the finance ministers to look at the costs of their own domestic policies and the costs to the global economy.

He assured ministers that the 850 XJMM JODSFBTJOHMZ USZ UP promote this conversation. In addition, the Director-General told ministers that countries should be looking at how to create jobs in services and other more dynamic sectors with more potential for job growth. He urged ministers to consider policies that would help create human capacity in the dynamic sectors of the economy where workers are needed.

34

T H I S D AY ˾ MONDAY APRIL 22, 2019

T H I S D AY ˾ Í°Í°Ë&#x153; Ͱͮͯͷ

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T H I S D AY Ëž Í°Í°Ë&#x153; Ͱ͎ͯ͡

CITYSTRINGS

Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2013; Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2014;Ă?Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ë&#x203A;Ă?äĂ?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x201C;ĚśĂ&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2039;ĂŁĂ&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă Ă?Ë&#x203A;Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2014;Ë&#x153; Í&#x2018;Í&#x2122;Í&#x2019;Í&#x2013;Í&#x201C;Í&#x201C;Í&#x2013;Í&#x201C;Í&#x201D;Í&#x201C;Í&#x2013;

Collaborative Synergy in Tackling Maritime Illegalities Chiemelie Ezeobi and Mary Ovie write that the recently held Operation Junction Rain launched by the Nigerian Navy, its US counterpart, Interpol, other security agencies, recorded many successes including the arrest of three Greeks, an American and five Nigerians for maritime illegalities

The suspects comprising three Greeks, an American and ďŹ ve Nigerians

O

n a certain Wednesday, the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) CENTENARY made a consequential inroad in the fight against maritime illegalities on the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s waterways. It effected the arrest of Sea Angel 3, a vessel painted in the ash colour, which is the exclusive preserve of the Nigerian Navy (NN). It was therefore not surprising when the navy interrogated the vessel upon sighting it at Latitude 06, Degree 03.324â&#x20AC;&#x2122;N and Longitude 003, Degree 41.310â&#x20AC;&#x2122;N. As is standard operating procedure in such situations, they were interrogated and questions like name of vessel, their call ensign, port of registration, last port of call, destination, number and nationality of crew, any animal on board, cargo type, cargo quantity, bunkering permit, availability of fishing license and expiring date for fishing vessel at designated point, were asked.

Asides the blunder of the colour of the vessel, the captain of the vessel gave false replies during interrogation as regarding the number of persons on board, prompting the Special Boat Services (SBS) onboard NNS CENTENARY to board for a search.

The search unearthed nine persons; three Greeks, one American and five Nigerians. Further search revealed they had four M-1 rifles, 1000 ammunition, one ballistic helmet, seven magazines and other military gadgets.

Meanwhile, a discharge document was also recovered on-board the boat having the name, signature and details of Michael-Anderson but with another picture. Immediately, arrest was made close to Anchorage. The vessel was arrested for illegal possession of firearms and suspected crude oil theft.

The Greeks were identified as 54-year-old Angelopolous Spyridon, 57-year-old Kappis Christos, and 34-year-old Petropoulos Stylianos, 34, while the American was identified as 50-year-old Zanski Michael-Anderson.

Operation Junction Rain From Lagos waters to the Bight of Benin and back, 10 Nigerian Navy (NN) ships, one US Coast Guard THETIS, two helicopters and two NIMASA boats sailed for eight days. The result was the arrest of the aforementioned vessel, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crew and the illegal ammunition. Tagged Operation Junction Rain, it was a join operation between the NN, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s US counterparts, other security agencies and ministries. Some of the NN platforms that participated were NNS THUNDER, NNS SAGBAMA, NNS KARADUWA, NNS CENTENARY, NNS EKULU, and NNS NGURU.

The four recovered illegal Bernelli MI-1 riďŹ&#x201A;es

The box containing the military gadgets and ammunition From all indications, Operation Junction Rain was a practical demonstration of the bilateral military agreement between the US and Nigerian navies. The joint operation was targeted at enforcing maritime laws and checkmating illegalities on the maritime domain within the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) in general and the Nigerian waters in particular.

Synergy Not to be ignored in this operation was the

power of synergy. From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was Mr Raymond Osuji, from the Nigerian Drug and Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) was Mr. Wilson Atu, from the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) was Mr. Ogodo Solomon. The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) was represented by Mr. Bode Ogunbiyi, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) had Mr. Olumide Ajayi, while the Nigerian Customs Services (NCS) was represented by Mr.

Nyior Emmanuel and Mr. Patrick Daniel stood in the stead for the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS).

Its essence was to bring all maritime law enforcement agencies together to foster synergy, cooperation and to expedite action on prosecution of arrested ships and crew. Although this operation was not the first time the navy was collaborating with other security agencies, this one was quite different as the gamut of all angles was considered. This time around, so many things were taken into cognisance; the legal aspect as regarding prosecution after arrests have been made at sea. That was what informed the basis of the interagency cooperation between the navy and other maritime law enforcement agencies, for effective evidence handling and prosecution.

The presence of all these security agencies and ministry was a testament of the advantages of working together for a common goal. They also had their work cut out for them. While the NDLEA were brought in for their expertise in tackling illegal drug smuggling, NIS handled documentation of immigration status, NAPTIPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expertise was in handling cases of human trafficking; NCS on the other hand took care of border patrols to ensure the protection of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s borders.

Therefore, the operation explored the beauty of the Immigration, customs and NAPTIP laws, as well as the Presidential Committee on some Arms and Light Weapons, NDLEA (Nacrotic Laws) and other laws on infringement that have been committed within the GoG maritime domain and in particular the Nigeria waters.

THISDAY checks revealed that one of the major reasons why these security agencies are involved is to facilitate prosecution of arrested suspects at sea. Exploring this synergy means that if a ship is suspected to be trafficking humans, NAPTIPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expertise is needed in collecting the evidence and preserving them while investigation will take place immediately before the foreign affairs officials will file charges.

Unlike before when the navy makes arrest, and when they get to court they will say the evidence has been tempered with by the navy and thus will hamper prosecution of the arrested crew members and also the ship.

Kick-off The operation kicked off on April 9, 2019, with a pre-sailing conference between the navy and participants from relevant agencies and the US Navy, while patrol began on April, 11, 2019 with 10 Nigerian Navy ships, one US Coast Guard, two helicopters and NIMASA boats released for the operation. For NNS Thunder, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Commanding

37

T H I S D AY Ëž Í°Í°Ë&#x153; Ͱ͎ͯ͡

CRIME&SECURITY

Collaborative Synergy in Tackling Maritime Illegalities

L-R: The OďŹ&#x192;cer in Tactical Command (OTC), Commodore Dickson Olisemenogor; Interpol Lagos boss, DCP Tunji Akingbola; Commander, NNS BEECROFT, Commodore Ibrahim Shettima and Captain MY Dahiru, at the handing over of the suspects to Interpol Officer was Captain S.M Ahmed and Captain Daihiru as the Naval Headquarters observer.

According to the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ibok Ete-Ibas, at the flag off, the operation was part of the African Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership (AMLEP) programme of the US Navy/Coast Guard, which was hosted by the NN this year.

He said operations of this nature are critical towards protecting and sustaining the resources and huge potentials of the GoG in general and Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in particular.

Also, he said it enhanced the cross fertilisation of ideas and best practices across a broad spectrum of maritime operations including safety at sea, inspection and search procedures, amongst others.

Operations at Sea The day 1, which happened to be on Thursday, the participating ships were assigned to different areas within the Lagos water, with NNS Thunder patrolling area Foxtrot. That day, effective patrol was carried out in the area without interrogation.

No arrest was made. The second day, the ships patrolled the same area but this time around, some ships were interrogated. They included : MV Lilly, MV SIRIAL Laurel, MT ASHAVI, MV Florida 1, but no acts of illegality was found on them.

On the third day, NNS Thunder increased patrol but this time extended it around area G. Another ship was interrogated and patrol intensified round Nigeria and Benin Republic waters. One of the challenges of the patrol around there was poor weather, occasioned by weak visibility. On Sunday, the patrol areas were J and Foxtrot. It was extended to the Bight of Benin and vessels at sea were interrogated with questions like name of vessel, their call ensign, port of registration, last port of call, destination, number and nationality of crew, any animal on board, cargo type, cargo quantity, bunkering permit, availability of fishing license and expiring date for fishing vessel at designated point.

On Monday, four vessels MV Grand Cotonou, MT Hanson, MV Milan Trader and MT Ortakoy were interrogated but no arrest was made. Then on Tuesday, vessels like MT Hugh Sea, MV KOTA SURIA, MV CMA CGM Jamaica, MT C- Horaison, MT Saint James , MT Marlin Acqua Marine, MT Central, MT Prince Joseph 1, MV Chang Hang Huai Hei and MV Zim- Rio- Grand were also interrogated without any arrest.

Handing Over of Suspects As part of the crux of the interagency collaboration the operation was tailored after, the NN on Thursday handed over the nine suspected pirates, comprising three Greeks, an American and five Nigerians to the Interpol unit of the Nigeria Police, for alleged possession of firearms and suspected crude oil theft within the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s maritime domain.

The Officer in Tactical Command (OTC), Commodore Dickson Olisemenogor, handed over the suspects at the Nigeria Navy Ship (NNS)

BEECROFTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parade ground in Apapa, Lagos.

Addressing reporters at the handing over ceremony, the OTC said the objective of the operation was to carry out maritime law enforcement operations at sea.

Prior to the handing over he said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Before now, we go out there to make arrest and we hand over to relevant agencies, but the activities of these criminals have continued unabated. So, this time around, we made a detailed search and interrogation of ships at sea. Within the period of the operation, we interrogated over 100 ships, we boarded over 40 of them and in the process of boarding these vessels, one was suspected to be carrying illegal activities on our waters. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When we interrogated the captain and crew members of the ship, they made us believe that there were only five Nigerians on board. The boat was painted navy colour, and this aroused our suspicions more. They were also not shining their electronic gadget at sea, which will indicate their position as stipulated by the International Maritime Organisation, and this attracted our attention. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We boarded and discovered that there were more than five persons on board. There were five Nigerians, three Greeks and an American. Further search on the boat reviewed that they had four MI Rifle that can do anything at sea and over 1000 rounds of ammunition with them and various military kits. What they are doing on our waters, we do not know. We are handing over the suspects, exhibits and the boats to the Nigerian Police. They will further investigation and prosecute.â&#x20AC;?

Earlier, Olisemenogor said the arrested suspects had switched off some of the equipment to make it difficult to detect them, unknown to them that the navy has equipment onboard to detect whoever is at sea.

He added, â&#x20AC;&#x153;what we saw at sea is encouraging. We had other merchant ships calling and congratulating us for keeping the waters safe for their operations. That goes to give credence to this operation. I can say it was a huge success because apart from keeping our sea lines open for normal commercial shipping to take place, we also used the opportunity to further train our men onboard, especially in seamanship area, communication, even our engineers had the opportunity of understanding our engines better and know how to solve certain problems that could jeopardise our operation at sea.

"The other areas I know that we have actually done something were in collaboration and interoperability.

Now we can work as a team with all our MDAs. They understand us, so do we. Also, the area of communication and information sharing came to play because most of these information we got that led us into interrogating some vessels and boarding others came from our sister agencies through our Maritime Operation Center (MOCs) which shows synergy is already established and I just hope that we would sustain it.

"In my assessment, the operation is worth it

and should be sustained. I can assure you that through the effort and support of the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, the navy is very ready. We want Nigerians to know that their navy is working and time is up for those criminals at sea. Some of the vessels we were monitoring fled to South Africa and some were even in Gabon.

"The fact that we denied them the use of the sea for these number of days goes to show that we can continue and it is no longer business as usual for them. We are using this opportunity to warn all criminals at sea that this operation has not ended, it is still ongoing. Anyone that feels he can come and disturb our waters let him think twice, because it is not going to be easy for him."

After receiving the suspects, vessel and weaponry, Interpol Lagos boss, Tunji Akingbola, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, said investigation would commence immediately. Also on ground were personnel from the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), whose duty was to verify the immigration status of the four foreigners. Meanwhile, the Nigerian crew alleged that they were merely hired to provide their vessel, and as such had no idea the foreigners had illegal weapons.

Closing Ceremony When the participating vessels berthed on Thursday, the closing ceremony was preceded by the handing over of the suspects and crew to the Interpol. At the closing ceremony however, the CNS said it was heartwarming to see the ripple effect of the talks between the two navies being transformed into real time maritime law enforcement operation.

