FRIDAY 9TH MAY 2025

IMF Confirms Nigeria Has Repaid $3.4bn Loans, But Expected to Pay $30m in Special Drawing Rights Annually Nume Ekeghe The International Monetary Fund (IMF) yesterday officially reacted to news making the rounds about Nigeria’s indebtedness to the multi-

lateral institution and confirmed that the West African country has fully repaid the $3.4 billion emergency loan it received in April 2020 under the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) extended to cushion the impact

of the COVID-19 pandemic and a sharp drop in oil prices.

However, the Fund, in a statement by its Resident Representative in Nigeria, Dr. Christian Ebeke, pointed out that Nigeria was

expected to honor some additional payments in the form of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) charges of about US$30 million annually.

Ebeke explained: “As of April 30, 2025, Nigeria has fully repaid the

financial support of about US$3.4 billion it requested and received in April 2020 from the IMF under the Rapid Financing Instrument to help alleviate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the sharp

fall in oil prices.

“Nigeria is expected to honor some additional payments in the form of Special Drawing Rights Continued on page 10

At Inauguration of Projects in Anambra, Tinubu Says Soludo is a Brilliant, Close Ally... Page 34 Friday 9 May, 2025 Vol 30. No 10988. Price: N400

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First American, Robert Prevost, Elected Pope, Becomes Leo XIV Prevost is a mathematician, ordained in 1982 Tinubu, Trump, other world leaders congratulate new Pontiff Deji Elumoye and Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja In a historic shift for the Catholic Church, Cardinal Robert Prevost of the United States was yesterday selected as the next pope, the first American pontiff in history. He will be known as Pope Leo XIV. In his first remarks as pope from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Prevost, a 69-year-old from Chicago, called for peace and paid tribute to the late Pope Francis to a roaring crowd.

A surprise pick by 133 cardinals from across the globe on the second day of the papal conclave in Rome, the new pontiff, greeted the thousands of exuberant faithful and onlookers, many overcome with emotion as he spoke from the red velvet-draped central balcony Continued on page 10

Time Magazine Names Pate Among Top 100 Global Health Personalities...Page 5

THE NEW CATHOLIC PONTIFF...

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost of the United States appears on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican, … yesterday

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THISDAY ˾ ˜ ΁˜ ͺ͸ͺͽ

ÜÙßÚ ÏáÝ ÎÓÞÙÜ˝ Goddy Egene ×ËÓÖ˝ Goddy.egene@thisdaylive.com, 0803 350 6821, 0807 401 0580

NEWS

SENATE PASSES FOUR TAX REFORM BILLS...

L–R: President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio; Chairman, Senate Committee on South East Development Commission, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu; and Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, during plenary, yesterday

Senate Passes Two Outstanding Tax Reform Bills Sets up c’ttee to reconcile differences with reps version Tinubu seeks confirmation for three devt commissions’ nominees Sunday Aborisade in Abuja The Senate yesterday passed the remaining tax reform bills after it completed the clause-by-clause consideration of the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill and the Nigeria Tax Bill at the Committee of the Whole.

The development came barely 24 hours after the upper chamber passed two of the tax reform legislations, namely the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, 2025 and the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill 2025.

Besides, the Red Chamber expunged contentious areas in the two legislations and set up a conference committee to reconcile the differences in the Senate version and the one already passed by the House of Representatives.

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, commended the lawmakers for their sacrifice in ensuring that the tax system in Nigeria meets international standards.

Addressing journalists after the plenary, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa, explained that his panel did its best to ensure the taxation system in Nigeria meets international standards.

He said: “What we did was to look at the tax bills and do the needful. President Tinubu brought the tax reform bills to see how his government could bring economic development. We underwent a public

hearing and had a retreat with 76 organisations present.

“Religious leaders and other relevant stakeholders were also in attendance. We also agreed that the Nigerian Revenue Service will need at least six directors.”

Musa said the senators recommended that the president needs to appoint a chairman and create an ombudsman to arbitrate and adjudicate on tax-related matters.

He harped on the need for the establishment of a tax tribunal, which he said cannot be overemphasised.

“It is not a court of record. We have looked at the issue of VAT, collection of taxes, development levy and inheritance tax which had been expunged. I believe Nigerians will see something nice from this. We also commend the president for giving a level playing field to all,” he said.

He said the conference committee would reconcile the amendments carried out by both chambers of the National Assembly, Members of the conference committee are: Senators Abba Moro, Abdulaziz Yari, Enyinnaya Abaribe, Yahaya Abdullahi, Sani Musa, Adetokubo Abiru, Joel-Thomas Onowakpo, Asuquo Ekpenyong, Jim Kuta, Gbenga Daniel, Osita Izunaso, Solomon Adeola, Adams Oshiomhole, Babangida Uba, Mohammed Monguno.

Meanwhile, Tinubu yesterday asked the senate to screen and

confirm nominees for the South-West Development Commission (SWDC), the North-Central Development Commission (NCDC), and the South-South Development Commission (SSDC).

The president’s request was contained in a letter read by the Senate President, Akpabio, during plary.

The regional commissions were established to accelerate infrastructural development, stimulate economic activities, and improve social welfare in their respective

geopolitical zones. Each commission will operate with legislative oversight from the National Assembly.

Tinubu said his request for confirmation of the nominees was in accordance with the constitutional requirements for the commissions.

He nominated 18 individuals for the South-west, led by a former Senator from Ekiti State, Olubunmi Adetunbi as Chairman and Charles Akinola as Managing Director.

Other members are, Bolaji Ariyo, Joseph olugbenga, Scholastica Omoworare, Olumuyiwa Olabimtan,

Adewinle Martins, Ibrahim Olaifa, Kabiru Lakwaya, Abdul Adamu a retired general, Arinola Fagbemi, Ukoha Onyekwere, Howell Ihenacho, Olugbenga Olufehinti, Tele Ogunjobi, Funmilayo Tejuosho, Fatai Ibikunle and Lateef Ajijola.

The Board of the North-Central Development Commission (NCDC) will be chaired by Cosmas Akiyir, with Tsenyil Yiltsen as Managing Director.

Others are, Dauda Kigbu, Zakari Jikantoro, Suleiman Ali, Bunmi Olusona, Umar Mantu, Atotse Abraham,

Solomon Adodo, Abdulkadir Usman, Habu Mamman, Atinuke Owolabi, Rachel Nse, Boniface Izziogu, James Uloko, Princess Ajanah Bilgis Sani, Aishatu Ibrahim and Muhammad Bashar.

For the South-South Development Commission, Hon Chibudom Nwuche was nominated as Chairman, with Usoro Offiong Akpabio as Managing Director.

After reading the president’s request, the senate president referred them to relevant committees for screening and confirmation.

Time Magazine Names Pate Among Top 100 Global Health Personalities Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said that the Coordinating Minister Prof.

Muhammad Ali Pate, CON, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, and Director of Nutrition, Mrs. Ladidi K. BakoAiyegbusi, have been listed among 2025 TIME100 Magazine’s most influential figures shaping the future of global health The TIME100 Health list honours visionaries, reformers, and advocates who are transforming

health systems, advancing medical science, and improving lives globally. The inclusion of two Nigerian leaders from the same institution underscores Nigeria’s growing prominence in global health leadership.

This recognition was announced in a press statement signed by Alaba Balogun, Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations, on Thursday.

Alaba said that Prof. Pate’s selection was an acknowledgement of

his decades-long commitment to health equity, system reform, and primary healthcare advancement.

“Under his leadership and aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Nigeria is undergoing a historic transformation in its health sector focused on improved governance, better health outcomes, unlocking healthcare value chains, and bolstering health security”.

Alaba said that Mrs. Ladidi K.

Bako-Aiyegbusi, was honoured for her pioneering leadership in advancing national nutrition policy and driving systemic food and nutrition reforms.

“Her work has been instrumental in improving maternal and child nutrition outcomes and reducing malnutrition across vulnerable populations through multisectoral, evidence-based strategies.

She has led several high-impact initiatives, including:,” he said.

250 Communities Partner PINL to Renaissance Africa Provides Medical Outreach to 5,000 Combat Pipeline Vandalism in Niger Delta Bayelsans, Equipment, Drugs to ICU in Rivers Hospital Ejiofor Alike in Lagos and Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa About 5,000 residents of two local government areas in Bayelsa State are expected to benefit from a 10-day free medical outreach organised by Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited.

General Manager, Relations and Sustainable Development at Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, Mr Igo Weli, who announced the outreach yesterday during a ceremony at Kaima Referral Hospital, said the programme was designed to enhance healthcare delivery to the people.

Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited and its joint venture partners, including Nigerian National Petroleum Company

Limited (NNPC), also donated vital medical equipment and essential drugs to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), in demonstration of their commitment to strengthening healthcare in their operational areas.

The outreach in Bayelsa State is a continuation of “Bayelsa Vision Plus”, designed to carry out free eye surgeries in 23 communities in the state.

The programme, organised in collaboration with Bayelsa State Ministry of Health, Kolmarg Eyesight Foundation, Uzu Field, GSW, and Epu2 Project Team, offers a wide range of accessible quality health care services.

It was flagged off in Kaima community, Kolokuma/Opokuna

Local Government Area of the state.

Speaking yesterday during the opening ceremony at Kaima Referral Hospital, Weli, who was represented

by Community Relations Manager, Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, Mr. Evans Krukrubo, explained that the medical outreach was a programme of “Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited and our joint venture partners, the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, TotalEnergies, and Agip Energy and Natural Resources.”

Weli added, “This is a 10-day community-focused initiative that provides comprehensive eye care services to people of communities that house projects of the Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited.

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

Stakeholders from 250 oil-bearing communities in the Niger Delta have expressed commitment to collaborate with Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) in the fight against oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the region.

The stakeholders made the commitment yesterday in Port Harcourt at a meeting organised by PINL to appraise the company’s operation on the Trans Niger Pipeline.

Earlier, in his opening remarks, Community Relations Consultant at PINL, Dr. Akpos Mezeh, said the essence of the gathering was to reflect on the journey so far and strategise for future success.

Mezeh explained, “PINL’s mandate to protect the Trans Niger Pipeline has been achieved through engagements with the host communities. This collaborative approach has not only led to stronger relations but

also forged a united front against pipeline vandalism.”

Mezeh outlined PINL’s achievements, including social investments based on needs assessments, environmental restoration, and improved crude oil production.

He said the company had achieved near-zero infractions on the Trans Niger Pipeline, which had boosted investor confidence in the economy and led to increased national revenue.

Mezeh also highlighted factors driving the company’s success, including timely salary payments to surveillance guards, commitment to community welfare, and prioritisation of workers’ safety.

“We are passionate about the safety of workers and the people living in our host communities,” he added.

Mezeh added, “One of our challenges has to do with the prosecution of arrested criminals.

Also, leadership tussles in some communities affect progress. I want to appeal to our community leaders not to see the struggle for positions as a do-or-die affair. We also need to address stakeholder and community connivance in pipeline damage.”

He stressed that with continuous cooperation from communities and government security agencies, the mandate of the company would be completely achieved.

At the meeting, traditional leaders, civil society groups, and government representatives took turns to commend PINL and raise critical issues.

The paramount ruler of Eleme, in Rivers State, His Royal Majesty, Philip Osaro Obelle, praised the company’s engagement strategy.

Obelle said, “PINL, you are doing something unique through frequent communication. When you keep people in the dark, they speculate negatively. I must commend you for this interaction with stakeholder.”

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GIVING BACK TO THE SOCIETY...

L-R: Chief Medical Director, Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Professor Chizindu Alikor; General Manager, Relations and Sustainable Development, Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, Mr. Igo Weli; Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Health, Dr. Comfort Mekele Igwe; and Stakeholder Relations Lead, NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services, Mrs. Uzo Ejidoh, at the presentation of key medical equipment and drugs to the Intensive Care Unit of the teaching hospital in Port Harcourt, Rivers State…Wednesday

Dangote Visits NNPC in Bid to Mend Relationship Soured Under Mele Kyari Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The President and Chief Executive of the Dangote Group, Mr. Aliko Dangote, yesterday visited the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) in an apparent move to mend the strained relationship between both companies during the leadership of the erstwhile Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr Mele Kyari.

In a message on its X handle, the national oil company stated that during the meeting, discussions

centred on “promoting mutually beneficial partnerships and fostering healthy competition between the two companies towards ensuring the nation’s energy security and advancing shared prosperity for Nigerians.”

Under the erstwhile leadership, the relationship between both companies was mostly tense, especially since the 650,000 barrels per day facility located in Lagos began processing petroleum products.

First, although the NNPC pursued a strategic stake in the Dangote

Refinery initially, announcing its plan to acquire a 20 per cent equity stake in the facility for $2.76 billion, however, after an initial payment of $1 billion, the NNPC decided to reduce its equity share to about 7.2 per cent .

At the time, Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the Dangote Group, publicly stated that the NNPC failed to meet the agreed funding milestones, reason the deal was partly called off. The NNPC later boasted that its the $1 billion investment was substantially responsible for the success of the

refinery.

But in a statement, the Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer of the Dangote Group, Anthony Chiejina, said the NNPC’s stance was a distortion of the facts.

“We would like to clarify that this is a misrepresentation of the situation as $1 billion is just about 5 per cent of the investment that went into building the Dangote Refinery,” Chiejina said.

Besides, the NNPC and the Dangote Refinery entered into crude oil supply agreements, which Africa’s

richest man consistently flayed the national oil company for not meeting, thereby creating early operational challenges for the facility.

But the issue that mostly drew public attention was the alleged continuous importation of petroleum products by the NNPC, despite its public claims of ending imports, and despite the refinery ramping up capacity to meet domestic fuel demand.

The situation escalated when Dangote Industries accused NNPC of anti-competitive practices and

Musawa, Keyamo, Tunji-Ojo, Oduwole, Fashola, Saraki, Others Emphasise Need for Collaboration to Expand Nigeria’s GDP Charles Ajunwa Experts and stakeholders in the tourism sector yesterday underscored the need for collaboration among federal and state government ministries and agencies in the effort to expand Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

They said access to finance and infrastructural development were critical in attracting foreign direct investment and building a robust economy.

The views emerged yesterday at the inaugural National Tourism Summit held at Koko Beach Hotels and Resorts in Lagos.

Former Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, delivered the keynote address at the summit.

Fashola, a former Governor of

Lagos State, called for collaboration between federal and sub-national governments, stating that there are 170 tourism assets in Nigeria that should be promoted globally.

He said tourism was “a local issue, not a federal government issue”, adding, however, that the federal government has a crucial role to play in supporting the tourism sector.

Fashola emphasised the need for visa on arrival to promote inbound tourism. He said as Minister of Power he had ensured that Koko community was connected to power nine years ago, a move he said helped in the growth of the hospitality business in the coastline beaches of Lagos State.

He expressed delight at the forum, which brought together stakeholders at Koko Beach. Fashola stated, “I think that the message that will

come out of here is that Nigerians in both private and public sector are very deliberate and intentional about driving the opportunities that already exist in the tourism industry.

The creatives started without any deliberate design. The hospitality industry is already heading that way.

“This time government and private sector should be leading justly. The boat has already set sail, as I said, but it can do with another wind in the sail by all of you who have authority for how we manage visitors into our borders, visa issues, our own deliberate courtesy, receiving visitors with a smile on our faces, never saying a bad word, showing our best foot forward and putting it forward at all times. Those are things of intention.”

The former minister added, “We have schools of hospitality and tour-

ism. These are the things that the local authorities now, state and local governments, should be collaborating to create a new workforce of people, particularly skilled to discharge the tourism. If you want to take money from me as a tourist, you have to smile, you have to be nice. This is a big first step and I’m sure that there will be many other steps.”

Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, in her welcome address, said Nigeria’s diversity “speaks to her landscape”, adding, “Nigeria is

Stakeholders Urge Govt to De-risk Business Climate, Fund Young Innovators James Emejo in Abuja

ACCI President Urges FG to Fast-Track Currency Swap Mechanism to Ease Trade with China James Emejo in Abuja The President of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), Chief Emeka Obegolu, yesterday called on the federal government to fast-track the full implementation and expansion of the Nigeria–China currency swap agreement.

Obegolu said the strategic move will enhance the ease of doing business with China.

He also said that the current swap agreement, which was recently renewed at N3.28 trillion (15 billion Yuan), remained inadequate in comparison to the growing trade

volume between Nigeria and China.

The ACCI president made the call during a courtesy visit to the Nigerian Embassy in Beijing, China, where he expressed deep concern over the growing difficulties Nigerian businesses face in transacting with Chinese partners, especially around currency exchange and international payments.

In a statement issued by ACCI Media and Strategy Officer, Olayemi John-Mensah, the ACCI president said, “We have received numerous reports of Nigerian entrepreneurs losing substantial amounts of money while trying to transfer legitimate business

funds to China due to informal and risky currency exchange mechanisms.

“Some have become victims of outright fraud. This undermines trust, trade integrity, and the sustainability of our commercial relationship with China.”

Obegolu, who is the leader of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its environs, further described the Nigeria–China currency swap agreement as a commendable initiative that remains significantly underutilised, currently accounting for less than 10 per cent of annual bilateral trade.

a phenomenal. We want to open the potential in tourism and add value.”

She said her ministry wanted to “use tourism to bring the world to Nigeria”, and boost the economy, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The minister highlighted efforts by the federal government to strengthen the tourism value chain.

“I’m very comfortable and elated that this first National Tourism Summit is taking place here at Koko Beach Hotels and Resorts,” Musawa said.

filed a legal suit. The core of the case centered on NNPC allegedly refusing to offtake refined products from Dangote while continuing imports, thereby disrupting local market dynamics and undermining national refining goals.

“Earlier today, Group CEO of NNPC Ltd., Mr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, received a delegation from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals (DPRP), led by the President/CEO of the Dangote Group, Mr. Aliko Dangote, on a courtesy visit.

“Mr. Dangote, while emphasising the need for collaborative efforts to turn impossibilities into realities, praised the composition of the new NNPC Ltd. management team, which possesses requisite experience and deep industry knowledge,” the NNPC posted.

On his part, the GCEO lauded Dangote as a ‘humble’ African leader whose achievements have brought pride to the continent.

Ojulari added that since coming on board, he has met exceptional talent within NNPC Ltd., who are keen on giving their best for the country’s growth and development.

“Both executives also committed to being the Relationship Managers for their respective organisations through sustained productive collaboration and healthy competition, thereby envisioning limitless opportunities for both organisations,” the NNPC added.

Stakeholders yesterday called on government to do more to de-risk the business environment and catalyse financing to budding entrepreneurs.

They said young entrepreneurs were job creators, who contributed to poverty reduction.

The stakeholders spoke at the launch of the Rise and Thrive Young Entrepreneurs Acceleration Programme by the De-Nexus Centre, in partnership with the African School of Economics (ASE) in Abuja.

The forum identified access to finance, lack technical skills, dearth of business ethics, and difficulty presenting proposals or even knowing how to begin as challenges affecting young entrepreneurs.

