THURSDAY 23RD MAY 2019

CBN’s Moves to Cap Treasury Bills Investment Unsettle Banks Emefiele seeks stronger fiscal buffers Obinna Chima in Lagos and Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City The moves by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to

limit commercial banks’ investment in treasury bills and federal government bonds have started causing disquiet in the banking industry.

This is coming as the

CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, yesterday reiterated the need to enhance fiscal buffers to shield the country from external shocks.

THISDAY gathered that if

the policy is implemented, banks would find it difficult to sustain their profitability going forward, given their high appetite for such government securities.

For instance, the five tier 1 banks in Nigeria invested a total of N4.61 trillion in treasury bills and FGN bonds, among others in 2018.

The CBN had on Tuesday

unveiled plans to restrict banks’ access to government securities to redirect their lending focus to the private Continued on page 6

Presidency Orders Apapa Ports’ Decongestion in Two Weeks... Page 6 Thursday 23 May, 2019 Vol 24. No 8809. Price: N250

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MainOne Earmarks N25bn for 'Digital Lagos' Connectivity Project ... Page 7

Citing Personal Reasons, Bulkachuwa Withdraws from Atiku’s Petition

Alex Enumah and Shola Oyeyipo in Abuja

The Chairman of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, Justice Zainab Adamu Bulkachuwa, yesterday finally succumbed to pressure by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to recuse herself from hearing his petition and that of his party, against Buhari's victory in the February 23 poll.

Though the tribunal in a unanimous decision dismissed

Atiku's petition asking Justice Bulkachuwa to withdraw from hearing his petition, Justice Bulkachuwa said she would nonetheless withdraw from the hearing of the petition on personal grounds.

Bulkachuwa, who is also President of the Court of Appeal, had chaired the inaugural session of the tribunal, despite moves by the PDP and Atiku to ensure she was not part of the panel.

PDP and Atiku had

Continued on page 7

Buhari: Why I Kept My Cabinet Intact Retains ministers till last day in office Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday gave an insight into why he did not drop any member of his cabinet since they were appointed in November 2015.

The president, who presided over a valedictory session of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja, said he did not drop any of his ministers because each has a unique skill and strength, which have been harnessed to serve the nation well.

He also told the ministers to carry on with their responsibilities until May 28, 2019.

The president spoke against the backdrop of concerns by Nigerians that notwithstanding the perceived lacklustre performance by some of his cabinet members, he has refused to remove any of them.

While expressing satisfaction with the performance of all the ministers, Buhari said they should leave the cabinet with Continued on page 6

GLOBAL RECOGNITION...

Former Secretary-General, United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon (left), and DJ Cuppy, at the Global Citizen Berlin Festival in Berlin, Germany... yesterday

Soyinka Backs Obasanjo’s Call for End to Insecurity… Page 8

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Presidency Orders Apapa Ports’ Decongestion in Two Weeks Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja The presidency yesterday gave a two-week deadline for the removal of all impediments to free flow of traffic and all congestion around the Apapa ports and its environs.

It also ordered operators of trucks and tankers parked along access roads to the ports to vacate the area within 72 hours.

A statement from the Office of the Vice-President in Abuja, said the directive was the fallout of an emergency meeting convened by President Muhammadu Buhari on April 25, this year and presided over Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.

The statement, issued by Osinbajo's spokesman, Mr. Laolu Akande, said the meeting came up with solutions to protracted gridlock around

Lagos ports, which has continued to impede both port operations and comfort of residents.

In pursuit of resolutions at the meeting, the statement said a presidential task force, chaired

by Osinbajo, was constituted to restore law and order to Apapa and its environs within two weeks. The taskforce is expected to file a progress report to the president.

The taskforce has as its terms of reference, the development of an efficient and effective management plan on traffic in the area; enforcement of permanent removal of all stationary trucks on the highway; the development of an effective manual truck call-up system pending the introduction of the electronic truck call-up system, among others.

"A presidential directive has been issued for the immediate clearing up of the Apapa gridlock and the restoration of law and order to Apapa and its environs within two weeks. The directive mandates the immediate removal of all trucks from the bridges and roads within Apapa and all adjoining streets leading into the Apapa axis.

"To facilitate this important assignment, operators of trucks and tankers have also been directed to vacate the port access roads within the next 72 hours.

"This directive follows an emergency meeting convened

by President Muhammadu Buhari and chaired by VicePresident Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) on the 25th of April, 2019. The meeting proffered lasting solutions to the gridlock

around the Lagos ports, as the traffic congestion has continued to restrict all operations and livelihood in the area,� the statement said.

It listed those at the meeting Buhari chaired to include key heads and representatives of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government, including the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola; Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu; representative of the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral B.E.E Ibe-Enwo; Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Salaam Taiwo Olufemi; and the Executive Director, Marine and Operations, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Sokonte Davies.

According to the statement,

the presidential taskforce has included on its terms of reference the development of an efficient and effective management plan for the entire port area traffic, including the cargo, fuel distribution and business district traffic; enforcing the permanent removal of all stationary trucks on the highway, and the development of an effective manual truck call-up system, pending the introduction of the electronic truck call-up system.

It also includes the implementation of a workable empty container return and export container truck handling policy.

The statement listed members of the task force to include a former Commissioner for Transport in Lagos State, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, who is the Executive Vice

Chairman; representatives of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), and the Nigerian Shippers' Council (NSC).

To achieve the target, the Nigerian Navy and all other military formations were mandated to quit traffic management duties in and around the Apapa axis while military and paramilitary checkpoints in front of the ports and their environs should be dismantled.

LASTMA has also been authorised to move to Apapa to lead traffic management in the area.

The government also directed NPA to commence immediately, the use of the Lilypond Terminal and Trailer Park A as a truck transit park.

buying government securities. “The MPC has frowned on that and has directed the management of the CBN to put in place policies or regulations that would restrict the banks from unlimited access to government securities. “It is important and expedient that the committee gives this directive to management because this country badly needs growth.

For us to achieve growth, those whose primary responsibility that it is to provide credit, who act as intermediaries in providing credit and are called catalysts to credit and growth in the economy must be seen to perform that responsibility.�

Buffers

CBN’S MOVES TO CAP TREASURY BILLS INVESTMENT UNSETTLE BANKS sector.

A treasurer in one of the leading commercial banks, who pleaded to remain anonymous, told THISDAY that if the policy is enforced, banks would be forced to change their investment strategy.

According to him, banks may then be compelled to seek opportunities in other investment outlets such as commercial papers. “Investment in treasury bills and bonds are risk-free and the returns are guaranteed.

So, limiting the amount of investible funds would definitely hit the profitability of banks,� the source added.

Managing Director, Afrinvest Securities Limited, Mr. Ayodeji Ebo, shared the treasurer’s views.

According to him, banks would not be comfortable with the policy because it undermines their chances of making money. “So, it is going to be a difficult push for the central bank. The CBN needs to look for a more structural way to boost lending to the real sector. “This looks like more of direct control. It is better to adopt moral suasion on this matter,� he added.

Ebo, cited the difficult operating environment as one of the factors discouraging lending to the private sector.

On his part, the Head of Research and Strategy at FSDH Merchant Bank Limited, Mr. Ayodele Akinwunmi, said there could be a rule directing banks on how to structure their

balance.

Akinwunmi also noted that CBN could use moral suasion to achieve its objective of making banks lend to the real sector, just as he highlighted the risks in lending to the real sector. “The short-term impact of this policy if implemented is that commercial paper market will increase; there would be tendency for banks to rediscount and trading on other papers would increase. “But everybody will be happy if interest rate in the economy drops and the risks in the economy reduces,� he added.

While announcing the restrictions on Tuesday, Emefiele had said the intention was to stimulate growth in

the economy.

Emefiele had said the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) expressed concern over a situation whereby banks abandoned their key roles of stimulating growth in the economy by investing in government instruments at the detriment of the economy.

He added: “The truth is that yes, according to our own regulations, there is a minimum percentage of treasury bills or government securities that the banks must invest in, in order to remain liquid. But again, we have observed and unfortunately and increasingly so, that the banks, rather than even focusing on granting credit to the private sector, they tend to direct their focus mainly on

EmeďŹ ele Calls for Stronger Fiscal

of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), which he said aided the country's exit from recession, social investment programme, provision of bailout funds to states as well as road and rail infrastructure.

"I want you all to leave this meeting proud to have served your nation to the best of your ability. You should be proud to have been part of the government that liberated the local governments previously under Boko Haram rule.

"You should be proud to have contributed to our food security and economic diversification agenda which led to the revival of our rural agrarian economy. You should be proud to have been part of the team that developed the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, which led Nigeria to exiting its worst recession in decades.

"You should be proud to have introduced the social investment programme that enhanced livelihoods of millions of Nigerians.

You should be proud to have participated in settling outstanding pensions of many senior citizens abandoned by previous governments while supporting state governments to meet their salary arrears. “And of course, you should

all be proud to have overseen the most ambitious road, rail and airport rehabilitation programmes in the history of our country.

"I want to put on the record, that your achievements in the last three-and-a-half years have guaranteed your position in the history books of this nation. You have certainly built the foundations for an improved economy and a more purposeful government," the president said.

Buhari also directed the ministers to formally hand over to permanent secretaries in their ministries on May 28, 24 hours before the end of this tenure.

The president, who said yesterday's FEC meeting would be the last to be held before the end of this first term, directed the ministers to submit their handover notes to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, before the expiration of their tenure.

He said: "Although today is our last council meeting, I expect all of you to continue working until Tuesday, 28th May, 2019 when you will officially hand over your schedules to your respective permanent secretaries.

"Your handing over letters should be submitted to the

Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

Today’s Federal Executive Council meeting is the last time we will meet as a cabinet before the commencement of the second and final term of this administration."

The president who recalled that the first cabinet meeting was held in November 2015, said the team had worked effectively together since then to deliver the campaign promises of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

He also recalled the death, in an accident, of former Minister of State for Labour, Mr. James Ocholi, along with his wife and son barely four months after the take-off of the cabinet.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and the ministers, in their valedictory speeches, paid glowing tributes to the president for choosing them to work with him.

The vice-president thanked the president for the trust he had in him, recalling that on the occasions when he handed over power to him as acting president, he told him that he was giving him unfettered platform to act, a promise he said Buhari kept.

Most of the ministers praised the combination of the president and the vicepresident as the drivers of the

Meanwhile, Emefiele yesterday reiterated the need to enhance fiscal buffers in order for the country to be able to withstand external shocks.

This he said was essential, considering the uncertainties and threats to global economy.

Emefiele listed other global uncertainties to include the normalisation of monetary policy by the US Federal Reserve System, which could lead to acute capital reversals; increased financial fragilities in emerging markets; volatility of global crude oil market due to the US sanctions on crude oil imports on Iran and Venezuela, along with output Continued on page 7

BUHARI: WHY I KEPT MY CABINET INTACT a sense of pride that they had served Nigeria to the best of their abilities.

According to the president, when the cabinet took off in 2015, it was confronted with challenges, which he said included a crisis-ridden economy that later went into recession in the face of insecurity and massive corruption.

He said whereas many would have given up in the face of the daunting challenges, the cabinet confronted the challenges with unity of purpose.

He added that it was that principle of collective responsibility, which encouraged him to keep the cabinet intact, saying every minister had a unique skill, which was a reflection of the state of Nigeria they came to serve.

"You will recall that when we started this journey, our country was facing numerous challenges. We inherited a broken economy, which eventually went into recession in the second quarter of fiscal year 2016. The situation was further compounded by insecurity and massive corruption.

"Many would have given up. Indeed, many outside commentators said our

situation was well-nigh hopeless. However, we all came together and pushed forward to deliver our campaign promise to rescue our country from its parlous state.

"Although we all had a common vision, we frequently had heated debates in this room on the best way to achieve our goals. These differing views are what made the decisions we took all the more rational.

"It is this quality that made me retain my cabinet for the full term. Each of you in this room has a unique skill and strength. We are a reflection of the Nigeria we aspire to achieve. A diverse but tolerant nation where no one is silenced and where every opinion should be heard and considered," Buhari said.

At the occasion, the president presented the scorecard of his administration, which he believed should make the ministers proud.

Among the achievements of the administration are the liberation of some local governments hitherto under the control of Boko Haram before its advent; food security and diversification agenda of the government.

Other achievements he listed were the development

country's affairs, describing Buhari as a man of character and Osinbajo as a true man of God. They also praised Buhari whom they said gave them unfettered freedom to discharge their respective responsibilities without any interference.

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NEWS

MainOne Earmarks N25bn for ‘Digital Lagos’ Connectivity Project Emma Okonji In a bid to roll out broadband infrastructure to cover Lagos city as demanded by its InfraCo licence, West Africa’s leading connectivity and data centre solutions provider, MainOne, has set aside N25 billion for the deployment of fibre optic broadband connectivity network for Lagos.

The connectivity project, called 'Digital Lagos', is a broadband for all campaign initiative that will enable the digital transformation of Lagos State, through deployment of ubiquitous broadband infrastructure across the state.

MainOne’s ambition for the state is inspired by the vision of Lagos State Governor-elect, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who believed “technology will improve the rule of law, education, ease of doing

business and government processes of Lagos.�

At the campaign launch, organised in Lagos, to announce its plans for the 'Digital Lagos' project, the Chief Executive Officer at MainOne, Funke Opeke, said the company would collaborate with the state government and all other stakeholders to build Digital Lagos and help citizens realise the benefits of broad, sustainable economic growth, modernised education, health, and other services delivery, and improved quality of life. “MainOne is pleased to have the opportunity to present its plan for Digital Lagos, a proven path to ubiquitous broadband connectivity. This plan will involve the investment by MainOne of over N25 billion over the next two to three years to develop critical fiber optic infrastructure to enable

broadband services across Lagos State,� a statement yesterday quoted Opeke as saying.

A presentation giving details of how the project will be carried out, was made by the CEO, HIP Consult, a Washington DC-based independent, management consulting firm with specialisation in ICT in emerging markets, Mr. Judah Levine.

HIP Consult worked with MainOne in developing a concept paper and implementation plan for Digital Lagos.

Levine touched on the research done for Digital Lagos, its implementation plans and subsequent impact on Lagos State.

Opeke said MainOne pioneered investments in critical internet-enabling infrastructure across West Africa and Nigeria.

To date, the company has invested over N120 billion, funded by leading African banks, and has proven its capabilities in expanding and densifying localised fiber networks in neighboring Ogun and Edo states by deploying almost 1,000 kilometres of fiber in partnership with Facebook to expand broadband access and connect government institutions and other areas of interest.

Opeke said the resulting network to be built by MainOne would provide essential connectivity to critical state institutions, cover over 300 government agencies, up to 10,000 state CCTV locations, telecom operators and Internet Service Providers (ISPs), public Wi-Fi hotspots, Smart City components, Internet of Things (IOTs) devices, in addition to enterprises.

Opeke

CBN’S MOVES TO CAP TREASURY BILLS INVESTMENT UNSETTLE BANKS cuts by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) members.

He also mentioned weak and fragile global growth as one of the global uncertainties, saying that with global output growth downgraded to 3.5 per cent in 2019, from 3.7 per cent in 2018, there were suggestions that the expected economic downturn might be more than initially estimated, especially with significant uncertainties brewing around the advanced economies that are expected to lead the growth.

The CBN governor warned that if these uncertainties are not curtailed, they could lead to a slowdown in global supply growth given the sizeable weight of the economies in the global supply chain.

Emefiele, who spoke in

Benin City, capital of Edo State, when he presented a paper at the Eminent Persons' Lecture Series, University of Benin, however, suggested measures that both the fiscal and monetary authorities can implement to overcome any of the uncertainties.

Speaking on the topic, "Beyond the Global Financial Crisis: Monetary Policy Under Global Uncertainty," the CBN boss stressed the need to strengthen fiscal buffers in order to improve Nigeria’s ability to address potential downturns in the economy as a result of a slowdown in global growth.

He also said efforts should be intensified at supporting targeted interventions in agriculture and manufacturing sectors, adding that given "Nigeria’s high population, efforts should be made to support

domestic production of goods by farmers, SMEs and agro-processors that can help diversification efforts and also help insulate Nigerian economy from volatility in the crude oil market.�

According to him, "Proactive fiscal actions, specifically, infrastructure in investment is required to reduce the operational and logistical cost of running business.

Emefiele stressed the need for the "continued restriction on the importation of items that can be produced in Nigeria and tamping up efforts to curtain smuggling of restricted items into the country. These actions will help to support domestic production of goods in Nigeria.’’ The CBN governor pointed out that experience had shown that global cycles

have the potential of amplifying business cycles in emerging and developing markets, which are capable of posing significant challenges to monetary policy in these economies.

"Strong macroeconomic fundamentals may not be enough to insulate the real economy from the effect of vagaries of these uncertainties in the global economic and contagion of poor financial conditions in other emerging economies.

"Rather, a wider response incorporating a mix of conventional and unconventional monetary policy measures is needed to combat the multidimensional headwinds emanating from external shocks and global uncertainties," he added.

Also yesterday, Emefiele assured entrepreneurs set to commence operations at the

Edo Production Centre of the availability of favourable financing options through the apex bank's NIRSAL National Microfinance Bank, to complement other incentives for industrial production at the facility.

The CBN boss, who spoke during a visit to the agency, lauded Governor Godwin Obaseki for his vision in setting up the facility.

He identified the biggest challenges faced by SMEs to include lack of access to finance, absence of conducive environment and irregular electricity supply for uninterrupted production.

But he said Obaseki had provided a solution to these problems with the establishment of the agency.

"For us at the CBN, this facility makes it easy for us to have a place to meet people who are ready to

do business. At CBN, we are trying to deal with issues of access to finance and this place provides an opportunity," he said.

Obaseki said the agency had helped his administration to move towards hitting the 200,000 jobs target of the state government.

"We set up this hub to help us achieve our aim of creating a minimum of 200,000 jobs during the first four years in office in the civil service. We are not expected to give out the jobs in the civil service, but rather create most of them in the private sector. So, we are providing opportunities for industrialisation," the governor added.

He assured the CBN governor that the Production Centre would be inaugurated

by June when the facility will be ready for business.

could be inferred from the speech delivered by Justice Bulkachuwa at the inaugural sitting of the tribunal on May 8 that she had pre-judged the petitioners’ petition.

Justice Ige dismissed the motion for being unmeritorious and unconstitutional.

"I have deeply ruminated over all the affidavits by various parties and I have come to a conclusion that the applicants have not been able to establish the need for the President of the Court of Appeal to recuse herself from presiding and participating in the hearing of the applicants' petition before the tribunal.

"Consequently, the application is hereby dismissed for lacking in merit", Justice Ige said.

All the members of the panel, including Justice Bulkachuwa, agreed with the lead ruling.

However, immediately the ruling was delivered, Justice Bulkachuwa grabbed the microphone and announced

that she would opt out of the tribunal for personal reasons.

She, however, expressed joy that the matter had been settled “based on facts and the law� so that “another female judge will no longer have to face what I have faced.�

She said a new presiding justice would be appointed for the panel, but that the four remaining members of the panel would continue with the hearing of the preliminary applications pending the appointment of the new head of the panel.

She said: “I have allowed the ruling on the application urging me to recuse my membership of the tribunal to test the position of the law. “Now that the application has been dismissed on account of incompetence, I hereby announce my withdrawal from the panel. “The remaining four members of the panel would remain while step would be taken to appoint my replacement,’’ she said.

CITING PERSONAL REASONS, BULKACHUWA WITHDRAWS FROM ATIKU'S PETITION demanded Justice Bulkachuwa’s recusal, citing involvement of members of her family in the All Progressives Congress (APC), one of the respondents in the petition.

After she ignored a petition written on May 8, 2019 against her membership of the panel, and a further private meeting in Chambers to persuade her to withdraw from further participating in the proceedings, the PDP filed a formal petition on grounds of likelihood of bias.

Atiku's motion on notice, which was argued by his lead counsel, Dr. Livy Uzoukwu (SAN), prayed Justice Bulkachuwa to recuse herself from further sitting and participating in the hearing of the petition on the allegation of likelihood of bias against him.

PDP and Atiku submitted that Bulkachuwa might not be fair to them, owing to the fact that her husband, Ambassador Adamu Mohammadu Bulkachuwa, is a member of the ruling APC in Bauchi State.

Her son, Aliu Abubakar, was also said to be an APC member and was an aspirant on the platform of the party in Gombe State in the last governorship election.

Besides, Atiku informed the tribunal in his motion on notice that the husband of the Appeal Court President is not only a prominent APC member, but a senator-elect to represent Bauchi North senatorial district in the Ninth National Assembly.

Bauchi is one of the major states whose results are being contested before the tribunal.

The petitioners argued that the senator-elect when inaugurated next month will automatically become a member of the National Convention of the APC being the highest organ of the party and may have influence that may affect the petition.

Atiku further stated that with the relationship of the Appeal Court president with her husband and son, both of whom are members of the APC, there is likelihood of

bias against him in the eyes of the reasonable members of the public.

Justice Bulkachuwa was also said to have shown signs that she might have a mindset on the petition when she stated at the inaugural session of the tribunal that no matter how well an election was conducted, there would be complaints.

He, therefore, prayed Justice Bulkachuwa to disqualify herself from further taking part in the hearing of his petition in the interest of justice, fair hearing and fair play.

Arguing against the motion, counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Yunus Ustaz SAN, Buhari's lawyer, Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and APC counsel, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), described the motion by Atiku as frivolous, unmeritorious and call for its dismissal.

In their separate submissions, they argued

that Atiku and PDP did not disclose any cause of action against Justice Bulkachuwa and urged the tribunal to dismiss the motion.

In his ruling, Justice Peter Olabisi Ige, held that Atiku and PDP did not make allegation of bias against the Appeal Court president but merely raised issue of likelihood of bias.

The judge said the two petitioners failed to substantiate their claims on how the relationship the Appeal Court president has with her husband would negatively affect the determination of the petition.

The tribunal held that section 42 of the 1999 Constitution frowned on gender discrimination.

It, therefore, said what Atiku and PDP brought before the tribunal was a violation of that provision having discriminated in a brazen manner against Justice Bulkachuwa.

He also ruled that no inference of likelihood of bias

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THURSDAY MAY 23, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

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

Soyinka Backs Obasanjo’s Call for End to Insecurity Says Nigeria undergoing horrendous descent to the abyss Peter Uzoho Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, yesterday backed former President Olusegun Obasanjo over his worries about the insecurity in the country arising from banditry and the spate of kidnappings.

Obasanjo had also called for all stakeholders to meet to find ways of tackling the problems confronting Nigeria.

Soyinka who saw nothing wrong in Obasanjo’s statement, however, bemoaned the

response of the federal government to the concerns raised by the former president.

He warned that the government should be careful not to be too dismissive of such meaningful contributions.

The playwright spoke in Lagos at a special panel session at the UBA Africa Conversion, a programme held to commemorate the 2019 Africa Day. The theme of the event is: “Africa’s History Redefined: Our Past, a Path to the Future.”

Don’t Use Power as Tool for Oppression, Jonathan Tells Nigerians Alaibe, Ijaw elders seek violencefree poll Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa Former President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, urged Nigerians to stop the quest for power as a tool for oppression, but as a way of advancing humankind.

Speaking during a workshop organised by the Ijaw Elders Forum (IEF) Lagos, in collaboration with Ijaw Professionals Association (IPA), Ijaw Nation Forum (INF), G24 Embasara Foundation (EF), and Ijaw Women Connect (IWC), the former Nigerian leader also blamed politicians who deploy youths for violence during elections for the prevalence of crimes in Bayelsa State.

The programme, the organisers said, was initiated to prepare the ground for a capable leader who will succeed Governor Seriake Dickson after the governorship election in November.

Jonathan posited that rather than deploy violence in achieving their ends as leaders, politicians must learn to play by the rules and accept that power only comes from God and the people.

“What do you leave behind?

Sometimes, it’s not about the big roads or the big houses you built or the money; sometimes, people forget these things, but how creative you are; what innovations you brought to governance’; what privileges people had. It must go beyond power.

“Were the people living as prisoners but driving on good roads or did they have their freedoms? People must go beyond power for the sake of power.

People must look for power for the purpose of leadership.

“Everyone is a leader as long as you can influence another person then you are a leader; you don’t need to be a president or governor; so, all of us are leaders,” he said.

He added that Nigerians and specifically, the people of Bayelsa State must elect leaders who are committed to non-violence in achieving their set objectives.

“We must play down violence in politics; there is no nation in the world that developed through violence. When we look at the

most developed countries in the world, those are the most peaceful countries.

“So, if Bayelsa state must develop, there must be peace in this state and we must start from the political process because most of the criminal gangs that have emerged in this state grew through political activities.

“We, the politicians use them as boys and thugs and at the end of the election it becomes a problem to manage them.

“So, for those who want to rule they must try as much as they can to play down violence and this what I always tell people. “ If God wants you to be our governor or hold any office in government, it’s not because of the gun you carried. Don’t be deceived that it is because of the arms you carried; it is the will of God and the thinking of the people of Bayelsa,” he said.

He urged the group to encourage such meetings from time to time, to internalise some of the principles they espouse.

According to him, “A time has to come that we shall stand and tell anyone who wants to be governor that we can’t accept this thuggery and if you use it, we will stand by the people.

If people must come here to invest then Bayelsa State must be peaceful” “That’s the area I wanted to go if I won re-election. Even just to clean and cut grass they are waiting for the state governor to go over and clean-up which is not right,” he stressed.

Former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Timi Alaibe, noted that participants must put the words of wisdom by the elders into action during the campaigns.

“From our recent history, we have witnessed detonation of explosives at political campaign grounds, campaign offices and homes of political leaders and perceived political opponents.”

“You are aware that I was, more than once, a victim of such senseless attack. The bloodshed and killings in the last elections was another example of disgraceful acts of violence.

It must never happen again,” he said.

Besides Soyinka, other members on the panel moderated by a legal practitioner, Ms. Ayo Obe, included Chairman of UBA and Founder, Tony Elumelu Foundation, Mr. Tony Elumelu; Afrobeat musician, Femi Kuti; Guinean historian and playwright, Prof. Jibril Niane; and daughter of late first President of Ghana, Ms. Samia Nkrumah.

Soyinka said from what he read in the media and the response of the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the government ignored the message while worrying too much about the language in which it was couched.

He said: “I see that the government is not happy with the statement made by former President Obasanjo.

Now, everybody knows me

and Obasanjo, and at the same time, I think we should be very careful not to be too dismissive or even abrasive.

“Obasanjo was calling for a meeting of stakeholders to tackle some of the very serious aspects of social malaise this country is undergoing. He was talking about kidnapping, talking about youth suicide and stating that it is about time that across board, irrespective of ideology, polity, religion, that we better all sit down and tackle these issues immediately; and I will suggest that even more immediate.

“This country is undergoing a horrendous descent into the abyss spiritually, morally, ideally, even in the whole system. We are watching a huge mass of people descend into a state of brutishness, the like of which we have not experienced in this country. And so, if you

go into the streets and you say Africa must unite, what the man in the street is going to say is Mr. Leader, will you get my people out of the kidnappers’ den first and then, I will come and talk to you about unity.”

Soyinka also disclosed that the issue of Boko Haram was being discussed at the British Parliament and wondered if Nigeria and Africa should ask Britain to suspend the discussion to allow the continent surrender to Boko Haram in the name of unity.

“Right now let me reveal, the issue of Boko Haram is being debated in the parliament in England; right now as we are speaking. Well, should we just go to them and say don’t worry, we are being united; and all we have to do is surrender to Boko Haram,” he stated.

He stated that while having unity and common language

in Africa was important, it has to be particularised to each nation’s condition and realities.

Earlier, Elumelu had called on Africans to unite and work towards the economic empowerment of the continent.

He said UBA decided to identify with the Africa Day to remind the people of Africa of the responsibility to uplift the continent.

“To us, Africa Day is synonymous with who we are and what we are. Identifying with the Africa Day is an opportunity for us to remind ourselves, remind the world, and remind Africans that until we are able to provide economic opportunities for every African, we have miles to go, and we cannot sit back and relax. So for UBA, this is not just a celebration; it is much more than a celebration,” he added.

SERVICE TO THE NATION …

President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in a group photograph with out-going ministers and other members of Federal Executive Council (FEC), shortly after the valedictory FEC meeting held at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja … yesterday GODWIN OMOIGUI

Seven Fishermen Feared Dead in Boundary Dispute between A’Ibom, C’River Okon Bassey in Uyo About seven fishermen were feared dead in a renewed conflict between Ikot Offiong community in Odukpani Local Government Area (LGA) of Cross River State and the neigbouring communities in Oku Iboku, Itu LGA of Akwa Ibom State.

The incident was said to have occurred on Tuesday evening along the disputed water boundary linking Akwa Ibom at Itu LGA with Cross River at Odukpnai LGA. While security operatives have remained silent on the casualty figure in the latest

clash, one of the community leaders and a fisherman from Oku Iboku, Chief Effiong Eneh, alleged that seven persons were killed in the surprised attack.

He said the land dispute, which has lasted for over 100 years, has defied all known traditional and political solutions even before the creation of Akwa Ibom State out of the old Cross River State in 1987.

Describing the development as sad, he explained that the victims left for their fishing expedition at about 10.a.m. on Tuesday and never returned till the time of this report.

All the victims, he said

were from Oku Iboku, including three brothers from same parents, revealing that “three dead bodies have been recovered so far.”

According to him, the youths of the area have been monitoring the water and still waiting for the remains of the other four to float to the sea shore.

Also lamenting, a native of one of the neigbouring communities, Ayadehe village, Bassey Offiong Willams, said because of the crises which have claimed several lives, people were warned to be cautious on their fishing businesses.

The office of the state Deputy Governor, Obong Moses Ekpo, which oversees boundary issues in the state could not confirm the report, as the Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Ekikere Umoh, said he was yet to be fully briefed on the incident.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Odiko Macdon, said; “we have already commenced preliminary investigation into the incident.”

He called for “pro-active measures by politicians and security agencies to bring a lasting peace to the crisis, adding: “I think politicians should come up with a political solution to the problem”.

THURSDAY MAY 23, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWS

Senate Decries Rising Cases of Killings in Rivers Passes federal audit service bill, 10 others

Deji Elumoye in Abuja The Senate yesterday resolved to call on both the federal and Rivers State governments, to work together to develop workable strategies aimed at tackling rising cases of killings in the state.

The upper legislative chamber has also passed 11 bills, including one that made provision for the establishment of Federal Audit Service Commission and another one that changed the name of Nigeria Football Association (NFA) to Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

The lawmakers’resolution on Rivers was sequel to a motion entitled, “frightening killings in Rivers State” moved by Senator Andrew Uchendu (Rivers East).

Presenting the motion, Uchendu said the killing of innocent citizens as a result of murder, kidnapping, violence or abduction had become rampant in the state for over a decade.

According to him, the killings assumed a dangerous proportion before, during and after the 2015 general election.

He stressed that more worrisome was the trend of decapitation and or dismembering of body parts, including beheading of victims.

“There is a new twist that has been added to this sacrilegious conduct by not only killing by beheading but also by having the corpses burnt.

“At about 9.00 p.m. on Sunday, May 19, unknown gunmen invaded Isiodu Community in Emohua LGA, Rivers State and killed three young men aged between 23 and 30 and unashamedly burnt the corpses.

It is worrisome that these killings spread across the length and

breadth of Rivers State.

“During the last interaction between the Senate and the Acting Inspector General of Police (IG), Mohammed Adamu, I stated emphatically that kidnappings and killings have become a way of life in Rivers State”.

He expressed concern that the killings were going on unabated, adding that, the primary responsibility of any responsive and responsible government is the provision of security of life and property of its citizens.

He further said: “In Rivers State, life has become more brutish and worthless, since anybody can be killed, kidnapped or abducted at any time of the day. I am alarmed that no meaningful strategy has been put in place to check this unbridled development in the polity.

“It is regrettable to know that traditional rulers and community heads who are neither in control of the police, the army nor the resources, are being held responsible to check kidnapping and killings in their own community”.

Contributing, Deputy Leader of the Senate, Senator Bala Na’Allah, urged those in positions of authority to be law abiding before demanding that the people should adhere to the laws of the land.

According to him: “The signs are not too good for us but with the right leadership and patriotism we can solve the problem. We must come out of the cocoon of protecting our own when they are wrong.

I am totally in agreement with the prayers in the motion”.

On his part, Senator Osinachukwu Ideozu (Rivers West), regretted the killings,

PDP Govs Urge Buhari to Declare State of Emergency on Security Elects Dickson as new chairman Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum (PDPGF) has expressed concern about the state of insecurity in the country and therefore called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency on security matters.

The PDP governors disclosed this yesterday in a communique issued after its meeting held at Gombe State Governor’s lodge where it also elected the Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson as its new chairman.

According to a communique, the governors said, “the PDPGF is very concerned about the state of insecurity and how it affects food security as farmers are scared to go to their farms for fear of being killed or kidnapped and urges the president to declare a state of emergency on security matters.

“Following a consensus agreement, Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has been elected Chairman of the PDPGF to succeed,” the communique said.

Addressing journalists after the meeting, Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo, clarified that the presence of Senate President, Dr. Bukola

Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, had nothing to do with the leadership of the ninth House of Assembly.

He added, “We have also touched and discussed issues of security and we are going to conclude in the general governors’ forum and other issues but the most important thing that we have done today too is to elect the new chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum in the person of the Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, who will be running the affairs of our forum “The meeting did not discuss who to support for the next NGF chairman. We will be meeting at the governors’ forum and a decision will be taken there.”

Governors at the meeting include; Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State; Emmanuel Odom of Akwa Ibom State; Samuel Otorm of Benue State; Ibrahim Dankwabo of Gombe State; Aminu Tambwal of Sokoto State; Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, and Governor-elect of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha.

Apart from Saraki and Dogara; the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus; and PDP’s vice presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, also attended the meeting.

noting however, that the killings in Rivers was not an isolated case.

He cited several states with similar security situation, adding that government and Nigerians should collaborate in finding lasting solutions to the problem.

He also lamented that the nation’s security architecture had not performed optimally in view of increased spate of killings across the country.

Also speaking, the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, called for a holistic approach towards solving the problem, while expressing concerns that the level of insecurity in the country had taken a worrisome dimension.

“This is a matter for concern.

Criminality must be dealt with and not with political interest.

When the Inspector General of Police visited the Senate

last week, he promised to do something. We hope better strategies are adopted to solve the problem”.

Saraki therefore called on both federal and the state governments to work together in tackling the problem.

He cited several states with similar problem, adding that lasting solution should be sought holistically to tackle the security challenges.

Meanwhile, the Senate yesterday passed 11 bills including one that made provision for the establishment of Federal Audit Service Commission and another one that changed the name of Nigeria Football Association (NFA) to Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

The bills passed after going through second and third

readings at plenary include the Nigeria Football Federation (Establishment, etc) Bill 2019; National Assembly Budget and Research Office (Est, etc) Bill 2019; Federal Audit Service Bill 2019; Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria Bill 2019; Chartered Institute of Social Work Practitioners (Est, etc) Bill 2019 and Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Bill 2019.

Others are Corporate Bodies (Members Emolument) Act (Repeal) Bill 2019; National Institute for Brackish Water Fisheries Research, Ngo-Andoni( Est, etc) Bill 2019; Nigeria Council for Management Development Bill 2019; Traffic Warden Service Bill 2018 and The Nigerian Road Safety Commission Bill 2019.

The Senate also passed the bill for the Establishment of Federal

Audit Service Commission as part of moves to fight corruption in the country The upper legislative chamber has therefore mandated its leadership to liaise with President Muhammadu Buhari in a legislative- executive interaction with a view to getting his assent to the Federal Audit Service Commission (Establishment, etc) Bill and the other 10 bills before the exporation of the 8th National Assembly.

The approval of the audit commission was sequel to the presentation and consideration of the Senator Matthew Urhoghideled Senate Committee on Public Accounts on a Bill for an Act to Establish the Federal Audit Service Commission, Repeal the Public Accounts Implemenation Tribunal and for Matters Related Thereto (SB.742).

EMINENT PERSONS’ LECTURE...

Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele (left), acknowledging cheers from the audience after receiving a Benin bronze cast from the Vice-Chancellor, University of Benin, Professor Osasere Orunmwense, shortly after delivering the Third Eminent Persons’ Lecture of the University at the Ugbowo Campus…yesterday

Ishaku: Govs Can’t Do Anything About Insecurity Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku yesterday reiterated the call for the establishment of State Police in the country to check increasing cases of insecurity, stressing that no governor can do anything about the insecurity in his state.

Ishaku made the call in Jalingo, the state capital, while answering questions from journalists shortly after he flagged off the distribution of fertilisers, seedlings, and Agrochemicals for Taraba farmers for the 2019 farming season.

The governor who said he

was helpless and cannot do anything over the security situation in the state called on the residents to pray to God for peace in the state.

“If any governor tells you that he will do anything about insecurity, such a governor is lying.

“As governors, we don’t have control over the Police or Army and virtually there is nothing we can do over security. We have been calling for the establishment of state police, but nobody seems to consider our position.

“The constitution did not

place the security architecture of the country in the hands of governors. I am praying myself for peace and I have also asked the people of the state to pray for peace in the state,” he said.

On his agenda for the next four years, Ishaku said he will use the next four years to consolidate on his achievements in the first term and boost the economy of the state through Agriculture.

According to him, the state has great agricultural potential and his administration will leverage on the potential to

make millions in the state through rice and other produce for the good of the people.

“We have experimented rice farming in Karim Lamido and the result is wonderful; we are now extending it to the River Donga and River Taraba plains in the southern and central parts of the state.

“We have procured tractors for large scale and middle scale farmers as well as rice milling machines so that our rice can be processed locally, thereby stopping companies from exploiting our farmers,” he said

I’ll Rather Die Than Lose One Corps Member, Says NYSC DG The new Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig. Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, said he is ready to sacrifice his life to ensure that no corps member dies during the service year.

Ibrahim said this yesterday during a visit to the staff and corps members at the NYSC Zonal Office in Akure, Ondo State.

The DG, who said he was happy to be in the state, told corps members to keep themselves abreast of what was happening in their environment and be security

conscious.

Ibrahim urged the corps members to take the opportunity of the entrepreneurial programmes put in place by the scheme rather than embarking on frivolous travels.

“I will prefer to die than losing a corps member. Keep yourself abreast of what is happening in your country, and make a difference as a corps member.

“I want to rejig our skills acquisition programme. If you take it seriously, we have partners that are ready to lend you money.

I am very passionate about the scheme and my corps members.

“I came for a youth programme; so, I decided to visit you my ‘children.’. What will you be remembered for when you leave this place? Try as much as possible to keep your records clean,” he said.

Ibrahim, on the sidelines of the event, described his visit as unofficial, saying, he would look for a way by which the scheme would not depend solely on government funds.

Earlier, the state Coordinator

of NYSC, Mrs. Grace Akpabio, described the visit of the DG as homecoming.

Akpabio also said the Ondo State Government had been helping to improve the scheme in the state, “especially with the building of perimeter fence at the Ikare Akoko Permanent Orientation Camp.”

She used the visit to reel out some of the achievements to the DG, especially the reactivation of farm in Ita Ogbolu to teach interested corps members how to farm.

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THURSDAY MAY 23, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

I8 Persons Killed by Bandits Buried as Buhari Vows to Secure Katsina Re-emphasises his respect for judiciary Francis Sardauna in Katsina Angered by the killings in Kastina State on Tuesday, President Muhammadu Buhari, has directed the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed

Abubakar Adamu and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin to intervene immediately in the state, and bring a feedback, noting that the state must be secured at all cost.

Dogara: House Under My Leadership Gave Buhari’s Government Maximum Support Says 8th assembly most performing in Nigeria’s history The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has disclosed that the House, under his leadership, cooperated with the executive arm of the federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari by giving speedy consideration and passage to legislation and other requests forwarded by the president that would fast-track implementation of the administration’s policies and plans.

Dogara further stated that there were times the House passed executive bills within two days or one week, insisting that the 8th House was the most performing in Nigeria’s political history from independence in 1960 to date.

He spoke yesterday in Abuja when he received the Euro Knowledge Award in recognition of his exemplary leadership, which was conferred on him last month at the United Kingdom’s Parliament and another one by Nigeria’s federal government for his contribution to passage of Ease of Doing Business Bills in Nigeria.

Receiving the award, Dogara said, “We have done exceptionally well. It is on record that this has been the most productive National Assembly ever, as well as unparalleled House in the history of the House of Representatives.

“We hope that those who are coming after us; those who will take over from us will do better and be able to rededicate themselves and to achieve the ideals they set out for themselves.

When we started out on the 8th Assembly, it was our desire and thank God we can say today that we have cleaned up virtually all laws we inherited from even 1800.

For some of us who read law, we may have knowledge on the Statutes of General Application.”

“Before we embarked on this massive exercise, some of our law books were still containing Pounds Sterling, in some laws; some addresses in the United Kingdom were even mentioned.