He said although the US Africa Command and the US Naval Forces Africa have conducted Operation Junction Rain in eight other African partner nations since 2008 under the AMLEP, this 2019 operation was different in the sense that over 21 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) participated.

He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The essence of hosting this operation primarily is that the current security breaches in the maritime space of the GoG is of serious concern to Nigeria and the US, as well as the larger global community. What is more worrisome is that much of the activities associated with the evolving threat scenario around the GoG maritime domain are directed at economic lifeline of both littoral and land-locked states. So this the operation involved exchange of boarding parties and real-time responses to deter and counter illicit transnational maritime threats.â&#x20AC;?

In his vote of thanks afterwards, the Chairman, Organising Committee, Rear Admiral IB Yusuf, said the MDAs had been working towards the operation in the last six months, thus it built mutual interagency cooperation. He also commended the ministries of Defence, Foreign Affairs and Justice for drafting the bilateral law agreement that authorised

the conduct of the operation.

Challenges Meanwhile, despite the visible successes recorded, the operation wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t without its fair share of challenges ranging from weather to absence of intelligence in some cases, as well as limitation of operation to Lagos waters. In instances of weather change, it was occasioned by poor visibility, thereby necessitating the use of standard fog signal and navigational light.

In the case of intelligence gathering, the observers had noted that there should have been more synergy in gathering intel from the Regional Maritime Awareness Centre (RMAC) / Falcon Eye from the navy, NPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Command Control and Information Centre, as well as that of NIMASSA. While acknowledging the much that was done at sea, they however decried the inadequate platforms needed to comb the vast maritime space.

They also charged the navy to provide effective Wifi onboard the ships for communication and information gathering.

Way Forward Positing the way forward for subsequent operations, the observers called for uninterrupted secured radio communication channel between harbour master and Nigerian Navy warships during such operation, adequate synergy with harbour master for background information gathering on the background checks on vessels on anchorage and random physical inspection of vessels at the anchorage.

In the area of interagency cooperation, they stressed the need for participating agencies to be properly briefed on their responsibilities before they embark on such operation, adding that every representative of such participating agencies should also be armed with the HSOP during such operation in order to review it to capture responsibilities of omitted participating agencies.

While reiterating the need to sustain this operation so as to deter activities of criminals in the maritime domain, they charged that patrols should be carried out more than once a year. In the same vein, they charged the Federal Government to provide more platforms for the navy to effectively patrol the vast waterways.

However, despite the inherent challenges faced, the general disposition of the observers was tilted towards commendation for the navy in taking this laudable initiative aimed at making the nation's maritime domain and it's area at the Gulf of Guinea safe for commerce.

According to them, the operation can be described as a huge success because it was able to keep criminals at bar, thereby making the corridor of the Nigeria water safe for passage, adding that it was also a plus that the incorporation of other maritime law enforcement agencies is witnessed for the first time in the history of Nigeria.

MONDAY APRIL 22, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

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INTERNA TIONAL

Serial Blasts Kill over 210 in Sri Lanka Pope, Buhari kick Eight serial explosions ripped through the island nation of Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday killing over 210 and wounding 450 people.

The explosions, which targeted three churches and prominent hotels went off at around 8.45 am (local time) when the Easter Sunday masses were underway.

Seven suspects have been arrested in raids as security agencies spring to action in the country.

Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has appealed his countrymen to remain united.

“I strongly condemn the cowardly attacks on our people today. I call upon all Sri Lankans during this tragic time to remain united and strong.

“Please avoid propagating unverified reports and speculation. The government is taking immediate steps to contain this situation,” said the prime minister condemning the attack.

An emergency meeting was called by the prime minister and security at various religious institutions was heightened as the government imposed an indefinite curfew across the country.

The social media has also been shut down in a bid to control misinformation and fake news.

The first blast was reported at the St Anthony’s Church

in Kochcikade in Colombo, the second from St Sebastian’s Church at Katuwapitiya in Negombo and third from a church in Batticaloa. Three five-star hotels from where the blasts were reported are the Shangrila, the Cinnamon Grand, and the Kingsbury.

The seventh blast occurred at a guesthouse in Dehiwala, killing at least two people while the eighth explosion took place in Dematagoda on the outskirts of Colombo.

Two of the explosions are reported to be suicide bombers.

Three police officers were killed while conducting a search operation at a suspected safe house in Dematagoda.

Describing the site of the blasts as “horrible scenes”, Harsha de Silva, minister of Economic Reforms and Public Distribution said, “I saw many body parts strewn all over. Emergency crews are at all locations in full force.”

No terror group has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack. Describing the blasts as a terrorist attack, Defense Minister Ruwan Wijewardena told reporters Sunday evening that seven suspects had been arrested, though no one immediately claimed responsibility for the blasts.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that he feared the violence could trigger instability in the country and its economy.

Top Democrats Leave Option of Impeaching Trump Open after Top congressional Democrats left the door open on Sunday to pursue the impeachment of U.S. President Donald Trump, but said they would first need to complete their own investigations into whether he obstructed justice in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe.

Democratic Party leaders have played down impeachment talk ahead of the 2020 presidential election, although prominent members of the party’s progressive wing, including White House candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren, have called for the start of proceedings since the release of Mueller’s report on Thursday.

U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said Democrats would press ahead on multiple investigations of Trump in Congress and would “go where the evidence leads.”

“Obstruction of justice, if proven, would be impeachable,” Nadler said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

A redacted version of Mueller’s long-awaited report, the product of a 22-month investigation, built a broad case that Trump had committed obstruction of justice but stopped short of concluding he had committed a crime, although it did not exonerate him.

Mueller noted that Congress has the power to address whether Trump violated the law, and Democrats said it would be a matter of discussion in the coming weeks.

“That’s going to be a very consequential decision and one I’m going to reserve judgment on until we have a chance to fully deliberate on it,” House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said on “Fox News Sunday.”

Saudi Arabia, UAE Grant $3bn of Support to Sudan Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have granted Sudan $3 billion in support, Saudi state news agency SPA said on Sunday.

The grant includes a $500 million deposit into Sudan’s central bank, while the rest

will be in the form of food, medicine, and petroleum products, SPA said.

The Grant came as Sudan’s ousted President Omar AlBashir is facing allegations of graft and money laundering after a long reign.

The attack is being called the worst since the end of the country’s civil war 25 years ago, in which Tamil Tigers, a rebel group from the

ethnic Tamil minority, sought independence from ethnic Sinhala Buddhist majority Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, the Catholic

pontiff, Pope Francis and President Muhammadu Buhari have criticised the suicide attacks in Sri Lanka.

Both described the attacks

as dastardly and cowardly and pledged their solidarity with Sri Lanka people in the elimination of such heinous crimes.

Ukrainian comedian, Volodymyr Zelensky, rejoicing after he was announced the winner of the presidential run-off election…yesterday

Ukraine Election: Comedian, Zelensky Wins Presidency by Landslide’ Ukrainian comedian, Volodymyr Zelensky, has won a run-off election to become the country’s next president by a landslide, exit polls suggest.

The polls give him more than 70 per cent support. He dominated the first round of voting three weeks ago when 39 candidates were on the ticket.

Zelensky challenged incumbent president, Petro Poroshenko.

Poroshenko has admitted defeat but told supporters

gathered in Kiev that he will not leave politics.

“I will never let you down,”Zelensky told supporters on Sunday.

He added: “While I am not formally president yet, as a citizen of Ukraine I can tell all post-Soviet countries: ‘Look at us! Everything is possible!’”

Ukraine’s choice was between an experienced politician with five years as president on his CV and a comedian wielding little more than a blank sheet

of paper. That so many people have opted for Volodymyr Zelensky is a humiliation for Petro Poroshenko.

Thirty-seven candidates were removed from the ballot paper from the first round and yet the president only picked up about 9% more votes this time. Zelensky gained almost 45 percent.

This feels like a massive protest vote and for now Zelensky and his campaign team are celebrating.

It’s hard to see the feeling lasting long. The hard work will come when they have to start fleshing out what are at the moment vague policies.

It’s one thing to have bold ideas but quite another to implement them.

Polls gave Poroshenko, who has been in power since 2014, 25 per cent of the vote.

The billionaire was elected after an uprising overthrew the country’s previous, pro-Russian government.

Macedonians Vote in Election Dominated by dispute over Name Macedonians vote on Sunday in a presidential election dominated by deep divisions over a change of the country’s name to North Macedonia under a deal with Greece.

The change, which Greece demanded to end what it called an implied territorial claim on its Northern province also called Macedonia, resolves a decades-old dispute and opens the door to Macedonian membership of NATO and the European Union.

But the accord continues to divide Macedonians and has eclipsed all other issues during campaigning for Sunday’s election, in which about 1.8 million voters will choose between three candidates.

“We have to put an end to this. We need to stop the sale of our national interest,” said Ilija Velkovski, a 67-year old pensioner, after casting his vote. “Yes, we want EU and NATO, but not like this.”

However, the presidency has no authority to block constitutional amendments

that were passed earlier this year by a two-thirds majority of parliament to enable the name change.

Reflecting differences over the deal pushed through by the pro-Western government of Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, the winner of Sunday’s ballot is not expected to secure an outright majority, meaning a run-off vote would be held on May 5. Polls opened at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) and first results are expected around 9 p.m. (1900 GMT).

According to the state election commission turnout stood at around 20 percent by 1 p.m. local time (1100 GMT).

“I expect peaceful and democratic elections,” said Dimitar Stankovski, a 42-year old legal adviser in a private firm after casting his vote.

“I expect that we elect a president that will take us into Europe where we belong.

I know there is a long path ahead, but we need to start somewhere.”

A recent opinion poll gave 28.8 per cent support

and a narrow lead to Stevo Pendarovski, who is backed by the ruling centrist coalition of the Social Democrats and the minority Albanian DUI party, which has promised to implement the name change deal.

Pendarovksi said that he expects a high turnout because it was vote for how the country’s future will be shaped rather than a choice of president.

Pendarovski’s main rival, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, an university professor, is supported by the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party, which strongly opposed the deal.

The latest poll showed her on 26.8 per cent.

“I expect to win the elections and be the first woman president of Macedonia,” SiljanovskaDavkova said after casting her vote.

“I am a professor of European law, so I’ll respect (the agreement with Greece),” she said. “But I’ll do my best to show that some of the solutions are against our

constitution.”

Blerim Reka, the candidate for the second-largest Albanian party, Besa, looks set to come a distant third with about seven per cent of the vote, the poll showed.

Analysts say turnout could be low due to disillusion among voters at the government’s progress in attracting foreign investment and tackling high unemployment.

The presidency of the former Yugoslav republic is a mostly ceremonial post, but acts as the supreme commander of the armed forces and signs off on parliamentary legislation.

The refusal of outgoing nationalist President Gjeorge Ivanov to sign some bills passed by parliament has delayed the implementation of some key laws, including one on wider use of the Albanian language.

That was 18 years after an ethnic Albanian uprising that pushed Macedonia to the brink of civil war.

MONDAY APRIL 22, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

39

NEWS XTRA

2019 UTME: We’ll Cancel Results of Candidates who Cheated, JAMB Threatens Esther Oluku The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said that once it establishes evidence of any form of examination malpractice against any candidate who wrote the 2019 UTME, it will cancel, outright, the result of such candidate rather than deduct marks as speculated.

The Board’s Head, Media and Information, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, disclosed this in an interview with the News

Agency of Nigeria yesterday in Lagos.

Benjamin had explained that it was not true that JAMB was deducting some marks from candidates with proven cases of examination malpractice.

Rather, he said, once the board establishes evidence of any form of examination malpractice, it will cancel, outright, the result of such candidate rather than deduct marks.

“If we establish any case of infraction or examination

malpractice in any centre too, such centre will be shut down and the entire results of candidates who wrote in that centre from the commencement of the examination, which was

April 11 to the end will automatically be cancelled.

“Such affected candidates are rescheduled immediately for the examination in another centre as was the case in some centres in Abia,”

he said.

He added that the Board made several arrests of persons caught trying to undermine the integrity of the examination and process while it lasted, just like it

shut down centres that fell short of standards.

Benjamin said that the Prof.

Ishaq Oloyede-led JAMB has zero tolerance for any form of corruption, which includes examination malpractice.