The participants urged a united effort by government and private sector operators and well-meaning individuals to surmount the limita-

tions.

Founder, De-Nexus Centre, Princess Gloria Akobundu, emphasised the need to build a solid foundation for young entrepreneurs to thrive.

She told THISDAY, “Many people have great ideas but don’t know how to execute them. That’s why we’re here — to help. Some government policies may seem difficult, but they’re not impossible.

“We teach how to navigate them, and our partners — including bankers — guide entrepreneurs on business planning, applying for loans, and managing savings.

“You can’t expect to earn N1,000 and spend N500 immediately, and still expect to succeed in business.

You need discipline.”

Akobundu also told the participants, “We help shape the future of business through mentorship and guidance. Starting is hard, but staying focused, persistent, and

goal-oriented is key.

“Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

That’s how you learn. If you remain resilient and courageous, you’ll overcome any challenge.”

She emphasised the need to stop expecting jobs from the government and “realise we can create jobs ourselves”.

She said, “Progress won’t come from fighting and complaining. It comes from love for our country, partnering with the government, and building a peaceful and supportive environment.”

Co-founder/Chief Operating Officer (COO), BuyPower Nigeria, Mr. Oladipo Asehinde, said at the occasion that small businesses remained at the heart of economic development in any nation.

Asehinde said entrepreneurs faced many challenges in Africa, and Nigeria, particularly, adding that these problems need to be addressed.

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NEWS

MTN COMMUNICATIONS SUSTAINABILITY REPORT PRESENTATION...

L- R: Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), Mr. Jude Chiemeka; Chairman, Social, Ethics and Sustainability Committee, MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and Pioneer Chairman, NGX, Mr. Abubakar B. Mahmoud, SAN; Group Managing Director/CEO, Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group), Mr. Temi Popoola, and CEO, NGX Regulation Limited (NGX RegCo), Mr. Olufemi Shobanjo, during the ‘Facts Behind the Sustainability Report’ presentation by MTN Nigeria Communications Plc in Lagos…yesterday

Court Dismisses MultiChoice Suit against FCCPC, Says Agency Can’t Fix Prices in Free Market Economy Alex Enumah and James Emejo in Abuja A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed the suit by MultiChoice challenging the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s (FCCPC) intervention in the recent increase in the subscription prices of DStv and GOtv. Justice James Omotosho dismissed the suit for been an abuse of court process while delivering ruling in the preliminary objection against the suit by the FCCPC. MultiChoice Nigeria, the parent company of DStv and GOtv, had dragged the FCCPC to court for intervening in its recent subscription price hike.

MultiChoice had in late February announced an increase in subscription rates of DStv and GOtv by up to 25 per cent effective from March 1, 2025.

The organisation stated that the increment was occasioned by rising inflation and operational cost.

Responding, the FCCPC opposed the move, and call for regulatory review, while threatening sanctions of MultiChoice fails to shelve the planned price increase.

Miffed by this intervention, the firm approached the Federal High Court to challenge the powers of the agency to prevent it from increasing the prices of its goods and services.

But, the court, presided over by Justice James Omotosho, yesterday ruled that MultiChoice’s suit was duplicative and improper, given the existence of a similar matter involving

the same parties pending before another court.

Consequently, the court struck out the application in its entirety.

The judge stressed that the plaintiff should have pursued its arguments in that court, rendering the current filing procedurally inappropriate.

However, having dismissed the suit on grounds of been an abuse of court processes, the judge looked at the merit and noted that the

Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s (FCCPC) did not have the necessary powers to intervene in the recent increase in subscription prices of DStv and GOtv. According to the judge, the federal agency cannot impose price control of goods and services without the approval of the president.

He observed that although the FCCPC has investigative powers under its establishing Act, it the

agency lacked the authority to fix or suspend prices unless specifically delegated by the President through a gazetted instrument.

He observed that in the instant case no evidence of such delegation was presented to the court.

“The power to fix prices is exclusively that of the President.

Any decision taken without such delegation is a nullity,” he stated.

Besides, the judge stated that Nigeria operates a free market

As community’s court begins landmark external session in Lagos, hears 35 cases across W/Africa Michael Olugbode in Abuja and Wale Igbintade in Lagos Member states of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have been asked to adopt a new regional strategy of eliminating all taxes on air travel in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.

The advice was given by a committee of aviation experts at the Sixth Legislature Delocalised Meeting of the Joint Committee on Infrastructure, Energy and Mines, Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources of ECOWAS Parliament held in Lomé, Togo.

In another development, ECOWAS Community Court of Justice commenced a landmark external session in Lagos yesterday, reaffirming its dedication to justice, regional integration, and human rights protection in West Africa.

During the opening ceremony of the meeting, ECOWAS Court President, Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves, who delivered the keynote address, thanked the government and people of Lagos State for their warm hospitality and support.

The meeting attracted dignitaries from across the region, reflecting the court’s growing visibility and influence.

ECOWAS also proposed a 25 per cent reduction in airport passenger service and security charges, effective from January 1, 2026, following consultations with airport and civil aviation authorities.

The committee emphasised that savings from those measures must be reflected in ticket pricing structures, urging airlines to pass on the benefits to consumers.

Airports were encouraged to adopt business-friendly practices to improve efficiency, cut costs, and grow non-aeronautical revenue streams.

An oversight committee was expected to be established by June to monitor implementation, while the full proposal awaited formal

President gets NIESV grand patron investiture President Bola Tinubu yesterday reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the growth of the real estate sector in Nigeria, noting that ongoing efforts to reform the sector vis-a-vis the tax system were unavoidable.

Speaking in Abuja at the opening of the 55th Annual National Conference of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), the president argued that while the reforms are tough, they are aimed at creating a conducive environment for investment, especially in the real estate sector.

Tinubu, who also got an investiture as the Grand Patron of NIESV was represented at the event

untenable.

“The use of services like those provided by the plaintiff is discretionary and not essential. Nigeria can do without it,” he added.

He warned that attempts to fix prices by regulatory bodies could scare off investors and harm the economy.

The court held that while the FCCPC may investigate market practices, it cannot impose price controls without proper legal backing.

ECOWAS Member States Asked to Eliminate Taxes on Air Travel to Develop Aviation Industry

Tinubu Pledges Support for Real Estate Sector, Says Ongoing Reforms Unavoidable Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

system, and as such service providers like MultiChoice retains the right to set their prices, with consumers free to accept or reject them.

The judge further ruled that FCCPC’s actions, including directing MultiChoice to suspend its price increase, breached the company’s right to fair hearing and appeared selectively targeted.

He dismissed the FCCPC’s claim that MultiChoice held a dominant market position, calling the argument

tagged: “Transform, Invest, Thrive: Optimising Real Estate Asset Finance and Taxation”, by the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa.

According to the president, recent tax reforms and fiscal policy shifts are strategic efforts to ensure Nigeria’s economic survival and diversification.

Tinubu stated that the reforms aim to create a conducive environment for investment, especially in the real estate sector, which he described as critical to job creation and long-term national stability.

“These policies are not meant to punish Nigerians, but are unavoidable solutions to save the economy from total collapse and ensure that our future is not jeopardised. To prioritise economic diversification, we must

open up the space for revenue streams.

“This informed our drive to include policies that enhance income from taxation, ensuring fairness and transparency are not lacking in the process,” the president pointed out.

Describing the reforms as deliberate and strategic, Tinubu stated that it was a courageous and bold move that epitomised his government’s resolve to address the ‘suffocating’ economic challenges that were besetting the nation, with a focus on sectors that can offer inclusive and sustainable growth like the real estate sector.

“Your role as real estate practitioners, specifically estate surveyors and valuers in this process is crucial and indispensable. When we align the proposed tax reform with the theme

of your conference, it becomes crystal clear that the Nigerian institution of estate surveyors and valuers is as concerned and interested as other Nigerians in this process.

“Your professional and strategic importance to our tax reform process cannot be overstated. My administration will partner with you in our drive to ensure that the policy objectives of the best tax administration and revenue utilisation are delivered to the benefits of all Nigerians,” he stated.

Also speaking, the Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Dr. Zaccheaus Adedeji, emphasised the need for comprehensive tax reforms to unlock the full potential of Nigeria’s real estate sector.

endorsement by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in the coming months.

According to the report submitted for review by the consultant, the regional organs must ensure that airports embrace business practices that will enable them to cover the 25 per cent reduction.

Director for Transport at the ECOWAS Commission, Chris Appiah, while speaking with journalists, highlighted the transformative potential of the policy.

Appiah stated that cancelling certain taxes and reducing charges by 25 per cent could stimulate air travel demand in the sub-region by up to 40 per cent.

He said, “We’ve conducted comprehensive studies and found that ECOWAS airports charge significantly more than their counterparts elsewhere in Africa - up to 103 per cent more in passenger service charges and 53 per cent more in security charges.”

He explained that the policy aimed to remove taxes that are non-compliant with ICAO standards, such as security and tourism levies, and ensure transparent pricing structures. “You don’t tax air transport to promote tourism - it defeats the purpose.”

The policy dates back to a 2014 summit of ECOWAS Heads of State in Abuja, where leaders recognised the economic implications of exorbitant airfares and tasked the commission with developing a solution.

Working with global and regional partners, including IATA, AFRAA, AFCAC, and the African Union, ECOWAS crafted a harmonised strategy to align with international best practices.

Appiah revealed that simulations show air traffic in the region could surge by over 40 per cent within a year of implementing the proposed

changes, potentially generating over $500 million in additional revenue.

“Reducing charges will not reduce revenue; rather, it will increase it by stimulating demand,” he said.

He pointed out that the topperforming airports and airlines in Africa - mostly from North, East, and Southern Africa - operated under zero-tax regimes on air transport services.

In contrast, ECOWAS airports lag behind, with only Lagos and Accra featuring in the top 10 busiest intra-African routes.

Implementation, however, rests with individual member states.

“ECOWAS will lead coordination, but each government must engage its finance ministries and parliaments to remove the identified taxes and reduce charges,” Appiah emphasised.

The strategy also includes a push for better collaboration among airlines through code-sharing and joint ventures. This would allow passengers to travel across the region using multiple carriers under a single ticket, reducing operational costs and boosting efficiency.

“For instance, Air Peace could partner with ASKY or Air Côte d’Ivoire to serve regional routes more cost-effectively,” said Appiah.

“This is standard practice in global aviation and can help reduce fares significantly,” he added.

He further stressed the importance of private sector leadership in the air transport industry. Appiah stated, “Government-run airlines often suffer from inefficiency and bureaucracy. The best results come when the public sector creates an enabling environment, and the private sector handles operations.”

Citing successful models, like Ethiopian Airlines, Appiah said even state-owned carriers must operate independently of government bureaucracy to thrive.

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Bill Gates to Give Away over $200bn, 99% of Total Wealth to Charity Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Billionaire tech mogul, Bill Gates, announced on Thursday that he will double his charitable giving to $200 billion over the next 20 years.

In a blog post, the Microsoft cofounder wrote that he was motivated by the many challenges facing the world, such as children’s health and climate change, as well as the late Andrew Carnegie’s admonishment of wealth hoarding.

“People will say a lot of things about me when I die, but I am determined that ‘he died rich’ will not be one of them,” Gates wrote.

“There are too many urgent problems to solve for me to hold onto resources that could be used to help people,” he said.

Gates is currently the world’s fifth richest person with a $168 billion fortune, according to the Bloomberg

Billionaires Index. The $200 billion commitment assumes his charitable foundation’s endowment will grow through investments.

The Gates Foundation, founded

by Gates and his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, in 2000, has already given away more than $100 billion.

After Bill Gates has given away “virtually all” of his wealth, the foundation will close at the end of 2045, he said.

Gates is one of few billionaires to publicly step up their charitable giving as nonprofits and universities reel from federal funding cuts.

Despite his increase in giving, he said philanthropists cannot cover the multibillion-dollar foreign aid cuts by the U.S. and other wealthy countries.

“The United States, United Kingdom, France, and other countries around the world are cutting their

aid budgets by tens of billions of dollars. And no philanthropic organisation—even one the size of the Gates Foundation—can make up the gulf in funding that’s emerging right now,” he wrote.

“It’s unclear whether the world’s richest countries will continue to stand up for its poorest people,” he stressed.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Gates criticized Elon Musk for his role in cutting U.S. foreign aid. In February, Musk’s so-called Department of Governmental Efficiency effectively shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The federal agency disbursed $42.5 billion in 2023, according to government data, that provided lifesaving assistance, including health care, clean water and food across the globe.

Bill Gates “The picture of the world’s richest man killing the world’s poorest children is not a pretty one,” Gates told the Financial Times.

In early March, the agency estimated that the cuts would have dire consequences, including

1 million children with severe acute malnutrition going untreated and up to 166,000 additional deaths from malaria, a CNBC report said.

Gates, his then-wife and Warren Buffett founded the Giving Pledge in 2010 as a commitment for the world’s

richest people to give away more than half their wealth in their lifetime or wills. French Gates has since stepped down from the Gates Foundation but has her own philanthropic organization.

Musk has signed the Giving Pledge. Gates told the New York Times that he doesn’t know whether Musk will follow through.

“The Giving Pledge — an unusual aspect of it that you can wait until you die and still fulfill it. So who knows? He could go on to be a great philanthropist,” he said before pointing to Musk’s involvement in the foreign aid cuts.

Musk has given away less than 1 per cent of his wealth, according to Forbes. The publication estimates his out-the-door giving — gifts that have been paid, not just pledged or parked in a foundation — at $620 million over his lifetime through 2023.

FIRST AMERICAN, ROBERT PREVOST, ELECTED POPE, BECOMES LEO XIV at St. Peter’s Square.

“Peace be with you all,” he told the cheering crowd in fluent Italian.

Leo, who became the church’s 267th pope, also spoke in Spanish but not English in his brief address. Leo thanked Pope Francis and repeated his predecessor’s call for a church that is engaged with the modern world and “is always looking for peace, charity and being close to people, especially those who are suffering.”

During his remarks, Pope Leo XIV thanked his fellow cardinals for choosing him to lead the Catholic Church.

“I should also like to thank all my cardinal brethren who have chosen me to be the successor of Peter and to walk with you as a united church. Always seeking peace and justice. Seeking to work with men and women who are faithful to Jesus Christ without fear to proclaim the gospel to be missionaries,” he said.

Addressing the crowd in St Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to the late Pope Francis, urging the crowd to remember his predecessor’s legacy.

“Let us keep in our ears the weak voice of Pope Francis that blesses Rome. The Pope who blessed Rome, gave his blessing to the entire world that morning of Easter. Allow me to follow up on that blessing. God loves us. God loves everyone. Evil will not prevail,” he said in Italian

while addressing the crowd gathered at the Vatican.

The new Pope was not one of the names mentioned frequently as top contenders to succeed Francis, who died April 21. He had attracted interest from his peers because of his quiet style and backing of Francis’ 12-year papacy, especially his devotion to social justice issues, a report by USA Today, said.

Leo is considered a centrist, and perhaps a compromise choice, but is not seen as open to the LGBTQ+ community the way Francis was, it added.

Just an hour before Prevost was introduced as pope, a crowd that had stood watch for hours with eyes glued to the Sistine Chapel chimney roared in elation as white smoke poured into the sky and bells tolled across the plaza, signaling the selection of a new leader of the church’s 1.4 billion members.

Prevost earned his bachelor’s in mathematics from Villanova University in Pennsylvania and went on to receive his diploma in theology from the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago.

He was later sent to Rome to study canon law at the Pontifical Saint Thomas Aquinas University and was ordained as a priest in June 1982. Later in his career, he taught canon law in the seminary in Trujillo, Peru.

Earlier, the cardinals spent the

morning shut off from the world, inside the historic chapel adorned with frescoes from Michelangelo and other Renaissance artists.

They prayed for guidance and conducted two secretive votes, trying to determine new leadership for the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics.

The electors returned to their living quarters, Casa Santa Marta, for lunch and reconvened late Thursday afternoon.

The second day of the conclave came after the first vote Wednesday failed to name a successor to Francis.

Before Prevost was picked, some of the cardinals frequently mentioned as candidates to succeed Francis included: Non-Italians Luis Antonio Tagle, 67, of the Philippines, a liberal sometimes referred to as “Francis 2,” France’s Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille, and Peter Erdo, 72, of Hungary, who was considered a favourite among the more conservative cardinals.

There had been 266 popes, and 217 of the have been Italian. Italy had strong contenders this time, too, including cardinals Pietro Parolin, 70, the Vatican Secretary of State who is considered a moderate, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, 60, the patriarch of Jerusalem who once offered to become a hostage of Hamas in return for the release of children, and Matteo Zuppi, 69, a close associate of Francis.

While it is often said cardinal electors would always shy away from choosing a pope from the US due to America’s outsized global political influence, Prevost’s long experience in Peru may have mitigated those fears among the electors, a CNN report said.

Meanwhile, several world leaders continued to send their congratulatory messages to the the Catholic Church leader.

President Bola Tinubu offered his warmest felicitations to His Holiness, Leo XIV on his election as the Bishop of Rome and the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

The President, in a statement issued on by his Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, also congratulated The Conclave for electing the American as the 267th Bishop of Rome.

Tinubu rejoiced with the leadership of and congregants of the Catholic Church in Nigeria on the historic election of the new Pontiff whose message of faith and hope, he said, already resonates across the globe, with a reassurance from the scriptures of a more peaceful world.

The president affirmed the valued relations shared between Nigeria and the Holy See over many years while acknowledging the rewarding partnership with the Catholic Church in peacebuilding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, and, more recently, the promotion

Goldberg to Celebrate Cultural Brilliance at 2025 AMVCA Cultural Night Chinedu Eze Goldberg, Nigeria’s iconic lager beer, has announced its sponsorship of the 11th Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) Cultural Night, scheduled to hold today, May 9, 2025, at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos.

The AMVCAs remain the most prestigious celebration of African film and television honouring remarkable contributions to storytelling and artistic expression across the continent.

The Cultural Night, one of the most anticipated events in the AMVCA line-up, serves as a vibrant platform to showcase Africa’s rich heritage, indigenous fashion, music, and creative expression.

A key highlight of Goldberg’s sponsorship is the brand’s commitment to rewarding creative expression through fashion.

The Best Dressed Male and Female at the Cultural Night will each receive 1 million, recognising individuals whose

attire reflects elegance, innovation, and cultural depth.

The AMVCA Cultural Night is one of the most anticipated and prestigious events in the African entertainment calendar, known for its celebration of Africa’s rich cultural heritage.

The night spotlights the creativity, passion, and innovation that define African fashion, music, film, and artistry. It is a dazzling showcase of African excellence, where the brightest talents come together to honor the creative spirit that transcends borders.

From the elegance of the red carpet to the vibrant performances, the AMVCA Cultural Night provides a platform for individuals to express their cultural pride, making it an unforgettable celebration of African culture.

The night provides the perfect stage to further express Goldberg’s “Goldstandard” campaign, which has been running since the beginning of the year. As the AMVCA’s focus on creativity, artistic achievement, and excel-

lence resonates deeply with Goldberg’s mission to redefine what it means to be exceptional.