To the credit of the 8th Assembly, all those things are no longer reflected in the body of our laws. “

President Buhari has also re-emphasised his respect for the country’s judiciary and his willingness to abide by their decisions at all times.

This is coming as remains of the 18 persons killed by armed bandits in Batsari Local Government Area of the state were buried yesterday.

Buhari, who had just returned from Saudi Arabia, specifically, instructed the security chiefs to find out how the operation was carried out by the perpetrators, not minding the Holy month of Ramadhan, and put in place structures to prevent future occurrence.

Disclosing this in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Buhari expressed shock and vowed to fish out the killers.

He admonished that all those instigating violence in the North and other parts of the country will be exposed and made to face the wrath of the law.

The president commiserated with the governor and people of Katsina State over the losses.

He prayed that Allah will comfort those who have lost loved ones. The president has also re-emphasised his respect for the country’s judiciary and his willingness to abide by their decisions at all times.

Speaking yesterday at an Iftar dinner with the representatives of the Third Arm of the government, at his official residence, President Buhari said he believed that the judiciary should be independent and recalled how he submitted himself to the adjudication of the courts three times on his way to becoming president without any fuss because, as he said, “I respect the institution. I have come before you three times before I got here on the fourth run for the office.

Your word is the last word on any given issue.”

He praised the capabilities of Nigerian judges, saying that “your training and experience has earned you respect.”

In his remarks in appreciation of the Ramadhan fast-breaking, the Acting Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed, leading retired Chief Justices, some Justices of the Supreme Court and heads of courts in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), assured the country that the judiciary will continue to do its best in safeguarding the country’s democracy.

He praised President Buhari for not meddling in the affairs of the courts in the country.

Meanwhile, the remains of the 18 persons killed by armed bandits in Batsari LGA of the state were buried yesterday.

The victims, mostly farmers, were attacked by bandits while cultivating their farmlands at Yar Gamji village of the council.

Aggrieved youths had in a protest on Tuesday night ferried the corpses of the victims from Batsari to Katsina, the state capital, where they displayed them before the Emir of Katisna,

Dr. Abdulmumini Kabir Usman and Governor Aminu Bello Masari.

Performing the funeral rite, the Chief Imam of Katsina Central Mosque, Mustapha Ahmed, prayed for God to grant the deceased eternal rest, and sued for peace among the warring parties.

Addressing journalists shortly after the funeral rite, the District Head of Batsari, Alhaji Mannir Ruma, said bandits had earlier threatened that there would be no farming activities in the area in this rainy season.

The paramount ruler affirmed that the bandits had been harassing farmers in the area with sophisticated weapons, adding that the victims were cultivating their farms when the bandits ambushed them.

He called on security agencies and the state government to rekindle their efforts to curtail what he described as an act of God to enable farmers to return to farm.

PDP: Lai Mohammed’s Fabricated Claims Expose APC as Purveyor of Fake News Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the fabricated claims by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has succeeded in further demarketing the country in the international arena, causing more damage to investors’ confidence in the system and exposing this administration as purveyor of fake news.

The party in a statement issued yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, called on the minister to apologise to Nigerians for misleading the country and heating up the polity with unfounded security breach allegations against the PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

According to him, “by his fabricated claims, the Information Minister only succeeded in further demarketing the country in the international arena, causing more damage to investors’ confidence in the system and exposing this administration as purveyor

of fake news.”

Ologbondiyan stressed that it was indeed lamentable that in its desperation to secure acceptance from Nigerians and confer legitimacy to the outcome of a rigged election, Buhari’s administration would manufacture and purvey fake news to the public, only for Nigerians to learn from the same minister that his earlier claims against the PDP and its presidential candidate were not based on any concrete evidence.

The main opposition party said it feared that Mohammed could have made those wild allegations in a bid to pave the way to frame, harass, arrest and detain some opposition figures on trump-up charges.

The PDP spokesman added that the minister’s claims that he relied on certain alarms fell flat as no agency in the country had ever accused the PDP, as a political party, or its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, of “doing everything possible to sabotage the Buhari’s administration, generally overheat the polity and make Nigeria seemingly ungovernable” as alleged by Mohammed.

DEEPENING PARTNERSHIP…

L-R: Federal Commissioner representing Akwa Ibom State in National Population Commission (NPC), Mr. Ben Ukpong; Managing Director, Arise News Channel, Ms. Ijeoma Nwogwugwu; Federal Commissioner representing Kaduna State in NPC, Dr. Abdulmalik Mohammed Durunguwa; and Federal Commissioner representing Rivers State in NPC, Dr. Ipalibo Harry, when officials of NPC paid a courtesy call on Arise’s Lagos Studio…yesterday

UNICEF: 80m Nigerians Have No Access to Good Toilet Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has stated that 80 million Nigerians do not have access to good toilet facilities.

This represents 42 per cent of the country going by an estimated population of 198 million people.

Speaking in Maiduguri, Borno State capital, yesterday during a workshop to alert journalists on the danger of open defecation in

the country, a UNICEF Specialist, Bioye Ogunjobi, quoting a recent report, said 47 million people openly defecate in the country, while 33 million others use unimproved toilets.

Ogunjobi, who spoke to journalists selected across the north to sensitise them on the ongoing campaign by UNICEF and the European Union, tagged: “Clean Nigeria, Use the Toilet Campaign”, lamented that

Nigeria ranks second among countries practicing open defecation globally.

He revealed that open defecation has an economic, social and health impact on national development.

According to him, Nigeria loses about 1.3 per cent or N455 billion of her GDP annually due to poor sanitation, including open defecation.

He said: “You see the Federal

Ministry of Water Resources with support from UNICEF Nigeria and other development partners, and in partnership with inter-ministerial agencies, civil society organisations, the media, the private sector and the people of Nigeria, is currently leading the “Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet” campaign to end open defecation by 2025 and achieve universal access to safely managed sanitation.”

Two Foreign Airlines Run Drug Cartels in Nigeria, FG Alleges Deji Elumoye in Abuja The federal government yesterday accused two foreign airlines of running drug cartels at the country’s four international airports in Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt.

Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora

to the President, Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa, specifically named Ethiopian and Egypt airlines as running drug cartels at the airports.

Dabiri-Erewa, made this accusation when she appeared before the Senate Ad-hoc Committee set up to look into the circumstances leading to the

arrest of Zainab Aliyu in Saudi Arabia in December last year.

Dabiri-Erewa declared: “We have other foreign and local airlines operating at our airports, but Egyptian and Ethiopian Airlines have drug cartels operating at our International Airports. They operate alongside local collaborators. It is not Air

Peace, not Arik Air but Egyptian and Ethiopian Airlines”.

On his part, Chief of Security of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. ElYakub Usman Lamir, revealed that scanners at the Aminu Kano International Airport were not configured to detect drugs.

THURSDAY MAY 23, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWS

Nigeria’s Assets in UK Not at Risk, Says AGF Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja Nigeria’s assets in the UK are not at risk of being seized over judgment fine, the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, has said.

The minster told journalists in Abuja that the federal government was vigorously defending its interests in the UK. Malami was reacting to what he described as false assertions widely circulating online that: “If Nigeria fails to pay a judgment

fine before February 15, Process and Industrial Developments Ltd (P & ID) can enforce the award against Nigeria”.

There is an ongoing litigation between P &ID and the federal government that is pending before a court

in the United Kingdom and another court in the United States.

“It must be highlighted in the light of the above that neither the United States court nor the United Kingdom court has granted P&ID any

enforcement orders against the federal government.

“This is because proceedings are still ongoing with the interests of the government being vigorously defended,” Malami explained.

Malami urged Nigeria’s

foreign friends and investors to ignore the malicious reports as the federal government was making efforts through legal and diplomatic channels to resolve the issues in contention between the parties involved in the matter.

Emmanuel Seeks New Assembly Support for Economic Diversification Sunday Okobi Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, has sought the support of the newly elected members of the seventh state House of Assembly to further develop the state in his second term, and consequently move the state away from the dependence on oil.

Speaking at a two-day preinauguration induction training and workshop organised by the leadership of the sixth assembly for the members-elect, the governor said: “I need your support to create change and build human capacity of the Akwa Ibom people… As a state, we must show deep sense of seriousness. So, the seventh assembly has a lot of work to do.”

In a statement issued and made available to THISDAY yesterday, while charging the representatives to make themselves accessible to their constituents as well as develop the leadership skills needed to discharge their legislative roles, Emmanuel equally sought their support to move the state totally away from depending on crude oil revenue.

According to the statement, he said: “We must build our economy, plan and rise above the belief that Akwa Ibom State

will always have oil money to spend. Our problem in Nigeria is that we do not plan… We can make the state a travel hub.”

Also, in his welcome address, the outgoing Speaker and incoming House of Representative member representing Etinan/Nsit Ibom/ Nsit Ubium federal constituency, Rt. Hon. Onofiok Luke, said the members-elect should work for the development of the state.

Luke admonished the newly elected lawmakers to make laws that would empower the executive and build an educated, healthy, prosperous and united Akwa Ibom State.

According to him, their collective objective as members in the coming days should be to “legislate towards the actualisation of the Akwa Ibom project which is to build an educated, healthy, prosperous and state united under one leadership and one God.” Describing the training and workshop as an important rite of passage “expected to effectively launch the incoming members into the new legislative and leadership realm in our state,” the assembly Speaker said as the symbol of representative government, the members-elect need preparation to “successfully run this arm of government.”

Aviation Unions, FG Reach Agreement, Call off Strike Chinedu Eze The joint aviation unions that embarked on industrial action yesterday to press home their demands have reached agreement with the federal government and called off the strike.

The unions are the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) and Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP).

They are demanding among other things the review of the staff condition of service, returning to the original organogram of NCAA and inauguration of the board of the authority.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the leadership of the unions went into closed door meeting with the Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, at about 6p.m. yesterday.

At the end of the meeting that lasted for about three hours, agreement was signed to resolve the issues amicably.

The National of President of ATSSSAN, Mr. Illistrus Ahmadu, who spoke on behalf of the unions, said that agreements were reached with the minister who promised to look into demands.

He said that the minister

had promised to look into their demands with the view to addressing them as quickly as possible.

“On the condition of service, he promised to personally visit the National Salaries and Wages Commission to push for its approval.

“He has also assured us of the government’s readiness to constitute committee to look into the issue of organogram within seven day.

“We are going back to Lagos tomorrow to inform our people of the agreement we have reached and call off the strike,” he said.

Sirika also said that he had promised to look into all the demand put forward by the union. Sirika expressed his commitment to ensuring that all issues were resolve as soon as possible.

He said the issue of nonconformity with the act on the appointment of the board for NCAA would be looked onto to ensure that the board was constituted.

“On the condition of service which is outside the purview of the ministry, I have volunteered to go myself to salaries and wages to try to hasten the process.

“On the issue of organogram which is the crux of the matter, we have agreed to set up a committee to work out the best acceptable way to all of us.

AFRICA’S DAY…

L-R: Chairman of Ghana’s Convention People’s Party, and daughter of Mr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ms Samia Nkrumah; Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka; Group Chairman, UBA Plc, Mr. Tony Elumelu; Guinean historian and playwright, Professor, Djibril Tamsir Niane; Afro musician, Mr. Femi Kuti; and Legal Practitioner and Moderator, Ms. Ayo Obe, during the panel discussion themed A ‘ frica’s History Redefined, our past, the path to the future,’ organised by UBA to mark Africa’s Day in Lagos…yesterday

EFCC Has No Issues with Musicians, Says Magu Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said yesterday that the agency has no issues with musicians.

Magu spoke against the backdrop of the arraignment of Afeez Fashola known as Naira Marley by the commission in Lagos.

He charged Nigerian artistes and comedians to join the anti-graft agency in the fight against corruption, particularly internet fraud, and to lend their voices to the commission’s anti-corruption fight.

“You have a very wide reach; so, lend us your voices; please, let your works propagate and promote integrity and the right values,” he said passionately, as he stressed that they remained key to winning the war against internet fraud, and corruption in general.

Magu gave the charge yesterday during an interactive session with artistes, comedians and On-Air-Personalities (OAP),

which held at the EFCC Headquarters, Jabi, Abuja.

“I urge you to raise a collective slogan against all forms of criminality among our youths, condemn in strong terms, ostentatious living without credible sources of income, particularly the get-rich-at-all-cost syndrome among the youths,” he said.

Stressing the important status, which the commission attaches to members of Nigeria’s entertainment industry, Magu called on them to “join hands with the EFCC in this fight against corruption, because we need you more than ever before to change the negative narratives about our country being havens of internet fraudsters”.

According to him, the EFCC was ready to collaborate with the creative industry in every way possible, with the sole aim of combating the menace of internet fraud and all other forms of economic and financial crimes.

He said: “I have always stressed that we cannot

claim to have the monopoly of knowledge of how to fight corruption at the EFCC. “We are however, driven by the passion to explore all frontiers that will enable us achieve a better society for our children yet unborn – an egalitarian society and one which we all can be proud of.”

He noted that the engagement with the members of the creative and entertainment industry, was out of great concern about the increasing cases of “yahooyahoo” among Nigerian youths, and in the belief that Nigeria’s creative minds was critical to curbing the ugly trend, which has given Nigeria a bad image.

“Let’s find a way to reduce or stop our teeming youths from engaging in internet fraud,” he said.

Making reference to the recent prosecution of popular musician, Afeez Fashola, aka Naira Marley, for charges bordering on internet fraud, Magu stressed with great concern that the EFCC was not “chasing” musicians.

He said: “Let me use this

opportunity to emphasise that we have no issues with any member of this very important sector of the country.

“I have said it in the past and I will also like to restate, that the EFCC does not go after any innocent person. Our mandate is to rid Nigeria of any form of economic and financial crimes, and internet fraud is not excluded.”

He further stressed that “there is always intelligence report that our officers get and investigate before effecting a warrant of arrest, and we don’t arrest innocent people”.

He noted that the concern for the increasing cases of internet fraud, prompted him early in the year, to constitute a Task Team given the task to stem the tide of internet fraud in the country.

“This Task Team has since swung into action, and the outcome of what you have is the increasing cases and report of EFCC operatives rounding up internet fraudsters across the country,” he added.

Customs Seizes N15bn Donkey Hides, 29 Exotic Cars Eromosele Abiodun The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, Ikeja, yesterday announced the seizure of two containers of animal skin, donkey hides, which were destined for export.

The Comptroller of the FOU, Aliyu Mohammed who announced the seizure at a press conference, said the animal skin were being dried when Customs

operatives swooped on them.

Mohammed however refused to disclose the area where the offensive animal skin was discovered.

He disclosed that investigation was ongoing to arrest the suspects involved in the trade, which comes under prohibition.

Also seized by the Customs were drugs and 29 vehicles.

Speaking further, he said, “We have seized the skin in

two containers. As you can see, this is massive. One can only imagine how many donkeys have been killed to have this large number of donkey skin in two containers. We didn’t see the meat and it is possible they are being sold out to people as beef. As customs officers, we are going beyond duty collection to protect lives of people. ”This seizure is part of our effort to prevent the mass killing of donkeys and discourage

people from seeing it as a business opportunity. We also made seizures of codeine that is prohibited but was concealed with pain relief drugs without NAFDAC approved number valued at N101.6 million.

“Within one hour, our officers seized 13 vehicles last week.

Now we have a total of 29 exotic cars, including a 2019 Land Cruiser. Total duty paid value for the seized vehicles is N712,172,706.”

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THURSDAY MAY 23, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Anambra Resident Doctors Reject Obiano’s Minimum Wage Offer Six trapped as four-storey building collapses in Onitsha

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka The striking resident doctors of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH) in Awka, Anambra State, have turned down the minimum wage offer presented to them by the state Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, insisting on continuing with the indefinite

strike they embarked on on May 13, 2019.

Meanwhile, six persons were yesterday feared dead as building at No. 7 Ezenwa Street Onitsha collapsed.

Conveying the governor’s message to the members during its meeting held in Awka, the President of the association, Dr. Obinna Aniagboso, said the governor offered to pay them the newly approved minimum

wage which, according to the governor, would amount to N12,000 increment to all the state civil servants as soon as the national guidelines are released.

Aniagboso said the governor, during the meeting with him, expressed dissatisfaction with their pay package, admitting that it was due to low Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in the state, noting that the

governor promised to revisit resident doctors’ salaries issue in one year time when the IGR may have increased.

The angry doctors, during the meeting, broke into a chant of songs of disagreement. They expressed shock and disappointment at the minimum wage offer, wondering why COOUTH doctors should be neglected for long, insisting that full payment of their salary should

Delta Govt Opens Concessionaires’ Bids for Asaba Airport Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

Two consortia have apparently emerged as favourite bidders for potential concessionaires for the Asaba International Airport, Delta State, which were opened yesterday.

They are FIDMA/ MA consortium and AIMS consortium, whose representatives attended the brief ceremony at the state capital to formally open the bids yesterday.

The ceremony was conducted by the Transaction Adviser on the Concessioning of the Asaba airport, HALCROW Infrastructure

Nigeria Limited.

The state Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, expressed delight at the commencement of the process, stating that he desired nothing short of international standard airport in the state which would be run efficiently.

Okowa, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Hon. Festus Ovie Agas, said: “We are happy with the interest of various consortia for the Asaba airport concession, and we want to reassure you that the bids will be diligently analysed by the transaction advisers.

“As a government, we are committed to building an effective airport as well as make the Asaba airport a hub with support and cooperation of the private sector. I want to assure you also that Delta State is ready and open for business.”

FIDC/MA Consortium and AIMS Consortium led by Adanwimo Ezeife and Chief Onome Onokpasa respectively, commended the transparency and fairness of the bidding process, stating that they look forward to the announcement of the results of the technical evaluation.

Earlier, Senior Adviser to

the governor on policies, Prof.

Sylvester Monye, observed that the state government has built a world-class airport and is interested in its effective operation in line with international standards.

Monye noted that “building an airport is one thing, running it effectively is another. What we have done is coming up with the idea of concessioning the airport to take it to the level we want it to be. We want it to be a win-win situation, and decided to fasttrack it by considering a model that we believe will work with a master concessionary and sub concessionary.”

commence from April 2019 as agreed to by the government representatives earlier this year.

They maintained that they would no longer continue receiving 40 percent of their salary, noting that they were languishing in penury with no progress in their residency training. The doctors also lamented that many doctors would keep leaving and the hospital could remain stagnant if nothing is done urgently to arrest the situation.

They also condemned what they described as devious tactics and insincerity of the hospital management, as they passed unanimous resolution to continue the indefinite strike until demands were met.

The doctors maintained that the government would pay them the balance of their April salary and continue with the payment of full salary as obtained in other institution.

Meanwhile, six persons were yesterday feared dead as a building at No. 7 Ezenwa Street in Onitsha collapsed.

Eight persons were said to be under the structure when the four-storey building under construction crumbled around

1.45p.m. yesterday.

Eye witnesses said those trapped were six labourers, including the site engineer.

THISDAY gathered that the building is owned by a lawyer whose identity was not disclosed.

Some of the sympathisers blamed the building engineer for allegedly using substandard materials for the construction.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) for Onitsha Central Police Station, Ifeanyi Iburu, led a team of security operatives to ensure adequate security of lives and property.

Other rescue teams at the site were Red Cross officers and other security agencies as well as sympathisers and passerby who were also part of those rescuing the remaining six.

One of the trapped persons was said to have been making calls from inside the debris, an indication that some of them might still be alive.

Confirming the incident, the Chairman of Red Cross Society in Anambra State, Prof.

Peter Katchy, said the rescued casualties have been taken to the hospital for medical attention.

T H I S D AY • THURSDAY MAY 23, 2019

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T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ Í°ÍąËœ Ͱ͎ͯ͡

COMMENT

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

RENAISSANCE DRAGS ANC OUT OF POLITICAL MUD President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, may do well to restore faith in government, writes Okello Oculi

T

he political triumph of the African National Congress (ANC) in the 2019 elections in South Africa is truly a climb out of a political mud built around its feet and clenched shout of ‘’AMAND LA’’. Corruption mud grew around a ‘New racial Democracy’ won by majority ‘’Bantu’’ votes: moulded by various social engineers, including: devious ‘’Boer’’ political and economic classes; multinational corporation entrenched in mining; and white farmers with vast land holdings grabbed with gun-power from Africans.

Corruption grew from the programme of ‘’Black Economic Empowerment’’. ANC’s Black elites moved into housing areas distant from the masses that had fought with them for freedom against white economic violence and relentless humiliations. Their ‘’false starts’’ were similar to those by leaders in Kenya, Algeria and Angola after guns of wars for ending racist governance by European immigrants became pens for signing contracts.

A chorus of protests against corruption peaked under President Jacob Zuma, a former chief of military intelligence of the ANC’s liberation war. He had built a toxic pool of hatred among Afrikaana politicians, businesses, and international media interested in creating amnesia over their racist administrations which, as systemic corruption, had been globally condemned as a ‘’crime against humanity’’.

The ANC had neither borrowed revolutionary administration from success stories like Cuba, nor warnings from corruption wrecking development elsewhere in Africa. Racist White and ‘’Coloured’’ leaders salivated over prospects of a return to power; forming a political party named, cynically, as the ‘’Democratic Alliance (DA)’’ for blocking deconstruction of brutal inequality and using ‘’anti-racist racism’’ for ending poverty among past victims of ‘’apartheid’’.

From inside ANC’s decay sprouted a rebel and fire-spitting ‘’Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)’’. It launched a war with rude political rhetoric against ANC leadership’s hobnobbing with enemies anchored in ‘’apartheid’’ power. With Julius Malema shooting out - what Bob Marley and his Rastafarian brethren in Jamaica labelled as ‘’Rude Speech’’- the EFF raised political hurricanes for shattering walls of decaying legitimacy around the ANC. At no financial cost to itself, the EFF made brilliant use of television coverage of their tantrums inside parliament over Zuma’s alleged corruption; and for the recovery of lands without compensation to white farmers for immediate redistribution to poverty-wracked blacks. Malema also accused Zuma, Thabo Mbeki and other leaders of the ANC of denying the presidency of the ANC, and the country, to Winnie Mandela even though she was the real face of the fight against brutali-

IF A RENAISSANCE ANC PROVIDES THE HEALTH CLINICS, QUALITY SCHOOLS, GOOD ROADS, DISPOSES OF RAW SEWAGE AND RUBBISH; CREATES EMPLOYMENT AND PROVIDES FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO YOUTH INVENTORS AND SMALL BUSINESSES – IT WILL BE A MAJOR CHALLENGE FOR EFF’S BARBS TO WIN VOTES

ties by racist European immigrants.

By attacking the newly rich Africans, the EFF both kept alive aspirations of the poor in rural areas and urban slums, while undermining the drive by the Democratic Alliance to build support among angry ANC supporters. Their success was underlined by President Cyril Ramaphosa pushing through parliament legislation on expropriation of land from white farmers without compensation.

These frontal denunciations of entrenched white economic interest eroded support for the Democratic Alliance among racist Boers, while winning votes for both the ANC and EFF. Defections were into new parties, notably the ‘’Free Force (FF)’’. It is a credit to the ANC government that while President Botha murdered Steve Biko - to crush the toxic power of his ideas and tongue - Julius Malema thrives on.

Julius Malema, however, failed to get millions of youths between the ages of 18 and 25 to cast their votes. His parliamentary team captured the imagination of youths who would find standing up to authority and established convention a thrill. If a renaissance ANC provides the health clinics, quality schools, good roads, disposes of raw sewage and rubbish; creates employment and provides financial support to youth inventors and small businesses – a catalogue of issues for which people either voted or refused to vote - it will be a major challenge for EFF’s barbs to win votes.

The ANC benefited from Julius Malema’s war (against corruption through ‘’State Capture’’ with rude rhetoric, ideas), by using it as whips for pushing internal reform.

Ramaphosa was able to preach about working for a land of ‘’equity’’ and economic ‘’inclusiveness’’ without arousing alarm bells of being a disciple of the ‘’black racism’’ being unapologetically waved by Julius Malema.

The 2019 election victory by the ANC; the gains made

by EFF - going from 12 to 44 seats in parliament - affirmed their deep roots in aspirations and sufferings for freedom. In 2009 the ANC scored 66 %, dropping to 57 % in 2019. This profound historic reality is reflected in the ANC winning only 29% to DA’s 55% of votes in the predominantly racist White and Coloured Western Cape Province.

Despite violent demonstrations in Alexandria slum, 73 per cent voted ANC. Opposition parties may have used these violent demonstrations to encourage unemployed youths and bitter ANC supporters to boycott voting. The lesson for African politicians is the critical value of investing in ‘’legitimacy infrastructure’’ and ‘’human development’’.

Assassinations in KwaZulu Natal; a pandemic of rapes and murders of women; spectacular armed highway robberies of bullion vans probably targeted public confidence in the ability of the ANC government to ensure security. Ramaphosa must restore faith in government; and ‘’share the Gari’’ from Cape to Cairo.

SALARY REVIEW AND CIVIL SERVICE REFORMS The new salary structure approved by the government is a core component of the reforms, writes Ofem Uket

T

he civil service reforms listed salary increase amongst the eight core modules undergoing implementation. They include training, identified skills to drive high level impact, institutionalized performance management system, launch of a salary review of the civil service, drive innovation, epic culture transformation, accelerating roll out of human resource module of IPPIS and establishing an enterprise content management solution.

The new salary structure approved by the federal government, having been passed into law by the National Assembly, and its implementation being considered by a Presidential committee headed by the Head of Service of the Federation Winifred Oyo-Ita inaugurated last Tuesday, is actually one of the core areas of modules in the reforms implementation strategy plan of government.

The reform had proposed an upward review of wages for civil servants even as the total wage bill for the entire public service is said to have been well over N1. 86 trillion annually as at 2017 with a population of 80, 000 civil servants, according to the Office of the Head of Service.

It is also estimated that the wage increase will gulp about N50 billion. The figures are subject to confirmation from relevant authorities. The implementation as recommended in the reforms will boost workers confidence and enhance its productivity as well as expand its output which can be

described as low and narrow over the years.

Beyond wage increase, there are efforts to right size the workforce. The civil service could offer valuable living packages to higher tenured employees to encourage early retirement, which offers a minimum risk approach to reducing the civil service workforce and its growth plan and sustainability.

However, the commencement of the implementation of the new wage structure may have taken effect from the day President Buhari gave assent to the minimum wage bill, though work is in progress by the committee to ensure and look at sustainable ways of payment and fast-track processes leading to the full implementation of the structure.

Progressively, a substantive part of the eight core modules identified for implementation have been successfully implemented including the N30, 000 new minimum wage approved for local, states and federal civil servants to strengthen and upgrade the standard of living of civil servants in the country.

Government disposition to address the living conditions of civil servants was part of government strategy to curb regular cases of depression of workers that most times leads to suicides. The Head of Civil Service was quoted to have posited that Guidance and Counselling centers are established in all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to constantly review cases of depression amongst civil servants.

The Presidential committee is to negotiate the consequential adjustment in salaries arising from the new national minimum wage, which by the provisions of the laws should fall within the affordability of government, based on revenue earnings at the time of implementation in both oil and non-oil revenue sources.

In the committee terms of reference, it has four weeks within which its report is submitted and consideration commences to fast-track the process of implementation. The time frame may have caused slight adjustment in the expectations of civil servants to access the new wage fund to address corresponding needs.

Among members of the committee are the ministers of finance, labour and employment, health, budget and national planning and the minister for education among others, with Secretary to the Government of the Federation as alternate chairman. This implies that government has taken responsibility to end the debate and the dispute as to whether the wage bill will be implemented or not.

When the strategic reforms were set out in 2017, specific ability to perform and high level of patriotism were major criteria for selecting members of sub-committees, though membership by the permanent secretaries was to be automatic. But proper scrutiny was made to ensure that the focus of the reforms was not compromised.

Accordingly, all issues relating to improving the overall welfare of civil servants were encapsulated, just as private sector participa-

tion in government was equally captured to drive expertise in some major areas of development in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to fast-track the implementation of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS).

Consequently, for detractors who did not recognize the importance of the ongoing civil service reforms, the new minimum wage is a component of the modules set out to be combated and at the end it has become a success story of the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, as workers are eagerly waiting to receive alerts.

But it is not yet over as the reforms are still ongoing and entering high point of development stage, where talents and private sector participation as fundamental objective of government are taken up to jointly review challenges in core sectors of the economy among the eight prioritize areas of interest.

The inauguration of the second term in office of President Muhammadu Buhari will further strengthen the federal government resolve to see to the speedy completion of the process leading to the complete overhaul of the entire civil service to enhance growth, development and sustainability in Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The government is not oblivious of the fact that good governance and development can hardly be achieved in a corrupt civil service. Therefore, its resolve to phase out the old scheme is irrevocable if the needed economic strategies must be achieved.

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T H I S D AY THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2019

EDITORIAL Sanitising Council Administration There is need for a constitutional review to redefine the role and structure of local government

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n a bid to sanitise the recklessness and impunity at the third tier of government, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) recently announced new guidelines for the operation of the joint account system. By the new rules, the joint account system only exists for the receipt of allocations from the federation account but not for disbursement.

Last week, Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) took up arms against the NFIU on the new directive. In a letter signed by its chairman and Governor of Zamfara State, Abdullaziz Yari, the NGF accused the NFIU of acting in excess of its powers and “stoking mischief and also deliberately seeking to cause disaffection, chaos and overheat the polity.”

However, in a follow up statement, the NFIU insisted that the new regime on cash disbursement would take effect from June 1, despite the hint on the unconstitutionality of the exercise by the governors. In addition, it said any payment above N500,000 by the councils should be THE BEST THAT THE NFIU done via cheques and DIRECTIVE CAN ACHIEVE electronic transfer for IS PERHAPS REDUCE easy monitoring and THE VOLUME OF CASH transparency. “The unit also maintains TRANSACTIONS AND IN ENSURING THAT COUNCIL its understanding of the 1999 ALLOCATIONS HIT constitution,” said COUNCIL ACCOUNTS the spokesman of NFIU, Ahmed Dikko, “that no debit is allowed on any local government funds unless and until the funds are credited to and reach the bank accounts of a local government in any state of the federation.”

The 1999 constitution (as amended) provides for a three-tier government, namely federal, state and local governments. In fact, the constitution clearly defines the federating units of Nigeria and the local government areas in section 3(1) stating that there shall be 36 states in the country, and in section 3(6), the number of local government areas in the second column of Part 1 of the First Schedule of the constitution. But while

Letters to the Editor

there may be no ambiguity concerning the existence of the local government system of administration, governors in virtually all the 36 states have since 1999 rendered that tier of government practically ineffectual. The councils are at their beck and call as they are run by appointed caretaker committees. The joint accounts are held by both the states and councils but solely administered by the states. In most cases, the governors are only willing to release funds for recurrent and administrative expenditure with only a little cash to spare for their chosen caretaker administrators.

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

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

hus while the constitution outlined the functions, duties and responsibilities of the local councils, the same constitution is silent regarding any protective mechanism that guarantees financial and political autonomy. Most of the crucial decisions are left at the whims of the state governors, perhaps because they are also held to account by their people for responsibilities that ordinarily should be that of local governments.

Indeed, President Muhammadu Buhari, while receiving officials of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) sometime ago asked for a constitutional amendment that would free local governments from the stranglehold of state governments. “The relationship between the three tiers of government is not a very nice one, especially that between the local governments and the states. The states feel like they own the local governments if they are of the same party. It is worse if they are not. This is a very serious constitutional problem,” said Buhari.

Even so, it is neither practical nor expedient to expect that there is an easy way out. The best that the NFIU directive can achieve is perhaps reduce the volume of cash transactions and in ensuring that council allocations hit council accounts. But it will only take some further paper works to revert to the old ways and subvert the system. The best way to resolve the crisis is through a constitutional review that will redefine the role and structure of the local government.

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.

FCTA’S CLAMP DOWN ON NIGHTCLUBS, SEX WORKERS

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he Federal Capital Territory Administration ( FCTA) recently displayed its determination to rid the nation’s capital of destitution and other environmental nuisance that have been posing serious threats to the territory’s master plan with the massive clampdown on the popular Caramelo night club in Utako District of the territory where strippers and other sex workers were arrested.

This clampdown was followed by raids of different clubs within the metropolis where more than 60 women were arrested for allegedly hanging around night clubs.

Some of the arrests took place in various highbrow parts of the FCT like the Aminu Kano Crescent, Gwarinpa and Katampe Extension. It was carried out by the FCTA joint task team which comprised of the Departments of Development Control, Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) and the Social Development Secretariat (SDS), accompanied by the Nigerian Police.

In the case of the Caramelo night club, the raid was said to have been in response to security reports and complaints from the residents of the area. As a result of the unwholesome activities going on in the area due to the operation of the night club, the FCTA was inundated with several complaints by residents within the area, following which the FCTA deployed its officers to carry out surveillance in order to validate the complaints.

The outcome of the surveillance revealed that the complaints were genuine and real and the substance of

these complaints include noise nuisance from loud party music, nude/strip dancing club activities and intractable traffic challenge.

It was also revealed that the plot on which the Caramelo night club was situated, was originally meant for the development of a health clinic and approval was granted in line with this plan. Consequently, officials were said to have repeatedly engaged the management of the club to stop their operation, which regrettably yielded no fruit, and culminated in the demolition of the building.

Following the clampdown and demolition, however, debate has been raging over the propriety or otherwise of these actions. Some activists are claiming that the arrest violated the rights of those affected and that the building should not have been demolished. The owners of the nightclub have also alleged that the raid on the facility was more of a vendetta than for public good. It was also alleged that the owner of the club had issues with some big men in the FCTA. But the FCT as a planned city has rules and regulations governing all the activities in the city and the club could not have been raided or demolished if it did not violate the laid down regulations for land use in the FCT. Again, those criticizing the raid must not also forget that these clubs are located in residential areas and the FCT cannot afford to have prostitutes who dress provocatively loitering around residential areas in the full glare of children.

Again, when people are dressed like that, they attract men of the underworld which makes such areas to become prone to attacks.

Another reason that led to the raid of these areas is the issue of illegal consumption and intake of hard drugs.

Whoever has been to some of these areas would have noticed how these ladies smoke Indian hemp indiscriminately and abuse alcohol with reckless abandon. While at it, they attract people of the opposite sex, making them vulnerable to trafficking, exploitation and violence.

This is not to say that all night clubs littering all over the entire city landscape and carrying out their activities are being bothered. The few of them that were raided do not have the legal papers and permits to operate as night clubs. You do not expect the FCTA as a governing authority to look the other way and watch as the Abuja master plan is being distorted.

The other issue that has however generated much public odium is the alleged abuse of the stripers and prostitutes that were arrested. If these officials actually molested these girls as was alleged, then it must be condemned by all well- meaning Nigerians. That somebody is compromising the law does not give any law enforcement agent to abuse them and this is why the investigation commenced by the FCTA and the police is a welcome development. Anybody found guilty of actually abusing these ladies must be made to face the full wrath of law to serve as deterrence.

Danladi Akilu, Durumi II, Gudu District, Abuja

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY MAY 23, 2019

T H I S D AY • THURSDAY MAY 23, 2019

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY MAY 23, 2019

POLITICS

Group Politics Editor NSEOBONG OKON-EKONG Email nseobong.okonekong@thisdaylive.com (08114495324 SMS ONLY)

‘APGA is Referred to as Ndigbo Party for Good Reasons’ Amby Uneze writes dialogues with the former National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Chief Edozie Njoku on thorny issues as the party prepares for its National Convention on May 31

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You may have little power today, but you may not have it forever. There is nothing as good as collective decision. Obiano has never done that and he is coming again to have a NEC meeting within the Government House, and surround it with security so that some leaders cannot come, and you tell us that the NEC had been dissolved. The tenure of the National Working Committee ends with the BoT members and that is on June 6. On that day, the tenure of Oye ends as well as the chairman and members of the Board of Trustees. Between now and June 6 when the convention is done, you want to appoint a new Board of Trustees, because you see that there are more rational people in the Board of Trustees that have a voice of their own. It is a disgrace to handpick some cronies and give them tags as members of NEC. Things are not done that way.

ay we know how you found yourself in politics?

I am one of the founding members the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) which we transited from Igboezue Cultural Organization. First of all, I was the Protem Co-ordinator in Abuja. When the party was registered, I became the Protem first Vice National Chairman and from there harmonization was done. Later on, I became the first Assistant National Secretary of the party and resigned to run for the House of Representatives for Onitsha North and South Federal Constituency of Anambra State in 2003.

I was the candidate of APGA with Mr. Peter Obi as governorship candidate of the party. In 2005, I ran for National Chairman against Chief Victor Umeh and after that I went back to my business in 2007. Again in 2015, when Victor Umeh said he was leaving, I indicated interest to run for National Chairman of the party because I thought I was coming to reposition the party, but forces chose Victor Oye even though he wasn’t a member of the party as at the time.

It was so unfortunate that the BoT Chairman and Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano instructed them to print only one form for each position and he single handedly picked Oye as National Chairman.

How is preparation for the forthcoming National Convention of the party coming up?

The same scenario that played out in 2015 is what is also playing out now. It is unfortunate that at the said recent NEC meeting, they also concluded that they are going to retain the status quo. That was exactly what they did it in 2015 when they zoned, Chairman of BoT to Anambra, the leader of the party to Anambra, zoned the National Chairman to Anambra, the National Organizing Secretary as well as the National Publicity Secretary. That same order remains for this forthcoming National Convention. Anyone who understands politics will know that if you are zoning all these mentioned positions to one area, what it automatically means is that you have some ulterior motive.

The motive is that where ever you want to bend, the structures of the party are bending with you. It is not fair.

APGA was conceived as a political party that touches the five states of the South-east. If as a father of five children, you decide to give all your belongings to one of your children, it means you hate the other four children.

Governor Obiano should know that APGA does not belong to Anambra people alone. It is a party that touches the whole of the five states of the South-east and beyond. These are the things Igbo people have to look at.

We have Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress (APC), but you must look at it that APGA is referred to as the party of Ndigbo. What that means is that whenever decision is made in APGA it should be looked at as a collective decision that was made by Ndigbo. I don’t see any harm in Obiano asking Ndigbo to support Buhari in the 2019 presidential election, but if Ndigbo are supporting Buhari or Atiku, it must be something that was discussed and agreed upon.

It is not enough for Obiano and Oye to agree that APGA should support Buhari. It ought to have been what Ndigbo agreed on. You don’t get up and make arbitary decisions. I believe that is the motive behind what is going on now in APGA. Obiano would be out of power in the next two years or so, and they want to hold on to the party to do whatever negotiation they want. That would be very unfair to us as the members of the party. That is not the way political parties are run.

In the 2919 national elections, APGA ran into a hitch, especially in Imo and

Njoku Abia states where frontline politicians believed membership of APGA was like hitting a goldmine and they were deceived along the line. What do you think was the cause?

The cause of the disappointments to people is what we have been talking about. This is the first time people from the South east decided to go against APGA fully. In 2003, you would have noticed that Ebonyi and Imo states didn’t have solid governorship candidates as we had with Ugochukwu Agballa in Enugu state and Peter Obi in Anambra state. Those other three states were a bit lukewarm with virtually no candidate, but APGA did well in those states.

APGA was a political party that people looked to look credibility.

There were no godfathers then as we witnessed in Imo and Abia states during the

What that means is that whenever decision is made in APGA it should be looked at as a collective decision that was made by Ndigbo. I don’t see any harm in Obiano asking Ndigbo to support Buhari in the 2019 presidential election, but if Ndigbo are supporting Buhari or Atiku, it must be something that was discussed and agreed upon

last election in APGA. I come from the same area with Emeka Ihedioha and I believe that if APGA had done well, it would have claimed Imo state. You go to Abia state you had two good candidates; Udensi and Alex Oti, if they were decisive, APGA would have won in that state. If you go to Ebonyi, the state had been a natural follower of the Igbo cause but it has not woken up because of the things that have been happening all these years in APGA. As Igbo people, we showed it in the last election that one cannot drive us to where he or she wants. You must have noticed that people voted against the directive of Obiano and Oye because they felt that we are nobody and that they can lead us to anywhere they want. Those people that negotiated with Obiano and Oye should also understand that they made a big mistake.

APC said that they spent so much money in the South-east but did not get anything in return. The era of picking on one governor and then reaching a conclusion that you are on the right track is gone. The reason APGA in Imo and Abia states failed in the last election was the way they lord themselves over the people without allowing the wishes of the people to prevail.

During the last election, the governor of Anambra stated that the Igbos would vote for Buhari, was it a collective decision of the party or personal one?

The leader of the party making a declaration that, in his own political calculation, we should vote for anybody was not wrong. But you must carry your followers along. That is what democracy entails. It must be the voice of the people. I believe that Obiano is not a politician.

It goes back to the issue of godfatherism in politics, where somebody foists a candidate on the people. Obiano was foisted on APGA. Peter Obi woke up and decided that all those that were playing politics in APGA had no voice. He went to his bank and brought Obiano to become the governor.