EFCC Appeals Verdict on Goje’s No-case Submission Seriki Adinoyi in Jos The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed a cross-appeal at the Court of Appeal sitting in Jos, Plateau State capital, against the judgment of a Federal High Court in Gombe, which partially upheld a nocase submission by former Governor Danjuma Goje.

The commission tried Goje on an amended N5 billion fraud charge.

He was charged along with Alhaji Aliyu El-Nafaty and Dokoro Gombe (alias S.M Dokoro). EFCC, through its prosecuting counsel, Wahab Shittu, said Goje, between September and November 2010, allegedly forged a document titled: ‘Resolution authorising His Excellency the Executive Governor of Gombe State to acquire loan of N5,000,000,000.00 only, with Ref. No: GM/HA/RES/VOL. 1/17’.

The commission said the resolution was purportedly signed by Clerk of the Gombe State House of Assembly, Shehu Atiku, with the intent that it be acted on as genuine

by Access Bank Plc. The N5 billion facility was obtained from Access Bank by the Goje administration for infrastructural projects.

EFCC said its investigation on the loan revealed that the purported House resolution authorising it was forged.

Ruling on Goje’s no-case submission, Justice O.

B. Quadri, on March 22, dismissed 19 of the 21-count charge.

Goje filed an appeal to challenge the court’s refusal to up-hold his no-case submission in its entirety.

In its cross-appeal, EFCC said the lower court erred in numerous respects.

The commission said the lower court embarked on extensive evaluation of evidence, including the credibility of prosecution witnesses in its ruling.

“The court at the stage of no-case submission is not expected to consider credibility of witnesses or evaluate the evidence,” Shittu said.

Besides, he said the lower court ignored prima facie evidential materials contained in several exhibits tendered before court.

The EFCC counsel added that the court failed to consider that the N5 billion facility did not comply with rules for capital expenditure.

He said the court also ignored the fact that the purported resolution authorising the loan was forged.

After highlighting several other errors by the lower court, Shittu urged the Court of Appeal to set aside aspects of the ruling sustaining Goje’s no-case submission.

EFCC sought an order directing the defendants to enter their defence in respect of the counts for which they were discharged.

YOU ARE WELCOME, KABIYESI...

L-R: Olororuwo of Ororuwo, Oba Qomorudeen Adeyemi Adeyanju; Governor of Osun State, Mr Gboyega Oyetola; Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III; Akinrun of Ikirun, Oba Rauf Olayiwola Adedeji; and Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba AbdulRosheed Olabomi Odun IV, during a visit by Oba Adeyemi III to the governor at his country home, Iragbiji…yesterday

NEMA Begins Census of Persons Displaced by Herdsmen in Nasarawa

Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia

National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has begun census of persons displaced by suspected herdsmen from Andaha community of Akwanga Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

Suspected herdsmen last week reportedly attacked Numa-Kochu village, killing 17 Mada natives at a naming ceremony.

The killings, however, created panic and tension in the surrounding villages of Andaha community hence,

the inhabitants relocated to Akwanga town, the headquarters of Akwanga Local Council Area.

Consequently, NEMA arrived Akwanga last weekend and commenced the census of Internally Displaced persons (IDPs) in the community.

The NEMA team, which was led by Mr. Ladan Ayuba, was guided across the deserted villages of Kichingbo, Mente, Ninda, Numa-Kochu, Ancho, Bayan Dutse, Pampam, Kambre and Gbunchu by the senator representing Nasarawa

north senatorial district in the National Assembly, Philip Gyunka.

Addressing hundreds of the IDPs at the central primary school, Akwanga, leader of the NEMA team said the agency was in the area to carry out a census of persons displaced from the villages affected in the crisis in order to assist them within its available resources.

However, Ayuba said: “Before we do that in every community that was affected in the crisis, the displaced persons should go to the various IDPs camp in order

to enable NEMA carry out a census to get the exact number of the affected persons.”

“Therefore, we are appealing to the displaced persons to give us maximum cooperation to enable NEMA come to their assistance.”

Also speaking, Gyunka tasked the Nigeria police not to hide under the guise of the robbers recently arrested by a vigilante group in the community and handed over to them for prosecution, but should rather go out and fish the murderers of the 17 Mada natives.

Osun to Recruit 2,000 Food Vendors to Feed School Pupils Lawan Asks Nigerians to Use Adegboyega Oyetola for Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo She described the huge was conceived to empower opening another window of success recorded since the unemployed women in the state Easter to Heal Wounds, Reunite No fewer than 2,000 food employment opportunity for establishment of the scheme and as well help to eradicate vendors are to be recruited by women in the state. as unprecedented particularly poverty and hunger.

The Senate Leader, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, yesterday asked Nigerians to use Easter period to heal wounds and reunite across board.

He also assured that a greater tomorrow awaits the nation.

Lawan, who made the plea in a statement in Abuja, urged Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of hope.

The statement said: “As our Christian brothers and sisters mark the Easter celebration, I urge all Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of hope, forbearance and reconciliation it offers as

we seek to build a nation where peace and justice shall reign.

“We should also take advantage of this period to heal wounds and reunite across board so that the prosperity promised by this administration, which is well within our capacity as a people, will be actualised.

“I am confident that with all critical stakeholders in both the public and private sectors working together a greater tomorrow awaits our nation.

“I wish all Nigerians the best of this glorious season.”

the Osun State Government to enhance the State Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme popularly known as- O’MEALS. The vendors will join others in the preparation of meals for the public school pupils across the state.

The State Programme Officer of the scheme, Mrs. Olaniyan Kehinde, who stated this during an interaction with applicants at the O’MEALs Secretariat Complex in Osogbo, the state capital, commended the administration of Governor

Olaniyan who lauded the efforts of the present administration for sustaining the scheme, said the employment opportunity will further help to empower women.

She acknowledged the administration of Oyetola for demonstrating genuine commitment to women and children development since assumption office.

Olaniyan noted that the scheme had helped to banish the scourge of unemployment and poverty among women since it was founded.

in alleviating poverty in the society.

“Governor Oyetola has approved the recruitment of another set of food vendors (caterers) who will be preparing nutritious meals for our pupils in every school day across the state. “ As we all know, this scheme is aimed to banish poverty, unemployment, hunger and increase primary school enrolment and as well encourage local and state-wide economic growth.

“The recruitment exercise

“This initiative will help to complement the efforts already put in place as the new vendors will be trained and exposed to skills that can avail them the opportunities of being self-independent and self-reliant.

“We are planning to recruit 2,000 fresh set of caterers while some of the old ones will be relieved.

“So, we are going to synergise the new beneficiaries with some of the old ones who have been found worthy in the course of discharging their duties.

40

T H I S D AY ˾ MONDAY APRIL 22, 2019

MONDAY APRIL 22, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

41

NEWSEXTRA

Job Creation Panacea to Insecurity, Says Bakare Chinedu Eze The General Overseer, Latter Rain Assembly, Tunde Bakare, has said that the solution to the insecurity eroding peace in the country is job creation.

Bakare who made this known during interview with Channels Television in Lagos, noted that the government has neglected job creation for a long time, adding that the country has ignored its most valued asset, which is human resources.

He said that thousands of young people graduate from higher institutions every year and stressed that government should evolve policies that would

enhance job creation both in the private and public sectors.

Bakare also said that government should review the education curriculum with the objective of ensuring that students acquire skills and knowledge that will enable them create their own jobs and become self-employed.

He said the universities do not prepare students to be creative and ingenuous in the society after school and attributed this to poor quality of education in the country.

Bakare frowned at the proliferation of universities in the country, saying that even if approvals should be given to the establishment

of such schools, government should make sure that education at such schools should be qualitative.

He said he was aghast recently when he heard that over 300 applications are waiting at the National University Commission (NUC0 by those who wanted to establish universities in the country.

According to him, it is not bad to establish universities but government should ensure that the schools meet high standards that would ensure that when students graduate they would be able to have enough skills and knowledge to be self-employed and the needed resource to seek for employment.

Alaafin Urges Oyetola to Boost Osun’s IGR Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi, yesterday urged the Osun State Governor, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola, to bring his experience to bear in order to improve the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state To the foremost monarch, this is the only way to enable the governor raise enough funds to carry out his programmes for the state.

The monarch spoke during a visit to the governor at his country home in Iragbiji, Boripe Local Government Area of the state.

To assist the governor to receive the Alaafin, who was accompanied by his son and member of the House of Representatives, Prince Hakeem Adeyemi, were the Akinrun of Ikirun, Oba Abdul-Rauf Olayiwola Adedeji; Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Olabomi; Elende of Eko-Ende, Oba Abdul-Rauf Adebayo Olaniyan; and Olororuwo of Ororuwo, Oba Kamorudeen Adeyemi Adeyanju.

The Alaafin commended Oyetola for building on the good legacies of his predecessors, saying a state like Osun needed a robust revenue profile to enable its governor to deliver democracy dividends, adding that Oyetola had started well and he had no doubt about his capacity to perform.

He said: “You have to use your wealth of experience in administrative, financial and political sectors to improve on the revenue base of the state.

“You might know that I am fully aware of the significant role you played to boost the revenue profile of Lagos State.

“You were among the few people that deployed financial professionalism and expertise to help Lagos to raise its revenue status at a time its local government allocation was seized by the Obasanjo Government during Bola Tinubu’s tenure “Osun is not a rich state; so, my advice for you is to use your ingenuity and the

experience acquired to advance the economy of the state”. The monarch called for unity, and love among the Yoruba, and also implored Oyetola to join hands with his colleagues to place the South-west to its rightful position.

“My concern is to ensure that Yoruba people are properly placed in the scheme of things in Nigeria,” he added.

Oyetola expressed delight on the Alaafin’s visit which he described as a symbol of support for his administration.

He said he was thrilled the monarch decided to come to his country home adding that “the visit will occupy a big place in my diary.”

He commended Oba Adeyemi for being supportive to his administration with prayers and advice.

The governor described Alaafin as a man of integrity and honesty and implored him not to relent in his efforts until the region actualises her dreams.

Ibadan Indigenes in US Pledge Support for Oyo Governor-elect Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan Ibadan indigenes in the United States, under the auspices of Ibadan Descendants Union, (IDU, USA), have pledged their support for Oyo State governor-elect, Mr. Seyi Makinde, in the area of

academic and economic development for the betterment of Ibadan people and Oyo State in general.

This was contained in a congratulatory letter handed over to the governor-elect at his Houston’s residence, by the IDU President, Houston chapter, Fatai Oyejobi, on

behalf of the IDU National President, Mrs. Olubunmi Afonja.

Others on the entourage with Oyejobi during the visit include IDU’s National Publicity Secretary, Mrs. Adebukola Oyejobi, Dr. Abiodun Raufu, among other members.

Adamawa Gov-elect Felicitates with Christians on Easter Daji Sani in Yola The Adamawa State Governor-elect, Hon. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, has felicitated with the citizens of the state, especially Christians on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Fintiri said the events bear the hallmarks of love and sacrifice, which mankind should embrace.

The governor-elect said he

is confident that the lessons learnt during Lenten season leading up to the holy week will continue to guide the words and actions of each everyone in the struggle to make the state and the country better.

He has also condemned the recent attack on Bolon village and its environs in Demsa Local Government Area (LGA), which resulted to destruction of lives and

property in its wake.

He described the latest attack as unfortunate, coming at a time when activities were returning to normalcy in the area.

Fintiri urged security agents to double their efforts in unmasking the attackers and bringing them to book to serve as a deterrent to others who have the intention to commit crime in the future.

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Onnoghen’s Conviction: Access to Justice Condemns CCT’s Judgment Davidson Iriekpen A civil society organisation, Access to Justice (A2Justice), has described the conviction of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) as absurd and a travesty of justice.

Justice Onnoghen was last Thursday convicted by the CCT on a six-count charge of false declaration of assets preferred against him by the federal government.

In a statement at the weekend and signed by its Executive Director, Joseph Otteh, A2Justice said the cardinal principles of rule of law were not followed before the conviction.

It said part of the requirement of rule of law is that courts and tribunals, which exercise judicial powers should be independent of other arms of government and appear, in the perception of reasonable observers, to be so independent, which was not the case with the CCT “Unfortunately, the CCT did not offer this guarantee of independence, neither its perception - far from it. The CCT had, from the word go, drawn the handwriting on the wall indicating that it was bent on a particular outcome, and that it would look neither to the left nor to the right in the

blind pursuit of that goal,” it stated.

