FRIDAY 20TH JUNE 2025

Bank Stocks Rally as Ovia, Umeoji Acquire Shares Worth N3.3bn in One Day FirstHoldCo promises to exit forbearance in December, raising more questions

Nume Ekeghe and Kayode Tokede

Zenith Bank Plc’s founder and

Chairman, Mr. Jim Ovia, and the Group Managing Director/CEO, Dr. Adaora Umeoji, have significantly

increased their stake in the bank, acquiring shares worth over N3.3 billion between June 10 and June

18, 2025.

This emerged as FirstHoldCo Plc’s announcement of its plan to exit

regulatory forbearance in December this year has stirred fresh concerns.

Also, yesterday, the All-Share Index

(ASI) rose by 39 basis points in early Continued on page 9

World Bank, AfCFTA, Others Task Regulatory Agencies on Protection of Consumers in Nigeria’s Downstream Oil Sector... Page 9 Friday 20 June, 2025 Vol 30. No 11030. Price: N400

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THISDAY • FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2025

NEWS

Group News Editor: Goddy Egene Email: Goddy.egene@thisdaylive.com, 0803 350 6821, 0807 401 0580

Rivers Administrator Defends 2025 Appropriation Bill...

L-R: Chairman, Senate Committee on NDDC, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong; Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa; Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas; Leader of the Senate/Chairman, Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Oversight of Emergency Rule in Rivers State, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele; Special Adviser to the President on the National Assembly Matters (Senate) Senator Basher Lado and Chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Senator Ahmad Malam-Madori at the defence of the 2025 Rivers State Appropriation Bill at Senate Conference Room 231, Second Floor, Senate New Building, National Assembly, Abuja... yesterday

FG’s Tech Committee Hails $20bn Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s Industrial Revolution in Nigeria Says company driving nation’s economic emancipation 650,000bpd facility relies on feedstock import from US due to shortage of domestic supply, Dangote complains Peter Uzoho The federal government’s Technical Committee on the One-Stop Shop (OSS) for the Naira-for-Crude initiative has lauded the $20 billion Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, describing it as a symbol of industrial revolution in Nigeria.

The committee stated that the Aliko Dangote-owned world’s largest single train refinery was driving Nigeria’s economic emancipation. It described the facility as a breath of fresh air that was impacting virtually every sector of the economy.

A statement issued yesterday

by Dangote Group said Coordinator of OSS Technical Committee, Mrs. Maureen Ogbonna, gave the commendation on Tuesday, when she led the delegation on a tour of the facility.

Ogbonna stated, “This refinery touches all our lives. There’s scarcely any sector unaffected. From pharmaceuticals to construction, food to plastics, this project is transformational.

“God has used the President of the Dangote Group to liberate Nigeria. I see this as the beginning of an industrial revolution.”

Stating that in line with President Bola Tinubu’s vision of achieving full

domestic sufficiency in petroleum products and positioning Nigeria as a major global exporter, Ogbonna said the committee was committed to eliminating regulatory, operational and logistical barriers that hindered the smooth supply and sale of domestic crude oil and refined products in naira.

Reflecting on the scale and sophistication of the facility, Ogbonna, who had visited the facility during construction and more recently alongside the leadership of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), expressed delight at its execution.

She said, “It is truly mind blowing that one man could envision and execute such a project. As we toured the refinery, we thought we had seen everything until we reached the laboratory. That lab alone is an institution. I don’t know of any institution in Nigeria or even globally that boasts such a laboratory for petrochemical.”

Ogbonna urged Dangote to remain focused and undeterred by detractors, emphasising that the project is a global achievement, not a personal enterprise.

She stated, “We feel truly honoured to have been warmly received by the President of the Dangote Group and his team. My advice to him is: do not be discouraged by critics.

He was never self-centred. Despite

the obstacles, he was driven by a vision for Nigeria’s future, reaching far beyond Africa.”

In response, founder of the refinery and Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, applauded the technical committee for its role in supporting the implementation of Tinubu’s laudable Naira-for-Crude initiative.

He commended the positive impact

of the naira-for-crude swap deal on the Nigerian economy, saying it has led to a reduction in petroleum product prices, eased pressure on the dollar, and ensured the stability of the local currency, among others.

However, Dangote complained that due to shortage of domestic crude oil, the refinery had increasingly relied on imports from the United States

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Governors of the 36 states of the federation have agreed to dismantle illegal road blocks and multiple taxes across the country.

They made the resolution after a meeting of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) in Abuja, which ended early Thursday.

The governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who read the communique at the end of the meeting, said the governors resolved to dismantle illegal road blocks and multiple taxes, which they said

contributed to food inflation in the country.

The communique was signed

by NGF Chairman and Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

It read, “The forum received a briefing from the National Security Adviser (NSA), accompanied by the Honourable Ministers of Defence, Agriculture, Livestock Development, and Transportation, on the rising cost of food and livestock transportation across the country.

“The presentation revealed that the proliferation of checkpoints, illegal

Lauds FG, Tinubu, trade minister, NACCIMA members, others

After two years as National President of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA), and six months leading the Organised Private Sector of Nigeria (OPSN), Hon. Dele Kelvin Oye has taken a bow.

Oye leaves behind a bold and indelible legacy of unprecedented growth and visionary leadership that have reshaped the private sector and set it on the path of sustainable development and global competitiveness.

A press statement from the NACCIMA secretariat said since assuming office in June 2023, Oye had been championing private sector growth and reform in Nigeria, leveraging his vast experience, networks and

expertise to drive meaningful dialogue, unlock investment opportunities, and reposition NACCIMA as a key player in economic policy formulation and national development.

The secretariat said Oye’s achievements included the unification of private sector voices under a cohesive advocacy platform, expansion of NACCIMA’s membership base, promotion of trade facilitation policies, such as Single Trade Window, and successful international business missions that attracted significant investment interest in Nigeria.

Known for his unifying approach, Oye brought together fragmented private sector groups, especially in his role as OPSN chair, forging cohesive policy positions that amplified the voice of the organised private sector

refinery’s commitment to national development.

Designed to process a wide range of crude types, including African and Middle Eastern grades, as well as US Light Tight Oil, the refinery has the capacity to meet all of Nigeria’s domestic demand for petrol, diesel, kerosene, and aviation jet fuel, with a surplus available for export.

Hardship: Govs Agree to Dismantle Illegal Road Blocks, Multiple Taxes

Oye Exits as NACCIMA President, OPSN Chairman Dike Onwuamaeze

to meet its needs in recent months.

Dangote stressed the importance of bold investment in strategic sectors as key to industrialisation, revealing that building the refinery requires extensive infrastructure development, including world-class, self-sufficient marine facility capable of accommodating the largest vessels globally.

He assured the delegation of the

in national economic discourse.

In a valedictory note highlighting his achievements, challenges, and strategies for navigating the dynamic landscape of Nigeria’s business environment, Oye commended the federal government, President Bola Tinubu, Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, leaders and members of NACCIMA, the media, and other stakeholders for their support throughout his two-year tenure.

Oye stated, “Taking on the role of NACCIMA President on June 8, 2023, I encountered a myriad of challenges, internally and externally.

“At the internal level, there was unusual unhealthy competition amongst chambers, such as economic fluctuations, regulatory hurdles, and a fragmented private sector landscape.

While daunting, these challenges spurred the radical changes that our association and its members urgently required.”

He added, “We witnessed a surge in NACCIMA’s membership, underscoring increasing confidence in our advocacy and collaborative endeavours.

“Through close collaboration with government stakeholders, we supported the government in the launching of initiatives like the campaign for the Single Trade Window Policy, aimed at enhancing trade efficiency.

“As Chair of OPSN over the past six months, I have prioritised the creation of cohesive policy positions among various private sector groups, resulting in orderly and effective advocacy.

taxation, and poor infrastructure are key contributors to price inflation and inefficiencies in the food supply chain.

“The NSA noted that a high-level inter-ministerial committee has been established to address these concerns and has submitted its recommendations for the endorsement of the forum.

“Governors acknowledged the

urgency of the matter and expressed commitment to collaborate with federal authorities to streamline levies, dismantle unauthorized checkpoints, and improve the movement of goods across states.”

The NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, declined comments on the outcome of the meeting with the governors.

HoS Insists no Plan to Extend Aduda’s Tenure as Perm Sec

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, has stood her ground that there would be no illegal tenure extension for Permanent Secretary representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Gabriel Tanimu Aduda.

The stance was in response to some online reports alleging a purported plan by the Ministers of Defence and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to unlawfully extend the tenure of Aduda, who is in line for retirement.

But in a statement issued yesterday by her Office, Walson-Jack fiercely denied any plan to request the extension of the tenure of either Aduda or any other permanent secretary.

The statement signed by the Director Information and Public Relations, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Eno Olotu, explained that any decision concerning the retirement or tenure of a permanent secretary was made strictly following the rules

and subject to the approval of the appropriate authority.

She vowed unwavering commitment to upholding the rule of law, transparency, and due process in managing human resources across the service by insisting the adherence to the Public Service Rules would ensure and a secure and confident system.

“The Public Service Rules, 2021, Rule 020909 (b), stipulates that a permanent secretary shall hold office for four years and be renewable for a further term of four years, subject to satisfactory performance, and no more. These rules are indeed the law.

They have been enforced and will continue to be applied in the Federal Civil Service,” the statement said.

Olotu affirmed that the HoS remains resolute in her commitment to merit-based leadership and accountability in public administration, adding her steadfast commitment to transparency and integrity was a cornerstone of her leadership, ensuring the public’s trust in the civil service.

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55TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, JULIUS BERGER NIGERIA...

L-R: Director, Julius Berger Nigeria, Dr. Muhammadu Indimi; Director, Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi; Managing Director, Dr. Peer Lubasch; Board Chairman, Julius Berger Nigeria, Engr. Sheikh Goni; Director, PHOTO KINGSLEY ADEBOYE Belinda Ajoke Disu; and Vice Chairman, Julius Berger Nigeria, George Marks, during the 55th Annual General Meeting of Julius Berger Nigeria in Abuja, yesterday

Tinubu: Infrastructure Development a Good Investment for the People FCT collects 1% of FG’s allocation from Federation Account, says Wike

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja President Bola Tinubu has assured that his administration will continue to invest in critical infrastructure, including roads, bridges, housing, transportation, education, and healthcare, saying infrastructure

development is a good investment for the people. Tinubu stated this yesterday at the official commissioning of the newly constructed Collected Road CN2 (Zakari A. Kyari Street) in Mabushi.

The president, represented

by Deputy Speaker House of

Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, expressed commitment to ensuring that every Nigerian felt the impact of good governance.

He added that his administration will continue to work to deliver infrastructure projects that will enhance the citizens’ quality of life.

Tinubu urged residents of Mabushi, Katampe, and surrounding areas to protect and preserve the road, saying the federal government will dedicate the road to the youth, workers, and families who will benefit from it, with the hope that it will significantly improve their

daily lives.

Tinubu said, “This project reflects our administration’s commitment to urban development and improving the quality of life for our citizens.

We believe that infrastructure development is critical to national growth and development.

Wale Edun: President Has Received Tax Reform Bills for Assent

Oyedele seeks fiscal transformation, wants national interest to override sectional self-interest in policy-making

James Emejo in Abuja

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, yesterday, disclosed that the four key tax reform bills had been transmitted to President Bola Tinubu for his assent.

The development marks a major milestone in efforts to reform both the tax and fiscal environments.

Edun said the bills were formally delivered to the president by the National Assembly on Tuesday.

He gave the hint during the 50th birthday lecture of Chairman, Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele.

He said, “It was, I think, yesterday (Tuesday) that it was finally delivered to Mr. President by the National Assembly for him to sign off on the four tax reform bills,” describing the moment as critical in the current administration’s reform agenda.

The minister said the bills, once signed into law, were expected to significantly improve the efficiency

and fairness of Nigeria’s tax system, while nearly doubling the country’s tax-to-GDP ratio, which remains among the lowest globally.

He said, “There is still hard work to be done in efficiently implementing the bills that have been passed. But they promise to change the fiscal landscape.”

The minister praised Tinubu’s persistence in steering the tax reform process through challenging times.

“Mr. President knew the value of those four tax reform bills and kept going through thick and thin, through turbulence and through wind.

He just kept going, supporting you (Oyedele),” Edun stated.

According to him, the fiscal reforms championed by the committee are central to Tinubu’s goal of lifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty.

He pointed to strategic areas, such as agriculture, infrastructure (including digital infrastructure), and access to finance as sectors targeted for inclusive growth.

Edun credited Oyedele’s expertise

and communication skills for making the reforms broadly accessible.

He said, “You had the grace, the gift of being able to take a complex subject, and time after time, tirelessly break it down and simplify it for all types of audiences—the high, the low, the knowledgeable, the less knowledgeable.

“And that’s why we have today success in terms of a proposal for proposed bills that are now ready for Mr. President to sign into law.”

The minister said the reforms will introduce a fairer, more transparent tax system aligned with global best practices.

He said, “They will give greater fairness. They will give clarity. They will give ease of administration, best practice around the world. And ultimately, they’ll give more revenue for government so that the legitimate demands of our people can be met in social services, health, education, and basic infrastructure.”

The minister referenced Oyedele’s impact on public attitudes toward

UK Reaffirms Commitment to Nigeria with 99% Duty-Free Access Under DCTS Michael Olugbode in Abuja The United Kingdom (UK) has confirmed that Nigeria will continue to enjoy duty-free access on 99% of total goods exported to the UK market under the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS).

The DCTS is part of the UK’s strategy to support growing economies like Nigeria by reducing tariffs on thousands of goods, simplifying export rules for Nigerian businesses and making it easier to qualify for trade benefits.

The scheme lowers import cost for UK businesses and offers consumers

a wider range of affordable products.

Since its launch in June 2023, the Developing Countries Trading Scheme allows Nigeria and 36 other African countries to export over 3,000 products duty-free or at reduced tariffs to the UK, supporting Nigerian businesses to grow and become more competitive on the global stage.

Through the DCTS, Nigerian exporters can sell key goods like cocoa, yam, tomatoes, plantain, shrimp, and other agricultural products to the UK at reduced tariffs.

The scheme also supports processed and value-added products

like cocoa paste and cocoa butter, sesame and palm oil, cashew nuts, cotton clothing, and cocoa paste, helping Nigeria move beyond raw materials exports.

Commenting on the DCTS, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Richard Montgomery, said: “As one of the UK’s most important partners in Africa, Nigeria stands at the heart of the UK’s global trade ambitions, and we want to strengthen the trade ties between our two great nations and unlock the power of sustainable and transformative growth in Nigeria and across emerging economies.

taxation.

He said, “You went out and you saw and heard from people that they didn’t feel they were in any way obliged to pay tax. You have worked tirelessly to help change people’s perspective on that.”

He added that voluntary compliance played a crucial role in the effectiveness of tax policies.

In his remarks, Oyedele offered a critical perspective on the country’s economic environment, adding that regulatory bottlenecks and tariff burdens are equivalent to granting tax waivers to a few, while discouraging investment and productivity.

He said, “Addressing our tariffs and regulatory hurdles is the equivalent of granting waiver from all income and consumption taxes. We also need fiscal reforms to complement a strong and stable Naira, such as payments of all taxes in Naira.”

He maintained that the work of the committee was far from finished, and called for a downward revision of corporate tax rates to attract new investments and stimulate economic expansion.

Oyedele warned that high tax rates, especially in an inflationary environment, amounted to taxing capital instead of profit.

“I commend the Honourable Minister of the FCT and his team for prioritizing infrastructure delivery,” Speaking earlier, FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, said the FCT was not rich, as what it collected from the federation account monthly was one percent of what the federal government got.

Wike stated, “So, assuming that the federal government gets N800 billion every month, one percent of N800 billion is N8 billion. And that N8 billion is not enough to pay salaries. Our salary today is not less than N13 billion because of the minimum wage increase.

“So, if we only depend on one percent of what the federal government gets every month, it means that we can only increase salaries, not to talk about carrying out infrastructure. And that’s why we’re very aggressive in saying you cannot enjoy this free of charge.

You have to pay.”

The minister stated that the value of the land around the project, which was completed within eight to nine months, would now be growing at N200-N300 million, and with the people benefiting from it.

Bill Gates, Tijani, Ribadu Lead Other Experts to FIN-Web Conference on AI, Cybersecurity, Tech Innovation at Silicon Valley Renowned American philanthropist, business mogul and Co-Founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates; Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani; National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; and Director-General/CEO of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kachifu Abdullahi, will lead other distinguished experts to FIN-Web Conference and AI Expo 2025 scheduled for October.

The prestigious event will afford the experts the opportunity to brainstorm on Artificial Intelligence (AI), cybersecurity and tech innovation.

The summit will take place at the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley, California, between October 1 and 3.

That was disclosed in a statement signed by FIN’s Director Strategic Communication, United Kingdom, Mr. Ayo Ayeni, and made available to journalists on Thursday.

According to the organisers,

the invited speakers for the event include Gavin Newsom, Governor of California; Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google; Bill Gates, Co-Founder of Microsoft; Dr Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy; and Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser (NSA).

Others are Kachifu Abdullahi, Director-General/CEO of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA); Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA; Paul O’Sullivan, SVP at Salesforce; Karan Shah, Data Science Director at Meta; and Abdullah Alswaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Saudi Arabia.

The statement added that speakers who confirmed participation for the event included Sabeer Bhatia, Co-founder of Hotmail; Mark Minevich, AI strategist, investor, and futurist, President of Going Global Ventures. USA; HE Badria Al Mulla,

Chairperson of International Emirates Business Group (IeBG) to lead the UAE delegation; Chetan Dube, Founder of IPsoft; USA; Mr. Prabhav Sharma, Private Equity and Venture Capital Investor, USA; Dr. Nizar Ben Neji, ICT Expert & Strategist and Minister of Communication Technologies of Tunisia.

Others were Andreas Deutschmann, former, MD J.P Morgan USA; Michael Kim, Founder and CEO of AQUATRON; USA; Reginald Mbawuike, Co-Founder/Managing Director at Generating Innovation Ventures & Enterprises, Inc. Harvard University; Mr. Wayne Ronhaar, CEO & Co-founder, Cylentium Inc; Nagy Moustafa CEO of Infosec Global; Mehdi Paryavi Chairman, International Data Center Authority (IDCA); Temi Olufisibe Labor, Deputy Head of Internal Audit, Chief Financial Officer, Wio Bank, Dubai UAE and Joe Weiss PE, CISM, CRISC, Emeritus Managing Director ISA99, USA.

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Launch of Nigeria’s campaign for election to Category C of the IMO Council...

L-R: Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola; Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola; Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), Mr. Arsenio Dominguez; Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Olufemi Oloruntola; Acting High Commissioner of Nigeria to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Mercy Haruna-Adeoye; and the Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, during the launch of Nigeria’s campaign for election to Category C of the IMO Council for the 2026–2027 biennium, at the IMO Headquarters in London, on Wednesday.

New HIV Prevention Antiviral Injection Emerges as FDA Approves Gilead Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The world is about to witness what may signal an end to decades long epidemic caused by the HIV virus.

The United States Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved Gilead’s twice-yearly antiviral injection for preventing HIV - a milestone that the company and some experts say could help end the threats posed by the virus.

According to report by the CNBC in the two groundbreaking clinical trials in 2024, Gilead’s injection proved to be capable of virtually eliminating new HIV infections when taken every six months.

The injection is taken in a less frequent dosage than for all existing HIV prevention medications, including daily pills from Gilead and another injection, from GSK, taken every other month.

“That makes Yeztugo a valuable and far more convenient tool for addressing an epidemic that led to around 1.3 million new infections and contributed to the deaths of 630,000 people globally in 2023, according to the World Health Organization,” the report said.

CNBC however said the launch of the injectable drug, which will be marketed under the name Yeztugo, faced a set of potential threats, including the Trump administration’s

proposed cuts to federal funding for HIV prevention efforts.

“The U.S. alone sees 700 new cases and 100 HIV-related deaths each week, Gilead CEO Daniel O’Day said in an interview ahead of the approval.

HIV continues to have a disproportionate impact on people of color, gay and bisexual men, other men who have sex with men and transgender women.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of this for global public health,” O’Day said, adding the injection “really will bend the arc of the epidemic as we roll this out across the globe.”

On his part, Executive Director of PrEP4All, an organization focused on expanding access to HIV prevention medications, Jeremiah Johnson, said the magnitude of drug impact will also depend on how easy it is to get.

With regard to cost and efficacy, the report quoted a Gilead spokesperson as saying that Lenacapavir, the generic name of Yeztugo, has an annual list price of $28,218 in the U.S. before insurance.

“That is in line with existing branded medications approved for the same use: pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, which reduces the risk of getting HIV. “A month’s supply of Truvada and Descovy, Gilead’s daily pills

for PreP, are both around $2,000 without insurance, which amounts to around $24,000 per year.

“One dose of GSK’s Apretude, which is taken once monthly for the first two months and then once every other month thereafter, costs

The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and the President of the Center for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS), Prof. Yemi Akinseye-George, SAN, has called on the Senate to fast track the passage of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) Amendment Bill, pending before it since 2023.

The call was predicated on the urgent need to close the gaps identified in the implementation of the ACJA, 2015.

Fagbemi, Akinseye-George alongside, justices of the Federal High Court and High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), made the call on Thursday, at a One-Day Stakeholders’ Review Meeting on the Draft ACJA Amendment Bill, held in Abuja.

The meeting was organized by the CSLS, in collaboration with the

Federal Ministry of Justice, and the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Programme, funded by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IIDEA).

Fagbemi who was represented by the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President, office of the AGF, Mr. Wada Ahmed Wada, expressed full commitment towards the review of the ACJA. He noted that the review is apt due to the lapses observed in the implementation of the ACJA, 2015, adding that the outcome of deliberations would form part of what would be submitted to the National Assembly for passage.

“The AGF will be magnanimous enough to thinker with what we have here and present it to the Senate and the Senate President will help us to carry out the amendment we are going to propose here”, he said.

Also speaking, the Deputy Court Registrar (DCR) Magistrate, High

for existing prevention options”.

The company said it has a copay savings program for eligible insured patients that may reduce out-of-pocket payments for Yeztugo to as little as zero dollars. Gilead also has a program for eligible

uninsured people to receive the injection for free.

In addition, the company said that Lenacapavir is already approved for treating HIV under the brand name Sunlenca, which has a price tag of more than $42,200 per year.

Oba of Benin Receives 119 Pieces of Looted Artefacts Returned by Govt of Netherlands Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City His Royal Majesty, Omo N’ Oba N’ Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, has revealed that an international art cartel had attempted to re-loot the priceless Benin artefacts but failed.

The Oba stated this the when the Government of Netherlands in a resounding cultural and diplomatic victory, returned 119 looted Benin bronzes to the Kingdom held at his palace.

The repatriated artifacts were originally plundered during the infamous British invasion of 1897.

Present at the event were the Director General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Mr. Olugbile

Fagbemi, Akinseye-George, Others Task Senate on Passage of ACJA Amendment Bill Alex Enumah in Abuja

roughly $4,000 before insurance.

“We are working to make Yeztugo accessible for anyone who needs or wants it and expect to see broad insurance coverage,” the Gilead spokesperson said, adding that there is broad insurance coverage

Court of the FCT, Mrs. Olaide Akanni, noted that while the ACJA 2015, made a pivotal step towards an efficient and effective justice system, it’s implementation in the last 10 years reveals serious procedural flaws such as “week enforcement of timelines, abuse of remand orders, inconsistent bail practices and trial delays.

Akanni added that without enforcement, benchmark or acceptable system many of the reforms would remain theoretical.

While calling for a bold, clear enforceable amendment, she stated that the proposed amendment should include binding trial timelines, detention protocols amongst others.

Earlier, in a welcome, President of the CSLS, Akinseye-George, pointed out that the gathering provides an opportunity for stakeholders from across the criminal justice spectrum to examine, critique, and refine the proposed amendments to this landmark legislation.

Holloway; and the Director-General of Wereld Museum; Ms. Marieke van Bommel, who led a delegation from the Netherlands and Abuja to formally return the artifacts to their ancestral home.

The returned artifacts, according to the Oba, were made possible through sustained advocacy by the Benin Royal Court and formal diplomatic requests from the Nigerian government.

The Dutch authorities, through their Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, signed transfer agreements facilitated by Minister Eppo Bruins and Nigeria’s NCMM Director General, Mr. Holloway.

The artifacts were officially received on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, amid widespread jubilation across the Kingdom.

Expressing profound gratitude, Oba Ewuare II thanked God Almighty, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Monday Okpebholo, who stood firm in ensuring the artifacts were returned rather than diverted through illicit or political means.

“There were groups in this country,

backed by an international cartel, who conspired to re-loot our artefacts.

They hatched a strategy to steal these treasures again, but they failed. Our ancestors protected them,” the Oba declared.

“They tried to extinguish the spirit and morale of the Benin people. But the people of this great kingdom have remained bold, brave, and courageous, even after the tragedy of 1897.”

The monarch also warned against modern political interests seeking to erode the cultural dignity of the Benin people.

“We must not allow partisan politics to diminish our heritage. I thank Governor Monday Okpebholo, ably represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Musa Ikhilor for joining us in this historic celebration,” he said.

He also commended NCMM DG Olugbile Holloway for his committed role in the repatriation process, while drawing a sharp contrast with Holloway’s predecessor, whom he accused of complicity in the failed re-looting attempt.

“We fought a running battle to

stop those bent on re-looting. I told my Chiefs right here that I would rather the artifacts remain abroad than be re-looted while I sit on the throne,” the Monarch stressed, adding that “there was once a government that sought to destabilise the Benin Kingdom, but our ancestors rose and defended the realm.”

In her remarks, Ms. Marieke van Bommel, head of the Dutch delegation and Director-General of Wereld Museum, reiterated her country’s policy on repatriation of looted cultural heritage, stating that the 119 returned artefacts had been in Dutch collections for over a century.

“These items were undoubtedly looted, and we have returned them in accordance with our cultural restitution policy. It is only right that they return to Benin City, their place of origin,” she said.

On his part, NCMM DirectorGeneral, Holloway, described the occasion as both symbolic and historic, noting noted the repatriation took several years of negotiations and was enabled by the understanding and cooperation of institutions holding the artifacts.

Pipeline Surveillance: Warri Indigenes Demand Fairness in Contract Awards

Folalumi Alaran in Abuja

The Itsekiri Community in Warri, Delta State, has urged the federal government to ensure fairness and transparency in awarding pipeline surveillance contracts, alleging marginalisation.

In a petition addressed to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the community called for an immediate review of contracts already awarded in their area.

Speaking at a press briefing

in Abuja, Chairman of the Warri Indigenous People Movement, Hon. Kingsley Tenumah, and General Secretary, Comrade Monoyo Edon, criticised the current contract process. They said it ignores the rights of the Itsekiri people as a host community.

The leaders argued that the process goes against the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which guarantees host communities certain rights and benefits, including involvement in oil-related activities.

“We urge the government to

stop all contract awards that do not consider the interests of host communities. There must be a fair and transparent process that ensures equity and inclusion,” they said.

They also pointed out that despite their significant contributions to the national economy, the Itsekiri community continues to be excluded from key decisions that affect them directly.

“Our community has played a major role in the nation’s economy, yet we are being left out of crucial decisions,” the petition stated.

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THISDAY • FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2025

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World Bank, AfCFTA, Others Task Regulatory Agencies on Protection of Consumers in Nigeria’s Downstream Oil Sector Peter Uzoho As Nigeria’s downstream oil and gas sector matures with deregulation of pricing and open competition, some senior officials from the World Bank, African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and petroleum marketers have charged regulatory authorities in the sector to ensure the protection of consumers from anti-market practices.

They spoke yesterday during the 2025 Second Quarterly Press Webinar and Engagement, hosted by Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN), with the theme, “Fair and Healthy Competition in the Nigerian Market.”

Essentially, the session examined the role of competition in shaping market dynamics and protecting consumers, especially amid growing private investments and infrastructure shifts in the industry.

In his presentation, Senior Economist for Nigeria, World

Bank, Mr. Samer Matta, outlined how competition benefitted both households and firms by improving pricing, service delivery, and innovation.