Now Obiano has everybody by force and he thinks that is the way to play politics. It doesn’t work like that. You can hold us for a while, you cannot hold us forever. You should look at what happened to some leaders. Look at different governors. At the end of the day, they are answerable to what they did in office.

One would have thought that the power play that ensued during the 2019 elections and robbed APGA of many positions would have taught them a lesson?

Agood leader is a good listener. Those people are not leaders. By the fact that Peter Obi foisted power on somebody does not make him a leader. Very soon he will be fighting with the people in Aguleri who want the position he wants. He wants to go to the Senate. Those people are also the power block behind Oye. They are the same people who will displace him. For things to move forward, it must be a collective interest. It cannot be an individual interest. Obiano should learn that politics is not done by fiat. We are not in a military administration. People all over say that APGA is being run like a police state. How many of all those parading themselves now as lords knew when APGAwas registered? Just because you are fortunate enough to be in a position of leadership, you want to shout people down as if they are nobody.

What is the way forward for APGA in the midst of this crisis?

When we look at the South-east, there is nothing wrong with any zone trying to see whether they can get more from Nigeria. The South-east has tried to carry APGA along as their party where they can come together to better the lot of the people. But leaders of the party, at the moment – Obiano and Oye, see it as a way to achieve their own personal agenda.

It is not meant to be like that. You can’t use the party that people in Ebonyi, Imo, Abia and Enugu states consider their own.

If we think it is our own then we have to drive a collective agenda and not a personal interest. When we decided to run, we felt we had meaningful things to offer. You don’t have to have a single list and print only one form for positions and zoning the entire offices to one area. It must reflect the character of Nigeria. It is a party that was formed from the South-east, but it has a federal character. We must carry every section of the country along. All the states should be well represented with positions that give them the power to express themselves.

But APGA is not doing that. Obiano does not believe in it. Those of us who are contesting the election have gone back to the drawing board to see what to about it. A lot of meetings are going on at the moment with many Igbo groups asking questions whether we are going to allow two persons rock the boat of APGA. Those people should be very careful and know that they are dealing with a race. The problem we had before APGA was registered is still there. Creating a new political interest to replace APGA has to be a collective agreement and that might come up very soon. APGA has not achieved the purpose for which it was formed.

Those behind it are the ones killing the party.

Oye should account his stewardship, while Obiano should do the right thing to put the party back on track.

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY MAY 23, 2019

POLITICS

‘Why We Support Gbajabiamila’ Omotayo Olaleye holds a dialogue with the Chairman First Timer Forum, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, representing Akoko North East/ North West Constituency, Ondo State on the insistence of his group to support Femi Gbajabiamila to emerge the next Speaker House of Representatives

W

ith the notable zeal radiating from first time members of the House of Representatives , what should we expect from the 9th Assembly, particularly the prevalent insecurity in the nation?

The security situation concerns everybody. No doubt, security is the most important part of our daily need. Our aspirations can only be achieved in a secure environment.

Security challenge is not peculiar to Nigeria and government is doing its best to resolve the issue. Considering where Nigeria is coming from, there has been a lot of improvement.

We know what has happened in the South-south, where the country was faced with militancy, Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east and the farmers/herders clashes. We are gradually coming up as a nation. The future is key. A better tomorrow seems to be the ideology of the present administration. It is my hope, however, that the 9th Assembly will work more closely with the executive arm to ensure that the security challenges facing the country are brought under control.

What kind of support are you looking at?

I always say that we need to consider what unites us as arms of government, which is the interdependency of the various arms of government. The legislative and executive organs must come together and set up a joint team that will look into challenges and come up with a workable solution to bring an end to the issues. Let us not forget that the approval of budget is in the hands of legislators. More can be achieved with good synergy.

Do yo u think government is fighting corruption the right way?

We have to understand government can’t be 100 percent exact.

There is always room for improvement. I think corruption is being fought with an unimaginable zeal.

We all know President Muhammadu Buhari as a man of integrity, who is not ready to dip his hands into the public purse. The TSA and BVN reflect government strategies at work in tackling corruption. We are growing, even after many years of military rule. We are on the right path to recovery and progress.

There are also other suggestions as to embracing technologies for a preventive anti-corruption fight alongside corrective approach. If we can prevent crime from occurring, we should, so that we don’t continue to be seen as being reactive at every point.

What measures would you, as a newly elected member of the House, suggest to ensure that elections are free and fair?

The politicians, the populace and the electoral bodies, including INEC officials and security agencies, are the critical actors in every administration. As politicians, we must be ready to play the game by the rule. The populace must be ready to vote their conscience, based on integrity and track record while the electoral bodies must ensure that the will of the people prevail.

We need to start preparations early. INEC has done well but there is room for improvement. They need to work more closely with

Tunji-Ojo

the National Orientation Agency to educate the Nigerian populace on the dangers of vote buying, an anomaly that is gradually finding its way into our voting system.

As a legislator, I will suggest we encourage technology to make voting easier and more transparent.

If we involve technology more in whatever, right from electronic voting, so that people can be able to vote at their convenience, we will ensure transparency and accountability in the system. America

We want somebody who is known to be a pathfinder, who has authority and has made a carrier out of the legislative process.

That person is none other than Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, leader of the House of Representatives.

He is somebody that we know can be the bridge between the executive, legislature and even the judiciary

has about 350 million people and in Nigeria we are over 200 million.

We can use card reader to accredit and authenticate.

Is Nigeria truly ripe for digital voting given the glitches often experienced with the card readers?

All these have to do with planning. The law gives INEC the power to do so. The responsibility falls on the legislature to give INEC all the support they need. A bill was actually passed the last time in National Assembly in line with this and was sent to the President but the time was too short for us to make those changes. If the President had signed, it would have been a law. We must start planning for the 2023 election now. The bill has to be sent to the President now for him to be able to assent it and INEC has three years from now to put its house in order.

I trust the leadership of INEC and I know they will get it done.

Do you think the next election will feature a higher technology?

I pray so. It is better and more convenient for people. It reduces corruption and solves logistics problem. We can always tap from the benefit of ICT. What change do you intend to bring to the people of your constituency?

Effective and qualitative representation are the key. I told them during my campaign, I will give them a voice and be the bridge between them and the federal government. I will do the best in ensuring effective representation.

As the Chairman, First Time House of Representative Members Forum, who do you envisage

as next Speaker of the House?

It is not just who I think but who the majority of the house members want. We want a man who is a bridge builder and a nationalist to the core.

Someone who has antecedent, a track record and a pedigree of delivering excellent performance in the House and who we know is selfless and has over the years been the voice of the voiceless. We want a man who rejected a national honour because of the Nigerian populace. We want somebody who has sacrificed more for the sanity and the development of the House than anybody in modern times. We want somebody who is known to be a pathfinder, who has authority and has made a carrier out of the legislative process. That person is none other than Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, leader of the House of Representatives. He is somebody that we know can be the bridge between the executive, legislature and even the judiciary. He is going to rebrand and change the impression of Nigerians about the government.

Take it or leave it Nigerians have a misconception about what the National Assembly stands for. We need a leader with integrity, a leader that will be able to stand above all.

And we think Hon Gbajabiamila is the one. Nigeria needs him at this point in time. This is time for recovery, as we just came out of recession. We need somebody who will be able to handle the House.

We need somebody who will be able to partner with the executive arm of government and ensure that Nigeria does not go into recession.

Gbajabiamila can ensure that key policies of government are treated accurately without any political imputation. He will see Nigeria first and Nigeria always. I personally choose Gbajabiamila for the sake of the future generation.

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FEATURES Keeping up the with Lagos-Ibadan

Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi

Email chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, Tel: 08152252325

Chiemelie Ezeobi who had her first train ride as part of the entourage of the minister of transportation, during an on-the-spot assessment of the nearly completed 156 kilometer Lagos-Ibadan Standard Guage Railway Project, reports that upon completion, it would offer a viable alternative to the already over burdened roads

H

aving flown countless times, sailed with the Nigerian Navy to several countries on different operations and exercise, and of course used the road a million times over, it was certainly a shocker never to have boarded a train.

For one who has spent over three decades on earth, and almost a decade in journalism, it was with giddy delight that the last minute invite to join the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi on a tour of the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Guage Railway Project was received.

On the said day, the entourage took off from Eko Hotel in Lagos and after a brief stop at Iju at 7.44am, the team drive down to Abeokuta to inspect the ongoing construction at the rail, a journey of less than two hours.

After a physical on-the-spot assessment of the ongoing construction at the rail, the minister led his entourage onboard the train. As I boarded, I grinned from cheek to cheek with total disregard for the knowing looks from those who were jaded probably having been on plenty train rides with the minister.

As the train rolled out of the yet to be completed station in Abeokuta on its way to Kila in Ibadan, it was gathered that the project was a 158 kilometer rail that stretches from Lagos to Ibadan. Broken down into two segments which are- extension of the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Rail line from Ebute- Meta to Apapa Seaports and from Ebute-Meta to Ibadan, the contract sum for the extension was pegged at about 90 million dollars.

Candid Talk with the Minister Onboard, the minister was readily accessible, which explained the deluge of visitors he had in his space. It was also the general consensus on board that the rails even provide a viable alternative to road transportation is a testimony of the doggedness of the minister, whose key derivatives for the rail system has been to connect one city to another. According to those in the know, Amaechi has exhibited passion in supervising the rail system so much so he is known to undertake rail inspection trips sometimes twice a month. This is perhaps not in itself is not surprising given the trust President Muhammadu Buhari has bestowed on him to see that rail development is taken to a higher level.

Stressing that the Lagos-Ibadan Rail was 100 per cent ahead of schedule, the minister said they were getting to the end of the track, which is kilometer 158, adding that what remains is 34 to 35kilometres, which they can cover soonest.

In an interview with the minister whilst the train was heading to Ibadan, he said with nolstagia that when they started, the whole area was just bushes and vegetation as the road was not cleared then. At the first visit to the site, he said they created roads with their cars, which is a far cry from now that they are at the end of the project.

Reminiscing he said, “There used to be green grasses here, trees, waters and creeks. In constructing the rails, the creek were turned into dry land and some areas where you have valleys we have put bridges. Any area that there was no need to put bridges because it was a normal road, we had to create bridges. Areas we could have just moved straight on, we created valleys just to ensure Nigerians are able to move from Lagos to Ibadan.�

On the state of the rail he said CCECC has confirmed that by the end of May they will complete track activities on this Lagos to Ibadan project, a move he said put the contract ahead of schedule. Responding to the state of work at the Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri rail project, the minister said: "The track has gone to Warri and they are using it now, but they have not finish the station and I expect that by the end of the year they can finish it, infact before July.�

On the issue of inadequate coaches Amaechi said they have placed an order to that effect, adding that to construct the Lagos-Ibadan Rail

The ongoing construction at the Abeokuta end of the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Guage Rail Project

Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi at the site asking pertinent questions as one of his aides Mr. Aso Wenah (left) pays rapt attention

The interior of the executive coaches

project, a contract of 500million dollars has been awarded for that.

Addressing the overflow they experience on the Abuja rail he said: “The issue is because the number outstrips the supply and this is because of the pressure on the Abuja-Kaduna Road. The rail is supposed to carry 300 passengers per day and we have been carrying them until the pressure from the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway made it unbearable.

That pressure has overwhelmed the eight coaches that we have and we are bringing two from the Itakpe-Warri rail to make it 10 coaches. “The extra two coaches will carry 164 passengers, which will still not solve the problem because we carry about 2000 passengers a day instead of 300.

The implication is that we have to provide for another 1500 because even if we bring the two coaches it won’t be enough. We are going to order for more coaches.The problem with that is that if we order more coaches and the after, the pressure on the road disappears, the coaches will be empty.�

On whether he has delivered on his mandate Amaechi said, "How can I score myself? Have you ever seen where a teacher scores themselves or student, score themselves? I really don't know.

But, all I know is that, the president, you and Nigerians are available and who can score any minister. I don't know whether we kept to the directive of Mr. President, only the president can say ‘you have kept to my directive’, or Nigerians can say, ‘you have done well or done badly’.�

NRC Board’s Oversight Function Also in an interview with THISDAY, the Chairman of the newly inaugurated Board of Directors of the NRC, Engr. Ibrahim Alhassan, he commended the quality of the work done.

He said: “This project is a very important one for Nigeria and I know right from time, the current president had this project in mind when he was the chairman of PTF. Some locomotives and other things were acquired, but along the line, government changed, priority also changed even the PTF was scrapped and some of these

thing suffered a setback but now we retaking the previous steps. Some efforts were made from Abuja which this regime has now completed.

We have the metroline in Abuja, from the city to the airport. “This Lagos to Ibadan line is important because of the overloading on the roads. You know every road have the quantity of load to go on it. If you go beyond that, it results to failure. Go to the Kaduna, Abuja, Lokoja roads, from Lokoja to Ibadan road, there are many failed portions of the road because heavy containers have damaged those roads. In the past we use to have weigh bridges but now they are no longer available. So by extending the rails to the port, we will be able to deliver all the containers to their destinations and that will help a lot.�

Performance Assessment So confident was the NRC Managing Director, Fidet Okhiria, of the level of work that they did, that he scored the project 100 per cent. According

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FEATURES

Standard Guage Railway Project dictates in championing the cause of these great feats we have achieved. From the tracks laying works, production of beams for rail bridges, earthwork solidification and other segments of the railway engineering were excellently monitored by the minister in conformity with the contract agreement which makes me believe that he may not be far from being a hidden railway technocrat. He has really showcased his visionary traits, as he fully demonstrated honesty and total commitment to the development aspirations of President Muhammadu Buhari.�

On his part, Mr. Akinwoye Abdulraouf, Public Relations (PR) consultant, to CCECC, said, Amaechi demonstrated quality leadership by ensuring that the right things were done properly.

"Amaechi has performed wonderfully well.

He is a great man , the history of Standard Gauge in Nigeria will not be complete without the mention of his name. He is a quintessential leader, visionary and wonderful minister. He never gets tired of working and he puts his job first. Amaechi was always at the forefront during the track laying processes. Then, we had issues with host communities and Amaechi was at the forefront to handle issues. He is an uncommon personality, he has proved his mettle,� he enthused.

Also, Mr. Saad Loufti, Technical Design Manager, Techniques Engineering and Architectural Marketing (TEAM), who described Amaechi as a courageous leader with so much vigour, said, "You are always ready for the job and you are full of strength .Our prayer is for you. We commend your courage and proactiveness, you have done wonderfully well". Amaechi, responding to the accolades thanked the contractors, the media and all stakeholders who were part of the team that worked tirelessly with him in achieving success in the rail sector.

Amaechi said, "We had an objective to achieve completion of the construction of the Rail from Ibadan to Lagos State before the past election, so we can use the two coaches and locomotives we had to convey passengers from Iju in Lagos State to Abeokuta, and we have achieved that.

We have started pressurising the contractors to get to Ibadan, and I hope It will be possible to ride on the train from Iju to Ibadan on May 28. I thank the press and all of you who participated in the process and wish you luck.�

Some of the coaches

Hon. Amaechi anked by his team during an on-the-spot assessment of the rail project

The Chairman of the newly inaugurated Board of Directors of the NRC, Engr. Ibrahim Alhassan, anked by others

to him, “It’s not good to score yourself but I will score myself 100 per cent because the contract was for three years and we just in the second year and now we are talking about taking it to the end.The government showed commitment and they come for inspection all the time to ensure the contractors and the workers meet up with the proposed level at the time. Last month we got to kilometer 95, this month we are going to kilometer 123 and when we started, people were doubting it possibility, by May 27 or 28, we would have completed to kilometer 158 and we will be getting to Ibadan straight from Lagos because Iju to Ebute Metta and Apapa, we are almost concluding and have started doing the engineering work there. “We are looking at the new stock to arrive so that Nigerians can benefit from what the government has planned and we will be able to move free from the seaport to Ibadan. We

have about eight or 10 train stations that are supposed to be on this track. We have seen two already, Lagos has gone far but we didn’t go to Agege, we didn’t go to Agbado but those has also gone far. But we have been to Abeokuta where we just started because it took us time to acquire the light of way and enough room for the station, but that does not stop the train from operation.�

Commendations After the first day of inspection, the minister continued his assessment but this time around it was a steering committee meeting of the Lagos-Ibadan Railway project in Papalanto, Ogun State.

According to the minister’s media aide, Gift Okpara, at the meeting, it was an avalanche of commendations from the contractors and stakeholders. Mr. Xia Lijan, who is the

Project Manager, Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) said Amaechi has without doubts, demonstrated leadership skills in championing the construction of the rail projects, adding that from the track laying works to the production of beams in the Lagos-Ibadan project, the minister conformed with the contract agreement and demonstrated honesty in totality.

He said," We wish to recall the great day of March 7, 2017 when the Vice President of Nigeria, Prof.Yemi Osinbanjo performed the ground-breaking ceremony of the 156 kilometres Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Railway project , that marked the commencement of regular monitoring, supervision and coordination by our amiable Minister, Chibuike Amaechi.

"Appreciating CCECC's Railway engineering excellence and technological know-how, the minister without doubts, demonstrated his wonderful leadership skills and workaholic

Plans for Apapa Seaport However, in an earlier interview with the press, shortly after inspecting the Ebute-Meta to the Apapa end of the Lagos-Ibadan Railway project, Amaechi explained that , until the Federal Government extends construction of the Standard Gauge Rail from Ebute -Meta to the Apapa Seaport , only 300,000 cargoes would be conveyed yearly in the Narrow Gauge which is currently operational.

He said that when construction of the Standard Gauge is extended to the seaport, It would convey about 40 million tones of cargoes yearly.

"We are yet to extend construction of the Standard Gauge to the Apapa Seaport. The Narrow Gauge is not functioning at its capacity and until those two things happen we cannot move enough cargoes.

Currently, we are moving between two to three hundred thousand tones of cargoes in a year and we have about 40 million tones of cargoes. So, If you have about 40 million tones of cargoes you need to make sure that the tracks function properly before cargoes can be transported,� he added. According to Amaechi, to extend the rail line, two bridges would be demolished at Costain and Jibowu axis of Lagos State. " There are two bridges we are going to demolish in Lagos; one is at Costain and the other one is at Jibowu but we have to finish construction before we demolish because Lagos is such a heavy economy that if you demolish without first of all constructing the alternative bridges, you will cause serious crisis with the traffic. So, we will first finish construction before we demolish the Jibowu bridge. They have commenced with Costain; when they finish with construction and get the traffic relieved, then we'll demolish the old bridge,� he added. As the ride ended at about 3:27pm, it was certain that if the railway is completed as scheduled, it would provide a viable alternative to the already overburdened road network, especially in Lagos where perennial traffic snarls are the order of the day.

22

T H I S D AY • THURSDAY MAY 23, 2019

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Quick Takes APTN Celebrates World Telecoms Day

Ă’Ă? Ă?Ă?Ă™Ă?Ă“Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă™Ă? Ă?Ă–Ă?Ă?Ù××Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă˜Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ—Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă?Ă?Ă’Ă˜Ă™Ă–Ă™Ă‘ĂŁ ĂœĂ™Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă“Ă™Ă˜Ă‹Ă–Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂœĂ‹Ă?ĂžĂ“ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă“Ă˜ Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹ Ě™ ĚšËœ Ă–Ă‹Ă?Ăž ĂĄĂ?Ă?Ă• Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;Ă”Ă‹Ëœ Ă”Ă™Ă“Ă˜Ă?ĂŽ ÞÒĂ?Ă“Ăœ ĂšĂœĂ™Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă“Ă™Ă˜Ă‹Ă– Ă?ÙÖÖĂ?Ă‹Ă‘Ă&#x;Ă?Ă? Ă‹Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă?Ă? ÞÒĂ? ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂ–ĂŽ ÞÙ Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă?ĂŒĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ? ÞÒĂ? Ă™ĂœĂ–ĂŽ Ă?Ă–Ă?Ă?Ù××Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă˜Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ—Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă™Ă?Ă“Ă?Þã Ă‹ĂŁ Ě™ ĚšËœ ĂĄĂ’Ă?ĂœĂ? ÞÒĂ?ĂŁ Ă’Ă“Ă‘Ă’Ă–Ă“Ă‘Ă’ĂžĂ?ĂŽ ÞÒĂ? Ă“Ă—ĂšĂ™ĂœĂžĂ‹Ă˜Ă?Ă? Ă™Ă? Ă?Ù××Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ÒÙå Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ—Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ ĂžĂ?Ă?Ă’Ă˜Ă™Ă–Ă™Ă‘ĂŁ ĂžĂœĂ‹Ă Ă?Ă–Ă? Ă‹Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă?Ă? ÞÒĂ? ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂ–ĂŽË›

Ăž Ă‹Ă–Ă?Ă™ Ă‹Ă“Ă—Ă?ĂŽ Ă‹Ăž Ă“Ă˜Ă?ĂœĂ?Ă‹Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÒĂ? Ă‹ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂ?Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă™Ă? ÒÙå Ă?ĂœĂ&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă‹Ă– Ă?Ù××Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă“Ă? Ă“Ă˜ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă–Ă“Ă Ă?Ă?Ëœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?ÞÓ×Ă&#x;Ă–Ă‹ĂžĂ? ÞÒĂ? ĂŽĂ?Ă Ă?ÖÙÚ×Ă?Ă˜Ăž Ă™Ă? ĂžĂ?Ă?Ă’Ă˜Ă™Ă–Ă™Ă‘Ă“Ă?Ă? Ă“Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂ–ĂŽ ÞÙÎËã˛ Ă Ă?ĂœĂŁ ĂŁĂ?Ă‹ĂœËœ Ă™Ă˜ ÍŻÍľ Ă‹ĂŁËœ ÞÒĂ? Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ˜Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă‹Ă– Ă?Ă–Ă?Ă?Ù××Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ă˜Ă“Ă™Ă˜ Ě™ Ěš Ă—Ă?Ă—ĂŒĂ?ĂœĂ?Ă’Ă“Ăš Ă‹ĂœĂ™Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂŽ ÞÒĂ? ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂ–ĂŽËœ Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă?ĂŒĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ?Ă? Ëœ Ă‹ ĂŽĂ‹ĂŁ ÞÙ Ă—Ă‹ĂœĂ• ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂŽĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă™Ă? Ùà Ă?Ăœ ͯͳͰ ĂŁĂ?Ă‹ĂœĂ? ËÑÙ˛ ĂšĂ?Ă‹Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă™Ă˜ ÞÒÓĂ? ĂŁĂ?Ă‹ĂœËŞĂ? ÞÒĂ?Ă—Ă?Ë? ËŤ ĂœĂ“ĂŽĂ‘Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÒĂ? ĂžĂ‹Ă˜ĂŽĂ‹ĂœĂŽĂ“Ă?Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹ĂšËœËŹ ÞÒĂ? Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă‹Ă– ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă“ĂŽĂ?Ă˜Ăž Ă™Ă? Ëœ ĂŽĂ?ĂŽĂ? Ă™Ă’Ă˜ Ă“Ă–Ă–Ă“Ă‹Ă—Ă?Ëœ Ă?Ă‹Ă“ĂŽË? ËŤ ĂĄĂ‹Ă˜Ăž ÞÙ Ă&#x;Ă?Ă? ÞÒÓĂ? Ă™ĂšĂšĂ™ĂœĂžĂ&#x;Ă˜Ă“ĂžĂŁ ÞÙ Ă?Ă‹ĂŁ ÞÒËÞ ÞÒĂ? Ă—Ă‹Ă“Ă˜ ĂšĂ&#x;ĂœĂšĂ™Ă?Ă? Ă™Ă? Ă“Ă? ĂŒĂ?Ă?Ă˜ Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă?ĂŒĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ?ĂŽ ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂ–ĂŽĂĄĂ“ĂŽĂ?Ëœ Ă“Ă? ÞÙ Ă’Ă?Ă–Ăš ĂœĂ‹Ă“Ă?Ă? Ă‹ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂ?Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? ÚÙĂ?Ă?Ă“ĂŒĂ“Ă–Ă“ĂžĂ“Ă?Ă? ÞÒËÞ ÞÒĂ? Ă&#x;Ă?Ă? Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ˜Ă?Ăž Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ÙÞÒĂ?Ăœ Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ—Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ù××Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ ĂžĂ?Ă?Ă’Ă˜Ă™Ă–Ă™Ă‘Ă“Ă?Ă? Ě™ Ă?Ěš ÚÖËÞĂ?Ă™ĂœĂ— Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ ĂŒĂœĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÙ Ă?Ă™Ă?Ă“Ă?ÞÓĂ?Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă™Ă—Ă“Ă?Ă?Ëœ Ă‹Ă? ĂĄĂ?Ă–Ă– Ă‹Ă? Ă™Ă? ĂĄĂ‹ĂŁĂ? ÞÙ ĂŒĂœĂ“ĂŽĂ‘Ă? ÞÒĂ? ÎÓÑÓÞËÖ ĂŽĂ“Ă Ă“ĂŽĂ? Ă“Ă˜ Ă?Ă Ă?ĂœĂŁ Ă˜Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ë› Ă?ĂžĂ‹Ă˜ĂŽĂ‹ĂœĂŽĂ? Ă’Ă?Ă–Ăš Ă‹Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă?ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ?

Ă? Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ă‹Ă–Ă– Ă&#x;Ă?ĂžĂ‹Ă“Ă˜Ă‹ĂŒĂ–Ă? Ă?Ă Ă?ÖÙÚ×Ă?Ă˜Ăž ÙËÖĂ?Ëœ Ă’Ă?Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ëœ ÞÒĂ? Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă“Ă‘Ă’Ăž ĂŒĂœĂ™Ă&#x;Ă‘Ă’Ăž Ă™Ă˜ ĂŒĂŁ Ă‹ĂŽĂ Ă‹Ă˜Ă?Ă?ĂŽ Ă‹Ă˜Ă‹Ă–ĂŁĂ?Ă“Ă? Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ Ă?ĂžĂœĂ™Ă˜Ă‘Ă–ĂŁ Ă?Ù×ÚÖĂ?Ă—Ă?Ă˜Ăž ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă Ă“ĂŽĂ?Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ě‹ĂŒĂ‹Ă?Ă?ĂŽ Ă˜Ă‹ĂžĂ&#x;ĂœĂ? Ă™Ă? ĂŽĂ?Ă?Ă“Ă?Ă“Ă™Ă˜Ě‹Ă—Ă‹Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÒËÞ Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ ĂŒĂ? Ă–Ă?Ă Ă?ĂœĂ‹Ă‘Ă?ĂŽ Ă‹Ăž Ă–Ă™Ă?Ă‹Ă–Ëœ Ă˜Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă‹Ă–Ëœ ĂœĂ?Ă‘Ă“Ă™Ă˜Ă‹Ă– Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă“Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ˜Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă‹Ă– Ă–Ă?Ă Ă?Ă–Ă? ÞÙ ĂŽĂœĂ“Ă Ă? Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă™Ă? Ă?ĂžĂ‹Ă˜ĂŽĂ‹ĂœĂŽĂ“Ă?Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ ĂžĂ™ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽĂ? Ă‹ĂžĂžĂ‹Ă“Ă˜Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÒĂ? Ă˜Ă“ĂžĂ?ĂŽ Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă?ËŞ Ă&#x;Ă?ĂžĂ‹Ă“Ă˜Ă‹ĂŒĂ–Ă? Ă?Ă Ă?ÖÙÚ×Ă?Ă˜Ăž ÙËÖĂ? Ě™ Ă?Ěš Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ͱ͎͹͎

LCCI Hosts Russian-Nigerian Business Forum

MEDIA BRIEFING

R-L: Executive Director, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Dr. Eberechukwu Uneze; Minister of Finance, Hajia Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed and the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd), at a media briefing to mark the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s first term in office that took place in Abuja‌recently

Report: Nigeria, Others Lose $3bn to Counterfeit Products Yearly Emma Okonji Businesses are at risk of being sold counterfeit print supplies than ever before, as global economies lose as much as $3 billion yearly to counterfeit products, according to a recent HP-commissioned study by Harris Interactive.

According to the report, market trends showed an increase in counterfeiting, even as enforcement scores significant wins.

In Nigeria, HP, in collaboration with security agents, has raided several hideouts in Lagos, where counterfeit HP consumables were sold and arrest was effected.

Already costing the global economy $3 billion per year according to the Imaging Supplies Coalition, the growing risk of fake products was driven by

TELECOM an increasingly broad supplier ecosystem, lack of certainty by buyers that their purchases are genuine, and a lack of awareness of the risks of purchasing counterfeit goods.

Analysing the report, the Director Global Anti-Counterfeit Programme at HP, Glenn Jones, said: “Every one of the key market indicators we monitor show a significant increase in the risk of counterfeit print supplies. For companies like HP, counterfeits undermine decades of focused research and testing aimed at creating superior ink and toner, and reliable, high-quality cartridges for our customers. “For users, fakes cause a significant increase in print

failures, low page yield, poor print quality, leaks and clogs, in addition to voiding hardware warranties.�

According to Harris Interactive surveys, the past four years have shown a 30 per cent plus drop in companies working with a trusted, primary supplier, and a 27 per cent increase in companies buying purely on availability.

With a broader, less trusted supplier network, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are losing the ability to discern the authenticity of their cartridges with absolute confidence. All regions heavily affected by counterfeiting, in particular the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Africa, with almost three quarters of businesses surveyed feeling confident their purchases were genuine.

While the market trends are concerning, HP and other Print Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are continuing their significant efforts to battle this issue by actively engaging with local authorities.

According to HP, across Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), over the last five years, approximately 12 million counterfeits and components have been seized by local authorities, supported

by HP. “HP has conducted over 4,500 inspections of reseller stock and suspicious deliveries for customers. Through HP’s Anti Counterfeiting and Fraud (ACF) Programme, the company also actively educates its customers Continued on page 24

FG Moves to Enforce Digital Regulation Raheem Akingbolu in Accra Social media influencers and other purveyors of unregulated advertising contents in Nigeria may soon begin to face sanctions as federal government is set to put up a regulatory framework to regulate the emerging digital industry.

Speaking on Tuesday in Ghana, at the third Africa Leadership Conference, organised by the International Advertising Association (IAA), Acting Registrar, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Mrs. Ijedi Philomena Iyoha, admitted that digital revolution has become a huge bottleneck for advertising regulation, adding that gov-

ADVERTISING ernment, through APCON and other stakeholders have started making move to put a framework in place to address the abnormal situation.

Iyoha, who took part in a panel discussion on the theme: “Brand Blocking: Regulations and Threats to Consumer Choices and Goods,� stated that there was nothing like digital when the Nigerian advertising code was put together, hence the need for review.

She said: “Much as I agree that digital is a blessing, I’m concerned about its threat to advertising regulation because a lot of unregulated messages

are being churned out by bloggers and influencers on products to deceive consumers and regulators have almost become helpless. “There is code of advertising in Nigeria but it was dated back to many years before digital revolution. Of course this is a global phenomenon but like other countries, Nigeria is set to put framework in place to check the abuse of digital platform,�

On the first day of the conference, the IAA Global President, Srinivasan K. Swarmy, expressed concern that data privacy had become a serious concern for advertisers and that the industry could collapse if the recent regulations

on the issue are not revised.

He argued that data protection issues based on digital advertising needed urgent attention before more stringent regulations are passed. “Considering data privacy, it has been an area of serious concern for advertisers. Many regulators are coming to play to deal with this area. This challenge must be addressed if not it will be a problem for advertising companies,� he stated.

Also speaking at the conference, the Vice president and Area Director of Africa, Norkor Duah, charged all advertising firms to create footprints in Continued on page 24

Ă’Ă? Ă‹Ă‘Ă™Ă? Ă’Ă‹Ă—ĂŒĂ?Ăœ Ă™Ă? Ù××Ă?ĂœĂ?Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă˜ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă?ĂžĂœĂŁ Ě™ Ěš Ă“Ă? Ă?Ă?Ăž ÞÙ Ă’Ă™Ă?Ăž Ă‹ Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?Ă“Ă‹Ă˜Ě‹ Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ă˜ Ă&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ&#x;Ă—Ë› Ă’Ă? Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ&#x;Ă—Ëœ ĂĄĂ’Ă“Ă?Ă’ Ă“Ă? Ă‹Ă“Ă—Ă?ĂŽ Ă‹Ăž ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă?Ă“Ă Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ĂžĂœĂ‹ĂŽĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂŒĂ&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă? ĂŽĂ?Ă–Ă?Ă‘Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă— Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?Ă“Ă‹Ëœ Ă“Ă? Ă“Ă˜ĂžĂ?Ă˜ĂŽĂ?ĂŽ Ă‹Ăž Ă?ĂœĂ?Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă‹ ÚÖËÞĂ?Ă™ĂœĂ— Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?Ă“Ă‹Ă˜ Ă?Ă?Ă’Ă˜Ă™Ă–Ă™Ă‘ĂŁ Ă?Ă“ĂœĂ—Ă? ÞÙ Ă“Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ‹Ă?Ăž åÓÞÒ ÞÒĂ?Ă“Ăœ Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ă˜ Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂšĂ‹ĂœĂžĂ? Ă“Ă˜ Ă™ĂœĂŽĂ?Ăœ ÞÙ ĂŽĂ“Ă?Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?Ă? ÚÙĂ?Ă?Ă“ĂŒĂ–Ă? Ă?Ă™Ă–Ă–Ă‹ĂŒĂ™ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂšĂ‹ĂœĂžĂ˜Ă?ĂœĂ?Ă’Ă“ĂšĂ? Ă“Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? ĂžĂ?Ă?Ă’Ă˜Ă™Ă–Ă™Ă‘Ă“Ă?Ă‹Ă– Ă?ÚËĂ?Ă? Ă‹Ă? Ă‹ Ă–Ă‹Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă?Ò̋ÚËÎ Ă?Ă™Ăœ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă™ĂœĂžĂ’Ă?Ă™Ă—Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă—Ă&#x;Ă?Ă’ ÞËÖÕĂ?ĂŽĚ‹Ă‹ĂŒĂ™Ă&#x;Ăž Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂžĂ’ Ă˜ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă?ĂžĂœĂ“Ă‹Ă– Ă?à ÙÖĂ&#x;ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ë› Ă’Ă? Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ&#x;Ă— Ă“Ă? ÞÙ ĂŒĂ? ĂŽĂ?Ă?Ă–Ă‹ĂœĂ?ĂŽ ÙÚĂ?Ă˜ ĂŒĂŁ ÞÒĂ? ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă“ĂŽĂ?Ă˜Ăž Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă’Ă‹Ă—ĂŒĂ?ĂœËœ ĂœË› Ă‹ĂŒĂ‹ĂžĂ&#x;Ă˜ĂŽĂ? Ă‹Ă&#x;Ă– Ă&#x;ĂĄĂ‹Ă?Ă?Ëœ ÞÙÎËã Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹Ă‘Ă™Ă?Ë› Ă’Ă? ĂŒĂ&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ&#x;Ă— ĂĄĂ™Ă&#x;Ă–ĂŽ Ă?Ă˘Ă‹Ă—Ă“Ă˜Ă? Ă“Ă?Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?Ă? ĂœĂ?Ă–Ă‹ĂžĂ?ĂŽ ÞÙ Ă™ĂŒĂ™ĂžĂ“Ă?Ă?Ëœ ĂœĂžĂ“Ă?Ă“Ă?Ă“Ă‹Ă– Ă“Ă˜ĂžĂ?Ă–Ă–Ă“Ă‘Ă?Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ëœ Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?Ăœ Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă“Ă‘Ă’ĂžĂ?Ëœ ĂŒĂ“Ă‘ ÎËÞË Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă‹Ă˜Ă‹Ă–ĂŁĂžĂ“Ă?Ă?Ëœ Ă?Ě‹ Ù××Ă?ĂœĂ?Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă—Ě‹ Ù××Ă?ĂœĂ?Ă?Ëœ Ă?×ÚÖÙãĂ?Ă? Ă—Ă‹Ă˜Ă‹Ă‘Ă?Ă—Ă?Ă˜Ăž Ă?ÙÖĂ&#x;ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă?Ëœ Ă?ĂœĂ‹Ă&#x;ĂŽ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă–Ă™Ă?Ă? ĂšĂœĂ?Ă Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ëœ Ă?ĂžĂ™ĂœĂ? ÙÚĂ?ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?Ă’ Ă‹Ă? Ă?Ă‹Ă?Ă’ Ă—Ă‹Ă˜Ă‹Ă‘Ă?Ă—Ă?Ă˜ĂžËœ Ă?ÚÙĂ? Ă?ÙÖĂ&#x;ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă?Ëœ Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă?Ě‹Ă?Ă’Ă?Ă?Ă•Ă™Ă&#x;ĂžËœ Ă“ĂœĂžĂ&#x;Ă‹Ă– ĂœĂ?ËÖÓÞã Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă‹Ă&#x;Ă‘Ă—Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂŽ ĂœĂ?ËÖÓÞã Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ă?Ă‹Ă˜Ă˜Ă?ĂœĂ?Ë› Ă’Ă? Ă“ĂœĂ?Ă?ĂžĂ™Ăœ Ă?Ă˜Ă?ĂœĂ‹Ă–Ëœ Ëœ Ă&#x;ĂŽĂ‹ Ă&#x;Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?Ëœ Ă?Ă‹Ă“ĂŽË? ˍÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ&#x;Ă— ĂĄĂ“Ă–Ă– Ă?Ă&#x;ĂœĂžĂ’Ă?Ăœ Ă?Ă™Ă?Ă&#x;Ă? Ă™Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? Ă“Ă—ĂšĂ™ĂœĂžĂ‹Ă˜Ă?Ă? Ă™Ă? ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂ•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăž Ă—Ă?Ă?Ă’Ă‹Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă— Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ă?Ă‹Ă Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ‹ĂŒĂ–Ă? Ă?Ă™Ă˜ĂŽĂ“ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ă?Ă™Ăœ ĂŽĂ“ĂœĂ?Ă?Ăž Ă?Ă™Ă˜ĂžĂ‹Ă?ĂžĂ? ĂŒĂ?ÞåĂ?Ă?Ă˜ Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă—Ă?Ă˜ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ÞÒĂ?Ă“Ăœ Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?Ă“Ă‹Ă˜ Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂšĂ‹ĂœĂžĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ÞÒËÞ ÞÒĂ? ÑÙËÖ Ă“Ă? ÞÙ ÙÚĂ?Ă˜ Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?Ă“Ă‹ Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹ ÞÙ Ă?Ă˘ĂšĂ–Ă™ĂœĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă Ă“Ă?Ă? Ă Ă?ĂœĂ?Ă‹Ë› Ă™Ëœ Ă?ĂšĂ?Ă?Ă“Ă‹Ă– ËÞÞĂ?Ă˜ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ ĂĄĂ™Ă&#x;Ă–ĂŽ ĂŒĂ? Ă‘Ă“Ă Ă?Ă˜ ÞÙ ÞÒĂ? Ă–Ă?Ă Ă?Ă– Ă™Ă? ĂŒĂ&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă˜Ă‘Ă‹Ă‘Ă?Ă—Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ? ĂŒĂ?ÞåĂ?Ă?Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? ÞåÙ Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂžĂœĂ“Ă?Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă˜Ă™ĂœĂ—Ă™Ă&#x;Ă? Ă™ĂšĂšĂ™ĂœĂžĂ&#x;Ă˜Ă“ĂžĂ“Ă?Ă?Ëœ ĂĄĂ’Ă“Ă?Ă’ ĂŒĂ™ĂžĂ’ Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂžĂœĂ“Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ ÞËÕĂ? Ă‹ĂŽĂ Ă‹Ă˜ĂžĂ‹Ă‘Ă? Ă™Ă? Ă?Ă™Ăœ ĂŒĂ&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă? ĂšĂœĂ™Ă?ĂšĂ?ĂœĂ“ĂžĂŁË›ËŹ Ă&#x;Ă?Ă&#x;Ă? Ă‹Ă–Ă?Ă™ Ă?Ă‹Ă“ĂŽ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ&#x;Ă— Ă‹Ă–Ă?Ă™ Ă‹Ă“Ă—Ă? Ă‹Ăž Ă?Ă˘Ă‹Ă—Ă“Ă˜Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă“Ă?Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?Ă? ĂœĂ?Ă–Ă‹ĂžĂ?ĂŽ ÞÙ ĂžĂ?Ă?Ă’Ă˜Ă™Ă–Ă™Ă‘Ă“Ă?Ă‹Ă– Ă“Ă˜Ă˜Ă™Ă Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă? ĂĄĂ’Ă“Ă?Ă’ Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ă–ĂŽ Ă?Ă˜Ă’Ă‹Ă˜Ă?Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă‘Ă?Ă˜Ă?ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă™Ă? Ă?Ă˜Ă?ĂœĂ‘ĂŁËœ Ă?ÙÙÎ ĂšĂœĂ™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă?ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ëœ Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă?ĂžĂœĂ&#x;Ă?ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ëœ ĂžĂœĂ‹Ă˜Ă?ĂšĂ™ĂœĂžĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ëœ Ă?Ù××Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă—Ă‹Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă?Ă‹Ă?ĂžĂ&#x;ĂœĂ“Ă˜Ă‘Ë›