As Goldberg embraces its identity as a national brand, the Goldstandard campaign amplifies the message that excellence knows no boundaries. From the excitement of the Cultural Night to the everyday triumphs of its consumers, Goldberg is positioning itself as a symbol of pride and aspiration for all Nigerians, transcending cultural and regional boundaries.

“Goldberg is more than a drink; it is a symbol of identity, heritage, and the collective pride we share as Africans,” said Kunle Aroyehun, Senior Brand Manager, Goldberg.

“Our sponsorship of the AMVCA Cultural Night allows us to stand side by side with the continent’s brightest talents, those who continue to shape narratives and elevate our culture on a global stage.”

The 11th AMVCA Cultural Night will be a landmark celebration of African creativity and

cultural expression, celebrating those who truly embody the Gold Standard.

of technology in advancing human capacity.

Tinubu said he believed the election of Pope Leo XIV opens a new chapter in the history of the Catholic Church and the values of love, humanity and charity, particularly to the underprivileged that it has consistently projected.

He prayed that God will continuously shed his light of glory over the new leader of the Catholic Church and grant him good health and wisdom so that he can reach the world with the message of peace and love.

Besides, President Donald Trump celebrated the news that the college of cardinals elected its first American pope, calling the news “a Great Honour for our Country.”

“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope,” Trump wrote.

“It is such an honour to realise that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!” he added.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni remarked on the importance of his first remarks in the Vatican, which focused on peace, brotherhood and responsibility, “in a time marked by conflict and unrest”.

“A spiritual legacy that follows the path traced by Pope Francis, and that Italy looks at with respect and hope,” Meloni said in a post to X. President of the European Commission,Ursula von der Leyen, also congratulated Pope Leo XIV on behalf of the European Union, where millions of civilians draw “daily inspiration from the church”.

“We are confident that Pope Leo XIV will use his voice on the global stage to promote these shared values and encourage unity in the pursuit of a more just and compassionate

world,” von der Leyen said.

“The European Union stands ready to work closely with the Holy See to confront global challenges and nurture a spirit of solidarity, respect and kindness,” the commission chief added.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also congratulated the new pope, writing on X: “May your pontificate contribute to strengthening dialogue and the defense of human rights in a world in need of hope and unity.”

In “A Prayerful Salutation to the New Holy Father: Pope Leo XIV”, former Governor of Anambra state and presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, said the Pope’s emergence at this critical time in the life of the Church and the world was a profound blessing - one that reaffirms the enduring presence of divine guidance in our shared human journey.

“The inaugural address of Pope Leo XIV was both reassuring and inspiring. It radiated humility, moral clarity, and a renewed call to justice, peace, and solidarity with the most vulnerable. In a world overwhelmed by division and despair, his words have rekindled hope in the hearts of millions.

“A member of the Order of Saint Augustine, Pope Leo XIV is a seasoned missionary, a respected canon lawyer, and the former Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. His decades of pastoral service, especially in Peru, and his global ecclesial experience are invaluable gifts to the Universal Church and the whole world.

“As a firm believer in moral leadership, I pray that his pontificate will be marked by deep spiritual renewal, courageous dialogue, unwavering service to humanity, and fidelity to the Gospel message,” Obi wrote on his X handle.

IMF CONFIRMS NIGERIA HAS REPAID $3.4BN LOANS, BUT EXPECTED TO PAY $30M IN SPECIAL DRAWING RIGHTS ANNUALLY charges of about US$30 million annually. In line with the IMF’s Articles of Agreements, these charges, levied at the SDR interest rate, which is updated at the beginning of each week, apply to the difference between Nigeria’s SDR holdings (SDR 3,164 million) (US$4.3 billion) and its cumulative SDR allocation (SDR 4,027 million) (US$5.5 billion).

“The net payment of the charges stops when Nigeria’s SDR holdings reach the cumulative allocation amount.”

An SDR an international reserve asset created by the IMF to supplement the official reserves of its member countries, to US dollars.

The IMF had removed Nigeria from its list of debtor-countries, according to a report titled: ‘Total IMF Credit Outstanding - Movement from May 01, 2025 to May 06, 2025,” obtained on the multilateral institution’s website on Wednesday.

On the list, Nigeria was not among

the IMF debtors. The list had a total of 91 developing and least developed countries owing the Fund a total of $117,797,656,224 as at 6th of May 2025.

Total IMF credit outstanding refers to the total amount of unpaid and outstanding principal due to the Fund from its member countries.

This includes both outstanding loans under current arrangements and those that have expired.

The IMF recently commended Nigeria’s ongoing economic reforms, describing them as bold measures that have helped stabilise the economy and laid the groundwork for future growth.

The IMF in its 2025 Article IV Consultation Mission to Nigeria, last month by a team led by Axel Schimmelpfennig stated: “The Nigerian authorities have taken important steps to stabilise the economy, enhance resilience, and support growth. These reforms have put Nigeria in a better position to

navigate the external environment.

“The macroeconomic outlook is marked by significant uncertainty.

Elevated global risk sentiment and lower oil prices impact the Nigerian economy.

“Macroeconomic policies need to further strengthen buffers and resilience, reduce inflation, and support private sector-led growth.”

Schimmelpfennig in the statement had noted that the cessation of deficit financing by the CBN, the removal of costly fuel subsidies, and improvements in the foreign exchange market were major policy shifts that signaled a commitment to reform.

He stated: “The Nigerian authorities have taken important steps to stabilise the economy, enhance resilience, and support growth. The financing of the fiscal deficit by the central bank has ceased, costly fuel subsidies were removed, and the functioning of the foreign exchange market has improved.”

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T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY MAY 9, 2025

POLITICS

Acting Group Politics Editor DEJI ELUMOYE Email: deji.elumoye@thisdaylive.com 08033025611 SMS ONLY

Yet Another Boost to Oyebanji’s Second Term Bid as Ekiti Gov Raheem Akingbolu captures Ekiti North Senatorial District’s recent stakeholders’ meeting of the All Progressive Congress, saying it was a boost to Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s second term bid.

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hree months ago, when the people of Ekiti Central Senatorial District endorsed Governor Abiodun Oyebanji for another term as governor of Ekiti State, during a stakeholders’ meeting in Ado Ekiti, it was viewed from many quarters as a natural occurrence because the governor hails from the senatorial district. Two months before then, a similar meeting of APC stakeholders was held in Ikere Ekiti where leaders from the 64 wards in Ekiti South Senatorial district spoke with one voice and endorsed Oyebanji and his deputy, Princess Monisade Afuye, for a second term. Of course, it was also assumed that the decision was taken because the deputy governor was from Ikere, a prominent town in the South Senatorial District.

But political analysts who understand the trend of Ekiti politics were quick to conclude that ‘There’s more to the endorsement than meets the eye’. For instance, at a forum in Ado Ekiti a week after the event, a Political Science lecturer at Ekiti State University, Dr. Mike Omilusi had predicted that the endorsement that came with the meeting was a positive signal for Oyebanji as he warmed up for his second term in office.

According to the university teacher, “The recent declaration by political stakeholders in Ekiti Central Senatorial District that Governor Oyebanji should start preparing for a second term contest is a good signal for him and those in his camp.

“Though this is natural in politics, what I find strange and unprecedented, is the governor’s acceptability across party lines. From members of the Peoples Democratic Party to those in the Social Democratic Party and even the neutrals, everybody appears to have united behind Oyebanji. It’s unprecedented, and it speaks to a lot of other positive developments for the governor as we approach the Ekiti election period.”

As observed by Omilusi, the dust of the Ado Ekiti event was yet to settle when the news went round that the people of Ekiti North Senatorial District had concluded to organise a similar meeting to endorse Oyebanji. However, if the two previous meetings were kept under wraps with little or no build-up to herald the event, the Ekiti North people told whoever cared to listen that they were out to celebrate Oyebanji’s achievement in office.

To this end, for days before the event, public announcements rented the air, inviting stakeholders from 59 wards across the five Local Government Areas in the Senatorial District.

But, on Tuesday, 29th April, 2025, the day of the event, nature called and heavy downpour took over the early part of the day. While members of the public viewed this as a setback, the rank and file of APC in the senatorial district saw the rain as a blessing and sign of a political fortune for Oyebanji and APC. True to type, despite the rain, party members from all the towns and villages in the senatorial district came out and converged on Ido Ekiti venue of the event. Compared to the previous meetings, the Ido stakeholders’ gathering was in a class of its own in all fronts.

Among other features, the meeting was bigger, more colourful, and involved both politicians and non-politicians. One after the other, representatives of the stakeholders, including political office holders, teachers, artisans, and drivers, all came out to lend their voices and endorse the governor for the second term.

A former House of Representatives who is currently a Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on National Assembly matters, Hon. Ibrahim Olarewaju described the meeting as a gathering of who is who in Ekiti North political family. Olarewaju, who spoke on behalf of the people of Moba Local Government, said Governor Oyebanji has further shown Ekiti people that democracy is working.

“In Governor Oyebanji, I see a leader who wants the best for all. In Oyebanji, I see a governor who is committed to lifting Ekiti, and I see a governor who is selfless and good to all.

For us in Ekiti North, we chose to endorse Mr. Governor, because we have seen his footprints in all the nooks and crannies of Ekiti State and

history will not forgive us if we fail to reciprocate in the same proportion,” Olarewaju said.

Earlier at the event, another former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Bimbo Daramola, had told newsmen on the sideline of the event that nobody could defeat Oyebanji in the 2026 gubernatorial election, giving his performance in office and acceptability across board.

He said: “To me, the governor has done enough to convince us that he meant well for us as a state. With what he has done with his inclusive approach to governance and the spread of projects across the state, it will be difficult

for any politician, regardless of the party, to displace him. As a people, Ekitis are resolute, pragmatic, and committed to whatever they believe in. They will demonstrate all these in 2026 to re-elect Oyebanji.”

At the event, the Director General of Ekiti State Bureau of Tourism Development, Ambassador Wale Ojo-Lanre, for the sake of the event, took on his journalistic toga again and began a vox-pop among the people at the event. Through OjoLanre’s intervention, it was easy to feel the mood of the common men and women on the street because he gave them the opportunity to air their views about the Oyebanji administration.

On why he adopted the style, the veteran journalist said: “Take it or leave it, most of those who spoke on the podium have one or two things to do with the current administration, whether in the state or at the centre and the mischievous people around may view their positions as being subjective. But those I spoke to spoke spontaneously and they spoke well of the Governor because they appreciated what he has done. I’m so excited that at least 95% of Ekiti people want Oyebanji and his deputy to continue in 2026,”.

Meanwhile, in a unanimous voice, the stakeholders at the meeting described Oyebanji’s administration as ‘a golden era’ that must not be interrupted. They cited the administration’s achievement in infrastructure, education, healthcare, human capital development, as well as the Governor’s inclusive style of governance for their decision.

Bigwigs at the event included Senator Cyril Fajuyi, (North Senatorial District) members, House of Representatives, Hon Akinlayo Kolawole and Honourable Akin Rotimi, Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Adeoye Aribasoye, Ekiti APC Chairman, Barr. Sola Elesin as well as former and serving members of the state and National Assembly.

The endorsement of the North Senatorial leaders came barely two weeks after the state caucus of the APC passed a confidence vote on the Governor and endorsed him and President Bola Tinubu for a second term in office.

Also, the other two senatorial districts of South and Central had equally endorsed the governor ahead of the 2026 Governorship election.

Emphasising the importance of continuity in sustaining the spate of development in the state, the leaders said Governor Oyebanji’s administration has laid a solid foundation for transformative progress that must not be disrupted, stressing that his second term would ensure completion of numerous impactful projects already underway, safeguard Ekiti’s future and further elevate the state to new heights of prosperity.

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

Electoral Fraud Allegations: CSOs Stand By Akpabio Folalumi Alaran writes that some civil society groups have risen in stout defence of the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, against allegations of involvement of electoral fraud during the 2023 general elections.

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coalition of civil society organisations has reacted to calls for the resignation of Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, describing recent allegations of his involvement in electoral fraud as baseless and misleading.

The defence came in response to a joint press statement by 56 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), including the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), which cited the 2021 conviction of Professor Peter Ogban over the 2019 Akwa Ibom North-West senatorial elections in calling for Akpabio’s resignation.

In a counter press statement jointly issued by five northern-based groups—Arewa Revival Project, Society for Advancement of Credible Leadership Ideas and Observation, Mass Integration for Peace Initiative in Nigeria, Arewa Youth Development Forum, and the National Youth Mobilisation for Good Leadership—the CSOs asserted that “facts have been grossly distorted to malign the Senate President.”

The statement, signed on behalf of the groups by Hon. Muttaka Ahmed Ibrahim, Dr. Johnny Benjamin, Alhaji Abdullahi Musa Argungu, Ismail Hassan, and Alhaji Bawa Ibrahim Arah, said “the truth, as backed by court records and credible media reports, is that Senator Akpabio was in fact the victim

of electoral fraud—not its beneficiary.

“Professor Ogban was convicted for manipulating the election results in favour of Akpabio’s opponent, not the other way around”.

According to the groups, the 2019 senatorial election in question was manipulated by Prof.

Ogban, who served as the INEC Returning Officer, by unlawfully cancelling over 61,000 votes from Akpabio’s stronghold in Essien Udim Local Government Area.

The result was a declaration of Senator Chris

Ekpeyong of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner, a decision that was later challenged by Akpabio in court.

The groups cited court rulings to buttress the coalition’s claims.

It said: “The Court of Appeal, in November 2019, nullified the election and ordered a rerun in Essien Udim after establishing that Ogban had manipulated results against Akpabio.

This decision was widely reported, including in Punch newspaper with the headline ‘Akpabio wins appeal, court orders rerun in LG”.

The statement further cited the March 2021 conviction of Prof. Ogban by a High Court in Akwa Ibom State for falsifying election results to favour the PDP candidate.

The coalition emphasized that the appeal court upheld the conviction, clearly affirming that the fraudulent acts were perpetrated against Akpabio’s interest.

“It is ironic and unjust that the same man who was robbed of his mandate is now being accused of benefiting from fraud. This narrative is being pushed by commentators and activists who, unfortunately, have not bothered to consult the court judgments or certified true copies of the rulings”, the groups said.

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

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Weekend

T H I S D AY ˾ AY, MAY 9, 2025

ABOSEDE GEORGE-OGAN:

Group Features Editor: CHIEMELIE EZEOBI chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com

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A Voice for Change in Nigerian Politics

T H I S D AY ˾ AY, MAY 9, 2025

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COVER

Abosede George-Ogan: A Voice for Change in Nigerian Politics As Nigeria grapples with the challenges of underrepresentation, one woman is determined to challenge the status quo. Abosede George-Ogan, co-founder of ElectHer, a non-governmental organization dedicated to empowering women to run for elective positions, shares her vision for a more inclusive and representative leadership. With over two decades of experience in development communications, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability, George-Ogan is a force to be reckoned with in the fight for women’s rights. In this interview with MARY NNAH, she discusses her ambition to hold a key elective position, the impact of Kamala Harris’ victory on women globally, and her plans to build a network of women who can occupy key positions in government Why are women, who make up over 51% of voters in elections, still underrepresented in government? e were able to identify the problem that women are relegated to the background in the society due to some socio-cultural and political bias that has denied women equal rights to hold key political positions as well as some laws culturally that forbid women from involving in some activity.

But with the emergence of ElectHer,we are going to collaborate with other interest groups to make a difference. We would encourage any woman who decides to run, equipped them with the right skill and enable them to win. This is not a movement against men but a movement to give women a chance in the political climate in order to contribute their potentials in nation building.

W

Do you intend to create a political party, considering the major parties in terms and conditions that may not favour women to participate in certain slots?

Finance,once women have access to finance they can afford the high cost of running for electoral position.

Nigeria has the highest expense for campaign and political positions. It scares those with interest,so these are some of the challenges we are going to work on and effect a change.

We would join existing parties,the major goal is getting a good number of women representation in the helm of affairs How do you intend to achieve this, considering the age long political tradition where the women are just given the slot of women leader?

There is going to be a massive advocacy and education impacting the society, government and other relevant bodies would be our support. We are not doing it without the men’s support.

Women face so much violence during electioneering and they are under-reported in the media, 11 northern states have not domesticated the child right act,bills proposed by women suffer lash back because it is a game of numbers.

Any one who raised her hand would be given the platform, using our three major components of structured strategy to meet up what it takes.

How do you feel about Kamala Harris’ victory?

She broke a glass ceiling,at that point it was about time for america to have a woman in a key position as such,it is historical. I am very much excited about her victory,after a hundred years of democracy, she became the first woman to attain that position. I am truly glad.

What influence would Kamala Harris’ victory have on women globally as the American vice elect?

It is heartwarming as her victory has created a deep impact on women globally and raised their consciousness to realise they have bargaining power and can contest for any elective position.

The biggest blow for gender equality in participation and leadership for women in government, a longcherished goal in the feminist agenda, has been struck by this woman, who has a history of breaking the glass ceiling. Harris has shattered the second-highest glass ceiling in the oldest democracy in the world.

Does it hold any hope for women in national leadership in Nigeria?

I believe we will,once women are empowered with the right tools. There is a prominence of young women who would steer and sustain this movement as it emerged. Kamala got the support of women at every point. We are going to mobilise women at the grassroots, empower them according to their peculiar needs, as the communities vary, so do their needs.

The strides that the country is taking to become more inclusive and equal give me the utmost hope for the future of Nigerian women. The happiness that I felt for her victory, during the American presidential election of Americans.

Harris’s strength and intelligence inspire me to become the best version of myself. Her efforts to put

Abosede George-Ogan the best interests of the people first are remarkable.

Harris is graced with the knowledge that due to her being the first female vice president, she has become a role model to women of every age; from the young school-age girls who are now able to see someone who looks like them in a high ranking position of government, to women in the political field who received a boost of motivation that they can achieve anything they put their mind to.

How do you intend to build a political network of women who can occupy key positions at state and federal level?

To build a network of women for key positions, we’ll focus on a Four E approach: engaging women, addressing socio-cultural issues, navigating religious systems, and working within existing structures.

We recognize the significant gap in women’s representation and aim to bridge it through education, finance, and practical skills training.

Our ElectHer Academy will provide training on constitutional rights, online management, and leadership skills. We’ve launched a platform for women to express interest in running for office, free from party godfathers’ influence. Our program, targeting women aged 25-45, will incubate future lawmakers and focus on four legislative components. Participants will develop projects for their constituencies, engaging with grassroots communities. By empowering women, we can create a more inclusive and representative leadership.

What inspired your decision to set up the platform “ElectHer” It is very simple, I think in 2017, I wanted to run for an elective position. It has been my lifelong ambition to go into politics, but the system we

have does not encourage one. Several questions arose in my mind, and it was like where do I go, and How do I start? I wanted to ensure that the next female’s dream and ambition of pursuing a political goal did not die, which is how the platform was created.