Matta stated that many sectors in the country were highly concentrated, and urged regulators to strengthen enforcement frameworks and build internal capacity for competitive assessments.

Similarly, Inaugural Executive Secretary of AfCFTA and Chief Executive Officer of Transaharan, Francis Anatogu, who drew lessons from the telecoms, banking, and aviation sectors, emphasised how competition drove innovation and consumer choice.

Anatogu stressed the importance of clear dominance thresholds, transparent market access, and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) protection.

He urged regulatory agencies to improve coordination and provide accessible complaint channels with

Senior Economist for Nigeria, World Bank, Samer Matta timely resolution mechanisms.

In his opening remarks, Chairman of MEMAN and Managing Director of NNPC Retail Limited, Mr. Huub Stokman, emphasised that while deregulation opened new opportunities, maintaining fair and open competition was critical.

Stokman called on regulatory agencies, such as Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), and Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), to ensure consistent oversight, promote innovation, and protect consumers

in this new market reality.

They stressed the need for the regulators to continue monitoring developments and ensuring a level playing field for all players in the downstream sector.

The speakers highlighted that competition, if well regulated, naturally protected consumers and drove job creation.

In his intervention, MEMAN CEO, Mr. Clement Isong, discussed the increasing adoption of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks for fuel distribution, citing potential cost reduction of up to 40 per cent.

While recognising the innovation, Isong warned that uneven infrastructure availability could give certain players an outsized advantage.

He urged regulators to ensure broad-based access to CNG infrastructure and encouraged MEMAN members to adopt additional efficiency models, such as solar-powered stations and logistics

pooling, to drive down costs without compromising competitive fairness.

Speakers agreed that well-defined roles for stakeholders – government, private sector, and regulators – must be complemented by effective enforcement and transparency.

They stated that strong governance was needed to prevent market failures, particularly in a transitioning and deregulated environment.

As deregulation took firm root in Nigeria’s energy landscape, the stakeholders underscored the need for sustained collaboration, policy clarity, and innovation to ensure that the benefits of competition reached consumers, businesses, and the broader economy.

The session examined the implications of large-scale infrastructure, such as Dangote Refinery.

However, while observing that such investments promised supply chain efficiency, the participants cautioned against unchecked dominance.

Growing Vandalism Threatens TCN’s Assets, 262 Power Towers Hit in 18 Months Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Electricity transmission assets belonging to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) have come under recent intense attacks by vandals, as cases of destruction of the company’s power towers, otherwise known as pylons, hit 262 in the last 18 months.

Speaking on the last day of a capacity media training workshop for members of the Power Correspondents Association of Nigeria (PCAN) in

Keffi, Nasarawa state, TCN’s General Manager, Transmission Service, Ali Sharifai, noted that 2024 and 2025 have been the most trying periods for the company.

In many of the cases, the areas of coverage are usually thrown into darkness, Sharifai said, lamenting the increasing cost of repairs. He stressed that such funds could have been channeled towards further expanding the national grid.

“A total of 86 towers were vandal-

ised in 2024 with 26 towers completely down, which put affected states to total darkness. These vandalism cases spanned Abuja, Bauchi, Enugu, Shiroro, Kano and Port-Harcourt regions.

In the first and second quarters of 2025 alone, a total of 42 acts of vandalism were recorded affecting a total of 178 towers,” Sharifai stated.

Beside the activities of vandals, he explained that natural disasters also hinder the free flow of electricity to the grid as TCN recently recorded

along Kainji-Birnín Kebbi 330kV international line, where six towers collapsed in May, 2025 due to windstorm and torrential rainfall.

“There may be many motives behind transmission line vandalism, but it may be narrowed down to three reasons. In areas like Northeast and South-south parts of the country, sabotage is the main reason for vandalism of TCN towers as a result of insurgency and youth restiveness. But in areas like Port

Israel-Iran War: Brent Oil Nears $80 as Trump Weighs Joining Attacks Goldman: Oil could exceed $90 if Iranian supply is disrupted

Emmanuel AddehinAbuja

The war between Israel and Iran continued to impact the global oil industry yesterday, with Brent, Nigeria’s crude benchmark, nearing the $80 per barrel mark, made worse by uncertainty about potential US involvement.

The conflict entered its seventh day as Brent crude futures hit $78.85 a barrel and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for July was at $75.80, after Israel struck Iranian nuclear sites and Iranian missiles hit an Israeli hospital.

It came as Goldman Sachs said that a geopolitical risk premium of about $10 a barrel is justified, given lower Iranian supply and risk of wider disruption that could push Brent crude above $90.

Goldman’s analysts pointed to the disruption of oil flows via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait by the Yemeni Houthis’ attacks on vessels as an example of the fragility of Middle Eastern oil export security.

Besides, Barclays warned that crude prices could surge above $100 per barrel if the Middle East conflict escalates, and Brent could reach $85 per barrel if half of Iran’s oil exports are disrupted.

Also yesterday, President Donald Trump said he will decide within two weeks whether to strike Iran, his spokeswoman said, as Israel hit more Iranian nuclear sites and warned its attacks may bring down the leadership in Tehran.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said she had a message dictated by Trump that “based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt quoted a statement from President Trump saying he will

make a decision on potential strikes on Iran “within two weeks.”

Trump has publicly mused for days about having the US increase the stakes by joining Israel’s strikes on Iran. His latest stance signals a step back after a run of tough rhetoric, including demands for residents of Tehran to evacuate, and his early departure from this week’s Group of Seven summit in Canada to return to Washington.

Trump for years has had a penchant for setting two-week deadlines, sometimes following through and at other times missing them or never acting at all, making “within two weeks” a stock phrase for pending decisions in both his White House terms.

Leavitt said Trump’s statement was a response to media speculation about the “situation in Iran.” She declined to elaborate on his timeline, including on how he views the chances of success of any further talks with Iran.

Trump’s goal — halting Iranian enrichment of uranium and preventing the country from obtaining nuclear weapons — remains intact, though “if there’s a chance for diplomacy, the president is always going to grab it,” she said.

Senior US officials have been preparing for the possibility of a strike on Iran, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg, with some pointing to potential plans for a weekend strike. Top leaders at a handful of federal agencies have begun getting ready for an attack, one person said.

American Airlines Group Inc. suspended daily flights from the US to the capital of Qatar, while United Airlines Holdings Inc. paused service to Dubai because of military actions and heightened tensions in the Middle East.

As for the chances of a further spike in price, Iran is the thirdlargest producer among members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) extracting

about 3.3 million barrels per day of crude oil.

About 18 million to 21 million bpd of oil and oil products move through the Strait of Hormuz along Iran’s southern coast and there is widespread concern the fighting could disrupt trade flows.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that while the military’s objective remains the destruction of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile

capabilities, “we may create the conditions” to help change the government.

In answer to whether that meant targeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Netanyahu said “no one is immune.” Defense Minister Israel Katz earlier mentioned Khamenei by name, saying he would “be held accountable” after Iran’s missiles struck an Israeli hospital with the two countries continuing to exchange fire.

Harcourt, a combination of sabotage and economic reasons may not be ruled out.

“Vandalism around the Abuja axis is purely political. Critical lines that supply Abuja and environs are vandalised excessively with a view to putting the Federal Capital in total darkness. Shiroro-Katampe and Ajaokuta-Gwagwalada 330kV lines and 132kV underground line cable at the Central Area were vandalised with their effect putting the FCT into nearly total blackout.

“The scrap market is growing across some parts of the country.

There are ready-made scrap markets where carted away materials are sold and recycled. Vandalism recorded in places like the Kano and Makurdi axis are mostly economic,” Sharafai pointed out.

On the effect of transmission line infrastructure vandalism, the top TCN official states that it leads to disruption of power supply across the sector, as the generated power from the generation station cannot be wheeled to the distribution ends.

Besides, he noted that the TCN incurs significant costs due to repair, replacement and need for increased security measures to address vandalism, while the company’s grid expansion efforts are hindered, as monies to pay contractor’s invoices are used on repairs.

But he explained that the TCN has been reaching out to locals where

the transmission lines are prone to vandalism to help secure the lines.

He emphasised that there had been a series of engagements with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) after cases of vandalism rose in 2024, for the protection of vulnerable transmission lines against vandalism.

According to him, some critical lines have been selected as pilot schemes where state-of-the-art technology will be deployed to monitor and deter future activities of the vandals.

For public enlightenment, he stated that there are now sponsored programmes and jingles on both social and print media, including radio and television stations against vandalism of TCN assets.

Also speaking, General Manager, Materials Control and Store, Abdulkadir Adamu, who spoke on: “Critical Role of Materials Control and Store in TCN”, highlighted the importance of the department in the company.

He added that being able to get replacement parts when needed was critical to the survival of the power sector, pointing out that there had been immense improvement in the number of parts in the company’s stores scattered nationwide.

Also speaking, General Manager, Public Affairs of the TCN, Ndidi Mbah, stated that the TCN remains open to collaborating with the media, with a view to reporting the organisation accurately.

Bank Stocks Rally as Ovia, Umeoji Acquire Shares Worth N3.3bn in One Day trading, with banking stocks leading the charge up by 130bps.

The acquisitions by Ovia and Umeoji, demonstrated confidence in the bank’s fundamentals and its ability to deliver shareholder value amid ongoing regulatory reforms.

The transactions were disclosed in separate filings on the Nigerian Exchange, with purchases made through direct and indirect holdings.

Umeoji bought directly in the open market, while it disclosed a related party acquisition bought by Quantum Zenith Securities and Investments, owned by Ovia.

Umeoji, led the acquisitions with a total of 68.75 million shares purchased in two tranches. On June 18, she bought 58,754,007 units at N48 per share, and earlier, on the same day, acquired 10 million units at N47.90 per share. The combined purchase was valued at approximately N3.3 billion.

On the other hand, Ovia, through Quantum Zenith Securities and Investments, acquired 1.45 million shares across three transactions.

On June 10, 250,000 units were purchased at N50.90 per share, this was followed by 700,000 units at N46.10 per share on June 16 and another 500,000 units at N45.50 per share on June 17, amounting to a cumulative purchase valued at over N67 million.

The insider purchases came a day after Zenith Bank reaffirmed its commitment to exit all regulatory

forbearance arrangements with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 10 days, by the June 30, 2025, deadline, clearing the path for a potential dividend payout thereafter .

In a disclosure signed by the Company Secretary, Michael Otu, the bank had explained that it had already surpassed the N500 billion minimum capital requirement and is currently compliant with the CBN’s Single Obligor Limit (SOL).

The remaining forbearance exposure affecting only two credit customers was expected to be fully provisioned before the end of June.

Meanwhile, in a statement yesterday, First HoldCo Plc assured investors that it remains on course to meet compliance requirements and sustain dividend payments after December 31st, 2025.

In the statement, the company explained the SOL breach at its flagship subsidiary, FirstBank, was tied to foreign currency loans to two customers affected by the over 200 per cent naira devaluation in 2023/2024.

It added that the breach would be resolved with the planned capital raise in the second half of 2025.

FirstHoldCo also clarified that its forbearance exposures were linked to syndicated loans across industry sectors, which are currently being restructured.

“With the planned completion of the capital raise in the second half of 2025 among other measures, the bank will cure the breach in

this regard by the end of the year.

Furthermore, the bank’s forborne loans are in respect of syndicated facilities that are industry exposures.

“The consortium of lenders is working to re-tenor the facilities to align with their cashflows as all the assets are back to active production and generating appreciable revenue,” it added.

It also noted that some also have receivables awaiting payment from relevant agencies of government and that syndicate lenders would ensure the processes are concluded within the current financial year.

It stated further: “Any loan not fully re-tenored will be fully provisioned and exit forbearance.

As a well-diversified financial holding Company, FirstHoldCo will sustain its dividend payments in 2025 and beyond as we remain committed to our esteemed stakeholders.”

However, what FirstHoldCo did not say is that the consortium of lenders in this instance to Aiteo limited have already provisioned for the facility. They include, GTCO, which provisioned in December last year, as well as Zenith Bank and AccessCorp which said they will provision for the Aiteo facility in 10 days.

Banking Analysts wonder what manner of restructure FirstHoldco will undertake over the next 6months when the borrower, Aiteo is in dispute with Shell Trading ( a member of the consortium over valuation of the

asset) leading to the provisioning

by GTCO and others.

Analysts say FirstHoldco’s statement has not provided any clarity or comfort as to how it will exit forbearance by the end of the year and pay dividend to shareholders.

Analysts also question the status of former Chairmen, Oba Otudeko and Tunde Hassan-Odukale’s shares, (Leadway shares) which Femi Otedola is currently acquiring. The market is seeking full transparency.

In buying those shares, it does not necessarily increase the bank’s capital, but just a matter of crossing shares and taking control of the holding company, as the hard work of raising FirstHoldco’s capital to above the N500 billion mark through Right Issue remains unclear.

In the meantime, the Nigerian equities market continued its upward momentum yesterday, buoyed by renewed investor confidence in the banking sector following Zenith Bank’s founder and CEO’s share purchases and strong dividend guidance.

The All-Share Index (ASI) rose by 39 basis points in early trading, with banking stocks leading the charge up by 130bps.

All Tier-1 banking stocks traded in the green, led by FirstHoldCo gaining 5.12 per cent, AccessCorp up by 3.34 per cent, Zenith Bank by 2.16 per cent, UBA gained 1.18 per cent, and GTCO marginally by 0.63 per cent.

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FRIDAY JUNE 20, 2025 • T H I S D AY

Late Chief

Emmanuel Etim Jame s Born 17th Nov b , 1934 and Passed 20th June, 1995

In Lo ng M ory

-30 years on

To Our Wond ful and Lo ng Fath

Thirty years may have passed, but your presence remains as vivid and enduring as the day you left us. Not a day goes by without a thought of you your laughter, your wisdom, your warm and unwavering love. Though time has moved forward, your memory stands still, preserved in the sacred spaces of our hearts.

You were more than a father - you were our guide, our protector, our greatest encourager.

You taught us with patience, led with quiet strength, and loved with a depth that continues to shape our lives even in your absence. The lessons you instilled in how to live, how to love, how to carry ourselves with dignity - remain our compass.

We remember your stories, your smile, the way your eyes lit up when we walked into the room.

We remember your sacrifices, the many silent ways you put us first. You gave without measure, loved without condition, and believed in us even when we didn't believe in ourselves.

Today, as we mark 30 years since you went home to rest, we do so not with only sorrow, but with deep gratitude - for the —time we had, for the legacy you left, and for the man you were. Your spirit lives on in each of us in our laughter, in our choices, in the way we love our own families.

You may be absent in body, but you are present in everything we do. We feel your hand in our triumphs and your comfort in our trials. And though we still miss you beyond words, we honor you by living in the light of your example.

Rest well, dearest Dad. Your love lives on eternal, unbroken, and forever cherished.

Forever in our hearts.

Always, Your Children: Chief Peter James Obonganwan Barbara James Chief Emmanuel James (Koko)

FRIDAY JUNE 20 2025 • T H I S D AY

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NEWS

NIGERIAN ARTISANS’ LEADERSHIP SUMMIT 2025...

L-R: National Coordinator, Association of Nigerian Artisans and Technicians (ASNAT), Adeshina Akinyemi; Director-General, Industrial Training Fund, Dr. Afiz Oluwatoyin Ogun; National Patron, ASNAT, Sanusi Garuba Rikiji; and Executive Director, Public Sector and Intervention Programmes, Bank of Industry, Ms. Mabel Ndagi, during the Nigerian Artisans’ Leadership Summit, NALSUM 2025, held in Photo: ENOCK REUBEN Abuja on Wednesday

CIMICO Lauds DSS for Nabbing Suspected Gunrunners, Kidnappers, Recovering Weapons A civil society organization (CSO) Civil–Military Cooperation (CIMICO), has commended the Department of State Services (DSS) for arresting several suspected gunrunners, kidnappers, and for recovering several weapons in the process.

A statement by the group’s coordinator, Adams Otakwu, said “recent sweeping operations by DSS operatives across the country has helped to stem the tide of criminality and averted what would have had disastrous consequences for Nigerians.”

The group said: “This week alone, DSS operatives in Gwagwalada, Abuja, arrested one Williams Bolaji with 60 rounds of 6.72mm live ammunition.

Bolaji, who claimed to be an officer of one of the para-military agencies.

“We commend the DSS for using

Bolaji to track and arrest another suspected gunrunner called Bello Mohammed,” remarked the CSO. Also, this week, DSS officers in Ebonyi State arrested one Iloke Uchenna with 350 rounds of 9mm live ammunition. The operatives also

arrested four suspected telecommunication mast vandals, who were planning to destroy some masts in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

Further applauding the DSS, Otakwu added that ‘such acts of sabotage should be greatly dealt with to serve

ECOWAS Decries,Tackles Non-Tariff Barriers to Trade in West Africa Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, in order to facilitate economic exchange across the region, has called for holistic approach in tackling issues that border on non-tariff barriers.

Non-tariff barriers are trade barriers that restrict imports or exports of goods or services through measures other than the imposition of tariffs.

Such barriers are subject to controversy and debate, as they may comply with international rules on trade yet serve protectionist purposes.

Speaking on Thursday in Abuja at the opening of the two-day 94th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, Touray decried the non-tariff barriers to often pose difficulty for advancing trade within the region, saying more needed to be done to achieve meaningful growth.

He said although ECOWAS institutions continued to pursue mandates towards integration and development of the region, more should be done to tackle regional and continental issues relating to trade, industry and investment promotion.

Touray asked the ministers to examine the question of Non-Tariff Barriers within the framework of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme and the AfCFTA, stressing that: “Non-tariff barriers have become a perennial obstacle to boosting regional trade, investment, industrialisation, competitiveness, and economic growth in our region.”

He noted that: “Despite numerous initiatives - including the Presidential Task Force on the Trade Liberalisation Scheme - the problem persists.”

He said: “In May, I travelled by road from Lagos to Cotonou to see the situation along the regional corridor and joint border

post established at the Seme/Krake border between Nigeria and Benin.

“And saw first-hand challenges posed by non-tariff barriers along the corridor.

“We must do everything to put an end to this and facilitate economic exchange across the region.”

On his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar reiterated the need for strategic dialogue that delivers more meaningful outcomes for ECOWAS Member States and their citizens.

Tuggar, who is the host minister and Chairperson of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, said: “The session comes at a time of critical reflection and decisive action, to remind ourselves of founding reasons of ECOWAS and other African Regional Economic Communities, essentially the fight against neo-colonialism.

“It has become necessary, whenever the opportunity arises,

to remind ourselves that ECOWAS and Regional Integration in Africa was borne out of our yearning for economic decolonisation and not the other way round.

“Over course of our deliberations, we will consider and reflect wide range of reports, and proposals, concentrating on thematic and sectoral matters that are central to the development and stability of our region.

“These include critical issues related to economic integration, infrastructure development, health, education, agriculture and manifold institutional matters aimed at strengthening our community.”

The minister underscored the need for strategic integration processes that were extensive and multifaceted,

to reflect the complex realities of the region.

He urged the council to approach such discussions with an ethos of collegiality, compromise, and flexibility, guided by a broader vision of a strong, united, and resilient regional economic community “This session should be defined not only by the depth of our deliberations, but also by the courage of our decisions. I encourage us all to engage in open, constructive and foresighted discussions.

“Let us draw on our diverse expertise, share best practices and work collaboratively to ensure the decisions we make here will translate into meaningful outcomes for our member states and the citizens of our community,” he said.

as deterrent to other miscreants’.

“Last Friday, along the Lafia-Doma road in Nasarawa State, DSS operatives arrested one Abdullahi Shehu, a suspected arms courier, with 1,009 rounds of live ammunition hidden in two bags of maize.

“In Oron, Akwa Ibom State, on June 5, DSS officers arrested four suspected members of a kidnap ring called Timico. Obed Samuel, Waribo Meshack, Simeon Blessing, and Subday Gick were said to be in Oron to kidnap. The officers recovered two AK-47 rifles, six magazines, 152 live rounds of 7.62mm bullets, and a gold colour Toyota Camry,” noted the group.

“It is heartwarming that, from Gusau, Zamfara State, to Kaduna; and from Zuba, Niger State, to Eket, Akwa Ibom State, DSS operations have led to the arrest of several suspected kidnappers, gunrunners and other criminal elements.

“We may be left to imagine what would have become the lot of Nigerians had the tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition the DSS seized from these persons arrived in their intended destinations,” noted the CSO, even as it encouraged the secret police to “continue doing more to make Nigeria safer.”

PalmPay, Glo Unveil “Recharge and Plans Underway to Ensure Improved Win Bonanza 2” to Reward Customers Service Delivery, Says NCC Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja

The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), has disclosed that plans are underway to ensure improved quality of service in the telecom industry.

The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), Aminu Maida, made the disclosure at a media meeting the commission had with the Nigerian Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) Abuja chapter, on Thursday in Abuja.

The EVC who was represented by the acting Head, Public Affairs, NCC, Nnenna Ukoha, said with the investments by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), there will soon be improved quality of service in the industry.

“As was mentioned earlier, investment in the industry is crucial , and that investment will translate into improved quality of service and experience with time. The industry

is bouncing back.

“But it’s not just our effort , it’s the result of collaboration between us and you. And when the industry improves, we must show the public the data: the tests conducted, the fiber cuts reported, the access refusals.

“We’ve talked about issues affecting quality of service and experience. The engineer gave us the statistics, access challenges, fiber cuts, and so on in our environment,” the EVC said.

He proffered the way forward, including plans for prosecution and the ongoing collaboration between the industry and key stakeholders.

He urged journalists to do more by investigating issues in the industry and seek clarifications from the commission so that their reports will not be doubted.

The EVC said: “You now have this information, don’t just sit on it.

For instance, you were given figures on fiber cuts and thefts affecting

NCC. Who is responsible for those infrastructure? The NSCDC. “Ask them what steps they have taken. Ask them: “Of all these incidents, what are you doing about them? How many people have been prosecuted?” Every state has legal departments. Go and ask them: What are you doing to protect critical infrastructure?”

“Someone raised the issue of tariffs , that each MNO’s charges should be clearly presented. Now, what are you doing from your end?

You’re supposed to investigate. Build your data. When you’re done, come back to us.

“Bring your findings. I will take them to the tariff team. We’ll corroborate, confirm, and clarify with you.”

“There should never be a time your information is in doubt.

On collaboration with the media, he said the NCC was working hard to ensure the industry is resilient, progressive, and accountable.

Nigeria’s leading fintech, PalmPay, has teamed up once again with digital Solution provider, Globacom, to launch the second edition of the “Recharge and Win Bonanza”.

The exciting campaign offers users who purchase Glo airtime and data via the PalmPay app the chance to win amazing prizes.

According to a joint statement issued in Lagos, the promotion will run from June 19th to August 8th, 2025.

“A weekly live raffle draw will be held and streamed on PalmPay’s official social media channels throughout the campaign.

Customers who make Glo transactions through the PalmPay app will stand a chance to win prizes such as the iPhone 15 Pro, Infinix Hot 40, and many other exciting items”, the statement indicated.

It explained that every transaction above N500 gives participants an extra shot at winning, adding that daily social media challenges will also offer participants a chance to win cash prizes.

Additionally, PalmPay users can enjoy up to 6% cashback when they

buy Glo airtime and data through the PalmPay app. As an added bonus, customers who have not subscribed to a Glo data plan in the last 90 days will receive a 100% bonus on their recharge during the campaign period.

Subscribers can log onto http:// bit.ly/PalmPaySms to participate in the promo.

Speaking on the new promotion, Head of Billers, PalmPay Limited, Wayne Ruppel, said: “This collaboration is a major step in our mission to deliver MORE - more support, more rewards, and more innovation to our customers.

“Partnering with Glo, a leader in the telecommunications sector, is a testament to our shared commitment to improving everyday experiences for all Nigerians. We are excited to reward our users and encourage everyone to take full advantage of this exciting opportunity.

“PalmPay has transformed the digital payment landscape with its easy-to-use and reliable payment app. Offering free transfers, access to over 30 different services on its app, and a network of mobile money

agents and merchants, it has rapidly grown to be a preferred payment platform for over 35 million users across Nigeria.

“We are therefore delighted to offer our customers the opportunity to win amazing prizes”.

Also speaking on the promo, Globacom expressed delight at creating additional value for its subscribers through unique customer-appreciation schemes.

“Our partnership with PalmPay on the ‘Glo with ‘PalmPay bonanza” perfectly underscores our commitment to delivering exceptional value and experiences. Over the years, we have always sought innovative ways to enrich the lives of our customers.

We, therefore, enjoin our subscribers to utilize the opportunity provided by the bonanza and enjoy the many benefits it offers”.

Throughout the campaign period, PalmPay and Glo will work together to deliver exceptional customer experience, reward loyalty and reinforce their shared mission to make digital transactions more accessible, rewarding and secure for millions of Nigerians.

FRIDAY JUNE 20 2025 • T H I S D AY

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NEWS

working visit to Minister of Women Affairs...

L-R: Minister of of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahimduring and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, Dr. Abiola Arogundade during a courtesy and working visit by Dr Arogundade to the Minister’s Office in Abuja to further discuss the partnerships between both offices towards implementing one of the most ambitious poverty reduction initiatives in recent times, Upscaling Technical and Vocational Entrepreneurship Training across six states on Wednesday

FG Closes Alleged Terrorism Case against Nnamdi Kanu Defence lawyer hints on filing no-case submissions

Alex Enumah in Abuja The federal government Thursday closed its case in the ongoing terrorism trial of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, who is leading the prosecution team of the federal government made the announcement after the 5th prosecution witness (PW-5), identified as EEE for security reasons, was discharged from the witness box, after he was cross examined by one of Kanu’s lawyers, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN. According to Awomolo, the prosecution was satisfied that from the avalanche of evidence tendered, including broadcast of activities of the leader of the pro-Biafra nation, the government had sufficiently satisfied the need to close its case.

“I therefore close the case,” he said.

Reacting, the lead defense counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi, informed the court that they would be opting for a no-case submission, which would be filed in due course.

Earlier, in his evidence-in-chief, the 5th witness who is an officer of the DSS at the headquarters in Abuja, said he was directed to lead a team of security officers to the southern region of the country to obtain records of activities that occurred between 2020 & 2021 relating to the End SARS protest.

According to the witness, his assignment included obtaining records of public properties that were destroyed and death certificates of security officers who died during the END SARS protests.

EEE was then shown three documents of the report of the End SARS assessments, the list of officers that died, and the death certificates of the officers.

Following his confirmation his lawyer sought to tender same in evidence.

Ikpeazu however informed the court that the defense team would register their objection at the appropriate time, while the documents were subsequently admitted and marked as exhibits; PWD2, PWD2A, and PWD2B respectively.

A summary of the documents revealed that a total of 128 policemen, 37 army officers and 10 DSS agents were killed within the period. Similarly, a total of 164 police stations were destroyed, as well as 19 facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) destroyed.

Under cross examination, EEE admitted he was not involved in the investigation of the crimes allegedly committed by the defendant, but investigated the fallout of the End SARS protest which the defendant enabled through his broadcasts.

When asked whether the entire End SARS protest was carried out because Kanu asked them to protest, the witness

said he doesn’t know, adding that he knows the defendant asked the people to attack security officials and destroy public property.

Ikpeazu: So, when people destroyed properties in Osun and Lagos States during the End SARS protest, you are saying that they did that because the defendant asked them to? Are you saying categorically that the End SARS issue is a Biafran issue?

EEE: My assignment was not to

Former Presidential candidate and frontline politician, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has raised alarm over a deepening security crisis in Nigeria.

Olawepo-Hashim however warned that a coalition of terror groups with global links are actively plotting to establish a parallel state within the country.

Speaking with THISDAY in Ilorin on Thursday on the heels of the recent massacre of over 200 civilians in Yelwata, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, Olawepo-Hashim described the incident as yet another pointer to

Ikpeazu: What organization is the defendant allegedly leading?

EEE: IPOB. Is IPOB concerned with happenings in Lagos, Ibadan, Ile-Ife, Igbajo, etc…

EEE: I don’t know.

Ikpeazu drew the witness’s attention to page 565 of the document which was a report about what happened in Osun State during the End SARS, stating that one line read “no life was lost in Ekiti State”.