Tiger Brands Revenue Misses Estimates

Ă™Ă&#x;ÞÒ Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă‹ËŞĂ? Ă“Ă‘Ă?Ăœ ĂœĂ‹Ă˜ĂŽĂ? Ă™Ă˜ Ă?ĂŽĂ˜Ă?Ă?ĂŽĂ‹ĂŁ ĂœĂ?ĂšĂ™ĂœĂžĂ?ĂŽ Ă?Ă“ĂœĂ?Þ̋ÒËÖĂ? ĂœĂ?Ă Ă?Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă? ĂŒĂ?ÖÙå Ă‹Ă˜Ă‹Ă–ĂŁĂ?ĂžĂ?ËŞ Ă?âÚĂ?Ă?ĂžĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ă™Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? ĂŒĂ‹Ă?Ă• Ă™Ă? ÖÙåĂ?Ăœ Ă?Ă‹Ă–Ă?Ă? Ă“Ă˜ Ă“Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ˜Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă‹Ă– Ă—Ă‹ĂœĂ•Ă?ĂžĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ă™Ă˜ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă?ĂŽ ĂšĂœĂ?Ă?Ă?Ă&#x;ĂœĂ? Ă™Ă˜ Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă?Ă&#x;Ă—Ă?Ăœ Ă?ĂšĂ?Ă˜ĂŽĂ“Ă˜Ă‘Ë› Ă’Ă? Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂžĂœĂŁËŞĂ? Ă–Ă?Ă‹ĂŽĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă?ÙÙÎ ĂšĂœĂ™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă?Ă?ĂœËœ åÓÞÒ ĂŒĂœĂ‹Ă˜ĂŽĂ? Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?Ă’ Ă‹Ă? Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă‘Ă–Ă? Ă‹ĂžĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă‹Ă?ÞÓĂ? ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă?Ëœ Ă?Ă‹Ă“ĂŽ Ă‘ĂœĂ™Ă&#x;Ăš ĂœĂ?Ă Ă?Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă? Ă?Ă™Ăœ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă“Ă˘Ě‹Ă—Ă™Ă˜ĂžĂ’Ă? Ă?Ă˜ĂŽĂ?ĂŽ Ă‹ĂœĂ?Ă’ ͹ͯ Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă– ĂŒĂŁ ÞåÙ ĂšĂ?Ăœ Ă?Ă?Ă˜Ăž ÞÙ ͯͳ˛Ͳ ĂŒĂ“Ă–Ă–Ă“Ă™Ă˜ ĂœĂ‹Ă˜ĂŽËœ Ă?Ă™Ă—ĂšĂ‹ĂœĂ?ĂŽ åÓÞÒ Ă‹Ă˜Ă‹Ă–ĂŁĂ?ĂžĂ?ËŞ Ă?âÚĂ?Ă?ĂžĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ă™Ă? ͯͳ˛; ĂŒĂ“Ă–Ă–Ă“Ă™Ă˜ ĂœĂ‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹ Ă?Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă“ĂžĂ“Ă ĂšĂ™Ă–Ă–Ë› ËŤ Ă&#x;ĂœĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÒĂ? ĂšĂ?ĂœĂ“Ă™ĂŽ Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂŽĂ?Ăœ ĂœĂ?Ă Ă“Ă?ĂĄËœ ÞÒĂ? ĂžĂœĂ‹ĂŽĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă?Ă˜Ă Ă“ĂœĂ™Ă˜Ă—Ă?Ă˜Ăž ĂœĂ?Ă—Ă‹Ă“Ă˜Ă?ĂŽ ĂŽĂ“Ă?Ă?Ă“Ă?Ă&#x;Ă–ĂžËœ åÓÞÒ Ă?Ă™Ă˜ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă?ĂŽ ĂšĂœĂ?Ă?Ă?Ă&#x;ĂœĂ? Ă™Ă˜ Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă?Ă&#x;Ă—Ă?Ăœ Ă?ĂšĂ?Ă˜ĂŽĂ“Ă˜Ă‘Ëœ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă&#x;Ă–ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă“Ă˜ Ă?Ă‹Ă–Ă?Ă? à ÙÖĂ&#x;Ă—Ă? Ă“Ă˜Ă?ĂœĂ?Ă‹Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă“Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? ÎÙ×Ă?Ă?ÞÓĂ? ĂŒĂ&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă? ĂĄĂ’Ă“Ă–Ă? ÖÙå ĂšĂœĂ“Ă?Ă? Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă–Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ó×ÚËĂ?ĂžĂ?ĂŽ Ă—Ă‹ĂœĂ‘Ă“Ă˜Ă?ËœËŹ Ă?Ă&#x;ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ? Ă›Ă&#x;ÙÞĂ?ĂŽ ÞÒĂ? Ă?ÙÙÎ ĂšĂœĂ™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă?Ă?Ăœ ÞÙ Ă’Ă‹Ă Ă? Ă?Ă‹Ă“ĂŽ Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹ Ă?ÞËÞĂ?Ă—Ă?Ă˜ĂžË› Ă™Ă&#x;ÞÒ Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ ĂœĂ?ÞËÓÖĂ?ĂœĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?ÙÙÎ ĂšĂœĂ™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă‹ĂœĂ? Ă?ĂžĂœĂ&#x;Ă‘Ă‘Ă–Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÙ Ă–Ă“Ă?Ăž Ă?Ă‹Ă–Ă?Ă? Ă‘ĂœĂ™ĂĄĂžĂ’ ÞÙ ĂŽĂ™Ă&#x;ĂŒĂ–Ă? ĂŽĂ“Ă‘Ă“ĂžĂ? Ă‹Ă? Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă?Ă&#x;Ă—Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă‹ĂœĂ? ĂŽĂ?Ă‹Ă–Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ åÓÞÒ Ă‹ Ă Ă‹Ă–Ă&#x;Ă?Ě‹Ă‹ĂŽĂŽĂ?ĂŽ ÞËâ Ă’Ă“Ă•Ă?Ëœ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂŽ Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?Ă– Ă“Ă˜Ă?ĂœĂ?Ă‹Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă&#x;ÞÓÖÓÞã Ă?Ă™Ă?ĂžĂ?Ëœ ĂĄĂ’Ă“Ă?Ă’ Ă’Ă‹Ă Ă? Ă‹Ă–Ă– Ă“Ă˜ĂžĂ?Ă˜Ă?Ă“Ă?Ă“Ă?ĂŽ ĂšĂœĂ?Ă?Ă?Ă&#x;ĂœĂ? Ă™Ă˜ Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă?Ă&#x;Ă—Ă?ĂœĂ?ËŞ ĂŽĂ“Ă?ÚÙĂ?Ă‹ĂŒĂ–Ă? Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ù×Ă?Ë› Ù×Ă?Ă?ÞÓĂ? ĂœĂ?Ă Ă?Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă? Ă?âĂ?Ă–Ă&#x;ĂŽĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÒĂ? Ă‹Ă–Ă&#x;Ă? ĂŽĂŽĂ?ĂŽ Ă?Ă‹Ăž ĂœĂ™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă?ĂžĂ? Ě™ Ěš ĂŒĂ&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă? ĂĄĂ‹Ă? Ă?Óâ ĂšĂ?Ăœ Ă?Ă?Ă˜Ăž Ă’Ă“Ă‘Ă’Ă?ĂœËœ ĂŽĂœĂ“Ă Ă?Ă˜ ĂŒĂŁ à ÙÖĂ&#x;Ă—Ă? Ă‘ĂœĂ™ĂĄĂžĂ’ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă–Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹Ăž Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ ĂšĂ?Ăœ Ă?Ă?Ă˜ĂžË› Ă’Ă“Ă–Ă? ĂœĂ?Ă Ă?Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă? Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă— Ă?Ă˘ĂšĂ™ĂœĂžĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă“Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ˜Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă‹Ă– Ă—Ă‹ĂœĂ•Ă?ĂžĂ? Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă– ĂŒĂŁ ÍŻÍŻ ĂšĂ?Ăœ Ă?Ă?Ă˜Ăž ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă? ÞÙ ÖÙåĂ?Ăœ Ă?Ă˘ĂšĂ™ĂœĂž à ÙÖĂ&#x;Ă—Ă?Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂšĂœĂ“Ă?Ă? ĂŽĂ?Ă?Ă–Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă“Ă˜ Ă“Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ˜Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă‹Ă– Ă—Ă‹ĂœĂ•Ă?ĂžĂ?Ë›

“Nigeria has a huge stock of smart people who can change and sustain the developmental story of this country. What they require is an enabling environment, which is not too expensive for the government to provide�

Chairman, Zinox Group,

Leo Stan Ekeh

24

T H I S D AY Ëž Í°ÍąËœ Ͱ͎ͯ͡

REPORT: NIGERIA, OTHERS LOSE $3BN TO COUNTERFEIT PRODUCTS YEARLY and partners to be vigilant against fake printing supplies,�

HP said in a statement.

Citing recent successes made across the EMEA region, HP said in a statement that the authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) disrupted the criminal operations of an internationally active syndicate that had assembled counterfeits of HP and Samsung-branded cartridges, resulting in the seizure of around 46,000 illicit items.

In a major series of raids, Russian authorities dismantled a criminal syndicate that had been wholesaling counterfeit HP-branded cartridges. Officials seized over 215,000 illicit items while raiding residential and warehouse sites in the Volga region and the Moscow area.

Officials in the Riyadh, Saudi Arabia recently disrupted a criminal ring that had manufactured fake cartridges for HP printers and sold the fakes in bulk, seizing 44,000 illicit items such as fake toner cartridges and components for assembling fakes. Authorities in Kenya and Uganda also dismantled numerous wholesalers and resellers of counterfeit cartridges for HP printers, raiding warehouses, outlet stores, and seized fakes from a shipping container in the areas of Kampala, Mombasa, and Nairobi and confiscating 16,000 illicit items, HP said.

FG MOVES TO ENFORCE DIGITAL REGULATION the various economies they represent and that practitioners should embrace new trends in technology so as to remain relevant. “It’s about revenue, reputation, research and regulation.

Across the continent, there are so many issues regarding regulations that we need to address. “Without effective regulation, we can’t forge ahead.

New technological trends keep emerging. It is in our interest to tap into this for the good of the industry,� she stated.

Earlier, the Vice President of Ghana, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, used the occasion to announce June 2020 as the dateline for all government agencies and ministries in the country to go cashless.

Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

AgriBusiness/Industry Editor

Jonathan Eze

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Senior Correspondent

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

Ă’Ă“Ă˜Ă?ĂŽĂ&#x; äĂ? (Aviation) ĂœĂ™Ă—Ă™Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă? ĂŒĂ“Ă™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă˜ (Maritime) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Chineme Okafo (Energy) Reporters

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

Ogbeh Harps on Maintenance as FG Concessions 19 Silos, Targets N6bn Annually James Emejo in Abuja The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has said the federal government expects to raise the sum of N6 billion annually from the concession of 19 silos to 17 firms across the country over a period of 10 years.

He said the concessionaires would provide performance bonds as collateral and a guarantee against non-performance while the ministry retains the contractual rights to terminate for non-performance.

Ogbeh, noted that the country has 33 silos, government would retain six, while eight would be concessioned at a later date, while 19 has already been concessioned.

The 19 cocessioned Silo complexes are in AdoEkiti, Akure, Bauchi, Ogoja, Ikenne, Jos, Gaya, Sokoto, Gombe, Makurdi, Ibadan, Ezillo, Bulasa, Kaduna, Kwali, Jahun, Lafiagi. Igbarian and Uyo, others for the management of of the National Food Reserves Stocks, while the eight would be concessioned at a later date.

Speaking during the handover ceremony of the silos to successful concessionaires in Abuja, the minister said the Silo complexes would further create jobs, stimulate production, operate profitably, create wealth for the farmers, it would strengthen

the growth of the futures market and the application of other financial derivatives, as well as increase export potentials.

Similarly, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, charged the concessionaires to use the silos for the purpose it

was commissioned for.

He expressed optimism that the concessioned silos would attain their objectives.

He said: “We hope that the idea behind concessioning of this silos, it would attain the objectives we are setting out. I say this because am aware that ever before I knew I would be a senator of the Federal Republic of

Nigeria, let alone chairing the agriculture committee, these silos have been constructed and they have over these years been lying fallow or lying waste. “For the government to wake up to its responsibilities in this regard and put the silos in to use is commendable.�

He said: “It is my hope

that those whom the trust is placed and who have put their money on the line will put the silos into use and ensure that they do use the silos for the purposes the concession is granted to them, I wish them good tenure and I also hope that they would live up to their financial obligation in the concession.�

FOSTERING BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP

L-R: Branch Leader, Ikeja 1 Strategic Business Unit (SBU), Fidelity Bank Plc, Charles Nwadike; Executive Director, Lagos and South-west, Mrs. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe; Governor-elect, Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo – Olu; MD/CEO, Fidelity Bank, Nnamdi Okonkwo; Team Lead, Corporate Banking, Omobolaji Odubanjo and Regional Bank Head, Ikeja, Ken Opara, when oďŹƒcials of the bank paid Sanwo-Olu a courtesy visit in Lagos‌recently

CWG Assures Shareholders of ProďŹ tability, Expansion Stories by Emma Okonji Six years after it got listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), CWG Plc, a systems integrator and technology solutions provider, has assured its shareholders of profitability and expansion in 2019 and beyond.

The Acting Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of CWG Plc, Mr. Adewale Adeyipo, gave the assurance in Lagos during a recent media chat.

Adeyipo, who gave an overview of the company’s financial focus for 2019, was optimistic that the business plan would be profitable enough to pay dividend to its shareholders who entrusted their money with

the company, since 2013 when it listed on the NSE. Although he noted the slowdown in economic growth in the country, he however said the reappointment of the Central Bank Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele was expected to bring economic stability that would help businesses grow.

Highlighting the company’s key opportunities for business growth and expansion, Adeyipo said: “If we concentrate on the existing platforms and opportunities we have for another 12 months, we will definitely be busy. “We are getting into new territories and deploying solutions for organisations that will not before now embrace Information

Technology (IT). “The emergence of the tier three and four financial institutions created a lot of opportunities. We see the drive from most organisations to use technology to drive business process optimisation, promote better operational efficiency and to create platforms for new revenue streams. All these have created a lot of opportunities for IT companies like CWG.�

According to him, being a public company since 2013, “created more discipline and transparency on our business.

Our listing was timely and it helped us reposition the organisation.� “As a systems integration company, we provide support

and customisation services to financial institutions in Nigeria, both small and big. “Today we control a large percentage of the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) installed base in Nigeria and we currently support the ATMs as well, thus allowing the financial institutions to concentrate on their core banking applications. “We currently deploy ATM services to 13 banks and three out of the banks have signed up with us for the ATM management as a service and we plan to roll out over one thousand ATMs in the next 24 months. “Our focus as a business is to become the hub of ATM managed services in Nigeria in the next five years. We plan

having the Independent ATM Deployer licence in the next 36 months. The ATM management is one of our successful projects that will further help us to be more profitable as a business that has shareholders to take care of,� Adeyipo said.

He further explained that the company needed the right set of people within the organisation to drive its vision that would enable it achieve its goals and aspirations for 2019. “We plan to scale up our competency framework on services to enable us deliver more services to customers. Looking at our variables in 2019, it shows we have a very good projection and we are well positioned to achieve the goals,� Adeyipo said.

‘Why Nigeria Needs Disruptive Entrepreneurs’ The Chairman, Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh, has said the only way the Nigerian economy can realise its potential is for the federal and state governments to support disruptive entrepreneurs.

Ekeh, who spoke at the 2019 Africa Fintech Foundry event, which held in Lagos recently, cited America as an example which has produced the known whizkids of the century and raised global giants such as the Googles, Facebooks, Amazons and Microsoft of this world.

Ekeh, noted that Nigeria has a huge stock of smart people who can change and sustain the developmental story of this country, adding that all they require is an enabling environment, which is not too expensive for the government to provide.

While advising entrepreneurs not to see hope as a strategy in business, he reminded them of a critical configuration required for a self-audit before deciding if they really want to be entrepreneurs.

According to Ekeh, who also doubles as a global advisor to Microsoft, success as an entrepreneur in Africa requires 40 per cent common sense, 20 per cent spirituality and 40 per cent knowledge of the business.

He said the 21st century had already defined two types of entrepreneurs - disruptors and regular entrepreneurs.

While advising start-ups and other budding business owners, he noted that their passion must pay their bills, else there is no justification for

the business they are launching.

He reminded start-ups of the essential few ingredients of success, humility, ability to see the end from the start, an eye for the bigger picture, creative mind-set, knowledge and energy to occupy the sector as well as the capacity to manage cash and excitement.

He, however, cautioned that they must be prepared to take reasonable pains before pleasure as they must postpone luxurious life until when they have built enough reserves to sustain such

a lifestyle.

Counselling female entrepreneurs, Ekeh assured them that they would lead in the second quarter of this century as informed women are known to operate efficiently in structured environments with auditable systems.

He affirmed that no government has a choice to deny the youths of progressive infrastructure, except they want to face the wrath of this dominant segment of the populace.

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Harnessing Power of Technology Innovation The initiative of the Africa Fintech Foundry, powered by Access Bank to create opportunities for tech start-ups to continually disrupt the ecosystem is a welcome development, writes Emma Okonji

S

ince 2017, the Africa Fintech Foundry (AFF) has raised technology start-ups and given them the opportunities to harness the power of their innovations, while linking them to seed investors like venture capitalist that will invest in their solutions and products, thereby making them globally competitive.

Last week in Lagos, for the third consecutive time, AFF held its 2019 disrupt conference with the theme: ‘Digital gold Rush-Building a sustainable tech-economy’, where it assembled international and local speakers, who have background and businesses in technology, to address a large audience on the power of technology innovation.

In his welcome address, Head, AFF, Mr. Segun Adeniyi, said AFF was set up to help technology innovators harness the power of their innovations and provide them with the platform to test-card go to market, while offering them unparalleled access to global financial, technology, business and investor partner networks. “We aim to enable the move of brilliant and tested ideas into the market, and continually disrupt the technological ecosystem in that process,� he said.

There are interactive panel discussions on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, Blockchain and Data Analytics. Highlight of the AFF 2019 disrupt conference, was the pitching of ideas by selected tech startups, moderated by renown judges who were looking out for certain qualities like originality of the solution, its importance in addressing identified challenges, scalability and the commercial value.

Evolving tech solutions Speaking on the evolution of technology solutions and the disruption such solutions have created in the financial services sector to shape the future of intelligent bank, the Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank Nigeria, Herbert Wigwe, said banking solutions have evolved over the years, and have changed the hitherto manual operating system of the banks. According to him, 10 years down the line, the banking system changed from issuing of tally numbers and cards to the use of computers and from there to the use of mobile phones for financial transactions. “Cards are getting extinct right in our presence and bank customers now transact through the mobile telephones. Things are changing fast and people no longer sign cheques. The question now is where will Nigeria be in the next 15 years when it comes to evolution and digital transformation. “Technology has changed everything completely and is currently disrupting legacy structure in the financial sector. What this means from the business mindset is that anything that is repeatedly manual cannot survive the evolving technology.

Financial Technology (FinTech) players are driving technology evolution and banks must collaborate with them because both complement each other,� Wigwe said.

According to him, with the fourth industrial revolution, a couple of things are happening, and people are using cloud technology, and Internet of Things (IoT) to automate processes. Banks are competing in areas of innovation to provide key services in line with today’s technology growth. Any bank that does not innovate may become the dinosaur of tomorrow.

He said Big Data Analysis, A1, Machine Learning, Blockchain Technology were all geared toward using technology to drive development, and that is what we are going with the AFF, which is an initiative of Access Bank to drive technology innovation among tech start-ups. “With the power of computing and innovation, people can work from any part of the county and contribute to GDP growth of the economy. Africa as a continent and Nigeria as a nation must therefore rise to the opportunities that abound in

today’s digital world. The contents of AI and predictive technology appear to be strong, enabling organisations to move from prediction to decision making and that is where the world is truly going,� Wigwe said, adding that the new generation banks are challenged by technology to identify the challenges of today’s bank customers and to resolve their challenges in order to redefine the market. “So banks that do not think of the new technology changes that will recreate the future of banking, will be gone forever.

Our focus at Access Bank is to redefine the future of banking in Nigeria and Africa over the next 10 years,� Wigwe added.

Technology as game changer The Chief Executive Officer of Moven, a United Kingdom based company, and keynote speaker at the conference, Brett King, in his address, described technology solutions as game changer across all sectors of the economy. He, however, said it was not the technology that changes the world, but the dreams behind the technology. “Technology is moving much faster than ever before, thus producing rapid change in development and the speed is driven by new technology tools like AI, Robotics, Data Analytics, among others.

Technology has changed everything completely and is currently disrupting legacy structure in the ďŹ nancial sector. What this means from the business mindset is that anything that is repeatedly manual cannot survive the evolving technology.

Financial Technology players are driving technology evolution and banks must collaborate with them because both complement each other

With technology evolution, two things happen: organisations and people will either disrupt or get disrupted. “Banking is one of the industry that has been very slow to change, despite the speed at which technology is evolving. Gradual changes started taking place in the banking sector, when they realised that bank customers could do financial transactions from their mobile phones, without going to the banking hall. Today FinTech players have continued to create banking solutions that will continue to change banking operations. Today banks are beginning to shift from their physical branches to virtual operations, where customers can effect financial transactions from their mobile phones and mobile devices, through the support of banking applications developed by the FinTech players,� he said.

He said explained that aside banking, technology could also disrupt legacy activities in other sectors of the economy like oil and gas, mines, manufacturing, health, sports, among others. “In space technology, the idea of robotics is also fast changing the old order of the day. Today AI is used to design robots that could accomplish most of activities of humans, and in about 2035, there will be over 10 billion robots in the planet, an indication that there will be more robots on the planet than humans, and the robots will be performing almost all the functions of human beings,� he said.

King further explained that with AI, autonomous vehicles will be designed for our roads without the human drivers. “When the technology is fully developed, no human driver can compete with autonomous vehicle that is without driver because there is a special chipset designed for the operation of autonomous vehicle, that has more information than the human brain can accommodate. All these are evolution of technology that is fast taking place across the globe. We also have the application of AI in the banking sector. With AI, banks can predict and make informed decision on how best to serve their customers. The biggest bank in the world will be driven by technology. With time, physical banking halls will be phased out and banking transactions will be driven by innovative technology solutions,� King said.

Funding tech start-ups At one of the panel sessions, the issue of funding of start-ups was discussed.

The essence, according to the panelists,

was to look at the challenges of start-ups funding that has limited them to expand their ideas and compete favorably with global FinTech start-ups.

CEO, Venture Garden Group Nigeria, Mr. Bunmi Akinyemiju, said: “Investors are looking for three key things: The quality of the people that form the team. The timing of the solution to the market. The market size and audience who may be interested in the solution.�

He advised fresh university graduates who have great ideas, to join existing company or start-ups from where they could further develop their ideas. The essence according to him, was for them to gain experience before starting their own business. When they attach themselves to others, they will learn more and also de-risk their business as start-ups.

General Partner, Savannah Fund, Paul Bragiel, spoke on the different types of funding that start-ups needs. Listing them as Series A, B and C funding, Bragiel said start-ups might have great ideas and they needed funding to drive it, but insisted that the first thing was for the start-up to believe in themselves and in their solutions.

CEO, Trium Networks, Adedeji Olowe, said start-ups must have unique products that could stand competition in the market before such products could attract investment.

Regulatory licence is also key to investment in start-ups. “They must have operational licence from the regulatory body to attract investments from venture capitalists (VCs) who are looking for viable solutions to invest their money in. Equity funding is one of the best funding for start-ups because it removes a lot of liability from the start-ups,� he said.

Looking at the low volume of investments that start-ups receive from local investors, Akinyemiju said: “It is true that 80 per cent of the investment that Nigerian start-ups get are off-shore investment, but local investments are also picking up and I see improvement in that area soon. My advice for start-ups is for them to be patient about funding as local investors are beginning to see the importance of investments in start-ups. The VC ecosystem in Nigeria may be slow but it could get better. We also need merger and acquisition of some of the start-ups to make them bigger and stronger. As a nation, we need to attract crowd funding for start-ups as well and Continued on page 26

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Kassim: Uber Lite Will Address Riders’ Connectivity Issues General Manager, West Africa at Uber, Lola Kassim, spoke with Emma Okonji on Uber’s new solutions that are designed to address riders’ internet connectivity issues, among other challenges. Excerpts:

I

we would include and ad such we included new features like Guided pickups; Tap over type; and Maps on demand. With the Guided pickups, Uber lite guides users through the request experience by detecting their current location, so minimal typing is required. If it can’t detect their location because of GPS or network issues, it guides riders to choose popular landmarks nearby. Tap over type helps Uber Lite makes picking a destination as easy as a tap of a button. Instead of typing where you are, you can choose a nearby point of interest. Additionally, the app stores the city’s top places so that even when you are offline, no network is needed for them to appear. And the more you use Uber Lite, the smarter the app gets. It learns where you go most often, and surfaces those options first. This feature is particularly convenient for people with phones with smaller screens.

The Maps on demand feature helps to keep the app light and fast, and ensures that maps in Uber Lite are not loaded by default, but are available with a tap when you need them.

n 2017, Uber introduced the Uber Lite solution for its business. Of what value is it to customers?

Uber Lite is a simpler version of the Uber app that works on any android phone, while saving storage space and data. It’s easy to learn and use, and it’s designed to work even in low connectivity areas to address customers’ internet connectivity issues.

What was the motivation behind Uber Lite?

In 2017, a task force made up of members from Uber’s research, design, product and engineering teams, was formed to better understand and address the pain points for riders with older Android devices in low connectivity regions. While researchers and designers set out to understand rider behaviour and come up with a simplified user interface, engineers assessed our existing rider app to see if it could be restructured and trimmed down to make it more lightweight. Deep engineering analysis revealed that simply trimming down the app would not suffice.

Instead, we came up with a fresh architecture that delegated Android client communication responsibilities to a well-orchestrated, light back-end layer specifically serving network calls to our infrastructure. This new mobile back-end communication model and information architecture also served to reduce bandwidth usage without bloating the Android app size.

Our work leading up to the launch involved research into the requirements of riders around the world, taking into account their available phones and wireless networks. From a strict set of requirements, our engineering team made design decisions that minimised the phone and network resources required for the app. The Uber Lite app reflects our acknowledgement that the need for transportation transcends both regions and economies.

What are some of the product design considerations of the solution?

The latest iteration of our rider app kept pace with the demands of riders who use the most recent mobile phone hardware, have access to fast data networks, or enjoy inexpensive data plans. Around the world, 40 per cent of Uber rides are booked via Android phones with hardware dating from 2014 or earlier, while 33 per cent occur over sub-3G data networks. To design a high-performance app for these conditions, we stuck to three guiding principles: light, instant, and simple.

How light is the Uber Lite on your network and data?

What languages is the app available in to start before you roll out self selection?

The language that appears in the app is English language.

What does Uber Lite support in terms of phones?

The app supports any Android phones.

Kassim

We have all felt the pain of trying to use our phone when we have a spotty connection.

The slowest action for an app is often fetching data from the network. Low connectivity adds to this problem. So we built Uber Lite to use less network and data to work by remembering important things about your travel patterns such as your most frequent destinations. This means the app performs better in low connectivity and uses less of your data. Not only is Uber Lite resilient in low network conditions, it is fast, and has shorter load times, which means the app is snappier and more responsive.

new wave of users on their phones, and their diverse, unique conditions. What you’re about to see is a reimagined, simple and clutter-free app built from the ground up.

You said the introduction of the app was based on research, what feedback did you get in order to implement this?

Most importantly, we redesigned the entire user experience to be simpler based on what users told us they needed. Based on our research, we knew we couldn’t just make a carbon copy of the existing rider app, put it on a web browser, wrap it with an app icon, call it a Lite app‌ and expect it to work.

Uber Lite is built to meet the needs of this

Are there any new features on the app?

Yes, Uber Lite was redesigned to be light, simple and reliable, which works smoothly on any Android device and in low connectivity areas so we needed to include new features, which would make booking rides quicker and lighter in low connectivity areas while saving space. Libraries like features and content take up a significant amount of any app’s data size, so as we built Uber Lite, we wanted to be very particular as to which libraries

How will the app know rider’s location if there is low connectivity?

The app remembers the previous destinations of the rider and searches and so the more you ride the smarter it gets about surfacing frequently used destinations. Most importantly, when the network is slow, the app stores your previous locations so no network is needed for them to surface.

What type of payment methods can be used with Uber Lite?

Payment options will be the same as the general Uber app, riders can pay with cash or card.

What are the beneďŹ ts to the riders?

There are multiple benefits of downloading any Lite version of an app, like Uber Lite.

It requires less space to store on a device and also launches processes much quicker.

Meaning that you will be able to connect to the internet faster. And, with a 300-millisecond response time the booking process is faster in low connectivity.

Why is the app only available on Android?

The standard Uber app runs well on all IOS devices due to its operating system. We believe broad access to Uber creates greater opportunity for everyone and a one-size-fits-all app doesn’t work for the diversity of devices, and rider needs across Nigeria. Which is why we are introducing Uber Lite, a new app, which works better on Android devices that have limited storage space.

Harnessing the Power of Technology Innovation when this is achieved, more VCs will be interested in investing in local start-ups.�

Participants view about funding Some participants, who attended the conference, said the issue with funding start-ups by local investors in Nigeria, is that local investors want to make quick returns on their investments and they are not patient for the business to start yielding money.

According to them, “Local investors are in a hurry to get their returns on investment. VCs in Nigeria should look beyond the gains of funding and see funding as a way of creating solutions through the start-ups that have the ideas. We need to create a culture of long term investment in start-ups. Investors should also invest to grow solutions that will cause disruption rather than investing to make monetary gains. We need more merger and acquisition in the start-ups ecosystem where banks and organisations can merge with or acquire a start-up company and further develop the solution to cause big time disruption in the entire ecosystem.�

Women in technology Another panel session that discussed the role of women in technology, stressed the need for the support of women, whom they said, represented a large chunk of global technology regulators and ministers.

They, however, said only seven per cent of venture capitalists who invest in start-ups are women and only nine per cent of global app are developed by women, and only 10-14 per cent of technology managers are women. They therefore called for full support of women to enable them take part as technology disrupters.

The Chief Executive Officer, MainOne, Ms. Funke Opeke, said: “It is inevitable that women play a vital role in technology development because women are passionate and committed to duty, and technology in itself, does not discriminate against gender.

If women are left out in the technology space, it will create a lot of friction, so we need more women in technology.� “Women in the rural communities have less access to quality education and most

times those that managed to have access to education, shy away from technology-based courses, believing that technology courses are for the men,� Opeke said. “My advice for young women who are coming up in the tech space is to tell them to step into the world of technology and explore it with confidence. As a woman, I took a bold step into technology and today in am able to set up a technology company called MainOne and I have taken it to where it is today,� Opeke added.

Managing Director for Africa at Element in USA, Mrs. Barbara Iyayi, was of the view that AI, which is currently driving technology development across globe, would not be complete without women involvement. “The whole idea of AI is to create new things and if women are left out in the conversation, nations will be missing out.

Women are important in building tech products and digital solutions and they must be encouraged by the government and the society. We are in a world where there is clear gap of financial inclusion among women,� Iyayi said.

Managing Director and Vice President of Commercial, Mines in Nigeria, Adia Sowho, said: “Creating a solution that addresses women needs is not enough to address the challenges of women. The women have to be involved in the development of solutions that address the needs of the women folk.

Women should be talked through the design process of any technology solution. We use data to make informed decisions and data does not discriminate against gender.�

Looking at the need for women involvement in the tech space, Sowho said: “I think women should be given the opportunity to operate in the tech space. For example, I use to hire female workers in my organisation and recently, I hired eight persons for particular role and their team leader was a woman and the women happens to manage the team very well to deliver results. Today our staff strength is in the ratio of three women to one man and work is moving on well, and targets are met on record time.

So I urge the men in technology who hire staff, to always consider the women during recruitment and give them a trial.�

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‘US Proposed Ban on Huawei Equipment Will Stie Telecoms Growth’ Stories by Emma Okonji Telecoms analysts across the globe are of the view that the planned ban on Huawei telecoms equipment in the United States (US) by President Donald Trump, will stifle telecoms growth in the US. President Trump has issued an executive order believed to be targeted at prohibiting US companies from using any telecoms equipment manufactured

by Huawei.

The US president plans to

ban telecommunications firms from installing foreign-made equipment that could pose a threat to national security, White House officials had said they would step up a battle against China by effectively barring sales by Huawei, the country’s leading networking company.

Trump issued an executive order instructing the Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross, to ban transactions “posing an unacceptable risk� but did not single out any nation or company. The action has long

been expected and is the latest salvo in the administration’s economic and security battle with China. It is also the most extreme move in the Trump administration’s fight against China’s tech sector.

The executive order was “agnostic,� White House officials said in a call with reporters, declining to single out China as the focus. “This administration will do what it takes to keep

America safe and prosperous and to protect America from foreign adversaries� targeting vulnerabilities in American communications infrastructure, the White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said in a statement.

Huawei is the unparalleled leader in 5G. We are ready and willing to engage with the US government and come up with effective measures to ensure

product security. Restricting Huawei from doing business in the US will not make the US more secure or stronger; instead, this will only serve to limit the US to inferior yet more expensive alternatives, leaving the US lagging behind in 5G deployment, and eventually harming the interests of US companies and consumers.

In addition, unreasonable restrictions will infringe upon

Huawei’s rights and raise other serious legal issues.

According to Reuters, Huawei has made substantial contributions to the development and growth of Android around the world. As one of Android’s key global partners, we have worked closely with their open-source platform to develop an ecosystem that has benefitted both users and the industry.

Firm Moves to Enhance Data Collection, Analysis with NGOs Seamfix, a data solution management company that provides industry software solutions to address data capture and identity management, across various sectors of the economy, has taken a bold step to address the challenges of data collection and analysis among non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Speaking at one of the seminars organised for NGOs in Lagos recently, the Executive Director, Seamfix Nigeria Limited, Mr. Chibuzor Onwura, said: “There are lots of data around us, yet we do not make efficient use of the data for economic planning.�

NGOs, according to him, make use of data but do not know how to effectively collect and analyse those data. “It for this reason that we decided to organise the Lagos seminar for NGOs on data collection and analysis, after a similar NGO seminar in Abuja that attracted a lot of participants from the NGO space,� he said. “The NGOs are making a lot of impact on the Nigerian economy through their nonfor-profit activities where that engage the public in socioeconomic activities that will better the lots of Nigerians and the Nigerian economy. Based on their activities, we decided to organise seminars on data gathering and analysis that will

better position them in serving the public,� Onwura added.

According to him, “Data collection and analysis is a challenge in this part of the world and we have a mission at Seamfix to help organisations and government institutions to collect and analyse their data, in order to make meaningful use of data around them in making key decisions. “Our focus is to provide the enabling tools that will enable organisations find it easier to collect data, analyse data and digitise data, through our product called the BioRegistra.

We are currently engaging organisations, NGOs and government agencies to enable them perform optimally, while using our BioRegistrar solution.�

The BioRegistrar solution, he added, remained effective because it can work both in offline and online mode and it can work on mobile devices such as mobile phones, which makes it convenient for people to go around with their mobile phones to collect and analyse data. “The BioRegistrar is designed to work with or without internet and that is the beauty of the solution in data capturing and analysis. So our target is to provide solutions like BioRegistrar to big and small organisations for data capturing and analysis.�

Smile Repositions for Market Challenges In order to address market challenges and serve customers better, Smile Telecoms, a Pan-African telecommunications group with operations in Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has announced the appointments of Mr. Ahmad Farroukh as Group Chief Executive Officer and Ms. Irene Charnley as Deputy Chairman, respectively, effective 1 June 2019.

Commenting on the appointment, Smile’s Co-Chairman and Group CEO of Smile’s majority shareholder, Al Nahla Group of KSA, Mohammed Sharbatly, said: “The Africa telecoms market is as dynamic as it is challenging, and Ahmad is suited to lead Smile’s next exciting phase of growth, as we have transitioned from a spectrum rich upstart to the fastest, most reliable data gigabyte factory in sub-Sahara Africa.

We are equally delighted that

Irene will continue to serve the company she founded as deputy chair, and we look forward to her ongoing strategic direction and guidance.� “The next phase for Smile will focus on delivering excellent operational returns, achieving profitability and creating value for all stakeholders, and I believe that Farroukh is best suited to lead the Company forward in this regard�, added Charnley. “Africa is experiencing explosive data growth, and I am honoured to have the opportunity to lead the operations of one of the continent’s best 4G LTE networks at this exciting time. It has also been a revelation after over 20 years in the industry to witness the power and versatility of Smile’s proprietary technology applications platform, which was developed in-house and provides a huge competitive and cost advantage,� Farroukh said.

TECHNOLOGY FORUM

L-R: Presales Consultant at Aruba, Adeola Yusuf; Channel Manager, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Joyce Obih; Managing Director, Coscharis Technologies Limited, Mukoro Emomine Sunday; Product Sales Specialist, Coscharis Technologies Limited, Nduka Okolie and Hybrid Presales Consultant, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Babajide Lewis, at the HPE-Coscharis Partner event, which held in Lagos...recently

Luno Takes Cryptocurrency Software Manufacturer Addresses Customer Literacy toVarsities In order to raise awareness on crytocurrency among university students, Luno, last week, kicked off the campaign at the University of Lagos, with plans to extend the awareness drive to five other universities before the end of the year.

As the cryptocurrency market makes a dramatic comeback, Luno said it would not relent in its efforts to educate Nigerians about cryptocurrencies and to expose them to its benefits.

The company, which in January predicted a positive cryptocurrency market in 2019 driven by mass institutional adoption, said the literacy of potential investors in the market is critical to driving increased adoption and confidence in the market.

Luno operates in 40 markets across Europe, Southeast Asia and Africa and has seen nearly three million people registered on its platform.

Country Manager at Luno, Owenize Odia, said: “We are committed to educating our customers given the nature of the market and the tendency for people to fall into the wrong hands while online.

The literacy tour at the University of Lagos had over 300 students participated, where Odia reiterated that the market volatility required users staying ahead of the

curve.

Odia noted that the existing financial system was built for a non-digital age, ignoring the needs of the modern individual.

Unlike fiat money, bitcoin is decentralised, meaning it does not rely on any central body, government, financial institution or executive body to operate.

It is peer-to-peer network which relies on blockchain technology, cryptography and advanced mathematics. “We are contributing by investing heavily into our Luno Learning Portal, which helps the public, the media, and other stakeholders educate themselves about the facts, opportunities, and risks in the cryptocurrency market,�

Odia said.

Over 2.5 million people use Luno’s platform to carry out activities like buying and selling of Bitcoin and Ethereum.

According to the company, its learning portal would provide valuable informative materials for end-users ensuring they have all the knowledge they needed to make informed decisions and also protect their investments. Luno has also carried out Webinars, Meetups and cryptocurrency events to bridge the learning gap both in Nigeria and across Africa, Europe and Southeast Asia.

On-boarding, Fraud in Financial Services

Asseco Nigeria a software company and a subsidiary of the Asseco Group last week organised Finance Innovation Summit, where it addressed customer on-boarding opportunities and electronic banking fraud prevention with cutting edge technologies.

In his welcome address, the Chief Executive Officer, Asseco Nigeria, Simon Melchior, highlighted the importance of innovation in finance, given the increased threat from new entrants.

Sharing insight into the Asseco Group and its activities in Nigeria, he told the audience that “The Asseco Group has grown rapidly through the past decade and is now in over 50 countries with 24,000 employees. “The company has invested significantly in Nigeria, where we have a full team of technical consultants, developers and business managers. We have an extensive client base in Nigeria including a number of the top banks, insurance companies and public sector institutions,� he said.

Managing Director of Asseco Nigeria, Adefolu Majekodunmi, while presenting the growing trends in digital banking, explained that Asseco Nigeria was focused on supporting

financial institutions with cutting edge technology during this period of disruption in the banking sector.

He highlighted the growth in “neo banks� and “flanker banks� and how these have begun to challenge well established banks around the world.

Also speaking at the summit, Enterprise Director of Microsoft Nigeria, Wale Olokodana, described the development in Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in banking. He was followed by a number of international technology leaders that provided demonstrations on digital on-boarding solutions using artificial intelligence, risk management solutions to curb the growing menace of electronic banking fraud in Nigeria and customer satisfaction 2.0 applications.

The digital banking view from a bank was provided by Abidemi Asunmo of Sterling Bank. She detailed the culture of innovation at Sterling Bank and shared insight into the mutually beneficial working relationship with Asseco. At the well attended summit, Tunde Ogunleye of Oracle presented a brief presentation on how best to address data protection regulations.