Tell us about the organisation, ElectHer? This is an initiative to burn out the political need in our society and the political space.

Although we are non-partisan, we understand the role of women in nation-building and the way women are marginalised in government.

It is very important to understand our journey so far, and we intend to have a change in 2023. The End SARS originator may be a man, but we saw how women drove the campaign.

A lot has happened this year, with the End SARS campaign, nobody is questioning the competency of women anymore because the End SARS protest was an expose to women’s capacity of playing an active role in nation building.

It is a game of numbers, and we want an equal representation of the female folks. The policy here must favour women.

Women need political advancement, they no longer want the position of women leader, where they are in charge of food and aso ebi.

The government must formulate policies that represent women in a good light.

There are gaps in the spaces, but our focus is on dealing with the barriers women face.

The child right act has not been domesticated in 11 northern states because the women’s decimal is low. Even if their governor has the political will he won’t be able to make a

change due to the obstacles.

How has the journey been so far?

It’s been quite challenging, bringing political issues to young women, when it is not fashion, make up and other things that are in vogue, which normally draw the attention of women or their interest.

Despite the challenge, I summoned the courage along with the co-founder of ElectHer, Ibijoke Faborode, to set the ball rolling. We swung into action and within seven months of establishing the organisation, had secured a grant of $100,000 and 10,000 followers on all our social media platforms.

What lessons has life taught you?

A few things, firstly, that people matter. And I have dedicated my life to service for humanity. I serve people so they can have a better livelihood. I have seen a lot of values in life, and I uphold them to make me a better person and impact life generally.

Would you say your childhood prepared you in any way for this call?

Yes, it did a whole lot. My parents were public servants. My father was in the military, an air force personnel, and my mother was a teacher; they both served Nigeria for 35 years. Growing up, I watched my father wear the same uniform every day for 35 years. It caught my fancy, service is in my DNA, I understand that there is only so much you can earn as a teacher and being in the military as well. I saw my father wear the same uniform every day, so I became content and didn’t mind the same clothes. It made me a little conservative, it inspired contentment in me. Life cannot be that hard, but a variety of wardrobes.

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T H I S D AY ˾ AY, MAY 9, 2025

NEWS

Stanbic IBTC Impacts Over 5,000 Lives Through Nationwide Malaria Initiative In commemoration of World Malaria Day 2025, Stanbic IBTC has launched a bold, multi-state initiative to curb the spread of malaria, Nigeria’s most prevalent vector-borne disease.

The outreach, which began on 25 April - World Malaria Day, in Nchatancha, Enugu East Local Government Area (LGA), continued on 28 April in Okpanam, Oshimili North LGA, Delta State, and was concluded on 30 April in Wudil Ward, Wudil LGA, Kano State.

The initiative delivered free malaria testing and diagnosis; administration of treatment drugs to those who tested positive; awareness talks on malaria prevention and distribution of

long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs). These efforts directly impacted over 5,800 individuals across the three states.

Speaking on the initiative, Kunle Adedeji, Acting Chief Executive of Stanbic IBTC Holdings, said: “We are proud to support World Malaria Day 2025 and contribute to global efforts to control and eliminate malaria. Our partnership with stakeholders has helped raise awareness about the disease; promote prevention and control measures; and inspire action towards achieving a malaria-free world.”

This year’s World Malaria Day theme, “Malaria ends with us: Reinvest, reimagine, reignite,” called for renewed commitment to malaria prevention and control

efforts. Stanbic IBTC responded to this call by implementing this multi-state approach, targeting vulnerable communities.

The initiative comes at a critical time when sustainable investment in malaria prevention is needed to protect vulnerable populations.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were an estimated 263 million malaria cases and 597,000 deaths worldwide in 2023 - representing about 11 million more cases compared to 2022. Nigeria bears a disproportionate burden of the disease, accounting for 30.9 per cent of all malaria deaths in the WHO African Region. Children under five years old account for approximately 76 per cent of all malaria deaths in the

region, making timely interventions crucial for survival.

Through its comprehensive programme, Stanbic IBTC continues its long-standing commitment to promoting health, well-being, and sustainable development in the communities it serves. By focusing on grassroots engagement, the financial institution ensures that life-saving information and resources reach those most at risk.

The campaign represents a model for effective corporate intervention in public health challenges.

By supporting prevention, early diagnosis, and effective treatment strategies, this initiative helps save lives and strengthens community resilience against this preventable and treatable disease.

Hundreds Receive FreeVital Healthcare at the Okeoghene Samuel Eterigho Foundation Medical Outreach in Delta State In a significant boost to community health, over 400 individuals in Irri, Isoko South, Delta State recently benefited from a free medical outreach organised by the Okeoghene Samuel Eterigho Sickle Cell Awareness Foundation on April 27th, 2025. This initiative, an annual outreach held in commemoration of World Oke Day – a day dedicated to raising awareness about Sickle Cell Disease – provided crucial medical services to the people within the community.

The one-day outreach offered a wide range of healthcare services, including health education sessions, free blood pressure and sugar level checks, complimentary malaria and HIV tests, eye examinations and the distribution of free reading glasses.

Additionally, beneficiaries received free medication and referrals for further hospital care when necessary, all aimed at improving the health and well-being of the local population.

Erezi Eterigho, Founder of Okeoghene Samuel Eterigho Sickle Cell Awareness Foundation and Proprietress of Giantsteps Trasjo School, articulated her gratitude for the commitment, dedication and support received from donors, volunteers and healthcare professionals who made the outreach a success.

“Witnessing the profound impact of this outreach on the lives of the people in Irri fills us with immense gratitude. We are thankful for the dedication

L-R: Dr. Esisiore Ighotevwe, Medical Doctor, Group Christian Medical Centre; Erezi Eterigho, Founder, Okeoghene Samuel Eterigho Sickle Cell Awareness Foundation; Dr. Rotu Rugba, Medical Doctor, Central Hospital Warri; Dr. Oniovosa Akporhonor, Medical Doctor, Group Christian Medical Centre; Dr. Caring Akporhonor, Medical Doctor, Central Hospital Warri; Dr. Victory Ukato, Medical Doctor, Central Hospital Warri, at the Okeoghene Samuel Eterigho Sickle Cell Awareness Foundation free medical outreach in Delta State, recently of our volunteers and medical professionals and the generosity of our donors, whose support made it possible to bring essential healthcare to those in need.

“We are driven by a profound sense of responsibility to enhance the quality of life for individuals within our communities and this outreach exemplifies our dedication to providing resources and essential healthcare support. Witnessing the positive impact of our efforts fuels our determination to expand our reach and continue making a tangible difference in the lives of those who need it most,” She concluded.

The outreach witnessed an impressive turnout of residents from Irri, Isoko South, Delta

State, all of whom gratefully received free consultations, essential medications and other specialised treatments. Numerous beneficiaries conveyed their sincere appreciation for the life-changing medical services provided during the event.

Now in its fourth year, the Okeoghene Samuel Eterigho Sickle Cell Awareness Foundation has reached and positively impacted over two million individuals, including women, children, youths and men from diverse backgrounds. Each year, the outreach expands its reach, a testament to the strategic support and vital donations from sponsors and well-meaning individuals who wholeheartedly share the Foundation’s vision of ensuring better healthcare access for all.

The Okeoghene Samuel Eterigho Sickle Cell Awareness Foundation, a non-governmental and community-focused organisation founded in 2022 by Erezi Eterigho, provides essential healthcare interventions and comprehensive support services to those in need. Since its inception, the foundation has remained dedicated to its mission of empowering individuals, families and communities by equipping them with the necessary tools, crucial knowledge and vital resources they need to fight health conditions effectively.

The Foundation is committed to raising awareness about the prevalence of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and its profound impact on patients, families and society.

Minister Laments Death of 200,000 Annually from Foodborne Illnesses Chiemelie Ezeobi The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Geoffrey Nnaji, has raised the alarm over Nigeria’s deepening food safety crisis, revealing that approximately 200,000 Nigerians die each year due to foodborne illnesses. He stated that the Federal Government would henceforth apply the full weight of the law on individuals and businesses involved in the criminal and unethical practices of food adulteration and contamination.

Quoting statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Minister noted that over 600 million people fall ill globally each year

from eating contaminated food, with 420,000 deaths recorded across sub-Saharan Africa and an alarming 200,000 of those in Nigeria alone.

Speaking at the official launch of the Food Safety Operational Manual and training for Food Safety Desk Officers on Thursday in Abuja, Chief Nnaji, who was represented by Professor Samson Duna, Director-General of the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, described food safety as more than a health issue.

According to him, it is a national security priority, a development imperative and a catalyst for inclusive growth that aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s

Renewed Hope Agenda.

He said the Ministry, through its agencies including the Nigerian Council of Food Science and Technology (NiCoFST), is intensifying efforts to strengthen regulatory oversight, especially at the local government level where supervision of food safety remains weakest.

“Food safety is a sciencedriven enterprise. Our agencies and research institutions have been directed to develop cost-effective technologies for food preservation and quality assurance, promote indigenous innovations that respect Nigeria’s culinary diversity, and deploy

mobile and digital tools to train informal food vendors across both rural and urban areas,” Chief Nnaji stated.

The Minister commended the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of NiCoFST, Mrs Veronica Ezeh, and her team for their professionalism, dedication and foresight in developing what he described as the country’s first-of-its-kind food safety operational manual.

Earlier, Mrs Ezeh warned food vendors, restaurants and food business operators to desist from the criminal act of food adulteration and other unethical practices that violate the Nigerian constitution and endanger public health.

Africa in Focus at 2025 Offshore Technology Conference and Implications for the Africa Energy Bank Chinenyenwa Owuamalam The global energy sector is agog as industry captains and stakeholders across the world converged at the NRG Park, Houston Texas, United States of America, for the Annual Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) which held from 5th - 8th May 2025. Commencing in 1969, the OTC is a renownedenergy forum convening energy professionals from around the world to connect, discuss and exchange ideas on trends in the energy sector, to advance scientific and technical knowledge for offshore resources and other environmental matters.

The OTC 2024 Post Event Report details a diverse mix of over 30,000 conferees from 107 countries with international attendance placed at 34%, thus highlighting the OTC’s expanding influence in the energy sector.

The theme for the OTC 2025, “Waves of Innovation: Offshore Energy Excellence” is apt as it captures the essence of emerging frontiers and mirrors the relentless drive of the industry towardsground-breaking innovations to enhance efficiency, sustainability and technological distinction in the energy sector.

This year’s conference is particularly significant for Africa, where advanced offshore technologies could help unlock energy solutions for the continent. Against this backdrop, Africa was not left behind at the OTC 2025 as the Nigerian energy sectorconverged under the central theme: “Africa’s Energy Renaissance: Leveraging Innovation and Natural Gas for Sustainable Development”. Leading the Nigerian delegation was the Honourable Minister for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, who declared the Nigerian Pavilion open on Day 1 of the Conference, ably supported by key industry stakeholders, policymakers, delegates, exhibitors and top government officials across Africa, including Ghana’s Minister of Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor. Drawing from Nigeria’s extensive offshore experience with landmark projects like Bonga and Egina, the delegation was well-primed to lead continental discussions. At the forefront of his opening speech, Sen. Lokpobiri emphasized the importance of collaboration between energy sector players in Africa, noting that the African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO) was established to bridge the collaboration gap between African oil producing countries and proffer workable solutions to matters arising within the African energy sector. The Honourable Minister also disclosed that the APPO in conjunction with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) created the Africa Energy Bank (AEB), a Pan-African financial institution currently subscribed to by 18 member states, designed as a responsive solution to funding constraints plaguing the African energy sector. Stating further, the Minister revealed that in addition to the initial $5 billion United States Dollars (USD) take-off grant, Afreximbank has pledged to allocate an additional $14 billion USD to AEB, to be derived from its existing investment exposures. The veracity of Sen. Lokpobiri’s submission that the AEB is set to take off in the current quarter (Q2 2025), is corroborated by the recent advertisement for the position of the President of the AEB on Afreximbank’s website, which stipulates that candidates for the role shall possess a minimum qualification of eighteen (18) years relevant experience in development finance, energy finance or investment banking, particularly within Africa.

The choice of leadership will prove critical as the AEB positions itself to become Africa’s premier financier of next-generation offshore technologies, from Artificial Intelligence-powered subsea systems to modular floating Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) solutions that can accelerate energy access across Africa.

The existence of a financial institution created to address the critical financing needs of Africa’s energy sector and reduce energy poverty is an overdue welcome development, considering the reduced commitments of international financial institutions and investment funds to fossil fuel investments due to the global energy transition and climate change concerns.

Across Africa’s offshore sector especially in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria,repeated sabotage of pipeline and feeder systems thrives in oil rich communities, leading to loss of revenues and increased operating costs. It is anticipated that the AEB would support innovative deep-water exploration technologies which aim to curb offshore production disruption.

The AEB’s $19 billion USD fund if appropriated tactfully, could prompt a positive economic revolution by prioritizing projects which address Africa’s energy poverty, deliver affordable power to underserved populations and enhance commercial offshore evolution. AEB’s collaboration with AfricanNational Oil Companies and multinational oil and gas corporations willing to invest in Africa, wouldgreatly encourage sustainable development by endorsing local content initiatives and community investment programmes which will in turn secure a social license to operate for AEB. For context on viable partnerships, ExxonMobil on 6th May 2025 through its Managing Director in Nigeria, Mr. Shane Harris, announced a planned investment of $1.5 billion USD to revitalize production in the Usan Deepwater oil field to be implemented between Q2 2025-2027.

Consequently, to influence profitable maximization of Africa’s abundant energy resources,the first step in the right direction for AEB would be to formulate a concise and demonstrable policy objective with clear-cut provisions on corporate governance in its bid to override bureaucratic inefficiencies and encourage optimal performance.

As Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria gears up to host the official headquarters of the newly created AEB, the pivotal role of the Bank as a stimulant for Africa’s economic progress will largely depend on the intentionality of its investments in both traditional and green energy. The zeal to succeed for AEB’s incoming Management should therefore be fuelled by a proper alignment of implementable strategies developed to fast-track the continent towards fostering sustainable development, meeting global demands and steering Africa’s energy sector towards the path of economic progress and prosperity. In the words of the APPO Secretary General, His Excellency Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim, “…the era of lamentations is fast coming to an end as we [Africa] have decided to take our destiny into our own hands”. t$IJOFOZFOXB 0XVBNBMBN JT B EJTUJOHVJTIFE #BSSJTUFS BOE 4PMJDJUPS PG UIF 4VQSFNF $PVSU PG /JHFSJB XJUI FYUFOTJWF CBDLHSPVOE TQBOOJOH GPVSUFFO ZFBST JO UIF FOFSHZ MFHBM mOBODJBM BOEHPWFSONFOU TFDUPST "O BWJE TVTUBJOBCJMJUZ FYQFSU XJUI DFOUSBM CBOLJOH FYQFSJFODF TIF IPMET BO --. XJUI %JTUJODUJPO JO 0JM BOE (BT -BX GSPN UIF 6OJWFSTJUZ PG "CFSEFFO 6OJUFE ,JOHEPN BOE JT CBTFE JO "CVKB /JHFSJB

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Friday May 9, 2025 Vol 27. No 10988

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TINUBU, ANAMBRA AND INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP

The ability to bring people together is the stuff of leadership, writes FREDRICK NWABUFO

See page 21

SOYINKA’S STAND AND THE RUSSIFICATION OF AFRICA There is pride in being independent, argues JOSHUA J. OMOJUWA

See page 21

EDITORIAL

THE MENACE OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

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The country should prioritise genuine economic diversification, and undertake institutional reforms to build resilience, contends MARCEL MBAMALU

WHAT NIGERIA MUST DO TO TAKE CONTROL OF ITS ECONOMY The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned Nigeria, stating that the country must remain vigilant amid mounting global trade tensions and tightening financial conditions. It was issued on April 22, 2025, during the Global Financial Stability Report press briefing at the IMF/ World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, DC. The Fund highlighted risks to Nigeria’s fiscal stability due to declining government revenues and urged prudent fiscal management, including cutting waste and aligning spending with actual revenue.

Inflation remains a critical concern, with the IMF projecting an average rate of 26.5% in 2025, rising to 37% in 2026, complicating efforts to maintain price stability and protect vulnerable populations.

The IMF's warnings stem primarily from concerns about reckless and inefficient government spending amid a challenging global economic environment. At the Meetings Davide Furceri, Division Chief in the IMF’s Fiscal Affairs Department, stressed that while Nigeria has made important fiscal reforms, continued discipline in spending is crucial, especially given the government's plans to allocate large sums, such as N6.1 billion for international travel in 2025-which raised questions about prioritisation and efficiency.

This warning is compounded by projections that Nigeria will spend more than it earns in 2025, worsening the fiscal deficit and risking macroeconomic stability.

IMF also highlighted external pressures, including lower oil prices, subdued global demand, and mounting trade tensions that threaten Nigeria’s export earnings and fiscal revenue. Inflation remains high, with forecasts of 26.5% in 2025 and a possible rise to 37% in 2026, further complicating economic management. The Fund calls for prudent fiscal reforms, improved revenue mobilisation, and stronger public financial management to safeguard economic stability and protect vulnerable populations amid these risks The current Nigerian administration has received similar warnings from internal bodies.

For instance, the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), an influential private sector think tank, launched its 2025 Private Sector Outlook in March 2025 had emphasised that despite some reform-driven growth improvements, stagnant productivity and rising inflation pose risks to living standards and economic stability, echoing concerns similar to those raised by the IMF. The Centre for Petroleum, Energy Economics and Law (CEPEAR) at the University of Lagos have also projected a challenging macroeconomic outlook for 2025. It warns that rising inflation exchange rate pressures persist-could erode purchasing power and potentially trigger social unrest. They also highlighted Nigeria’s heavy debt burden and fiscal constraints, which align with the IMF’s warnings about fiscal sustainability.

Thus, both the private sector (NESG) and academic institutions have issued cautionary signals internally, reinforcing the IMF’s external warnings about the need for fiscal discipline, inflation control, and structural reforms to safeguard Nigeria’s economic stability in 2025.

Does Nigeria understand this? Sometimes it is not just about the warnings, it is whether the country in question understands what is being said.

Research and official data show that Nigeria does have a definable and structured economy beyond just loose buying and selling.

Nigeria operates a mixed economy, combining elements of capitalism with government intervention, and is classified as a middle-income, emerging market with significant sectors in manufacturing, finance, telecommunications, technology, and entertainment. Yet the structure is heavily skewed: primary production, especially oil, dominates exports and government revenue, while the manufacturing sector remains small and underdeveloped.

Amid Nigeria's challenges and subsequent warnings, it is crucial to question if Tinubu's reforms in the forex and subsidy arenas are really progressive, as the IMF says.

On April 22, 2025, Jason Wu, Assistant Director in the IMF’s Monetary and Capital Markets Department, stated at the Global Financial Stability Report briefing that Nigeria’s macroeconomic performance has “held up,” with “GDP growth fairly consistent, and inflation coming down.”