Investors stake N91.42bn for FGN’s N50bn Series III Sovereign Green Bond

Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The federal government has launched the Revenue Optimisation and Assurance Project (REV-OP), a strategic initiative to address revenue leakages, enhance transparency, and drive economic development.

The blueprint, a significant step to strengthen Nigeria’s public financial management and revenue systems, seeks to strengthen the economy and achieve sustainable growth and

‘Adaptive insurgency’ operating in Northern Nigeria the growing sophistication of what he termed an “adaptive insurgency” operating in the northern part of the country.

According to him, “The killings in Benue last weekend are a tragic reminder of the complete breakdown of security in Northern Nigeria. What we are witnessing is not isolated violence, but a coordinated effort by a mortal alliance of terror groups whose goal is to carve out a state within Nigeria “This wave of terror is not limited to Benue or the Northeast but has progressively engulfed large parts of the Northwest, including Zamfara, Kebbi, Kaduna and some sections of Katsina States, where communities

police brutality especially with the SARS faction of the police?

EEE: There are usually two causes of an insurrection: the open causes and the underlying causes.

Police brutality could be the secondary cause of the protest, the real reasons for the protests was because some subversive elements incited the public against the government. In this case the defendant’s broadcasts was one of those underlying causes.

FG Jump-starts Revenue Optimisation Assurance Project to Plug Revenue Leakages

Olawepo-Hashim: Terrorists Plotting to Carve Out Parallel State Within Nigeria Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

investigate Biafra; my assignment was to investigate the End SARS issue to which the defendant incited the public.

Ikpeazu: Have you heard of Aisha Yesufu, the one that lead protests?

EEE: Yes, I’ve heard about her.

Ikpeazu: Is she Igbo or from Abia State?

EEE: I have never investigated her, so I don’t know.

Ikpeazu: Are you aware that End SARS protest was chiefly against

continue to suffer loss of life, livelihoods, and dignity”.

He also warned of the insurgency’s growing incursion into the North Central and Southern regions, citing recent activities in Kwara, Ekiti, Ondo, and Kogi States.

He expressed concern that the federal government’s persistent delay in adopting recommended strategies, such as the decentralization of policing through the establishment of state and local police, suggests either gross negligence or willful complicity.

“Since 2014, the APC has found the strategy to win elections, but they have not found, or pretend not to find, the strategy to end insecurity and poverty,” he remarked,

development.

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun officially unveiled the project in Abuja, Thursday.

The unveiling of the revenue initiative came as investors staked N91.42 billion in the FGN Series III Sovereign Green Bond.

The federal government believes the REV-OP initiative introduces a bold new framework grounded in transparency, efficiency, and digital transformation.

While unveiling the project, Edun said, “This is not a rebrand, but a clean break,” adding that the project marks the commencment of a more secure and accountable financial future for Nigeria.

According to a statement issued by the Director, Information and Public Relations, Mohammed Manga, the session brought together representatives from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Office of the Accountant General (OAGF) as well as key private sector technology partners.

To ensure robust oversight and delivery, a two-tier governance structure has been established, comprising a Steering Committee and a dedicated project management team, with daily coordination meetings to drive momentum and execution.

This structure is expected to enhance accountability, facilitate effective decision-making, and ensure timely implementation of project objectives.

The statement further noted that the REV-OP initiative aligns closely with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic vision to increase domestic revenue, plug leakages, and build a stable, investor-friendly fiscal environment.

It is not clear how the unveiling of the REV-OP initiative will radically differ from previous initiatives like the Strategic Revenue and Growth Initiative (SRGI) and Project Lighthouse under the past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Meanwhile, the Debt Management Office (DMO) has announced that investors have staked the sum of N91.42 billion in the FGN’s Series III Sovereign Green Bond, more than N41 billion over the N50 billion on offer.

Experts: Global Conflicts Hindering Achievement of Global Sustainable Goals

Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

Scholars across the globe have alluded to rising regional conflicts as an impediment towards achieving the Global Sustainable Goals, SDGs, with 2030 deadline.

The scholars who converged on Osun State University campus on a-three-day International Sustainable Development Dialogue, themed, “Sustainable Development in the Age of Crisis: Humanities, Science and More Equitable World”, agreed that without cooperation from all

actors, achieving SDGs goal would be impossible.

Speaking while declaring the conference open, the Vice-Chancellor, Osun State University, Osogbo, Professor Clement Adebooye, said the ongoing Israel-Iran war would have damning consequences on global affairs.

According to him, “There is no doubt that the contemporary world is characterized by crises of different magnitude and consequences not only at the national level but also at continental and intercontinental

levels.

“In the last one week, for example, the conflict between Israel and Iran that started like a candle light has escalated with far-reaching and severe impacts not just for the immediate region but globally.

“The various consequential dimensions and magnitude of this war are manifest in the conspicuous humanitarian crisis and rising casualties, geopolitical instability and regional spill-over, economic disruptions, nuclear proliferation concerns and cyber warfare.

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THISDAY • FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2025

images

Images of dignitaries at the inauguration of newly Constructed Collector Road CN2 (Zakari A. Kyari Street) from Arterial Road N11 (Ahmadu Bello Way) in Mabushi to Judges Quarters in Katampe and others by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, represented by the Deputy Speaker, Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, in Abuja yesterday

L-R: APC National Chairman, Dr Umar Ganduje, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Benjamin Kalu (who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu), FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, Chairman of House Committee on FCT, Hon Muktar Aliyu Betara and MD of CGC, Zhong Xiang

Senators Mao Ohuabunwa and Philip Aduda, former Governors of Enugu and Benue States, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Samuel Ortom

L-R: APC National Chairman, Dr Umar Ganduje, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Benjamin Kalu (who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu), FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, House Leader, Prof Julius Ihonvbere, Chairman of House Committee on FCT, Hon Muktar Aliyu Betara and MD of CGC, Zhong Xiang

PDP National Vice Chairman (South South), Chief Dan Orbih, PDP National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Senator George Sekibo

Senator Sandy Onoh, Hon Frank Ohor, Publisher of This Nigeria newspapers, Eric Osagie and Senator Magnus Abe

From project commissioning to project inspection. Former Governors of Abia and Enugu States, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike and FCT Head of Service, Mrs Grace Adayilo at the inspection of the ongoing construction of judges quaters

Student meets his lecturer! FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike with the House Leader, Prof Julius Ihonvbere

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Benjamin Kalu, who represented President FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, welcoming the Chairman, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike House Committee on FCT, Hon Muktar Aliyu Betara

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Politics

Acting Group Politics Editor DEJI ELUMOYE Email: deji.elumoye@thisdaylive.com 08033025611 sms only

At 61, NAF Strategises to Counter Terrorism, Banditry, Emerging Security Threats Linus Aleke examines the evolution of the Nigerian Air Force into a global force that foes fear among the comity of Air Forces, as well as the federal government’s efforts in recapitalising the service to maintain its air power dominance in the ever-changing and dynamic security ecosystem with the induction of new platforms to fast-track the dismantling of the empire of terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, and other emerging security threats.

T

he security situation in the country today is not only complex, asymmetric, and unpredictable but also brutal and very daring, hence the need for a hybrid strategy and constant adaptation to technology and other modern tactics to surmount these escalating threats that are dynamic in nature effortlessly.

It is on the premise of the nature of today’s threats that the federal government and indeed the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) authorities are not resting on their oars to ensure that the service is sophisticated enough to curb the growing threats.

At 61, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has grown into an air force that foes fear and tremble at its presence domestically and is sincerely respected globally in the community of air forces.

The testimony of the former DirectorGeneral of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga (rtd), confirms that the only thing bandits and terrorists fear is NAF fighter jets and the explosives they rain on them in their concealed enclaves.

Speaking after he regained freedom from bandits that abducted him from his home in Katsina State and kept him in the mountains, where he cohabited with dangerous animals and starved for over a month, the retired top military officer gave this testimony about the Nigerian Air Force: “The only thing bandits and terrorists are after is money, and what they fear most in life is military airstrikes.

They don’t fear God; if you mention God to them, they will kill you. Their gods are money, money, and money, but when they hear the sound of military aircraft, they will all run for safety.”

What this testimony exposes is the fact that the game-changer in the ongoing war against insurgency, terrorism, kidnapping, and other emerging security threats is the effective deployment of air power in support of the efforts of the surface forces.

Though the United Kingdom is not domestically confronted with any local asymmetric warfare at the moment, it understands the critical need for evolving a powerful and resilient air force that has the capacity to respond to a rapidly changing global security environment.

In an article titled “UK must build air force ‘foes fear’,” published on 13 November 2024, the author, George Allison, quoted the UK Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Sir Rich Knighton, as saying that the country must constantly modernise its air force to tackle the changing security landscape.

He outlined the importance of deterrence and defence, particularly in light of the ongoing challenges in Ukraine, stressing that the Western world faces the greatest number and the most complex array of threats ever seen.

ACM Knighton’s situational and futuristic propositions mirror what is happening in the country today, particularly as it affects the security architecture, the mastery of working tools, up-to-date knowledge of administration, communication, and financial literacy. These must all be in place to ensure excellence in all NAF operations.

Aside from the capacity-building of officers to implement ongoing reforms and bring the Nigerian Air Force up to speed with global best practices in operating in a complex and ever-changing security environment, the federal government has also invested heavily in providing additional state-of-the-art, high-calibre military aviation equipment and munitions. The service is also building the capacity of NAF to operate at the same level as even the most sophisticated air forces in

(CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, said the recent induction of two newly acquired Augusta 109 Trekker Helicopters into the NAF Order of Battle is a clear testament to the Federal Government’s unwavering commitment to strengthening the capabilities of the Nigerian Air Force, and indeed, the entire Armed Forces of Nigeria, towards combating terrorism, armed banditry, oil theft, and other security challenges confronting our dear nation.

He explained that the dynamic security landscape of the nation demands an agile, well-equipped, and responsive air force capable of rapid deployment across multiple theatres.

This reality, he said, underscores the need for continuous investment in modern platforms to bolster the Nigerian Air Force’s capacity to deliver air power across all spectrums of warfare.

Stating that the successful acquisition and induction of the Agusta Westland (AW) 109 Trekker Helicopter is a significant leap in its modernization efforts, Abubakar stated that this light twin-engine, multi-role helicopter with a glass cockpit is ideally suited for training, light liaison, battlefield operations, reconnaissance, close air support, and emergency response missions. the world.

Therefore, to ensure that the Service has the necessary skill sets to easily curtail

the escalating security threats across the federation and move at the same pace as the rest of the world, the Chief of the Air Staff

NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

Kwara ‘27: A Call to Serve People and State Aliyu Olawale writes on the current steps being taken by concerned stakeholders in Kwara State to drag an unassuming administrator, Suleiman Bolakale Kawu, into the murky political water of the state ahead of the 2027 gubernatorial poll.

I

n every generation, a moment arises when history calls not for a mere politician but for a statesman, one whose ambition is not for self but for society.

That moment is now, and that leader is Engineer Suleiman Bolakale Kawu, the Dan Iya of Ilorin Emirate and Hasken Lafiagi Emirate, his life is a testament to silent service, not loud slogans. Though he never lobbied for power, his consistent compassion, humility, and community-driven impact have compelled the people to call upon him, not for himself, but for the soul of Kwara State.

This call is greater than any individual or party. It is not about Kawu. It is not about PDP. It is about Kwara. Our state has become a shadow of its promise, burdened by a leadership that thrives on division, vengeance, and vanishing goodwill.

Governor AbdulRahmanAbdulRazaq, who rode on the collective sacrifice of the Otoge struggle, has betrayed the very spirit that enthroned him. He has insulted traditional institutions, shunned party stalwarts, and despised transparency and accountability, allegedly resuscitating his dying business empire at the expense of public welfare.

He has cast aside pillars like Senator Saliu Mustapha, Hon. Mashood Mustapha, Lukman Mustapha, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Shuaib Yaman, Saeed Popoola, and Abdulrahman Bolarinwa—individuals who bore the burden of revolution while he now bears only the badge of betrayal.

What we face is not a party crisis but a systemic rot that demands urgent repair.

And that repair must begin with unity, across party lines, across faiths, and across communities. Kwara needs a healer, not another emperor. A builder, not a breaker.

That man is Kawu.

They say, “A man who plants a tree with care will one day rest under its shade.” Kawu has planted trees of hope across the land, transformers, solar lights, water projects, scholarships, and empowerment programs.

He did all these not from a position of power but from a place of purpose. His compassion does not discriminate. It touches PDP, APC, SDP, and LP because he sees humans, not labels.

In today’s political reality, elections are not won by pedigree or patronage but by presence. The people followed Donald Trump and Muhammadu Buhari not because of elite endorsements but because they mirrored popular emotions. So, too, does Kawu resonate with the people, not in theory, but in tangible deeds.

Kawu did not wait for the office to serve;

he served when it was unpopular to do so.

His philanthropy has no banners, no microphones, just results. This is why his name is not being pushed by powerbrokers but being whispered from markets to mosques, from palaces to polling units.

And let us be clear: Kawu is not seeking power to eat; he is being asked to serve to rescue. He is not owned by godfathers, untainted by political debts, and moved by nothing but his conscience and his faith. Like the cow without a tail that relies on God to drive away flies, he has leaned only on honesty and integrity to protect his name.

Great leaders in history did not emerge from comfort, they emerged from crisis.

Nelson Mandela was called out of prison to unite a broken South Africa. Churchill was called from political obscurity to save Britain from collapse. In Nigeria, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was called upon and he answered with humility and vision. And long before them, Prophet Yusuf (AS) responded to Pharaoh’s call to manage the famine not for personal gain but for the preservation of society. Likewise, Kawu must rise not to chase titles but to fulfill destiny.

We have erred in the past by mistaking noise for popularity and structure for strength. “If a child stumbles twice, he learns to walk carefully.” Let us now walk wisely. Let us unite across all divides, APC, PDP, undecided and disenchanted, and rally around one man whose life already mirrors the future we desire.

-Olawale writes from Offa, Kwara State.

NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

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Photo Editor Abiodun Ajala Email abiodun.ajala@thisdaylive.com

L-R: Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, News Central, Mr. Kayode Akintemi, and Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Dr. Tayo Aduloju, at a partnership meeting held at News Central’s headquarters in Lagos…recently

President Bola Tinubu (right), and the Chairman of Lasaco Assurance Plc, Chief Teju Phillips, during Phillips’ Eid homage visit to the president in Lagos… recently

L-R: Divisional Head, Personal Banking, FCMB, Mr. Adetunji Lamidi; competition winner, Adebayo Oluwaloni; Group Head, Consumer Liability, FCMB, Mr. Abubakar Etamesor; and Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission official, Mr. Nasiru Olajide, at the grand finale of FCMB’s National Essay and Drawing Competition for pupils and students aged 3 to 17 in Lagos... recently

The Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier-General Olakunle Nafiu (middle), with some of the 2025 Batch ‘A’ Stream Two corps members during his visit to the Kogi State Orientation Camp in Asaya…recently

L-R: National Coordinator, Association of Nigerian Artisans and Technicians (ASNAT), Adeshina Akinyemi; Director-General, Industrial Training Fund, Dr. Afiz Oluwatoyin Ogun; National Patron, ASNAT, Sanusi Garuba Rikiji; and Executive Director, Public Sector and Intervention Programme, Bank of Industry, Ms. Mabel Ndagi, during the Nigerian Artisans’ PHOTO: ENOCK REUBEN Leadership Summit (NALSUM) 2025, held in Abuja… recently

L-R: Ogun State, Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker; keynote speaker and wife of Olu of Warri Kingdom, Olori Atuwatse lll; and Executive Director, Wilan Global, Mrs. Abosede George Organ; during the Women’s in Leadership Advancement Network Flair Summit in London, United Kingdom… recently

L-R: Chairman, ICPC, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu; Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre(CISLAC), Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani; and Professor of Economic History, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Adetunji Ogunyemi, at a stakeholders’ meeting on ‘Local Government Autonomy in Nigeria, Effects of Corruption and Inefficacy on Good Governance in PHOTO: AYOOLA AJAYI Local Administration’, held in Abuja… recently

18 T H I S D AY FRIDAY JUNE 20, 2025 20 TR

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& RE A SO

Friday June 20, 2025 Vol 27. No 101027

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opinion@thisdaylive.com

www.thisdaylive.com

UNCLE SAM AT 90

MOHAMMED HARUNA pays tribute to Sam Amuka-Pemu, Veteran Journalist and Publisher of Vanguard Newspapers

See page 21

GIVING INEC A BAD NAME… The 2023 general elections were free, fair, and credible, argues OLUWAFERANMI AYINDE

See page 21

EDITORIAL

LASSA FEVER AND PREVENTABLE DEATHS

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The country is in dire need of state police, argues JOSHUA J. OMOJUWA

POLICING AND NIGERIA’S CIRCLE OF VIOLENCE Two hundred dead in Benue. Humans.

Children. Men. Women. Dreams. Killed.

We’ve been here before, if we do things how we did them, we will be here again. We have built a circle that ensures we always return to the exact same point of sorrow, tears and blood. Violence has become so much of our national trademark, we no longer even pause out of respect to the dead or to reflect on the way forward to protect the living. We move on knowing that we are treading on the same spot, only differentiated by motion, without movement. Same circle, breeding endless cycles of violence. Without pause. Something has to give.

On the best of days, Nigeria is a multinational country negotiating its nationhood as one sovereign entity. The amalgamation and eventual independence of the land area that is now Nigeria inherited the storms of conflicting groups and ethnic nationalities. Amidst the major ethnic rivalries that play out on the national front, there are smaller ones, even among people who speak the same language. The sort of bickering that, except you are from these ends, you’d not understand the nuances of their depth or difference. If you were posted from Abuja to police these simmering conflicts, you’d be at best a breathing mannequin with a gun, without understanding of the place, the people and their history.

State police will not end Nigeria’s complicated insecurity challenges, but it will mean that there will be 36 different bodies with varying capacities addressing specific security challenges in each state. That to me looks like an easy sell, compared to just one body that, were it to be inefficient and incompetent, the country is doomed and if it somehow is effective and competent, amidst the shortage of resources and the scale of the challenge, it’d still be limited by capacity.

However you look at it, whether from the proven failings of the Nigerian Police or from the promise of state control over their own security, the arguments for state policing will always trump whatever shortcomings there could be. We should be discussing the “how?” of this matter at this point and not the “if ”.

Nigeria stands no chance on national security without its state governments having the power and authority to meet security challenges directly. The future of Nigeria, on almost every front, is devolution. The less each state is dependent on Abuja, the better for our collective progress, more so on national security. Nigeria needed state policing 65 years ago. It needed same 26 years ago. It needed state policing yesterday.

It needs state policing now. Communities should be protected and defended by people they know and who know them. Like politics, security is even more local.

Intelligence gets lost because of the physical and time disconnect between Abuja and other parts of the country. Let each state defend itself based on its peculiar challenges. There have been arguments against state police.

Those positions aren’t invalid. However, the current design has failed us woefully, it continues to and there is nothing to suggest that will change. We cannot continue to work with the same strategy, get the same results and expect that someday the results will somehow change without changing the inputs. It is time to work out the legal and practical framework for state policing. We can put measures in place to ensure that some governors do not use it to advance their politics. We should define the rules of engagement in such a way that the mission of state policing is intended to address insecurity at the granular level.

Short of handing ammunition to each citizen to defend themselves, which, ideal as it sounds, comes with multiple order grave consequences, we need to ensure that those who police them know them, live with them and will give their all to defend them.

It’s the closest thing to giving the people the power to defend themselves. Now, it is Abuja trying to do it and mostly failing. The Federal Police can and should exist to meet specific challenges. Because even now, we have needed the military to cover the gaps left by ineffective policing. That itself is because of multidimensional challenges borne out of scale. This is a major reform on national security that is due for execution.

In Canada, its provinces take responsibility for policing. The likes of Quebec, Ontario and Labrador have their own police force. In India, states recruit, train and design their own framework for meeting security challenges.

The Union Government of India does not have any jurisdiction over these state police

units. We already know about the multiple level policing in the United States. Indonesia has its National Police and its Municipal Police Units. Pakistan has at least threelevel police units, the federal, the provincial and the territorial police units. Save for Canada, all these countries share something in common with Nigeria; they are amongst ten of the world’s most populous countries.

By design, as already proven by Nigeria’s failings and the better examples elsewhere, even an efficient and better trained Nigerian Police cannot secure Nigeria’s hundreds of subnational governments alone.

This country is too big, too complex and, I am sorry to say, too problematic to be trusted with one level of policing. It just cannot work, it has not worked, and it will never work. Anyone still defending this status quo cannot do so based on anything other than their fear of what is not known. What we do know now is, as it is, our prayers will not be enough to save us. The name of the party or the president will not save us. The buck stops at the president’s table, like then opposition leader Bola Ahmed Tinubu tweeted about then President Goodluck Jonathan. Today, the buck is his. However much he wants to take responsibility for it, if he didn’t know then, he most certainly must know it now, something has to give. It’s too late to save the killed, but it is never too late to break from this circle.

Omojuwa is chief strategist, Alpha Reach/BGX Publishing

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FRIDAY JUNE 20 2025 • T H I S D AY

PUBLIC NOTICE PRESENTATION OF THE REPORT OF THE REGULATORY IMPACT ASSESSMENT (RIA) ON SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATIONS, 2024 IN THE NIGERIAN COMMUNICATIONS SECTOR The Nigerian Communications Commission in exercise of its functions under the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 (the Act) had conducted a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) on 8 (Eight) of its Subsidiary Legislations, in the year 2024. The RIA involved engagement of internal and external stakeholders and review of data and information for the review period.

Further to the completion of the 2024 RIA on Subsidiary Legislations, the Commission will be holding a Virtual Stakeholders Forum for the Presentation of the Outcome of the Regulatory Impact Assessment on the Subsidiary Legislations as follows: Date: Thursday June 26, 2025 Time: 11.00 am.

Virtual Link: Microsoft Teams Link to the Forum.- Meet Now: Stakeholders' Forum on RIA Interested stakeholders are by this notice invited and the Commission can be contacted via: stakeholders@ncc.gov.ng on any matter related to the Forum.

Dated this 20th Day of June, 2025.

Signed: Nnenna Ukoha Head, Public Affairs Department Plot 423 Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja, Tel: +234-9-461-7000-29 fax: +234-9-461-7514 Toll Free No: 622. E-mail: ncc@ncc.gov.ng

www.ncc.gov.ng www.ncc.gov.ng KHALEESI

arpa6429

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FRIDAY JUNE 20, 2025 • T H I S D AY

ADVERTORIAL:

Communities Along Trans Niger Pipeline Salute NNPCL, PINL, and Security Forces — Pledge Continued Partnership We, the undersigned representatives of the communities along the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) corridor, stand together today to express our deep appreciation to the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, and the newly appointed Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), led by Mr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari. Their leadership brings a renewed sense of purpose, stability, and progress to our region and to the nation’s petroleum sector at large.

As host communities, we have witnessed firsthand the positive change that collaboration can achieve. The appointment of Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) to oversee the surveillance and protection of the TNP has been transformative. Oil theft and pipeline vandalism — once rampant — have fallen to near-zero levels, restoring peace to our towns and villages and reviving economic activity in ways that touch everyday lives.

We commend PINL for its professionalism, dedication, and tireless work in partnership with our communities. The company’s approach — combining technical excellence with genuine community engagement — has shown us what’s possible

when national security efforts respect and include the people most affected.

Our gratitude extends to the National Security Adviser, the Chief of Defence Staff, and all security agencies whose support has been essential in safeguarding critical national assets and reinforcing confidence across the Niger Delta.

While we celebrate these gains, we call on government and industry leaders to look deeper: to address the economic and environmental conditions that have long fueled oil theft, illegal bunkering, and sabotage. Only through inclusive development, meaningful opportunity, and environmental restoration can we secure lasting peace.

Finally, we urge NNPCL and industry regulators to continue deepening engagement with our communities. Together, let us build a more inclusive, secure, and prosperous future — one where our region’s potential is fully realized, and where progress benefits all.

We pledge our ongoing support as partners in this important work.

Signed:

Representatives of Communities along the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP)

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FRIDAY JUNE 20, 2025

MOHAMMED HARUNA pays tribute to Sam Amuka-Pemu, Veteran Journalist and Publisher of Vanguard Newspapers

UNCLE SAM AT 90

It seems like only yesterday but it is about 20 years or so ago this month when I wrote a widely publicised and well received tribute to Prince Samson OruruAmuka Pemu, aka Sad Sam, aka Uncle Sam, on the occasion of his 70th Birthday.

In that piece I talked about his immeasurable contribution to Nigeria’s journalism as columnist, editor and publisher. As columnist using the pen name Sad Sam, his popular weekly column, “This Nigeria” in the Sunday Times which he also edited, was a must read because of what I said was its “combination of humour, wit, simplicity and clarity of language.” Among his classic pieces I mentioned this memorable one he entitled “The rising cost of dying”. I don’t remember the date now but from its obviously imaginative title to its body text, it very well captured all these four qualities – and more – in a way that was typical of Sad Sam. An inversion of sorts of the common expression, “the rising cost of living”, the piece was a humourous comment on the bad habit of Nigerians, especially the rich, of spending more to bury their poorer cousins than they ever did to support them in life.

More than 50 years after he wrote the piece, that foolish habit has refused to die. On the contrary, it seems to have even grown. Perhaps it was in consideration of such bad habits of Nigerians that Uncle Sam chose to declare himself Sad in those good old days. However, as I said 20 years ago, a happier and more easy-going person than Uncle Sam is hard to imagine. His philosophy seemed to be to live life to the fullest and spread happiness all around him. Life, he often said, was too short for anyone to take it too seriously. Perhaps it was this happy-go-lucky attitude to life that has helped him live to reach the ripe young age of 90 years on June 13. Opportunity, it is often said, knocks only once. For Uncle Sam as a newspaper publisher, it knocked twice, first in March 1973 when he co-founded Punch with the late Chief Olu Aboderin, and then in July 1984 when he had to leave Punch less than 10 years from its founding, following the souring of the relationship between the two. In between his leaving Punch and founding Vanguard the man thought he could live life outside being a newspaperman. He dabbled into offshore fishing but soon discovered he just had to return to the only profession he knew best how to practice. Among so many of us who paid tribute to Uncle Sam on his 70th birthday 20 years ago none captured his essence like his favourite journalistic godson from the heydays of Punch. I am, of course, talking about Muyiwa Adetiba, predictably his first Editor at Vanguard and now a veteran columnist with the newspaper. As Muyiwa

said in his tribute, Uncle Sam stood out as someone who knew how to identify talents, delegate authority and responsibility without abdication, and was as generous in rewarding hard work as he was quick in detesting sloth. At the risk of sounding immodest, I believe I am a living example of his search for talent and generosity. At the height of Punch’s popularity in the late seventies or so, he led a small team all the way to Kaduna from Lagos in search of northern talents. We met in the course of that trip and he offered me a job in the newspaper. His offer was hard to resist but I declined because I thought at that time Punch was more entertainment than hard news, although I did not tell him so. In spite of my saying no to his offer, Uncle Sam, who, like me, is small in stature, gave me two very expensive designer safari suits that became my favourite wear for many years.

Not one to easily give up on his objective, he told me that his offer was open any time I changed my mind. Among the many virtues I admire in the man is his insistence that though comments are free, they must be fair and balanced. This must be why, several years ago, he would not let me be until I got him a good writer who could articulate a northern point of view on issues as a counter to Vanguard’s predominantly southern viewpoint. This was how, first, Is’haq Modibbo Kawu, a former Editor of Trust, and subsequently Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, a former university teacher, retired federal permanent secretary and the last executive secretary of the Independent National Electoral Commission, came to write their weekly columns in his newspaper. In recent years Uncle Sam has gone well beyond his success as a newspaperman to become, among other things, a pioneer, and, given his wide and deep contacts in the country, a highly valued member of the National Peace Committee chaired by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Alhaji Abubakar. This nongovernmental organisation has played a critical role since 2014 in monitoring and ensuring that our elections at both national and state levels are conducted in the most peaceful and credible manner. As the man celebrates his 90th birthday, it is not surprising that he was rewarded a day before his birthday with the national honour of the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), one of Nigeria’s higher national honours, by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, in his speech commemorating this year’s Democracy Day. Uncle Sam, here’s wishing you Happy 90th Birthday and many, many more returns in good health!