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Investing in Tomato Paste Production Plant Godwin Uba

N

ow that the General Elections are gone, let us talk business. Before the election, the polity was well heated up that there were fears of pre and post-election violence in Nigeria. We should all thank God that at last we are waiting for swearing in ceremony of newly elected leaders.

There are so many challenges confronting the country at the moment. The most worrisome are power and insecurity. The most challenging in the industrial development is the power. The admiration of President Mohammadu Buhari should tackle this problem. The greatest empowerment that the Government can give to the country is to ensure improved supply of electricity.

In this write up we look at how one can make profitable investment into the Agriculture, with special reference to Tomato.

In this country today, there are so many tomatoes grown all over.

Research has shown that of the total production of fresh tomato in Nigeria, about 30% of annual productions are wasted because of lack of preservation mechanism. In the Northern parts of the country, there are large scale farmers of tomato, yet there is no preservation system to take care of the mass production. The only option available to Nigerians in this case is to establish fresh tomato processing plants to avoid wastages and at the same time encourage the farmers. The present Government of Nigeria is out to encourage investors in this area.

More investors either individuals, group of investors or governments are advised to invest in this area.

The writer will guide prospective investors in setting up this project from feasibility studies, site planning, procurement and installation of machines, development of marketing strategies and recruitment of experienced manpower to manage the project for profit. Please call 08034494437, 08023664368 for detail discussion.

Though there are various brands of tomato pastes & purees imported into the country, Nigerians can comfortably produce quality tomato pastes/puree at reduced cost and eliminate the cost of importation.

Tomato paste and puree are consumed in all the Nigeria households.

They are used in preparation of different delicacy particularly stew.

They are also used extensively in restaurants both small and big.

The demand for these products is increasing every day. The demand cut across all parts of the country.

Apart from the Nigeria market, prospective investors can sell to other parts of Africa.

Tomato can be processed into paste, canned and export to other West African Nations and sale within the country. The demand for this product is very high locally. It is one of the consumer goods needed in every home, hotels and restaurants on daily basis.

To set up an effective and efficient tomato paste-producing plant an investor needs expelling machine,

Carbon Limits Appoints New Managing Director Raheem Akingbolu Carbon Limits Nigeria, a joint venture focused on climate change strategies and mitigation actions, has announced the appointment of James Ogunleye as the Managing Director. He succeeds Paul Parks.

Ogunleye has over 18 years’ experience which spans projects planning and implementation, projects coordination, business advisory and carbon projects development.

He specialises in renewable energy systems, climate change and electricity. He has also worked with specialized power and renewable energy consulting outfits that played active roles in the grid and off-grid power systems and emerging renewable energy industry in Nigeria.

The new MD has a Bachelor (Hons.) in Engineering from the University of Ilorin and Master of Science in Engineering from the University of Ibadan and another Master of Science in Renewable Energy & the Environment, the University of Reading,

United Kingdom.

Prior to joining Carbon Limits Nigeria, Jamesheld various positions suchas Project Implementation Officer at Globacom, Projects/Business Advisor at PowerCap Limited, and Project Coordinator, Rubitec Nigeria Limited.

Commenting on the appointment, the outgoing Managing Director, Paul Parks said: “I am very pleased with the appointment of James Ogunleye into the new role. As Carbon Limits Nigeria enters her next phase of growth, James brings the relevant industry experience to deliver on the mandate. I wish him a successful tenure�.

Torleif Haugland, Technical Partner, Carbon Limits, Norway, said: “We commend the board of Carbon Limits Nigeria on the choice of James as the Managing Director.

James is an accomplished professional whose rich industry experience will be helpful in further strengthening CLN’s footprints in the Nigerian market�.

blending machine-filling machine, pasteurizer washing machine, stainless top working table and canning machine. It is also pertinent to mention that all these machines can be sourced locally. The machines can also be imported depending on the choice of the promoter fresh.

The raw material tomato seeds are widely grown in the country.

Preventatives can be obtained in the country too.

The major machinery and equipment do required to set up this project are the Extractor, Mixer, Pasteurizer, filling and canning machines.

These machines can be obtained locally from some tested machine fabricators. The machines can also be imported from some European countries.

Details will be given to prospective investors.

The production process is simple!

It is made up of washing, pulverizing, mixing with preservatives and pulpurizing. Finally they are filled and canned.

The canning materials can be obtained in this country too. The project can be set up with the sum of N12million as shown below. From investment analysis, the projected total sales in the first year will be N58 million. Deducting the projected costs of establishment, it then implies that the project can pay back the cost of establishment in the first year of operation.

The rate of returns on investment, based on our projection is 67%. The profit before tax of the proposed project is N15 million. This figure increased to N38 million in the 5th year of operation.

This project is considered feasible because the raw materials, required for setting up of this project are all available locally. The manpower is also available. The machines can be procured and installed by Nigerian machine fabricators, if the imported ones cannot be obtained. This project will forestall the importation of this product from oversea countries thereby conserve our foreign exchange.

It can generate employment of not less than 10 unemployed youths, thereby adding to the deduction of unemployment in this country.

For more information, particularly preparation of comprehensive and bankable feasibility reports, sourcing of the required funds, establishment and management of this project, contact the writer.

Financial Estimates Preliminary Investment (including feasibility studies) N250, 000 Plants & machinery N3, 500,000 Working capital N3, 000,000 Utilities N2, 500,000 Accommodation (variable) N1, 500,000 Contingencies N1, 000,000 Total N11, 750,000 The project cost may either go up depending on some variables.

For further enquires contact Uba is of the Global Trust Consulting and can be reached via 08034494437, ubagodwin@yahoo.com

Africa’s Tech Challenges Open Opportunities for Innovation’ Emma Okonji Verraki Partners, a business and technology solutions firm recently launched in Lagos, has reiterated the call for indigenous companies to see the continent’s hurdles as opportunities to innovate and take advantage of the gaps to create unique local solutions.

Verraki’s Managing Partner, Mr. Niyi Yusuf, who made the call, asserted that the current limitations provide unique testing grounds to build solutions fit-for-purpose for Nigeria and other countries on the continent.

Speaking during a media interactive session recently, Yusuf highlighted the negative narrative Africa has battled as the dark continent for long, due to poor infrastructure, youth unemployment, leadership deficit and corruption among others, stressing that these provide a unique oppor-

tunity to think differently, innovate and create fitfor-purpose solutions.

He said some of Africa’s 54 nations have made significant progress in health, education and standard of living over the past 10 years, with real income per person increasing by more than 30 per cent.

He explained that Africa’s and Nigeria’s hurdles provide opportunities to be a test-bed for innovation that could be exported to other continents. According to him, the next solutions and breakthroughs would only come from Africa, where the multiple challenges will foster newer, more innovative solutions. “With an estimated population of 1.3 billion people, a median age of 19.4, Africa has the largest talent bulge, highest concentration of young people in the world and future workforce cum consumers. As the

youngest continent, we must take advantage of the unique opportunities of human capacity development to improve productivity, coupled with vibrant entrepreneurs and growing tech ecosystems, to create a prosperous Africa for all of us. “At Verraki, our mindset is that we are in the most exciting time in the evolution of the development of the continent. “Right now, we are in the intelligent economy that converges opportunities in digital, data, analytics and intelligent automation to create new ways of doing things. “We believe that Africa’s challenges are opportunities as it were, for us to create solutions that have not been created before�, he said.

Expressing optimism about the outlook of the continent, Yusuf also pointed out that the implementation of the African free continental

trade area in the second half of the year would make the continent one big common market with ease of entry for goods and services, people and movement across borders.

There are opportunities to improve intra-regional trade, from current 18 per cent exports within Africa compared with 69 per cent of exports in Europe, 52 per cent in Asia, and 50 per cent in North America, he said.

He noted that increased intra-Africa trade would boost the fortunes of African countries and guarantee one of the biggest opportunities for growth, job creation and poverty alleviation.

Verraki is focused on implementing technology and business solutions designed inherently for Africa and specifically fit for purpose, while also curating business ventures to unlock new sources of growth across the continent.

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BUSINESSWORLD

BRAND INTERVIEW

Ajene-Ayere: PR Practitioners Must Evolve to Solution Providers The Managing Consultant, Quadrant MSL, Uche Ajene-Ayere, speaks to Raheem Akingbolu, on the current development in the public relations landscape and the need for practitioners to follow the trend to remain relevant in the market. Excerpts:

A

s a practitioner who has operated on both client-agency sides, what’s your view about the marketing communications industry in Nigeria?

The communication industry has many facets and is very important for both practitioners and business owners to understand various angles and where to draw the lines. For instance, there are agencies and there are journalists but unfortunately, those who think the major function of public relations (PR) is to put stories in newspaper or broadcast media think that PR, blogging and journalism are the same.

PR performs many functions and media is just one of the tools or vehicles that can be used when necessary to provide some of the solutions. In recent time, the issue has taken a different dimension with the digital revolution that allows individual platforms. To this end, some now see bloggers and other influencers as PR practitioners. In terms of the agencies or the activities in PR, the general public sometimes is not aware of what PR really is; they feel that anybody that writes anything online is in the PR space. And quite frankly there is an art to PR and the extent to which there is an art in PR means it needs to be better regulated. This becomes necessary so that people that come into the PR space to report things know there are certain thresholds of things they should be able to do and if they fail to do it, there could be sanctions.

At this point, I think professionalism comes in. PR practitioners are trained and most of them went to school to study related courses, worked hard, learned writing and most of them are professionally certified. You can then imagine how one will feel when the industry you so much treasure is reduced to the man down the street that just decides to write something and put it on a blog. This is where government is important as the institution with political will that can create policies that makes it hard for every Dick, Tom and Harry to come forward and present him or her as a PR person because he attracts some followers on social media handle.

What should the practitioners do to compliment government’s effort in the regard?

For us that are authentic, the real practitioners, it is now dawn on us to stand by what we say. At every forum and in anything that we handle, stakeholders should be able to see professionalism and ethical approach to issues.

In today’s market, we should not forget that the medium by which we engage customers has evolved. While traditional medium was the way it was 10 years ago or more, online industry has come in and change the way we report news and the way consumers receive news has also changed. Today, customers don’t want to read, they just want to watch a video to get information, they don’t usually want to deviate from where they usually go to get information which means that those that put out the news have to be creative and adapt to the way consumers absorb the news that’s the number one thing. But a lot of practitioners understand that, they are also changing, it also means that you have to do a lot more work to evaluate consumers, you can’t just assume that people are reading whatever you put out there. Again, data has become important, if you are putting anything out there, you need to know who is reading it and who you are targeting. What are they getting from it? Is this the right medium?

But there are still some people that traditional media is important to, especially those that don’t have access to online information either because of infrastructure, money or what have you. They too must be factored in. The bottom line therefore is that PR has evolved and the medium of passing information has also evolved.

As things are, holding each other accountable in what is being said is a lot more important and hoping that the associations which we belong to and even the government can create more firm policies. I think it should be harder for people to just come out and say they are in the PR space. I have always insisted that it’s one thing to be in the entertainment space but if you say you are in the PR space I need to be able to hold you accountable from the branding point of view because we are actually very serious people. So, there are a couple of things we need to do to position it. It’s an exciting time, because it means we are sitting down and thinking of data, it’s no longer enough to just put out news, consumers are looking out for something more you are saying, so I

it’s not that it’s dying; it’s that it has evolved.

So what makes me different from the next PR guy is that when I say that to a client, the guy will look at me and say, I didn’t even think about that. I will tell the client you can’t launch without thinking about how to counter-balance if something negative comes out. There must also be the need to also rub minds with the CEO of the company you are working for on what to say to the press during interviews.

That is value added. It is thinking for the client.

In the same vein, I may ask, have you tested it? And if they say no, I can advise the client not to launch yet, and maybe consider doing soft-launch. That is how we have changed and how we have evolved. We no longer think from a revenue stand-point. We do a lot more to help the clients business. At the end of the day, value to the client is more, but values to us also grow.

Ajene-Ayere

think we have definitely evolved.

What role do you think PR could have played in communicating government policies?

I think that communication has a huge role to play in government, not just from the talking but from the planning and from the dimension of the stakeholders or audience being able to sit down and say you want to put out something.

First of all, understand the impact hence there is no crisis management. If you’re trying to put out something, be it a policy or regulation that is going to impact some stakeholders in a certain way, how do you deliver it? There is also the need for government to put in place measures through which relevant teaching and training will be provided for the people that are even delivering it. PR plays a lot of roles in government because what you find is there are a lot of gaps. In most cases, it will be as if government is expecting citizens to fill in the gaps because is either they are not told or there are a lot of misinformation going out. So if the communication is not structured not even only from the presidency but across board, whether citizens agree or don’t agree, they should know where they can go to, to get the real information as to what’s going on. In delivering that real information, it is the job of the PR practitioner working for the government to help them recognise the issues of the various areas. They will let it be known so that when it is being written, the message is still passed across.

How can the industry address the issue of differentiation?

The way you know agencies that are going above and beyond and not just doing a check box or focused on just revenue is agencies that don’t just care about revenue but also invest in themselves. When I look at agencies, what I’m after is, what kind of technology are you using? What kind of training are you giving your personnel, are you impacting the clients? Now when we talk about digital, there is no amount of reading that can make you understand digital like the millennial, so if you are an agency that has millennial but you don’t create the good working environment they won’t stay because they like certain types of environments. So you need to have an agency that has old hands because there is nothing like experience but you also need to have young hands that are fluid and fast. Agencies that want to produce a robust service to clients should understand the needs of the teams

that they have, the older ones and the younger ones and the various tools that help them to be creative. The older ones are the ones that usually bring structure but the younger ones bring the innovative thinking and approach to seeking the products and then you can have a nice bouquet.

Charity, they say begins at home, has TQC keyed into this?

That is what Quadrant went through from when I came on board. The way we even engage journalist for instance changed. Before, there was no structure and you could get away with it, but now there is more demand, not just from customers, but even all our partner are looking at you and saying ‘you need to have a better structure because I have a lot more options’. So the idea of Quadrant today is to sit down and dimension all our stakeholders in terms of staff, the owners of the business, but more importantly, my partners, influencers and media houses. All of those people are very important to us. So engaging with them and how we engage with them is important. Based on how PR has evolved and what I am trying to put out there, I need to make sure I have staff with the required skills. So in hiring, it important to have people with a very diverse background, it is important that I have in my team, different components of people. I need a creative people; I need content people that write well, I need my media guy to write well, my business director needs to understand business and finance, my strategy people need to be well rounded. Together we can deliver value.

The way we were before was that we were all communications people. So, when we are driving solutions, it’s not as deep as it should be. That is why I said consumers and clients are asking for a lot more. The way it was before, the client will call you and say, I need a press release. So the client has already decided what they need. You then agree just like a runner to deliver the information as instructed without any input or impactful advice.

Does it mean today’s practitioners should not adhere to the brief speciďŹ cation of the client?

Not at all, what I’m saying is that as a professional, you should be able to see ahead and add more value to your client’s business by widen the scope of the brief to enhance better result. In the past, let’s say five to ten years ago, if you tell me you have a press release all that I would do is to put it in the newspapers. That is why I said PR is dying,

How do you commoditise all the values that you are now bringing to the table?

The way we commoditise it is to have what we call strategy. That is why I said Quadrant has also evolved from being a PR agency to a strategy communication consultancy. So within the strategic communication consultancy, there are certain products that we have defined within us. For instance, if you want us to launch something in Maiduguri around women, I will tell you before you do that we have to carry out a brand audit. We will try to know the perception, so that we know how to communicate to those women. Or maybe I need to do a segment audit, so that if I am communicating with those women, I know how to communicate. Because they are Northern women and there are certain nuances about them that we need to know. And if the client is targeting women between 20 and 40, we have to know if those women are allowed to use the clients’ products. That means we have to customise our medium, communication and approach based on that. All of that are under the purview of a strategic communication framework and that attracts individual cost.

So we have commoditised all the segments of our offerings in terms of size and scope.

Once we do that and we offer the clients the solution, it is customised. It’s not just that I am running with the clients’ ideas, it now customised. And guess what, the clients can now hold me accountable as an agency to say based on what the objectives are. The objectives can be in terms of awareness, conversion or hard sales. The way we did things in the past, the clients couldn’t hold the agency to anything.

What informed your agency’s recently published intelligence report on the ďŹ nancial sector?

We do media monitoring and get different analysis. So, I am always asking what else we can do in terms of data analysis. Therefore, in evaluating all of that I realised that we have a huge data base on our hands. We have been doing it for the past 30 years; you can imagine that we have enough data. But data is one thing, but the way you mine it is another. So based on some of the questions I was asking, we realised that we can actually do a quick analysis and come up with deeper insight on how the different industries operate and how they spend money and the different campaigns they do that can actually help to position their brands in a better light. We started with the banking sector because the banks cut across every segment. Being a maiden edition, it was important that we get the attention of clients across the board. We have some brand owners that are already our clients so it was easy to engage them. Like anything else, the first one was a little bit more challenging but by the time we do the subsequent ones, we expect them to be a little be easier. The good thing for us is that based on what we have learnt from doing this report, the guys in the media monitoring have already started mining data in a way that makes sense to data.

The report is in the public domain, how has the feedbacks been?

It’s actually been fantastic. A lot of people have given us a lot of kudos for embarking on something different, given them insights that they haven’t even thought about. Some of those I spoke with said it’s good for them to see what other people are doing, in order to know areas, they need to improve on in terms of spend and strategy. Another bank said they didn’t realise that all the other banks are doing mentions according to products.

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BeneďŹ ts of DiversiďŹ ed, Strategic Investments and Operation Oluchi Chibuzor

G

iven the pivotal role SMEs play in fostering economic growth, what must the government, regulators and banks do to further drive growth of the sector in Nigeria?

Over 40years of investment experience, solid foundation and rare business acumen, foresight and excellent capacity to forecast trends in a consistently volatile and unpredictable socio-political and economic environment have been revealed to underscore the history of First City Monument Bank (FCMB).

The prosperity of the Bank is also linked to prudence of management, professionalism in leadership and continuous motivation of its workforce and the firm’s intense commitment to excellent customer service.

While FCMB could qualify as one of the oldest financial powerhouses in the Nigerian Banking space, the brand is ever fresh, quite innovative, youthful and flexible when it comes to product offerings.

In loans portfolio, it has invested in agriculture and the agro-allied industry, the manufacturing, oil and gas, telecommunication, tourism and the hospitality sectors. In infrastructure, it has spent heavily on technology, instituting innovations that are already driving banking to the future.

It has taken the drivers’ seat in digital banking, accelerating financial inclusion with an uncommon speed. It is taking banking to the nooks and crannies of the nation’s towns and villages while transporting agency banking and mobilising FCMB Microfinance to empower low-income households, macro, small and medium businesses, for social security and the nation’s economic growth and prosperity.

Asked to scale FCMB on the path of history, financial examiner, risk and insurance, expert, Dr. Dan Okehi said, “FCMB has continued to wax strong.

Like the JP Morgan Chase, Kongo Gunmi, Old Mutual, Caswell-Massey and Genda Shigyos of this world, I see in FCMB, a financial monument built from the foundations to endure�.

The expert described the Bank as very focused from the beginning and has shown consistency, acquiring other institutions, has demonstrated vigour and resilience with a clear strategy predicated on a very strong growth and solid succession plan. He said FCMB is a serious financial institution.� “I admire its crop of young, skilful, intelligent and vibrant management and staff of FCMB. Not necessarily competing with anyone, I read and hear about its inroads anywhere I turn,� Okehi submitted.

Speaking on FCMB Group Plc’s current performance, its Group Chief Executive, Mr. Ladi Balogun, said, “our approach to business and commitment demonstrate the resilience of the organisation. It also shows that our diversified strategy of building a Group that is strong in retail banking, corporate and investment banking as well as wealth management, is beginning to bear fruits, because all the subsidiaries contributed to the performance.’’ FCMB, develops and builds businesses. It is solution-oriented. In today’s financial market, the Bank is driving a women-oriented initiative known as SheVentures, designed for women-owned SMEs. The initiative provides enhanced support to existing and upcoming women-owned SMEs through access to finance, training and mentoring to boost their businesses in a sustainable manner. In addition, the FCMB SheVentures initiative provides zero-interest rate on loans

Balogun

to women-owned SMEs. The bank has also floated the Canton Fair Campaign called “Race to China� which provides small and medium scale business owners the opportunity to win free tickets and accommodation in China on FCMB’s sponsorship, to attend the 2019 Canton Fair, China’s biggest import and export fair.

While the financial supermarket is offering a 3month banking without charges value proposition to SMEs and business owners, its FCMB Millionaire Promo has been directed at the unbanked and underbanked among the public, to develop a savings culture, a way to drive the financial inclusion objectives of the Central Bank of Nigeria. It was for this reason, the Bank recently launched FCMB Easy Account with the “Your Phone Number is Your Account Number� campaign, a platform for citizens who have never owned bank accounts.

It is developing bespoke products, platforms and solutions that resonate with the needs and lifestyles of the market to consolidate its valuable franchise.

The bank has also launched a digital chatbot, named Temi. This is a computer based and artificial intelligence programme, designed for interaction via voice or texts with human element on social media messaging platforms.

For this Group, things look up remarkably. The stellar performance and giant strides recorded by the financial institution which operates as a Holding Company with eight subsidiaries that are market leaders in their respective segments, is an affirmation of this reality. The organisation has consistently braced the odds to consolidate its position as one of the dominant players in the Nigerian financial services industry and the economy in general.

The financial results of FCMB Group

for 2018 again brought to the fore, its resilience, dynamism and ability to successfully turn the challenges of the business environment to opportunities.

This also goes a long way to prove the mettle of FCMB as a brand with an inherent capacity to sustainably deliver exceptional financial services as well as returns to customers and shareholders with profound multiplier effects on the nation’s economy in general.

At the sixth Annual General Meeting (AGM) of FCMB Group held recently, shareholders unanimously applauded the entity for delivering another inspiring result for the financial year ended December 31, 2018. Approved, was the payment of a cash dividend of 14kobo per ordinary share, as against 10kobo paid in 2017.

Going by its audited accounts for 2018, FCMB Group’s profit before tax (PBT) rose by 73 per cent to N18.4 billion, as against N11.5 billion in the preceding year. Gross revenue grew to N177.4 billion, an increase of 4.3 per cent, compared to the N169.9 billion for the same period in 2017.

Net interest income as at the end of 2018 rose by three per cent Year-on-Year (YoY) to N72.6 billion.

In demonstration of the enhanced confidence of customers in FCMB, deposits also increased by 19 per cent YoY to N821.7 billion while loans and advances stood at N633 billion.

Total assets went up by 21 per cent YoY to N1.43 trillion, just as capital adequacy ratio was 15.9 per cent There was also a significant increase on Return on Average Equity (ROAE) for 2018 financial year as the lender continues to grow shareholders’ earnings. It grew its profit by 61 per cent, driven by improved performance in consumer finance business and increase in fees and commissions First City Monument Bank, the

flagship of FCMB Group, recorded a 63 per cent rise in profit before tax to N14.2 billion, compared to N8.7 billion in 2017.

The balance sheet of the bank grew by 19 per cent from N1.17 trillion in 2017 to N1.39 trillion in 2019. There was a 20 per cent rise in deposits, just as customer base grew by 20 per cent to 4.9 million customers.

The bank also witnessed outstanding growth in alternate channels by leveraging on technology and collaborations.

In 2018, First City Monument Bank recorded a strong surge in customer acquisition and migration to digital channels for transactional purposes.

In addition, the number of customers on the bank’s mobile channels as at the end of 2018 increased by 124.69 percent to 2.78 million from 1.23 million the previous year.

FCMB’s *329# USSD mobile banking channel recorded more than 1,200 per cent growth in transaction count, with transaction volume growing 1,600 per cent from N46million in 2017 to N759million in 2018.

There was an improvement in Point of Sales (POS) deployment and transactions last year. Value of POS transactions of First City Monument Bank jumped by 59 percent to N272.76 billion in December 2018 from N171.13 billion as at December 2017.

The Bank’s earnings from electronic products and electronic transactions improved by 45 per cent to N8.32bn in 2018 as against N5.75bn in 2017 to emerge as one of the leaders in this segment of the banking industry.

Analysts are of the opinion that with a clear understanding of its market and the environment, FCMB has built a solid and robust foundation thereby cementing its position as a top performer in the financial services industry.

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Are Parties to PSC Entitled to Tertiary Education Tax Receipt?

Victor Onyenkpa Introduction: For some time now, there has been some controversy on whether the contractors under a Production Sharing Contract (PSC) in Nigeria should be entitled to Tertiary Education Tax (TET) receipt. This controversy is naturally following from a view held by some, that such contractors do not pay TET. This article is in 3 sections. The first section looks at the background to the controversy. The second section reviews some provisions of the tax laws that are relevant in the determination of whether such contractors legitimately pay TAT. The final part is the concluding remarks.

Background: The Petroleum Act of 1969 places the entire ownership and control of all oil and gas in place within any land in Nigeria, under its territorial waters and continental shelf, in the state of Nigeria. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) manages the petroleum assets on behalf of the federation.

Prior to the advent of PSCs in 1993, Joint Venture (JV) arrangements were the model used for most petroleum exploration and production operations in Nigeria, and they continue to be used today. Each party to the JV is responsible for preparing and filing its PPT returns with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) based on the proceeds from its share of the petroleum produced as well as its share of the cost of production (both capital and recurrent costs).

The PPT rate for companies engaged in JV operations is 85 per cent.

The PSC arrangements that are the subject of the present controversy, were introduced from 1993. It is generally recognised that the terms of the PSCs were deliberately structured to provide a more favourable fiscal regime than applied under the JV arrangements. This was in recognition of the fact that, in 1993, the Deep Offshore was regarded as a “frontier area�, in which exploration and production would require far greater capital expenditure and would involve a far greater degree of risk than in other, less technically challenging Nigerian oil fields. The more favourable fiscal regime applicable to the PSCs include a lower rate of PPT (50% instead of the generally applicable rate of 85%), Investment Tax Credit or Allowance at 50% (instead of the extant lower rates of between 5% and 20%), and lower royalty rates than apply in the taxation of other non-PSC operations.

The commencement of production from the deep offshore regions governed by the PSCs heralded several disputes between NNPC, which represented the country in the PSCs and the contractors, on the interpretation of the provisions of the PSC. The challenges ranged from the entitlement of the contractors to investment tax credit, to whether the contractors are even tax payers and entitled to petroleum profits tax receipts.

This was unfortunately not helped by the FIRS, which took the position that it should support the views of the NNPC (as a sister agency of the Federal Government) even in the face of overwhelming evidence in Nigerian tax laws to the contrary.

Most of the issues were eventually resolved in favour of the contractors. But the question of the entitlement of the contractors to TET receipts has unfortunately, not gone away.

To be fair, this is not a position being pushed by the NNPC. Rather, it was one arrived at by the FIRS all by itself, from the early days of the controversy when it held the view that the PSC contractors were not engaged in petroleum operations and were therefore not entitled to PPT receipt and TET receipt in their names.

While it now accepts that the PSC contractors are indeed engaged in petroleum operations and are entitled to PPT receipts in their names (thanks to the very unambiguous provision in the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts Act to that effect), it has continued to maintain that the PSC contractors are not entitled to TET receipts. The reasons given by the FIRS for this position are: 1. If PSC contractors were entitled to TET receipts, the Deep Offshore And Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts Act would have specifically provided for it, just as it did for PPT

Fowler receipts; and 2. The TET paid by the contractors is reimbursed by NNPC and is therefore not their cost, but that of NNPC. To address the above, it is pertinent to set out the provisions of some laws that are relevant to the discussion.

Legal Basis: The two keys laws of relevance are the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts Act and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (Establishment, etc.) Act. Deep Offshore and Inland Basin PSC Act The Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts Act (DOIBPSCA) provided some modification to the taxation of both Contractors and the Corporation (or Holder) under the Petroleum Profits Tax (PPT) Act - the primary legislation for the taxation of companies engaged in petroleum operations.

Section 3 of the DOIBPSCA titled “Determination of Petroleum Profits Tax� provides as follows: 1. The Petroleum Profits Tax payable under a Production Sharing Contract shall be determined in accordance with the Petroleum Profits Tax Act as amended: Provided that the Petroleum Profits Tax applicable to the contract area as defined in the Production Sharing Contracts shall be 50 per cent flat rate of chargeable profits for the duration of the Production Sharing Contracts.

2. Nothing contained in this Act shall be construed as having exempted the Contractors from the payment of any other taxes, duties or levies imposed by any Federal, State or Local Government, or Area Council Authority.

Section 12 of the Act further provides for the chargeable tax on petroleum operations in the contract area under the PSC to be shared between Corporation and the Contractor in the same profit sharing ratio as the split of profit oil as defined in the PSC between them.

Tertiary Education Trust Fund Act Section 1(2) of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (Establishment, etc.) Act (TET Act) imposes the tax (tertiary education tax) on the assessable profit of a company registered in Nigeria. Section 1(4) of the TET Act further provides that all companies chargeable to tax under the Petroleum Profits Tax Act shall be liable to pay the full extent of the tax imposed under this Act. Section 2(1)(a) of the TET Act further requires the FIRS to, ‘... when assessing a company, for‌ petroleum profit tax for an accounting period of the company, also proceed to assess the company for the tax due under this Act’.

Conclusion The Contractors in the PSCs are companies

registered in Nigeria. Further, they are companies engaged in petroleum operations and therefore liable to PPT. The Contractors, by virtue of sections 1(2) and 1(4) of the TET Act, are therefore fully subject to the payment of TET. Neither are they provided any exemption by the DOIBPSCA, as any such perceived exemption is thrown out by virtue of section 3(2) of the said Act. As the body responsible for ensuring that companies comply with the provisions of tax laws in Nigeria, the position of the FIRS with respect to entitlement of PSC Contractors to TET receipt is confusing. If it is of the view that the Contractors are not paying TET, why has it not prosecuted them, as they have no basis under any law not to do so? If on the other hand, it agrees they are paying TET, why has it refused to issue receipts to them?

Please note that there is no provision in the PPTA nor in the TET Act that imposes tax on contract area; the taxes are imposed on companies. This fact is buttressed by section 12 of the DOIBPSCA which provides for the chargeable tax in the Contract Area under a PSC to be allocated to the Corporation and Contractor (all companies) in the same ratio as split of Profit Oil. This provision is further replicated in Section 22 (4) of the PPTA. And as already highlighted above, TET Act imposes the tax on companies registered in Nigeria and on companies chargeable to tax under the PPT Act (sections 1(2) and 1(4) respectively).

Now let us examine the reasons given by the FIRS for not issuing TET receipts to PSC Contractors. The first reason is that the DOIBPSCA did not specifically provide for TET receipts to be split between NNPC and the Contractors, just as it did for PPT receipts. It is perhaps worth emphasizing that the fiscal terms of the PSCs which the DOIBPSCA sought to codify relate mainly to PPT. It did not address all other taxes, duties, levies etc. that the contractors would be liable to, by virtue of their operations in Nigeria. This is indeed the reason why the DOIBPSCA, in section 3(2) clearly provided that “Nothing contained in this Act shall be construed as having exempted the Contractors from the payment of any other taxes, duties or levies imposed by any Federal, State or Local Government, or Area Council Authority�. The DOIBPSCA cannot therefore, be the reason for not issuing TET receipts to PSC contractors, if the FIRS accepts that they are liable to the tax and have indeed paid the tax. If anything, the DOIBPSCA provision on how the PPT receipt should be issued ought to be seen as a guide to how the TET receipt should be issued.

The second argument that the TET paid by the contractors have been reimbursed and is therefore not their cost, is also not tenable. The so-called reimbursement of costs (including TET) provided in the PSCs is simply an acknowledgement that since the contractor has paid all the costs, they (i.e. the costs) have to be

taken out (“reimbursed�) before determining the amount of profits to be shared by the parties in the ratio defined in the PSC. Just like in any other business, the costs incurred in running the business are first recovered, to determine the profit on which taxes are to be paid. It is this same profit that is shared with NNPC after all appropriate taxes (including TET) have been paid. There is no other “reimbursement of cost� made by NNPC to the Contractor, contrary to the view held by some officials of the FIRS. A simple modelling will show that had the TET not been paid, the profit share of the contractors would have been higher by the amount of their share of the TET. In effect, they have borne their profit percentage of the TET paid. The receipt should be issued accordingly.

It is instructive to note that unlike PPT and royalty that are mandated to be paid by the Corporation through tax and royalty oil liftings, the Contractors pay the TET directly to the FIRS. Therefore, if any one party is to be issued a receipt for the payment of TET, it should be the Contractors. This is however not what is being proposed in this article, as the payment is made on behalf of all the parties to the PSC. The current practice of the FIRS in issuing the TET receipts in the name of the contract area is of no good. The “contract area� is not a taxable person. Rather, the parties to the PSC covering that contract area are the taxable persons. And if it (FIRS) needs a law to back up this position, it need look no further than the TET Act itself.

Section 2(1)(a) of the TET Act requires the FIRS to, ‘... when assessing a company, for‌ petroleum profit tax for an accounting period of the company, also proceed to assess the company for the tax due under this Act’. This section is clear that it is companies (not contract areas) that are assessed to TET. It also provides for the assessment for TET to follow that of PPT. If the FIRS accepts that PPT should be assessed on companies and not on contract areas, it should have no difficulty doing the same for TET. The FIRS, as a key agency of government, needs to align its activities to support the current drive to improve the ease of doing business in Nigeria. So much time and effort has been expended on the simple matter of issuing TET receipts to the legitimate taxpayers.

And when you recognize that issuing receipts to the PSC Contractors does not reduce by even a kobo, the amount of the TET (or PPT for that matter) that is paid, you begin to wonder whose cause the FIRS is protecting.

If we are saying to the world that we are open for business, the best advertisement will be how we treat those who are already doing business here. We should not let little things like issuing TET receipts in the names of legitimate taxpayers get in the way.

-Onyenkpa is the Chief Operating Officer at KPMG Nigeria

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BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

Desist from Ethical Practices, Revenue Agency Warns Licencing OfďŹ cers

Report: Trade Tensions, Policy Uncertainty Dampen Growth Prospects

Sylvester Idowu in Warri

Ugo Aliogo

The Delta State Chapter of the Association of Insurance Managers/CEOs and Insurance Brokers have warned the motor licencing officials at the Delta State Board of Internal Revenue (DBIR) to desist from unethical practices that are against the third party motor Insurance Acts of 1945 as Amended in Insurance Acts of 2003.

The association maintained that motor licencing offices have no business with the issuance of third party motor insurance policy.

The Chairman of the group, Mr. Ben Usiora, gave the warning at a press conference in Warri.

Usiora, who was flanked by his Secretary, Sangobiyi Seun, insisted that third party motor licencing insurance can only be done by insurance companies registered by the National Insurance Commission, (NAICOM) under the insurance Act of 2003 as Amended. “It has been the challenge in Delta State for some months now, the State Board of Internal Revenue engaged the services

of Richfield Technologies Limited to handle vehicle license renewal as well as third party Insurance renewal which is against the spirit of Insurance Act 2003. “We want to state that Insurance business are risk transfer mechanism from the insured (i.e the customer) to the insurer (insurance companies) and when the insured incident occurs in this wise motor accident, insurance companies are liable to pay compensation,� he added.

Usiora, noted that the third party motor insurance was one of the compulsory insurance in Nigeria backed by law that’s, “third party motor insurance Acts 1945 as Amended in Insurance Acts of 2003.�

According to Usiora,�It covers third party damage or injury caused by the insured to the third party. This may be a vehicle or properties. Under the above quoted insurance Acts of 1945 as Amended in Insurance Acts of 2003. “A fake carrier of motor third party insurance certificate is liable for a fine of N250,000 or two years’ imprisonment or both,� he said.

The global economy is experiencing a broad-based growth slowdown amid unresolved trade tensions, high international policy uncertainty, and softening business confidence, according to the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) mid-2019 report.

The report released in New York, predicted weaker global growth to casts a shadow over efforts to implement the 2030 agenda for the sustainable development, which had set universal goals for eliminating poverty, promoting prosperity and social well-being while protecting the environment.

Weaker economic growth puts at risk essential investments in areas such as education, health, climate change adaptation and sustainable infrastructure, it stated.

According to the report, the growth outlook in all major developed economies and most developing regions has weakened due to a confluence of both domestic and external factors.

Following an expansion of

three per cent in 2018, world gross product growth was now projected to moderate to 2.7 per cent in 2019 and 2.9 per cent in 2020, reflecting a downward revision from the forecasts released in January.

The report identified several downside risks that could trigger a sharper or more prolonged growth slowdown in the world economy, potentially inflicting significant damage on development progress.

These risks include a further escalation in trade tensions, a sudden deterioration in financial conditions, and the accelerating effects of climate change. “More comprehensive and well-targeted policy responses are needed to tackle the current growth slowdown,� UN’s Chief Economist and Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, Elliot Harris said. “It is increasingly clear that policies to promote sustainable development will need to look beyond GDP growth and identify new and more robust measures of economic performance that appropriately reflect the costs of

inequality, insecurity and climate change.�

Amid unresolved trade disputes and higher tariffs, the projected growth of world trade has been revised downwards to 2.7 per cent in 2019, slowing markedly from 3.4 per cent in 2018.

The report warned that a spiral of additional tariffs and retaliations could have significant spill overs on the developing countries, particularly those with a high export exposure to the impacted economies. A more protracted period of weak international trade activity could also harm investment prospects and adversely affect productivity growth in the medium term.

In response to slowing growth and subdued inflation, major central banks have eased their monetary policy stances.

These recent monetary policy shifts have helped to stabilise global financial markets and capital flows to emerging economies.

However, the report cautioned that the more protracted period of monetary accommodation could exacerbate financial imbalances,

including further fuelling debt accumulation, raising mediumterm risks to financial stability.

Faced with deep-rooted structural weaknesses, several large developing countries are struggling to recover from recession or remain trapped on a low growth path. The report highlights that per capita income growth in several parts of Africa, Western Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean is expected to remain very weak in the outlook period. This poses additional challenges for the Sustainable Development Goals, including the goal to universally eradicate poverty by 2030.

The report further noted that while poverty remains predominantly rural, further progress on poverty reduction also hinges on the effective management of ongoing urbanization. This was particularly relevant for Africa and South Asia, the two regions with the highest number of people in poverty, which are expected to also experience the most rapid pace of urbanization in the next two decades.

Delta Urges Oil Host Communities to Sustain Peace Sylvester Idowu in Warri The Delta State Government has called on oil and gas producing communities in the state to sustain the existing peace in order to enhance the synergy among critical stakeholders and development partners in the oil and gas sector.

The State Commissioner Ministry for Oil and Gas, Mr Freeman Fregene, stated this in Ughelli during a consultative stakeholders’ forum with oil and gas producing communities in Delta central, in continuation of the state government’s engagement sessions with representatives of host communities of oil and gas.

He said Delta State had witnessed steady increase in oil and gas production in recent times as a result of the relative peace in the region, emphasising the need for host communities of oil and gas in the state to give peace a chance for multinationals and other oil and gas companies to operate in the state.

Fregene, stated that the forum with the theme, “Curbing Youth Restiveness and Criminalities in the Oil and Gas Sector for Sustainable Development in Delta State,� was part of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa efforts at ensuring the return of multinationals that left the state in the heat of insecurity in the Niger Delta region.

He noted that the engagement sessions would complement the federal government’s quest for peace in the Niger Delta region and also to encourage the return of multinational oil companies which relocated from the state in the heat of insecurity.

Fregene, noted that for the state’s economy to grow, the synergy between critical stakeholders in the oil and gas sector must be sustained and

appealed to host communities to avoid rancour with the oil companies.

The oil and gas commissioner urged communities to shun excessive and unnecessary monetary demands from oil companies operating in their areas as the state government has signed into law the bill prohibiting multiple levies demanded from investors and developers, pointing out that such act discourages infrastructural development.

While stressing that acts such as illegal refining of crude oil, pipeline vandalism, kidnapping and incessant demands for development was inimical to the progress and development of the state, Fregene urged oil and gas companies and host communities to ensure that there are inputs from the state government during signing of Memorandum of Understanding, MOUs. The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Oil and Gas, Mrs Nkem Ajufo and the Director of Local Content, Mr Aweka Avwenaghagha, said oil and gas producing communities should take advantage of the ministry to nip any issues arising from the operations of oil and gas companies that could lead to hostilities as government was determined to create a peaceful atmosphere for international oil companies to operate.

In a lecture titled, “Curbing Youth Restiveness and Criminality in the Oil and Gas Sector for Sustainable Development in Delta State,� a Senior lecturer in the Department of Political Science, Delta State University, Abraka, Dr Princewill Okereka, said youth restiveness in the Niger Delta had been predominant resulting in acts of violence, lawlessness, hostage taking, illegal bunkering among others.