The group said while it takes no position on whether Justice Onnoghen committed the infractions with which he was charged or indeed is guilty of offences, the trial was, in every way, grossly and grievously unfair.

It contended that no fairminded court or tribunal could have descended to the depths the CCT delved into trying to convict the former CJN on the charges against him in order to remove him from office.

It further noted that the CCT was so desperate to convict Onnoghen that it had to overturn or side-step its previous judgments on similar matters, decisions such as those given in a prior case involving another Justice of the Supreme Court.

A2 Justice added that a cardinal principle of the common law system is that similar cases are decided alike in other to prevent arbitrariness and caprice in the adjudication of cases.

“The tribunal had, from the word go, drawn the handwriting on the wall indicating that it was bent on a particular outcome, and that it would look neither to the left nor to the right in the blind pursuit of that goal.

Offa Kingmakers Warn Olugbense against False Claim on Olofa Stool Hammed Shittu in Ilorin The Council of Offa Princes and Princesses has declared that only one royal ruling house exists in Offa in Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State.

The kingmakers have also clarified that the Anilelerin ruling house is the royal family recognised by law to solely lay claim to the stool/throne of Olofa of Offa.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Chairman, All Purposes Committee, Prince G.O. Oyewale; General Secretary, Prince Olanipekun N.O; and Executive Committee Member, Prince Bisi Oyeleke, and made available to journalists in Ilorin yesterday.

The statement was in response to a congratulatory message allegedly issued by Apapo Olugbense Ruling House Foundation Home and Abroad to Kwara State Governorelect, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and others elected in the just-concluded general election.

The council also referred to as Igbimo Omo Olofa urged members of the public not to be deceived as there is no royal ruling house in Offa known as Olugbense ruling house apart from Anilelerin ruling house.

It said the Supreme Court verdict of July 1, 2016 has laid to rest the claim about the existence of another ruling house other than the Anilelerin ruling house where the incumbent Olofa of Offa, Oba Muftau Gbadamosi

Esuwoye II hails from.

The council also admonished non- royal blood individuals to stop spreading falsehood, saying Offa was committed to maintaining and retaining the existing peace and tranquility in the ancient town.

“It has been trending in the news media in the last few days that a certain purported Apapo Olugbense Ruling House Foundation Home and Abroad sent congratulatory message to Kwara State Governorelect, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq; Senator-elect, Lola Ashiru; and other elected House members in the just-concluded general election in Kwara State.

“We wish to bring to the attention of the general public that there is no Ruling House in Offa known as Olugbense Ruling House and the public should not allow itself to be misled/deceived by such a claim.

“There is only one Ruling House in Offa and that Royal Ruling House is the Anilelerin Royal Ruling House. The Olugbense Ruling House has been declared extinct by the Supreme Court of Nigeria in its judgment of July 1, 2016 in the case No SC. 890/2014) between Alhaji Muftau Mohammadu Gbadamosi Esuwoye and Alhaji Jimoh Abodunrin Iman Bosere.

“Therefore, we the undersigned, representing the Anilelerin Royal Ruling House, use this opportunity to draw the attention of the general public, particularly the people of Offa to the following facts of the Supreme Court judgment:

“At several pivotal junctures in the course of the trial, the tribunal appeared to demonstrate that it was clearly on the same side with the government, and was not sitting as an unbiased umpire or judicial arbiter.

“Nowhere was this more evident as when Danladi Umar and another member of the tribunal granted, speaking figuratively, under cover of darkness on January 23, 2019, an ex-parte order removing Justice

Onnoghen.

“The bizarre and egregious procedure taken to unseat Justice Onnoghen was an unmistakable indication that no barrel was too deep to plumb in getting to achieve what the tribunal wanted to achieve, and no rule or principle of law was strong or revered enough to forestall its plan.

“It will not surprise many that the CCT reached the verdict it did after using very questionable procedures from the very start.

“It would be a serious fallacy to characterise the tribunal’s verdict as one reached after a due process trial using even the lowest possible denominators of what a fair trial represents.

“The procedures adopted by the tribunal in the case were far too faulty and flawed to be regarded as a judicial process.

“To reasonable observers, it would appear that the tribunal’s procedure and speed were deliberately contorted to enable it reach its pre-determined

outcomes, and its verdict was simply a reflection and product of the shambolic trial.

“This is not a way to fight corruption. There is no positive, but rather, there are plenty negatives to this flawed judgment.

“This judgment merely shows how much is still lacking in Nigeria’s courts and tribunals and how distanced they truly are from being independent vehicles of justice,” A2Justice stated.

EASTER CRUSADE…

L-R: General Overseer of the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries, Pastor Lazarus Muoka; his wife, Pastor Joy Muoka; and Head of Communications, Mr. Chidi Lious, during the two-day Easter crusade, on God’s covenant of peace and blessing, held at Chosen Revival Ground, ijesha, Lagos…yesterday

Afenifere Committed to 2023 South-west’s Presidential Bid, Says Chieftain Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti The Ekiti State coordinator of Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG), Mr. Bunmi Awotiku, has declared that the body is incurably committed to the actualisation of dream of the South-west producing the President in 2023.

The ARG boss expressed confidence that the Yoruba nation would speak with one voice in her quest to produce the next president in 2023.

Speaking in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital yesterday, Awotiku noted that the body has

been playing leading roles in the political events in the South-west since time immemorial, adding that the politics of 2023 would not be an exception.

The seeming factionalisation of the Afenifere, not withstanding, Awotiku was hopeful that the leaders would jettison their personal egos or interests and work for the overall interest of the region. The Yoruba leader, however, remarked that Afenifere would not be blindfolded by the agitation to jettison its core agitation of restructuring and regional integration.

“The South-west has been supportive of the policies and programmes of the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and we shall continue to do so .We want him to succeed and he shall succeed by God’s grace” he noted.

He clarified that the ARG remains the authentic voice of the Yoruba nation, stressing that this was evident in the number of elected representatives it had produced in the past and now.

According to him, the task cannot be achieved alone by

the group as it is prepared to enlist support of other stakeholders within the region and across the Niger.

“Let me tell you, the other group claiming to be Afenifere, ask them whether it had ever produced a councilor before .But for ARG, we can boast of elected leaders from the local government to state and federal level .This is not just happening we are living witnesses to how Afenifere contributed to the emergence of the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD) governors in the South-west in 1999.”

Ikeja Royal Crisis Worsens as Kingmakers’ Faction Emerges Kayode Fasua

The royal tussle in Ikeja community of Lagos State took a new dimension at the weekend, as a splinter group of the body of kingmakers emerged, with a vow to protest against the selection of the Oba-elect, Prince Samsondeen Adeleye.

Only last week, the body of kingmakers, led by its secretary, Chief Olufemi Titi-Thomas, had in an interview with THISDAY, pleaded with the Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, to install Adeleye as the new Olu of Ikeja, before the governor hands over power to Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on

May 29.

Titi-Thomas, in making the plea, had explained that Adeleye was nominated Oba-elect by the kingmakers under their then chairman, the late Alhaji Rafiu Jafojo, about five years ago.

But in a new twist, Chief Lolade Shonibare, a spokesman for another faction of the kingmakers, alleged that TitiThomas “had been sacked a long time ago and as such, cannot speak for the kingmakers.”

Shonibare, in a chat with THISDAY, averred that Samsonden Adeleye is not their choice, as the kingmakers would soon unfold their candidate.

THISDAY, however, gathered

that the Shonibare faction is rooting for the candidature of Wasiu Adeleye, a younger brother to Samsondeen Adeleye. The group’s candidate, it was further gathered, is being promoted by an ex-female commissioner in Lagos, who is an indigene of Ikeja.

But in a swift reaction, TitiThomas said he remained the undisputed secretary to the body of kingmakers recognised by both the Ikeja Local Government and the Lagos State Government.

“I am not just the secretary to the body of kingmakers; I am the Ashipa of Ikejaland, which is a traditional title and whoever is an Ashipa must be a

kingmaker. So, this other faction is non-existent and cannot pick an Oba for Ikeja,” Titi-Thomas insisted.

Complementing him, a notable indigene of Ikeja and a politician, who did not want his name in print, while speaking with THISDAY, asked Shonibare to “shut up.”

“The man Shonibare is not a kingmaker. He was only fortunate to have held an elective position in Ikeja Local Government before.

It’s really insulting for him to say Baba Titi-Thomas, an Ashipa for that matter, had been sacked as secretary to the kingmakers.

Who sacked him?, the politician asked angrily

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Banditry: Remain Resolute, Air Force Chief Charges Troops Zamfara chiefs want ground troops to mop up bandits after air strikes Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, yesterday charged troops fighting bandits in Zamfara State to remain resolute in sustaining efforts to eliminate them in the state and the entire North-west zone.

The charge came as the Zamfara State Council of Chiefs advised the Nigerian Air Force to apply care while tracking bandits fleeing into communities after air strikes in order to avoid the killing of innocent people and allow ground troops to do the mop up operations.

Hosting personnel of the Air Task Force, Operation Diran Mikiya, to a luncheon to mark the Easter celebration, Abubakar charged officers and airmen to sustain their fighting pace in order to eliminate bandits in the region and maintain peace.

An update released by NAF Spokesman, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, said the Air Force Chief, who was represented by the Air Officer Commanding, Special Operations Command, Air Vice Marshal Napoleon Bali, tasked the personnel “to remain resolute while sustaining their efforts to eliminate the activities of bandits in Zamfara and surrounding states with a view to ensuring peace in the country.”

Bali lauded the magnanimity of the CAS in ensuring that the personnel had a few hours to unwind in celebration of the holy season.

He said this would no doubt boost their morale and assuage the pains of their inability to celebrate the season with their families.

Bali also commended the Commander 213 Forward Operations Base in Katsina, Group Captain Hadi Ahmed, for providing necessary base services support to ensure the smooth operations of the task force.

Also present at the luncheon were the Commander 17

Brigade of the Nigerian Army, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Colonel Buhari Madaki, as well as officials and staff of civil agencies operating at the Musa Yar’Adua International Airport.

Meanwhile, the Zamfara State Council of Chiefs yesterday advised the Nigerian Air Force to allow ground troops to mop up bandits fleeing into their communities after air strikes to avoid collateral damage.

The Chairman of the Zamfara State Council of Chiefs, Alhaji Atahiru Ahmad, who is also the Emir of Anka, gave the advice at the weekend when a seven-man high powered investigation team led by Air Vice Marshal Idi Lubo visited him at his palace in Anka.

“I want to appeal that care should be applied while tracking the bandits running from your fire power into the community; please allow the ground force to take over so as to avoid killing innocent people,” he said.

The emir also apologised to the Nigerian Air Force over its earlier position that NAF bombings killed 11 civilians.

According to him, “The council regrets the embarrassment caused by the press briefing because it was not targeted at the Air Force or the army but at our own son, the Minister of Defence, who wrongly accused us of complicity in the bandits’ activities in the state. “l apologise over whatever embarrassment the statement may have caused, and from now on, we have drawn a line, there won’t be anything like that again.

“Out of the 17 emirate councils that we have in the state, mistakes occurred in only four with the submissions we gathered in the last two years. l also want to state that nothing happened to innocent citizens in the last six months in the state.”

He maintained further that “the Emir of Bungudu is not the spokesman of the council

NAFDAC Raises the Alarm over High Rate of Drug Abuse Hammed Shittu in Ilorin The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) at the weekend raised the alarm over the high rate and prevalence of drug addicts in the country.

The agency noted that Nigeria is leading in the five percent international coverage of drug abuse globally, lamenting that the country currently has 15 percent drug abuse rate.

The Director of Public Affairs, NAFDAC, Dr. Abubakar Ateiza Jimoh, made this revelation during a chat with journalists in Ilorin, Kwara State.

Jimoh said the agency has an average conservative estimate of about 15 million people who are on drugs and three million of them can be conveniently called drug addicts.

This development, he said, had made the agency to conclude that the high level of violence, kidnapping, terrorism, armed robbery and

even dangerous driving by some drivers are as a result of the high rate of drug abuse by some Nigerians.

He said most youths under the age bracket of 19 and 22 and even parents-both males and females-have seriously engaged in taken hard concoctions different from the common cocaine and heroin which names could not be ascertained imported into the country from other African countries.