He attributed this progress to reforms by the Nigerian authorities, including the liberalisation of the exchange rate regime, saying, “I think the reforms that the authorities have done, including the liberalisation of exchange rates, have helped in that regard” and that these policies had improved Nigeria’s sovereign credit spreads and macroeconomic outlook.

However, earlier on April 18, 2025, Axel Schimmelpfennig, IMF mission chief for Nigeria, gave a more cautious assessment after the 2025 Article IV consultation. He acknowledged the government’s “crucial actions to stabilise the economy” but warned that “gains have yet to benefit all Nigerians, as poverty and food insecurity remain high.”

He stressed that despite reforms like subsidy removal, many Nigerians continue to suffer amid a cost-of-living crisis, urging that fiscal savings be redirected to protect vulnerable populations. Who then is benefiting from those reforms?

Let’s assume beneficiaries of Nigeria’s forex and subsidy reforms so far might be investors, financial institutions, and segments of the formal private sector, as pointed out by the IMF’s Jason Wu concerning the exchange rate. So what about the many citizens, and the larger society, what are they benefiting?

Is it a warning when the country has no industries, a very weak currency, an import-dependent economy, a corrupt financial situation, etc?

The country’s economy has grown at only about 3% annually-barely matching population growthand nearly 93% of Nigerians work in the informal sector, often in low-income, insecure jobs without social protection. Persistent inflation, which hit 34.8% in late 2024, continues to erode real incomes, pushing an additional 13 million people into poverty in 2025 and leaving most social safety nets inadequate.

Foreign investment is declining due to insecurity, poor infrastructure, and macroeconomic instability, while the formal sector remains too small to drive broad-based growth or job creation. Most government budgets prioritise recurrent spending over capital investment, reinforcing a consumerist, import-dependent economy rather than building productive capacity.

Given these realities, IMF warnings may sound hollow: without foundational reforms to address production, governance, and social protection, calls for vigilance offer little practical hope in a system where the majority remain excluded from the benefits of growth.

While some countries like China may make out something on retaliatory tariffs, in Nigeria, retaliatory tariffs are unlikely to be effective because of the country’s dependency on imported goods.

So, what can Nigeria really do apart from waiting and being tossed around by the global wave of economic tsunamis from the economies long accused of prescribing to the country highly toxic economic scripts, only to turn around with all kinds of pretentious warnings and outlooks.

Nigeria does not have to remain passive or simply react to global economic shocks and externally imposed policies. Research and expert analysis consistently point to a clear path: Nigeria must prioritise genuine economic diversification, invest in human capital, and undertake institutional reforms to build resilience and chart its course.

Since multiple studies highlight that Nigeria’s over-reliance on oil makes it highly vulnerable to external shocks. Shifting focus to sectors like agriculture, agro-processing, light manufacturing, technology, and services can create jobs, boost exports, and cushion the economy against global volatility.

Again, investing in human capital and infrastructure is critical. Nigeria’s current skills base is insufficient for the kind of innovation and industrialisation needed for structural transformation. Expanding education, vocational training, and infrastructure (power, transport, digital) will lay the groundwork for a more productive, competitive economy.

Institutional reforms and good governance must be front and centre. Strengthening anti-corruption measures, ensuring policy continuity, and improving the business environment are necessary to attract investment and unlock private sector growth.

Finally, strategic partnerships, domestic and international, help Nigeria access new markets, technologies, and financing.

Dr Mbamalu, a Jefferson Journalism Fellow, Member of the Nigerian Guild of Editors and Media Consultant, is the Publisher of Prime Business Africa

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The ability to bring people together is the stuff of leadership, writes FREDRICK NWABUFO

TINUBU, ANAMBRA AND INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP

In botanical terms, inclusive leadership is like a flower of which beauty proceeds from the anatomy of each petal or the leaves of its corolla. It takes different parts to form a whole, and there is no stronger force than a united people.

President Bola Tinubu has steadily demonstrated a rare rallying quality; pulling together and not setting asunder. Whether north, south, east, or west, he has remained consistent as an even-handed arbiter, dealing graciously and honourably with everyone.

On May 2, he visited Katsina State, where he made bold and decisive declarations against banditry and terrorism in the North-West zone. He reiterated his resolve that Nigeria would never succumb to the designs of terror and asked the military to intensify its efforts to remove the vestiges of the menace.

The President visited Enugu State on January 4. The visit, his first port of call in the year, underscored the importance accorded to the South-East zone, as well as the President’s genuine effort at bringing all Nigerians together.

In Enugu, President Tinubu interacted with a melange of leaders in the South-East, listening, taking note of their concerns, and ending with a fine lexical smorgasbord of unity, hope, and compassion.

In Anambra, his second visit to the South-East in 2025, the President reprised his accustomed nationalistic aspect - not a performance or a contrivance, but an organic and time-honed disposition.

President Tinubu paid a visit to Anambra State on Thursday, May 8. He was received with flourish, elegance, and exceeding excitement -- an undisputed affirmation of the Igbo saying, "Nkea bu nke anyi" (He is our own).

It was a carnival in the streets of Awka as the President's convoy entered the city, a welcome deserving only of a well-striped warrior -- Dike. The President was honoured with the foremost traditional title -Dike Si-mba of Anambra -- mighty warrior/ hero.

Earlier, he had inaugurated the Emeka Anyaoku Institute of International Studies and Diplomacy at Nnamdi Azikwe Univer-

sity; the new Government House, and Solution Funcity.

Speaking at Ekwueme Square, a stadium, where an open meeting was held with an array of South-East leaders, opinion moulders and other citizens, President Tinubu thanked the people of Anambra for the warm welcome and their support.

"I know our diversity will lead to prosperity.

"South-East, I salute your enterprise, your innovation, and commitment to progress," the President said.

In his address, Governor Chukwuma Soludo thanked the President for honouring the state by visiting. He said the last state visit by any President was in 2012.

He commended the President for having the courage to take tough decisions that were already turning around the economy and encouraged the President to stay the course.

The governor said his support for President Tinubu was rooted in ideology and principle and described the President as the "Professor of Federalism."

Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, also thanked the President, underscoring his expansiveness, accommodating, and fatherly disposition.

The significance of the President’s domestic trips is the exigency of solidarising, as well as of building bridges and fostering unity. Nigerians across the country can see, feel, and hear their President in the flesh. He comes to them with words of hope, encouragement, understanding, compassion, and action.

The President has shown time and time again that he is the leader that Nigeria sorely needs at this time to mend the fault lines, the fissures, and to disentangle the national antinomy.

Leadership is by example. It is in the doings.

It is in the results. Little wonder Nigerians across all artificial aisles are rallying towards the President. The ability to bring people together, regardless of any unnatural boundaries, is the great stuff of leadership.

President Tinubu epitomises this outlier quality of leadership.

Nwabufo is Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Engagement

There is pride in being independent, argues JOSHUA J. OMOJUWA

SOYINKA’S STAND AND THE RUSSIFICATION OF AFRICA In Europe, Ukraine is fighting back. But in Africa, governments are taking Russian punches without a whimper. It is easier to fight when you can see the weapons of war directed at you. Ukraine fights back because the war is the conventional type. Here in Africa, it is a relentless psychological bombardment of disinformation that one must now sadly admit has made gains across the continent. If no effective measures are taken, you could be living in a vassal Russian state sooner than later. Can you speak Russian? Start thinking of learning. Except we take this threat serious.

Professor Wole Soyinka certainly does. He contextualized what Russia used to be when Africa fought for liberation and what Russia is today, saying, “The Russia of today is not the Russia that sided with African liberation. This is not the same country. This is a feudalistic, terrorist led nation”.

On Putin, he said, “Putin is not Gorbachev. Putin is not even Stalin, the arch criminal. Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. But Ukraine is now a sovereign state. And it is populated by humanbeings, not animals. Russia is the aggressor”.

Prof was unequivocal in his rejection and condemnation of Russia’s re-colonialization attempts in Africa. He said, “Why are we pretending?

What is the sense of obligation? If we permit that, we must not complain if on the African continent, a force chooses to re-colonize, to re-enslave us. We cannot drop a set of chains and then as mature people put our necks in another bunch of chains.

Liberation should be total, should be continuous, should be sustainable. There is autonomy, there should be pride in being independent people. We do not need just to tie ourselves to the bandwagon of any nation any longer. It doesn’t matter what credentials they offer”.

Soyinka’s stand has been met with hatred and a desperate pushback from the agents of Russification. They started out by looking to delegitimize him using their default tool, disinformation. According to them, African writers boycotted the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. There is a sizeable population of people who are ready to and often just believe anything and everything they see online. Grok, the AI tool still very much at its inchoate stage immediately helped to dispel those claims, stating that, “The claim about a 1986 boycott of the Nobel Prize by African writers isn't supported by historical evidence”.

This did not matter, because they simply piled on. A check shows that the same people attacking Prof. Soyinka for his stand also defended Russia’s attack of Ukraine and are the ones leading the online mythification of the Burkina Faso junta leader, Captain Traore. Despite evidence to the contrary, social media have been ladened with reports of the extraordinary advancements being made by Traore. A Ghanaian YouTuber visited Ouagadougou and his best report on progress was from the site of what was meant to be a massive road project, except that there was no motorable road in sight. Just land clearing.

Amidst that, the YouTuber claimed that the Traore government was looking to build 5,000km of road every year. The reality is, almost three years since they seized power via a coup, this reporter did not show a single built road, old or new, in his report. The funnier report was on the new AES passport. The reporter spoke of innovation on this passport, except that these innovations are the standard state of biometric passports around the world.

A Ugandan journalist felt the brunt of these agents of Russification days ago. He was visiting Ouagadougou and had posted a casual video of his flight landing, as you would when landing any

city in the world. In this case, the video looked exactly as Ouagadougou looked to me when I visited in 2018; dusty, grossly undeveloped and begging for infrastructural intervention.

Even though the Ugandan journalist made no judgments about what he saw, Putin’s African social media army immediately descended on him until he deleted it.

Captain Traore is now the mascot for the Russification agenda. He is the mascot for a narrative calling for an ‘African Revolution’.

On the surface, you’d mistake this for a call to make democracy work and a fervent commitment to decolonization. The R stands for Russia. Here, an “African revolution’ simply means Russification. Several platforms like Aljazeera, DW and the BBC have done extensive reporting on on-going Russian disinformation in Africa. Several organisations have carried out research works outlining the depth and breadth of what we are up against, but it does appear that just because this warfare, psychological as it is, is not readily visible to the eyes, many are missing it in plain sight.

Deify a dictator. Do you know how many coups they say Traore has survived? Do you understand what happens when a dictator repeatedly claims that he has survived multiple coups? People get arrested if they are lucky. Worse things happen when they are not. Traore, reportedly rejected and condemned the IMF, in these narratives. In fact, he has had to be bailed out by the IMF multiple times. There is even a YouTube video of him being saved from would-be killers. He was saved by a divine cow. We underrate the human capacity for gullibility.

Without a doubt, Burkina Faso has neither the sophistication nor resources to mount such extensive, expansive and expensive disinformation and psychological onslaught on the continent. The man, Putin, who now has control of all the gold in Burkina Faso has a need for more control in Africa.

There is a fertile ground for the propaganda.

Democracy and African leaders have generally underperformed. The people want more. The West, especially France, has an unwholesome legacy on the continent. Poverty, sadly, remains the norm. All these are opportunities for those looking to re-colonise Africa. If we ignore this war, rest assured, we will be swept by it. Beyond deploying a counterplan to this invasion, we must make democracy deliver prosperity in Africa. While at it, Soyinka’s words must echo across Africa. We are at war.

Omojuwa is chief strategist, Alpha Reach/BGX Publishing

22 4

T H I S D AY

FRIDAY MAY 9, 2025

EDITORIAL

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

THE MENACE OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE The authorities may do well to enforce the law

7

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While spousal abuse cuts across both sexes, women and girls are predominantly the victims 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

TOWARDS A NON-VIOLENT LG ELECTION IN LAGOS The upcoming July 12, 2025 Local Government Election in Lagos State is a litmus test for the 2027 general elections. The elecWLRQ RI H[HFXWLYHV DW WKH JUDVVURRWV OHYHO WR UXQ WKH DͿDLUV RI WKH local government has always been a mixture of peace and violence between leading political parties, aspirants, indigenes and settlers in the various area councils. Local government elections is a critical element of democracy and governance which provides a vital pathway for new political participants to engage communities and impact governance from the ground up in their quest for good governance.

In Lagos State, elections have always been characterized with violence and peaceful conducts. Clashes between APC supporters and main opponents’ supporters from the PDP have been reported from various parts of the state like Surulere, Agege, Amuwo-OdoÀQ $MHURPL ,IHORGXQ 2MR 2VKRGL ,VROR DQG .RVRIH /*$V RI WKH state.

(OHFWLRQ YLROHQFH FDQ GLPLQLVK YRWHU WXUQRXW LQÁXHQFH HOHFWLRQ outcomes, and erode public trust in the electoral system, raising concerns about the legitimacy of results according to Yiaga Africa.

Political parties should ensure that the local elections is not a zero VXP JDPH ZKHUHE\ WKH ZLQQHUV WDNHV LW DOO DQG WKH EHQHÀWV RI good governance is limited and retained to only party members and loyalists.

The violence that led to the death of Jide Badaru and one other with several people injured in August 2018 in Surulere Local Government should not be allowed to happen again. According to the cousin of the deceased Mr. Babatunde Badaru, a former local government chairmanship aspirant in his accounts of the violence that characterizes elections in Surulere LGA, wanton destruction of properties, continued threat to lives of opposition supporters should be a thing of the past. Since it is a grassroots election, the African communal sense of being should be displayed during the elections. Perpetrators of electoral violence and their sponsors should be arrested and diligently prosecuted so as to deter others who see violence as a viable pathway to electoral victory.

Tola Ogunnubi, ANIPR, Abuja

NOT MY FRIEND Has one conservative leader caused another conservative leader to lose an election? It certainly seems so with the Canadian elections where the conservatives were recently expected to win but the anti-Trump sentiment changed that.

The farcical suggestion of making Canada the 51st US state is probably just a distraction from more serious issues but has upset so many people as it seriously devalues Canada as a proud independent country.

The world needs to be wary of loud voices.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY, MAY 9, 2025

23

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET

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PMI Report: Manufacturing Sector Witnessing Strongest Inflationary Pressures Predicts further depreciation of Naira in Q2’25

Dike Onwuamaeze The Purchasing Manager Index (PMI) of Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc for the month of April 2025 has shown that the manufacturing sector witnessed the strongest inflationary pressures during the month under review.

According to the report, “The pace of overall input cost inflation was sharp in April and ticked up from that seen in March, but remained weaker than seen on average during 2024. Steep increases in overall input prices were seen across all four monitored sectors, with the strongest inflation in manufacturing.”

It added: “Higher raw material costs, exacerbated by currency weakness, meant that purchase prices increased markedly again at the start of the second quarter of the year. Around 36 per cent of respondents posted a rise in purchase prices during the month, as the pace

of inflation ticked up from March.”

The report also said that April data pointed to a further solid rise in staff costs, “with the pace of inflation little-changed from the previous survey period. Higher living costs, efforts to motivate staff and wage increases in order to keep hold of workers all contributed to the latest rise in labour expenses, according to respondents.”

Output prices The report noted that although the pace of output price inflation quickened slightly in April, it remained among the weakest in the past two years.

“Anecdotal evidence suggested that the rise in charges reflected the pass through of higher input costs to customers. Wholesale & retail registered the fastest rise in selling prices of the four monitored sectors,” it said.

The PMI report attributed the

Says inflationary pressures have continued to soften

increase in inflationary pressure in April to local currency depreciation and higher energy costs.

It also showed that the productivity of the Nigerian private sector dropped marginally by -0.1 in April 2025 although business activity maintained its positive momentum into the start of the second quarter of the year as the PMI settled at 54.2 in April compared to 54.3 it recorded in March.

According to the report, high costs for materials in some cases meant that firms were not always able to secure the necessary inputs for projects, while other respondents mentioned that power outages had caused delays.

“The pass-through of higher input costs to customers meant that output prices also increased, with inflation here too slightly stronger than in March. Companies remained optimistic that output will rise over

the coming year, but sentiment dipped for the third consecutive month. Confidence often reflected business expansion and investment plans,” it added.

Commenting on the PMI report, the Head of Equity Research West Africa, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr. Muyiwa Oni, said: “Nigeria’s private sector business activity maintained its positive momentum into the start of the second quarter of the year as the PMI settled at 54.2 in April – broadly in line with 54.3 recorded in March.

“This latest improvement in business activity was primarily due to improved customer demand amid softening inflationary pressures, helping to support higher new orders.

Accordingly, all the four monitored sectors posted an improvement in business activity with the most significant improvement seen in the services sector. In line with this

improvement, the employment level increased for the fifth consecutive month, although the pace of increase was modest this time.”

Oni said that inflationary pressures have continued to soften relative to 2024 as factors that significantly drove prices upward last year have moderated so far this year in term of impacts.

“Nonetheless, inflation increased in April compared to March, exacerbated by the impact of local currency depreciation and higher energy costs. Indeed, overall input prices increased across all the four monitored sectors with the manufacturing sector witnessing the strongest inflationary pressures of the month. The pass through of the higher input costs to customers meant that output price inflation also quickened in April but remained among the weakest in the past two years,” Oni said.

He added: “Nigeria’s business conditions started Q2:25 on a positive note, and we expect this trend to be maintained, albeit relatively slower than witnessed in Q1:25. This is as the local currency is expected to depreciate in Q2:25 compared to Q1:25 amid the lingering global uncertainties. This could also lead to slightly higher inflation rate than seen in Q1:25 but still expected to remain softer compared to the 2024 average.

“Nonetheless, interest rates are likely to be lower this year amid moderate inflationary pressures, thereby helping to support economic growth over the medium term. Overall, we still maintain our expectation that the Nigerian economy is likely to grow by 3.5 per cent y/y in real terms in 2025 relative to 3.4 per cent y/y growth in 2024.”

Bird Strike Causing Menace to Air Travel as Airlines Record Financial Losses, Flight Disruptions Chinedu Eze Airline operators are worried about the persistent bird strike in the aviation air space, which has become a major challenge affecting their operations and exposing aircraft to safety threat.

Bird strike occurs when birds collide with aircraft in the air and cause damages to the aircraft, as the aircraft engines tend to suck the birds in.

Airline operators in Nigeria said they have spent a lot of money repairing the damages caused by bird strike, adding that they are still spending because the challenge

persists.

They are worried that bird strike has continued to disrupt flights, cause flight delays and sometimes flight cancellations.

The Managing Director and CEO of Aero Contractors, Captain Ado Sanusi, who spoke to THISDAY on the issue, said bird strike happens everywhere in the world and recalled the major accident involving US Airways Flight 1549, when the aircraft, Airbus A320, suffered bird strike when a flock of geese entered the aircraft engines and incapacitated them and the pilot, Captain Chesley Sullenberger ditched the aircraft in Hudson River in New York. That

was on January 15, 2009.