FOR CLEANER LAGOS

L-R: Head of Legal, Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) Bukola Adeyemo; Head of Engineering, Abimbola Ajayi; Head, Operations- Visionscape, Mr. Sola Taiwo, and Admin Officer, Mr. Stanley Ogendengbe, at the handover of operational vehicles and equipment

by Visionscape to LAWMA in Lagos...recently

Mobil Support Host Communities Okon Bassey in Uyo Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN) has donated over 500 market items including tables, chairs and sunscreen ultra large umbrellas to indigenes of Ibeno, Eket, Esit Eket and Onna loccal government areas of Akwa Ibom State.

The Group General Manager, National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Mr. Roland Ewubare, who made the donation said it was part of NNPC /MPN Joint Venture Community Investment Programme the state.

Ewubare, who was represented

by Mrs. Henrietta Obioma -Igwe in a brief ceremony in Upenekang, headquarters of Ibeno local government area, described the community investment programme as a value - adding initiative aimed at delivering sustainable value to all stakeholders in the areas

for peaceful co-existence, environmental and safety practices.

He praised the youths for effectively collaborating with the execution partners to implement those programmes saying, “we believe that working together we can and will always achieve a lot more.�

According to him, the programme was targeted to positively engage youths, reorientate and inculcate virtues in them. “Our corporate social responsibility and citizenship place high premium on empowerment and capacity building initiatives such as this, in addition to our other contributions in other sectors. “We will continue to support these and other laudable programmes, while seeking ways for improved partnership with our various stakeholders to sustain and develop our communities,� he added.

The market items falls under the Upgrade /Beautification of Market Stalls programme which saw each of the four benefiting local governments receiving items each of market tables, chairs and umbrellas which Ewubare said was, “to encourage, empower the women of these communities,� and charged them to make judicious use of the items.

The Group General Manager also presented five waste bins each to the affected communities as to ameliorate or stop the littering of waste in the community.

The waste bins came under the Clean and Green component of the programme which was facilitated by Arts and Skill Development Initiative, a nongovernmental organisation.

Project Coordinator, Foundation for Peace Studies and Human Development who facilitated the market upgrade and beautification, Mr. Joseph Utin, said the

market items, including the tables, would help to prevent diseases and infections hitherto associated with consumables.

According to him, the presentation of the items “comes with an attitude; if you are given this beautiful tables, fantastic chairs and sunscreen umbrellas to take care of your trade, I think it is important that you begin to conduct yourself well at the market place because where these come from, there is more.�

Warning against misuse and abuse of the items, Utin said, “if you are not in the business of trading, please we want these things to be displayed at the market place not at the road corner, not in people’s houses.�

Reacting to the donation, wife of the chairman Ibeno local government, Mrs Ethel Ifim, expressed thanked MPN and assured that none of the items will “go astray.�

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NNPC and the Fuss Over Staff Re-Deployment Gbenga Adeleke It’s hardly tenable that any enlightened interest could question the rationale for the announcement of staff retirement and re-deployment at a public institution the way the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) did last week.

The NNPC last week announced the retirement of 11 senior management staff and redeployment of 19 others in an exercise it described as statutory. Most of those redeployed are to replace those exiting the Corporation into retirement by end of May and early June.

But there have been insinuations about the exercise in the media, and some have questioned while the GMD did it at a time of transition for the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. Some have even read ethnic interests into the exercise.

I am sure the Group Managing Direction, GMD, of the Corporation, Maikanti Baru, who must have initially felt relief being able to get the approval for the retirements and redeployments at once (considering his busy schedule), must be bewildered by grumblings in the media over the exercise. The frustration was almost palpable in a press statement issued by NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, explaining the exercise.

He described the staff movement as “normal replacement and backfill exercise� to bridge the gap occasioned by impending retirement of some management staff of the corporation, among others. He stressed that the process followed extant rules and that such replacements were always effected before the final exit of the concerned staff.

The NNPC spokesman said it was usual for the corporation to obtain approval on replacements of retiring staff ahead of schedule. He said this was the case with the recent exercise that takes effect as at when the retiring staff departs at various times within the period. Ughamadu said the exercise was effected to ensure uninterrupted operations of the corporation in achieving its mandate and urged members of the public to disregard any insinuations.

It certainly beats the imagination that some vested interests would not see the exercise for what it was- an administrative effort to promote efficiency and prevent lethargy. While it is not always a surprise that some Nigerians would be sceptical about NNPC figures or operational efficiency due largely to the unsavoury history of the Corporation, it must be the height of

Baru

pessimism (or even mischief) to ask questions about an administrative action that did not breach any law or public service rules.

It is quite obvious that the retirement of these officers will open up gaps in the management of some important Strategic Business Units and Commercial Strategic Units of the corporation. This undoubtedly calls for urgency in proposing competent staff within the corporation for promotion to fill up those vacancies. Only an indolent management would allow a vacuum to be created at such strategic units of the Corporation.

It is quite instructive that the faceless critics of the NNPC action are not concerned about those retired. The grumbling, as is to be expected, must be coming from those whose sense of entitlement had been hurt by the exercise. These are NNPC senior staff who had hoped to reap from the retirement of others, but who were, in the wisdom of those at the helm at NNPC, not suitable yet for the offices.

This is why there is such desperation to discredit the exercise as a promotion of cronyism and ethnic interest by those who had waited in the wings, and perhaps

Botswana, Rwanda Voted ‘Africa Most Ethical Countries’ Botswana and Rwanda have emerged Africa Most Ethical Countries from research carried out by African Public Relations Association’s (APRA’s) second Ethics and Reputation Research Study.

The study, which was powered by reputation research agency, Reputation Matters Research, had its results presented to delegates at APRA’s 31st annual conference, hosted in Kigali, Rwanda.

With the theme ‘Africa and Storytelling: Changing the Narrative’, APRA 2019 brought together thoughtleaders and practitioners in the communication and marketing arena from across the continent to learn more and share best practices about storytelling; a powerful public relations (PR) tool, and how ethical storytelling can help change the narrative of Africa.

The ethics and reputation study surveyed 225 CEOs, executives, directors, senior management and public relations individuals across Africa, with the overarching

goal to better understand how ethics and reputation play a role in our daily lives and on a business and country level.

The results, which were presented at the APRA conference last week, showed that ethics are perceived to be principles of good behaviour, rules, standards, and values.

On an individual and organisational level, “ethics and reputation are of the utmost importance and form part of storytelling and shaping a realistic narrative,� Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, president of APRA, said.

Participants were asked whether they regard their own country to be ethical. “The results are clear, respondents do not feel that ethics is the driving force on a country level, which scored an average of only 39 percent. Participants also feel that African countries do not consider ethics when it comes to financial management and service delivery. The main ethical compromise is corruption at government level,�

Regine le Roux, managing director of Reputation Matters said.

Botswana was again voted as being perceived to be the most ethical country in Africa, with the host country, Rwanda, coming in second. “What is very interesting about this finding is that participants from Botswana only made up four percent of the respondents who participated, highlighting the importance that reputation is strongly influenced by perceptions of stakeholders,� le Roux added. “Now, more than ever before, leaders of countries have the responsibility to lead by example in order to influence the narrative and drive the way that stories are told on the African continent.

Ethics should be part of every individual’s, organisation’s and country’s DNA and needs to be communicated from the top down, on all levels in order to have a positive effect on storytelling,�

Badejo-Okusanya said.

lobbied to no avail for those positions.

It is almost a rehash of the sentiments usually expressed by mischief makers anytime the Nigerian military announced new promotions and posting. The military often found itself having to explain that its exercise was a routine activity which carried no sentiments.

While the NNPC is not the military, those who alleged the exercise did not follow due process have not stated what rules were breached. And those who claimed the redeployment favoured only a section of the country have not mentioned those who were suitable for the appointments but were bye-passed.

It is pathetic that a promotion exercise at a profit-driven public institution such as the NNPC would be viewed as if it were political appointments. Anyone who has cared to look through the list of those recently redeployed would appreciate the thoroughness of the selection process. These are positions requiring special technical and administrative skills. No one has said any of those redeployed was not suitable for the position appointed.

While one cannot claim to know the

level of competence of those appointed, we must have faith that those who carried out the exercise knew what they were doing.

The NNPC has only one group managing director and the bucks stops at his table.

If the GMD has to respond to queries on simple administrative actions from his table like staff redeployment, what right have we to demand efficiency from NNPC? The fuss over the redeployment is a storm in a tea- cup. It is simply noise making, and it helps no one. The question any serious-minded Nigerian must ask on the exercise are few and simple. First, did the exercise follow extant corporate guidelines of the Corporation? Two, are those retired due for retirement within the month or two or three as required by the rules? Three, are those redeployed to fill the expected vacancies qualified and competent? Is the approval for the redeployments beneficial to the efficiency of NNPC or not?

So far from what is available in the media, the answers to these questions are positive. If the answers to these questions are in the affirmative, it goes without saying that any insinuation about other ulterior or exterior motives must be what it is: mischief!

The NNPC under Baru has earned our confidence, even if it’s in a small way, and we must give him the benefit of doubt. In a first of its kind in recent times, the NNPC was able to detect fraud in its operations and stop it. Through fraud and forensic investigations of activities of its subsidiary groups, the NNPC was able to save $1.6bn that could have gone to the Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Nigeria Limited. This is already in the public domain.

The companies were fleecing NNPC’s flagship Upstream subsidiary, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) and the Corporation got an award against them to refund 1.6 billion dollars to the NPDC. Incidentally, the NPDC is among companies affected by last week’s redeployments.

Baru was the second Chairman of the NNPC Anti-Corruption Committee in 2004, and as GMD he’s ensured all staff of the corporation and its various stakeholders were educated about NNPC’s corporate policies and the various anti-corruption acts in the country in order to avoid fraudulent transaction.

This is why the frenzy over the redeployments is meaningless.

-Adeleke writes from Lagos

Firm Offers Bonus to Sports Fans As Sports’ betting in the country continue to evolve, a new online betting site -Bettabet.ng, has entered the Nigerian market with a promise of exciting offerings for fans.

According to a statement issued in Lagos by the promoters of the new brand, Bettabet.ng, a sports betting website created and operated by International Lottery and Gaming Limited, owners of Naija Lottery, draws upon best practices from leading European bet markets. It is also stated that it was driven by top-notch safety systems as it ensures reliability and security for sports fans on all betting transactions. “The launch of Bettabet.ng is premised on moves by International Lottery and Gaming Limited to transform betting and address contemporary challenges encountered by enthusiasts with exciting games and great odds on the online platform,� the statement stated.

Managing Director International Lottery and Gaming Limited, Mr. Manolis Lambrakis was quoted as saying that the birth of the company reflects ingenuities from the frontline

gaming firm.

He said: “The desire of the company was not just to establish a sports betting platform but also to provide job opportunities for Nigerians.

Addressing unemployment among Nigerian youths is the core philosophy behind the establishment of the company. “We are not in the market to receive money from our customers alone, our desire is to provide social, economic and financial upliftment to youths and help the government reduce unemployment across the country�, He noted.

Bettabet.ng is a product of years of research into the yearning of sports betting fans in Nigeria, hence the decision to incorporate popular sports from other climes including basketball, volleyball, tennis, casino, jackpot, keno among others which are not yet household names in Nigeria but have received the craving of betting fans who longed for a platform that offers them the opportunity to bet on them.

Speaking on delivering value to betting fans, Mr Lambrakis notes: “Aside the popular top

European leagues, Champions and Europa Leagues and other football leagues that commands tremendous followership among Nigerians, our research indicated that sports such as baseball, ice hockey, water polo, snooker, cricket, Aussie Rules, Futsal, floorball and darts, that are not traditionally accepted in this part of the world are attracting the attention of sport betting fans, hence our desire to offer fans the chance to make a living from betting on them.

The Managing Director says the firm has acquired all necessary documents from regulatory authorities, as the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) visited the firm’s corporate headquarters in Lagos recently to inspect facilities and preparedness before granting license of operation.

On Bettabet.ng payment system, Marketing Director, Mike Ogor affirmed that the site’s mobile payment structure is reliable and ranks top in the betting industry. He allayed any fear of electronic fraud as he explained that the betting firm has put in place world class equipment.

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T H I S D AY Ëž Í°ÍąËœ Ͱ͎ͯ͡

Preparing Workforce of the Future Ugo Aliogo in this report examines what organisations need to do to prepare the workforce of the future

T

he workplace of the future is undergoing a fundamental transformation because of technological disruption.

This disruption is improving the way tasks are carried out in the workplace and driving efficiency. Organisations and companies are increasing investing in automation and thinking machines to drive innovations, results and keep pace with the ever changing business environment.

According to a study by PwC, the pace of change is accelerating. Competition for the right talent is fierce and talent no longer means the same as 10 years ago.

Furthermore, it pointed out that many of the roles, skills and job titles of tomorrow are unknown today.

The study noted that what the shape the workforce of the future takes would be the result of complex, changing and competing forces.

It further stated that some of these forces are certain, but the speed at which it unfolds can be hard to predict. It added that regulation and laws, the governments that impose those regulations; broad trends in consumer, citizen and worker sentiment would all influence the transition toward an automated workplace, “and the outcome of this battle would determine the future of work in 2030.�

The study explained that: “The megatrends are the tremendous forces reshaping society and with it, the world of work: the economic shifts that are redistributing power, wealth, competition and opportunity around the globe; the disruptive innovations, radical thinking, new business models and resource scarcity that are impacting every sector. Businesses need a clear and meaningful purpose and mandate to attract and retain employees, customers and partners in the decade ahead. “Automation, robotics and AI are advancing quickly, dramatically changing the nature and number of jobs available. With a few regional exceptions the world’s population is ageing, putting pressure on business, social institutions and economies. Our longer life span will affect business models, talent ambitions and pension costs. Older workers will need to learn new skills and work for longer. ‘re-tooling’ will become the norm. “By 2030, the UN projects that 4.9 billion people will be urban dwellers and, by 2050, the world’s urban population will have increased by some 72%. Already, many of the largest cities have Gross Domestic Product (GDPs) larger than mid-size countries. “The rapidly developing nations, particularly those with a large working-age population, that embrace a business ethos, attract investment and improve their education system will gain the most. “Demand for energy and water is forecast to increase by as much as 40 per cent and 50 per cent respectively by 2030. New types of jobs in alternative energy, new engineering processes, product design and waste management and re-use will need to be created to deal with these needs.�

That was why at the second workshop of Knowledge Exchange Centre (KEC) organised in conjunction with Ford Foundation and the Lagos State Government, the issue of ‘Preparing the Workforce for the Future’ was brought to the fore.

The focus was to create a roadmap on how organisations, employers of labour and employees can prepare for the challenges of the workplace of the future.

The Founder, Knowledge Exchange Centre, (KEC), Charles Nwodo, in his presentation, noted that the career workshop was designed specifically to support job seeking graduates and final year students in institutions of higher learning, employers of labour and agencies of government responsible for employment and labour.

He also said the workshop was an opportunity to have a conversation about what the workplace of the future would be like in the context of socio-development of Nigeria.

Nwodo, explained that the workplace of the future is characterised by certain disruptions, adding that it is unstructured and there is a high context of artificial intelligence or AI machine learning, and others.

According to him, “The disruption brought by technology is not helping grow businesses in the workplace because what is happening is a shift. For instance, more robotics are being deployed to the workplace. There is also an opportunity for those who are supposed to be doing the work of the robot being the ones producing the robots. Therefore people have moved away from doing the work of the robots to actually manufacturing the robots, hence there is a shift in the definition of work and there is also a shift in the content of training and skill that is required to be successful in the workplace.�

In his remarks, the Regional Director, Ford Foundation, West Africa, Innocent Chukwuma, noted that the foundation is committed in preparing young people for the life ahead, adding that the future belongs to the youths.

He also stated that human capital is the most suitable resource any nation can have, not oil, gold or diamond, noting that natural resources faces the problem of depletion, “but well trained and motivated workforce can take any nation to great height and that makes the difference between a first, second and third world.�

According to Chukwuma, “For us as a regional office, if you look at the number one generator of foreign exchange to Nigeria presently is diaspora remittances, in 2018;

The disruption brought by technology is not helping grow businesses in the workplace because what is happening is a shift. For instance, more robotics are being deployed to the workplace. There is also an opportunity for those who are supposed to be doing the work of the robot being the ones producing the robots

it amounted to $22 billion whereas if you at this year’s budget, the expected revenue from oil and gas is N12.5 billion which means human capital generates for the oil revenue. “You also look at how much is Nigeria generating in human capital compared to what Nigeria is investing oil exploration, so that makes the difference, so a workshop like this is important to highlight what needs to be done by the government and young people themselves. “There is a lot you can say about how much Nigeria has failed its people, how much family has failed you, how much society has failed you, but what you cannot afford to do is to fail yourself and there are things you can do to better prepare yourself for that future.

So a workshop like helps to underscore that and also that one of the programmes of ford foundation focuses on the youth because they are the ones we need to pay attention to if we need to have sustainable future.�

On her part, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment, Lagos State, Mrs. Ganiyat Raji, said to be ready for the workplace of the future, there is need for an employee to possess skills relevant for the future of the workplace.

She also noted that there is high unemployment rate in the country, while on the flipside; there are job vacancies in organisations waiting to be occupied by people with the right qualifications and requisite training.

Raji, further noted that preparing the youths for the workplace of the future, requires that a review of the system, adding that the current model of education, career planning, and job searching would shift.

She also stated that considering the dynamism in the global labour market, workers need not wait the shift arising before learning and teaching the new rules of success, this requires the workforce to be proactive and strategic-thinking.

She added: “Preparing for the future work must give recognition to the wave of technological breakthroughs. We cannot fight innovations or disruption, what we can do is to change with time to be relevant. “Every field is open to revolutionary transformational development. Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are eating jobs at an alarming rate. Getting ready for the future work challenges in the technological revolution era, workers need to improve their virtual collaboration skills, digital and media literacy, and how to boost inmate creative intelligence skills. “The Lagos state government, through the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment recognising these challenges, provides a wide range of youth development initiatives such as creation of five job registration/labour

exchange centres, employability skill training for youths across the state, organising various employability trainings, computer training and software development, and Lagos State graduate internship programme.�

In her remarks, the Executive Secretary, KEC, Maria Glover, noted that the workplace of the future is driving conversation in many quarters because of the major technology disruptions and its impacts on the employment space and business model basically. “Most of the conversations have been focused on technology, but today we have gathered employers of labours, agencies and public stakeholders and unemployed graduates, to discuss the future of work and how are we preparing ourselves and the workforce for this future,� she noted.

She also stated that though the future cannot be determined, but there is need to look into the future and find out new trends and how has it affected the workplace.

Glover explained that though there is STEM education, but implementation is a major challenge, adding that there is a major skill gap which KEC seeks to bridge through the workshop.

According to her, “We need to have a policy on data, data is the new gold. We need to have a national strategy to see how we can position ourselves to take advantage of major disruptions; one of them is technology, globalisation and migration. Therefore, we need to be proactive rather than being reactive.

Government need identify organisation such as ours and partner with us and then let us prepare our young graduates. “For the graduates, they need to have the right attitude to learn, nobody can determine what the future is, even technology is changing every six months, so you need to be fluid and adaptable, you need to unlearn what you have learnt in the past and open your mind. “Once, we have a new attitude towards learning; we will never be displaced or left behind in the future of work. So we what we want to do through this conference, is to prepare people who will not be left behind in five or 10years time for the fact that you have a job today, there is no guarantee that you will still have the job in five or times because business models will be changing, there will be fierce competition and when you talk about globalisation, your economy to other companies or businesses to come in. “Then there is migration, people are going into where they can have access to labour.

We need to open our economy for foreign direct investments; we need to make sure that we have a stable economy that can support businesses both local and foreign businesses and we must invest in human capital development.�

35

T H I S D AY Ëž Í°ÍąËœ Ͱ͎ͯ͡

BUSINESSWORLD

DEVELOPMENT

Promoting Food Safety With an estimated 600 million cases of foodborne illnesses annually, unsafe food has become a threat to human health and economies, especially women and children write Ugo Aliogo and Oluchi Chibuzor

F

ood is necessary for survival because it determines the health and wellbeing of people. In Nigeria, as the population rises, feeding a healthy population becomes vital.

Therefore, achieving food safety in Nigeria will require conscious efforts in creating and providing a sustainable food production mechanism to cope with the increasing pressure of feeding the people because of changes in consumption patterns.

For instance, the World Health Organisation (WHO) in a report noted that access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food was important in sustaining life and promoting good health.

The report noted that unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances, causes more than 200 diseases ranging from diarrhoea to cancers.

It also stated that an estimated 600 million almost one in 10 people in the world fall ill after eating contaminated food and 420, 000 die yearly, resulting to the loss of 33 million healthy life years.

The WHO explained that children under age carry 40 percent of the foodborne disease burden, with 125 000 deaths every year.

It added: “Diarrhoea diseases are the most common illnesses resulting from the consumption of contaminated food, causing 550 million people to fall ill and 230 000 deaths every year. Unsafe food creates a vicious cycle of disease and malnutrition, particularly affecting infants, young children, elderly and the sick. “Food safety, nutrition and food security are inextricably linked. It was also emphasised that foodborne diseases impede socio-economic development by straining healthcare systems and harming national economies, tourism and trade. Food supply chains now cross multiply national borders. Good collaboration between governments, producers and consumers helps ensure food safety.�

Reacting to the issue, an expert in food science and technology, Alfred Ihenkuronye, said more than 200,000 persons die of food poison in Nigeria annually.

He also noted that the deaths were caused by contaminated foods through improper processing, preservation and service. “There are many avenues through which foods can be contaminated. And when people eat these foods, they will have problems which may result in deaths,� he noted.

Also commenting on the issue, the Head of Department, Food Technology, Yaba College of Technology, Mr. Oladeinde Ogundipe, noted that food safety is very important for the nutrition and well-being of all Nigerians.

He also said because the issue transcends beyond just eating of food, therefore, he noted that the safety of food affects the overall well-being of an individual, ability to perform very well at workplace and live a normal live.

Ogundipe, urged government to pay attention to the issue of food safety, adding that it is beyond having a food safety commission. “So food safety is very important, the government should pay very serious attention to food safety, however, it transcend beyond having a food safety commission, there is bill presently that has been passed to the President and it has to do with Nigeria Institute for Science and Food Technology (NIFST), food safety is one of the sub-set of what NIFST bill is addressing so the government should transcend beyond food safety commission,� he added.

He explained that NIFST deals with everything that has to do with food processing, preservation, nutrition, and food safety, stating that there is a professional body for nutrition.

Ogundipe urged food scientists and technologists to ensure they know the nutrient implication of the food they process and preserve especially how it must be processed in safe manner.

According to him, “As food scientists, they should talk about processing from the standpoint of small skill farmers they are the people that process most of the food we eat, if we want to be practical.

“Therefore there is need to educate them and the bill of NIFST is already addressing that, but there are some grey areas that the President Muhammadu Buhari wants addressed, so if those areas are addressed, the bill will get his assent. “There is need for synergy between the agencies of government. I am aware of The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) already addressing some of these issues. “There are other professional bodies that should also address some of these issues, like the Nigerian institute of safety professionals, Institute for Public Analysts of Nigeria (IPAN), because you have to analyze food and after the analysis, identify the gaps.

Regarding the food value chain, Ogundipe explained that along the food value chain, there is need for agriculture extension workers to educate farmers who didn’t have formal education about food processing and safety.�

He remarked that farmers communicate better with the agriculture extension agents in the communities, adding that effective training of the farmers would promote safety in food processing.

Training and Collaboration Furthermore, Ogundipe explained that there was need for synergy between the private and public sector in the area of self-sufficiency in food production.

He also noted that some of the reports from World Bank and Food Agricultural Organisations (FAO) suggested that the Nigeria population is growing; therefore, the country would face major challenge feeding the people with wholesome, safe and nutritious foods.

He added that there is need for synergy among all the relevant agencies in order to identify the gaps and find how those gaps would be addressed.

According to Ogundipe: “There is need for capacity development of the trainers in the tertiary institutions especially in the areas exposure. Nobody will develop your system for you; there is need for indigenous solutions by well-trained hands. “The institute for IPAN cannot address all the safety issues, because they are basically involved looking through your processes, if you want to start manufacturing, they analyse and if IPAN finds your processes good enough, they will recommend to NAFDAC. Adult education department of several learning institutions are also important because they learn how to communicate with the indigenous

people. Veterinary doctors are also critical in the issue of food safety.

Food Safety Commission of Nigeria The Act to establish the Nigerian Food Safety Service Commission charged with responsibility to prevent and fight against food, waterborne diseases and related matters, sorts to have a government regulatory body with equal representation from government, international organisations and private sector.

The purpose of the commission according to the bill involves assisting health workers in the prevention of food and waterborne diseases, collaborate with relevant establishments to set food standards from production to consumption to protection the health of food consumers and ensure fair practices in food trade, undertake appropriate investigations into the food premises, food markets, diaries, slaughter houses or abattoirs, undertake inspection of food premises, food markets, diaries, abattoirs and water supply and distribution, regulate the publications, printing and sale of books or manuals on food hygiene and safety matters to students and other readers.

The bill also aims to cover issues such as developing national license for all food handlers and food vendors, after their training on food safety, licensing of food business premises after inspection, and certification of food safety workers.

It also covers aspect of enforcement that will ensure that food safety inspectors and the effort of the Nigeria Police Force to work in collaboration to abate nuisances in food handling; collaborate with the consumer protection agency to ensure food safety standard.

Public Health and Food Safety In addition, the WHO noted that food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins or chemicals causes more than 600 million people to fall ill and 420 000 to die worldwide every year.

Illness linked to unsafe food overloads healthcare systems and damages economies, trade and tourism.

WHO further stated that the impact of unsafe food costs low and middle income economies around $95 billion in lost productivity each year.

The world health body explained that in view of the above threats, food safety must be a paramount goal at every stage of the food chain from production to harvest, processing, storage, distribution, preparation and consumption.

WHO added that foodborne diseases since beginning of creation has been a source of concern to all societies with types, severity and impacts of these illnesses changing according to ages and are still diverse across regions, countries and communities.

International Food Safety Conference At the Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO) international conference on Food Safety with a theme; ‘The Future of Food Safety - Transforming knowledge into action for people, economies and the environment’ in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, participants had highlighted the need to engage in an urgent reflection on food safety challenges.

The conference had also examined the need to identify key actions and strategies to address current and future challenges to food safety globally.

Another important issue strengthening commitment at the highest political level to scale up food safety in the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.

The key point of the conference was aimed at highlighting the integral role of food safety in achieving the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, in particular its SDGs goals 2, and 3.

The participants also noted the ongoing changes in climate, global food production and supply systems and the need to empower the consumer through improved and evidencebased health and nutrition information and education.

At the conference, there was collective agreement on integrating food safety into national and regional policies as a means to achieve the 2030 Agenda for SDG, by setting a firm political commitment and coherent action across multiple sectors in order to promote safe and diversified healthy diets.

The participants stressed the need to identify key actions and strategies to address current and future challenges to food safety globally, strengthen commitment at the highest political level to scale up food safety in the 2030 Agenda for SDG, especially with the ongoing changes in climate.

The participants further explained this is pivotal moment demanding urgent international reflection on actions needed to bolster food safety, which would start in Addis Ababa and continue in Geneva.

They added: “Priorities will be discussed so that food safety strategies and approaches can be aligned across sectors and borders, reinforcing efforts to reach the Sustainable Development Goals and supporting the UN decade of action on nutrition.�

T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2019

36

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

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

How Exposure to Heavy Metals Can Cause Infertility While the oil and gas sector has been a major economic boost for Nigeria and its citizens, it has also brought pain to people who work directly in the petroleum industry, especially those exposed to heavy metals due to oil exploration. Martins Ifijeh writes on how these industrial chemicals and other sources of heavy metals are depriving couples from having babies

I

t is a lonely road for Nigerian women who, after years of marriage, do not have children to call their own. Beside the pain of not having babies run around their homes to complete the joy of motherhood, there is nothing compared to the trauma of ostracism and the stigma that comes with being infertile in a typical Nigerian society.

This was the life of Anwuri Ovwasa, a 43-yearold oil exploration expert in Port Harcourt, who for 13 years of steady career growth, continued to nurse the pain of not having an offspring to share her legacies with.

At her age, she was a successful woman by every measure. She has almost everything going for her. Left the University of Benin as one of the best graduating engineering and only female student in her class, had a postgraduate degree from Aston University, United Kingdom, and by her 30th birthday, she had settled into her matrimonial home, with a good job in an oil and gas firm in Rivers State. It was the dream she had labored for and wished for as a child.

But Ovwasa knew all these meant nothing to the society if she has no child to call her own.

So as her career progressed with more money in her bank account, she consciously worked towards getting pregnant, as she would ensure nothing official took her farther away from her husband during periods of her ovulation.

At first, the delay in conception was nothing of concern to the couple as they felt their busy schedule was playing a major role in their childlessness. In some cases, they would laugh out their infertility as stress or work induced, and then they would sometime take days off just to be close to each other.

But as months turned into years, the laughter turned into anxiety, and she began to worry.

She would spend lonely nights wondering why nature and science suddenly found limits in her home, whereas every couple she knew were making babies.

“Sometimes when huge monies drop in my account, instead of excitement, I will begin to shed tears, because I know exactly what type of life I could give my children with such money.

I often times imagine going on vacation with them, buying them the best things in life and taking them to the best schools in town, but that was one thing that never looked like becoming reality anytime soon,” says Ovwasa in a chat with THISDAY. By the fourth year, Anwuri and her husband had started looking for other assisted reproductive ways to get pregnant. From herbal concoctions to making donations in churches as seed of faith, up to undergoing Invitro fertilisation (IVF) multiple times, the couple then resigned to fate, and hoped someday a miracle will come their way.

Discovery of Heavy Metals But Ovwasa missed the point all along. Her inability to get pregnant was due to the presence of heavy metals in her body, which she had unknowingly acquired over the years in the course of her work.

While her job came with huge salaries and estacodes, it also came with huge occupational hazards, top of which is the presence of industrial chemicals and heavy metals in the body which predisposes one to infertility, cancer and other health concerns. By June 2018, Ovwasa and her husband were adviced to try detoxification; a suggestion they obliged. By the time they were done with the process in a detox clinic, it was found that she had high deposition of Polychlorinated Biphenols in her body, while her husband, who works with the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), had a high concentration of EthoxylatedNonylphenol in his system.

These are both toxic chemicals they may have picked up over time during the course of their work as exploration experts in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.

On specifics, Polychlorinated Biphenols is a toxic

Exposure to heavy metals predispose to infertility

aromatic compound often formed as wastes in industrial processes. Occupational health experts believed this endocrine destructor was one of the heavy metals associated with crude oil, and if exposed to humans for long, through inhalation, body contact and swallowing, it has a high tendency to affect the reproductive health of a woman, cause miscarriage, and reduce birth weight of babies, as well as cause cancer, respiratory tract disease and outright death.

On the other hand, EthoxylatedNonylphenol, according to a reproductive endocrinologist and anatomy expert, Prof. Oladapo Ashiru, is an endocrine disruptor that mimics estrogen and mediates hormonal imbalance, thereby negatively impacting male development and reproductive ability. He said this impedes brain development and could cause atrophy of the thymus gland, which is a critical component of the immune system. While Ovwasa and her husband were moving from pillar to post for over a decade in search of babies, the root cause of their infertility was caused by their occupation.

Pregnant at Last Ovwasa is currently six months pregnant, and hopes within the next three months she would hold her own baby and give him or her all the beautiful upbringing she had envisaged. She said she has more colleagues who are presently still struggling with the pain of infertility, and she believes if more people know about the reproductive health hazard associated with her kind of job, they would know how to tackle it.

The Lead that Almost Took her Marriage Omonefe is one Lagosian who drives from Iyana Ipaja axis of Lagos State every workday to her office in Victoria Island. On a regular day, it would take an hour 30 minutes to access her workplace, but during traffic hours, the time may double. She has undergone this ritual since 2014 when she got the lucrative job.

Every time Omonefe takes the wheel, she unbuckles her shoes and drives on bare foot.

It is the only way she feels comfortable while driving, and she loves driving anyways. But innocently as her driving attitude may seem, this is gradually pulling into her body system heavy doses of lead, an endocrine disruptor which gradually circulates in her body, settles in her bones, and then disrupts her reproductive life.

To be clear, all surfaces of both the brake and speed pedals of cars are laced with lead, and car manufacturers do not expect anyone to drive on bare foot because of the toxicity these pedals carry, especially lead, which they are coated with.

It has been five years since Omonefe’s marriage to her heartthrob, but no child to complete her home. The peace she used to enjoy is fast eluding her; as pressure is piling on her husband to do what she fears most – that is marry another wife.

Her gynaecologist has told her everything was fine with her reproductive system; no reproductive tract infection, no fibroid, no uterine burn, and on her husband’s part, everything seemed okay as well, as certified by the series of tests

he had done.

Road to Solution But sometime in November this year, Omonefe gave one of her doctor-friend, an endocrinologist, a ride, who then observed her driving habit. She was then advised to go check for the level of toxic chemicals in her system, as that could signal where her fertility challenge was coming from.

“That is how I went to confirm, and I was told I have heavy doses of lead in my system,” says Omonefe.

By December 12, she underwent treatment to flush out all toxic wastes from her body. “I am hopeful that within the next few weeks I will ‘take in’, and subsequently have a child to call my own,” she says with a renewed hope. Omonefe has henceforth stopped driving on bare foot.

Expert View An occupational health expert and an endocrinologist, Dr. Kingsley Ejembi believes lead is an endocrine disruptor that has the tendency to alter a woman’s reproductive health, and that high dose of the toxic chemical can cause infertility.

He says lead is an underappreciated environmental toxin that Nigerians must prevent from entering their system, and that the more one is exposed to it, the more likely the person is going to get lead poisoning.

“Many small doses of lead over a long time can become toxic, because the little that enters the body per day can remain in the bone for more than 30 years. When a woman has high occurrence of miscarriage, one of the things she should check out for is exposure to lead and other heavy metals. “ During pregnancy, current or past exposure by the mother could also present a risk to the fetus, because when a woman is pregnant, the fetus gets blood directly from the mother and this could lead to brain damage or loss of the fetus.

High dose of lead could also lead to decreased sex drive both in males and females,” he said.

He said if indeed Omonefe went through detoxification, there was a tendency that the lead and other heavy metals may have been flushed out of her system.

Crude Oil as Nigeria’s Blessing/Curse Sharing his thoughts on the effect of heavy metal on infertility, Ashiru said he has realised that virtually most of the patients presenting with infertility, who come from the oil-producing regions, have myriads of toxins and heavy metal overload. He said the development of the country’s petrochemical industry has brought great wealth to Nigeria, but that its crude oil is toxic and has many harmful effects on health and the environment.

He said: “It emits many toxins in all stages of its extraction and refinement, starting with the methods used to explore the environment and digging, transportation, purification into various products, as well as how the end-users then consume it. “Numerous chemicals are used in various processes in the oil and gas sector,

the numbers and complexity of which have substantially increased over the past decades.

Many of these chemicals are toxic and linked to illnesses.”

According to him, Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (also known as 2-Butoxyethanol or 2-BE), which is found in foaming agents and used during hydraulic fracturing operations, is deadly when inhaled and may lead to blood disorders after exposure by a person. He stressed that this chemical leads to degeneration of the testes among other reproductive problems.

“Another chemical called 2-(2-methoxy ethoxy) ethanol found in many products used in the oil and gas industry, including biocides, hydraulic fracturing fluids and shale stabilisers pose great danger. It is a suspected carcinogen, known to cause deformities and organ malformations in newborn babies. It can also negatively affect male fertility,” he said.

He said whether exploration takes place onshore or offshore, it generates wastes that include atmospheric emissions, spillage of drill cuttings, drilling fluids, deck drainage, well treatment fluids, sanitary and domestic wastes and accidental oil spills.

“Atmospheric emissions from rigs consist mainly of exhaust from diesel engines supplying power to meet drilling and hoisting electricity requirements of platforms. These emissions may and do contain small amounts of Sulphur dioxide, (dependent upon fuel Sulphur content) and exhaust smoke (heavy hydrocarbons). An unexpected over-pressure formation encountered during drilling may result in a blowout or gas discharge,” he added.

Infertility Can Affect Rich and Poor While contamination with heavy metals is not only exclusive to the rich and the middle class like Ovwasa and Omonefe, Prof. Ashiru, during the ‘Merke More Than A Father’ event recently in Kenya, which THISDAY attended, said it cuts across all divide, and that anyone exposed to the toxic chemical should rather get detoxification before it leads to hazards in their bodies.

He said these metals can also be found in large fishes, chemically grown and processed foods, alum, cosmetics, drying agents, cans, ceramics, construction metals, dental amalgams, pesticides, pollution, tobacco smoke, as well as toothpaste.

He cautioned that eating stock fish and large fish may lead to deposition of lead and mercury in the body. He is of the view that since more people were coming down with infertility, the government, as well as the people should be cautious of all forms of toxic chemicals, including environmental toxins, as well as industrial pollutions.

Role of IVF in Infertility Treatment While heavy metals have been established as one of the factors responsible for infertility, the Managing Director, Nordica Fertility Centre, Dr. Abayomi Ajayi says IVF has a huge role to play in addressing issues around infertility in the country. He said for couples who are unsuccessful with natural conception, advanced infertility research has provided successful treatments for men and women alike, adding that in so many ways, fertility specialists all over the world are creating methods to make initiatives that will restore or boost fertility.

“In Nigeria and perhaps much of Africa, the common thought regarding infertility is that the problem lies within the woman’s physiology. This is because a woman’s reproductive organ can be more easily damaged than man’s reproductive organ. However, infertility is a shared problem between men and women. About 40 per cent of the time, infertility is either due to a male factor or a female factor. Some couples may both have factors that interfere with conception.

He said couples going through infertility treatments are more likely going to try a procedure, such as IVF or Intrauterine insemination, also Continued on page 37

T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2019

37

NEWS

Association Launches Scholarship Scheme, Sponsors PLWD Oluchi Chibuzor As part of its contribution towards alleviating the plight of physically challenged youths, the Cosmopolitan Women Club (CWC) has sponsored three students in its recently launched scholarship scheme set up to help facilitate their educational needs up to tertiary institution.

The President, CWC, Mrs. Adeorike Durosinmi-Etti, who disclosed this at her investiture event held in Lagos recently, said the initiative was designed to give recipients opportunities to further improve their potential in life as many were incapacitated by funds.

She said: “We believe all hands must be on deck to assist those that are brilliant but do not have means to further their education, the club is sponsoring student of Paceli School for the Blind, Queens College and Ijaniki School, and we are prepared to fund them to tertiary level.”

The immediate past

President, CWC, Bintu-Fatima Tinubu enumerated the major success story of the club, which includes hosting interactive session for the gubernatorial candidates of various political parties and independent public lecture.

A former Deputy Governor, Lagos State, Mrs. Sarah Sosan encouraged stakeholders in the educational sector to seek for restructuring of the nation’s current educational system of 6-3-3-4 to allow flexibility of learning by choice, adding that there was need to have a consolidated teachers’ fund.

“We need to restore basic education properly in the primary and to restructure our current educational system of 6-3-3-4 to allow learning of skills across all boarders, because some may like vocational and technical education to set up their own businesses and there is need for government to have a consolidated fund for teachers, ” she noted.

Sedentary Lifestyle, Smoking Lead to Hypertension, Says Expert Kuni Tyessi in Abuja Consultant physician and cardiologist, as well as the Group Medical Manager, Limi Hospitals, Dr. Iseko Iseko, has revealed that sedentary lifestyle, which is also at par with smoking, has been found to be one of the major causes of hypertension.

He said other major causes of hypertension include family history and genetics, excess consumption of salt, stress-

ful events, kidney problems and pregnancy complications among others.

Iseko who disclosed this in Abuja at the maiden health walk which was organised

by CardiCare Cardiovascular Specialty Hospital and the Limi Hospital Group, in commemoration of the 2019 World Hypertension Day, said individuals must learn to exercise, take good medication and reduce salt intake in order to keep hypertension at bay.

While lamenting that the new statistics reveal that one in every three Nigerians is hypertensive, with half the number not knowing they have the condition, he said the walk was an initiative to raise awareness about the dangers of the public health concern.

He said:” Hypertension is a multifactorial disease as there are many factors that may come together to cause it. One of the important things

is family history and genetics. Typically, black people have been found to handle salt poorly. We also handle water a little bit poorly.

“Then we have stressful events and kidney problems that cause high blood pressure. If they don’t treat it, the same HBP goes to damage the kidney again and it becomes a vicious cycle. Then of course, pregnancy also comes into play.”

Obaseki Rallies Patent, Proprietary Medicine Dealers for Improved Healthcare Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City In order to improve access to affordable and quality healthcare services across the state, Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has promised to strengthen partnership with the Nigerian Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers (NAPPMED).