The NAFDAC director, who is also a member of the 28-man Presidential Advisory Committee on Elimination of Drug Abuse headed by General Buba Marwa, said the committee had held series of dialogue sessions with various stakeholders on how to reduce, eradicate, if not, totally eliminate drug abuse in the country.

He said the committee would submit its findings and recommendations to the federal government next month for implementation.

even though he read out our press briefing that day. The list of victims that he released to journalists on a later day did not emanate from me nor was

Apologise over position on NAF bombings

I aware of it as the chairman. l will only take responsibility because l am the chairman.”

Earlier, leader of the team, Lubo, said the team was in

the state to investigate the true position of the allegations in order to avoid future occurrence.

“We have also come with

condolence letter from the Chief of Air Staff, Abubakar, in case some innocent people were killed in our encounter with bandits,” he said.

HONOUR TO CHILDREN…

L-R: Chairman of Nsukka Local Government Area, Enugu State, Hon. Patrick Omeje; Enugu State Governor, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; popular Nollywood, Chinedu Ikedeze (Aki); and Nollywood actress, Rechael N. Okonkwo (Nkoli Nwa Nsukka), during the children’s Easter carnival with Nkoli Nwa Nsukka, held at Government Field, Nsukka… yesterday

Students’ Petition: Madonna University Accuses House Committee of Bias Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Madonna University in Nigeria is presently locked in a battle of wits with the House of Representatives Committee on Public Complaints and Petitions over a complaints brought before it by two former students of the institution.

The university which was founded by a renowned Catholic priest, Rev. Father Emmanuel Ede, with three campuses in Elele in Rivers State; Okija in Anambra State and Akpugo in Enugu State, said the committee is dabbling into a matter that is before the court.

Two former students of the university, Stanley Okoye and Ga-Lim Andofa Lord, had petitioned the House of Representatives, alleging abuse of their fundamental right by the institution.

But before petitioning the House, the former students had sued Madonna University and lost with the court ruling in favour of the institution.

The Vice Chancellor of the Madonna University, Prof.

Chuks Ezedum, who addressed a press conference in Abuja yesterday, alleged that the students twisted facts in their bid to win sympathy from the committee.

He said contrary to the student’s claim on abuse of their rights, Madonna University merely meted out disciplinary actions against the students having found them culpable of vices such as examination malpractices and drug abuse.

Ezedum alleged that: “At several times in the past, the students had been found culpable of vices such as examination malpractices, drug

abuse and distribution, including academic failure which led to rustication, suspension and loss of an academic year.

“It is noteworthy that the two former students in question, Stanley Okoye and Ga-Lim Andofa Lord, in 2015, instituted a civil suit at the Enugu Division of the Federal High Court against Madonna University in which they alleged a violation of their fundamental right and sought several reliefs.”

Ezedum faulted the decision of the House Committee to dabble into a matter that has been adjudicated by the court and resolved in favour of Madonna University.

While explaining the beginning of the problem with the two former students, the vice chancellor said they had violated several rules of the university for which the institution meted out

appropriate disciplinary actions against them.

Ezedum also said the affected students were linked to cult activities and violent attack against the chief security officer of the institution.

He said it was the parents of the students that took the institution to court even while the authorities of the university were trying to apply the internal mechanism to resolve the matter.

Speaking on the petition before the House Committee, Ezedum said the university is of the view that going ahead with probe on a matter that is before the court would be subjudice.

He also accused the Chairman of the Committee on Public Petitions, Hon. Uzoma Abonta, of exhibiting moral bias when he boasted that he would go on with the hearing of the matter irrespective of the cases in court.

Amosun Charges New Olowo on Rapid Development of Domain Femi Ogbonnikan in Abeokuta The outgoing Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has charged the newly installed Olowo of Owo, Oba Adesegun Rufai Alao, to tap his influence to facilitate rapid development of his domain.

Amosun made this known at the official installation and presentation of the staff of office and instrument of appointment to the monarch, who hails from the Alao Bankole Ruling House, at Methodist Primary School, Owo in Yewa South Local Government Area of the state at the weekend.

The outgoing governor, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief

Jide Ojuko, congratulated the new Olowo, having scaled through all hurdles, noting that the monarch’s appointment followed due process as stipulated in the Chiefs Law of the state and charged him to be an instrument of socioeconomic development and growth of the community.

“Kabiyesi, by your appointment, you have become a member of Yewa Traditional Council, so you are therefore expected to perform the role of a father, not just to the people of Owo town, but by extension, the entire Yewaland and indeed the state in order to justify the mandate and trust reposed in you by the good people of Yewaland and the state government,” Amosun stated.

However, the governor also enjoined members of the community to accord respect, support and cooperation for the new Olowo Kabiyesi to enable him take the Owo community to an enviable height.

Besides, he noted that for Owo to wear the status of a peaceful and noble town, “all hands must be on deck to pave way for speedy development in all sectors.”

In his acceptance speech, Oba Alao appreciated the efforts of the state government and that of all the people of the community for the opportunity given him to serve, and stated that his appointment is a call to duty, and pledging to dedicate the rest of his life serving the community.

He, therefore, implored all the

people of the community, both home and abroad, to guard their loins for the task ahead, stating that with their collective efforts, the town would witness rapid development soon.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman of Ifekowajo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Hon. Adejumo Adelani, who spoke on behalf of his LCDA and Yewa South Local Government Area, commended the state government for creating additional 37 LCDAs, and said the creation have brought government closer to the grassroots.

He advised the entire members of the community to join hands with the new monarch for a rewarding and peaceful era in the area.

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Kidnappers Demand N60m Ransom for Release of Staff of Kajuru Castle John Shiklam in Kaduna

The bandits who abducted three people last Friday during an attack on Kajuru castle, a holiday and resort centre in Kujuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, have demanded a N60 million ransom for the release of their victims.

The bandits had killed two people, including an expatriate, whose name was given as Miss Faye Mooney, a Briton, said to be a staff of Mercy Corps Nigeria.

Police sources in Kajuru said the bandits made the demand yesterday through a telephone to one of the staff of the castle, adding that Mooney and the other person killed came to the castle together.

According to the source, the bandits did not come into the castle, but climbed a rock near the castle and started shooting.

He said the two mobile police men on security duty at the castle fired back at

the hoodlums who were shooting sporadically.

The source explained further that Mooney and her colleague who were accommodated in rooms in one of the towers got terrified and attempted to leave the rooms and in the process they were hit by bullets as they attempted to run down the staircase.

“The bandits climbed the rock by the gate. When they started shooting, the two mobile police guarding the place responded, so they knew there were armed policemen in there and they couldn’t come in.

“The two people they killed were already tensed in their rooms in one of the towers. They were panicking and they decided to rush out of their rooms and started running down the stairs.

“The stairs is opened, so as they were running down the staircase, and the bandits saw them and shot them.

Their corpses were deposited at the St. Gerald Catholic

Hospital, Kakuri, Kaduna,” the source said.

The source also said five people were initially abducted-four staff of the castle and a bus driver who

brought some guests.

According to him, “These people were somewhere outside the gate taking tea.

“But two of the staff managed to escape from

captivity while the bandits went away with three people-two staff of the castle and the bus driver.”

Spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command,

Yakubu Sabo, was yet to respond to a message sent to him on the Police/Media Whatsapp platform on the issue at the time of filing this report.

Archbishop Urges Nigerians EASTER SUNDAY SERVICE… Justice Gbenga Bello; Chancellor, Justice Adedayo Oyebanji; Diocesan Bishop of Lagos, The Rt. Revd. Bamisebi Olumakaiye; Prof. to Apply Easter Lessons on L-R: Motunrayo Olumakaiye; and Deputy Chancellor, Lagos Diocese of the Anglican Communion, Justice Sofowora Olumide, during the Easter Sunday Church Service, at CMS, Marina, Lagos…yesterday.

Nation Building Emmanuel Ugwu in Umuahia Nigerians have been urged to apply the lesson of the Easter celebration to build a new nation that is free of corruption, nepotism, tribalism and all the negative tendencies that stifle national growth and development.

The Methodist Archbishop, Archdiocese of Umuahia, Most Reverend, Chibuzo Raphael Opoko, gave this advice in his Easter message to all the faithful, saying that just as the resurrection of Christ signifies his victory over sin and death, Nigerians could also achieve victory over corrupt practices.

“Nigeria as a nation will never become what we desire it to be unless we begin to apply the victory, which Christ won for us on the cross. That victory should enable us shun corruption,” he said.

He noted that over past 59 years that the country gained her independence, Nigeria has at various periods been saddled with leaderships generally regarded as “corrupt, inept, inefficient, power drunk, oppressive and visionless” as with “each civilian and military regimes ending with a bad record of corruption and reckless mismanagement of the nation’s resources.”

“If leaders cannot through their leadership build a Nigeria that is free from corruption, oppression and

insecurity, then we make a mess of the death and resurrection of Christ,’ he said , adding that the lessons of Easter is all the more pertinent as elected political office holders would soon be sworn into office.

“Therefore, I call on all leaders and followers alike to contribute in recreating a Nigeria of our dreams, a Nigeria that inspires confidence, a Nigeria that gives her people hope. A Nigeria that will be politically stable, economically viable and socially happy,” the Archbishop said.

On the pervasive insecurity in the country, Opoko said that the wanton violence and shedding of innocent blood must be brought to an end, adding that “we must as nation say no to this act of wickedness and be willing to expose those we know that are involved in this wicked inhuman act.”

He called on Christians to extend the unconditional love of Christ to adherents of other faiths and manifest the teachings of Christ in their private and public lives.

“I challenge all Christians in governance and government, all those holding public offices to live a life of sacrifice, to become patriotic citizens, to show integrity, honesty, transparency and dignity in all they are engaged in,” he said.

No Amount of Lies will Stop Your Impending Doom, Kogi PDP Tells Gov Bello preaches tolerance, sacrifice Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja

Kogi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said no amount of deception by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration of the state Governor, Yahaya Bello, would stop it from the impending loss in the forthcoming November governorship election.

This is coming as Bello yesterday emphasised tolerance, sacrifice and diversity in his Easter messages to mark the Christian festival.

The party described the allegations of inability to pay salaries as caused by the PDP as another lie by the state government.

The PDP in a swift reaction by the state Publicity Secretary of the party, Prince Bode Ogunmola, described the allegation by Kingsley Fanwo while on a TVC programme where he claimed that Bello administration inherited five months unpaid salaries, as another lie from the pit of hell.

The PDP also called for the withdrawal of the title of Evangelist on the DG media, lamenting that his actions sends negative signals to the body of Christ, as the party urged him to seek forgiveness from God and apologise to Kogi people for trying to be clever by telling lies.

According to the PDP, the immediate past administration admitted owing one month’s salaries to Kogi workers, but left the monthly allocation of November and December 2015 which was handed over to the present administration on January 27, 2015.

The present administration, the PDP further pointed out, also received the January 2016 allocation from the administration of Governor Idris Wada, and wondered why the present administration would want to hide its woeful performance as it couldn’t inaugurate a single project, by trying to engage in blatant telling of lies.

The PDP lamented that the allocation of November and December 2015, which could not be accessed by the immediate past administration, only because Bello and the APC-led federal government prevented him, was reflected in the handing over notes to the present administration, wondering and lamenting why the wait till April 2019 before the APC administration now woke up from its slumber, “just because of the imminent defeat that is staring it in the face, as he just realised that it inherited five months salaries from the past administration.”

The PDP described the APC-led administration as fraudulent, having received

bailout funds, Paris Club refunds on three different occasion to settle shortfall of Kogi workers amounting to N5.7billion for state workers and N45billion for local government workers, “but failed to pay salaries, and fritted away the money into the pockets of a few, with the thought to bamboozle Kogi people with lies.”

The opposition party disclosed that owing to the least indebtedness of the state under Governor Wada administration, “it request of N80billion got an approval of N50billion, an amount Bello collected and wasted on the altar of seeking legitimacy, following his accidental emergence as governor in 2016 without paying the arrears, yet owing preceding months.”

It stated that “the peoples verdict on the woeful and abysmal performance of the APC-led administration is no longer a secret, describing the one term administration of Bello as the worst ever since the state creation, “with Kogi becoming a state where suicide, kidnapping, prostitution and armed robbery thrive owing to the inept administration forced on the people.”