Haruna is National Commissioner, Independent National Electoral Commission, Abuja

The 2023 general elections were free, fair, and credible, argues OLUWAFERANMI AYINDE

GIVING INEC A BAD NAME… Serial parochial criticisms of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, have become the pastime of some self-serving moralists, masquerading as patriots and opposition leaders. But their motive is nowhere near patriotism, only a desperate call for invitation to the “national dining table.” Their modus operandi is simple: give INEC a bad name to hang it.

Thankfully, they are failing.

I was amused when the former Director of the Muhammadu Buhari’s 2019 Presidential Campaign Council, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi in a recent interview he granted a national television outfit, said that the All Peoples Congress (APC) wouldn’t have won the 2015 Presidential Election if Prof. Yakubu had been in charge of INEC. Remember that Amaechi was also a former Rivers State Governor and Minister of Transportation.

The immediate question is, who was in charge of INEC in 2019, when Amaechi’s principal, former President Buhari contested and won that year’s presidential election? Was it not Prof Yakubu?

Could Amaechi have forgotten his role as Buhari’s Director General of Campaign for that election so soon? Not likely. After Buhari was declared winner at the time, Amaechi had no issues at all with either INEC or its Chairman. To him, that election was free and fair. Thereafter, he went about appealing to other contestants in the race to embrace the spirit of sportsmanship, concede defeat and join hands with the winner to take Nigeria forward. In fact, at a press briefing he held on March 5, 2019, Amaechi, among other things, said: “It is only those who fail elections that gather for meetings, while the winners just gather to pop champagne and drink to their victory.” That was how sweet the victory of his party and candidate in the 2019 polls felt for him.

Fast forward to 2023. Amaechi wanted to be President, which is fair enough. He participated in the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential primary election but lost. INEC did not conduct the election.

But since then, for reasons best known to him, Amaechi became a turncoat of some sort, transforming into a bitter critic of INEC and its Chairman.

Many subjective supporters of the Labour Party (LP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have also continued to delude themselves by insisting that they both won the 2023 presidential election that they knew they did not win. Even after their parties lost at the Supreme Court, they have continued to denigrate INEC on social media. Not only that, they have also continued to berate the judiciary, with some of them labeling the Supreme Court Justices as “compromised jurists.” There is no name and conspiracy theory they have not peddled to tarnish Prof Yakubu’s image.

But to their utter disappointment, he has refused to respond to their antics and to be drawn into their pits.

I agree that the 2023 general election was not perfect. In any case, who can show me one country in the world where perfect elections are conducted?

Not even in the United States, the so-called bastion of democracy where we copied our presidential system from. The memory of the 2020 presidential election controversy, which led to what analysts have described as an instigated but failed insurrection is still very fresh.

An objective assessment of INEC’s trajectory since 2015, devoid of petty sentiments, will reveal positive developments which, unfortunately in my view, have been grossly under-reported. In contrast to what the modern-day Pharisees have been saying, I think the 2023 general elections, comprising the presidential, national assembly, governorship, and state assembly sets, met the required threshold of substantial compliance, meaning they were free, fair, and credible.

I have my reasons. The election produced several firsts. For the first time since 1999, four political parties won governorship seats, unlike in the past when only two political parties dominated the scene. Seven parties won senatorial seats, while eight parties secured federal constituencies. Nine parties also won seats in the State Assembly, paving the way for unprecedented

diversity in the national and state legislatures.

Since 2015, when Prof. Mahmood Yakubu took office, several innovations and milestones that would stand the test of time have been implemented. One of the technological innovations is the multi-purpose Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which replaced the Smart Card Reader (SCR) after it became clear that fraudulent politicians had found a way to circumvent the SCR. That singular action effectively ended voting by proxy, leading to the subsequent widespread dumping of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in forests and shrines by those who had warehoused them for election rigging purposes. It also led to a spike in vote buying, as it became clear to politicians that only real voters could cast a valid vote in an election.

Under Prof. Yakubu, there has been a massive expansion of voter access to polling units. For the first time in 25 years, the total number of polling units in Nigeria increased from 119,974 to 176,846. Also, for the first time, the Commission introduced an online voter registration portal, which enabled voters aged 18 and above to log on to the Commission’s portal, upload their information, and validate their registration at designated centres. Approximately 9.5 million new voters registered between June 2021 and July 2022, increasing the National Register to its current figure of 93,469,008.

The Commission was the first Electoral Management Body (EMB) in Africa to produce a Policy on Conducting Elections in the Context of COVID-19 in 2020, a year when the world was reeling from the devastating effects of the virus.

The policy enabled the Commission to conduct several elections safely during the pandemic.

There was also the enactment of a new Electoral Act 2022, which the Commission vigorously campaigned for with the assistance of civil society.

Among other things, the new Electoral Act made it possible for the Commission to receive its funds for the general election one year in advance, just as it was given the power to review the result of an election in a situation where a Returning Officer was forced to declare the wrong person as the winner.

The INEC Result Viewing (IReV), established by the Commission to promote transparency in the result management process and provide citizens with the opportunity to view polling unit results in real time, was a game-changer. Despite the unexpected glitch that temporarily froze the portal during the 2023 Presidential election and which was quickly rectified, the IReV, which is not a result collation outfit, has given citizens more insight into the election result management architecture than ever before.

Dr Ayinde, an entrepreneur, writes from Uyo

24 22 4

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FRIDAY JUNE 20, 2025

EDITORIAL

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

LASSA FEVER AND PREVENTABLE DEATHS

I

The authorities could do more to contain the scourge

t is quite unfortunate that no fewer than 142 fatalities had been recorded from Lassa Fever as of the end of May this year. About 190 deaths were recorded last year. While it is sad that Nigerians die needlessly from preventable diseases, the case of Lassa fever is more egregious because it can easily be contained. Yet the disease has claimed fatalities in several thousand of our people over a period of six decades.

Lassa fever is an acute febrile illness which is caused by a virus with an incubation period of between six to 21 days. The onset of the disease is usually gradual, starting with fever, general weakness, before being followed by headache, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, cough, and bleeding from mouth, nose, etc. However, because the symptoms of Lassa Fever are so varied and non-specific, clinical diagnosis is often difficult, especially early in the course of the disease. For that reason, steps should be taken by the government, at all levels, to emphasise routine infection prevention and control measures. Healthcare workers should also be advised to always be careful to avoid contact with blood and bodily fluids in the process of caring for sick persons.

Lassa fever has been a serious health challenge in Nigeria since it was first diagnosed in Lassa (the village for which it was named) in Borno State in 1969. Even though there have been efforts in the past to contain the scourge, the country has been witnessing frequent outbreaks in recent years. This, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) could be attributed to reduced re-

sponse capacity in surveillance and laboratory testing.

Experts have advised that people should ensure their food (cooked or uncooked) is properly covered while regular handwashing should be adhered to always. The bush around the home should also be cleared regularly while windows and doors of the house should be closed, especially when it is nighttime. The public should also be adequately enlightened on the dangers posed by rats in their homes. Ordinarily, this should be the responsibility of both the federal ministry of environment and that of information.

The latter can deploy the National Orientation Agency (NOA) for a public awareness campaign on the issue.

Sadly, despite repeated commitments by various stakeholders to prevent a recurrence of the disease, what the current outbreak has shown clearly is that if there have been any preventive strategies, they were not implemented.

And if implemented, they are not working. We therefore believe that the authorities need to do more if we are ever to rid the nation of the disease that claims the lives of dozens of our citizens on an annual basis. With effective coordination, the current outbreak can be contained quickly before it becomes another national epidemic. But the real challenge is to work towards its total eradication.

To rid our country of Lassa fever, we need concerted efforts from all stakeholders to deal with the health challenge. We hope the authorities will take both preventive and long-term measures this time around so that we do not continue to lose our citizens to the virus that has for decades been an emblem of shame.

With effective coordination, the current outbreak can be contained quickly before it becomes another national epidemic T H I S D AY

EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU DEPUTY EDITOR WALE OLALEYE MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR ISRAEL IWEGBU CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN THE OMBUDSMAN KAYODE KOMOLAFE

T H I S D AY 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 DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS SHAKA MOMODU, PETER IWEGBU, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR PATRICK EIMIUHI CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

Letters to the Editor Letters in response to specific publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-300 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 (750- 1000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive. com along with photograph, email address and phone numbers of the writer.

LETTERS

THE SECRET SOVEREIGNS CONTROLLING NATIONS

There exists a realm above governments—an invisible order not elected by any people, yet wielding more power than presidents or parliaments. These are the “criminal sovereigns”, shadow rulers whose allegiance is not to country, but to power, profit, and permanence. They are, in truth, the sons of the devil, whose influence corrupts democracies, manipulates economies, and renders national sovereignty an illusion.

Once hidden behind stone walls and secret handshakes, these quasi-ancient networks now operate in broad daylight—via private jets, encrypted technologies, and glass-walled boardrooms that stretch across continents. Their empire is vast, their methods intricate, and their fingerprints can be found on nearly every global institution of consequence.

No domain bears their imprint more clearly than the judiciary.

From here, they weaponize the law to protect their interests and punish dissent. Stock markets are rigged through insider trading and algorithmic manipulation. Currency values and interest rates are controlled through complicit central banks that act with sovereign immunity. The 2008 financial collapse was not a failure of capitalism—it was a design flaw built to fail upward, enriching the

architects of chaos.

At the heart of their operation lies the global financial system—clean on the surface, but underneath, a laundering machine.

Through shell corporations and offshore havens, their illicit wealth moves silently. Gambling networks, shell banks, and tax-free zones act as their private vaults. In this world, money never sleeps—it conceals.

Their enterprise thrives on crime. Drug trafficking, arms smuggling, human and organ trade, and prostitution are not underworld activities—they are revenue streams. Culture, meanwhile, becomes camouflage. Hollywood, entertainment empires, and music conglomerates serve as tools of psychological warfare, seducing societies with spectacle while pacifying dissent with distraction.

Religious institutions are not spared. Mega-churches echo prosperity theology while genuflecting to power. Pulpits that should uplift are often co-opted to control. Justice itself is traded in lavish courtrooms—judges bribed, whistleblowers imprisoned, patriots painted as enemies of the state.

Even war is commodified. Proxy conflicts, color revolutions, and humanitarian interventions are orchestrated not for peace but for

profit. Entire nations are destabilized, leaders installed, and natural resources seized—all in service of this hidden order. The military-industrial complex thrives on blood, while peace is delayed indefinitely, too unprofitable to pursue.

Dissent is criminalised. Truth is treason. Those who dare expose this network are watched, discredited, bankrupted—or quietly eliminated. The press, instead of shining light, is often absorbed into the machinery. Those who resist are labeled extremists, while the real extremists wear suits and set monetary policy.

And still, the illusion of democracy persists.

People vote—but only for pre-selected candidates. Parliaments debate—but policies are crafted elsewhere, by technocrats loyal not to the public but to the cartel. Central banks are hailed as guardians of stability, yet remain answerable only to those who own the debt.

As Mayer Rothschild once warned: “Permit me to issue and control the money of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws.” That was not arrogance—it was revelation.

Basil Odilim, Abuja

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BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S

MONEY MARKET

A S

REPO

A T

Group Business Editor Eromosele Abiodun Email oriarehu.eromosele@thisdaylive.com

08056356325, 07034471123

J u n e

S & P INDEX

1 9 , 2 0 2 5

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EXCHANGE RATE

OPR

25.34%

CALL

23.25%

INDEX LEVEL

595.26

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OVERNIGHT

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*AS AT THUR, June 19, 2025

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Despite Improved Efforts, Applicants Squeak over Cumbersome E-visa, Passport Renewal Processes Chinedu Eze Although the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has significantly improved the processes of obtaining e-visa and passport renewal in order to encourage investors and others travelling to Nigeria, complaints persist over the difficulties encountered in the processes, a development that is giving intending travellers a serious concern.

For instance, the applicants said it takes too long before the website for e-visa and passport renewal to open, a development travel agents alleged was purposely done to make it absolutely necessary for applicants or their facilitators to require the help of Immigration officials.

Also, there are complaints that despite the digitisation of the passport process by NIS, Nigerians in the Diaspora still face delays and uncertainty in renewing their passports.

A comparison about easy accessibility on Nigeria’s e-visa websites, (evisa.immigration.gov.ng), Kenya’s (kenyaimmigration.org) and Ethiopia (ethiopiaimmigration. org) showed that Ethiopia and Kenyan websites are easier to access than that of Nigeria.

Response time is quicker in the Kenya and Ethiopia e-visa sites than that of Nigeria, using the same internet wifi access (Fiber One).Also, it was observed that the Nigerian site is loaded with relatively more questions, which makes the process cumbersome and takes longer time to make application.

THISDAY spoke to travel consultants and agents who stated the challenges their clients face in using the new e-visa process, which replaced the visa on arrival process, criticised for sundry delays and vulnerability to abuse.

One of the consultants told THISDAY that the payment system

on the e-visa process has improved compared to visa on arrival, “but the questions are too many,” remarking that if the process is to make it easier for investors and others who want to come to Nigeria, it should be tailored to make it easy for them.

“I can confirm that the payment system has improved but other protocols have not. For example, there are too many questions. This makes it difficult. I know they harp on security but bandits will not come to your country by air. It will be very easy to identify them; they will come by road and the boundaries are still very porous. So, this should be made as easy as possible,” he said.

However, a major travel operator and Managing Director of Travel Lab Nigeria Limited, Mrs. Shalom Asuquo, told THISDAY that the system is efficient but clumsy, noting that the site should be a ‘one-stop shop’ that would not require opening other sites.

According to her, “It will be ideal if you go to a website and you click on one and solve all your problems.

You therefore need not go to currency declaration, citizenship etc.”

“It is expected that when the applicant puts his country the system will automatically categorise him. If you put US passport, for example, you will automatically be categorised, this will make the process less clumsy,” she further said.

Another travel agent narrated his client’s experience, saying that the site usually locks up and alleged that the lock up is on purpose; to encourage physical interface with Immigration officials.

“The site locks up, making it inevitable to contact Immigration officials and when you do, you will be charged for ‘service’, which is not small money. Ordinarily the e-visa site is programmed in such a way that you can stay anywhere and open it and fill the applications

and finish your transactions without interacting with anyone. But what I have experienced so far is that when the site locks up, you will be forced to look for a helper in Immigration who will now bill you to make things work. To me, they are creating business. They put hiccups on the way in order to create physical interface,” he alleged.

However, this allegation was dismissed by the Spokesman of Nigeria Immigration Service, Akinsola Akinlabi, who told THISDAY that one of the key advantages of e-visa is that the processing time is fast, “decision/ response time is 48 hours or less.

Then applicant is able to track the progress of the application via the application portal.”

“In addition, applicants do not need to visit embassy/consulate to apply, as they can do this from the comfort of their homes/offices.

It is also secured with advanced

security features/protocols that guides against counterfeiting,” he explained.

To put an end to passport renewal delays, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), last year, introduced contactless renewal process.

During the inauguration, Minister of Interior, OlubunmiTunji-Ojo, explained that this was to put to an end the complaints of Nigerians abroad, who said that hitherto, the process was filled with bottlenecks, bureaucracy, unnecessary difficulties, long queues, long waiting time and corruption.

He said, “Sometimes, you have to travel for six hours by flight, you have to cancel a day’s job, and some students have to cancel school for a day just because you need a passport.

The story continues online on

www.thisdaylive.com

L-R: Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola; Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola; SecretaryGeneral of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), Mr. Arsenio Dominguez; Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Olufemi Oloruntola; Acting High Commissioner of Nigeria to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Mercy Haruna-Adeoye and the Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, during the launch of Nigeria’s campaign for election to Category C of the IMO Council for the 2026–2027 biennium, at the IMO Headquarters in London…recently

Dantsoho Applauds Federal Government for Ending Promotion Stagnation at NPA Eromosele Abiodun The Managing Director Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho has praised the Minister of Marine Blue Economy, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola for the role he played in resolving the long-standing challenges that have dogged the NPA for many years.

He stated this when he received commendation by the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) and the senior Staff Association of Statutory

Corporations and Government Owned companies (SSASGOC), for the promotion of over 1,500 staff of the authority.

While thanking Oyetola for clearing the age long problem of employee stagnation, Dantsoho said, “Talent development constitutes a critical success factor for the actualization of the big hairy audacious goals we have set for ourselves especially in the area of Port competitiveness. The only way we can meet and indeed exceed

Stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resources assets and boosting their morale.”

Dantsoho reiterated that human capital development constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch.

Speaking further Dantsoho commended Oyetola for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led Management team that solved the over a decade-long

President of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations & Government Owned Companies, Comrade Bodunde stated, “ In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, we also wish to express our appreciation for the increase in productivity bonuses, provision of end-of-year welfare packages for staff, and the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.”

Speaking on the development, NPA’s General Manager Corporate & Strategic Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara elucidated further that “Our Port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive will go hand in hand with continuous staff welfare improvement.”

He said the NPA boss is committed to his promise of port infrastructure development to enhance efficiency and ensure staff welfare.

M a r k e t d ata A s at T h u r s d ay, J u n e 1 9 , 2 0 2 5

BONDS

Description Price Yield Change Updated Time (%) ^16.2884 17June 95.89 19.11 -0.52 19, 2025 MAR-2027 June ^19.94 200.03 19, 101.08 19.11 2025 MAR-2027 ^13.98 23June 89.60 19.08 -0.33 FEB-2028 19, 2025 ^21.00 20June 103.86 19.08 0.22 MAR-2028 19, 2025 ^14.55 26June 88.04 19.04 -0.28 19, APR-2029 2025

problem of lack of promotion that had fuelled industrial disharmony.

Specifically, he said, “I must specially appreciate our amiable minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagem we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly.”

Speaking on behalf of the joint maritime labour unions, the

BILLS Maturity NTB 10-Jul25 NTB 7-Aug25 NTB 4-Sep25 NTB 9-Oct25 NTB 6-Nov25

Discount Yield

Change (%) Updated Time

Maturity

16.70

16.86

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18.24

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17.68

18.36

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18.40

19.50

June -0.01 19, 2025

19.87

June -0.01 19, 2025

MCIL CP II 16-JUL-25 JVIL CP XI 20-JUN-25 FAST CP VI 11-AUG-25 MTNN CP XII 30-JUL-25 SALC CP II 3-OCT-25

18.46

CLEARED NAIRA-SETTLED NDFS

CPs Discount Yield 20.62

20.94

24.23

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24.49

25.39

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June 0.00 19, 2025 June 0.01 19, 2025 June -0.01 19, 2025 June 0.00 19, 2025 June -0.01 19, 2025

Contract Current Tenor Contract Rate ($/₦) (Month) NGUS JUN 13M – 24 2026 NGUS JUL 14M – 29 2026 NGUS AUG 15M – 26 2026 NGUS SEP 16M – 30 2026 NGUS OCT 17M – 28 2026

Updated Time

June 19, 2025 June 19, 2025 June 19, 2025 June 19, 2025 June 19, 2025

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BUSINESSWORLD

Air watch

Nnaji: Aba Power is Leading Four Firms to Assemble Smart Meters A i r

Stories by Chinedu Eze

Aba Power, Nigeria’s newest electricity distribution company (DisCo), is leading four local and foreign firms to assemble smart electricity meters in Aba, the Abia State economic nerve centre, the Group Managing Director of the Geometric Power Group, the Aba Power parent company, Mrs. Agatha Nnaji, has said.

She made the disclosure when the Abia State House of Assembly on Power and Public Utilities visited the company’s headquarters in the Osisioma Industrial Layout.

“The four companies will produce the meters in our premises here”, Mrs. Nnaji told the lawyers led by the Hon Aaron Uzodike while making a 3D-model presentation.

By assembling them here, a lot of jobs will be created for our people, up to 35,000 by the latest estimate.

“Together with our partners, we help the country save scarce foreign reserves and help transfer technology

to the Nigerian people.”

The firms to assemble the meters include Kayz Consortium led by Prince Kalu and Eve Metering Company headed by Soji Olagunji, a Nigerian entrepreneur based in China. Others are; Chint Metering and DCESN Metering which are based in China.

“Our goal”, declared Alfred Atenega, Head of the Metering Team at Aba Power, ‘is to deliver 20,000 prepaid meters to our customers every month so that every customer will have a smart meter within 12 months”.

It is not clear whether the four meter companies will produce exclusively for Aba Power or also for other 11 DisCos in the country, but a source working for one of the firms who asked our correspondent not not to reveal his identity because he is not authorized to speak to the media on the matter, said that “we are likely to start providing only for Aba Power for now and later produce for the other electricity

companies in our nation because they all need quality smart meters.

“I don’t think Professor Bart Nnaji, the Geometric Power Chief Executive, and his team will object to making such meters made from their premises available to their peers”.

Expressing satisfaction with what he called Geometric Power’s innovative approach to the electricity business, the Abia State Assembly Power and Public Utilities Committee chair asked the utility to provide electricity to remote communities which have been cut off from supplies for several years.

Speaking, Aba Power Managing Director, Ugo Opiegbe disclosed that with the ongoing rehabilitation of a number of failed and vandalized facilities in the Aba Ring-fenced Area covering nine of the 17 local government areas in Abia State, “the neglected and underserved communities that were forgotten for several decades before we came to Aba will have a new lease of life.”

NCAA Embarks on Capacity Building Skills to Empower Youths The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has initiated empowerment programme aimed at inculcating young Nigerians with skills in different fields in the aviation industry to prepare them for jobs in the sector.

One of the challenges faced by Nigeria is how to create jobs for the teeming youths and there is paucity of skilled manpower in the aviation sector. To address the challenges, NCAA intends to use the programme to prepare young Nigerians by equipping them

with technical knowledge, which will prepare them to take up jobs available in the aviation sector.

To this end, the Regulatory Authority has kicked off the programme with the training of over 100 youths in the airport host communities in five zones of the country, which include Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, Abuja and Kaduna.

The first courses that the beneficiaries will be trained on are Passenger and Baggage Handling and Airport Protocol and Logistics.

The skills acquired will also

enable them to offer their services in aviation and related sectors of the economy.

Director General, NCAA, Captain Chris Najomo, made this known while addressing young graduates on the initiative, the Aviation Upskilling Development Programme (AUDP), in Port Harcourt on Monday.

He indicated that there are a lot of opportunities that exist in the aviation industry but the youths will have to position themselves well to benefit from them and that is through skills acquisition.

NDLEA Moves to Benin-City Airport to Tackle Drug Trafficking The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) will commence comprehensive anti-narcotic operations at the Benin-City Airport, a move aimed at fortifying the state’s defenses against drug trafficking.

The development follows a productive visit by the NDLEA Edo State Commander, Mitchell Ofoyeju, to the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) General Manager, Mr. Akinbinu Felix.

As contained in a statement, Ofoyeju re-emphasised the urgent need for heightened vigilance and a collaborative approach between the NDLEA and FAAN to combat the escalating trend of drug smuggling via air travel.

He stated that making Edo State “impregnable to drug cartels by air, water, and land” is a key component of the command’s overarching strategy to create a safer society

Group Business Editor Eromosele Abiodun Deputy Business Editor Chinedu Eze Comms/e-Business Editor Emma Okonji Asst. Editor, Energy Emmanuel Addeh Asst. Editor, Money Market Nume Ekeghe Correspondents KayodeTokede(CapitalMarkets) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Reporter Peter Uzoho (Energy)

and prevent the flow of illicit drugs.

The NDLEA commander stressed the severe consequences of drug trafficking, describing it as a deeply ingrained threat that jeopardizes public health and safety while simultaneously undermining the socio-economic framework of the state.

He explained that a dedicated NDLEA presence at the airport will implement robust screening processes and strategies to intercept illegal substances before they reach end-users.

FAAN’s General Manager, Benin Airport, Mr. Akinbinu, expressed his full support for the NDLEA’s initiatives, highlighting the critical

importance of collaborative efforts in enhancing airport security.

“The fight against drug trafficking requires a united front,” Felix assured, affirming FAAN’s commitment to ensuring the Benin City Airport remains free from drug-related activities.

He also recalled his previous cooperation with the anti-narcotic agency at Port Harcourt Airport and pledged substantial support for the NDLEA’s new endeavours.

In a gesture of appreciation for his commitment, Ofoyeju decorated Akinbinu as a War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) partner and presented him with an NDLEA souvenir.

Platform that Connects Digital Discovery to Real-world E ve n t s L a u n c h e d In a world where we’re increasingly beyond,” it said in a statement. connected to our screens but disconnected from each other, a new platform is changing how Africans discover, attend, and experience live events.

Funseekas.com, a ground breaking social events ecosystem, has been officially launched, transforming the traditional model into a community-driven platform that puts human connection at the center of entertainment.

“Unlike conventional platforms that end the relationship at checkout, Funseekas creates a continuous social experience that begins with discovery and extends well beyond the event itself. The platform addresses a growing need for authentic, inperson connections in Nigeria’s rapidly expanding entertainment scene, which has seen explosive growth with Afrobeats global success and the rise of creative hubs across Lagos, Abuja, and

“Find the Fun. Be the Fun.” — this isn’t just Funseekas’ tagline; it’s a philosophy that recognizes users aren’t just buyers, but active participants in Nigeria’s vibrant cultural ecosystem. “We’re not just trying to digitize events — we’re redefining what the entire event experience can be,” said Jide Ogunnoiki, CEO and Co-founder.

“From the moment you discover an event to weeks after it ends, Funseekas creates touchpoints that transform strangers into friends and individual experiences into shared memories. We’re building the infrastructure for serendipity.”

Chief Product Officer & Cofounder, Jide Pinheiro, emphasised the social element: “We live in an era where we can video call someone across the world but struggle to meet the person sitting next to us at a concert. Funseekas creates those intentional moments for genuine human connection.”

Watch Ambitious Leap of United Nigeria Airlines

Chinedu Eze One major challenge faced by Nigerian carriers is capacity, which has to do with how to build up fleet, and increase the number of seats to meet the demand of air travellers at fair price.

This became a protracted challenge since 2015 and was continuously exacerbated by high exchange rate, stringent insurance conditions on aircraft acquisition and leasing, and global paucity of aircraft due to COVID-19 interregnum that led to suspension of production and the challenge of maintaining aircraft kept in storage afterwards.

COVID-19, according to satair.com, aviation monitoring site, led to big drop in airline spending.

At resumption of activities, maintenance organisations faced difficulty in bringing back aircraft put on storage during COVID-19 and led to drawback in manufacturing next generation aircraft and had potentially long-lasting effects on aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MROs).

Suspension of production for almost one year in most countries affected the availability of aircraft spares, as manufacturing chains moved into production of medical equipment at the detriment of others considered not too essential then. Experts believe it would take time for the world to bounce back in all ramifications in the aviation industry.

But despite these challenges, United Nigeria Airways (UNA) has taken bold steps to move up to new trajectory. Last week it announced planned acquisition of new fleet, expansion of routes and culminated it with the signing of agreements between it and Sabre Corporation on Global Distribution System (GDS).

Unveiling this milestone recently, UNA Chairman, Professor Obiora Okonkwo, disclosed that the airline will by the end of November 2025, acquire four wide-bodied aircraft and by February 2026, double its current fleet with six Boeing B737-800 to increase capacity for global sales.

“You may be aware that with this having been achieved, United Nigeria has become now the third Nigerian airline that is on GDS. This is in keeping with our promise to go global as quickly as we can.

These are things that were lined up as part of our set-out objectives that have been a little bit delayed by the turbulence we have seen in the country and especially in the aviation sector in the last two, three years.

“But we can be delayed, but definitely not be stopped. We understand the challenges this is coming with. What it means now is that with over 50,000 agents in 200 countries with the capacity to buy our ticket, that means we need a lot more seats to sell,” Okonkwo said.

Speaking on fleet acquisition, UNA Chairman said from October to November, 2025, the airline would bring in four wide body aircraft and by early next it would bring in additional aircraft, Boeing B737-800 aircraft, “and with the new fleet it would begin to expand its routes, from additional destinations in the domestic market to regional destinations, starting with Accra, Ghana and then to other countries.