He said although bird strike had been a global phenomenon on flight operations but he explained that bird strike incidents could be minimised by concerned authorities. According to him, in the case of Nigeria, it is the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), which manages about 26 airports in the country, that should be responsible for addressing the issue of bird strike in the Nigerian aviation air space.

Sanusi said bird strike has had negative impact on flight operations and engines of airplanes, adding that it happens most often when the aircraft is taking off or landing

and rarely happened at cruise level because the aircraft is usually very high in the air.

“When the aircraft engines suck in the bird, it damages a lot of things, depending on the engine, the level of strike and the penetration of the bird inside the engine.

“Bird strike can damage all the blades of an engine and destroys it. An engine can cost up to $15 million, but depending on the engine.

Bird strike can bend some blades in the engine and activate the sensor switch in the aircraft that will put the aircraft in the parking mood, forcing the pilot to land the aircraft because of the signal sent out by the

damaged sensor,” Sanusi explained.

He further said the air remained a natural habitat for birds; so, aircraft operate in bird environment; therefore, it will not be possible to eliminate birds; rather, their impact on flying aircraft can be minimised, noting that some ways to minimise the presence of birds around the airport is to cut the grass at the airports in the night when birds will not come to eat the worms and other insects exposed and when flights may not be operating.

He also suggested that garbage should not be kept near flight paths because it attracts birds and generally,

the airports should be kept clean in order to avert the birds, remarking that FAAN is working to control the birds.

Bird strike regularly disrupts flights in Nigeria’s airspace and together with weather, which is also a natural phenomenon, contribute significantly in-flight delays and cancellation but beyond weather, bird strike often leads the airline to spend a lot of money when a bird strike damages aircraft engine or body. Bird strike rarely happens without damage to the aircraft.

The story continues online on

www.thisdaylive.com

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BILLS MATURITY NTB 5-Jun25 NTB 10-Jul25 NTB 7-Aug25 NTB 4-Sep25 NTB 9-Oct25

Discount Yield

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MATURITY

17.95

18.20

May -0.01 8, 2025

17.12

17.64

May -0.01 8, 2025

17.80

18.63

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18.55

19.74

May -0.01 8, 2025

19.59

May -0.01 8, 2025

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

18.10

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CPS Discount Yield 26.11

26.61

21.64

22.56

25.71

26.52

24.72

26.42

21.87

23.01

Change (%)

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CONTRACT Current TENOR Contract Rate ($/₦) (MONTH) NGUS MAY 13M – 27 2026 NGUS JUN 14M – 24 2026 NGUS JUL 15M – 29 2026 NGUS AUG 16M – 26 2026 NGUS SEP 17M – 30 2026

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FRIDAY, MAY 9, 2025 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

PERSPECTIVE

How Enugu is Transforming Electricity Market Enugu is gradually rewriting Nigeria’s electricity story, showing the rest of the country how to turn the ink of constitutional amendment into energy to power socio-economic development, writes Jeff Ukachukwu

N

igeria’s power sector has lurched from one crisis to another for more than three decades—chronic generation shortfalls, ageing transmission lines, opaque tariffs, and a regulatory environment many investors found impenetrable.

Peak demand now regularly exceeds 19 GW, yet available capacity hovers around 4–5 GW, forcing households and businesses to rely on costly self-generation. Analysts have long argued that only a disruptive intervention, coupled with decentralised solutions, could lift the country out of this quagmire. That intervention arrived in March 2023, when the 9th National Assembly passed—and ex-President Muhammadu Buhari signed—a constitutional amendment that moved electricity from the Exclusive List to the Concurrent Legislative List.

For the first time, states were empowered to enact their own electricity laws, issue licences, and regulate intra-state markets. Enugu state governor, Mr Peter Mbah, looked at a new legal opportunity and didn’t file it away for some future administration to deal with. For Enugu, it was a lifeline, and Governor Peter Mbah grabbed it with both hands. How did a state that shared in Nigeria’s decades old power malaise flip the script so fast?

Within three months of his tenure, Governor Mbah’s administration drafted and passed a law many believed would take years to materialise.

The Enugu State Electricity Bill was swiftly signed into law on September 1, 2023, giving birth to the Enugu State Electricity Regulatory Commission—EERC. With this, the State assumed the authority to regulate electricity generation, transmission, and distribution within its boundaries. And in constituting the Commission, Governor Mbah headhunted even outside the state, for very experienced hands in the industry.

This, in a historic move, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) commenced the process of delegating full oversight to a subnational authority for the first time in the country’s history. setting the

pace, Enugu officially started taking control of its electricity market on April 22, 2024.

By October, the transition was complete.

Enugu became the first Nigerian State to own its power destiny from plug to pole, a testament to the speed and efficiency of the State’s transformation.

This was no mere bureaucratic handover.

It was the beginning of a redefinition of power in the most literal sense. The EERC swiftly issued interim distribution license, processed independent power generation applications, and resolved consumer complaints with a speed rarely seen in Nigeria’s public service. They licensed Mainpower Electricity Distribution Limited, a new vehicle created by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), to handle intra-state power delivery. Then came the generation licenses—10 megawatts for Fedikore Limited and another 5 megawatts for Tempo Power Solutions. Just like that, 15MW of embedded generation capacity was on the table, and several more applications are in the pipeline.

“This was never about symbolism,” said EERC Chair Chijioke Okonkwo.

“Investors needed regulatory certainty, consumers needed speed, and the State needed power.” Chijioke likes to rattle off the scoreboard: two-generation licences, one interim distribution licence and “over 60 customer complaints resolved” in half a year. Tempo Power Solutions Executive Chairman Collins Kalabare is even more direct: “The process is seamless—you don’t need to know anybody.”

However, policy and licensing are just the beginning of the change. The real transformation is in the people—the heart of the story. In Maryland, a mechanic like Obinna Obikwu no longer closes shop early due to power outages. “Honestly, outages are no longer like before now,” says Obikwu.

“We suffered under EEDC, but since the new Commission took charge, the difference is

“Enugu hasn’t solved Nigeria’s electricity crisis, but it has proved that a bold governor, a nimble law and a fearless regulator can redraw the power map in real-time. If Fedikore’s turbines spin on schedule and Tempo’s generators and other investors that applied follow suit, megawatt by megawatt, then the soft glow now draping the urban neighbourhoods, could soon stretch to villages that have never known anything but kerosene lamps— and maybe, just maybe, show the rest of the country how to turn constitutional ink into light.”

being gradually felt. At least, they resolve your complaints.” His neighbour, Loveday Ikpeama, agrees—though he still pleads for prepaid meters so the billing can catch up with the service. Ikpeama was also elated that the days of bribery for connection were over. The EERC’s processes—licensing, tariffs, complaint resolution—are online, visible, and, most importantly, trusted.

In Coal Camp, Abakpa, Awkunanaw, hope is rising. In the nooks and crannies, power solutions are being created. The relief and joy felt by the residents of Enugu are palpable. But even more fundamental is the hope that wells up in them by that with the continued interest and influx by investors in the electricity sector, the challenges of power poverty that debilitated creativity and enterprise, will soon be a thing of the past.

Meanwhile, the reasons the Enugu State electricity market is attractive to investors were aptly captured by the Exective Director of Tempo Power, Mr Collins Kalabare, during the aforementioned issuance of 5MW power generation license to the company. He was full of praise for the EERC for running a professional, transparent, and independent system where investors do not need to know anybody to get things done fast.

“I must appreciate the EERC for the professional, business-minded and openness of their processes and operations. The process is seamless and you do not need to known anybody. EERC is indeed working according to the vision and speed of Gov Peter Mbah, who we have learnt is in a hurry to develop and make Enugu State economy grow and uplift the general status of residents and businesses,” he stated.

The state government isn’t leaving it all to regulation. It’s pairing reform with enablers: roads to industrial clusters are being paved and upgraded. Security patrols have been strengthened to protect infrastructure. The government is working to identify anchor loads—industrial or commercial users who can act as stable off-takers to make new-generation projects bankable They’re even addressing issues like unfair billing, as seen in recent directives to Mainpower about capping advance connection charges and curbing arbitrary estimated billing.

Of course, challenges remain. Gas supply is not guaranteed, especially with FX volatility and pipeline vandalism, which are still an ever-present threat. Legacy debts from EEDC need to be cleaned up. And EERC, though nimble, is small—just 20 staff members managing an entire market. Plans are underway to scale that up, but the gap is real. Still, these are the problems of a market in motion, not one stuck in stasis.

The broader picture is stunning. Enugu isn’t just electrifying its communities—it’s lighting up a path for others. Lagos, Edo, and Kaduna are watching. The federal government is watching. Investors, who once wouldn’t touch Nigeria’s power sector with a ten-foot pole, are now flying into

Akanu Ibiam International Airport with feasibility studies in their backpacks. Enugu’s success is not just a local triumph but a beacon of hope for the entire nation, showing that the energy sector can be transformed with the right policies and determination. This potential for Enugu’s model to be replicated in other states should make the citizens feel hopeful for the future of Nigeria’s energy sector.

This is more than policy. It’s a culture shift. For a generation raised to treat “light” as a luxury, there’s something poetic about being able to charge your phone without stress, store food without fear of spoilage, and sleep without the throb of an old diesel generator in your ear.

And that’s perhaps the most important thing: hope is returning—slowly, cautiously, but tangibly.

People are beginning to believe not just that the government can change things—but that it already has. For the first time in a long time, the average Enugu resident isn’t talking about what’s broken. They’re talking about what’s next—meters, mini-grids, and job openings in the growing energy sector.

That shift in conversation—from despair to demand, from helplessness to expectation—is the truest sign that the power sector in Enugu isn’t just changing voltage levels.

It’s changing lives. And maybe, just maybe, it’s changing the story of Nigeria itself. The transformation happening in Enugu State is not just infrastructural—it’s emotional, cultural, and even psychological. It’s the kind of change you don’t see in policies or project milestones but in how people carry themselves after dusk, in the conversations overheard in neighbourhood kiosks, and in how businesses now open with expectation and hope rather than anxiety. It’s in the growing silence—the beautiful silence—where the rattle of generators are now giving way.

Enugu hasn’t solved Nigeria’s electricity crisis, but it has proved that a bold governor, a nimble law and a fearless regulator can redraw the power map in real-time. If Fedikore’s turbines spin on schedule and Tempo’s generators and other investors that applied follow suit, megawatt by megawatt, then the soft glow now draping the urban neighbourhoods, could soon stretch to villages that have never known anything but kerosene lamps—and maybe, just maybe, show the rest of the country how to turn constitutional ink into light.

Enugu’s electricity story is still in Act I, but the plot twists already show what becomes possible when constitutional change meets gubernatorial urgency. By marrying swift law-making, credible regulation, and a deliberately pro-investment stance, the State has transformed itself from a passive participant in Nigeria’s faltering grid to an active architect of its own power future. Indeed, Enugu looks good to illuminate a pathway for other Nigerian states.

“Enugu is open for energy business,” EERC’s Chairman keeps repeating. The evidence so far suggests that investors, engineers, and—most importantly—ordinary residents are ready to keep that door wide open. t +FGG 6LBDIVLXV B QVCMJD BGGBJST BOBMZTU XSPUF GSPN "CVKB

FRIDAY, MAY 9, 2025 ˾ T H I S D AY

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BUSINESSWORLD

AIR WATCH

Air Peace Partners Tecno Nigeria in Fresh Campaign Stories by Chinedu Eze Nigeria’s major carrier, Air Peace Limited, and leading smartphone giant, Tecno Nigeria, have partnered to launch the captivating campaign titled: ‘Free to Snap, Free to Soar’.

As part of the innovative collaboration, the two brands have rolled out exciting phases of the campaign, including “Fly and Win” and “Snap and Win,” which aim to reward loyalty, celebrate customers, and enhance the in-flight experience with a touch of technology and excitement.

In a recent surprise activation on board, one of its scheduled flights, Air Peace and Tecno Nigeria, thrilled passengers with a mid-air giveaway of the Camon 40 series, Tecno’s latest

flagship smartphone. The giveaway, part of the “Fly and Win” phase, saw lucky passengers walk away with premium smartphone midflight, underlining both brands’ commitment to delivering exceptional value and delight.

The campaign also features the engaging “Snap and Win” phase, where passengers are encouraged to take creative photos during their Air Peace flight experience and post them on social media, tagging both Air Peace and Tecno Nigeria as participants stand the chance to win a free Economy return ticket on any of Air Peace’s domestic route and a brand-new Camon 40 smartphone.

Additionally, the campaign includes live draws hosted across

social media platforms, further amplifying the excitement and reach of the initiative.

Speaking on the significance of the campaign, Air Peace’s Chief Operating Officer, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Olajide, stated: “This partnership with Tecno Nigeria goes beyond marketing—it’s a powerful symbol of innovation, empowerment, and appreciation for our teeming flyers.

As West Africa’s largest airline, we are constantly seeking new ways to reward our customers and redefine the flight experience. The ‘Free to Snap, Free to Soar’ campaign speaks to freedom, creativity, and connection. We invite more passengers to participate as the campaign winds down on the 31st of May 2025.”

A I R WATCH Travellers Rejoice as Ethiopian Airlines Increases Flights to Lagos

Rector Demands Upward Wage Review for NCAT Personnel To reduce number of members of staff that leave the school, the Rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, Dr. Danjuma Ismaila has urged the federal government to upwardly review the salaries of the institution’s workforce, especially those in the senior cardre who are sought after both in Nigeria and overseas.

The Rector deplored the poor remuneration during the oversight visit and facility tour of the college by the Chairman, House Committee on Aviation Technology,

Tajudeen Kareem Abisodun, and also appealed for the continued kind assistance of the committee in ensuring the improvement of budgetary allocations and funding for the college.

The Rector seized the opportunity to appraise the team of the strategic position of the college in churning out a great percentage of the aviation industry workforce and professionals in the Country.

According to him, “The poor wage profile of the college staff is the major reason for the prevalent

attrition and poaching of her trained personnel by sister agencies and the industry sector with higher salary remunerations.”

While appreciating the generous commitment shown by the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo and other predecessor administrations in the success story of the institution, he assured the committee of his administration’s plans to harnessing the college immense potential to gain maximum benefits for the College and the aviation industry.

NAHCO Signs Five New Contracts with Airlines for Handling Services The Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (nahco aviance), has announced the signing of a string of handling contracts with five different carriers.

In a statement on Wednesday, NAHCO announced the addition of cargo freighter and cargo warehousing for Lagos and Abuja with Royal Air Maroc.

The contract covers a period of five years and will end in November 2029.

Royal Air Maroc has a running handling contract with NAHCO which covers all other area of its operations in Nigeria.

The company also signed a renewal contract with Kenya Airways that seals the partnership between the two for the next five years. The contract with KQ covers passenger and cargo operations for the airline in Nigeria that the airline may venture into within the contract period.

The new contract with Dornier Aviation, covers passenger flight handling operation for a period of

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)

three years for Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja and Osubi airports and other airports in Nigeria.

New entrant, Enugu Air, also chose NAHCO who has more than 46 years of handling experience, to handle is operations in all locations in Nigeria Group Executive Director, Commercial and Business Development, NAHCO Plc, Prince Saheed Lasisi expressed delight with the new contracts describing them as very good and beneficial both to NAHCO and the airlines.

“This is truly very good for NAHCO and the airlines we have signed these contracts with. When

the client’s aircraft is on ground, there is just one company that can take care of its operations like her very own. That Company is NAHCO. This fact is not lost on Airline operators. Those who want the best service will always come to us,” Lasisi added.

The Group Managing Director, NAHCO Plc, Mr. Olumuyiwa Olumekun, described the development as a sign of greater things to come in NAHCO. He assured the Company’s clients and stakeholders of NAHCO’s focus on daily and consistent improvements in all aspects of its operations.

SAHCO Clinches Two Awards for Lagos, Abuja Stations Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) Plc has won the prestigious British Airways Safety and Punctuality Bronze Awards for both Lagos and Abuja stations for Q1 2025.

The awards recognise SAHCO’s exceptional performance in meeting British Airways’ punctuality targets and upholding the highest safety standards in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific region.

British Airways presented the awards in recognition of SAHCO&#39;s consistent professionalism and seamless ground handling services during the first quarter of 2025. Both Lagos and Abuja stations achieved the airline’s Adjusted Departure Closure (aDC) target of 96 per cent each month during the period — a reflection of SAHCO’s unwavering commitment to operational excellence.

“Safety and punctuality are pillars of the aviation industry,” said Hellen O’Connor, Regional General Manager for British Airways, Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific.

“We congratulate SAHCO in Lagos and Abuja for their outstanding contributions in achieving our Q1 punctuality goals.”

Since the inception of the awards, SAHCO has been a consistent winner across all categories. In 2024 alone, the Lagos station received Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum awards, while Abuja earned the Bronze award — a testament to the company’s relentless pursuit of excellence.

In response, SAHCO’s Managing Director/CEO, Mrs. Adenike Aboderin, expressed appreciation to British Airways for the continued recognition.

“We are delighted to receive this honour. SAHCO is committed to providing world- class ground handling services with the use of advanced, eco-friendly equipment.

This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team nationwide.”

Also, SAHCO Plc and its Assistant General Manager, Safety and Quality Assurance, Mrs. Christy Oseghale, were honoured with the Special Safety Merit Award at the 2025 Nigeria Safety &amp; Security (NSAS) Awards and Lecture, organised by Safety &amp; Security Watch (SSWatch) Magazine, to commemorate the ILO World Day for Safety and Health.

Chinedu Eze Africa’s largest carrier, Ethiopian Airlines will from July 1, 2025, increase flights to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos to two flights a day, marking the beginning of second daily flights to Nigeria’s commercial city. The development, which has brought excitement to air travellers, will give Nigerian passengers increased options out of Lagos with the extra daily flight, which will offer immediate connection to many African and Asian destinations.

The airline said with the extra flights, there would be instant connection that reduces the total hours of flight time for passengers.

“There will be four evening flights at 10 pm and another 3 at 5:40 am. The daily midday flight will not change. Only the additional flights will have different times. Evening departure 10PM from Lagos ET 902 and arrival in Addis at 5:20 am will connect all African destinations, DXB, GRU, TLV and some other destinations.

“Morning departure at 5:40 am from Lagos ET904 and arrival in Addis at 1pm will connect perfectly to afternoon departure African countries, Dubai-UAE; Sao Paulo-Brazil; Tel Aviv-Israel; Mumbai-India; Delhi-India; Hyderabad-India; Chennai-India; Istanbul-Turkey; Rome-Italy; Athens-Greece; Zanzibar-Tanzania; Dar er Salaam-Tanzania and others,” the airline said.

According to the Area Manager of Ethiopian Airlines in Nigeria, Mrs. Firiehiwot Mekonnen. “We are happy to offer more flights and options out of Lagos.