Meanwhile, Bello yesterday emphasised tolerance, sacrifice and diversity in his Easter messages to mark the Christian festival.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Muhammed Onogwu.

The governor extended his best wishes to all Christians and the Christian community on the occasion of Easter.

“I congratulate Christians on the successful completion of the Lent and Easter celebration.

“This period reminds everyone of the sacrifice, selflessness, tolerance and commitment of Jesus Christ.

“I call on Nigerians, especially Kogi people, to reflect on the lessons of Easter and the teachings of Jesus Christ. We place the utmost importance on the freedom in which all human beings can follow their own religion, culture, and traditions freely, regardless of their religious, cultural, or ethnic background as our civilization sees diversity as our treasure,” he said.

He stressed that religious holidays are exceptional days in which the bonds of fellowship and solidarity are strengthened and the unity and sense of solidarity are reinforced, as he urged all Christians in Kogi State and around the world to imbibe the spirit of sacrifice and peaceful coexistence which defined the life of Jesus Christ more than ever before.

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Aiteo Shuts Nigeria’s Nembe Creek Crude Oil Pipeline Chineme Okafor in Abuja The Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL), one of the two major pipelines transporting Nigeria’s Bonny light crude oil blend, has been shut down by its operator, Aiteo Eastern E and P Company Limited.

The 97 kilometre-long line which reportedly has the capacity to transport up to 150,000 barrels of oil per day, was forced to be closed by Aiteo on account of a suspected third-party breach which resulted in a

fire outbreak.

In February, Aiteo was forced to shut down the line due to what it said was an undisclosed outage.

However, in a statement which was signed by its media representative, Ndiana Matthew, and made available to THISDAY yesterday in Abuja, the company said a security surveillance discovered a fresh breach on the line.

“We have been informed of a fire outbreak by our surveillance team comprising the JTF, FSS

around NCTL RoW near Awoba today (yesterday).

“Our operations emergency response team was immediately activated, and following its urgent intervention and containment action, we are constrained to shut in injection as well as other

related operations into the NCTL. In accordance with standard procedure, we requested the other injectors to do the same,” said the statement.

Aieto stated further that “the NCTL has, hitherto, enjoyed smooth operations preceding this incident

which is of the suspicion that this fire may have occurred through an illegitimate, third-party breach of the functionality of the pipeline.

“In the meantime, the relevant investigations are continuing while further information about

the remote and direct causes of the fire will be communicated as soon as these become available. We ask our stakeholders to wait for further detailed briefing in due course,” it added while not disclosing when the line would be back on.

Subscribers Decline in February, as Glo Maintains Steady Growth Emma Okonji Recent statistics released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms industry regulator, showed that the number of subscribers dropped across all networks from 174,012,136 in January to 173,670,038 in February this year, with a difference of 342,098.

Despite the overall drop in subscriber number, Globacom, however, maintained a steady growth in its subscriber number with the same period under review, making it the preferred network for new subscribers.

The statistics, which is for the month of February 2019, showed that Globacom added 400,879 new subscribers, which was the highest gain by any operator. 9mobile was second with 345,264 new customers, while Airtel came third with 4,559 new users.

MTN, however, suffered loss of subscribers in the month under review.

With the latest NCC statistics, Globacom had 46,004,517 subscribers on its network in February, while Airtel had 44,975,532.

Globacom thus increased its margin over the third largest operator by 1,028,985 subscribers in that month.

In January, Glo had 632,665 users more than Airtel, as the

figure for the two operators stood at 45,603,638 for Globacom and 44,970,973 for Airtel.

While Globacom customer base grew by 0.87 per cent in February, Airtel’s grew by 0.01 per cent in the same month.

For 9mobile, its subscriber base grew by 2.1 per cent in February to close at 16,730,581 after adding 345,264 subscribers to the 16,385,317 it had in January.

While Glo led 9mobile by 29,218,321 subscribers in January, the gap widened to 29,273,936 in February 2019.

The latest data shows that Globacom has maintained a steady rise in new customer acquisition for several months. For instance, in November last year, the network added 1,691,133 new customers to have a total of 43,273,188 subscribers, compared to the 41,582,055 subscribers it had in the preceding month of October. The figures rose further to 45,255,297 at the end of December 2018 and 45,603,638 at the end of January this year.

Reacting to the new statistics released by NCC, Globacom said its steady subscriber growth was a result of its commitment to continuous improvement in infrastructure and service delivery.

Easter: Ugwuanyi Preaches Peace, Unity, Progress Enugu State Governor, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has urged Christians and indeed all Nigerians, to take advantage of Christ’s resurrection, which Easter symbolises, to sustain their abiding faith in God and promote peace, love, unity and virtues that enhance the progress of the country.

In his Easter message, Ugwuanyi noted that the observation of 40 days of Lent through fasting, abstinence, praying and charity in memory of Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection, “reinvigorates the spiritual strength of

Christians and God’s amazing grace for salvation of mankind”.

The governor added that “God’s extraordinary act of love for mankind should be cherished, celebrated and sustained”.

While wishing the good people of Enugu State and indeed all Nigerians a happy Easter celebration, Ugwuanyi reiterated his resolve to continue to serve with the fear of God, and urged them to remain committed to the core values of their religious belief which centre on peace, unity, love and progress

SUCCOUR TO THE MOTHER AND CHILD…

L-R: Head of Health Desk, Sterling Bank, Oluwaseunayo Lojede; Maccme Board Member, Juliet Kego; former Minister of Information, Frank Nweke Jnr; Founder, Maccme, Nicole Adigwe; and Head, Technology & Digital Compliance, Lekan Akintemi, during press briefing on Maccme Malaria Child and Maternal Mortality Eradication organised by Sterling Bank in Lagos…recently

Dickson: How My Successor will Emerge Emmanuel Addeh inYenagoa Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, at the weekend said his successor would not come from his pocket, insisting that such decision was too important to be made by one person.

Dickson explained that the flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that would take his place would emerge through intense prayers and consultations.

The governor, according to a statement by his Special Adviser, Media, Fidelis Spriwei, spoke at the Monthly Praise Night and the 8th edition of the Easter Cantata programme organised by his administration in Yenagoa on Saturday night.

Ahead of the November 2 governorship election, the governor emphasised the need for all well-meaning Bayelsans and friends of the state to pray for its continued stability and peace.

He also urged the people to seek the face of God for his divine direction as the PDP embarked on the search for the next governor of the state.

Dickson said he had prayed the state should not be handed over to a person who had no regard for the authority’ of God. “My position on who succeeds me is firmly anchored on the belief that God does not only give power but truly rules in the affairs of men,” he said.

He expressed gratitude to the clergy and people of the state for their prayers and support in the past seven years, attributing his achievements in office to the mercies of God. He said: “I will not cease thanking God and you the clergymen and indeed the good people of our state for the prayers and encouragement and support you are giving to me and my team.

“We have achieved a lot in the past seven years because of your support and the mercies of God in spite of the meaningless distractions to destabilise our state, which has been adjudged as the most stable in the Niger Delta.

“But as usual, let me call on all of us to use this period of Easter, which is a period for sober reflection, to continue to invite the presence of God in our state.

“We must not relent in our prayers because the enemies of our land are planning hard to destroy the peace and stability we have laboured to build.

“But we have nothing to fear. They put their trust in chariots, weapons and connections in Abuja but we trust in the Almighty God who has always saved us.

“Since we handed over our government to God, we have been reinforcing it through prayers and positive declarations that

this state, which I call the Jerusalem of the Ijaw nation shall not be handed over again to anybody who does not fear the authority of the Almighty God above.

“I will formally invite everybody in this state to pray because I feel that the next leader of our state is not going to be selected from my pocket. No, I won’t do that; it’s too important a decision to come from one person.

“That is why we have to first commit it as a burden to God so that we can be guided not by the whims, thoughts, desires and calculations of men but by His divine will and direction.

After the prayers, then I will engage on intensive consultations.

“For all those who are thinking of being part of this equation, I prescribe same for you. Don’t overheat the system because we still have a lot to do for our state even in the remaining months.”

Pay Workers’ Salaries, Pension Arrears, CAN Urges Kogi Gov Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kogi State chapter, has urged Governor Yahaya Bello to settle outstanding salaries of workers, pensions and gratuity before the end of his first term.

Chairman of CAN in the state, Dr. John Ibenu, made the call in a statement in Lokoja, the state capital, as Christians

worldwide celebrate Easter to mark the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Ibenu also appealed to the governor to address the issues of judiciary staff who had been on strike and other pressing issues that would ameliorate the challenges people were facing in the state.

“We call on the Kogi State Government to do all it can to address the issue of staff salaries, pensions and gratuity, judiciary and other

pressing issues to ameliorate the suffering of the people of the state.” Ibenu, who is the Bishop of Chapel of Freedom Int’l Church, Lokoja, urged Christians to emulate the exemplary life of Jesus Christ “which is love, sacrifice and forgiveness for a better society’’.

He described Easter as the solemn celebration of the highest sacrifice made

by Christ by accepting to die for mankind.

This, he said, should serve as motivation to all Nigerians, especially Christians, to make sacrifices for the peace and unity of Nigeria.

He urged the people to seek the face of God to put an end to the incessant killings and ethno-religious divisions across the country. ”I wish all Christians in Nigeria and around the world celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, a happy Easter,” Ibenu said.

MONDAY APRIL 22, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

46

MONDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor: Duro Ikhazuagbe Email: duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com 08111813083

AFCON U-17 2019

Golden Eaglets to Meet Guinea in S’finals Femi Solaja After the conclusion of group round of matches at the ongoing AFCON U-17 tournament in Tanzanian, Guinea emerged the Group B runners-up and have book a place to face Nigeria in the semi-finals on Wednesday.

The Guineans beat Morocco 1-0 their last match yesterday at the Chamazi Stadium in Mbagala and will meet Group A winners, Nigeria in the first semi final at the National Stadium in Dar Es Salam with kickoff at 4pm local time.

Guinea thus picked Africa’s fourth ticket for the World Cup holding in Brazil later this year.

Substitute player, Momo Fanye Toure scored the vital goal that earned Guinea the victory.

In the other Group B match, Cameroon, already qualified played a goalless draw with Senegal.

Cameroon will face Angola in the other semi-final match that will come immediately after the Nigeria-Guinea clash.

The semifinals and final stage of the competition will be strictly on knockout basis.

In accordance to the Article 73 of the Regulations for the competition, no extra time will be played in the event of draw as the game proceeds to penalty

shootout.

While Nigeria is yet to lose any match after two wins and a draw in the last match against Angola on Saturday,

their opponent, Guinea started their campaign on a losing note after 0-2 loss to Cameroon in the opening match last week Monday.

On record, Nigeria has scored most goals with seven but five against with two goals difference as against Guinea with three goals and three against.

Oduduru Breaks Obikwelu’s National 200m Record, Runs Sub-10 In 100m Divine Oduduru has broken Francis Obekwelu’s 200 meters national record and also became the first Nigerian to run a sub-10 in the 100 meters since Olusoji Fasuba almost 13 years ago.

Oduduru shattered his personal best by over a tenth of a second with a time of 9.94 seconds at the Michael Johnson Invitational in Waco, Texas.

Exactly 55 minutes later, he graced the track again in the 200 metres and ran a blistering personal best

of 19.76 seconds, breaking Obikwelu’s 19.84 seconds mark which was set in Seville in 1999.

His time is also the second-fastest time ever run by a collegiate athlete.

The Texas tech studentathlete is the 9th Nigerian to run sub-10 in the 100 metres, and the second to go sub-20 in the 200 meters.

Just 122 sprinters in history have broken the 10-second barrier in the 100m, and only 72 sprinters have gone sub-20 in the 200m

ITTF OPEN

Nigerian Debutant, Ojomu, Sparkles in Budapest Ajoke Ojomu started her debut at the 2019 World Championships on a good note after recording a convincing 4-1 win over Luxembourg’s Sarah Meyer in the group opener in Budapest.

The 19-year-old was on the winning side in the explosive encounter and she was so excited about the feat.

“I could not believe I just recorded my first game at the World Championship because I was a bit confused when the match started. I could not understand how to return my opponent service as it was a bit odd playing against a player that used pimples in her forehand.

But after losing the first game, my coach told me how to demystify her which I followed and this really

Ajoke Ojomu last night in Budapest

gave me the confidence to complete the win. This is a major boost to me personally and I dedicate this win to my mother, who has been very supportive and all those who have always been there for me when I was not making the senior team,” the Nigeria national champion said.