After consolidating on regional routes, it would go international.”

He stated that the federal government gave approval to United Nigeria Airlines to operate to certain continental and international destinations.

“From February to April next year, we are having six 737-800NG (new generation) in our fleet. With this, we will not only be strengthening the local operations in Nigeria, but would have been properly positioned for both our regional, continental, and intercontinental flights. As you may be aware, we have destinations to a whole lot of countries in West Africa, and also globally, including America and the

UK. And we had, in response to this, fixed 25th of August to make our first regional flight to Accra, Ghana. We know it has been challenging, but we are not determined for less.

“We are not giving up. We are still determined to give the best of travel experience to Nigerians and all those who want to experience Nigerian aviation.

We are very happy that this has come to pass,” Okonkwo further said.

Throwing light on the United Nigeria Airlines and Saber Global Distribution System (GDS) deal, the Vice President, Sales and Strategy, Sabre Corporation, Olayiwola Dare, said with the over 200 countries and 50,000 travel agencies connected to Saber system, the company would give UNA a wider reach.

“In Sabre, we are very much committed to ensure that our technical capability is well-implemented with United Nigeria as we do for other airlines globally. Also, we have a very big market place with over 200 countries currently and over 50,000 travel agencies globally working on our platform and this will put United Nigeria in that platform and accessible to all travel agencies globally and all those travel management companies like Shell, Chevron, Total and other big firms, irrespective of your location throughout the world. United Nigeria is going to be accessible,” he said.

With the Saber agreement, travel agents worldwide can now shop and book United Nigeria Airlines product via Sabre.

The agreement, according to the two companies, marks the airline’s first collaboration with a global distribution technology partner, enabling it to distribute its product via Sabre’s expansive global marketplace.

Through the agreement, Sabre-connected travel agents worldwide will gain access to the Nigeriabased carrier’s fares and inventory, supporting United Nigeria Airlines’ ambitions for growth across Nigeria and West Africa.

With this agreement, the airline strengthens its sales strategy, improves visibility, and enters a new phase of commercial capability.

Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer, United Nigeria Airlines, Chief Osita Okonkwo, said: “Choosing Sabre marks a significant milestone in United Nigeria Airlines’ journey. For the first time, we are making our product available through a global travel marketplace, giving us the opportunity to broaden our reach and connect with travellers around the world.”

According to him, “This agreement supports our growth strategy, enhances our visibility, and enables travel agents globally to seamlessly shop and book our fares. We look forward to welcoming more travellers through this new partnership.”

Also speaking, Vice President, Airline Distribution, EMEA, Sabre, Alessandro Ciancimino, said: “At Sabre, we’re committed to helping carriers of all sizes scale efficiently and better serve the needs of today’s travellers. So, we’re proud to support United Nigeria Airlines as they take this important step to expand their reach. By joining the Sabre travel marketplace, the airline is increasing access to content for travel agents worldwide and unlocking new. opportunities for revenue and growth.”

The distribution agreement will provide United Nigeria Airlines with new tools to help maximize reach and revenue potential while empowering travel sellers to build more tailored itineraries for their clients.

President of Sabre Central and West Africa, Mr. Joshua Olowo, said: “We are excited to welcome United Nigeria Airlines to the Sabre marketplace as our newest airline partner. This partnership aligns with our goal to help local carriers reach broader markets, increase revenue opportunities, and serve travellers better through Sabre’s world-class technology.”

27

T H I S D AY • FRIday, June 20, 2025

BUSINESSWORLD

news

L-R: Head, Risk Management, Signature Bank, Babajide Olawoyin; Head, Corporate Planning & Process Management, Godwin Nosike; President and Chairman of the Governing Council, The Chartered Institute of Directors, Nigeria, Tijjani Borodo; Acting Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Signature Bank, Dr. Chidiebere Nwokeocha and Head, Legal and Company Secretariat, Iwueze Ebere at the Chartered Institute of Directors 2025 Biennial Lecture held in Lagos…recently

Sterling Financial Holdings Grows Profit by 102.4% to N43.68bn Kayode Tokede Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc, yesterday declared N43.68 billion profit after tax in the 2024 audited financial year ended December 31, 2024, about 102.4 per cent growth from N21.58billion profit after tax reported in the full year ended December 31, 2023.

The lender on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) announced N45.86billion profit before tax in 2024FY, about 102.1 per cent growth from N22.69billion in 2023FY. On impressive profit, the management of Sterling Financial Holdings Company is rewarding shareholders with a final Dividend

of 18 kobo per ordinary share of 50 kobo each. From the profit & loss figures, the bank posted N337.2 billion gross earnings in 2024, up by 52 per cent from N221.77billion reported in 2023FY. The Group closed 2024 with a total assets of N3.5 trillion, representing an increase of nearly 40 per cent from N2.53 trillion

declared in 2023FY. The growth in total assets was driven by N2.52 trillion customers deposits from customers in 2024, a growth oof 37 per cent from N1.84 trillion in 2023, while loans from customers increased to N1.1 trillion in 2024, about 23 per cent growth from N895.8 billion reported in 2023.

The Bank in a statement

Digital Transformation Takes Centre Stage as FG Commences Civil Service Week Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation has announced the commencement of activities to mark the 2025 Civil Service Week, scheduled to take place from June 20- 28, 2025, with

the theme: “Leveraging Technology for a Smart and Agile Public Service.”

A statement yesterday by the Director, Information and Public Relations Office of the HCSF, Eno Olotu, said the week not only recognizes the essential role of public servants but also underscores the government’s strategic focus on

building a smart and agile public service through digital innovation.

It added that the annual celebration would also honour the dedication and contributions of civil servants to national development as well as serve as a platform to explore innovative strategies for enhancing public service delivery.

She said the 2025 theme

reflects the Federal Government’s unwavering commitment to digital transformation, operational efficiency, and adaptability within the public sector. Activities for the week will begin on Friday 20 June, with the commissioning of the Remodelled Foyer OHCSF and Reception with Exhibition Gallery.

Anniversary: Under 40 CEOs Launches How We Made It inAfrica Under 40 CEOs, Africa’s foremost platform for spotlighting and supporting emerging business leaders, kicked off its 10th anniversary celebrations with the launch of Volume 2 of its iconic book series, How We Made It in Africa.

Held in Lagos, the book launch event was attended by trailblasing entrepreneurs, business leaders, and members of the Under 40 CEOs community who have been impacted by the platform’s decade-long mission to empower Africa’s next generation of leaders.

First launched in 2015 as a television series, Under 40 CEOs has grown into a dynamic ecosystem of mentorship, funding, learning,

and community—spanning four countries and impacting over 1,000 young African business executives.

This latest publication captures the journeys of 52 remarkable CEOs across diverse industries, offering lessons on vision,resilience, and innovation.

“We’ve spent the last ten years building something that matters—not just to the people featured in our stories, but to the continent as a whole,” said Familusi Akin Babajide (FAB), Executive Director of Under 40 CEOs. “This book is a symbol of our journey so far—and a reminder that we are just getting started.

One of the most talked-about chapters features Banky Wellington, whose story reflects a powerful

balance between passion and strategic planning. “When you’re passionate about something, you will find a way,” he shares in the book, describing the early days of co- founding Empire Mates Entertainment from his university dorm room.

The event also featured the premiere of the Under 40 CEOs Legacy Video, which documented the platform’s evolution—from its TV roots to landmark partnerships like Drive Your Ambition with Mitsubishi Motors and They Said I Couldn’t with Sunlight Nigeria.

Initiatives like the Jumpstart Fund, Learning Hub, and the Under 40 CEOs Junior Club were

highlighted as core pillars of the brand’s long-term impact.

Guests at the launch described the event as “visionary,” “impactful,” and “a timely tribute to African excellence.”

One of the featured CEOs, Temitope Runsewe,CEO of Dutum Construction—who was also present at the launch— emphasized the power of purpose-driven entrepreneurship, noting that “Africa is not just a place to build businesses—it’s a place to build legacies. The opportunities here are endless, and the impact you can make goes far beyond money. Platforms like Under 40 CEOs remind us that choosing to build here is choosing to shape the future.”

CIoD Nigeria Has Sole License to Produce Chartered Directors Dike Onwuamaeze The President of the Chartered Institute of Directors of Nigeria (CIoD), Mr. Tijjani Borodo, has declared that the institute is the only body that is licensed to produce chartered directors in Nigeria.

Borodo made this declaration at the recent 2025 Biennial Lecture of the institute, which is a valedictory event marking the twilight of his two-year tenure as president and chairman of the governing council of the CIoD Nigeria.

He said, “We have embarked on an elaborate and careful journey,

through our Director Development and Certification Committee to develop the Chartered Director Certification Programme, a flagship initiative aligned with our new mandate. The curriculum, which was validated through a Skills and Competency Gap Study conducted by KPMG between April and May 2025, is now ready for implementation. I look forward to seeing our first set of charter directors in the next few months.”

He also said that as part of the transition to a chartered institute, the governing council of the CIoD Nigeria approved the constitution

of the rebranding committee in 2024 with the critical mandate of redefining the institute’s brand.

“I am happy to note that today, we reach a crescendo of the rebranding efforts as we proudly unveiled the new logo of the CIoD Nigeria. This unveiling marked the beginning of a bold new era for CIoD Nigeria. Today, CIoD Nigeria stands redefined and reinvigorated, equipped to chart the future of professional directorship in Nigeria and beyond,” Borodo said.

He said that as he prepares to hand over the mantle of leadership of the institute in

few days, he would be doing so with immense confidence in the future of the institute.

He added, “We are renewed, redefined, and indeed, ready for the future. I thank you for your attention, your support, and your unwavering belief in the mission of the CIoD Nigeria. It has been an immense privilege to serve as the president and chairman of governing council of this great institute. Two years ago, I embarked on this journey as the President of the institute, filled with a sense of responsibility and an unshakeable belief in the transformative power of good corporate governance.”

signed by its company secretary, Adeyoola Temple said it would seek shareholders approval to raise up to $400 million or its equivalent in Naira or other currencies through the establishment of a Shelf Programme.

The shareholders expected to grant approval at the bank’s 2nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Friday, 11th July 2025.

The statement stated further that, “The capital may be raised in tranches or otherwise over a specified period through the issuance of debt instruments

(including, but not limited, bonds that may be convertible or non-convertible, commercial papers, Sukuks, medium or short term notes, and debentures), preference shares, ordinary shares, global depositary receipts, or a combination thereof, in the Nigerian and/or international capital markets, whether by way of public offer, private placement, rights issue, or any other method, at prices, coupons or interest rates determined through book building or any other acceptable valuation method.”

International Breweries Marks World Environment Day with Plastic Cleanup Kayode Tokede In commemoration of the 2025 World Environment Day, International Breweries Plc (IBPLC), said it has carried out a series of environmental activities across its operational sites in Nigeria.

The activities were conducted under the framework of Africa Sustainability Week, an AB InBev regional initiative designed to drive awareness and coordinated sustainability efforts across the company’s key markets in the continent.

The company said the efforts were aimed at reducing plastic pollution in urban and semi-urban environments, while also fostering environmental responsibility among residents.

“Sustainability is not just a corporate goal, it is a way of life for us at International Breweries,” said Carlos Coutino, Managing Director of International Breweries.

We are proud to join the world in celebrating this important day by taking real action from restoring land and cleaning our rivers to promoting circularity in packaging. We believe in leaving the environment better than we met it, and that requires commitment, collaboration, and consistency.”

Continuing, Coutino said: “We had made circular packaging a key focus of our sustainability strategy.

Over 95 per cent of our product portfolio is packaged in returnable glass bottles, a measure aimed at reducing waste and supporting reuse models in line with our circular economy sustainability pillar” In addition, International Breweries recovered over 200,000 kilograms of post- consumer PET

and flexible plastic from the environment in 2024 through its partnership with the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA). The effort is part of its compliance with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations and broader environmental stewardship goals.

“We recognise that our responsibility to the environment extends beyond compliance, it’s about leadership and long-term impact,” said Temitope Oguntokun, Corporate Affairs & Regulatory Director at International Breweries.

“That’s why we’ve set bold 2025 goals to ensure 100 per cent of our product packaging is either returnable or made from predominantly recycled materials.

These aren’t just targets they’re part of our core purpose to create a future with more cheers, for people and the planet.”

At each brewery location, the company also engaged with residents and local authorities through sensitisation campaigns. In Lagos, waste sorting demonstrations and plastic recycling talks were held to improve public awareness on how individual behaviours impact the environment.

“Our collaboration with manufacturers like International Breweries is a demonstration of our collective commitment to beat plastic pollution,” said Agharese Onaghise, Executive Director of the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance. “By supporting community-based recovery and launching collection hubs in places like Osogbo, Mararaba and Nasarawa, we are helping ensure post-consumer packaging is diverted from waterways and landfills into recycling value chains.”

28

T H I S D AY • FRIDay, June 20, 2025

business/MOnEYGUIDE

Oye Exits NACCIMA, OPSN, Bequeaths Balanced Budget, Substantial Bank Balance Oluchi Chibuzor After two impactful years at the helm of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA) and six months leading the Organised Private Sector of Nigeria (OPSN), Dele Kelvin Oye has taken a bow, leaving behind a bold and indelible legacy of unprecedented growth and visionary leadership that have reshaped the private sector and set it on the path of sustainable development and global competitiveness.

Since assuming office in June 2023, Oye has been at the forefront of championing private sector growth and reform in Nigeria, leveraging his vast experience, networks and expertise to drive meaningful dialogue, unlock investment opportunities, and reposition NACCIMA as a key player in

economic policy formulation and national development.

In his long list of achievements are the unification of private sector voices under a cohesive advocacy platform, the expansion of NACCIMA’s membership base, the promotion of trade facilitation policies such as the Single Trade Window, and successful international business missions that attracted significant investment interest in Nigeria.

In a valedictory note highlighting his achievements, challenges, and strategies for navigating the dynamic landscape of Nigeria’s business environment, Oye commended the Federal Government, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, leaders and members of NACCIMA, the media and all other stakeholders for their support throughout his two-year reign.

Giving an overview of his tenure, Oye said, “Taking on the role of NACCIMA President on June 8, 2023, I encountered a myriad of challenges, internally and externally. At the internal level, there was unusual unhealthy competition amongst Chambers, such as economic fluctuations, regulatory hurdles, and a fragmented private sector landscape. While daunting, these challenges spurred the radical changes that our Association and its members urgently required.”

Oye identified challenges faced to include, “Confronting Nigeria’s economic instability, characterized by high inflation and diminished industrial capacity. I sought to transform these challenges into opportunities.

Through constructive engagement with government entities, we facilitated the establishment of frameworks prioritizing cooperation over conflict.”

First LNG-Powered Containership Berths at APM Terminals Apapa APM Terminals Apapa, marked a significant milestone on Tuesday with the arrival of “Kota Oasis,” the first liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered containership to visit West Africa.

The vessel, measuring 260 meters in length and 46 meters in width with a gross tonnage of 77,850, sails under the Singaporean flag and is owned by Pacific International Lines (PIL). It is the fifth LNG-powered ship in PIL’s fleet and the first of its new “O” class — a series of 8,200 TEU dual-fuel container vessels that can run on both LNG and, in the future, bio-methane to further cut carbon emissions. “Kota Oasis” is equipped with Win-GD’s advanced X-DF engines featuring Intelligent Control by Exhaust Recycling (iCER), a system that reduces methane slip and helps lower the vessel’s environmental

impact.

Speaking at the berthing ceremony, Terminal Manager atAPM Terminals Apapa, Steen Knudsen, expressed his appreciation for PIL’s decision to dock the LNG-powered vessel at the terminal. He emphasised that the move aligns with APM Terminals’ mission to reduce carbon emissions within the port and its surrounding communities.

Knudsen noted that efficient port operations contribute to faster vessel turnaround times, which allow ships to travel at slower speeds to their next destinations, thereby conserving fuel and reducing overall emissions. He reaffirmed APM Terminals’ commitment to the Nigerian market, stating that the company will continue to invest in infrastructure upgrades to improve operational efficiency,

accommodate larger vessels, and support trade growth.

Head of Operations for PIL Nigeria, Olawunmi Akinyemi, described the arrival of “Kota Oasis” as a major achievement that reinforces the company’s dedication to the Nigerian and West African markets. He stated that Nigeria remains a core focus for PIL and that the introduction of the LNG-powered vessel reflects the company’s broader strategy to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. He also mentioned ongoing efforts to enhance cost efficiency and environmental sustainability.

Operations Lead for PIL West Africa, Dhruv Kohli, added that the vessel’s arrival in Apapa demonstrates PIL’s commitment to deploying the latest and most advanced shipping technologies in the region.

iCentra CEO Champions Excellence at LASU, Launches Endowment Fund In a deeply inspiring session that marked a symbolic homecoming, Mr. Taopheek Babayeju, Chief Executive Officer of iCentra and recipient of the prestigious PMI Eric Jenett Person of the Year Award, delivered a powerful keynote address at the Lagos State University (LASU), encouraging students to pursue purpose, passion, and excellence in their academic and professional journeys.

The event, held at the Aderemi Makanjuola Lecture Theatre, was part of the Inspiring Excellence Tour Lagos organized under the TAB Development Initiatives.

Themed “Inspiring Excellence, Empowering the Next Generation,” the tour aimed to ignite a culture of value-driven leadership and impactful service among LASU students.

Speaking to a packed audience of students, faculty members, and guests from the Departments of Physics and Project Management, Mr. Babayeju urged the students to unlock their full potential and leave a lasting impact on their generation.

“Life is a project, and you must chart your course with intention. Success isn’t handed out — it’s earned through vi-

sion, strategy, and execution,” he said. He emphasized that excellence and value creation, not mere credentials, define true leadership and success. “Those who create value don’t chase money — money finds them.”

Babayeju, a proud LASU alumnus, announced a N5 million endowment fund for the best final-year project in the Department of Physics — N500,000 to be awarded annually over ten years. The gesture was received with applause and admiration, highlighting his unwavering commitment to academic development and innovation.

PAL Pensions Celebrates 20Years with Over N1trn AUM

PAL Pensions has reached a significant milestone with N1 Trillion in Assets Under Management (AUM), marking two decades of consistent growth in Nigeria’s pension industry.

Since its inception, PAL Pensions has played a key role in helping Nigerians across various sectors plan for retirement, managing pension contributions and investments with a long-term outlook. The company’s achievement of N1 Trillion in AUM reflects not only the steady inflow

of contributions but also effective investment strategies that have generated value for its clients over the years.

The milestone is a strong indicator of trust and performance. With AUM representing the combined market value of all pension funds under management, surpassing the N1 Trillion mark demonstrates PAL Pensions’ sustained ability to grow and protect the assets of its contributors.

As the company celebrates its 20th anniversary, there

is a renewed commitment to driving financial literacy and encouraging Nigerians to actively participate in planning for their future. The pension firm’s performance over the years has positioned it as a reliable player in the pension industry, with an eye on maintaining and exceeding current standards.

With two decades of service a n d N 1 Tr i l l i o n in AUM, PAL Pensions stands ready to support even more Nigerians secure their financial futures in the years to c o m e .

L- R: Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Gbenga Adeniyi; Port Manager, Lagos Port Complex, Adebowale Lawal Ibrahim; General Manager, Health, Safety, and Environment, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Abdul Ibrahim Sani; Master of the MV Kota Oasis, Captain Zhang Shengma; Operations Lead, Pacific International Lines (PIL), West African Region, Dhruv Kohli and Nigerian Immigration Service officer in charge of surveillance at the Lagos Port Complex Apapa, Adewunmi Samuel, when the MV Kota Oasis made its maiden call to APM Terminals, Apapa Lagos…recently

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS (MILLION NAIRA) Month

NOVEMBER

Money Supply (M3)

108,966,480.44

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

19,796.18

Money Supply (M2)

108,946,684.26 72,672,756.90

-- Narrow Money (M1)

36,273,927.36

---- Currency Outside Banks

4,652,527.74

---- Demand Deposits

31,621,399.62

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

17,347,112.78

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

91,619,367.66

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

115,576,757.67

---- Credit to Government (Net)

39,616,629.91

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

0.00

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

75,960,127.77

--Other Assets Net

12,147,461.96

Reserve Money (Base Money)

30,871,571.25

--Currency in Circulation

4,878,125.22

--Banks Reserves

25,993,446.02

--Special Intervention Reserves

278,860.37 • Source - CBN

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

November

Inter-Bank Call Rate

28.88

Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR)

27.50

Treasury Bill Rate

18.00

Savings Deposit Rate

6.56

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.48

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.53

6 Months Deposit Rate

12.13

12 Months Deposit Rate

14.22

Prime Lending rate

18.39

Maximum Lending Rate

31.06

NSE

NSE MARKET INDEX % Change

CAP

0.75%(52%YoY)

Index

0.9% (29%Y/D) • Monetary Policy Rate - 27.50%

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE As At 6TH JANUARY , 2025

The price of OPEC basket of twelve crudes stood at $76.18 a barrel on Monday, compared with $75.89 the previous Friday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Djeno (Congo), Zafiro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basrah Medium (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

29

T H I S D AY • FRIDay, June 20, 2025

mARKET NEWS

Market Cap Crosses N74trn Mark on Demand for MTN, 42 Others Kayode Tokede

The market capitalisation of the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) crossed the N74 trillion market capitalisation, yesterday on investors’ demand for MTN Nigeria Communication Plc and 42 others.

As MTN Nigeria Communication advanced by 1.69 per cent to close at N355.90 per share, the market capitalisation closed trading at N74.259 trillion, up

by N677.7 billion from N73.681 trillion it opened for trading.

The NGX All-Share Index (ASI) gained 1,074.26 basis points or 0.92 per cent to close at 117,861.13 basis points, to bring its Month-to-Date and Year-toDate returns settled higher at +5.5per cent and +14.5per cent, respectively.

Sectoral performance was positive as the NGX Banking appreciated by 2.9 per cent, NGX Insurance index rose

P R I C E S MaiN Board

F O R

DEALS

by 1.5per cent, NGX Consumer Goods Index grew by one per cent, NGX Oil & Gas index increased by 0.2per cent and NGX Industrial Goods index gained 0.2per cent.

However, market breadth was strong, with 43 gainers as against 20 losers. Ikeja Hotel emerged the highest price gainer of 10 per cent to close at N15.40, per share.

Beta Glass followed with a gain of 9.98 per cent to close at

S E C U R I T I E S

Market Price

quantity traded

value traded ( N )

N276.00, while Legend Internet up by 9.92 per cent to close at N7.20, per share.

University Press rose by 9.85 per cent to close at N6.02, while Eterna appreciated by 9.82 per cent to close at N42.50, per share. On the other side, Guinea Insurance led others on the losers’ chart with 9.21 per cent to close at 69 kobo, per share.

Haldane McCall followed with a decline of 5.88 per

T R A D E D MaiN Board

cent to close at N4.00, while C& I Leasing lost by 5.84 per cent to close at N4.35, per share McNichols shed 5.58 per cent to close at N2.20, while Fidson Healthcare depreciated by 4.65 per cent to close at N41.00, per share.

Also, the total volume traded rose by 39.66 per cent to 893.965 million units, valued at N22.029 billion, and exchanged in 17,257 deals. Transactions in the shares of Champion Breweries led the

A S O F

activity with 332.299 million shares worth N2.269 billion.

Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) followed with account of 62.661 million shares valued at N5.003 billion, while PZ Cussons Nigeria traded 46.585 million shares valued at N1.477 billion.

Zenith Bank traded 37.553 million shares worth N1.886 billion, while Access Holdings traded 35.985 million shares worth N787.108 million.

J U N E / 1 9 / 2 5 DEALS

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30

FRIday, June 20, 2025 • T H I S D AY

Interview

Gautier Mignot: In the Ongoing War Between Russia and Ukraine, Russia is the Aggressor The recent 2025 European Day celebration did not come and go without leaving on its trails some notes for file. But to cap this and give it meaning was the European Union (EU) Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, who spoke to Michael Olugbode on many issues, including the importance of Nigeria to Europe, the drive to have more skilled Nigerians going to work in Europe and developing the human capital of Africa’s most populous nation, among others. Excerpts: What’s the essence of the European Day being celebrated in May? very year, we celebrate Europe Day on the 9th of May because we commemorate what was the starting point of the European integration process that led to the European Union as it is today. It was on the 9th of May 1950 that the so-called Schuman Declaration was proclaimed, which was the first offer by the then French foreign minister to other countries in Europe to launch into this integration process.

It was accepted at the time by five other countries and there were six founding member states. So, this year we are celebrating 75 years of the Schuman Declaration. We decided to do a whole Europe month with different activities, in particular with media engagements, but also with universities. We were in Sokoto also these last few days with nine member states ambassadors.

We have joint activities with our member states, and also because in the current geopolitical context, we think it’s very important to reaffirm what we stand for in Europe and remind our citizens and the world what is the significant of the European integration. Also, we want to engage more with Nigeria and to explain to Nigerian people who we are and what is the purpose of the stronger partnership we want to build.

E

What are the reasons for the celebration, especially in terms of achievements?

Well, if you look back to 75 years ago, Europe was still very much in ruins after World War II. We thought we were on the verge of a third world war. We just didn’t know what to do with Germany, which had been defeated and divided.

And this Schumer Declaration and this European integration process were really a turning point where we launched into a completely new kind of relationship in Europe, breaking with the former century of relations based on domination, rivalry, power politics, to go into a relationship of cooperation, of equal partnership, of shared sovereignty. The result is tremendous.

Today, a war between our member states is just unthinkable. We went from six founding member states to 27 today. We have 450 million inhabitants, a GDP comparable to the US or China. We are leading in trade of goods and services. We have a society based on free economy and market economy, but also on civil liberties and on social inclusion, which is very attractive.

We have a region attracting more tourists, students, migrants. And we have eight member states, eight candidate members, candidate countries, which want to become members of the European Union.

Our model is attractive. It’s a success. Of course, it has also its shortcomings and weaknesses and challenges that we want to address. But I think we can be proud of what we’ve achieved over these 75 years. And we want also to offer, to propose to the rest of the world, to follow a little bit the same recipe that has made this success for us, based on cooperation.

Talking about war in Europe. There’s an ongoing one between Ukraine and Russia. Where has this left the EU? Of course, it’s a war, which actually is rather an aggression by Russia against Ukraine. None of them are members of the European Union. Ukraine is a candidate country now. And with Russia, we have tried during decades to engage in the same kind of relationship of shared prosperity, of cooperation.

But the Russians have always rejected this approach.

They have always insisted on power politics, and trying to dominate, undermine, occupy the neighbours, until this full-scale invasion of Ukraine. So it’s not only disrupting European security, and with Russia trampling all the treaties it had signed, to solemnly promise to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In 1991, when the USSR broke down, and Ukraine became an independent country, with Russia on its side. But it also disrupts the world order and the world supply chains, especially in food, fertilizers, etc. So it has very serious consequences, and this is why we are unwavering in our support to Ukraine, to resist this invasion, and to uphold the principles of the UN Charter, of international law.

And we think that it’s only on this basis that a just and lasting peace can be found. So, there are efforts to engage in serious negotiations. Unfortunately, Russia hasn’t shown any sign of willingness to engage seriously in peace negotiations.

Gautier Do you see an end to this war?

All wars end one day or the other. And the question is, on which basis, and if it’s a lasting peace or not. We knew this very well in Europe.

We had the First World War, and we only had 20 years of peace, until another, even more brutal World War came. So you have to build solid pieces, a solid foundation for that.

So, yes, the question is, when will Russia realise, and probably under the pressure of others, that’s why the pressure by all the international community is so important; that they have to resist, they have to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

At the end of the day, any settlement must be freely negotiated by Ukraine itself. That’s the concept of sovereignty.

Is there a time the EU will feel that this war is a success?

I mean, this war will never be a success. This war is a terrible thing happening to Ukraine first and to the world. So it’s a crime against the planet, because it’s wasting dozens and dozens of billions of dollars. Without speaking of human lives, of course, which are the most important, but it’s also wasting so much money that could be used for better causes– for fighting poverty, for sustainable development, climate change, adaptation, mitigation, etc.

However, this war will be a success if the principles of the UN Charter are upheld. Sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the prohibition of use of force against your neighbours. I think Ukraine has already successfully resisted.