These extra flights help us improve service delivery and reduce costs for travellers. Most of our passengers will now arrive their destinations faster.”

Ethiopian has been flying to Nigeria since 1960 and has served the market with the newest aircraft in the world, including the A350- 1000 and the B787 Dreamliner. It connects Lagos to over 140 global destinations.

The airline which in many ways and at different occasions expressed its commitment to Nigeria has indicated that it is poised to further serve the Nigerian market by supporting the tourism, entertainment and cultural events in Nigeria in a bid to keep the growing momentum as Nigeria is fast emerging as Africa’s leading hub for such events.

Ethiopian said this is important for the airline, as the largest operator in Africa, which connects over 60 African cities to its expansive global network, playing a key role in facilitating trade and tourism across the continent.

According to Mekonnen, the airline will intensify its efforts to promote tourism to and from Nigeria, utilising the opportunity offered by the growing niche market, Detty December, where Nigerians in Diaspora, their friends and others visit Nigeria during December to enjoy the inimitable entertainment and festivals, galvanizing opportunities offered by low exchange rate and resort facilities along the Atlantic Ocean and the creeks that gave Lagos its unique signature.

Mekonnen is also inviting Nigerians to visit Ethiopia, which is really the cradle of civilisation, where nature, history, culture and modernity diffuse to create tourism destinations across the country, from Addis Ababa the historical city to Lalibela, the home of the famous rock-hewn churches to Aksum home of the Obelists to Gondar, Semien Mountains, waterfalls and to the first church and mosque in Africa.

“Ethiopian Airlines is a connector of African trade and tourism. We are committed to driving more tourism into Nigeria from around the world and also encouraging Nigerians to explore Ethiopia and other parts of Africa,” she said.

Ethiopian Airlines said it has consistently supported major Nigerian cultural events, including Calabar Carnival, offering discounted fares and seamless travel options.

She emphasised Nigeria’s untapped tourism potential, highlighting the country’s rich culture, natural beauty, and diverse attractions that deserve global attention.

Mekonnen who served as the head of ET Holidays, overseeing all travel and tour packages under Ethiopian Airlines, will now marry travel and tourism and will likely develop strong tourism market between Nigeria, Ethiopia and other African countries.

Nigeria has remained an attractive market because Nigerians like to travel and with growing interest in vising Africa, realising the breathtaking beauties in the region, many Nigerians who hitherto travelled to Europe, the United States and Middle East now travel around Nigeria or travel to other African countries for holidays and Ethiopia, Tanzania, Zambia, Kenya as the West is becoming increasingly stringent with visa policy and the Middle East destinations do not have much of nature to offer.

Besides its efforts to deepen presence in Nigeria, Ethiopian Airlines is growing bigger and bigger as an African carrier and has become one of the major global airlines to compete with not only in Africa but in the world.

The airline is moving indefatigably ahead with its ambitious plans to reshape African aviation, with a new airport project near Addis Ababa set to become the continent’s largest when completed.

Speaking to the BBC recently, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Mesfin Tasew, confirmed that construction of the $5 billion mega facility will begin by the end of November 2025, with Phase One expected to be completed by 2029.

The new airport will be built in two phases and is projected to have an eventual annual capacity of 110 million passengers, dwarfing the current capacity of Bole International Airport, which is now stretched at 25 million. The first phase will handle up to 60 million passengers annually.

“The existing airport has served us well, but it can no longer support our rapid growth. This new facility will position Ethiopia as the undisputed aviation hub for Africa,” Tasew told BBC. The development will displace approximately 2,500 farming households across 3,500 hectares of land. According to Tasew, the airline is constructing residential homes and income-generating facilities, including agro-processing and trade centres, to resettle and support the affected communities.

“Relocation is expected to be completed by November,” he added.

BBC also reported that Ethiopian Airlines, one of Africa’s most profitable carriers, is closing in on its long-term financial ambitions. Back in 2010, the airline set a bold target of reaching $10 billion in annual revenue by 2025.

While it fell short of that mark last year, reporting $7 billion in 2023/24, Tasew said the airline expects to hit $8 billion by June 2025.

“In terms of fleet size, number of destinations, and overall network, we have already achieved the targets set in our Vision 2025 plan,” the CEO said.

Despite expanding its footprint across Africa — including partnerships with national carriers in Malawi, Togo, and Zambia — the Ethiopian Airlines CEO spoke on the ticket prices. Tasew attributed these costs to the fluctuating fuel prices, taxes, and ground handling fees across African countries.

The story continues online on

www.thisdaylive.com

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T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY, MAY 9, 2025

BUSINESSWORLD

ECONOMY

Obaseki: The Man Who Saw, Leveraged Future Boom of Oil Palm Kayode Tokede narrates how the immediate past governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki took deliberate, bold, and strategic steps to leverage the hidden potential that laid in the oil palm sector, years before its current boom started to unravel in Nigeria.

R

ising demand for oil palm in Nigeria is quietly driving a boom in the production of the commodity, with Edo State emerging as major hub.

The production of the industrial crop has taken a centerstage and has become a veritable source of economic growth in a largely gloomy Nigerian economy, where several sectors are underperforming.

Crude oil production and output is declining, subsistence farming is also taking a hit because of worsening insecurity across the country, while the manufacturing sector continues to reel under the pressure of inflation and escalating production costs, amid other facets of the economy in dire straits.

But one man, Godwin Obaseki, had the foresight and saw through the fog, taking deliberate, bold, and strategic steps to leverage the hidden potential that laid in the oil palm sector, years before its current boom started to unravel in Nigeria.

As governor of Edo State between 2016 and 2024, Obaseki set out to create a thriving sector that will not only boost economic activities but also generate revenue and provide employment opportunities, having envisioned its potential as a driver of sustainable economic growth and development.

He therefore started a quiet revolution in the sector, engaged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for a N69 billion funding facility and established the Edo State Oil Palm Programme (ESOPP), aimed at de-risking the oil palm value chain by providing contiguous land to investors for sustainable production.

Under the scheme, over 120,000 hectares of land were allocated for oil palm development, with over $500 million in investment attracted, the largest of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa.

Having achieved significant success in Edo State, Obaseki initiated conversations to export the state’s revolutionary oil palm estate development model to neighboring States, in a bid to promote food self-sufficiency and

Obaseki diversify Nigeria’s economy.

The result of this novel approach is that several months after his exit from office, Edo State and indeed Nigeria is still reaping the rewards of bold, visionary leadership in the oil palm sector.

As of today, Edo, along with its sister State, Delta have continued to attract

new investments in palm plantations and refineries from existing and new players, positioning them as key contributors to Nigeria’s agricultural growth.

The boom in the both States has not only helped in reducing the country’s palm oil imports, but also creating jobs, boosting rural development, and

enhancing food security.

Investors are already earmarking an additional $855 million dollars for oil palm cultivation in Edo. Apart from Okomu and Presco, the two largest agric companies quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, who benefited from Obaseki’s nuanced reforms to expand their hectarage and investment in Edo, the State today plays host to over ten new companies that have been allocated land including Dufil Prima Foods, the makers of Indomie Noodles; Saro Oil Palm; Farm Forte, Flour Mills Nigeria Plc; an American Company called Fayus, and Saturn Farms, among others.

Beyond transforming the State’s oil palm industry into a multi-billion-dollar sector, on the back of Obaseki’s investment in the oil palm sector, Edo State is today reputed to have the largest area of land under oil palm cultivation in Africa.

The state is also Nigeria’s leading oil palm producer, contributing about 12 per cent of the country’s aggregate palm oil production, closely followed by Akwa Ibom and Cross River States.

If not anything, Obaseki has positioned Edo State as a shining example of agricultural excellence in Nigeria and Africa, placing them as a major hub to benefit from the ongoing oil palm boom.

This is why Obaseki’s investment acumen greatly served the people of Edo State during his eight-year stint as governor. His strategic foresight and visionary leadership is a model that should be emulated. He is the man who saw and leveraged the future boom of oil palm industry.

Governors must look beyond the monthly revenue allocations from Abuja and proactively identify areas of potential economic growth, and begin to harness and organise invest in these sectors, just as Obaseki did with the oil palm industry in Edo, so as to unlock sustainable development and prosperity for their States and the country.

Bernard: Passenger Traffic Data Do Not Reflect Actual Number of Travellers The Group Managing Director of Finchglow Holdings, Mr. Bankole Bernard, has said the Nigerian aviation industry needs reliable data that will help the industry to plan, attract investors and determine the growth of the sector. He however expressed scepticism on the authenticity of existing data, saying that they do not capture the real number of people that travel. Chinedu Eze brings the excerpts: Nigeria seems to be recording very low annual increase in passenger traffic, compared to other developing countries. Why is it so? ell, first of all, it is difficult for us to establish the fact that we are not growing. And why it is difficult to establish the fact that we are not growing is that we do not have reliable data? Any organization or country that pays little or no attention to data collection is not willing to grow because data is what will help you determine whether you are growing, at what percentage you are growing, and help you to forecast and do projections for the future.

But unfortunately, the government has paid little or no attention to that. And I have said it in my previous interview, until the government comes to their senses, when they will pay attention to creating a data center, that is when we are in for business.

There is a lot happening around the globe. Aviation is not what it used to be. A lot has changed. Has the Nigerian government or the industry even spoken about lack of aircrafts in the aviation industry globally?

I hope you know that there is scarcity of aircraft.

Why can&#39;t we hold ourselves accountable? We are telling the airlines, we want to see that you are economically viable, so submit your financials to us when we are doing your papers. Who holds the parastatals accountable? Do we know how much FAAN (Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria) is generating on a daily basis? Do we know how much they are bringing on a monthly basis?

don’t comply with data, the federal government will fine me.

Why can’t government tell them to comply? Oh, because they are government. So that is where the issues are. Nobody holds anybody accountable. So, whatever they do is right.

But do you think the number of passengers that travel to international destinations from Nigeria is growing?

Yes, the number of people who travel overseas is growing; why should domestic travellers not grow? Because you would rather go by air than to go by road. Because that ransom you pay when you are kidnapped is higher than the airfare. So, I don’t understand; what are they saying to us?

W

How do we not estimate that, okay, this is the forecast?

I will say something to you. There is a nation that is growing astronomically in Africa. It is Morocco.

They don’t have a population. They are very rich in agriculture. Their airline is the fastest growing in Africa. Now go and check the records. At every point in time, they are growing their tourism. Significantly, they came to Nigeria to take a lot of Nigerian travel agencies to Morocco. They do daily flights and it is always full to capacity. The question is, what did they do? They used data to position themselves and they have been able to grow their country. Their airline is doing very well. They are growing tourism simply

Bernard because these people did not joke with data.

They will give you the figures.

The facts and figures are with them. What have we done with our? They are selling beyond Casablanca. Casablanca, Marrakesh, there is a place called Fez. They are selling all these places, which means that for every time a dollar moves into them, it is developing their country. For every time, a dollar is leaving your country to go, you are losing out. What are we doing? How well are we promoting and positioning our flag carriers? I think it is high time we woke up and tell ourselves the truth. Are we here for serious business or we are just here to pay lip service? If it’s about lip service, then let’s continue like this. There is nothing wrong.

But if we want to change the narrative, then we need to start speaking the truth. And the truth is what data do we have? Why can’t those data be made public? Is anything wrong in it? How many passengers? Who is the target? If you ask FAAN to give you the data of passengers, it will be different from what NCAA (Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority) will

give you. NCAA’s figure will be different from what NAMA (Nigerian Airspace Management Agency) will give you. Why should it be like that? Because it will reveal a lot of things. So, they would rather not do it. If you are really going to do anything in this industry, we have to start by paying a lot of attention to data.

Is it that Nigeria does not have data or there are no verifiable data?

What you consider as data is that you have a central point where you have all this data and you filter it and you present it. You should reflect the reality. Not just picking data here and then and just go add up to anything. That is the greatest challenge. If the data that is being gotten from the same industry differs from the one from NCAA, differs from the one from FAAN, that is a fundamental problem. It is a fundamental problem. And only one body can make that happen. Ministry of Aviation. Why can’t we create a data unit?

Why? Because as I am running this organization, I have a data officer. I comply with data. If I

But the airfare is very high. And I think that has shrunk the markets?

It did not shrink any market. It did not shrink any markets. And let me tell you, more airlines are still queuing up to get their AOCs (Air Operator Certificate).

You don&#39;t understand. We have the markets.

We are just not being fed with the right information and the right figures.

Is this intentional?

It is intentional to the best of my knowledge.

Why do you think it is intentional?

Just to discourage the serious-minded people from coming to the industry and just to keep the government’s eyes away from what they are doing.

Let’s take for instance, we are in the same country where JAMB as a body has been declaring small, small amounts of revenue. Then one man got there and we started seeing billions of Naira in revenue.

In that situation, what changed?

Sincerity came in. This is the right man for the job.

You think somebody like me will get into aviation, at the helm of affairs and I will not double the income for the government? Are you kidding me?

You don’t want to know the amount of money that is in aviation. You don’t want to know.

The story continues online on www.thisdaylive.com

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, MAY 9, 2025

MARKET NEWS A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager.

Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return.

An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg.

Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 07 May-2025, unless otherwise stated.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors.

Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return.

NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 436.88 440.57 9.90% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 359.06 359.06 11.82% Nigeria International Debt Fund 100.00 100.00 17.27% Afrinvest Dollar Fund 112.79 112.79 2.44% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 21.56% AIICO Balanced Fund 0.00 6.17 7.93% AIICO Eurobond Fund 100.00 100.00 6.72% Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 100.00 100.00 19.77% Anchoria Equity Fund 291.32 294.74 12.74% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.44 1.44 9.74% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 37.49info@anchoriaam.com 38.62 5.75% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 834.16 859.31 4.94% ARM Ethical Fund 74.78 77.03 9.05% ARM Eurobond Fund 1.16 1.16 14.42% ARM Fixed Income Fund 1.25 1.25 26.77% ARM Money Market Fund 1.12 1.12 24.02% ARM Shariah Fixed Income Fund 1.07 1.07 15.63% ARM Short Term Bond Fund 1.02 1.02 4.66% ARM Short Term Eurobond Fund 1.00 1.00 21.92% AVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGERS LIMITED info@avacapitalgroup.com Web: www.avacapitalgroup.com; Tel 08069294653 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 104.33 104.33 0.97% AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Fund 1,104.13 1104.13 3.26% AVA GAM Fixed Income (Naira) Fund 1.00 1 0.00% AVA GAM Money Market Fund AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 0.00 0.00 0.00% AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 0.00 0.00 0.00% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 0.00 0.00 0.00 CEAT Fixed Income Fund 0.00 0.00 0.00 Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) CARDINALSTONE ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfunds@cardinalstone.com Web: www.cardinalstoneassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 (1) 710 0433 4 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 1.10 1.10 14.22% CardinalStone Fixed Income Alpha Fund 1.07 1.07 8.42% CardinalStone Equity Fund 1.32 1.34 6.74% CardinalStone Dollar Fund 1.00 1.00 19.76% CardinalStone Money Market Fund 1.02 1.02 2.13% CardinalStone Balanced Fund CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapel Hill Denham Money Market Fund 0.00 0.00 0.00 Nigeria Bond Fund 0.00 0.00 0.00 Nigeria Dollar Income Fund 0.00 0.00 0.00 Paramount Equity Fund 0.00 0.00 0.00 CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 0.00% 115.00 115.00 13.39% Cordros Fixed Income Fund 120.06 120.06 10.32% Cordros Halal Fixed Income Fund Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 119.45 119.45 7.38% Cordros Milestone Fund 222.16 223.97 8.76% CORONATION ASSETS MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com, Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund 0.00 0.00 0.00 Coronation Balanced Fund 0.00 0.00 0.00 Coronation Fixed Income Fund 0.00 0.00 0.00 EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund 0.00 0.00 0.00 EDC Nigeria Balanced Fund 0.00 0.00 0.00 EDC Nigeria Halal Fund 0.00 0.00 0.00 EMERGING AFRICA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@emergingafricafroup.com Web:www.emergingafricagroup.com/emerging-africa-asset-management-limited/, Tel: 08039492594 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Emerging Africa Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 21.30% Emerging Africa Bond Fund 1.19 1.19 12.04% Emerging Africa Balanced Diversity Fund 1.42 1.44 11.57% Emerging Africa Eurobond Fund 113.94 113.94 7.26% Emerging Africa Halal Fund 1.08 1.08 11.64% FBNQUEST ASSETS MANAGEMENT LIMITED invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Money Market Fund 100 100 20.84% FBN Bond Fund 1711.96 1711.96 11.20% FBN Dollar Fund 129.79 129.79 7.59% FBN Halal Fund 151.59 151.59 14.29% FBN Specialized Dollar Fund 122.13 122.13 8.21% FBN Balanced Fund 356.44 359.43 10.03% FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund (LMMF) 1.00 1.00 0.00% Legacy Equity Fund (LEF) 3.75 3.75 9.69% Legacy USD Bond Fund (LUBF) 4.02 4.10 7.70% FCMB-TLG Private Debt Fund 0.00 0.00 0.00% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral income fund 4,566.96 4,566.96 11.98% Coral money market fund 100.00 100.00 20.84% FSDH HALAL FUND 1,244.44 1,244.44 13.91% FSDH dollar fund 1.29 1.29 6.54% Coral Balanced Fund 9,002.73 9,081.54 51.20% INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 0.00 0.00 0.00 ABACUS: Guaranty Trust Money Market Fund (GTMMF) 0.00 0.00 0.00 VEIF: Guaranty Trust Equity Income Fund (GTEIF) 0.00 0.00 0.00 VBF: Guaranty Trust Balanced Fund (GTBF)

0.00 0.00 0.00 VDF: Guaranty Trust Dollar Fund (GTDF) 0.00 0.00 0.00 VGIF: Guaranty Trust Fixed Income Fund (GTFIF) HILLCREST CAPITAL MANAGEMENT dabbey@hillcrestcapmgt.com Web: https://hillcrestcapmgt.com/; Tel: +2348075144540, 0214540094 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Hillcrest Balanced Fund 0.00 0.00 0.00 LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn LOTUS HALAL FIXED INCOME FUND 1,245.71 1,245.71 13.05% LOTUS HALAL INVESTMENT FUND 2.42 2.46 18.75% LOTUS HALAL EQUITY EXCHANGE TRADED FUND 34.47 38.10 35.74% LOTUS WAQF ENDOWMENT FUND 1,088.78 1,088.78 0.00% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: www.meristemwealth.com/funds/; Tel: +2348028496012 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 0.00 0.00 0.00 Meristem Value ETF 0.00 0.00 0.00 Meristem Growth ETF 0.00 0.00 0.00 Meristem Fixed Income Fund 0.00 0.00 0.00 Meristem Dollar Income Fund 0.00 0.00 0.00 Meristem Money Market Mutual Fund 0.00 0.00 0.00 MANGO ASSET MANAGEMENT jetadafe@mangoam.com Web:https://mangoam.com/; Tel: +234 7030839517 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Mango Naira Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 21.16% NORRENBERGER INVESTMENT AND CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LIMITED enquiries@norrenberger.com