The governor made the promise when he received members of NAPPMED at the Government House in Benin City. Obaseki said the association’s support would be needed in repositioning Primary Healthcare Centres (PHC) in the state through the Edo Healthcare Improvement Programme (Edo-HIP), noting, that “we are strengthening our PHCs to increase access to healthcare and we want you to support us in this area”.

He also assured NAPPMED that the state government would organise a standardised revenue collection system for members of the association operating in the state.

According to him, “the new revenue collection process would eliminate multiple taxations as well as improve transparency.

We want to stabilise your levies and taxes so that we agree on the total revenue to collect from you and that you pay only once and to one authority.

“We need to know your members in the state and where you operate from and help you shut down unregistered members.”

Obaseki urged members of the association to create a contact committee to work with the Commissioners of Health, Wealth Creation, Cooperatives and Employment, and Chairman of the State Board of Internal Revenue on the new revenue collection process.

Earlier, National Vice President, NAPPMED, Mr Evere Igunma, commended the governor for the reforms in the state, adding that the state chapter of the association has endorsed the governor for a second tenure.

HOW EXPOSURE TO HEAVY METALS CAN CAUSE INFERTILITY known as artificial insemination, noting that giving couples even the slightest chance of improving the probability of conceiving is a boost.

“Couples seeking assisted reproduction techniques are often urged to choose the treatment option which maximises their chances of conceiving quickly.

This is so because traditional treatment for infertility usually involves a logical step or wise approach.

“First, a diagnosis is made to find out what the problem is.

Next, an attempt is made to try to fix it using a progressively

escalating approach. Medications are tried first. If this fails, surgery is tried and if this also fails, then it may be on to IUI. If this still does not work, then we try HMG (human menopausal gonadotropin) super-ovulation plus IUI; and if this ultimately fails, and the patient is up to it, IVF is the ultimate,” he added.

He said when it comes to infertility; IVF may be an option if the couples have been diagnosed with problems including endometriosis, low sperm count, ovulation challenges or an unexplained fertility problem, among others.

CELEBRATING LEGISLATIVE HEALTHCARE CHAMPIONS

L-R: Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Health, Hon. Muhammad Usman; Senator Elect, Kwara Central Senatorial District, Ibrahim Oloriegbe; and Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Senator Lanre Tejuoso, during the celebration of Tejuoso and Usman by Advocate for Health and Legislative NetworkforUniversalHealthCoverageheldinAbujarecently

Asthmatics Decry High Cost of Drugs r"T FYQFSUT DBMM GPS BTUINB NFEJDJOFT PO FTTFOUJBM ESVH MJTU Rebecca Ejifoma While some asthmatics have complained of the high cost of drugs, Consultant Pulmonologist at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH) Ile-Ife Osun State, Professor Gregory Erhabor, has called on the government to include some of the drugs in the essential drug list to save more lives.

He made the call at an awareness programme on ‘Stop for Asthma’ organised by the Asthma and Chest Care Foundation (ACCF) in partnership with Breathe Easy Foundation to commemorate World Asthma Day 2019 in Osun State recently.

Erhabor, who harped on the subsidisation of asthma drugs, as well as its availability, said government should focus on working with NGOs to increase awareness to educate the

people and see whether some of these drugs for asthma could be put in the essential drug list and made available.

He said: “In my view, asthma affects 15 million Nigerians. When these patients go to work, they cannot work and in some cases are absent. This can alter the growth of a child and affect the functionality of an adult.

“Over the years, there has been increase in awareness on asthma. Now, people eventually know the symptoms of the disease. They now know how to control and monitor it.”

He, however bemoaned the restriction in awareness, adding that “rural areas are not aware of asthma; hence, ACCF and the BEF are trying to spread that awareness around”.

The prof, who is also the managing director of ACCF, said for awareness to get

to rural areas, the government, through the Ministry of Health, must spearhead educational processes.

The pulmonologist said some pregnant patients may not have triggers because of some of the hormones that are present during pregnancy, adding that: “but for reasons we don’t know, pregnancy may worsen asthma for some people.

What we say is that when people with asthma get pregnant, they will need therapy. There are drugs they can use”.

To help manage asthma better, Erhabor listed some triggers to include: inhaling of fumes, pepper, dust and cold, noting that asthma patients should avoid where they grind pepper, cook with woods or burning of refuse and that they should clad themselves properly when the weather is cold.

The Founder, BEF, Mrs. Akinwumi Aderonke, who

lost her younger sister, Lara to asthma attack, distributed drugs to patients for free at the awareness programme She said: “Late Lara, who was based in the UK, died of asthma attack. She came to Nigeria in 2009 for a visit.

On the way back to abroad while in Nigeria, her asthma triggered”.

“Sadly, Lara was rushed to a general hospital in Lagos where she died. There was no gas, no oxygen and she died.

“Consequently, the family decided on what to do in remembrance of this brilliant lady, who was working with BBC over there until her untimely death. We decided that if we could save a soul, we could save a thousand.

“And for about five years now, we have been in partnership with ACCF in Osun State and in partnership with UCH, Ibadan. We can solve the triggers of asthma and we can still control it.”

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2019

HEALTH 2 0 1 9 W O R L D M E N S T R U A L H Y G I E N E D AY: I T ’ S T I M E F O R A C T I O N

Championing the Sanitary Pad Donation Drive for Underprivileged Girls Annually, the Menstrual Hygiene Day, which was initiated by the German-based NGOWASH United in 2014, is marked every May 28 to highlight the importance of good menstrual hygiene. To commemorate this year’s menstrual day, Chiemelie Ezeobi speaks with the Founder of Padman Africa,ChasteInegbedionabouttheSanitaryPadDonationDrive,aprojectthatgivesunderprivileged girlssanitarypads,aswellaschange the narrative around menstruation from the stigma it is associated with, to the need for hygienic and safe menstrual health management. Excerpts: Why are you known as the Pad Man? I am the founder of Padman Africa, a project that focuses on gender equality involving men. In Nigeria, I am known as Africa’s “Pad Man” due to my involvement with the Sanitary Pad Donation Drive, a project that gives underprivileged girls sanitary pads and attempts to improve learning for girls who cannot afford sanitary napkins.

What is your advocacy about?

As a social activist and entrepreneur, PADMAN AFRICA is a non-profit group run by young advocates. We are a clearing house for sanitary pads and other sanitary products like hand sanitisers, liquid hand wash, period trackers and pocket tissues through our Padbank and Period Purse initiatives. We are working daily with other menstrual hygiene advocates and professionals to change the narrative around menstruation from the stigma it is associated with, to the need for hygienic and safe menstrual health management. We seek to involve men in menstrual awareness campaigns so they can be involved in providing care to those in need.

The Menstrual Hygiene Handbook educates girls and boys about menstruation, taking the important step of breaking the silence around the issue through fun and interactive means. The handbook has been received by the wife of the vice president of Nigeria, the US Consular General and other distinguished personalities for review.

What drives you in pushing issues on menstruation for women?

Menstruation is an important phase in every woman’s life, which signals growth and biophysical maturity. Every normal girl or woman experiences this change as a natural, involuntary process.

Unfortunately, minimal attention is paid to this aspect of women’s life. Rather, menstruation is a cause for negative societal reactions that tend to reduce women’s self-esteem and is often a harbinger of emotional guilt. What is natural and inevitable becomes a social burden for females in many African societies.

Lots of women are constrained or even deprived of the right to manage their menstrual cycle adequately, weighed against social biases and economic inadequacies like poverty; while others who may not face any social rebuffs may lack the financial capacity to manage menstruation hygienically and safely. Therefore, paying attention to proper menstrual hygiene simply becomes an opportunity cost and the alternative foregone.

Besides economic challenges, ignorance arising from poor education perpetuates old myths wherein societies are stuck in cultural believes surrounding menstruation. Menstruating girls and women face several possibilities including discrimination, stigmatisation, ostracism, and segregation during their periods.

In some societies, women may not be allowed access to some parts of the house; may not make use of common utensils (like plates and cups) or facilities (like bathrooms and toilets) in the home; may not be allowed to attend social events or public gatherings; and may be restrained from their regular chores or duties - not as a relief but as a result of the “uncleanness” arising from their period. They are thus considered impure, dirty, soiled, and consequently expected to keep a distance.

This imposes upon the “victims” thus neglected a feeling of shame and erodes their self-confidence during their period; thus, menstruation becomes a silent curse for girls and women, even those in marriage. The resort to self-help and unwholesome practices increases the risk of cervical cancer,

Inegbedion

and other infections of their intimate body parts, which they may not be aware of.

As a man championing such a feminine cause, do you get discriminated against?

I get more celebrations rather than the discriminations, because the answer is simple: involve as many men possible! Men have a meaningful part to play in this conversation; as brothers, fathers, uncles, cousins, and teachers to name a few. Only with understanding and awareness of menstruation and menstrual practices are men empowered to act. These actions could be advocating for clean and private bathrooms, role-modeling period positive behavior to students, communicating care and empathy rather than disgust and shame… or even stitching pads for the women in your life!

How did that journey start for you?

I started advocating for Menstrual Health and Hygiene and affordable sanitary products as far back as I can remember because Menstruation is one of the key components of SRHR and the perceptions surrounding menstruation inspired my advocacy. An example is a campaign I led which saw to the revival of a genitally abused girl child —she was a five-year-old girl by the name Pwashikai Nideonofrom Adamawa state left to die after suffering Female Genital Mutilation and an urgent financial aid was needed for vaginoplasty. I then started the ‘Save PwashikaiNideono campaign’ which generated enough buzz and funds for a successful operation.

And since then, Pwashikaihas been reconciled back to society. That spurred more activities around the promotion of Gender Equality while living in Northern Nigeria as an advocate of the MDGs now known as the Sustainable Development Goals. Growing up with lot of cousins, nieces and aunties as my father had to use our home to accommodate those who were coming in to Lagos to pursue greener pasture. I was an errand boy helping out with the purchase of Sanitary Pads at a ‘younger age ’ for the ‘adult ladies’ around me.

What does the Padman Africa process entails?

The process starts from data collection through questionnaires, investigative journalism, volunteerism, events and incentives and focus group discussions.

What is the cost of ensuring the pack gets to those that need it?

Nigeria is one of the many countries that tax menstrual products, putting further strain on women and girls from underprivileged communities.

Between 2015 and 2018, sanitary pads like Always Ultra rose from N250 to N400, Always Classic from N200 to N300, and Lady Care from N250 to N400. Most Tampon brand products which sold for N750 have risen to about N1200.

The reason for the price hike can be traced to the inflation in the country and the fall in the exchange value of the national currency, the naira.

Although sanitary pads are the healthiest and most convenient menstrual management products because they are comfortable and leave little or no stain, research showed that many Nigerian girls and young women now use cloth napkins, cotton wools and tissue paper for economic reasons.

During the International Day of Education, Padman Africa unveiled the Period Purses that contains other components aside the disposable pads and we are calling on more affordable period innovations to be available on our Padbankng.com to enable our girls beat Period Poverty through the Buy One, Give One Model we encourage the support of Corporate Africa and Corporate America most especially the Pad Merchants.

Any partnership with government and private institutions in this fight?

Prior to the hike in the price of sanitary pads, there were calls from both young women and men on government to reduce or stop taxing female hygiene products in Nigeria. We said if condoms are shared free, sanitary pads should be too. We joined this groups of young advocates, non-governmental organisations and individuals who have taken bold steps to reduce and possibly end menstrual period poverty in the country.

In October 2018, we began advocacy on various

social media platforms, particularly on Twitter, urging the federal government to scrap the tax on sanitary pads to make them affordable for women and young girls. Using the hashtag, #EndThe9jaTaxOnPads, the campaign relayed the plight of young girls – especially those in rural areas – who use materials like towels and tissues as substitutes for sanitary pads. We demanded that sanitary pads be distributed free to secondary school students and teenagers in rural areas.

We joined in submitting a petition titled “An appeal to end all the taxes on menstrual hygiene products (including sanitary pads) and pass the menstrual hygiene bill” to the National Assembly. This petition was written by the convener of the #EndThe9jaTaxOnPads advocacy, Harvey Olufunmilayo, alongside Social Justice Advocate and the co-founder of Whole Woman Network, Juliet Kego, a public analyst and youth advocate, Yemi Fasipe, Yemi Ojora, a tax professional, social advocate and other youth advocates like ourselves “who worked behind the scenes.”

The petition dated November 1 was submitted to the offices of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, chairman of the Senate Committees on Health, Lanre Tejuoso; and the wife of the Senate president, Toyin Saraki.

Copies of the petition were also submitted to the offices of all the female senators and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara.

In the past, BudgIT Foundation has been a great supporter of our events most especially co hosting the Menstrual Hygiene Day with the British Deputy High Commission as we countdown to this year, menstrual hygiene day with proposed support from the UN Department of Global Communications, Civil Society Unit and Partners.

Our goal is also to contribute to Wikipedia sites with more useful information for people seeking knowledge across the globe; as an online research and information site with a global reach. Wikipedia fits into our profile of affordable, accessible and broad-based education on menstrual hygiene and the need to change the narratives. The overriding purpose of which is to improve the conditions of women and girls in menstruation in Nigerian and African communities in general.

39

T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2019

NEWS

Nigeria’s Euracare Performs First Minimally Invasive Liver Surgery in Sub-sahara Africa Martins Ifijeh Nigeria’s Euracare MultiSpecialist Hospital has now been dubbed the first healthcare facility in Sub Sahara Africa to successfully perform Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystem (TIPS) procedure, otherwise known as a minimally invasive liver surgery.

TIPS, a procedure that uses imaging guidance to connect the portal vein to hepatic vein in the liver, was performed by a team of Nigerian doctors from Euracare.

Speaking during a press briefing to announce the feat, the leader of the surgical team, Dr. Hammed Ninalowo said they carried out the vascular and interventional radiology procedure using cutting edge technology from Euracare and highly qualified professionals, adding that it was the first of its kind in this part of the world.

Interventional radiology is an independent medical specialty that employs minimally invasive, image-guided procedures to diagnose and treat diseases in nearly every

organ system.

Ninalowo said: “It is exciting to be able to perform the first TIPS procedure in Nigeria. With various techniques such as angiography, angioplasty, stenting, thrombolysis, embolisation and ablation, we are happy to provide an alternative procedure for patients, one that is favourable for the patient.”

Also speaking on the breakthrough, the Medical Director, Euracare, Dr Tosin Majekodunmi stressed that the success of the procedure

was a testament to Euracare’s innovation and professionalism; noting that it was the hospital’s commitment to reducing medical tourism

by Nigerians.

He said: “As a leading multi-specialist hospital in Nigeria, we are committed to providing excellent care for our patients and procedures like TIPS, which requires complex interventional radiology that allows us showcase our expertise especially to people who normally would prefer to travel abroad for procedures.”

He said interventional radiology treatments can be the first-line care option for a wide variety of conditions like blocked fallopian tubes, malignant tumours in lung and liver cancer, fibroids and non-healing ulcers on diabetic patients.

“Interventional radiology treatments do not involve open surgery allowing for small to no incisions, short hospital stay, quick recovery time, less scarring, reduced blood loss and reduced apprehension.

“In accordance with

international standards, Euracare has deployed frontline technology with its cutting-edge medical imaging radiology department, which is equipped with the following Siemens modalities: 1.5 Tesla MRI, 64-Slice CT, Digital X-ray, Digital Mammography and Ultrasound Systems.

Since its opening in 2017, Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital has serviced over 10,094 patients and completed 1,022 CT scans, 1,219 MRI scans, 108 cardiac procedures, 356 surgical procedures, 1,075 x-ray and 1,107 ultrasound,” he added.

Most Patients Come to UBTH When Cases are Severe, Says CMD Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City The Chief Medical Director, University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Prof.

Darlington Obaseki recently debunked the rumour making rounds that outrageous death toll trails the hospital.

He said rather, many patients are only brought into the hospital when their cases become critical with family members expecting the teaching hospital to perform miracles.

Addressing journalists in Benin City recently as part of activities lined up for a week long Founders’ Day Celebration/Medical Outreach programme, the professor of Morbid Anatomy, stated that the bulk of deaths recorded by the hospital were due to late referrals.

The hospital was established in 1973 by former two-time Governor of Mid-Western region and later Bendel State, late Brig-Gen Samuel Ogbemudia.

He therefore appealed to doctors and hospitals to

ensure they refer patients early to UBTH for necessary treatment, adding that the facility remains one of the foremost institutions reputed for training of high and middle manpower as well as pioneer paramedics and other personnel who attend to presently 510 patients in various wards and over 850 bed spaces.

He explained further that the hospital lying on over 150 acres of land has grown to be the second best and highly functional with specialised services in Special Baby Care Unit, Oncology Special Care and Renal Dialysis, InvitroFertilisation treatment and Stem Cell plant across the country. Speaking also on the public outcry about poor services from the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and the quality of drugs offered to patients, the CMD pointed out that staff of the establishment are over worked with doctors, , clinical staff and 700 nurses taking care of over 5, 000 patients even as the number of enrollees have risen from 10,000 to 75,000.

Father ofTriplets Needs N3.5m Monthly to Beat Cancer Sunday Ehigiator A father of triplets, Chidi Ebbe is currently batting with a rare type of cancer, Gastrointestinal Stromal tumours, and requires at least N3.5 million monthly for chemotherapy and radiology if he must live to train his young children.

The cancer, which has spread to his liver, pancreas and kidney, has gulped all he has ever saved.

According to Ebbe’s doctors, He would require a monthly immunotherapy, which when broken down amounts to N650,000 for radiotherapy; N435,000, for chemotherapy, N120,000 for lungs drainage and N64,000 for continuous blood transfusion.

According to report, last

year September, there was an option of treatment given to him by doctors in India, but he couldn’t take that option because it was too expensive.

Doctors said without the lung drainage, his lungs will collapse and the size of his tumour would eventually drain his blood. Hence he needs constant transfusion.

Ebbe, who has always been of help to people around him prior to his ailment, is therefore calling on public spirited individuals, government officials and organisations to save his life.

If you are touched to help, kindly donate to his bank account number 0025616942. Account name: Chidiebere Prince Isaac, bank name: GTB.

L-R; Executive Secretary, PMG-MAN, Frank Muonemeh; Financial Secretary, PMGMAN, Abibu Adekunle; Chairman, Management Board, PMG-MAN, Dr. FidelisAyebae;andMember,ManagementBoard,PrinceOrimadegunAgboadeatthepressconferenceontheforthcoming5theditionofNigerianPharma Expo2019inLagosrecently abiodunajala

MTN Boosts Health Sector through WCWDT Raheem Akingbolu The MTN Foundation, through its community development initiative –‘What Can We Do Together (WCWDT)’ appears to be changing the narratives about the restoration of the Nigeria’s health standards, especially as it concerns infant and maternal mortality rates in rural communities.

In March 2018, the Co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates in an interview with news channel, CNN, while reviewing Nigeria’s quality of health standard declared that the country was one of the most dangerous places in the world to give birth.

He said: “Nigeria is one of the most dangerous places in the world to give birth, with the fourth worst maternal mortality rate in the world ahead of only Sierra Leone, Central African Republic and Chad. One in three Nigerian children are chronically malnourished.”

Death in any form is one of the most tragic experiences for those left behind, it is especially painful when the deceased is young and the death could have been prevented.

Yet this is what happens in Nigeria - young vibrant mothers and their little ones

are dropping like flies and yet the right amount of eyebrows have not been raised.

Eyebrows should be coasting the ceiling and rendering the heavens at the fact that “a joint report (Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990 to 2015 by WHO, UNICEF, World Bank and the United Nations Population Fund) estimates that Nigeria has approximately 58,000 maternal deaths, accounting for 19 per cent globally.”

At least 800 women die in every 100,000 live births. The ideal anger stemming from this should be sufficient to raise a public outcry. But Nigeria seems relatively silent about this.

In 2017, Professor Isaac Adewole, Minister of Health, instituted a 34-member task force to aid the reduction of maternal mortality, explaining that it “remains unacceptably high in Nigeria, ranking among the highest in the world and the rate of reducing these deaths has been slow as many of the contributory factors remain unaddressed. The Federal Ministry of Health is committed to bringing it to an end.”

And why is infant mortality one of Nigeria’s worst health issues? The deplorable health care system in Nigeria, inadequate training of front-line health

workers, ignorance midst mothers among other reasons have contributed to the sorry state.

Many Nigerians can recount a woeful experience of neglect, and abandonment in relation to their interaction with the healthcare system in the country.

The constant prayer on the lips of the Nigerian is - “God, do not let us see the trouble of sickness!”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) describes a good health system as one that delivers quality services to all people, when and where they need them.

Many Nigerians will look lost if you ask them to point to any health structure that provides them with these.

Those who lack access to good health care have resorted to self medication, because it is a cheaper and more accessible alternative. From June to December, 2007, a study was conducted at the General Outpatient Clinic of the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria.

Using the simple random sampling method, 200 consenting respondents were selected and information regarding their biodata, history of self-medication, drugs used and the reasons for resorting to self-medication were obtained. 85 per cent admitted to resorting to self-medication

while 15 per cent insisted that they did not practice it.

That is a rough sketch of the Nigerian reality and with the lack of good public healthcare; the combination is lethal for a new mother and her child.

Prof. Chinyere Ezeaka, President of the Nigeria Society of Neonatal Medicine (NISONM), a subspecialty group of pediatricians, shared in an interview, that “Nigeria has the highest number of newborn deaths in the whole of Africa and the second highest in the world after India.

The statistics are quite grim”.

Access to quality care has been one of the country’s greatest failings. With a population of well over 180 million, the need for good health care should be deemed sacrosanct.

But as with most issues in Nigeria, the reverse is the case.

According to the Lancet Global Health, 376,039 deaths occurred in Nigeria in 2016 as a result of insufficient access to qualitative healthcare. At this point, it is clear that efforts from the government alone cannot sufficiently address the emergency we have in our hands. There is need for increased involvement of all well-meaning and resourceful Nigeria– individuals and especially corporate. Intervention are needed at fire alarm rates.

40

T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ Í°ÍąËœ 2019

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Social Intervention Programmes Will Outlive Buhari, Says Iorwa James Emejo Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË The National Coordinator, National Social Safety Nets Coordination Office (NASSCO), Mr. Apera Iorwa has said that the federal government’s social protection policy will outlive President Muhammadu Buhari contrary to insinuation that another administration may scrap the initiative.

The policy was part of the current administration’s key pillars of development, which includes the N-Power, Tradermoni as well as the Conditional Cash Transfer schemes. But, the social protection programme had come under heavy criticism particularly from the opposition political parties which argued that it remained unsustainable in the long term. Critics also felt that the scheme had also been politicised by government to gain under advantage from the electorates.

However, speaking recently during a community mobilisation exercise to raise the social register at L.E.A. Primary School in Dantawu, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, the NASSCO Coordinator told THISDAY that the social protection initiative was designed to reach 2020 and beyond and outlive the current administration.

He said: “The vision is to build institutions and structures that ensures that it outlives the current administration. “Yes, it started during the administration, we are supported by the World Bank, giving us technical support and funded by the World Bank credit that extends to 2020. “So, ab initio, it was designed beyond that. Now that the current government is coming back by the popular decisions of Nigerians who voted them back into power, we continue.

“By 2020, we hope that those institutions will be established and strengthened in a way that will ensure its sustenance.�

He said the essence of the exercise was to further assure the people that the federal government, working with the state governments was building a social register that would give access to poor and vulnerable families to access social interventions.

Iorwa said: “And these social interventions are many that will be coming either from a government designed point of view like the cash transfer or the skills for job or the public workfare or other philanthropic organisations, donor agencies and international partners like the nutrition project, agricultural project and other projects which target the poor and vulnerable.�

He, further justified the conditional cash transfer to beneficiaries, arguing that it has positive impact on the economy.

Caverton Grows Profit by 338% in FiveYears Bamidele Famoofo Five years after its shares were listed on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Caverton Offshore Support Group Plc, an indigenous offshore logistics services provider has grown in leaps and bounds.

For instance, its profit after tax (PAT) grew by 338 per cent in five years. It comes to an average of 68 per cent yearly.

Its PAT moved from N980 million as at December 31,2014 to N4.3billion as of financial year ended December 31, 2018.

Profit before tax in five years also grew by 111 per cent to N5.75 as at December 31,2018, from N2.73billion.

The Group’s asset base rose by 56 percent from N36.63 billion as

of December 31, 2014, to N56.06 billion in 2018, while shareholders’ fund reflected the confidence of shareholders in the group with a growth of 54 per cent in five years, from N11.93billion in 2014 to N18.38billion in 2018.

Meanwhile, net profit in the financial year ended December 31, 2018 grew by 64 percent, from N2.62billion in the same period of 2017 to N4.30billion.

The net profit jump in 2018, according to Caverton Group, was driven by improved profit before tax while PBT growth was attributed largely to the group’s ability to improve its revenue base as well as maintain its cost levels. PBT stood at N5.75 billion in 2018, compared to N3.91billion in 2017.

The group said its shareholders’

funds which grew by 16 per cent, to close at N18.38billion in 2018, provides ample cushion for business growth. Shareholders had N15.80 billion in the kitty of the company the preceding year.

Shareholders of the group got 25 kobo per share as dividend in 2018 compared to 15 kobo per share in 2017.

It represented an increase of 67 percent.

But shareholders at the Annual General Meeting which held in Lagos recently, asked for more from dividend pay-out in the years ahead.

They want the company to reduce the cost of borrowing and seek for cheap funds from the capital market to finance its operations and to save more money to be shared as dividends.

Wapic Insurance Grows Premium Ebere Nwoji Wapic Insurance Plc said it grew its Gross Premium Written by 42 per cent, having raked in N13.9 billion in its business outing for the year ended December 31st, 2018.

The company, however, recorded slide in its profit before tax which decreased significantly by 88 per cent to stand at N187 million.

Similarly, its profit after tax declined from N1,530,810 in 2017, to N351,193 in 2018.

Wapic Insurance Managing Director, Yinka Adekoya, in a

statement on Audited financial statement of the company, explained that the decline in the company’s profit was as a result of drop in investment and other income as well as growth in underwriting and operating expenses for the period.

She said the company recorded 40 per cent growth in its underwriting profit, explaining that growth in both the company’s gross premium and underwriting profit were achieved due to some major accounts it was able to attract and enhanced underwriting capabilities.

During the year under review,

underwriting profit of the company stood at N2.2 billion, showing 40 per cent growth, from the prior position.

Highlighting the performance of the subsidiaries, the Wapic Insurance boss said Wapic Life Assurance Limited had a four per cent year-on-year decrease in Gross Written Premium (GWP), to N1.97 billion, from N2.05 billion in the prior year. “Gross claims paid decreased slightly by one per cent to N1.25 billion in December 2018, compared to N1.26 billion in the corresponding period of 2017.

Trust Fund Sensitises Retirees Sunday Ehigiator Trust Fund Pension recently in Lagos State organised an annual forum aimed at orientating working class citizens and retirees on how to better manage their finances before and after retirement.

Speaking at the event, the Business Manager, Trust Fund Pension, Billy Osazuwa, said the forum was to enlighten customers about the latest development, saying that the forum brought

most of the retirees back together under one canopy.

According to him: “we organised this event to familiarize with our customers that has been exceeded their purse, how are they doing after retirement. “When working, you are active so when you are no longer working you not active. So the essence of this is to let you come and interface with them, what are the issues. “Besides that, there are so many people going to retirees houses

and asking them to enter Annuity with them which is paid by all those insurance companies but we are not saying annuity is not good. Annuity is one of process where you can also access your fund but we are custodian, we hold their funds and manage them until they are old or dead.�

Speaking further on the issue of the new minimum wage as approved, he said the new minimum wage has not been related to the retirees of the pension industry.

L-R: President/Chairman of Council, Nigerian-British Chambers of Commerce (NBCC), Mr. Akin Olawore and Country Director, Google Nigeria, Mrs Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor, during the NBCC May meeting held in Lagos‌recently

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

NOVEMBER 2018 Money Supply (M3)

31,794,803.44

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

6,333,064.28

Money Supply (M2)

25,461,739.17

-- Quasi Money

14,773,076.98

-- Narrow Money (M1)

10,688,662.18

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,711,763.59

---- Demand Deposits

8,976,898.59

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

18,990,400.78

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

12,804,402.66

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

26,062,986.22

---- Credit to Government (Net)

2,980,229.66

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

7,093,619.43

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

-4,144,571.43

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

23,082,756.56

--Other Assets Net

13,258,583.57

Reserve Money (Base Money

6,811,192.37

--Currency in Circulation

2,100,129.91

--Banks Reserves

4,366,259.05

Ëž Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă? Ě‹

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR)

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

Ëž Ă™Ă˜Ă?ĂžĂ‹ĂœĂŁ ÙÖÓĂ?ĂŁ Ă‹ĂžĂ? Ě‹ ͯ͹Ϲ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE Ëœ Í°ÍŻ Ͱ͎ͯ͡

The price of OPEC basket of fourteen crudes stood at $71.71 a barrel on Tuesday, compared with $72.47 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), Oriente (Ecuador), ZaďŹ ro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

41

T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ Í°ÍąËœ Ͱ͎ͯ͡

MARKET NEWS

SEC Approves New Rules for Trading of Shares on the NSE Goddy Egene The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday said it has received the approval of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to some rules and amendments of existing ones aimed at making trading on the stock exchange more efficient.

In a notification placed on its website, the NSE listed the rules to include: Rules on securities

transactions between dealing members of the NSE, which will become effective June 3; Rules for listing on the Growth Board of the NSE, to be effective June 17; Rules governing free float requirements for issuers listed on the NSE, effective June 3; Rules on price stabilisation of securities, effective July 15 and Rules on release calendar for regulatory announcements and filings of listed companies, effective September 2, 2019.

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

According to the NSE, all the rules were approved by SEC on May 6, 2019.

According to rule, free float means the number of shares that an issuer has outstanding and available to be traded on the exchange. “ It includes all shares held by the investing public, and excludes shares held directly or indirectly by promoters, directors and their close relatives; strategic investors holding

S E C U R I T I E S MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

five per cent and above of the issued share capital or government,� it said.

The rule states that for any issuer seeking to list on the Premium Board, its free float shall be: (a) 20 of the Issuer’s issued share capital made available to the public and held by not less than three hundred (300) shareholders; or (b) valued at N40 billion or more, or any value prescribed by the exchange from time

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

to time, on the date The exchange receives the issuer’s application to list.

For issuer seeking listing on the Main Board, its free float must be 20 per cent of shares held by not less than 300 shareholders or valued at N20 billion or more, or any value prescribed by the exchange from time to time, on the date the exchange receives the Issuer’s application to list.

For Alternative Securities

O F

Market (ASeM) Board, free float shall be 15 per cent of the shares and held by not less than 51 shareholders of valued at N50 million.

The rule provides that the exchange may grant extension of time to an Issuer to comply with the minimum free float requirements if: it believes that the market can operate fairly and in an orderly manner with the issuer’s existing level of free float.

2 0 / 0 5 / 2 0 1 9 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

˾ THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2019

42

Thursday, May 23, 2019 Thisday Afrinvest 40 Index Sheds 1.1%

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 INDEX

Yesterday, the Thisday Afrinvest 40 Index declined by 1.1% to ƐĞƩůĞ Ăƚ ϭ͕ϯϬϴ͘ϳϬ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƐĞůů-ŽīƐ ŝŶ GUARANTY (-2.6%), ZENITH

(-2.6%)

and

NESTLE

(-ϳ͘ϳйͿ͘ dŚĞƐĞ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ Fundamental Performance Metrics for THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 Index

ĐƵŵƵůĂƟǀĞůLJ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ĨŽƌ ϯϴ͘ϴй ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŝŶĚĞdž͘

WŽƐŝƟǀĞ ^ƚƌĞĂŬ džƚĞŶĚƐ ŝŶƚŽ ƚŚĞ ϱƚŚ ŽŶƐĞĐƵƟǀĞ dƌĂĚŝŶŐ Session͙ ^/ ƵƉ ϯ͘ϭй Ɛ ĂŶƟĐŝƉĂƚĞĚ͕ ƚŚĞ ůů ^ŚĂƌĞ /ŶĚĞdž ; ^/Ϳ ƐŝŐŶŝĮĐĂŶƚůLJ ƌŽƐĞ ďLJ ϯ͘ϭй ƚŽ ƐĞƩůĞ Ăƚ ϯϭ͕ϭϰϱ͘ϭϱ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ͕ ĞdžƚĞŶĚŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ďƵůůŝƐŚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ŝŶƚŽ ƚŚĞ ϱƚŚ ĐŽŶƐĞĐƵƟǀĞ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ĚĂLJ͘ This

Ticker

Current Price

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40

MTNN (+10.0%), E' D ;нϵ͘ϳйͿ ĂŶĚ GLAXOSMITH

Price Change Index to Date

ROE

ROA

P/E

P/BV

Divindend Earnings Yield Yield

1,308.70

-1.06%

-10.8%

30.9%

16.8%

6.0%

4.6x

0.7x

6.3%

1 Guaranty Trust Bank PLC

30.50

-2.6%

19.1%

-11.5%

-11.6%

33.1%

5.3%

4.6x

1.5x

8.8%

22.0%

2 Zenith Bank PLC

19.00

-2.6%

11.5%

-17.6%

-8.4%

24.7%

3.2%

3.2x

0.8x

14.4%

31.3% 10.9%

3 Dangote Cement PLC 4 Nestle Nigeria PLC

15.8%

203.00

9.7%

10.9%

7.0%

9.1%

40.1%

21.8%

9.2x

3.3x

8.5%

1,320.00

-7.7%

8.2%

-11.1%

-10.5%

81.2%

27.4%

22.1x

16.6x

4.4%

4.5%

61.70

-0.7%

4.9%

-27.8%

-19.4%

9.5%

4.4%

28.3x

2.8x

3.9%

3.5%

5 Nigerian Brew eries PLC 6 FBN Holdings Plc

6.90

0.0%

5.2%

-13.2%

-13.8%

10.0%

1.1%

4.1x

0.5x

3.8%

24.2%

14.00

0.0%

3.7%

-27.8%

-27.8%

4.7%

4.3%

4.1x

0.5x

2.8%

24.6%

8 United Bank for Africa PLC

5.70

-4.2%

3.6%

-26.0%

-26.9%

15.5%

1.7%

2.4x

0.4x

14.7%

41.3%

9 International Brew eries PLC

20.00

0.0%

2.6%

-34.4%

-36.5%

-23.8%

-3.2%

520.00

0.0%

3.2%

-18.8%

-16.2%

10.1%

6.3%

5.0x

0.5x

3.5%

19.8%

8.3%

66.0%

7 Cement Co Northern Nigeria PLC

ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ůĂƌŐĞůLJ ĚƌŝǀĞŶ ďLJ ƉƌŝĐĞ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ

Price Previous Current Change Price Weightin YTD Change g

10 SEPLAT Petroleum Development C

4.9x

-1.8%

;нϱ͘ϯйͿ͘ Ɛ Ă ƌĞƐƵůƚ͕ zd ůŽƐƐ ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞĚ ƚŽ -Ϭ͘ϵй ĨƌŽŵ -ϯ͘ϵй

11 Access Bank PLC

5.95

-0.8%

3.3%

-12.5%

-8.5%

22.2%

2.1%

1.5x

0.4x

ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ͕ ǁŚŝůĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝƐĂƟŽŶ

12 Ecobank Transnational Inc

9.15

-8.5%

2.1%

-34.6%

-36.0%

15.3%

1.2%

2.6x

0.4x

13 Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC

44.05

0.0%

2.8%

-8.1%

-5.1%

30.3%

4.6%

6.6x

1.7x

3.4%

14 Unilever Nigeria PLC

31.00

0.0%

2.3%

-16.2%

-16.2%

12.7%

7.7%

17.3x

2.1x

4.8%

5.8%

15 Lafarge Africa PLC

10.00

-2.0%

1.5%

-19.7%

-16.7%

-53.7%

-7.9%

0.7x

14.4%

-63.0%

16 Guinness Nigeria PLC

50.50

0.0%

1.0%

-29.9%

-29.9%

6.8%

3.7%

16.9x

1.3x

3.7%

5.9%

17 Okomu Oil Palm PLC

74.00

0.0%

1.4%

-2.9%

-2.9%

21.0%

16.0%

11.7x

2.4x

4.5%

8.6%

18 Total Nigeria PLC

162.00

0.0%

1.2%

-20.2%

-20.2%

19.3%

4.5%

9.5x

1.8x

10.6%

10.6%

19 11 PLC

170.00

0.0%

1.3%

-8.4%

-8.4%

38.0%

16.8%

5.7x

1.9x

4.9%

17.6%

15.50

0.0%

0.9%

-32.9%

-30.2%

6.6%

2.0%

7.2x

0.4x

6.7%

14.0%

21 Oando PLC

4.55

-2.2%

1.2%

-9.0%

-5.2%

14.3%

2.5%

2.1x

0.3x

22 Fidelity Bank PLC

1.65

-0.6%

1.0%

-18.7%

-18.7%

12.7%

1.4%

2.0x

0.2x

6.7%

23 Transnational Corp of Nigeria

1.18

-7.1%

1.0%

-10.6%

-6.3%

16.4%

3.6%

4.4x

0.7x

2.5%

22.7%

24 Dangote Sugar Refinery PLC

13.40

0.0%

0.9%

-12.1%

-9.5%

22.3%

12.6%

6.7x

1.5x

8.2%

14.9%

26 FCMB Group Plc

1.60

-0.6%

0.6%

-15.3%

-11.1%

8.8%

1.2%

2.0x

27 UAC of Nigeria PLC

6.60

2.3%

0.4%

-32.3%

-30.9%

-7.9%

-3.6%

ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ďLJ EϰϬϴ͘ϯďŶ ƚŽ Eϭϯ͘ϳƚŶ͘ ,ŽǁĞǀĞƌ͕ ĂĐƟǀŝƚLJ ůĞǀĞů ǁĂƐ ŵŝdžĞĚ ĂƐ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ďLJ ϭϮ͘Ϯй ƚŽ Ϯϵϰ͘ϰŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ ĂŶĚ ǀĂůƵĞ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ϭ͘ϳй ƚŽ Eϭϳ͘ϱďŶ͘ MTNN ;ϵϯ͘ϳŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ͕ ZENITH ;Ϯϵ͘ϱŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ ĂŶĚ UBA ;ϮϮ͘ϰŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ ǁĞƌĞ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ďLJ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ǁŚŝůĞ MTNN ;Eϭϯ͘ϲďŶͿ͕ E' D ;Eϭ͘ϳďŶͿ ĂŶĚ ZENITH ;Eϱϲϲ͘ϰŵͿ ůĞĚ

ƚŽƉ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ďLJ ǀĂůƵĞ͘

20 Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC

38.9% 15.1%

48.4% 50.7%

25 Diamond Bank PLC

/ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů 'ŽŽĚƐ /ŶĚĞdž ŵĞƌŐĞƐ >ŽŶĞ 'ĂŝŶĞƌ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ ƐĞĐƚŽƌƐ ǁĂƐ ůĂƌŐĞůLJ ďĞĂƌŝƐŚ ĂƐ ϰ ŽĨ ϱ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ƵŶĚĞƌ ŽƵƌ ĐŽǀĞƌĂŐĞ ƚƌĞŶĚĞĚ ƐŽƵƚŚǁĂƌĚƐ͘ dŚĞ ŽŶƐƵŵĞƌ 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚĞdž ůĞĚ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞƌƐ͕ ĚŽǁŶ ϯ͘ϲй ŽŶ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ of sell-ŽīƐ ŝŶ NESTLE (-ϳ͘ϳйͿ ĂŶĚ NIGERIAN BREWERIES (Ϭ͘ϳйͿ͘ dŚĞ ĂŶŬŝŶŐ ŝŶĚĞdž ƚƌĂŝůĞĚ͕ ƐŚĞĚĚŝŶŐ Ϯ͘ϳй ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƉƌŝĐĞ ĚĞƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ GUARANTY (-2.6%) and ZENITH (-Ϯ͘ϲйͿ ǁŚŝůĞ ƚŚĞ /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ Kŝů Θ 'ĂƐ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ĚŝƉƉĞĚ Ϭ͘ϱй ĂŶĚ Ϭ͘ϯй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ůŽƐƐĞƐ ŝŶ LAWUNION (-9.1%) and OANDO (-Ϯ͘ϮйͿ͘ KŶ ƚŚĞ ŇŝƉ ƐŝĚĞ͕ ƚŚĞ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚĞdž

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ^ĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ tĞĂŬĞŶƐ /ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ĂƐ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ ;ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞͬĚĞĐůŝŶĞ ƌĂƟŽͿ ǁĞĂŬĞŶĞĚ ƚŽ Ϭ͘ϰdž ĨƌŽŵ Ϭ͘ϴdž ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ĂƐ ϭϮ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ĂŐĂŝŶƐƚ Ϯϳ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞƌƐ͘ MTNN (+10.0%), VITAFOAM ;нϵ͘ϴйͿ ĂŶĚ E' D ;нϵ͘ϳйͿ ǁĞƌĞ ƚŚĞ ƚŽƉ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵŝŶŐ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ǁŚŝůĞ

8.7%

50.0%

9.8%

-29.6%

43.7%

2.29

-0.4%

0.7%

20.5%

20.5%

9.3%

0.9%

7.1x

0.6x

29 Presco PLC

58.00

0.0%

0.4%

-9.4%

-9.4%

37.0%

24.8%

2.3x

0.7x

3.6%

30 NASCON Allied Industries PLC

17.95

0.0%

0.4%

-0.3%

-0.3%

32.2%

12.9%

11.7x

3.8x

5.6%

31 Forte Oil PLC

27.80

0.0%

0.4%

-3.1%

-0.7%

48.9%

7.4%

28 Sterling Bank PLC

14.2%

2.1x

32 Union Bank of Nigeria PLC

7.10

0.0%

0.5%

26.8%

26.8%

6.6%

1.2%

12.4x

0.9x

23.00

0.0%

0.3%

14.4%

4.1%

19.9%

2.3%

4.7x

0.9x

8.7%

34 PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC 35 Chemical and Allied Products P 36 Wema Bank PLC

8.5% -7.6%

33 Julius Berger Nigeria PLC

8.1% 21.5%

8.50

0.0%

0.2%

-29.8%

-30.9%

0.8x

1.8%

34.00

0.0%

0.3%

-2.4%

-2.4%

68.7%

31.5%

11.5x

7.2x

8.5%

8.7%

0.62

-1.6%

0.2%

-1.6%

-1.6%

7.3%

0.7%

6.5x

0.5x

4.8%

15.5%

37 Beta Glass PLC

69.70

0.0%

0.2%

2.0%

2.0%

38 Dangote Flour Mills Plc

16.45

0.6%

0.4%

140.1%

149.2%

-15.8%

-5.1%

39 Transcorp Hotels Plc

5.40

0.0%

0.1%

-11.5%

-9.2%

6.0%

3.2%

40 AXA Mansard Insurance PLC

1.80

0.0%

0.1%

-1.6%

-1.6%

11.0%

3.1%

T o p 10 G a i n e r s

ĞŵĞƌŐĞĚ ƚŚĞ ůŽŶĞ ŐĂŝŶĞƌ͕ ƵƉ ϭ͘ϭй ĚƌŝǀĞŶ ďLJ ďĂƌŐĂŝŶ ŚƵŶƟŶŐ in E' D ;нϵ͘ϳйͿ͘

0.2x 0.3x

1.1x

1.9%

2.6x

1.2%

12.0x

0.7x

2.8%

7.9x

0.9x

-6.8% 8.3% 12.7%

T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V o l u m e

T ic k er

P ric e

P ric e C hg %

T ic k er

Vo lum e

P ric e C hg %

M TNN

10.0%

144.85

10.0%

M TNN

93.7

VIT A F OA M

4.25

9.8%

Z EN IT H B A N K

29.5

-2.6%

D A N GC EM

203.00

9.7%

UB A

22.4

-4.2%

T H OM A SWY

0.40

8.1%

A C C ESS

21.4

-0.8%

UP L

1.80

5.9%

GUA R A N T Y

16.6

-2.6%

GLA XOSM IT H

8.95

5.3%

FB NH

13.6

0.0%

UN IT YB N K

0.68

3.0%

D A N GC EM

8.7

9.7%

UA C N

6.60

2.3%

F ID ELIT YB K

7.6

-0.6%

C A D B UR Y

10.50

1.4%

ST ER LN B A N K

6.6

-0.4%

C UST OD IA N

6.05

0.8%

UC A P

6.2

-6.5%

T o p 10 L o s e r s

LAWUNION (-9.1%), ETI (-ϴ͘ϱйͿ ĂŶĚ JAPAULOIL (-ϴ͘ϯйͿ ůĞĚ

P ric e

P ric e C hg %

T ic k er

Value

P ric e C hg %

LA WUN ION

0.40

-9.1%

M TNN

13575.7

10.0%

the rally in MTNN ĂŶĚ ƌĞŶĞǁĞĚ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ŝŶ E' D to

ET I

9.15

-8.5%

D A N GC EM

1658.3

9.7%

ĐŽŶƟŶƵĞ ƚŽ ďƵŽLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŶĞĂƌ ƚĞƌŵ͘

J A P A ULOIL

0.22

-8.3%

Z EN IT H B A N K

566.5

-2.6%

C OUR T VILLE

0.23

-8.0%

GUA R A N T Y

516.6

-2.6%

ůĂŐŐĂƌĚƐ͘ ĞƐƉŝƚĞ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĂŬ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ͕ ǁĞ ĞdžƉĞĐƚ

T ic k er

T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V a l u e

N EST LE

1320.00

-7.7%

N EST LE

260.4

-7.7%

NP FM CRFB K

1.36

-7.5%

NB

134.9

-0.7%

A F R IP R UD

3.66

-7.1%

UB A

129.6

-4.2%

1.18

-7.1%

A C C ESS

127.9

-0.8%

C H IP LC

0.27

-6.9%

FB NH

93.7

0.0%

UC A P

2.30

-6.5%

D A N GSUGA R

82.3

0.0%

T R A N SC OR P

Afrinvest West Africa Limited

Brokerage

Asset Management

Investment Research

Ayodeji Ebo | aebo@afrinvest.com

Ola Belgore | obelgore@afrinvest.com

Robert Omotunde | romotunde@afrinvest.com

Adedoyin Allen | aallen@afrinvest.com Oluwarotimi Ashimi | oashimi@afrinvest.com

Adedayo Bakare | abakare@afrinvest.com

43

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

Vetiva Griffin ETF Announces Final Distribution of 27 kobo Dividend Goddy Egene Vetiva Fund Managers Limited announced a final distribution of 27 kobo per Unit of the Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) for the full-year period ended 31st December 2018.