Remember that Putin thought that in three days he would conquer Ukraine. It’s been three years now, and he has already advanced. So, from a military point of view, the Ukrainians can say that

they have contained this invasion to some part, but still more or less one-fifth of the territory is occupied by Russia illegally. So, we have to uphold international law. That is very important.

Expectedly, the US President has stepped in with some proposals. What is the EU saying concerning these proposals by President Trump?

We think that any goodwill effort towards peace is welcome. But again, we shouldn’t be ingenious.

To negotiate peace, you must have willingness on both sides. There is a willingness, clear willingness on the Ukrainian side. Not at any cost, of course, but there is a willingness. And there is no such willingness on the Russian side.

So you have to force Putin to negotiate, and for this, we need pressure by all sides. The US, China, India, in particular all the democratic countries in the world. And we are very glad to see that Nigeria has been very consistent in condemning the Russian invasion to Ukraine at the United Nations General Assembly. That’s very important, and that’s very commendable on the part of the Nigerian diplomacy.

But why is it taking long to bring Ukraine into the EU fold?

Ukraine is a very new candidate country. Its candidacy negotiations were already open, which was really very quick. But the accession process always takes many years. It takes, in most cases, at least 10 years or so. So Ukraine has been advancing already very fast in this process.

It will take more years even if the war stops, until Ukraine becomes a member state of the European Union. There are other member states, other candidate countries, which are negotiating their accession for years and years, for 15 years or more. So, Ukraine has not been going slowly in this process.

Of course, it’s a war, which actually is rather an aggression

by Russia against Ukraine. None of them are members of the European Union. Ukraine is a candidate country now. And with Russia, we have tried during decades to engage in the same kind of relationship of shared prosperity, of cooperation.

Why such a long time to process accession?

Acceding to the European Union is very demanding.

You have to meet very demanding criteria. Criteria in terms of rule of law, respect for democracy and human rights first. And enduring in time, of course. But also criteria in terms of economic policies, of integrating all the EU legislation into EU national law. Having the administrative capacities to do so, to implement this legislation. And also having the economic capacity to enter into the European single market. It requires a lot of efforts by a candidate country.

What are the ideals of the EU? We stand for a world, a multipolar world where you shouldn’t have the law of the strongest. But a multipolar world based on rules, based on the principles of the UN Charters, a world where all nations’ interests and sovereignty are respected and taken into account.

A more prosperous and sustainable world with free trade; a fairer world also with a better repartition of power and of economic opportunities. And we are promoting also a model of society based on this combination of civil liberties, economic efficiency and social inclusion, which is our DNA in Europe, the basis of our success.

We think that we encourage others to follow this path and also follow the path of regional integration. This is what we stand for, and this is a powerful model. This is why others are trying also to undermine our offer and spread disinformation, especially in Africa on what the EU is trying to do, saying that we are here to exploit the African people and exploit raw materials. And that we just want to keep Africans in poverty, which is exactly the contrary to what we are trying to do.

What does Nigeria represent for the EU? Well, for us, Nigeria is a major player. Not only for the future, but also for the present. A few days ago, I paid a very interesting courtesy call to His Excellency, the Vice-President, Kashim Shettima, and he reminded us that already 25% of Africans are Nigerians, and in 2050, it will be one third. So Nigeria is a giant. It’s a giant in Africa, it’s a giant in the world.

West Africa as a whole is a neighbouring region for us.

We have many links – human, cultural, economic – that we’ve had for a very long time. So, our destinies are intertwined –are very much linked. The EU cannot go well if things go wrong in West Africa, and vice versa.

See full interview online

This

Weekend

T H I S D AY •FRIDay, june 20 2025

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

07010510430

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Weekly Magazine UTH

& R E ASO

Dr. Victoria Ekhomu: Pioneering Security Solutions for a Safer Nigeria

T H I S D AY •FRIDay, june 20 2025

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Cover

Dr.Victoria Ekhomu: Pioneering Security Solutions for a Safer Nigeria

In the heart of Nigeria, where insecurity has become a persistent threat, the need for effective security solutions has never been more pressing.TherecentkillingsinBenueState,likemanyotherpartsofthecountry,highlighttheurgentneedforcollectiveactiontoaddress the root causes of violence and ensure the safety of citizens. Against this backdrop, the story of Dr. Victoria Ekhomu, a trailblazing security expert, offers a shining example. As the Group Managing Director/CEO ofTransworld Security, Dr. Ekhomu has dedicated her careertoprofessionalisingthesecuritysectorandempoweringwomentotakeonleadershiproles.Herremarkablejourney,markedby resilience and determination, serves as a powerful illustration of the impact one person can have in shaping a safer future. She shared herinsightsinthisinterview withMARY NNAH You have been actively involved with ASIS International, a prominent global security organisation, serving in various roles. What has been your experience like? y journey with ASIS International, the world’s largest professional security organisation, has been nothing short of transformative both personally and professionally.

Serving in various leadership roles, including Chairman of the African Advisory Council, Senior Regional Vice President, and Trustee of the ASIS Foundation Board, has offered me a unique platform to contribute meaningfully to global security standards while also showcasing African excellence on the world stage. ASIS gave me a global voice, an opportunity to represent Africa in international conversations about security strategy, professional certification, and industry best practices. It challenged me to raise the bar not only for myself but for the next generation of African security professionals. As a woman in this male-dominated field, every role I assumed was not just a position—it was a statement. A statement that competence has no gender and that excellence commands respect.

The networking opportunities, leadership training, and global exposure I gained from ASIS enriched my business, Trans-World Security Systems Ltd., and our academic arm, the School of Management & Security. They helped us align with international standards, attract global partners, and influence policy discussions in Nigeria. Through ASIS, I’ve mentored many, advocated for greater inclusion of women, and emphasized the importance of certification like the CPP, which I proudly earned in 2005. Today, I’m honoured not only by the accolades received from Nigeria, the U.S., and international bodies, but by the impact and legacy these roles have allowed me to build. To my fellow security professionals and entrepreneurs, I always say: Engage globally, act locally, and lead with integrity. The world is watching and waiting for what you will bring to the table.

trajectory and interviews. Being a woman in security—a field perceived as masculine—meant constantly having to prove my competence. I once remarked that women in security have to “work twice as hard to be seen as half as good,” reflecting the skepticism many female professionals face. At the time I entered the industry, very few women were in leadership roles. I broke ground by becoming the first female President of the Association of Industrial Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria (AISSON). This lack of female mentors or role models often meant I had to chart my own path. In Nigerian society, traditional gender roles can conflict with leadership positions. As a public figure and businesswoman, I had to balance professionalism with societal expectations for women, especially in male-dominated boardrooms and government engagements.

The security sector often runs on connections and trust. Gaining entry into these networks as a woman likely posed additional hurdles compared to her male counterparts. Despite these challenges, I turned them into a strength and became a vocal advocate for women’s empowerment in security and often mentored younger women entering the field.

In essence, while I faced the double burden of navigating both the security landscape and gender bias, I used resilience, professionalism, and expertise to break barriers; and, in doing so, paved the way for other women in the sector.

M

Why is security so vital, both globally and in Nigeria?

Security is vital because it ensures the safety, stability, and prosperity of individuals, communities, and nations. Without security, there can be no sustainable development, economic growth, or social peace. Persistent insecurity from Boko Haram, banditry, and ethnic clashes has undermined national unity and weakened government authority in affected regions. This erodes trust in institutions and hampers efforts to build a functional democracy.

Insecure nations often struggle with internal strife, authoritarianism, or failed statehood, which can spill over into neighbouring regions and cause global instability. Insecurity, in regions like the Niger Delta and the North East discourages both local and foreign investment. It disrupts farming, oil production, and trade, key sectors of the Nigerian economy. Countries with high insecurity face capital flight, reduced tourism, and higher costs for doing business. Global markets are interconnected, so insecurity in one country can ripple across others. Insecure areas suffer from disrupted education, poor healthcare delivery, and displacement of people. This deepens poverty and inequality. Insecurity leads to refugee crises, human trafficking, and humanitarian emergencies that require international intervention and resources.

Terrorist groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP are not just national threats—they’re linked to global jihadist networks. Tackling them is critical to global counterterrorism efforts. Transnational crimes like cybercrime, terrorism, and drug trafficking thrive in insecure environments, posing threats to international peace and security. Security challenges strain diplomatic relations, especially with neighboring countries dealing with refugee influx or cross-border crimes. Insecurity drives conflicts that require UN peacekeeping missions and international coalitions, emphasizing the need for cooperation to maintain global peace.

In summary, security is foundational to development, governance, and global cooperation.

In a country like Nigeria, where insecurity affects nearly every sector, strengthening security is not just a national priority, it’s also critical to regional and global stability.

Dr. Victoria Ekhomu: What challenges does the private security sector in Nigeria currently face?

Private security in Nigeria faces several significant challenges that limit its effectiveness and credibility. These challenges range from legal and operational issues to public perception and infrastructure constraints.

Many private security firms operate without adequate supervision from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), which is the regulator. Weak enforcement of standards leads to inconsistent service quality and the proliferation of unlicensed operators. Many security personnel are poorly trained, lacking the skills to respond effectively to threats. Most firms cannot afford modern surveillance tools, firearms, or communication equipment due to low capital. Security guards often earn meager salaries with little or no benefits. Poor welfare leads to low morale, high staff turnover, and vulnerability to corruption or compromise. There is limited cooperation between private firms and the police or military. In emergencies, private guards may lack the legal authority or support to act decisively.

Many Nigerians view private security personnel as unskilled “gatekeepers” rather than professionals.

This perception undermines the industry’s legitimacy and limits clients’ willingness to pay for higher-quality services. Private guards are not allowed to carry firearms, even when dealing with armed threats. This limits their ability to provide effective protection in high-risk areas. The market is saturated with low-cost, unregistered firms that undercut legitimate providers. This “race to the bottom” reduces industry standards overall.

Private security firms are increasingly faced with sophisticated threats (e.g., kidnapping, terrorism) that exceed their capacity. They are often unequipped to operate in volatile regions like the North East or Niger Delta. Private security in Nigeria is hindered by regulatory gaps, poor training, legal restrictions, and weak public trust.

Addressing these challenges requires stronger oversight, professionalisation of the sector, and better synergy with government forces.

over 200 million people), the government cannot provide adequate security coverage alone. Private security firms can supplement this by handling less critical, non-combat duties (e.g., guarding residential estates, malls, banks). Countries like the U.S. and South Africa integrate private security into broader crime prevention strategies, allowing law enforcement to focus on serious crimes. Private security personnel, who are embedded in communities and businesses, are often the first to notice suspicious activity.

When they collaborate with government agencies, they can serve as early warning systems. In counterterrorism and organized crime prevention, private firms (e.g., in aviation, banking, or cybersecurity) share crucial intelligence with national agencies.

During riots or terrorist attacks, private security can provide rapid on-ground response, help in crowd control, and manage evacuations—if properly coordinated with police and military. In disaster-prone countries, private firms often work with emergency services to provide logistics, communication, and manpower. Synergy ensures that private firms follow national laws, respect human rights, and operate ethically. A well-regulated partnership reduces the risk of abuse, corruption, or rogue operations. Improved collaboration gives businesses confidence to operate in high-risk areas, knowing they have both private security presence and government backup when needed. Public-private security partnerships attract foreign investment by ensuring a stable and secure business environment. Synergy between private security and the government is essential for bridging security gaps, responding to complex threats, and building a cohesive national security architecture. In Nigeria, where insecurity is widespread and police resources are stretched thin, this cooperation is not optional; it is a necessity.

How crucial is collaboration between private security and government agencies in Nigeria and worldwide?

The synergy between private security and government forces is critically important in both Nigeria and globally. When public and private security sectors work together effectively, they create a complementary system that enhances national and local security. In Nigeria: With limited police personnel (about 400,000 for

Have you faced any unique challenges as a woman working in the security industry?

As a trailblazer in Nigeria’s private security industry, indeed I faced significant challenges as a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field. While I have not publicly detailed every personal obstacle, several general and contextual challenges can be reasonably inferred from my career

What advice would you give to women entrepreneurs in Nigeria looking to scale their businesses?

Acquire Knowledge and Build Expertise. “You must be better than good - you must be excellent.” Women should invest in continuous learning, certifications, and industry-specific training. Knowledge earns respect and opens doors, especially in male-dominated sectors.

Trust is currency in business. Consistently delivering on promises and maintaining professional ethics is crucial for long-term success and reputation. Surround yourself with mentors, advisors, and peers—both male and female. Professional associations, business clubs, and mentorship groups offer access to insights, referrals, and opportunities. I took bold steps in a risky industry. Women must be willing to leave comfort zones, explore new markets, adopt innovations, and take calculated risks. Women should not shy away from leadership. Learn how to command respect while being authentic. Speak up, sit at the table, and lead confidently. Use digital tools for marketing, communication, operations, and finance. Whether running a security firm or a fashion brand, tech levels the playing field. Financial discipline is non-negotiable.

Keep accurate records, reinvest profits, and seek financial literacy training if needed. Avoid mixing personal and business funds. The Nigerian business landscape is tough, with bureaucracy, insecurity, and infrastructural gaps. Grit, patience, and adaptability are key to weathering storms. As I did, women should lift others as they rise. Train and employ other women, mentor young professionals, and give back to their communities. Success as a woman entrepreneur in Nigeria requires a mix of knowledge, boldness, integrity, and resilience. My journey proves that with the right mindset and strategy, women can thrive; even in the most challenging environments.

Can you share a moment where you felt your work in security made a tangible difference in someone’s life?

I recall when we had to install systems at the newly constructed Vice Presidential wing in the Presidential. I had to visit the premises with my late husband, Dr Ona Ekhomu to conduct the Risk Assessment and design the various systems to ensure a comprehensive robust security plan to withstand various scenarios. This was a major project and to protect the second in command , was an awesome task. We were delighted that we put measures in place that protected the principal and his family during the remaining duration of their tenure , which kept them safe, especially since the Presidency had relocated to Abuja from Lagos , after an attempted coup. So our job was to thoroughly secure the Vice Presidential premises with integrated security measures , which we successfully implemented in Abuja.

The story continues online on www.thisdaylive.com

33

THISDAY • FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2025

FACTFILE

with Lanre Alfred

…truth behind the headlines, conspiracies, cover-ups, trials and triumphs

Tinubu and Sanwo-Olu: Reading the Room

I

knew it. I absolutely knew it.

When I wrote “The Man Who Carried a City”, the biography of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu in celebration of his 60th birthday, the calls started pouring in almost immediately. Some were polite, most were not. Politicians, corporate bigwigs, even career sycophants with no skin in the game, everyone suddenly found their voice. They wanted to know what I was thinking, why I would risk such public affection on a man supposedly estranged from his political godfather, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. One very senior political jobber even called me in the middle of the night to ask, genuinely perplexed: “Don’t you read the mood of the room anymore?”

But I had read the room. Very well, in fact.

And I understood the subtext most of them were ignoring: this wasn’t a Shakespearean tragedy, it was a temporary chill between two men whose bond ran far deeper than the average political alliance.

So, when news broke this weekend that President Tinubu had publicly and unequivocally declared all was forgiven, that “it’s all over now,” I didn’t feel vindicated, I felt quietly satisfied. The reunion wasn’t just inevitable, it was always written in the politics and the personal history they share.

Let’s be honest. Anyone who truly understands Lagos politics knows that Tinubu and Sanwo-Olu have always had the kind of dynamic that defies linear political analysis. Tinubu, the legendary political architect of modern Lagos, and Sanwo-Olu, the quiet but brilliant technocrat who rose from obscurity to become one of the most effective governors the state has seen. Their journey together has always been more familial than transactional.

Yes, there were whispers. Yes, there was the moment at the Lagos-Calabar Highway commissioning when the President appeared to bypass Sanwo-Olu without a handshake. Yes, there were events in Lagos where the state’s chief executive was conspicuously absent. But even then, I was certain that this was a momentary frost, not a full-blown winter.

Because I have watched Sanwo-Olu too closely to be fooled. I have studied the man, not just as a subject of biography, but as a specimen of Lagosian grit and governance. And more importantly, I have observed Tinubu long enough to understand that he is not one to allow emotion get in the way of strategic reconciliation. This is a man who forgives like a general—pragmatically, and with foresight.

So, when the GAC, the Lagos State Governor’s Advisory Council, met with Tinubu in Ikoyi this

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu bows to greet his mentor, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu … recently weekend to plead on behalf of Sanwo-Olu, I imagine the President wasn’t hearing new arguments. He was merely being given the right opportunity to do what he had probably already decided: forgive and move forward.

And forgive he did—with the kind of magnanimity that only Tinubu can deliver. “It’s all over now. All is forgiven.” No hedging. No ambiguity.

In response, Sanwo-Olu and members of the GAC prostrated before him. A symbolic gesture, yes, but one heavy with Lagos political tradition.

It was the public performance of something I suspect had already occurred in private.

What will the purveyors of discord say now?

What will the profiteers of division do? Those who had peddled stories of irreparable rift, who tried to offer their loyalties like unsolicited dowries to either side, where will they pitch their tents now?

Shame to bad people. The hatchet has been buried. And thank God it has.

And let me say this without an ounce of apology: Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu absolutely deserved “The Man Who Carried a City”. That book was not a political stunt. It was a tribute to vision,

courage, and performance. Regardless of anyone’s personal interpretation of the temperature between him and Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu’s achievements are self-evident.

This is a man who steered Lagos through one of its most volatile moments, COVID-19. While other governors floundered, Sanwo-Olu became the face of calm leadership. He was visible, he was firm, and above all, he was compassionate.

Lagos didn’t just survive the pandemic; it adapted, evolved, and even expanded under his watch.

Under his administration, Lagos saw historic infrastructural expansions—from the Blue and Red rail lines to the digitization of the judiciary and education sectors. Have you seen the revamped Yaba? The new Lekki? The Eco-Friendly Terminal in Oshodi? These are not minor projects. These are legacies.

More than that, Sanwo-Olu’s Lagos is a city that’s trying to remember its human side. Investments in primary healthcare, access to education, inclusive housing projects—he’s managed to combine a megacity vision with grassroots accessibility.

And let’s not forget his firm but measured handling of the post-#EndSARS chaos. That moment

could have consumed lesser men. But Sanwo-Olu did not retreat from his responsibilities. He took the hits—some fair, many unfair—and kept his eyes on governance. That is the measure of a man who truly carries a city.

So, when people told me that I had made a mistake by gifting the governor a biography at 60, I simply told them: you don’t bury light just because the skies are cloudy. I stood by my decision, knowing that the temporary misalignment between mentor and mentee would soon be corrected.

And here we are today.

Let us now talk about the politics of perception.

Many people fail to understand that silence in politics is often louder than noise. Neither Tinubu nor Sanwo-Olu ever publicly denounced each other. At worst, there were cryptic gestures—an overlooked handshake here, a missing name there.

But no harsh words. No scorched-earth interviews.

That restraint, that discipline, is what kept the bridge intact, even as stormy waters flowed underneath.

What we witnessed this weekend was not just a personal reconciliation, it was the affirmation of a shared vision. Lagos is too important to Nigeria, and both men know it. Their collaboration isn’t just political theatre—it is a functional necessity for Nigeria’s economic and political stability.

I am personally happy, immensely so, that this reunion has finally happened. The politics of division may be entertaining for some, but for those of us who care about leadership and legacy, reconciliation is always the better headline.

As we look forward, I am confident that the renewed camaraderie between Tinubu and Sanwo-Olu will yield even more progress for Lagos.

There is now room for deeper alignment, more ambitious governance, and fewer distractions from naysayers and political opportunists.

To those who sneered at me for writing “The Man Who Carried a City”, I say: you read the moment, but I read the men. And I’ll always place my bet on conviction over convenience.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu remains one of the most accomplished governors Lagos has seen in recent memory, and I am proud to have documented part of his journey. Now that he has re-secured the blessing of his godfather and mentor, there’s no telling how much more Lagos stands to gain.

Indeed, you may carry a city, but the real task is to never let it fall. Sanwo-Olu hasn’t let Lagos fall. He has lifted it—steadily, patiently, and with quiet dignity.

And now, with President Tinubu’s forgiveness and renewed camaraderie, he’s about to lift it even higher.

Let the cynics eat their hearts out. Lagos moves forward.

NEWS

Retired Generals Call for Review of Laws Governing Military Operations in Nigeria Linus Aleke in Abuja Retired Generals have called for a comprehensive review of the extant legal instruments governing

military operations in the country.

The generals also stressed that some provisions of the laws were obsolete and required urgent review to bring military operations in

Nigeria up to speed with global best practices.

Speaking at the Army Headquarters, Department of Civil-Military Affairs’ two-day capacity-building

exercise for media practitioners in Nigeria in Abuja, the Director General of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC), Major General Garba Wahab (rtd), said

Eradiri Urges Dickson, Diri to Join APC to Strategically Position the Ijaw Nation Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa

Former President of the Ijaw Youth Congress (IYC) and the Labour Party (LP) candidate in the last gubernatorialelection in Bayelsa State, Udengs Eradiri, has urged the Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri and the immediate past governor, Seriake Dickson to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) in order to align the Ijaw nation with the centre.

Eradiri, a former Commissioner in the state, called on Dickson to take the lead, pointing out that by joining the APC, the duo would have strategically

and politically positioned the Ijaw nation at the centre and also sit on table of who decide who gets what in the sharing of the national cake.

He added that the politics of the country was beyond ethnicity and insisted that the Ijaws must play the politics to drive home their agitations and bring development to the oil rich but impoverished region The former IYC President stated this in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital during an interaction with members of the Federated Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Bayelsa State.

“Governor Douye Diri has been a member of the House of Representatives and senator, Dickson has been a representative too, a governor and now a senator and they have the capacity to be on the table of discourse so that the Ijaws must be represented.

“This is me an Ijaw leader, talking that Nigeria politics goes beyond ethnicity and we must play this politics to be heard. Today, the Senate President and Nyesom Wike, determine what happens in the Niger Delta.

“When Wike said we are minority, we were all shouting here and there, but he is telling you that we

are minority in politics. They set-up the South South Development Commission and from a juicy position that Bayelsa had, they stripped us and ended giving us just one of the Executive Director.

“If we had a Dickson or Douye Diri on that table it wouldn’t happen because they would have been consulted the same way Hope Uzodinma is being consulted, the same way Delta State Governor, Sheriff is now sitting on the table.

First, he is a governor and second he will be protecting the interest of his ethnic nationality.”

laws governing military operations were long overdue for review.

General Wahab, who responded to questions after presenting a paper titled: “Crisis Communication and Ethical Reporting by Journalists,” said the military itself has called for a review of the extant laws because many things had happened, and these laws had become obsolete.

He stressed that the review of laws was the job of legislators, and nobody needed to remind them about it, noting that the rules stipulated that all extant laws should be reviewed at regular intervals.

General Wahab, who queried: “Do we review ours?” also said it was not the military that defines the term national security but the government, comprising the executive, legislature and judiciary.

“For example, if the military was deployed in a situation like the one in Los Angeles, where 500 Marines were deployed, thorough planning, training, and debriefing

would be essential. This process would include reviewing the operation and identifying areas for improvement,” he said.

The problem, the Director General noted, was that nobody wanted to take proactive steps until something went wrong and affectd those responsible, only then would people start scrambling to address the issue.

The former Director of Nigerian Army Legal Services, Retired Major General Yusuf Ibrahim Shalangwa, also called for a review of Section 218 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, considering the hierarchical nature of the military.

General Shalangwa expressed concern over the phrasing of the subsection (3), which provides that “the President may, by directions in writing and subject to such conditions as he thinks fit, delegate to any member of the armed forces of the federation his powers relating to the operational use of the Armed Forces of the Federation.”

34

FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2025 • THISDAY

NEWS

MINISTER FOR YOUTH BACKS NUGA 2025...

R-L: Minister for Youth, Mr. Ayo Olawande; Chairman, Royal CBS Group, Mr. Khalifah Onu; Group Managing Director, Royal CBS, Dr. Wole Aboderin, MFR; Director of Project, NUGA 2025, Mr. Rume Ogane; Group DG, Hon. Shehu Ataboh; Director of Finance, Mr. Bala; and Director of Branding and Kit Production, NUGA 2025, Miss Onome Ogo

Rivers Administrator Defends Hiked N1.846trn 2025 Budget in Senate

Prioritizes peace, infrastructure, economic recovery Says 15 % hike of initial N1.49trn budget to accommodate Fubara’s expenditure, new projects Senate panel hails budget structure, pledges swift report on emergency rule oversight

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (Rtd), yesterday defended the proposed 2025 budget of N1.846 trillion before the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Emergency Rule Oversight, outlining an ambitious financial blueprint aimed at stabilizing the state under emergency rule and preparing for a return to democratic governance.

The budget figure showed an increase of about N400billion from the initial N1.49trn presented to the two chambers of the National Assembly

by President Bola Tinubu.

Speaking before the committee at the National Assembly, Ibas expressed gratitude to the Senate for its rigorous oversight and reaffirmed the commitment of the interim administration to transparency, accountability, and inclusive development.

In a detailed presentation, the Sole Administrator explained the proposed 2025 budget, which is N1.846 trillion against a projected revenue of N1.49 trillion, was increased by 15% to integrate first-quarter expenditures from the previous administration to maintain fiscal accuracy and transparency.

The adjustment reflects an

additional 15% increase, largely to accommodate new and urgent projects which constitute 70 per cent of the money Bill.

IIbas said it is guided by the Rivers State Development Plan (2017-2027) and places a strong emphasis on restoring order and repositioning the state for long-term growth.

He explained that substantial funding is earmarked for militarycivilian coordination, community security, intelligence operations, and early-warning systems.

He also said resources will also support unified command structures to reduce fragmentation across security

agencies.

Ibas explained that N324.5 billion has been proposed for roads, bridges, and urban-rural transport to catalyze commerce and mobility.

He also said an additional N38.85 billion is set aside for erosion control, shoreline protection, and climate adaptation infrastructure.

With N10 billion allocated to boost staple crop production and N4.5 billion for the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Program (RAAMP), he said the state aims to unlock N45 billion in rural infrastructure.

He also stated that a further N3.5 billion will be used to modernize

Minister For Youth Canvasses Synergy, Endorses and Commits to NUGA 2025 As the momentum and awareness of the upcoming Nigeria university games continues to rise, gathering support from both public and private sector players as well as key stakeholders, another key government agency has thrown its weight behind the games promising significant support and partnerships in the upcoming games.

The Minister for Youth Development, Mr. Ayo Olawande, while receiving Mr. Khalifah Onu, Chair-

man Royal CBS Group, and his team who are the prime consultant for forthcoming Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA) competition, to be hosted by the University of Jos, Nigeria reiterated the president’s commitment on youth development as a major catalyst for national advancement.

The minister therefore promised the ministry’s one hundred percent involvement and support.

Mr. Khalifah in his response,

thanked the minister for the support, Dr. Wole Aboderin MFR a former special Assistant to the President on NGOs First Lady’s Office and Mr. Tosin Shoga, the Director General of City Boy Movement for their commitment and support to ensure the games not only succeed but also align with the current administration vision of youth empowerment through sports, tapping into its massive value chain.

The high point was the presenta-

tion of the official invitation the grand unveiling slated for this June at the Banquet Hall of the State House by the DG, Hon. Shehu Ataboh, the Director of Project Mr. Rume Ogane, Mr. Bala Dauda Director Finance and Miss Onome Go Director of Branding and Kits Production were also part of the Chairman’s visiting team.

agriculture and expand food processing industries - initiatives expected to generate 16,000 jobs over two years.

On healthcare and education, Ibas said the government plans to relocate and expand the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital with a N55 billion investment.

He said N50 billion will go towards upgrading zonal hospitals; N30 billion committed to secondary education; additional allocations of N5.75 billion for primary school rehabilitation and N1.5 billion for inclusive special education.

He said N2.5 billion is allocated for women’s economic empowerment initiatives and that youth innovation centre will be established with N3 billion.

IIbas noted that N20bn had been set aside for the recapitalization of the Rivers State Microfinance Bank aims to expand credit access to MSMEs, particularly those led by youth and women.