“I know I still have a lot to offer and this win has indeed inspired me to aim high in this tournament. I have also realized that winning points with service is very vital for every player and we were not used to this in Nigeria and I am praying and hoping that I improve my ranking with this competition. The support from my teammates has been awesome because their experience in the game was also helpful to me,” she added.

NPFL

Gombe Utd Holds Pillars in Kano Kano Pillars Football Club and Gombe United FC yesterday drew 1-1 in a Group B week 16 match of the 2018/20179 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

Hosts Kano Pillars showed good resilience from the first to the last blast of the referee’s whistle in the match played at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano.

The home side however put much more pressure on Gombe United in the first half, resulting in a penalty kick in the 45th minute, which Rabiu Ali brilliantly converted.

Gombe United fought back in the second half, and Adamu Muhammad took advantage of a defensive mix-up in the 48th minute to equalise for the visitors.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Kano Pillars fans resorted to booing their team’s coach, Ibrahim Musa, in the second half.

That was after losing hope of their team winning the match.

Speaking later, Gombe United’s coach Ladan Bosso said his aim was to help his team pick the maximum points from the match in order to

avoid relegation.

Bosso, however, said the match was a difficult one for his team, and praised his players for fighting relentlessly to get the draw.

Kano Pillars now have 24 points from 16 games and will host Plateau United next week.

Remo Stars

0-0 Tornadoes

Rivers Utd

1-1 Sunshine

Wikki

1-0 Katsina Utd

Group B Go Round

2-1 Heartland

NPFL RESULTS

Kano Pilars

1-1 Gombe Utd

Group A

Nasarawa Utd 5-1

El Kanemi

Rangers

1-0 MFM FC

Plateau Utd

3-0 Akwa Utd

Kwara Utd

0-0 Insurance

Yobe Stars

2-0 IfeanyiUbah

Lobi Stars

0-0 Entimba

Delta Force

1-0 Abia Warriors

Heineken’s Lush Lagos Party Wraps up UCL Tour The three-day UEFA Champions League Tour which began on the 16th of April, culminated in a lush Lagos Party at Cubana, Lagos on the 18th of April.

The night was a roll-call of celebrities in honour of Carles Puyol, the Spanish football icon and former captain of the Barcelona Football Club who has been in Nigeria for the coveted UEFA Champions League Tour presented by Heineken.

With celebrities like Stephanie Coker, Folu Storms and Uti Nwachukwu, the stars turned up the heat of the football fever in the megacity of Lagos, Nigeria’s entertainment capital.

Expectedly, the guests had a thirst-quenching fill

of Heineken, ice-cold and crisp after a long tour-filled day with the coveted trophy beneath the hot weather Lagos skyline.

With the Heineken Limited Edition bottles tucked away in several of the luxury bars around town, the night of football frenzy is the climax to the events of the past three days which included the State House visits in Lagos and Uyo, consumer events, after parties, tour of the Lagos Brewery of the master brewers Nigerian Breweries Plc and of course an unmissable football match that featured Puyol and Nigeria’s former attacking midfielder, Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha as captains of each team of stars.

In his remarks, the

Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Jordi Borrut Bel reiterated the support of Heineken for one of the world’s most important soccer event.

He said, “Heineken has been a big part of football for the last 25 years, particularly by sponsoring the UEFA Champions League. During this time, we have been able to connect with our consumers giving them the opportunity to connect with club football’s biggest competition while also rewarding their passion by taking some lucky few to Europe to watch the semi-finals and finals live.”

No fewer than 12 consumers and fans will enjoy an all-expense paid experience as they watch

the UEFA Champions League semi-finals and finals live in Europe.

Heineken has been a long-standing sponsor of the UEFA Champions League since 1994. This awesome collaboration has made Heineken one of the most recognizable brands in the world of football.

The UEFA Champions League Tour presented

by Heineken lived up to its billing and surpassed expectations in every way. Heineken continues to demonstrate its commitment to providing life-changing moments for its consumers by being at the cutting edge of football as well as other forms of premium lifestyle and entertainment experiences.

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MONDAY APRIL 22, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

MONDAYSPORTS

Liverpool Return to Summit as Arsenal, Man Utd Crumble Liverpool continue to put the pressure on Manchester City as a hard-fought 2-0 win at relegation threatened Cardiff moved them back top of the Premier League yesterday just as Arsenal and Manchester United failed to impress in the race for top-four race.

Georginio Wijnaldum’s opener for Liverpool just before the hour and James Milner’s penalty secured a ninth consecutive win in all competitions for Jurgen Klopp’s side and moved them two points ahead of City, who have a game in hand, at the top of the table.

City travel to Manchester United on Wednesday in what appears the toughest hurdle left for the English champions to clear and deny Liverpool a first Premier League title in 29 years.

The Reds remain poised to pounce if Pep Guardiola’s side fail to pick up maximum points in their remaining four games.

While Liverpool were cruising into a second successive Champions League semifinal in midweek, Cardiff gave their chances of survival a huge boost with a 2-0 win at Brighton to close within three points of safety.

If Neil Warnock’s men are to defy the odds to stay up, it is upcoming games against already relegated Fulham and Crystal Palace they will need to win, but they did not make life easy for Liverpool.

The visitors should have taken the lead midway through the first-half when their front three clicked together for the first time when Mohamed Salah fed Sadio Mane and the Senegalese’s pass put Roberto Firmino clean through on goal.

However, the Brazilian blazed over with just Neil Etheridge to beat.

Salah has found his form in front of goal at the right time for Liverpool’s bid for a Premier League and Champions League double.

However, after scoring in three of his past four games, Salah could not keep that streak going as he fired too close to Etheridge when played in by Jordan Henderson.

Cardiff’s massed ranks of defence allowed Liverpool to enjoy nearly 75 percent possession, but the home team did not pose a threat of their own until they nearly took a shock lead just before the break.

Victor Camarasa’s mishit shot fell kindly for Oumar Niasse and the on loan Everton striker nearly brought even more a smile to fans of his parent club on a day they beat Manchester United 4-0, but his shot was turned over by Alisson Becker.

There was little reason for Liverpool to panic at halftime as their previous four Premier League games had also been won with second-half goals and so it proved once more.

Trent Alexander-Arnold bagged his 10th assist of the season as the England international’s corner was pulled back for Wijnaldum to lash into the net first time.

Liverpool’s midfield has begun to chip in with crucial goals at the right time of the season and Henderson should have provided another moments later when he fired wastefully over with the goal at his mercy.

Klopp vented his frustration at Henderson’s miss and it was nearly costly when Cardiff captain Sean Morrison had a glorious chance to level 26 minutes from time.

Morrison seemed to have the simple task of heading into an empty net as Alisson got caught underneath a corner, but he mistimed his header and the ball instead bounced to safety off his back.

And Morrison was the Cardiff villain at the other end when he was adjudged to have brought down Salah inside the area 10 minutes from time and substitute Milner confidently dispatched the spot-kick.

Meanwhile, Arsenal’s bid for a top four finish in the Premier League suffered a major setback as Crystal Palace punished their sluggish display to claim a shock 3-2 win last night.

Unai Emery’s side paid the

price for a defensive horror show at the Emirates Stadium to leave their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League via the domestic route hanging in the balance.

The Gunners, who can also reach the competition by winning the Europa League, fell behind to Christian Benteke’s first goal for a year before Mesut Ozil equalised early in the second half.

Shkodran Mustafi’s blunder allowed Wilfried Zaha to put Palace back in front.

James McArthur took advantage of more woeful Arsenal defending to make it three and, although PierreEmerick Aubameyang reduced the deficit, it was too late to stop Palace’s first league win at Arsenal since October 1994.

Arsenal sit in fourth place, level on points with Chelsea, who will go above them if they

avoid defeat against Burnley tonight.

Arsenal’s top four challenge had been fuelled by their impressive home form and their first league loss at the Emirates since the opening weekend of the season was hugely damaging.

Arsenal had won 12 of their last 13 home games in all competitions, but the end of that streak puts them in the tricky position of needing to improve their dismal away record when they travel to Wolves and Leicester this week.

Emery made seven changes from Thursday’s Europa League quarterfinal win at Napoli in a bid to freshen up his side and, as a result, Arsenal never looked in sync.

They were authors of their own downfall when Palace took the lead in the 17th minute.

Benzema’s Treble Fired Madrid Past Bilbao as Bale Jeered Again Karim Benzema made it 30 goals for the season yesterday as he led the way again for struggling Real Madrid with a hat-trick that shot his side to a 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao.

Benzema has been one of the few bright sparks in an otherwise dreary campaign for the European champions and it was his second-half treble that proved the difference at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Victory moves Madrid four points behind Atletico in second, while Bilbao stay seventh, with their chances of sealing a spot in the Europa League dented.

However Zinedine Zidane’s side stay 13 points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona, who beat Real Sociedad 2-1 on Saturday.

Benzema’s advance in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo and surge since the reappointment of Zidane comes in stark contrast to Gareth Bale, who was whistled when introduced as a substitute here and frequently during his 20 minutes on the pitch.

For all the impatience of the home crowd, it was Bale who won the corner for Benzema’s second and then teed up his teammate’s third in injury-time.

But his sixth season at Real Madrid will surely be his last, with Zidane saying little in press conference either to express support or suggest he wants the Welshman to stay beyond the summer.

Bale and Benzema with the gargantuan task of filling the void left by Ronaldo’s departure for Juventus last summer and while Bale seems to have shrivelled under the weight of expectation, Benzema has thrived.

The 31-year-old has now claimed all of Madrid’s last eight goals in La Liga, a run that includes five matches, while in his last seven games, he has

scored 10.

Benzema said at the start of the season he wanted 35 goals in all competitions and, despite his opportunities being reduced by his team’s early exit in the Champions League, he is now only five short of his target with the same number of games left to play.

Zidane has already said he expects Benzema to be a Madrid player again at the start of next season and on this evidence it is easy to see why.

The striker’s clinical performance aside, the reigning European champions lacked spark in the final third and, the emphatic scoreline flattered them.

They were particularly underwhelming in the first half and Bilbao’s Inaki Williams might have scored early in the second had the 22-year-old Jesus Vallejo not made an excellent last-ditch intervention.

It was from the counter-attack that Madrid scored as Toni Kroos was allowed to stroll forward unattended and feed Marco Asensio out wide.

Asensio crossed for Benzema to head home.

The game was reduced to almost a walking pace around the hour, with the Madrid fans roused only to jeer the introduction of Bale, who came on with Isco, with 20 minutes left.

But it was his run in behind that won the corner for Benzema’s second, another header, this time at the back post, before a comical mix-up in the Bilbao defence gifted him his hat-trick.

Iago Herrerin rushed out to intercept a speculative ball over the top but made a mess of his headed clearance, the ball falling to Bale to tee up Benzema, 30 yards out but with the goal open.

Liverpool players celebrating one of the two goals last night against Cardiff City

Anthony Joshua’s Opponent, Miller Fails Second Drug Test Jarrell Miller, who was denied a license by New York boxing officials over a failed test on Wednesday, has failed a second drugs test, the US media reported yesterday.

Miller recently tested positive for human growth hormone (HGH) which is on the World Anti-Doping Agency banned list.

Miller’s planned June 1 fight against world heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua had already been scuppered by the first failed drug test which came to light on Tuesday.

“Salita Promotions and Greg Cohen Promotions are very disappointed in these findings and feel awful fight fans will be deprived of what would have been a great fight,” Dmitriy Salita and Greg Cohen, Miller’s copromoters, told American sports broadcaster ESPN. “It’s a terrible outcome and unfortunate situation for all parties involved.”

Miller, who is undefeated in his 24 professional fights, was due to take on the Briton at Madison Square Garden for

the WBA, IBF and WBO titles.

Miller previously served a nine-month ban from the California State Athletic Commission after testing positive for methylhexaneamine when kickboxing in 2014.

Joshua still plans to make his US debut as planned in June for what will be his seventh title defense.

Promoter Eddie Hearn said he was scrambling to find an alternative opponent.

“To be honest I can’t believe it. You always want to give an athlete the benefit of the doubt, but this leaves no doubt,” Hearn told ESPN. Meanwhile, his promoter, Sarah Fina of Greg Cohen Promotions, as said that his fighter is a victim of AfricanAmerican status.