The company said the distribution will be paid to unit holders whose names appear in the Register of

unit holders as at 5.00pm yesterday, while payment will be on Friday, 31st May 2019.

The Fund paid an interim distribution of 20 kobo per unit in 2018, bringing the total distribution to 47kobo per unitholder in 2018 compared to the total distribution of 42.5kobo per unitholder in 2017.

Speaking on the distribution, the Director of Asset Management at

A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager.

Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return.

An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

Vetiva Fund Managers Limited, Mrs. Oyelade Eigbe said: “The distribution is in line with the structure of the Fund to remit distributions to unit holders twice a year. Also, the VG 30 ETF continues to represent a convenient investment vehicle for exposure to the Nigerian Equities Market via a single security.”

The VG 30 ETF (the first

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg.

Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 21May-2019, unless otherwise stated.

equity-based ETF to be listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange) is designed to track the performance of the constituent companies of the NSE 30 Index and to replicate the price and yield performance of the Index. The index tracks the top 30 companies listed on the NSE in terms of market capitalisation and liquidity.

Vetiva also manages a series

of other Exchange Traded Funds, namely the Vetiva Banking ETF, Vetiva Consumer Goods ETF and Vetiva Industrial Goods ETF. These ETFs track the performance of the NSE Banking Index, NSE Consumer Goods Index and NSE Industrial Goods Index respectively. The company also manages the Vetiva S&P Nigerian Sovereign Bond ETF which tracks the performance of

benchmark Nigerian Federal Government Bonds.

ETFs, which trade just like stocks offer diversification benefits and can be traded on the exchange through dealing members. The ETF market segment has become a dynamic space wherein investors can choose options in line with their objectives, risk appetite, time horizon or preferred asset class.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors.

Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return.

NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Afrinvest Plutus Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria International Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 0.87 0.88 4.00% ACAP Income Funds 0.63 0.63 13.21% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 13.32% AIICO Balanced Fund 2.30 2.32 3.25% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 15.62 16.09 -5.88% ARM Discovery Fund 346.09 356.52 -2.96% ARM Ethical Fund 29.03 29.90 2.79% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 13.08% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 1.82 1.82 13.96% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 13.88% Paramount Equity Fund 11.96 12.05 1.22% Women's Investment Fund 105.84 106.38 2.15% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.62% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 98.91 99.37 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 98.87 99.18 CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.02% Coronation Balanced Fund 0.83 0.83 Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.19 1.19 6.53% EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 12.49% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 12.26% FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,187.57 1,188.40 6.39% FBN Heritage Fund 142.93 143.90 0.11% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 13.11% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional N/A N/A N/A FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail N/A N/A N/A FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 139.42 141.40 -7.05% FIRST CITY ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD fcamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcamltd.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 11.28% Legacy Debt Fund 3.40 3.40 4.74% Legacy Equity Fund 1.13 1.15 -7.59% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.05 1.05 1.86% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund 2,958.42 2,987.48 -0.87% Coral Income Fund 2,891.66 2,891.66 5.55% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 11.56% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 107.58 107.96 0.15% GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gdl.com.ng Web: www.gdl.com.ng ; Tel: +234 9055691122 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn GDL Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 12.86%

INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.35% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.13 2.15 -1.06% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 14.97% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 130.19 130.27 4.17% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.20 1.22 4.86% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,098.63 1,098.63 5.25% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 10.73 10.83 -6.69% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 12.09% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 120.25 120.63 -0.47% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.02 1.02 5.48% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 2,343.79 2,355.21 1.24% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 201.21 201.21 5.82% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.91 0.92 -3.68% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 254.44 254.47 4.97% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 156.89 158.56 -3.86% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.68% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 8,014.53 8,100.93 -5.65% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.11 1.11 2.44% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD unitedcapitalplcgroup.com Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.19 1.20 -0.15% United Capital Bond Fund 1.69 1.69 6.26% United Capital Equity Fund 0.68 0.69 -3.86% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 13.10% United Capital Eurobond Fund 110.79 110.79 3.29% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.12 1.12 2.41% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 10.64 10.80 0.47% Zenith Ethical Fund Zenith Income Fund Zenith Money Market Fund

11.93 21.80 1.00

12.06 21.80 1.00

-0.53% 13.01% 11.93%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

5.40 120.77 52.38

-44.85% 2.58% 1.24%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

9.78 99.44 81.51

9.88 101.54 83.01

-7.24% -15.23% -8.08%

Fund Name FSDH UPDC Real Estate Investment Fund SFS Skye Shelter Fund Union Homes REIT

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund SIAML Pension ETF 40 Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

3.52 6.36 13.26 10.66 155.49

3.56 6.44 13.36 10.86 157.49

-12.00% -16.47% -11.27% -13.67% 8.27%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

106.90

17.40%

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

The value of investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise. Past performance is a guide and not an indication of future returns. Fund prices published in this edition are also available on each fund manager’s website and FMAN’s website at www.fman.com.ng. Fund prices are supplied by the operator of the relevant fund and are published for information purposes only.

44

T H I S D AY • THURSDAY MAY 23, 2019

45

THURSDAY MAY 23, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

INTERNA TIONAL

South African Lawmakers Elect Ramaphosa as State President South African lawmakers on Wednesday elected Cyril Ramaphosa as state president in the first sitting of parliament since the ruling African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of parliamentary seats in an election earlier this month.

Ramaphosa, who is also the leader of the ANC, was elected unopposed by lawmakers in parliament’s National Assembly lower house ahead of his inauguration on Saturday.

The ANC easily won South Africa’s May 8 general election but its share of the vote fell, reflecting anger at corruption scandals and racial inequalities that remain entrenched a generation after the party took power.

Also, South Africa began swearing-in its newly elected parliament on Wednesday, excluding President Cyril Ramaphosa’s influential deputy David Mabuza, who put off taking up his seat to address accusations he had brought the ruling party into disrepute.

South Africa’s chief justice

started swearing in lawmakers in batches of 10 ahead of the election of parliament’s presiding officers and nominations for president.

Mabuza’s exclusion is a reminder of the scandals that have damaged the ANC’s popularity and brought down Ramaphosa’s predecessor Jacob Zuma, who was removed from power by the party in 2018 and now faces prosecution for graft.

Mabuza, the former premier of Mpumalanga, a coal-producing Northeastern province, has struggled to shrug off longstanding allegations of corruption there.

A report by the ANC’s Integrity Commission suggested he had brought the party into disrepute.

“The deputy president has indicated he would like to have an opportunity to address… these allegations,” said Ramaphosa in an ANC statement.

“The deputy president believes that the ANC as a

governing party should advance the electoral mandate in an environment of public trust.”

Mabuza played a key role in ensuring Ramaphosa was elected in a tight contest to take over from Zuma as party leader, which led to Ramaphosa replacing Zuma as president in Feb. 2018.

Another senior ANC politician, Nomvula Mokonyane, a former environmental affairs minister, also postponed her swearing in, with ANC officials citing a family bereavement.

Mokonyane had been nominated for a senior parliamentary position that entails holding the executive to account, but the ANC said it would now find someone else for the post.

Since replacing Zuma, Ramaphosa has pledged to fight corruption, reform struggling state-owned companies and revive a sclerotic economy.

But he has struggled to enact reforms in the face of opposition from party rivals.

Resignation Calls Grow as UK PM May’s Final Brexit Gambit Bombs British Prime Minister Theresa May’s final Brexit gambit was in tatters on Wednesday as lawmakers in her own party rejected a compromise offer and called for her to resign immediately.

Nearly three years since Britain voted 52 per cent to 48 per cent to leave the EU, the beleaguered May made one last pitch on Tuesday to get her divorce deal approved by the British parliament before her crisis-riven premiership ends.

She offered a parliamentary

vote on whether to hold a second Brexit referendum – once her legislation passes the first stage – as well as closer trading arrangements with the EU in future as incentives to what she called the only way to prevent a disruptive “no-deal” Brexit.

Both ruling Conservative and opposition Labour lawmakers criticised May’s Withdrawal Agreement Bill, or WAB, legislation which implements the terms of Britain’s twicedelayed departure.

Some intensified their public efforts to oust May and there were reports that her own cabinet ministers could move against her.

“There is one last chance to get it right and leave in an orderly fashion.

“But it is now time for Prime Minister Theresa May to go – and without delay,” Conservative lawmaker Tom Tugendhat, chairman of parliament’s Foreign Affairs Select Committee, wrote in the Financial Times.

Sudan’s Military Council Urges Opposition to Facilitate Power Transition Deputy Chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Military Council (TMC), Mohamed Daqlu on Wednesday urged the major opposition forces to overcome differences and facilitate transition of power to civilian authority.

“The TMC is committed to handing over power to the civilians if the two sides reached an agreement over the outstanding issues during the ongoing talks,” said Daqlu.

He criticised the major opposition forces for refusing to hand the chairmanship of the sovereignty council to the

military.

Sudan is passing through a dangerous junction that necessitates all parties to live up to their responsibilities toward the country, Daqlu noted.

The TMC and the opposition Freedom and Change Alliance recently agreed on powers of the sovereignty council, the council of ministers and the legislative council.

They agreed that the transitional period would be three years, with the first six months assigned for achieving peace all over Sudan.

In addition, the legislative council will be composed of 300 members, 67 per cent of whom are from the Freedom and Change Alliance and the rest from the other political forces.

However, they have yet to reach an agreement on the representation of the military and the civilians in the transitional sovereignty council as well as the chairmanship of the council.

The TMC is tasked with running Sudan’s affairs following the ouster of former President Omar al-Bashir.

Trump Says No Cooperation with Democrats Until Abuse Stops United States President Donald Trump launched a broadside against the Democratic Party, saying he will not cooperate with the opposition on infrastructure or other key issues until efforts to investigate him in Congress is concluded.

Trump on Wednesday appeared furious after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi accused him of being “engaged in a cover up” just before heading to the White House for talks on infrastructure, along

with her fellow Democrat, Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer.

The two Democrats walked out shortly after the meeting began and Trump then gave an impromptu briefing.

The night before the meeting, the president said he wanted an agreement to ratify an update to the NAFTA free trade deal before moving on to infrastructure.

Trump was also upset over talk with the Democratic Party

over impeachment proceedings, which he referred to repeatedly as “the ‘i’ word.”

He said the opposition party had to choose whether they want to investigate him or cooperate on policy.

Much of the president’s speech in the Rose Garden of the White House focused on the report by Robert Mueller into Russian election meddling.

“No collusion, no obstruction, no nothing,” Trump said about the report.

46

THURSDAY MAY 23, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

THURSDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor: Duro Ikhazuagbe Email: duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com 08111813083

NFF’s Autonomy Imminent as Senate Passes Bill Abrogating NFA Deji Elumoye in Abuja The law that changed the name of Nigeria Football Association (NFA) to Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) was one of the 11 bills passed yesterday by the upper chamber of the National Assembly.

Senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani was the one who moved for the consideration of the bill changing NFA to NFF in the Senate.

Both the House of Representatives and the Senate had way back in 2017 and 2018 passed different versions of the bill before a committee was set up to harmonise them into one

and send it for final approval of the Red Chamber.

“This is one of those important issues as far as football is concerned in the country. It brings the Nigerian football administration in line with global best practice,” Senator Sani began.

“Following the consideration and passage of the bill for an act to repeal the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) and enact the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and other matters connected therewith 2019 by the Senate and House of Representatives on Tuesday, 30th of May 2017 and Thursday, 8th of March 2018 respectively,

the two chambers set up a conference committee.

“The conference committee met to harmonise the differences as passed by the two chambers.

After scrutiny of the bill, the conference committee adopted the house version,” stressed the Kaduna senator.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki thereafter put the report to vote and approvedSaraki described the approval of the report as landmark.

“It is a landmark bill that we have just passed,” he said.

“For over 20 years now, we have been trying to improve

on the situation of football in this country in line with global best practice but it has always been stampeded for personal reasons.”

The approved bill can be summarized into five major components which encompasses a whole new profitable and dynamic structure: – It recognises the NFF as the body to manage and regulate football activities in Nigeria in line with its statutes as approved

by FIFA. –It recognises the NFF statutes as drafted by its members and approved by FIFA as

the Supreme Laws for the governance of the functioning of the organisation, administration and operations of the NFF. – It recognises that the statutes of the NFF may be amended from time to time in accordance with the procedures and process stipulated in the statutes.

– It recognises football as a national asset and thus entitled to special privileges, concession and from time to time to receive grants, subventions and/ or appropriation from the government in furtherance to its objectives and functions and to facilitate the overall development

of football in Nigeria.

–It will provide the framework of the minimum provisions the statutes shall contain to ensure good governance, management, and operations of the NFF and in line to the minimum threshold provided by FIFA to be contained in all the Federations’ statutes and other provisions to support football development.

These are the focal points of the Act with the itemized point emphasizing that the NFF will not be hindered from receiving grants or subvention from the government despite their autonomy.

Otedola Assures Chukwu Money Will be No Impediment for His Treatment Chairman of Forte Oil, Femi Otedola, on Tuesday assured former Nigeria Captain, Christian Chukwu, that money will be no impediment in the way of providing him with adequate medical and postmedical care.

The oil and gas billionaire who had earlier made a contribution of $50,000 to the medicare of the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations-winning team captain and former Super Eagles’ coach, made this statement when he paid Chukwu a visit at the Wellington Hospital, Circus Road, St. John’s Woods in London.

“I want to thank you for your effort regarding the medical attention to our beloved

‘Chairman’. Please continue to do your best. I want to say here and now, and for the avoidance of doubt, that money will not be an impediment to his treatment.”

Also present during the visit were President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick and ‘Chairman’ Chukwu’s wife, Lilian Nkeiruka.

Dr. Leye Ajayi, a renowned urologist who was also consultant to Otedola’s late father, Sir Michael Otedola, as well as Dr. Katherine Piggott (an uncologist) and Dr. Evadney Keith (a cardiologist) are the medical crew taking care of Chukwu, who also coached Eagles between 2002 and 2005.

Okpekpe Organisers Ready to Stage Biggest Race Ever Organisers of the IAAF silver label Okpekpe International 10km Road Race has arrangements have been concluded for a hitch-free race this Saturday in Okpekpe near Auchi, Etsakor East Local Government Area of Edo State.

Mercy Etukudo, who heads the event’s secretariat assured stakeholders that Pamodzi Sports Marketing, organisers of the race will stage another world-class event as all logistics, both technical and administrative are in place for a bigger and better event this year.

“Of course we are set to go. We have concluded all arrangements for a hitch-free and successful race on Saturday.

The elite athletes have arrived Nigeria and will leave for Auchi on Thursday (today) where accommodation has been reserved for them.

“Nigerian elite athletes will also be in Auchi on Thursday (today) while other participants have started collecting running numbers since Tuesday at Fatima College in Auchi. Collection will continue until 2pm on Friday,” said Etukudo who revealed that all participants will receive a running race vest, number bibs, and chips. All those who finished the race will receive medal and certificate of attendance.

Etukudo also disclosed that arrangement for a seamless doping control have been concluded.

“We have our doping control station built in Okpekpe. It has a waiting room, a working room and toilets for both men and women since the race is mixed gender.

“We also have the sample collection equipment vis the collection vessels for collecting urine/blood from the athletes as well as sealable and tamperevident bottles and lids for securing the samples.’’

She added that key officials that will ensure a smooth and incident-free organisation of the race are in place. ‘’We have the start and finish managers whose jobs will be to set up the start and the finish area including the mobile toilets, changing facilities, baggage handling, refreshments, crowd control barriers and the timing system among other things.

“Of course we have announced that Dr Akin Amao will still be in charge of the anti doping unit. We have the starter, time keepers, recorders and the race referee secured as well as technical officials that have been handling the race entries and issuing race numbers and instructions.’

L-R: Amaechi Okobi, Group Head, Corporate Communications, Access Bank Plc; Victor Etuokwu, Executive Director, Retail Banking, Access Bank, and Barbara Zing, General Manager, Academy, Fifth Chukker, at a press conference to announce 2019 Access Bank/ Fifth Chukker UNICEF Charity Shield Polo Tournament in Lagos… on Tuesday

18 Teams Jostle for 2019 Access Bank/UNICEF Polo Top Honours Access deepens charity commitment with 60 classroom blocks Eighteen highly-motivated polo teams from across the country are gearing up for Africa’s premium polo extravaganza as the annual Access Bank/ UNICEF Charity Shield Polo Tournament gallops-off at the Fifth Chukker Lawns of Kangimi Resort in Kaduna from Monday June 6 to Sunday to June 15, 2019.

Teams comprising regulars, arch rivals and a handful of ambitious new comers would jostle for honours in three broad cup categories with the high stake Charity Shield leading the pack that include the glittering Access Bank Cup, newly introduced Usman Dantata Cup, and crowded UNICEF Cup respectively.

The first stage of the annual tournament will pitch 14 teams jostling for the UNICEF and the Usman Dantata Cup

respectively, while the second stage promises to be a thrilling experience as six fully armed teams loaded with foreign professionals do battle for Access Bank Cup and the event’s biggest prize, Charity Shield.

Speaking at a media briefing to usher the 2019 edition of the polo fiesta on Tuesday in Lagos, Executive Director, Retail Banking, Access Bank Plc, Victor Etuokwu, disclosed that Access Bank Plc, and its partners, have taken their commitment to UNICEF Charity polo and its fund raising platform to a new level, with the construction of fully equipped 60 classroom blocks in Kaduna State.

Etuokwu noted that the project which is currently 70 per cent complete, will on completion admits a record 12,600 orphans and less

privilege children across rural communities in the state, on a two shift system of morning and evening seasons, who would have the opportunity of studying with the best of international facilities that would be comparable to the bests in the world.

The Executive Director, who confirmed the tournament dates, said the bank will continue to maintain its yearly commitment in supporting UNICEF towards its projects for orphans and vulnerable children.

He pointed out that Access Bank and Fifth Chukker had over the years been supporting UNICEF and empowering people in Maraban Jos community and its environs in Kaduna in a pivotal commitment that has continually been lauded by

the public. ”The partners are delighted that the Access Bank UNICEF Charity Shield is archiving its main objective of reaching out to the less privileged children in the society.”

“This year’s tournament is more than an affirmation of our commitment to socioeconomic wellbeing of mankind and acknowledgement of the impact the initiative has had on the lives of the orphaned and vulnerable children in northern Nigeria especially in Kaduna state,” he emphasized.

Events & Project Development Manager of Fifth Chukker, Barbara Zing stated that two days, May 29 and June 12, have been set aside to celebrate children as part of the highlights of the 2019 edition of one of the biggest charity polo event in Africa.

Iwobi Prays Liverpool Beat Spurs Alex Iwobi has admitted that he wants Tottenham Hotspur to lose to Liverpool in the Champions League final on June 1.

The Nigeria international knows all about the rivalry between Arsenal and their North London neighbors

Spurs and he’s backing Jurgen Klopp’s side to win the game at the Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid.

Iwobi and his Arsenal teammates are preparing to face Chelsea in the Europa League final in Baku next week and they will be granted a place

in next season’s Champions League if they win the trophy. ‘’We’re not trying to focus on Tottenham to be fair, I actually hope they lose,’’ Iwobi told Sky Sports.

“No, we’re not trying to look at them, they’ve done well to be fair, I have to give

it to them. ‘’But we want to focus on ourselves and bring back the trophy for us.’’

Iwobi would become the first Nigerian player since Dickson Etuhu in May 2010 to feature in a Europa League final if he plays against Chelsea.

THURSDAY MAY 23, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

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THURSDAYSPORTS

World Cup: FIFA Drops Plans to Expand Qatar 2022 to 48 Teams Plans to expand the 2022 World Cup to 48 teams have been abandoned by FIFA. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said last year the expansion from 32 teams could be brought forward from 2026 to the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

The change would have

required Qatar to share hosting duties with other countries in the region.

World football’s governing body said after a “thorough and comprehensive consultation process” the change “could not be made now”.

FIFA also said it explored the

Amusan Back on IAAF Diamond League Train Petite sprint hurdler and reigning Commonwealth Games 100m hurdles queen, Tobiloba Amusan is back on the IAAF Diamond League train which makes its third stop next week Thursday at the BAUHAUS-galan in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Nigerian missed last week’s trip to Shanghai in China because the 100m hurdles was not listed on the programme after running 12.73 seconds personal season’s best to come second in Doha, Qatar at the opening leg of the 14-leg competition.

Amusan will confront familiar foes at the Stockholm Olympic stadium, especially Jamaica’s Williams Danielle who out-ran the Nigerian to the $10,000 top prize money and eight points on offer in Doha.

Williams was beaten to the gold medal by Amusan in April last year at the Commonwealth Games but the Jamaican bounced back strongly to claim one of the medals at the 2018 Diamond League final in Brussels, Belgium.

Also on the card for the $10,000 top prize money in Stockholm are world record holder at 12.20 seconds, USA’s Kendra

Harrison, two other Americans, Nelvis Sharika and Clemons Christina, a German, Roleder Cindy as well as Netherlands’ Visser Nadine and Belarussian, Herman Elvira.

Amusan made her Diamond League debut at the Golden Gala in Rome, Italy in May 2018. She ran 12.86 seconds to come third behind Nelvis (12.76) and Danielle (12.82).

Meanwhile, Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteguonor has not been confirmed for the BAUHAUS-galan as her name is not in the provisional list of athletes so far released for the 200m event.

Already confirmed are Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith who ran 22.26 seconds world lead to win the half lap in Doha at the start of May and won in 2016 in Stockholm; double 2016 Olympics sprint queen, Elaine Thompson of Jamaica, flying Dutchwoman, Dafne Schippers and former USA Collegiate star, Prandini Jenna.

Okagbare-Ighoteguonor has made just one visit to the Stockholm Olympic Stadium and that was last year when she ran 11.29 seconds to place fifth in the 100m.

Messi, Aguero in Argentina Preliminary Squad for Copa America Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi and the returning Sergio Aguero headed the 23-man Copa America squad announced by Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni yesterday.

Paris Saint Germain winger Angel Di Maria was also included but there was no place for striker Gonzalo Higuain, who is on loan at Chelsea from Juventus.

“These are the best players in an important time for the national team,” said Scaloni ahead of the tournament hosted by Brazil, which begins on June 14.

Argentina will play in Group B alongside Colombia, Paraguay and guests Qatar, the 2022 World Cup hosts and current Asian champions.

Messi, who only returned to the Argentina squad in March after an eightmonth absence following the World Cup in Russia, will turn 32 during the

competition.

Di Maria, like Messi, made his post-World Cup return in March ahead of friendlies against Venezuela and Morocco, but Manchester City’s Aguero had not been called up since Argentina’s 4-3 last 16 defeat to eventual champions France in Russia.

Another high-profile omission was Inter Milan forward Mauro Icardi, who has been left out of the Italian team’s line-up for the last two months over a dispute regarding a contract renewal.

“Keeping everyone happy is difficult,” admitted Scaloni, who said he’d had “doubts right until the end” over the final squad make-up.

Argentina have not won the Copa America, or any major international tournament, since 1993, losing in the final in four of the last five editions of the continental showpiece.

possibility of Qatar hosting a 48-team tournament on its own but has decided not to pursue those plans as there was not enough time “for a detailed assessment of the potential logistical impact”.

In November, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said adding 16 teams to Qatar 2022 could create “many problems” and described the idea as “quite

unrealistic”.

In January 2017, FIFA voted unanimously in favour of increasing the World Cup to 48 teams for the 2026 event - which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

In October 2018 Infantino said “we have to see if it is possible” to bring the expansion forward to 2022.

Infantino has been a strong

advocate of the expansion and said the World Cup has to be “more inclusive”.

“We are in the 21st century and we have to shape the World Cup of the 21st century,” he said when announcing the change.

“It is the future. Football is more than just Europe and South America, football is global.”

The expansion in 2026 will see an initial stage of 16 groups of

three teams precede a knockout stage for the remaining 32.

The number of tournament matches will rise to 80, from 64, but the eventual winners will still play only seven games.

The tournament will be completed within 32 days - a measure to appease powerful European clubs, who objected to reform because of a crowded international schedule.

The U-20 national team of Portugal during their visit to the Bielsko-Biala Stadium Poland…yesterday

FIFA.com

Let the Games Begin at Poland 2019 Roughly two years after the trophy was lifted by England, who are not competing this time around, the search begins today for the new U-20 world champions in Poland.

The hosts, staging their first FIFA tournament, will take on Colombia in their opening match this evening. In the group’s other game, Tahiti will be hoping to score their first goal at their second U-20 World Cup

when they meet Senegal, having conceded 21 while scoring none on their debut.

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles, who spent three weeks at a final training camp in Germany, will open their account, against Qatar, on Friday.

In Group B, 2018 UEFA European U-19 Championship runners-up Italy face Mexico, who are taking part in this competition for the 16th time. Only Brazil,

who are also reduced to being spectators this year, have graced more U-20 World Cups (18).

Fans are also eagerly awaiting the appearance of Ecuador, who have travelled to Europe with high hopes after being crowned continental champions in South America for the first time. Their opponents Japan have plenty of experience, having progressed past the group stage seven times in their last nine appearances

in the competition and reached the last eight on three occasions.

Coach of Senegal, Youssouph Dabo, also gave an insight of what to expect against Tahiti.

“We are focusing closely on Tahiti, a team we know absolutely nothing about. This kind of opponent is always capable of springing a surprise.”

Ecuador coach Jorge Celico, said of his expectations of tonight’s game.

S P O RT S D E V E LO P M E N T

Nwankwo Kanu Thumbs up Monimichelle Wants him to re-grass Abuja, Lagos Stadiums Former Super Eagles Captain, Nwankwo Kanu has given a pat on the back to the Chief Executive Officer of Monimichelle, Ebi Egbe.

Nwankwo who spoke during the Gov. Akinwumi Ambode Testimonial game played at the Agege soccer temple last weekend, described Egbe’s firm as Africa’s leading stadium construction outfit, even as he urged federal and state governments to partne him to change the face of Nigerian football pitches.

“Monimichelle is simply number one in Africa. I am proud of him and what he is doing to change the face of our stadiums.

His jobs are world-class and I would want him to be given the job of re-grassing the national stadium pitches in Abuja and Lagos so that Eagles can return to their traditional home,” Kanu stressed.

The former African Player of the Year was one of the African

stars that featured in the African XI versus Naija Legends game.

He was his old self as he dazzled fans to the best of football with some fans jokingly recommending that Coach Gernot Rohr should include him

and the trio of Austin Jay Jay Okocha, Emmanuel Amuneke and Garba Lawal in Nigeria’s final squad list to the AFCON 2019 in Egypt.

Monimichelle handled the Enyimba Stadium Aba, the

The Samson Siasia Stadium pitch built by Monimichelle

Samson Siasia Stadium pitches as well as the Aper Aku Stadium in Makurdi and Karkanda Stadium in Katsina.

The Onikan Stadium pitch in Lagos is at the moment being re-grassed by Monimichelle.

Thursday, May 23, 2019

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Price: N250

MISSILE Editors’ Guild to National Assembly

“The Guild finds this vexatious, disrespectful and Draconian. It is a scurrilous attempt to gag the press in a democracy and it cannot stand. These guidelines run contrary to the grains of reason, democratic ideals and they are a clear affront on the letter and spirit of the Nigerian constitution which empowers journalists to freely practice their profession without any gag, muzzling and restriction” – Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) on the new guidelines for the accreditation of journalists covering National Assembly.

OLUSEGUNADENIYI Of Suicides and the ‘Sniper’ Debate THE VERDICT

olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

The most important of life’s battles is the one we fight daily in the silent chambers of the soul – David O. McKay

F

ollowing the death in March 2017 of a medical doctor who jumped headlong into the lagoon off Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, I argued on this page that because some wounds can easily be covered up, we do not always know what people around us are going through or what action they might take when pushed to the edge. I used a two-minute Youtube clip titled ‘Silent Battles’ to illustrate my point in a piece titled ‘The Silent Battles of Life’. Recent developments in our country indicate that many of our citizens do indeed need help without knowing where to turn. That makes them susceptible to depression, a state that has been described as being surrounded by a thousand people yet feeling completely alone.

A 25-year-old graduate of Madonna University returned home from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme to stab himself to death, following signs of depression which his parents noticed and actually did all they could to help. A night guard at the Ekiti state scholarship board hanged himself with clothing material tied to the railing of a building at the ministry of education, after telling his sister-in-law that he was tired of life. A middle-aged man walked into the premises of Wema Bank in the Sango area of Ibadan, stripped naked, climbed the network mast and jumped to his death.

A 400-level student of the Department of English and Literary Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, (UNN) posted a revealing suicide note on his Facebook wall and then drank two bottles of ‘Sniper’ to end it all.

Faced with the prospect of being withdrawn from the Niger Delta University, a medical student plunged into a river in Ammasoma, Bayelsa State.

From failing examinations to being dumped by a lover to desperation resulting from the biting economic situation or health complications and peer pressure, far too many Nigerians are reaching their breaking point and taking their own lives through various means. Although there is really no credible data with which we can ascertain

Sniper the magnitude of the problem, figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) put the number of suicide cases in Rivers state in 2017 at 105 with attempted cases at 112.

If we extrapolate that for the entire country, we will be looking at very high suicide rates. And if there is anything that recent tragedies have taught, it is that there are many otherwise normal people who nurse a feeling of emptiness and despair that could in turn trigger what is almost becoming an epidemic in our country. More worrisome is that there is now a body of research that suicide can indeed be contagious with the reported death of one person contributing to such decision by others.

Suicide of course is not peculiar to Nigeria.

It is a global challenge. In the last 45 years, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), suicide rates have increased by 60 percent globally and now a leading cause

of death among young people--the group at highest risk in a third of all countries. In the US, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the third leading cause of death among people between the age of 15 and 24 while, going by WHO estimates, nearly 30 percent of all suicides worldwide occur in India and China.

In South Korea, Japan and the Asia-Pacific region, suicide is also the leading cause of death among young people. In fact, a recent government report says that more Japanese children and teenagers killed themselves between 2016 and 2017 than in any year since 1986. “We’d love to eliminate such tragedies altogether, but the reality is several hundred children are taking their lives (each year),” an education ministry official reportedly said. “It’s important to teach children how to get help as soon as possible ... because it becomes harder and harder to find help once they’re already suffering. The light at the end of the tunnel gets darker and darker until they begin to start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel as death.”

While other societies recognise the problem and are designing solutions to deal with it, the online debate as to whether or not to ban ‘Sniper’, a pesticide that has become the main weapon by which many now terminate their lives, appears our only response. In as much as I have nothing against such a proposition, it will take more than banning ‘Sniper’ to reduce suicides in our country. The president of the association of psychiatrists of Nigeria, Dr Taiwo Sheikh, recently put the number of psychiatrists in Nigeria at about 250. “We are training psychiatrists, both at the West African College of Physicians and the National Postgraduate Medical College, but three out of every five psychiatrists we produce leave the country for greener pastures. One major thing that is eating the field of mental health is brain drain”, he told PUNCH newspaper.

The implication is that even for those who want to seek help, there may be nowhere to go in a nation that has ‘surplus doctors’.

But it is also reassuring that many Nigerians are now speaking out on how those going through any form of stress, personal losses, heartbreak, frustration, grief or experiencing depression can be helped. On Monday, the

publisher of Genevieve magazine and a newspaper columnist of repute, Mrs Betty Irabor, used Twitter to share both her personal story and a warning. “Don’t label or judge what you do not understand. If you haven’t walked in a man’s or woman’s shoes you cannot make assumptions about what they do or why they do it. At the time I attempted suicide, I was sick and in pain.

There was a volcano somewhere inside of me that needed to erupt and suicide seemed like an option to avoid the eruption. Don’t trivialize anyone’s pain just because it’s not physical and you cannot see it,” she wrote.

We need an urgent national conversation on mental ill-health which might be more prevalent than we know because the system makes it difficult for people to even acknowledge they have such challenges, not to talk of seeking help, to avoid stigmatization.

I therefore commend Mrs Irabor for using her Star Power to help on an issue in which the society is not only failing but becoming part of the problem. If there is any lesson from recent tragedies, it is that we should be sensitive in how we respond to the plights of others, even in the social media. Although the concern of Dr Robert Brandt was more about professional colleagues in the field of medicine in his piece, “Silent Battles that cannot be Won Alone”, his admonition is nonetheless useful for us all: “I know from multiple friends who have been in that dark place that healing often starts with finding a person who will listen to them. Spouting advice and saying ‘just get over it’ cures nothing. Be kind and listen, truly listen.

It can be the start of the healing process.”

The Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative (MANI) and other similar non-profit organisations can be found online, raising awareness on mental health issues and how people can be helped. But sometimes the choice as to whether to carry on or give up is ours to make. In the difficult times in which we live, it is easy to yield to some dark inner pressure when confronted with problems for which we have no immediate solution. In such moments, we must always remember that life, as one writer aptly captured it, is not about waiting for the storm to pass, “it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.”

A Model First Lady Note of Appreciation In July 2013, I was in Ibadan, Oyo State, for the burial of Chief Layi Ogunsola, the father of Mrs Ayo Obe. At the church service that day was the First Lady of Kwara State, Mrs Omolewa Ahmed. When the service was over, I decided, out of courtesy, to say hello to her. The moment I introduced myself, she stooped, with her knees almost touching the ground, to greet me. I was shocked. When I narrated my experience to some prominent people from Kwara as well as government officials within the state, the feedback was the same: That is the way she is!

Whatever people may feel about the stewardship of Governor Abdufattah Ahmed

which I consider disappointing, to put it mildly, I have never met anybody from Kwara who does not speak well of his wife.

Incidentally, aside that lone 2013 encounter in Ibadan, I never met Mrs Ahmed again but I continue to hear good things about her. Unlike some of her peers who behave like the Biblical Jezebel, Mrs Ahmed has not allowed her husband’s office to define her character. In seven days’ time, she will vacate the government house with her husband after eight years. But Mrs Omolewa Ahmed will remain the Gold Standard by which future First Ladies in Kwara State will be judged. She is a wonderful woman that I will love to meet again.

I was pleasantly surprised when the Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, quietly entered RovingHeights bookstore last Saturday afternoon to join the young men and women who were engaging my latest book, ‘From Frying Pan to Fire’. Since there was no formal invitation, the governor only read about it in my column, like others, and decided to show up. While I appreciate his thoughtfulness for coming, he also made vital contributions on the value of education and reading culture and why both the society and the ruling elite must join forces to tackle the growing desperation that is pushing many of our young citizens into embarking on perilous journeys across the desert and the Mediterranean Sea that

often end in despair, if not death.

To all the people who were at RovingHeights bookstore last Saturday, I say a big thank you. Meanwhile, going by the schedule set by my publisher, Bookcraft Limited, working in collaboration with some bookstores across the country, the next stop for the book tour is Ibadan on Saturday, 8th June. Venue is Booksellers, 52 Magazine Road, Jericho while time is between 10AM and 1PM. Attendance reservation can be made by calling or texting 08073199967. In the preceding day, 7th June, I will be in Ilorin, Kwara State, to deliver the Vitality Lecture 2019 of the Conference for Biblical Christianity in Africa on the topic, ‘The African Church in the Public Eye.’

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