The Sole Administrator said N25 billion is dedicated to affordable housing for middle-income earners and the rehabilitation of public housing adding that emphasis will be placed on job creation through construction and urban regeneration projects.

On pension and civil service reforms, he said over N117 billion has been budgeted for pensions

and employee benefits, including a N50 billion fund to begin clearing outstanding arrears.

He said his administration will implement the Employee Compensation Act and introduce group life insurance schemes for civil servants.

He noted that Rivers State outperformed its 2024 revenue target, recording N1.04 trillion in actual income - 31.6% above the N800.39 billion target.

The expenditure he noted was contained at N740.7 billion, falling 6.6% below budget.

He however acknowledged documentation gaps from the early months of emergency governance, attributing them to transitional administrative shifts.

He clarified that the budget retains appropriations for offices and functions of suspended political actors, signaling readiness for a return to democratic governance when conditions allow.

“This budget is not only an emergency response - it is a roadmap to healing and rebuilding,” he said.

He appealed for the Senate’s continued support and scrutiny, expressing confidence that the budget could serve as a powerful instrument for rebuilding Rivers State, restoring public trust, and renewing the social contract between government and citizens.”

Protect Communities Within Your Areas of Environment: NGO Coalition Plants Responsibilities, CDS Orders Commanders

1000 Trees Across Schools in Kwara

Linus Aleke in Abuja

Piqued by environmental challenges in some schools in Kwara State, a coalition of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), under the aegis of the Good Deeds Day, yesterday distributed and planted over 1000 trees across schools in the state.

Some of the schools includes Taoheed Secondary School, Forte Credence International School, St. Anthony Secondary School, Bishop Smith Secondary School and ECWA Secondary School, Ganmo.

Speaking to newsmen during the tree-planting exercise, the team Lead of the Coalition, Mrs. Funmilayo Osiegbu, explained that the tree planting drive is part of the activities

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has ordered military commanders to protect communities within their areas of responsibilities to build trust and reverse the negative perception that the Nigerian military was an occupying force.

Musa stated that historically, the relationship between the Armed Forces of Nigeria and the civilian population has, at times, been characterised by suspicion, fear, and mistrust.

This was as the Nigerian military has disclosed that troops of 17 Brigade, Operation Fansan Yamma, at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Kurfi, foiled a planned bandits’ attack

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

of the coalition in commemorating 2025 Good Deeds Day. She stated the group is targeting 1000 tree-planting exercise in Kwara schools, however adding that the initiative has been taking place in phases.

Osiegbu stated that the Good Deed Day is globally celebrated in April but shifted to June due to some circumstances.

“The reason for having the tree planting drive is to be able to fulfill the United Nations SDGs 13 and 15 on climate change.

“This is to sensitize our children on the effects of climate change. There are many things that are affecting the environment right now.

“We have the Ozone layer being

affected because of pollution. There are plastics causing lots of degradation,” she lamented.

Osiegbu who is also the Executive Director, of the Bundies Care Support Initiative pointed out that sensitizing children on tree planting in schools is crucial for fostering environmental awareness and responsibility.

According to her, the tree planting drive also includes educational talks, demonstration of how to plant trees and its importance to the earth and survival of human and animals.

She added that the trees being planted will help improve the quality of the environment within the schools, provide food in the form of fruits from the trees, provide shelter and beautify the schools.

Troops foil bandits’ attack in Katsina, kill eight, recover weapons during fierce gun battle on communities and killed at least eight of them during an intense firefight along the Kurfi-Batsari Road in Katsina State.

Speaking at the Maiden Defence Headquarters Civil-Military Relations Conference 2025, the CDS stressed that this unfortunate legacy has often hampered the ability to effectively work together, particularly in times of crisis or national emergency.

“The military has not been seen as a partner in progress, but as an occupying force, alien to the people it is meant to serve and protect.

Today, we must acknowledge that perception and commit ourselves to changing it.

“The reality is that the Armed Forces of Nigeria is a constitutionally established institution, deeply

rooted in democratic principles and accountable to the Nigerian people.”

Their mandate, he said, was to safeguard the territorial integrity of the country and support civil authority in ensuring peace, stability, and development.

He said the overarching goal of the conference was to win the hearts and minds of citizens and shift from a purely kinetic, force-based approach to one that prioritises trust-building, respect for human rights, and community partnership.

He stated that the theme of the conference, “Winning Hearts and Minds: Non-Kinetic Approaches to National Security,” encapsulated this new direction, stressing that it challengedthe military to think beyond weapons and warfare.

35

THISDAY • FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2025

NEWS

TINUBU INAUGURATES VOCATIONAL TRAINING IN KADUNA...

L-R: Deputy Senate President, Jubril Barau; Speaker, House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani; Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma; President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; and Jigawa State Governor, Malam Umar A. Namadi, during the commissioning of the Institute of Vocational Training and Skills Development at Igabi Local Government, Kaduna, yesterday

Tinubu: Sani Has Changed Kaduna from Toxic Place to State with Life, Progress and Peace Lauds state’s transformation, pledges support Honours Col. Umar with CFR as democracy hero President, others storm A’lbom Saturday for Eno’s reception into APC

Deji Elumoye in Abuja, John Shiklam in Kaduna and Okon Bassey in Uyo President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, yesterday, said the Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has changed the state from a toxic, uncontrollable environment to a state with life, progress, and development.

Tinubu, who described Sani as “my comrade” and commended him for having performed wonders spoke at a grand reception at the Murtala Square, Kaduna, after commissioning some projects executed by the governor.

Tinubu described Sani as “an agent of change”, said, “We have seen a governor Uba Sani, an agent of change, stability, love, unity, and progress.

“Uba Sani has performed wonders and changed the environment from a toxic, uncontrollable environment to a state of life, progress, and development. I say thank you, my comrade.”

The president also expressed deep gratitude for the warm reception extended to him, affirming his longstanding connection to the state.

“I am pleased to be back here in Kaduna State. I share a very longstanding and meaningful connection throughout my journey in life — in politics, in business, and in the pursuit of democracy and fundamental rights,” he said.

Reflecting on his past collaborations with notable figures from the

state, the president said he had the privilege of working alongside “many of Kaduna’s distinguished sons and daughters.”

He used the occasion to acknowledge their significant contributions to national development.

Tinubu also corrected the omission of Dangiwa Umar, a former military governor, who also played a prominent role in the struggle for June 12 from his recent Democracy Day broadcast.

“Let me use this opportunity to correct an omission. Some of those people that I missed out during the June 12 broadcast at the National Assembly include Colonel Dangiwa Umar (rtd).

“Today, let me correct that by honouring him with the CFR (Commander of the Federal Republic).”

He further commending Sani’s people-focused development strategy, particularly in youth empowerment.

“Today I have seen an example of people-oriented commitment to a development agenda. The governor has established not only critical sectors to change and develop the minds of our youths but also opportunities for them to excel.

“Senator Uba Sani, the great people of Kaduna love you — and that love reflects our shared commitment to democracy, justice and the dignity of life,” he said.

Reaffirmed his confidence in the

governor’s leadership, he said, “You are a good leader, and I am very happy we have to work with you,” adding also that the security situation in the state had improved compared with previous years.

“I remember when I came for campaigns, we had to go to Birnin Gwari with a battalion of security. I have it on good authority that you can move to Birnin Gwari today around midnight without fear of attack,” he said.

Former Vice President, Namadi Sambo, has debunked insinuations of quitting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Sambo said the “claim was entirely false and without any basis whatsoever.”

These were contained in a statement by Umar Sani, media adviser to Sambo, which was posted on his verified X, stressing that the story was a fabrication laced with mischief and aimed at misleading the public.

The statement emphasised that the former vice-president had no intention of joining any other political party, saying the defection story was purely the figment of the imagination of its authors, calculated to sow confusion

and achieve cheap political mileage.

Sani explained that the photograph supporting the falsehood, showing former VP Sambo with the Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, was not recent.

“It was taken years ago during a condolence visit by the Governor to His Excellency’s residence in Abuja, following the demise of his brother, the late Sani Sambo. The image is now being deliberately misrepresented to fit a contrived narrative.

“My attention has been drawn to a widely circulated story alleging that His Excellency, Arc. Mohammed Namadi Sambo, GCON, former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). This claim is entirely false and without any basis.

best to ensure we achieve the vision of progress and prosperity,” he said.

On infrastructure, Tinubu emphasised plans to implement key projects.

“Don’t forget the light rail project — it is on our focus. We are going to do it, and we will do it together,” he assured the state, promising strong federal collaboration in the transformation of the state.

The president, therefore, called on other states to emulate Kaduna’s initia-

tives, particularly in youth training.

“The Skills Development Centre we jointly commissioned today is an attribute sub-nationals should follow.

Whatever we need to do together, we will do it,” he said.

In his address, the governor, paid glowing tribute to the president, describing his visit as “more than a ceremony but a profound affirmation that leadership, when grounded in empathy and vision, can change destinies.”

FG Arraigns Akpoti-Uduaghan for Allegedly Defaming Akpabio, Yahaya Bello Court grants N50m bail, trial begins September 23

Alex Enumah in Abuja The federal government, yesterday, arraigned Senator Natasha ApotiUduaghan before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for allegedly defaming the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio and former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Adosa Bello.

She was arraigned on a 3-count criminal charge bordering on harmful

I Remain Committed PDP Member, I Didn’t Defect, Ex-Vice President Sambo Declares Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Tinubu noted that peace was the “hallmark of development,” without which no meaningful development could take place.

He said he was impressed with the rising profile of the state and reiterated the federal government’s readiness to support its development goals.

“I am proud to say that Kaduna is rising again, and we will work with you. In every aspect of your development agenda, we will do our

“Following numerous calls and inquiries, I have taken the liberty of the authority of His Excellency’s family to issue this formal rebuttal.

I categorically state that the story is a fabrication, laced with mischief and aimed at misleading the public.

“Furthermore, His Excellency is scheduled to attend the commissioning of a 300-bed hospital in Kaduna on Thursday, 19th June 2025. This project, which he initiated during his time in office, stands as a testament to his enduring commitment to public service and the development of Kaduna State.

“His invitation to witness the completion of this legacy project, and possibly offer a few remarks, must not be misconstrued as a political endorsement or as confirmation of any partisan shift.

imputation.

However, following her not guilty plea, trial judge, Justice Chisoba Oji, admitted her to bail in the sum of N50 million with one surety in like sum.

In granting Akpoti-Uduaghan bail, the court observed that the alleged offence was not a capital one and that the law presumes her innocent for now.

FG’s lawyer, David Kaswe had asked for the remand of the suspended senator representing Kogi State Central in prison pending the determination of the case against her.

However, Natasha’s lawyer, Professor Roland Otaru, SAN, objected and requested the court to allow him move the bail application for the defendant on the grounds that it was matured

for hearing having been served on the prosecution and having joined issues with each other.

He then urged the judge to exercise her discretion in favour of the defendant, adding that the suspended senator was not a flight risk and would not interfere with police investigation and witnesses.

Besides, he submitted that the Constitution of the country presumes her innocent, while the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 emphasises bail in such an offence.

But Kaswe urged the judge to refuse the bail application, adding that the prosecution took great efforts and encountered difficulties before the defendant could be served with the charge.

Justice Oji however disagreed with the submission of the prosecution and admitted to the defendant to bail to enable her adequately prepare for the trial.

As part of the condition attached to the bail, the judge held that the surety must own landed property within the jurisdiction of the court.

She subsequently adjourned to September 23, for trial in the charge marked: CR/297/25, filed on May 15, 2025.

Natasha is, in count one of the charge, accused of making harmful imputation which she knew would harm the reputation of the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, by claiming he plotted, with former Kogi governor, Yahaya Bello, to kill her.

APC Groups Collapse Structures for Atiku Chuks Okocha in Abuja In a realignment of forces, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Support Group led by Ismaila Abu Ishaq, a former member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, has collapsed its structures to support the aspirations of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.

Under the new development, the group is now to be known as the “Coalition for Project Rescue Nigeria 2027.”

In a statement by the Atiku Media office, the group, which visited the former Vice President at his Abuja residence yesterday, said the Coalition

has become necessary to rescue Nigeria from what it called “a failed APC leadership.”

It was also to seek a tested, credible, and visionary leader, able to respond to the current challenges of security, poor infrastructure, economic downturn, poverty, and hunger in the country.

According to the group, the Obasanjo-Atiku regime brought much-needed development to Nigeria during its era.

Ishaq said the Coalition for Project Rescue Nigeria 2027 would not just be a campaign vehicle, but “a national salvation effort”, to ensure that Nigeria returned to the days of unity, progress

and prosperity.

Atiku, in his response, agreed to work with the group and provide mentorship to ensure that young people recover their country.

He expressed sadness that the strong economy bequeathed by successive PDP administrations has been frittered away by the Tinubu-led APC government.

The former vice-president urged the group to ensure it continues to participate in the democratic processes that would guarantee the restoration of an economically viable and democratically stable future for the country.

36

FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2025 • THISDAY

NEWS

Tokunbo Wahab tour of Oko-Oba Abbatoir, Agege...

L-R: Commissioner for The Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab; Director Sanitation Services, Office of Environmental Services, Dr. Hassan Sanuth; Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainage Services, Engr. Mahamood Adegbite; Project Officer, Abbatoir Oko-Oba, Agege, Dr. Ayokunle Omileye; Zonal Coordinator, Veterinary services, (Ikeja) Dr (Mrs) Olajumoke Enebele; and General Manager, Lagos Wastewater Management Office, Engr.Adefemi Afolabi, during a tour of Oko-Oba Abbatoir , Agege, Lagos State ... yesterday

Yari: President Doesn’t Make Empty Threats, He’ll Go After the Killers of Benue Indigenes Condemns act, seeks whole-of-society cooperation against insecurity Southern, Middle-Belt leaders demand immediate action SGF hails president, promises collaboration with stakeholders to restore peace Obi mocks Tinubu’s visit, says it doesn’t reflect sense of mourning Malami cries out, says bandits massacre 200 persons in Tadurga, Zuru LGA NSCDC boss directs upscale of intelligence gathering Archbishop declares day of prayer, tasks govt Tinubu’s visit to Benue a ceremonial farce, states HURIWA

Chuks Okocha, Michael Olugbode, Olawale Ajimotokan, Sunday Aborisade, Folalumi Alaran in Abuja and Fidelis David in Akure

The Senator representing Zamfara West and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Water Resources, Abdul-Aziz Yari, has assured Nigerians that President Bola Tinubu would ensure those responsible for the recent killings in Yelewata, Benue State were brought to justice.

Reacting to the deadly attack that claimed over 200 lives in Benue State, Yari declared that it was not in the character of the president to make empty threats, even as he canvassed whole-of-society approach to fighting insecurity.

This was as the Southern and Middle-Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) has called on the federal government to take immediate action to address the country’s security challenges and implement true federalism.

At the same time, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, has thanked Tinubu for his condolence visit to Benue State inspite of his tight schedules, promising collaboration with stakeholders to restore peace .

Speaking, too, former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, has mocked Tinubu’s visit to Benue, saying it did not reflect a sense of mourning where over 200 lives were lost.

In a related development, a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has raised the alarm over alleged killing of hundreds of persons in Tadurga Ward of Zuru Local Government Area, Kebbi State, describing it as “grievous and barbaric.”

Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr. Ahmed Audi, has condemned the gruesome massacre of unarmed civilians and charged his operatives on the need to upscale and expand their Intelligence gathering network to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

Similarly, the Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins, has declared Sunday, June 22, 2025, at his Archdiocese, as a day of prayer for peace and protest against killings in Nigeria, particularly in Benue and Enugu states.

On its part, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has criticised Tinubu’s

visit to Benue State, describing it as a theatrical charade devoid of substance, empathy, or a genuine plan to end the bloodshed perpetrated by terrorists masquerading as herders.

Addressing the Benue massacre, a development he further described as devastating, Yari said the president has not only shown responsible and responsive leadership by identifying with the people of Benue and also visiting the state, the Wednesday “on-the-spot actions” that he took were marks of a hands-on leader.”

According to the former governor of Zamfara State, “The president is capable of containing the situation and even if it means adopting totally extreme strategies to give every part of the nation peace, he would do it, because he was elected to secure the nation and the people and this much he understands.”

Yari further explained that, “His (Tinubu’s) decision to suspend everything he was doing and to also keep others on-hold are worthy of note. If we understood the responsibilities associated with the office of the president, we would see the empathy in his decision to personally visit Benue.

“He could have delegated a highpowered team to visit and stand in for him, while he’d go on with his other commitments. But he decided to show leadership and identify with the people, who showed him love through their votes and also believed in his person and leadership.

“I can assure the people of Benue and Nigeria in general that those behind this dastardly act will not get away with their mindlessness.

Those in charge of security also know the implication of not living up to billing, so no one is kidding here.

“The criminals will be apprehended sooner than we all can ever imagine.

The president doesn’t issue empty threat. He meant what he said and said what he meant. They will not get away with this, and whatever their motive was, we will also unravel soon. But, ultimately, this madness has to stop and it will stop.”

Yari, however, appealed to the people to also see the security of the society as their business and responsibility.

“Together, we can all confront this menace and decimate it. We need the whole-of-society approach to be able to defeat this monster and common enemy. This is the time we all must put on our intelligence garb.

“Everybody – every citizen – must become an intelligence officer for the sake of the sanity of the society. We all must pay attention to happenings around us and give timely and pivotal information to relevant authorities to be able to nip the menace in good time.”

He, therefore, commiserated with the people and government of Benue State; the families who lost their loved ones in the killings and as well prayed for those still recuperating in the various hospitals across the state, saying the Almighty Allah would perfect their healing.

Southern, Middle-Belt Leaders Demand Immediate Action on Rising Insecurity

The Southern and Middle-Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) has called on the federal government to take immediate action to address the country’s security challenges and implement true federalism.

The forum, in a communique issued after its emergency meeting, expressed concern over government’s failure to protect lives and property across the country, particularly in the Middle Belt region where Fulani terrorists and their foreign collaborators have been wreaking havoc on indigenous communities.

The communique signed by HRM Oba Oladipo Olaitan (Afenifere), Dr. Bitrus Pogu (Middle Belt Forum), Senator John Azuta-Mbata (Ohanaeze Ndigbo World-Wide) Amb. Godknows Igali (PANDEF) called on the President and the National Assembly to rise to their constitutional responsibility and duty to protect life and property of Nigerians.

“The federal government of Nigeria and particularly the National Assembly must now accept their failure to provide the most fundamental security of life and property across the country whilst we witness the impunity of Fulani terrorists and their foreign collaborators wrecking genocidal attacks on indigenous communities across the nation and particularly in the Middle Belt region as happening currently in Benue state.

“That the Nigerian federation should ensure enhanced autonomy of the federating states such that each state shall have its own independent Police Command with complimentary Divisions at the Local Government and community levels.

“That all police officers from the rank of a Chief Superintendent and below should be deployed within their state of origin.”

Besides, the group condemned the planned National Forest Guards as an additional Federal Security structure in the states and demanded that all security institutions or formations apart from the armed forces, police, civil defence and the State Security Services should be part of the security architecture of the states.

“That SMBLF condemns the rituals of fire-brigade deployment of members of the armed forces to troubled areas spread across the country as ineffective and put unnecessary pressures on the military from its constitutional roles of defending the nations territorial integrity.

“That pending full-fledged restructuring towards true federalism, governments of the states of the federation should take immediate measures to provide security for their people in the nature of the Amotekun South West Security Network with the full compliments of weapons to face and deter insurgency and terrorism.

“That these security measures are considered more effective than the current unitary architecture in a Federation which renders Governors as Chief Security Officers of their states only in name.”

SGF Hails Tinubu, Seeks Collaboration with Stakeholders to Restore Peace in Benue

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, has thanked President Bola Tinubu for his condolence visit to Benue State in spite of his tight schedules.

He also assured the president that he would work with all the key stakeholders to bring lasting peace in the state in line with the President’s directives.

In a statement yesterday by the Director Information & Public Relations, Segun Imohiosen, the SGF applauded the president for his resolve to witness firsthand the incessant conflicts faced by residents of the state and to reaffirm the government’s dedication to resolve the ongoing conflicts.

The statement recalled that as part of efforts to find lasting solution to the killings in the State, the president directed the SGF to coordinate the formation of a committee of key

stakeholders to fast track the process of restoring enduring peace in the affected parts of the State in line with his Renewed Hope Agenda.

“The committee will have as members former governors of the state, the Tor Tiv, Och’Idoma, the SGF and other key stakeholders who will meet with President Tinubu in Abuja to fashion out workable modality to end the killings.”

Akume added that achieving sustainable peace required a united effort.

He assured the president of his unwavering commitment to adhering to the tenets of his directive to work hand-in-hand with all stakeholders—local communities, civil society, security agencies, and traditional rulers, to develop and implement comprehensive strategies that address root causes, promote reconciliation, and foster long-term peace and stability in the State.

Obi Mocks Tinubu, Declares Visit to Benue, Does Not Reflect Sense of Mourning

Former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, has mocked President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Benue State, saying it did not reflect a sense of mourning where over 200 lives were lost.

Obi, who took to his X account lamented that what happened with the visit was another political jamboree, explaining that there was nothing solemn about the visit He described the visit as culture of impunity, saying, “Enough of this culture of impunity. We are not at war yet our nation is bleeding, and we are clapping. It is not only insensitive, it is dangerous. ‘’We pleaded that the president should show leadership and visit Benue and Niger States in the spirit of deep national mourning, to offer compassion and solidarity to families torn apart by the senseless massacre of over 200 innocent Nigerians in Benue State and flooding that killed similar number in Niger State.

“But what we saw in Benue visit was instead of a solemn, reflective visit, a display that would have been more befitting for the commissioning of reconstructed Enugu-Makurdi highway, a critical road connecting South and Northern Nigeria which had become impassable for years,’’ he stated.

The 2023 presidential candidate of

the Labour Party said, ‘’The President arrived not in mourning cloth but in celebratory agbada attire, like it was an occasion for joy.” ‘’Even more heartbreaking is the role of the State. Rather than being in mourning mood and weeping, declared a public holiday, not for reflection or prayer, but to organize fanfare.

“Schools were shut down. Children who should be mourning their slaughtered classmates, and parents were instead lined up under the rain, rehearsed to sing and dance for the President. In what kind of country does this happen? We have tragically arrived at a point where condolence visits have become carnivals.

“A time that should be marked by silence and solemnity is now polluted by banners, music, and rehearsed spectacles. Precious Nigerian lives have been lost, yet we’re clapping, singing, and organizing processions, as though this were a campaign rally.’’

Malami Cries Out, Says Bandits Massacred 200 People in Tadurga, Zuru LGA in Kebbi

A former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has alleged that bandits had killed nearly 200 persons in Tadurga Ward of Zuru Local Government Area, Kebbi State, describing the killings as “grievous and barbaric.”

Malami said the massacre “is a national catastrophe that demands swift and decisive action,” adding that Zuru and its surrounding Local Government Areas (LGAs) – Dankowasagu, Fakai and Sakaba “are in dire need of attention.”

THISDAY gathered that the bandits, numbering over 50, invaded the community on Monday night when people had retired to their various houses.

In a statement by his Media aide, Mohammed Bello Doka, Malami said, “The tragic loss of nearly 200 innocent lives is a painful scar on our collective conscience and a stark reminder of the urgent need for comprehensive security and development across our communities.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families, and we pray for the peaceful repose of the departed souls. May Almighty Allah grant them Jannatul Firdaus and comfort those left behind with strength and healing.

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FRIday june 20, 2025 • T H I S D AY

NEWSxtra

REDEFINING HYGIENE …

L-R: Head of Marketing, PZ Cussons, Martha Kayode; British Deputy High Commissioner, Jonny Baxter; Managing Director, PZ Cussons, Oghale Elueni, and Head of Category, Personal Hygiene, PZ Cussons, Adedunmola Ezichi, at the re-launch of the Carex Masterbrand in Lagos… yesterday

Imo Commissioner of Police Arrests Seven Officers for Extorting Motorists A’ Ibom Police nab 54 suspects for various offences

Amby Uneze inOwerri andOkon Bassey inUyo

In a renewed effort to entrench professionalism, discipline, and public confidence in police operations, the Commissioner of Police(CP), Imo State Command, Aboki Danjuma, yesterday embarked on an operational tour of police checkpoints across the state where seven Cops were

arrested for various infractions and misconduct.

In another development, operatives of the Akwà lbom state Police Command have arrested 54 suspects for various offences including armed robbery, kidnapping, vandalism, and cultism in the past two months.

The commissioner inspected check points along the Owerri– Onitsha, Owerri–Port Harcourt,

‘Oyo Endowed with Potential to Be Nation’s Food Basket’ Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

The Oyo State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Olasunkanmi Olaleye, yesterday said the state is in a position to be the country’s premier food basket with the state vast agricultural potential and right strategies and investments being put in place by the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde.

Olaleye, while addressing an inter-ministerial press briefing at the governor’s office, Ibadan, to mark the 6th year anniversary of the Makinde-led administration, outlined a vision where the state’s agricultural sector not only met local demands but also contributed significantly to national food security.

According to him, the ambition of the state to become the food basket of the country is hinged on the ongoing initiatives aimed at boosting production, improving infrastructure and supporting farmers across all communities.

He disclosed that the state government has implemented transformative programmes aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity and supporting rural farmers.

Olaleye highlighted several key initiatives that have already been put in place to achieve the goals, stating that the administration of Governor Makinde has created an enabling environment for agricultural growth through strategic investments and policies.

and Owerri–Umuahia highways.

The inspection followed reports and complaints from members of the public concerning alleged acts of extortion, harassment, and other

forms of unprofessional conduct by some police personnel on field duties.

During the tour, CP Danjuma addressed officers at various duty

posts, reiterating the core values of modern policing — discipline, integrity, and respect for human rights. He issued a stern warning that any officer found engaging in

extortion, operating of passengers’ phones, intimidation, or misconduct will face strict disciplinary action, including dismissal and possible prosecution.

Anambra Guber: Umeh Warns against Using Election as Opportunity for Warfare

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial Zone, Senator Victor Umeh, has warned political actors in Anambra State against using the forthcoming governorship election as opportunity to ignite violence

in the state.

This is coming as stakeholders in the South-east yesterdaybrainstormed on ways of reviving the zone through massive industrialisation.

Senator Umeh, who was the chairman of during a rebranding ceremony held by a South-east

based Newspaper, Alpha Times, said that even though it is an election year in the state, politicians must go about their businesses with decorum, instead of seeing the election as a time for battle.

He said: “From my base in Abuja, I have been reading a lot about the state, especially as

it is an election year, but I want to beg that this should not be a year of battle or war.”

“It should be a year for the governor to show what he can do and for those who think they can do better to show how they can do it. Let the actors be very patriotic.”

Carex Re-launches with New Identity, Expanded Portfolio in Nigeria

Sunday Ehigiator

Carex, a product of PZ Cussons and a globally trusted name in hygiene, has officially re-launched in Nigeria with a new Masterbrand identity and an expanded portfolio of antibacterial solutions. The solutions include: handwash, bar

soaps, and antiseptic liquids, all designed to help Nigerian families stay protected every day.

The re-launch event, which took place in Lagos, brought together media professionals, health experts, regulators, influencers, and key stakeholders to celebrate Carex’s renewed mission: ‘to win the war

against germs and champion everyday hygiene’.

Speaking at the event, the Managing Director, PZ Cussons Nigeria, Oghale Elueni, said: “Carex has always stood for protection and care. This is more than just a Masterbrand re-launch. It’s about a bigger mission- to win the war

against germs wherever you are- at home, at work, in school, on the go.”

Echoing this commitment, the Head of Marketing at PZ Cussons, Martha Kayode, added: “This re-launch is a fresh start, a chance to renew our promise to Nigerian families.

Knowledge Transfer Crucial to Civil Service Growth, Says Delta Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

Delta State Commissioner for Economic Planning, Mr. Sonny Ekedayen, has said that the importance of knowledge transfer for desired growth and development among civil servants could not be overemphasised, urging them to

make a duty of training other staff to guarantee continuity in the workplace and even after retirement.

Ekedayen gave the charge at a ceremony in Asaba to celebrate the meritorious service and retirement of four dedicated senior staff members of the ministry who contributed to

the growth and development of the ministry.