The promoter said treatment of Miller differed to that suffered by other fighters.

Miller has apologised after an “adverse finding” saw his June fight against Britain’s Anthony Joshua called off.

Then after a second adverse

finding was reported on Friday, the 30-year-old American admitted he had “messed up”.

Some critics have since responded by saying Miller should now be banned for life.

“Firstly, I do not condone cheating whatsoever,” Fina posted on social media.

“Am I upset and disappointed with Jarrell? Absolutely. What Jarrell has done is wrong 100%.

But what I won’t do is turn my back on him. People make bad

choices in life.

“With all of that being said, it is hard for me not to think that he is being nailed to the cross because he is an AfricanAmerican fighter.”

She pointed out Mexican fighter Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez recently signed a $365m (£280m) multi-fight deal with streaming broadcaster DAZN, despite a six-month ban for failing two drug tests. He claimed to have eaten tainted meat.

Anthony Joshua’s former opponent, Miller after a recent bout

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Monday April 22, 2019

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Price: N250

MISSILE Gani Adams to Adesina

“But I want you to pass this message to the president because I remember when President Goodluck Jonathan was in power, he said when they are in that Villa, it’s just like being in a prison or a cage; they don’t know what is happening at the grass roots. But coming to this event, we need to pass this information that you can tell Mr President that Nigerians are suffering. The people are hungry.”

– Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, Chief Gani Adams, telling the Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, that life has not improved under boss’ watch.

ALEXOTTI Made in China OUTSIDE THE BOX

alex.otti@thisdaylive.com

“When I was growing up, my parents told me, ‘Finish your dinner. People in China and India are starving.’ I tell my daughters, ‘Finish your homework. People in India and China are starving for your job.’” Thomas Friedman

T

he story is told of a woman who came to her younger sister’s house to commiserate with her over the untimely demise of her little son at the age of 6. As other sympathizers wore a mournful look and were discussing in low tones, this woman started shouting to the consternation of everyone in the room “ I knew it! I knew it!! I knew it!!!”. Another woman rushed to her, feeling she was almost losing it, out of the shock of the loss and asked, Aunty, what is it? What do you know? She went on, I warned my sister about marrying this her Chinese husband, but she wouldn’t listen. The inquisitive lady then retorts “what has your sister’s husband got to do with her son’s death? Her response shocked everyone in the room. “Chinese products don’t last”. Many of the people had to temporarily suspend their grief to manage a laugh.

The preceding Thomas Friedman quote and the morbid humour that followed it should not be seen as Sinophobic slurs but instead a compliment to the amazing transformation that has become the Chinese story. Poor quality products, imitation of original products, fake products, cheap and inferior products were until very recently, associated with China. The truth, however, is that China has made a lot of progress from the above characterisation.

Before we dwell further on China, it is apposite to briefly look at the experience of Japan. Those who are old enough would remember that this was exactly how Japanese products, including cars, were derided in those days when Europe and America dominated the manufacturing sector of the global economy. At the end of the 2nd World War, following the crushing defeat of Japan, the hitherto warmongering nation was banned from keeping any significant army not to talk of waging wars. Japan was forced to become a pacifist nation and its hitherto world dominance waned. Japan was forced into industrialisation as a way of lifting its economy and reasserting her pride in the world. Diverting her warring skills into manufacturing, it began making a range of items, largely for domestic and personal use.

The first wave of such products were met with derision worldwide as the sobriquet, ‘Fabrique au Japon’ became synonymous with imitation and inferior products. This did not deter the resilient Japanese and with people like Akio Morita of Sony, Honda, Toyota and Suzuki leading the charge, it did not take long before, the hitherto substandard Japanese products became the dominant brands in the world. The Hondas, the Toyotas, the Nissans and the Mitsubishis took over the market. They went further into the luxury premium brands like the Lexus, Infiniti and Acura to give Mercedes and Bavaria Motor Works, a run for their money.

As if that was not enough, other counties like South Korea started making their own vehicles.

Until very recently, the market did not place a lot of premium on Korean cars. Their brands like the Hyundai, Daewoo, Kia and Ssangyong have become popular not just because they come in cheaper than the more popular brands, but because they are also efficient in terms of fuel consumption and maintenance Back to China; a country, which has become one of the fastest growing economies in the world with a dizzying annual growth rate of close to 7%. According to the World Bank, China’s GDP grew from $150 billion in 1978 to $12.24 trillion by 2017. Analysts had predicted that 2018 GDP growth figures would be lackluster. This is because

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Elenemah

of the US trade war. China, however, defied the projections of analysts throughout 2018 with average quarterly growth of 6.6%. Even though this was the worst performance in about 30 years, it was still better than analysts’ expectation. Note that the US grew at an average of 2.9% in the same period.

So, how come China’s economy defied the prediction of experts by recording such spectacular growth even in the face of sustained aggressive US tariff warfare? One needs to look more than four decades back to know why. During the Mao era, China embarked on a cultural and economic revolution that was fundamental and comprehensive. It gradually turned the socialist supertanker into a nimble capitalist freighter. While the world overlooked the changes, China dug deep into her capitalist past and prepared her society and people for global competition. By the time Carter was making approaches to open up the Chinese economy to the West, it was ready. The latter day leaders like Deng simply keyed into the reform blueprint that had been laid out years earlier to create an economy that the West could not overrun even in the area of free competition.

The first thing that the managers of the economy in China did was to roll out a stimulus package that focused on infrastructure projects. They prepared their workforce for manufacturing and globalization. They also invested in 5G telecommunications and encouraged investment in real estate. All the investments yielded fruits as more money found their way into the hands of the people which in turn energized consumption.

The result is a consistent GDP growth, even in the first quarter of 2019.

China has been the world’s second-largest economy by nominal GDP since 2010 as it has remained the largest economy in the world by purchasing power parity (PPP) since 2014.

China is also the world’s largest exporter and second-largest importer of goods. In the area of armaments, China is already a nuclear power, maintaining the world’s largest standing army and second-largest defense budget. It is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

It is also the most populous country in the word with over 1.4 billion people, occupying a land space of about 9.3m square KM, second to Russia with a land size of 16.3m square KM. China is obviously a behemoth of a country and you ignore it only at your own peril. China’s position has been consolidated in the international financial market. As at the end of February 2019, the United States owes China a whopping $1.13 trillion. This figure is 28% of the $4.02 trillion US Treasury bills and bonds held by foreign countries.

China is closely followed by Japan which holds $1.07 trillion. The rest of the $22 trillion US National debt is held locally. It is clear that this kind of country is a big challenge to the hegemony of the United States. Again, cheap labour and efficiency have made the US and some parts of Europe

outsource a large chunk of its manufacturing to China. Between 2001 when it joined the World Trade Organisation and 2013, China sucked up about 3.2 million jobs from the US. 75% of those jobs were in manufacturing. Trump had accused China of unfair market-distorting trade practices, manipulation of its currency to make exports cheaper, suppression of labour rights and state enforcement of lower wages. We shall leave the argument of whether Trump is right or wrong for another day, but one must point out that those are some of the challenges of the market economy which China had adopted.

Let us examine the state of Nigeria-China relations.

Formal diplomatic relationship started in 1971, during the military era. The Nigerian regime found common interest in the Chinese regime which, at that time, was also unpopular with the international community. Strategic partnership did not start fully until 2005. Trade between Nigeria and China had steadily been on the increase.

From $7.8 billion in 2010, it rose to $12.5 billion in 2017 and further rose to $15.3b in 2018. At the moment, Nigeria is the biggest Chinese investment destination in Africa, the second largest export market and the third largest trading partner of China in the whole of Africa.

Chinese banks and contractors have helped to fund and construct the 186 KM Abuja - Kaduna rail line which was delivered in 2016. Less than a year ago, we signed a contract of $6.68b with the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) for the construction of the Ibadan -Kaduna segment of the Lagos-Kano rail line. Meanwhile, a $1.685 billion contract was signed in 2016 to link Kaduna with Kano on the standard gauge rail system. The 156KM Lagos - Ibadan segment started in March 2017 would be delivered this year at the cost $1.5 billion. The total cost of the entire 2,733km project is $11.12 billion Again, Chinese companies are working on the International terminals of four of our airports.

Additionally, they are handling roads, bridges, power and agriculture projects. With funding of $4.4B, the Chinese are involved in the Zungeru hydro electric power project, fiber cables for internet infrastructure and Lekki Deep Water Port Project.

There is no doubt that China has a lot to offer an infrastructure-deficit nation like Nigeria. It has technology and skilled manpower, in addition to excess industrial and manufacturing capacity. Most importantly, China has funds, which it is willing to release to needy economies at a reasonable cost. However, there have been concerns over increasing loans from China. One major area of concern is what happens in case of default.

People always point to Zambia as a case in point, where default has led to asset swap also known as takeovers and seizures. The fear is that most of the infrastructure built by Chinese are at the risk of being taken over if there is default in meeting the terms of the loans. Zambian authorities have continued to deny these allegations. For what it is worth, we should not ignore this concern as it is always a possibility with loans. Again, it is important that we use our clout to ensure we negotiate favorable conditions given how important we are to our partners in the global arena. The second fear is that of dumping and crowding out of domestic manufacturers by cheap and sometimes poor quality goods. This fear is not unfounded as it is on record that the entry of China led to the closure of about 65 textile mills in Nigeria over a period of 10 years and the loss of over 150,000 jobs. There is also the security concern. It is alleged that the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa built by the Chinese was bugged as construction was going on. There is no confirmation of this allegation and China has come out to vehemently deny it.

Furthermore, the Chinese are known to export

their goods and technology with their people.

Partnership, to them requires that virtually everything including manual labour and basic raw materials which can be sourced locally are hardly allowed from the host country. Closely related to this is that there is hardly any room for “technology transfer”and the partner country would depend on China even for routine maintenance.

As we were completing this piece, news came in that at the just concluded Spring meetings of the World Bank/IMF, Tobias Andrian, a director of the IMF warned Nigeria and other emerging markets taking loans from China to consider the terms of such facilities especially their compliance with the Paris Club of Creditors conditions. Even though he did not condemn borrowing from China, he was emphatic that the terms of loans from China are always questionable. His worry was that if there is any debt restructuring in future, the Chinese may just take a pound of flesh. According to Andrian, “Nigeria had been borrowing from international markets which gives the IMF some worries. At the moment, funding conditions in economies such as Nigeria and other sub Saharan African countries are very favourable, but that might change at some point. And there is risk of rollovers and whether the need for refinancing can be met in future”. We consider the advice a good one even though one can argue that it is laced with some subtle political considerations. In the first place, following the trade war between the US and China, the latter has to look for alternatives to compensate for the $500B trade with the US which had been placed at risk. Africa provides that alternative as total trade between Africa and China is already heading towards the $200B mark.

With the right incentives and planning, Africa can replace US in China’s trade equation, soon. Africa also holds additional promise of being in a position to sell agricultural products to China, replacing its reliance on the US and its partners. So, there is a perfect match. Recall that China has over $1trillion low yielding investment in US treasury bills and bonds. It can comfortably reduce that and swap same for investments in Africa. This cause of action gives it two advantages. The first is that China has been enduring low US interest rates for a long time now, obviously because of the trade opportunities with the US. Africa has the appetite for funds at higher rates and can comfortably absolve the $1 trillion investment. Secondly, if it is true that China deliberately reduces prices of its goods to dominate the the US market, a reason the US imposed the 25% tariff on Chinese goods, then it can comfortably channel the same goods to Africa with a population four times as large as that of the US and still come out much better.

Africa, particularly Nigeria has a lot of natural resources waiting to be tapped and exploited and China has both the skills and technology to take full advantage of that.

Given all these, my take is that while we appreciate the “brotherly” advice of the IMF and should do everything to ensure that we are not left with the short end of the stick in our relationship with China, there are mutual economic interests in dealing with China. China provides us with opportunities to trade, provides us with funding and is also in a position to provide us with technology, manpower and infrastructure to support our own growth.

As a former lender, I can understand how it feels when disruptive competition is contemplated. On the part of China, their President, Xi Jinping, had pleaded their innocence thus “Some foreigners with full, (read, pot) bellies and nothing better to do engage in finger-pointing at us. First, China does not export revolution; second, it does not export famine and poverty; and third, it does not mess around with you. So what else is there to say?”

Permit me to use this opportunity to wish my Christian readers a happy Easter celebration.

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