He noted that a civil servant’s impact was not about maintaining the status quo, but more about creating a lasting legacy through knowledge sharing and empowering others to keep the flag flying high.

While acknowledging the

individual efforts of the staff, Ekedayen said, “I was fortunate to join the team two years ago.

Despite initial reservations about the public service, I must say I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the supportive work environment and the chance to collaborate with outstanding individuals like you.”

suffered enough from corruption, insecurity and mismanagement of nation’s resources, saying with all these, there is nothing worthy celebrating on Democracy Day. Speaking with THISDAY in a telephone conversation, he said: “We are celebrating exactly what happened 32 years ago, that is exactly what we are celebrating

today because since that time till now, there is nothing worthy of celebration from any of our government.”

He decried the high level of insecurity in the country which he said has been on the rise.

The security expert equally frowned at the level of poverty in the country, saying: “We did

not even witness this during the military era.”

While speaking on health system in the country he stressed that “there is nothing to write home about; educational system nothing to write home about, the situation is so complicated now that there cannot be any improvement.”

DBN Awards N13m in Grants to Tech Entrepreneurs Expert: Enough of Insecurity, Mismanagement of Nation’s Resources, Security Warns

Nume Ekeghe

The Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) has awarded N13 million in grants to three outstanding startups as part of its 2025 Techpreneur Summit in Lagos, to further strengthen its push to foster innovation among Nigerian Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

BuyScrap, a leading digital platform for recyclable materials, received N6 million, Qiqi Farms, which connects local farmers to hospitality and export markets, was awarded N4 million and Eco-Cyclers, a youth-led recycling initiative based in Enugu, earned N3 million for its environmental impact.

Also, the bank in a significant move to drive data-driven policy and impact investing in Nigeria’s micro,

small and medium enterprise (MSME) ecosystem, launched a comprehensive digital data asset designed to provide insights into the needs, trends, and growth trajectories of small businesses across the country.

In his opening remarks, DBN Managing Director/ CEO, Tony Okpanachi, said the summit’s theme: ‘CTRL+SHIFT: Tech Empowered Movement for Naija’, is more than just a keyboard command, but a strategic call to rethink the future of enterprise development in Nigeria.

He said: “It represents a bold pivot a strategic reset, powered by technology, to reimagine and rebuild the future of business in Nigeria. It is a rallying cry for us to take control, initiate a shift, and chart a new course where technology serves as the backbone of inclusive and sustainable growth.”

Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

A leading security expert in Nigeria and Global Affairs Analyst, High Chief Jackson Lekan Ojo, has warned the country against corruption, mismanagement of resources and security challenges.

He said that Nigerians have

Delta North APC Chairmen Distance Self from Nwoko’s 2nd Term Endorsement Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The Forum of Delta North All Progressives Congress (APC) Local Government Chairmen has disowned the purported endorsement

of the lawmaker representing Delta North senatorial district, Senator Ned Nwoko, for a second term.

The Forum, however, affirmed its support for President Bola Tinubu and

Governor, Sherif Oborevwori for second.

According to a statement jointly signed by the seven local government area chairmen in the district, the forum said it was not involved

in the purported endorsement of Senator Nwoko for a second term and that any claim of endorsement of the senator did not reflect the position of the APC structures at the local government level.

Diri Promises to End Perennial Water Drought in Bayelsa after Fixing Power Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa

After several years of water drought in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, and its

environs, the state Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has assured the state that his administration would focus on provision of potable

water upon completion of the independent power plant project by end of this year.

In the last 12 years, the Bayelsa State citizens

and residents, including government offices and agency, have depended in water vendors pushing trucks to get water for use.

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FRIday june 20, 2025 • T H I S D AY

NEWSxtra

DISCUSSING NIGERIA’S DIGITAL FUTURE…

L-R: Partner, Duale, Ovia & Alex-Adedipe ((DOA), Omowunmi Sanni; Managing Partner, DOA, Adeleke Alex-Adedipe; Chief Technical Officer, Trashcoin, Damilola Daramola; Partner, DOA, Simisola Eyisanmi, and Founding Partner, DOA, Adeniyi Duale, at the fourth annual TMT Business Series in Lagos…recently

Emergency Rule: Our Economy is Suffering, Rivers Women Lament

Blessing Ibunge inPort Harcourt

Rivers State women have lamented the economy instability in the state following the ongoing emergency rule declared by President Bola Tinubu, months ago.

The women, under the aegis of Rivers Women Unite for Sim, who made the expression yesterday at their weekly prayer session Port Harcourt, said women, children

and youths are mostly affected in the state of emergency.

In a statement signed by Mrs Chikodi Okpara and Mrs Belema Oningiye on behalf of the hundreds of women at the prayer session, said they gathered together in sober reflection to review the current socio-political situation in our beloved State.

According to the women, “after three months of emergency rule

DLM Capital Announces Flagship 10-year N30bn SBCN Issuance Oluchi Chibuzor

DLM Capital Group has announced the issuance of the first ever Sovereign Backed Composite Note (SBCN) to raise N30 billion with a 10 year tenor.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly known and addressed as Hussein Mouh, now wish to be known and address as Hussein Mohammed Mouh. All former documents remain valid.

The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS NKECHI JUSTINA OGUH, now wish to be known and address as MRS NKECHI JUSTINA HUMBLE-OPARAOBIJ URU. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as Mohammed Mouh, now wish to be known and address as Mohammed Hussein Mouh. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I formerly known and addressed as MISS NWOGU SYLVIA CHIOMA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ABANULO SLYVIA CHIOMA. All former documents remain valid.

The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as MISS NWOGU SYLVIA CHIOMA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ABANULO SLYVIA CHIOMA. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Nneka. Judith, now wish to be known and addressed as Ebiarede Nneka Judith.

All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

Announcing the issuance recently the Group Chief Executive Officer of DLM Capital Group, Dr. Sonnie Ayere, said the DLM Funding Series-1 Sovereign Bond Backed Composite Notes (SBCNs) represent a first-of-its-kind public bond structure globally, which uniquely combines sovereign bond-backed principal and interest protection with enhanced corporate/consumer loan cash flows to deliver high-yield, AAA-rated returns.

Ayere said that the DLM’s SBCNs are the first publicly issued bonds to integrate Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) Bond cash flows with income from diversified consumer and SME loan portfolios.

He explained that the issuance is AAA-rated by virtue of sovereign bond backing, not solely by credit enhancement or insurance.

Ayere also explained that the issuance has a market-tested structure with dual benefit, while offering principal preservation with above-market hold-to-maturity (HTM) yield of 49.9 percent.

He noted that in addition to this, the DLM’s SBCNs is structured as a public tradable security, not just a fund or private credit vehicle, while also backed by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), structure for ring fenced asset and liability management.

Ayere added that pension funds can use the DLM’s SBCNs to achieve long-duration, high-yield exposure within strict risk tolerance frameworks as well as long term AAA rated returns with liquidity.

“Also, the DLM’s SBCNs can help Development Finance Institutions mobilize private capital into impact sectors without compromising fiduciary obligations. With the SBCNs, asset managers can enhance portfolio yields while improving credit quality and diversification as well as achieve diversified fixed income with enhanced returns,” Ayere said.

and political instability, we feel compelled to raise our collective voice and appeal for urgent action.”

The women also used the opportunity to celebrate the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, in commemoration of

Father’s Day, describing him as a father figure and symbol of resilience.

They further expressed their concern over the continued suspension of democratic governance and “the alarming stagnation in leadership and

development across Rivers State.”

The group added: “It is becoming painfully evident that, despite the declaration of a state of emergency, effective governance has come to a standstill. Development has slowed, public services have

dwindled, and economic activities have plummeted.”

“The consequences of this situation are being borne most heavily by women, children, and the youth are those who form the bedrock of our homes and the future of our society.”

Daji Sani in Yola

Barr. Idris Shuaibu, made this known at a press conference held in Yola, Adamawa State capital.

According to Shuaibu, the vice chairman had to be smuggled in as a delegate at the APC North-East Consultative Forum held on June 15, 2025 which not good for the party

development in the area.

The party adopted the communiqué read by the National Vice Chairman, endorsing Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the sole candidate of the party for the purpose of nomination in 2027. “ We adopt the communiqué read by the National Vice

Chairman being the true position of the APC Governors Forum, National Assembly Members, National Working Committee and also the APC Adamawa State as a whole and endorsing Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a sole candidate of our party for the purpose of nomination come 2027,” he said.

APC Adamawa Condemns Attack on National Vice Chairman

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Adamawa State Chapter has condemned the act of thuggery meted out to the party’s National Vice Chairman, North-east, Comrade Salihu Mustapha in Yola.

The party’s state chairman,

2027: Fresh Trouble for Katsina PDP as 263 Ex-aspirants Join Coalition Francis SardaunainKatsina

The gale of defections sweeping through the Katsina State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a different dimension following the defection of 263 former aspirants of the party into a new coalition.

The coalition, under the leadership of the former Secretary to the Katsina State Government, Dr. Mustapha Mohammed Inuwa, is said to have been working behind the scenes to form a political party to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.

The defectors include 25 former State House of Assembly aspirants, 13 chairmanship and 225 councilorship aspirants on the platform of the PDP during the 2023 general election.

They announced their defection into the new political movement at a strategic meeting with leaders

of the coalition held at Inuwa’s office along Katsina-Mani road yesterday.

Speaking on behalf of the 25 former state Assembly aspirants, Jamilu Yahaya, said they left the PDP because it had become disconnected from the aspirations of the Nigerians it seeks to lead.

NiMRA: Rapidly Increasing Data Volume, AI, Should Force Market Research Industry to Re-Strategies

Oluchi Chibuzor

As the Nigerian market research industry continues to grow, the Nigerian Marketing Research Association( NiMRA) has identified that rapidly increasing data volume should force players in the sector to re-strategies with

artificial intelligence(AI) driving the imperative of innovation and resiliency.

To this end, the Nigerian Marketing Research Association( NiMRA), through the ongoing flagship 2025 annual international conference in Lagos, charged practitioners and stakeholders to

explore the evolving boundaries of their profession.

Speaking during the day-two of the event with the theme: ‘Beyond The Boundaries: AI and New Frontiers’, the President of NiMRA, Seyi Adeoye, called on the industry to leverage AI tools to deliver inspiring innovation.

According to him, “This conference is more than an event; it is a celebration of resilience, innovation and collective aspirations. I invite us to explore the evolving boundaries of our profession as we navigate the transformative power of AI while keeping their eyes on other emerging trends shaping their industry.”

Under 40 CEOs Launches How We Made It in Africa Volume 2 Under 40 CEOs, Africa’s foremost platform for spotlighting and supporting emerging business leaders, kicked off its 10th anniversary celebrations with the launch of Volume 2 of its iconic book series, How We Made It in Africa.

Held in Lagos, the book launch event was attended

by trailblazing entrepreneurs, business leaders, and members of the Under 40 CEOs community who have been impacted by the platform’s decade-long mission to empower Africa’s next generation of leaders.

First launched in 2015 as a television series, Under 40 CEOs has grown into

a dynamic ecosystem of mentorship, funding, learning, and community—spanning four countries and impacting over 1,000 young African business executives.

This latest publication captures the journeys of 52 remarkable CEOs across diverse industries, offering lessons on vision, resilience, and innovation.

Commenting, Executive Director of Under 40 CEOs, Familusi Akin Babajide, said: “We have spent the last 10 years building something that matters—not just to the people featured in our stories, but to the continent as a whole This book is a symbol of our journey so far—and a reminder that we are just getting started.”

Environment: NGO Coalition Plants 1,000 Trees Across Schools in Kwara Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Piqued by environmental challenges in some schools in Kwara State, a coalition of nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) under the aegis of the Good Deeds Day, yesterday distributed and planted over 1,000 trees across schools in

the state.

Some of the schools include Taoheed Secondary School, Forte Credence International School, St. Anthony Secondary School, Bishop Smith Secondary School, and ECWA Secondary School, Ganmo.

Speaking to journalists during the tree-planting exercise, the Team Lead of

the coalition, Mrs. Funmilayo Osiegbu, explained that the tree-planting drive is part of the activities of the coalition in commemorating 2025 Good Deeds day.

She stated that the group is targeting 1,000 tree-planting exercise in Kwara State schools, however, adding that the initiative has been taking

place in phases.

Osiegbu stated that the Good Deed Day is globally celebrated in April but shifted to June due to some circumstances.

According to her, “The reason for having the treeplanting drive is to be able to fulfill the United Nations SDGs 13 and 15 on climate change.

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THISDAY • FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2025

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Group Sports Editor: Duro Ikhazuagbe Email: duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

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Tolu Arokodare Now on Amorim’s Watchlist at Man Utd Duro Ikhazuagbe

Tolu Arokodare who emerged top scorer in the Belgian topflight league this past season with 21 goals from 40 appearances has caught the eyes of Manchester United chiefs in the summer transfer window.

The 23-year-old Super Eagles forward who made his debut last March came from the bench penultimate Friday to score the equalizing goal in Nigeria’s one-all draw with Russia in Moscow. It was Arokodare’s fifth game for Nigeria with two goals to show.

Now, troubled Manchester United who are desperately in need of a top striker to revive the Red Devils’

TRANSFER NEWS

stocks in the English topflight league after a miserable outing in the recently ended 2024/2025 season have focused their radar on Arokodare.

It is generally believed that Arokodare could provide the type of potency that they have been without in the last couple of campaigns.

With a playing style similar to that of Victor Osimhen, another player that Manchester United have looked at, Arokodare is a genuine candidate to join the club, with

Christopher Vivell and Jason Wilcox both said to be impressed by the former Amiens striker.

Arokodare celebrated first competitive goal for Nigeria on his Instagram account: “First international goal, the journey

has only just started. We thank God,”observed the Ebony Shoe winner as best African player in Belgium this past football season.

He is also said to be the type of targetman profile that Coach Ruben Amorim wants at Old

Trafford. No potential fee has been attached to the player, but he has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €16.8 million.

Interestingly, Portuguese giants, Benfica, are also reported to be interested in him.

Lagos Comes Alive for NSSF National Championships Nigeria’s sports hub, the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, will burst into action from June 23 to 25 as it hosts the Nigeria School Sport Federation (NSSF) National Table Tennis and Swimming Championships.

The three-day event will bring together student-athletes from across the country, all vying for a spot on Team Nigeria for the inaugural African School Games, scheduled for July 2025 in Algeria.

Organized by the NSSF, the championships will serve as a key selection platform for the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA)-backed continental event.

To ensure a successful event, the Nigeria Aquatic Federation and the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) are providing technical support, working closely with the NSSF to build a strong national contingent.

The table tennis event will be held from Monday, June 23 to Tuesday, June 24 while the swimming championship will begin on Tuesday, June 24 and ends on Wednesday, June 25.

According to Dr. Oba Funsho Usman, Secretary of the NSSF, the tournament is a strategic opportunity to discover and nurture young talents while preparing them for international exposure.

“We are fully aware of Nigeria’s rich pool of sporting talent. At NSSF, our goal is to create a level playing field for students nationwide to showcase their abilities. This tournament is not just about competition—it’s about giving every student a chance to be seen, supported, and developed into future stars,” Usman said.

He emphasized that the event aligns with the federation’s broader mission of exposing students to elite-level competition beyond Nigeria’s borders.

“We’ve invited teams from across the country, and we’re confident this will provide a valuable platform for athletes to test themselves against their peers. With the involvement of national technical crews, we’re ensuring that the best talents are identified and prepared for the African School Games in Algeria.”

All participating teams are expected to arrive early to complete registration ahead of the tournament’s kick-off on Monday, June 23.

The first-ever African School Games, organized by ANOCA, will take place in Algeria from July 26 to August 5, 2025. The multi-sport event will be hosted across the cities of Constantine, Sétif, Skikda, and Annaba, featuring over 3,000 young athletes aged 14–17 competing in 25 different sports disciplines.

Tolu Arokodare...on Manchester United’s radar after a brilliant season in the Belgian topflight league.

2025 CHAN: Home-based Eagles to Play Group Matches in Zanzibar

2018 silver-medallists Nigeria’s Home-based Eagles will play their Group B matches of the 8th African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Zanzibar – a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is an island of less than two million people.

Nigeria is in Group B with Cup holders Senegal, Congo and Sudan.

Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, the three East African nations that have been jointly awarded the hosting right for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations finals, have been mandated to host this year’s African Nations Championship as proper dress rehearsal.

The tournament will be staged between August 2nd and 30th.

According to an announcement by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Thursday, the tournament’s opening match will take place at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam (mainland Tanzania), while the third and fourth matches will hold at the Mandela Stadium in Kampala, Uganda.

The final match, on Saturday 30th August, will be played at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.

With the defenestration of Equatorial Guinea from the tournament following a ruling of the CAF Appeals Committee, Congo have been restored to Nigeria’s Group B. The Super Eagles B, who were also bronze-medallists in South Africa in 2014, qualified for this year’s finals after a 3-1 aggregate defeat of Ghana in their qualifying fixture in December last year.

GROUP A: Kenya, Morocco, Angola, DR Congo, Zambia (Nairobi) GROUP B: Tanzania, Madagascar, Mauritania, B’Faso, C’Africa Rep. (Dar es Salaam) GROUP C: Uganda, Niger, Guinea, South Africa, Algeria (Kampala) GROUP D: Senegal, Congo, Sudan, Nigeria (Zanzibar)

MTN CHAMPS: Reviving Grassroots Sports Through Friendly Inter-School Competitions Olu Osagie The conclusion of Season 3 of MTN CHAMPS in Uyo recently marked more than just the end of an athletics competition. It underlined the growing revival of grassroots sports across Nigeria.

Designed to uncover Nigeria’s next generation of Olympians, MTN CHAMPS is reawakening a competitive spirit and athletic ambition that had been largely dormant in Nigerian school communities.

Across three seasons, MTN CHAMPS has provided a structured platform for individual athletes and most especially, students from public and private schools to train, compete, and excel in a range of athletic events.

Since its inception in 2023, over 21,500 athletes from 1,318 schools nationwide have participated in MTN CHAMPS, competing on world-class tracks and gaining necessary recognition, with best performing athletes being inducted into its prestigious athletics academy in Lagos where they receive scholarships, mentorship and training from former Olympians turned coaches like Deji Aliu.

Season 3 of MTN CHAMPS drew the following athlete participation: 2056 athletes for the Benin Classics, 2505 athletes from 155 schools for

the Lagos Continental Relays and 2187 athletes from 136 schools for the Uyo Grand Final, participating in track and field events like sprints, long jump, high jump and throws.

By staging regional qualifiers across various states and culminating in a Grand Final, MTN CHAMPS is not just giving visibility to young athletes, it is forcing schools and local governments to pay attention to youth sports again.

At the MTN CHAMPS Grand Final in Uyo, titles were contested across four categories: Cadet Boys and Girls, Youth Boys and Girls.

Community Secondary School Itam won the Cadet Girls School Trophy.

School sports in Nigeria have been steadily declining. What should serve as a foundation for nurturing athletic stars and well-rounded children has slowly withered due to poor funding, deteriorating facilities, and a growing disconnect between education and sport.

According to Statistica, as of 2018, only 9% of public elementary schools in Nigeria had playgrounds, compared to 32% of private schools.

This stark disparity highlights the systemic infrastructural challenges in public education and the limited access young students have to basic sports facilities.

In many schools, athletics programmes have been reduced

to irregular inter-house sports days, often lacking proper tracks, fields, or trained personnel to guide sporting talent.

Speaking at the Uyo Grand Final, Coach Francis Ugochukwu of Charity of the Most Precious Blood Secondary School, Imo State, explained what winning the Youth Girls Team Trophy

meant for his school.

“All the way from Imo State to this place [Uyo], for the school to allow us to come here, they knew what we could do. And to God be the glory, we have proven that we are worthy to be here,” he said.

His team clinched gold in the discus, silver in shot put, and placed

in several finals, totalling 35 points.

“Even in ordinary interhouse sports, everyone will now want to do sports. Imagine winning this trophy, whether they’re good or not, students will want to participate. This will encourage the school to build the necessary sports facilities.”

He added that the win would

Students and Coach of Charity of the Most Precious Blood School, winners of the Youth Girls Team trophy at the MTN Champs Uyo final...recently

not only boost morale but also likely attract more support from the school and community. Anticipating post-victory celebrations, he said: “We will go back, go around the community and tell them that we are champions.”

At the closing ceremony, Mallam Shehu Dikko, Chairman of the National Sports Commission, emphasized the role of school sports in the country’s long-term athletic development. “The focus of sports in Nigeria at the moment is youth development and grassroots sports.

This is why the president appointed a special committee on grassroots sports, because of the vision and the mindset that grassroots sport is the future.”

On the NSC’s ongoing plans, he said “We’re trying to work with the Federal Ministry of Education to create centres of excellence around schools, because schools are the basis of grassroots sports development.

So, for each part of the country, we intend to have one university as a centre of excellence. For each state, we intend to have one secondary school as a centre of excellence for sports. For each local government, there is one primary school as a centre of excellence for sports, so the kids here have a path to grow to the best they can be in their own chosen career of sports.”

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2025

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Discussing CrediCorp’s operations and Vision...

L-R: The Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination and Head of the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit (CRDCU), Hadiza Bala Usman, with the Managing Director/CEO of CrediCorp, Mr. Uzoma Nwagba, and Executive Director, Operations of Credicorp, Ms Olanike Kolawole, after discussions on CrediCorp’s operations and meeting President Bola Tinubu’s vision on improving the purchasing power of Nigerians, thereby boosting economic activities in the country, at the CRDCU Office in Abuja ... yesterday

MagnusOnyibe Trump and Musk, Keeping Business and Politics Separate P guest columnist

icture a scenario in which Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, invested $250 million in 2023 to support the presidential campaign of APC candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Let’s assume Dangote, being the shrewd businessman he is, found a legal way to avoid violating campaign finance limits that cap how much individuals can contribute to political campaigns.

Now imagine that this strategic support played a major role in Tinubu’s victory two years ago, helping him secure the presidency and giving the APC a majority in both chambers of the National Assembly. As a token of appreciation, President Tinubu appoints Dangote to lead a newly created government agency focused on cutting waste and improving public sector efficiency.

In this imagined scenario, Dangote’s new role comes with the tough task of ending long-standing subsidies on petrol and foreign exchange—two policies widely seen as obstacles to Nigeria’s economic growth since independence in 1960. Because these subsidies have become deeply embedded in public expectations over the past four decades, rolling them back sparks outrage and resistance.

Now take it a step further: suppose Dangote, despite his brilliance, begins behaving inappropriately—perhaps mocking civil servants who lost their jobs or appearing in Aso Rock with his toddler riding on his shoulders in a moment of eccentric public display. President Tinubu, noticing these missteps, decides to relieve him of his duties respectfully and even presents him with a symbolic key to the villa as a gesture of goodwill.

But soon after the House of Representatives passes four key tax reform bills—awaiting Senate approval—Dangote lashes out, branding the bills a “disgusting abomination.”

Concerned that the new laws could undermine the business advantages his firm had been enjoying, he threatens to use his influence to ensure APC lawmakers are voted out in the next elections.

This outburst provokes President Tinubu, who publicly quips that Dangote might be suffering from a mental health issue. What should have remained a private policy disagreement between allies begins to spill into the public sphere, with the potential to spiral into a full-blown political crisis.

Dear readers, this imagined scenario is not about Nigeria, President Tinubu, or Aliko Dangote—the visionary industrialist behind the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical complex that’s transforming Nigeria from a raw exporter of crude oil into a net exporter of refined petroleum products.

Rather, this story mirrors the real-life political drama

U.S President Donald Trump currently unfolding in the United States between President Donald J. Trump—back in office as the 47th president—and Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and owner of Tesla, SpaceX, and other powerful tech ventures.

Their feud highlights the perils of blurring the lines between business and politics. It serves as a cautionary tale for democracies around the world about why these two powerful domains—each critical in its own right—must remain independent to preserve institutional integrity and public trust.

Simply put, the situation described above isn’t unfolding in a struggling third-world nation where democratic principles are still being grasped. Rather, it is playing out in the United States—the wealthiest, most powerful nation in the world, and widely regarded as the global standard-bearer for democracy.

For me, there are several critical takeaways from this evolving saga in America.

First, it reinforces the reality that democracy is still an evolving system of governance, even centuries after its roots in ancient Athens under Cleisthenes in 508 BCE. Who would have imagined that campaign finance laws in the U.S.—particularly the caps on individual contributions to political candidates—could be so cleverly circumvented? Yet Elon Musk appears to have done just that, reportedly channeling around $250 million into Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign without violating existing laws.

Second, the unfolding events affirm the old adage: “What money cannot do, more money can.” Musk himself boasted that without his financial engineering—leveraging “Super PACs” to funnel as much as $1 million per voter in key swing states—Trump and the Republican Party may not have secured victories in the White House and both chambers of Congress. According to Musk, his financial intervention was instrumental in Trump’s success in the November 5, 2024 election. As he warned at the time, “In November, we fire all Republicans who betrayed Americans.”

This demonstrates that, just like in many fledgling democracies of the developing world, money—not ideology or principles—is often the decisive factor in American elections, with votes going to the highest bidder.

Third, the very public clash between Musk—head of Tesla and SpaceX—and President Trump has peeled back the curtain on the inner workings of the U.S. government. It exposes a long-held double standard: while the West criticizes African nations for implementing public subsidies, it often does the same, albeit in more discreet and sophisticated forms. Through institutions like the World Bank and IMF, wealthy nations pressure developing countries to eliminate subsidies, despite quietly propping up their own industries using similar mechanisms.

This hypocrisy has been starkly revealed by the Trump-Musk fallout. The feud has exposed how Musk’s companies have been supported through generous government contracts and subsidies—an arrangement that mirrors the kind of state-enabled capitalism often criticized in the Global South.

Fourth, the idea that oligarchs are a uniquely Russian or African phenomenon has been shown to be misleading.

Musk’s companies, Tesla and SpaceX, are now understood to have benefitted significantly from U.S. government support. In Trump’s own words: “The easiest way to save money in our Budget—Billions and Billions of Dollars—is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”

This outburst came in response to Musk labeling Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” as a “disgusting abomination.”

So, isn’t it both ironic and hypocritical that powerful Western nations instruct poorer countries to avoid government subsidies, while engaging in the same practices behind the scenes? By financially supporting domestic corporations that build wealth through state contracts, the West is not far removed from the same oligarchic systems it routinely condemns.

In conclusion, the Trump-Musk dispute is not merely

a clash of egos. It is a revealing episode—one that lays bare the contradictions and vulnerabilities within the democratic and capitalist systems of even the world’s most advanced nation.

The purpose of this intervention is not to dwell on the sensational fallout between Donald Trump and Elon Musk—an alliance turned sour and now dominating headlines across both mainstream and social media, generating intense political controversy. That story has already been heavily dissected and discussed.

Rather, what concerns me is the unfortunate nature of this public spat, which has erupted barely 63 days into what was initially viewed as a promising political partnership between Trump, the President of the United States and figurehead of global democracy, and Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and a symbol of technological innovation.

Unsurprisingly, their clash has created a tense atmosphere, casting a dark cloud over the U.S. political landscape—an ironic turn for a nation that prides itself on being the model of democratic governance.

It is this deeper implication that compels me to approach the matter from a different angle—one that better illuminates the significance of this episode for those of us in less developed democracies. My goal is to help readers, especially Africans, understand that the global system does not always treat us fairly, despite appearances.

To illustrate this point, and drawing from my background in international public policy, I chose to analyze the Trump-Musk saga through an analogy—comparing it to a hypothetical but relatable scenario in Nigeria.

After all, Nigeria’s political system borrows heavily from the U.S. model, and President Bola Tinubu’s current reform-driven leadership has begun reshaping the country’s economic landscape within just two years of his administration.

With that backdrop, it’s worth examining how the situation unfolded.

When sales of Musk’s Tesla electric vehicles began to decline both in the U.S. and globally—particularly across European markets—President Trump took on the role of an unofficial brand ambassador. In what appeared to be a quid pro quo gesture to repay Musk for his campaign support, Trump staged a symbolic event: turning the White House lawn into a Tesla showroom.

On live television watched by billions worldwide, he personally bought a red Tesla and urged others to follow his example.

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