Web: www.norrenberger.com, Tel: +234 (0) 908 781 2026 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Norrenberger Money Market Fund (NMMF) 100.00 100.00 21.35% Norrenberger Islamic Fund (NIF) 104.63 104.63 14.05% NORRENBERGER DOLLAR FUND (NDF)-----($) 104.07 104.07 9.36% NORRENBERGER TURBO FUND (NTF)-----(N) 102.86 102.86 14.42% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 10.00 10.00 17.55 PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.61 13.03 3.25% PACAM Money Market Fund 2.93 3.00 12.24% PACAM Equity Fund 1.49 1.55 6.81% PACAM EuroBond Fund 138.46 143.16 0.96% SCM CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn The Frontier Fund 218.84 226.81 31.38% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.06 1.06 19.03% SFS REIT 159.18 159.18 3.57% UH REIT/SFS 61.35 61.35 2.11% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund Stanbic IBTC Enhanced Short-Term Fixed Income Fund Stanbic IBTC Absolute Fund UPDC REIT Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund Stanbic IBTC Imaan Fund Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund SIAML Pension ETF 40 Stanbic IBTC Aggressive Fund Stanbic IBTC Conservative Fund

STL ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web: WWW.STLASSETMGT.COM; Tel: 8136115170 Fund Name STL MONEY MARKET FUND STL BALANCED FUND STL DOLLAR FUND

UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 01-6317876 Fund Name United Capital Money Market Fund United Capital Sukuk Fund United Capital Fixed Income Fund United Capital Nigerian Eurobond Fund United Capital Global Fixed Income Fund United Capital Stable Income Fund United Capital Equity Fund United Capital Balanced Fund United Capital Wealth for Women Fund VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Money Market Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Zenith Balanced Strategy Fund Zenith Income Fund Zenith Money Market Fund ZEDCREST INVESTMENT MANAGER LIMITED Web: www.zedcrestwealth.com; Tel: +2348075881240 Fund Name Zedcrest Money Market Fund Zedcrest Fixed Inocme Fund Zedcrest Dollar Fund

REITS Fund Name SFS REIT UPDC REIT

1.00 259.03 135.27 139.68 5,168.20 11.59 7,218.93 321.99 3.32 366.32 606.54 29,341.66 270.00

1.00 259.03 135.79 143.18 5,170.86 11.59 7,284.20 321.99 3.36 366.98 614.27 29,775.12 270.00

20.46% 0.16% 1.07% 1.67% 0.02% 2.11% 13.16% -21.47% -98.34% 3.56% 21.73% 15.84% -66.67%

9,461.06 7,593.92

9,585.85 18.15% 7,628.06 11.75% jemenike@stlassetmgt.com

Bid Price 0.00 0.00 0.00

Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 unitedcapitalplcgroup.com

Bid Price 1.00 1.26 2.02 127.37 1.20 116.38 1.66 2.18 1.66

Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 1.00 19.27% 1.26 9.91% 2.02 7.93% 127.37 6.51% 1.20 7.35% 116.38 20.32% 1.68 11.46% 2.20 10.28% 1.67 9.54% funds@vetiva.com

Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 investmentoperations@zedcrest.com Bid Price 0.00

Offer Price 0.00

Yield / T-Rtn 0.00

0.00 0.00

0.00 0.00

0.00 0.00

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

0.00

0.00%

7,628.06

11.75%

The value of investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise. Past performance is a guide and not an indication of future returns. Fund prices published in this edition are also available on each fund manager’s website and FMAN’s website at www.fman.com.ng. Fund prices are supplied by the operator of the relevant fund and are published for information purposes only.

28

T H I S D AY ˾ AY, MAY 9, 2025

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

UN Launches $159m Fund to Address Food Security in BAY States Arthur Eriye The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, have announced the launch of the 2025 Lean Season Response Plan for Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states in north-east Nigeria.

The intervention Plan seeks $159 million for urgent nutrition, food, and health and other life-saving assistance for 2 million people in most severe need in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states over the next six months.

Over 1 million children in the BAY states are at risk of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in 2025 – double the number in 2024. Of these children, over 600,000 are at

risk of SAM over the next six months. Without access to lifesaving nutrition services, they may die.

An estimated 4.6 million people in the BAY states are also projected to face acute food insecurity during the lean season starting in June – according to the Government-led Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis results released in March 2025. This marks the sixth consecutive year of severe conditions.

In his remarks at the launch of the Plan in Abuja, Minister Yilwatda emphasized the need for urgent action.

“This Plan is not just about structures and strategies. It is about a promise that no child in Borno, Adamawa, or Yobe should have to sleep hungry when the world has enough food; that no mother should lose a child

to a condition we know how to treat, and that dignity must never be a casualty of conflict or poverty,” he said.

He also reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to leading the response, aligning it to national policies.

The BAY states are grappling with a 15-year humanitarian crisis, which has been intensified by prolonged conflict, economic instability, and climatic shocks.

Significant funding cuts for humanitarian operations in 2025 have multiplied the severity of needs and limited access to much-needed lifesaving support.

The health and nutrition sectors have been particularly impacted in the BAY states, with up to 70 per cent of health services and 50 per cent of nutrition services affected.

This is threatening gains in malnutrition prevention and treatment.

CRC Credit Bureau Appoints Onwude Non-Executive Director Segun James The CRC Credit Bureau has announced the appointment of Mr. Charles Onwude as a Non-Executive Director on its Board. His appointment has been confirmed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

According to a statement, the appointment further strengthens CRC’s commitment to corporate governance and strategic growth.

Onwude, joins the Board as the representative of Stanbic IBTC and Standard Chartered Bank,

bringing with him over 22 years of extensive experience in business and risk management, corporate affairs, and financial strategy.

A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA), Onwude holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Lagos and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics (Second Class Upper Honors) from the same institution.

His career spans key leadership roles, including his current position as General Manager, Head of Country Risk & Corporate

Affairs at Stanbic IBTC Bank.

Speaking on the appointment, the Chairman, Board of Directors of CRC Credit Bureau, Mr. Joel Owoade, expressed enthusiasm about Onwude’s addition to the Board.

“We are delighted to welcome Charles Onwude to the CRC Board. His deep expertise in risk management and financial strategy will be instrumental in guiding CRC’s operations and reinforcing our commitment to excellence in the credit reporting industry,” he added.

Divisional Head, Personal Banking, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Mr. Adetunji Lamidi, presenting a cheque to Mrs. Anita Yesufu, one of the winners of N1 million in the third draw of the FCMB Millionaire Promo Season 10 in 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

StakeholdersTasked to Educate Women-in-Mining on Economic Opportunity in Industry Hammed Shittu ÓØ ÖÙÜÓØ Stakeholders in the mining sector have been urged to expose women- in- mining to the economic opportunities available, training and information that can assist them to advance the growth of mining industry in the country.

The Programme Manager of a non- governmental organisation (NGO),Center for Gender Economics in Africa (CGEA), Regina Solomon made the call in Ilorin, Kwara state capital during one-day training workshop organised for over 50 women- in- mining in the state The theme of training workshop was, “Empowering Women in Mining to Understand Climate Change Impacts and Advocate for Nigeria’s Energy Transition.”

She said, “the programme is to expose women to the

economic opportunities in the sector through empowerment with the necessary information and training.

“Your presence shows the strength and determination of women in the mining sector to not only thrive in their work but to lead conversations on climate resilience and Nigeria’s energy future” She also said, “This training is designed to help deepen our understanding of how climate change affects small-scale mining, and how the ongoing shift towards renewable energy opens new opportunities for women in the mining sector.”

On her part, the facilitator of the programme CEO, Olive Community Development Initiative (OCDI), Mrs Oluwatoni Adeleke, explained that the workshop will benefit the women to learn to speak in one voice, and advocate for their

right to get support from the government for their needs.

“This will make them become leaders in the energy sector, learn about the new minerals in demand, access resources and reach out to organizations that can help,” she added.

Speaking, the permanent secretary, Kwara state ministry of Solid Minerals, Ishiaq Yinka Olokooba stated that, “women- in- mining in Kwara state started in 2021 and has helped in reshaping both skilled and unskilled women in the mining sector.

He said, “Mining has long being pillar of economic growth in Nigeria and across Africa.

Women often working in small scale artisanal and communitybased mining have been an invisible yet vital part of this sector especially in hard washing of minerals and crushing of stones.”

Custodian Investment Grows Profit by 133% to N60.67bn Kayode Tokede Despite the difficult macroeconomic environment that characterized the 2024 fiscal year, Custodian Investment Plc has reported a profit before tax (PBT) of N60.67 billion, about 133 per cent increase from N22.99 billion reported in 2023.

The company also declared gross revenue of N152 billion in 2024, representing an increase of 54 per cent from N98.872 billion in 2023.

Chairman of Custodian Investment, Dr. Omobola Johnson told shareholders at the 30th Annual

General Meeting (AGM) of the company held over the weekend in Lagos that, “Our overall strong performance underscores the resilience of our business model and tenacity of our management team staff.”

She reassured shareholders that the board will continue to work with management to deploy the group’s assets professionally, prudently and profitably within the dictates of the evolving local and global economy.

She said, “In line with our commitment to deliver strong and sustainable returns to our shareholders, the board approved

a total dividend of 125 kobo for every share of 50 Kobo held for the financial year 2024, which is made up of interim dividend of 15 Kobo paid earlier and a final dividend of 110 Kobo.”

Also speaking, Group Managing Director of Custodian Investment, Mr. Wole Oshin said in a bid to ensure they continue to grow and deliver value to all stakeholders, they will focus on the following key areas which include enhancing stakeholder value, innovation and adaptability, integrity and governance, collaboration and growth as well as sustainability and social responsibility.

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 ˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

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 MARKET INDEX NSE

% Change

CAP

0.75%(52%YoY)

Index

0.9% (29%Y/D) ˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ Ͱ͵˛ͳͮϱ

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 ˾ AY, MAY 9, 2025

MARKET NEWS

Stock Market Sustains Positive Momentum for Fifth Straight Session, Adds N222bn Kayode Tokede The Nigerian stock market yesterday climbed for the fifth straight session, gaining N222 billion by market capitalisation on continued buying interest in large-cap stocks.

The gain so far this week has reinforced investor confidence and keeping the stock market on a positive trajectory

The Nigerian Exchange Limited All Share Index (NGX ASI) gained by 382.13 basis points or 0.35 per cent to close at 109,231.96 basis points. Also, market capitalisation gained N222 billion to close at N68.652 trillion.

Also, investor sentiment, as measured by market breadth was positive as 38 stocks advanced, while 21 declined Beta Glass and Chellarams recorded the highest price gain of 10 per

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R

DEALS

cent each to close at N160.65 and N9.46 respectively, while International Energy Insurance followed with a gain of 9.93 per cent to close at N1.66, per share.

May & Baker Nigeria up by 9.78 per cent to close at N10.10, while Academy Press gained 9.78 per cent to close N3.93, per share.

On the other hand, Abbey Mortgage Bank led the losers’ chart by 10 per cent to close

S E C U R I T I E S

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

at N7.47, per share. Livestock Feeds followed with a decline of 9.77 per cent to close at N7.85, while end Internet declined by 8.50 per cent to close at N9.15, per share.

Deap Capital Management and Trust depreciated by 6.48 per cent to close at N1.01, while VFD Group declined by 5.88 per cent to close at N16.00, per share.

Meanwhile, the total volume traded fell by 5.69 per cent to

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

554.069 million units, valued at N14.348 billion, and exchanged in 16,704 deals. Transactions in the shares of Fidelity Bank topped the activity chart with 69.758 million shares valued at N1.407 billion. Access Holdings followed with 65.761 million shares worth N1.437 billion, while Tantalizer traded 55.060 million shares valued at N126.758 million.

Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) traded

A S O F

45.972 million shares valued at N3.104 billion, while First HoldCo sold 22.710 million shares worth N571.609 million.

On market outlook, analysts at Futureview Research stated that “the market is expected to maintain its bullish momentum this week, supported by strong investor interest in large-cap stocks and upbeat Q1 earnings releases.”

M AY / 0 8 / 2 5 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

30

˜ ΁˜ ͺ͸ͺͽ ˾ THISDAY

േ

േ

7 R S * D LQH UV

Ticker

P rice

7 R S 7 UD GH V E\ 9 R OXP H

P rice Chg %

Ticker

Vo lume

P rice Chg % -0.2%

CHELLA RA M

9.46

10.0%

FIDELITYB K

69.8

B ETA GLA S

160.65

10.0%

A CCESSCORP

65.8

1.2%

INTENEGINS

1.66

9.9%

TA NTA LIZER

55.1

-5.7%

M A YB A KER

10.10

9.8%

GTCO

46.0

0.7%

A CA DEM Y

3.93

9.8%

FIRSTHOLDCO

22.7

2.2%

UP L

4.83

9.8%

ZENITHB A NK

20.0

0.0%

SUNUA SSUR

5.35

9.6%

CUSTODIA N

19.3

0.0%

A USTINLA Z

2.06

9.6%

UB A

18.9

0.0%

SKYA VN

60.50

9.2%

UNIVINSURE

12.4

-1.9%

M ULTIVERSE

9.10

9.0%

M B ENEFIT

12.3

0.0%

7 R S /R V H UV

7 R S 7 UD GH V E\ 9 D OXH

Ticker

P rice

P rice Chg %

Ticker

Value

P rice Chg %

A B B EYB DS

7.47

-10.0%

GTCO

3104.1

0.7%

LIVESTOCK

7.85

-9.8%

A CCESSCORP

1436.9

1.2%

LEGENDINT

9.15

-8.5%

FIDELITYB K

1406.9

-0.2%

DEA P CA P

1.01

-6.5%

ZENITHB A NK

979.3

0.0%

VFDGROUP

16.00

-5.9%

DA NGCEM

763.9

1.9%

TA NTA LIZER

2.30

-5.7%

M TNN

695.3

0.0%

NB

49.90

-5.7%

UB A

650.0

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UA CN

33.00

-4.3%

FIRSTHOLDCO

571.6

2.2%

CHA M P ION

4.90

-4.1%

GEREGU

529.6

0.0%

M A NSA RD

8.16

-4.0%

NA HCO

366.3

0.0%

FRIDAY MAY 9, 2025 • T H I S D AY

IMAGES

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Medics Partners, Akin Eso; Chief Medical Director, Medics Partners, Dr. Busola Ayelowo; Resident Doctor, Medics Partners, Dr. Jerry Oputa, and the Clinical Dietician, Medics Partners, Mr Miracle Ebenezer, at the formal Unveiling of WeightHut, a weight management product

by Medics Partners Multi Specialist hospital in Lagos, recently

31

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

L-R: Business Development and Communications, Chrisland Schools Ltd, Dr. Jide Onigbogi; Managing Director Chrisland Schools Ltd, Mrs. Ibironke Adeyemi; CEO, National Arts Theatre, Mrs. Tola Akerele; Special Guest of Honour, Kolawole K. Olojo-Kosoko; Official Exhibition Opening &Ribbon cutting

by Prof. Kunle Filani; and Special Guest of Honour, Dr. Gbadamosi Adefemi popularly known as Dr. Foladavid, during the opening ceremony of Chrisland Schools joint Art Exhibition 2025 theme: Beyond Imagination: Expressing the future through A,rt in Lagos…at weekend.

L-R: Chairman, Energy Institute Nigeria/keynote speaker, Osten Olorunsola; Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Abubakar Aliyu; Managing Director, Bellazir Energy Limited, Christabel Aniemeka; co-Founder, Women in Energy Network, Patricia Simon-Hart; Managing Director, ZIGMA Energy, Funmi Ogbue and Managing Director, ANOH Gas Processing Company Limited, Effiong Okon during the official launch of Bellazir Energy in Lagos… recently

L-R: Representatives of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Lagos State Chapter, Comrade Wasiu Amole; Comrade Usman Teslim; Director, Lagos Bureau of Statistics and Representative of the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Tayo Oseni-Ope; Representatives of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) Lagos State Chapter, Comrade Taiwo Lasisi; Comrade Toyin Akinlosotu; and Assistant Director, Lagos State Ministry of Transportation and Representative of the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Oluwatosin Tiamiyu, during a One-Day stakeholders’ meeting on Generation of Road Transportation Data from Public and Private Parks and Garages in the State, held held in Lagos recently

L-R: Senior Marketing Director, Coca-Cola, Yusuf Murtala, presenting the Advanced Brand Management Programme Certificate of completion to the Corporate Communications Manager, FlashChange, John Kokome, during the graduation ceremony for the February-April cohort held recently in Lagos.

L-R:Managing Director,Nitro 121,Marketing And Advertising, Lampe Omoleye; Convener,The Industry Summit 6.0, Goddie Ofose; Marketing Consultant, Toyin Nnodi; and Co-founder/ CEO,Innova Hive Integrated Ltd, Stanley Oni; during The Industry Summit 2025 held in Lagos... recently

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FRIDAY, M ΁˜ ͺ͸ͺͽ ˾ THISDAY

NEWS

INAUGURATION OF THE SOUTH EAST REGIONAL OFFICE...

L–R: Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Enugu State, Dr. Lawrence Ezeh; Minister of Youth Development, Mr. Ayodele Olawande; Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah; Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani; Managing Director, Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT), Nkechi Egerton-Edehen; and Executive Secretary, Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), Dr. Yomi Arowosafe, during the inauguration of the South East regional office of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in Enugu, yesterday

Skin Bleaching: FG Laments Rising Cancer Cases, Says 80% Nigerians Affected Kuni Tyessi in Abuja The federal government lamented the rising cases of skin cancer resulting from excessive use of bleaching creams. It said about 80 per cent of Nigerians had been affected, and more disturbing was the realisation that they were not aware of the side

effects of the corrosive ingredients in the bleaching creams.

Director General of Raw Materials Research and Development Council, Professor Nnanyelugo Ike Muonso, made the revelation yesterday in Abuja at a workshop organised by Tropical Derma Research and Training Institute,

which centred on skin care research.

Muonso said, “We also have problems with our skin because there is an epidemic here in Nigeria, topping the rest of the continent “As a matter of fact, skin problems, Africa has more than 80% of its women with deep bleaches, skin problem. About 80% of Nigerians.

Some do not even know that they have very serious skin problems.

But statistics have it that at least 80% of Nigerian women bleach.”

He, however, disclosed the government had trained some people to obtain samples of skin problems across the country, stating that Nigeria has enormous

China Says Taiwan Independence Threat to its Sovereignty, Territorial Integrity Advises journalists against reports suggesting independence of Taiwan Michael Olugbode in Abuja The People’s Republic of China on Thursday said Taiwan independence was a serious threat to its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

China said the Taiwan question concerned China’s national sentiment, without any ambiguity, which could not be argued or challenged.

Chief, Political Section of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, Zhu Songbo, expressed the views at the Media Salon on the One-China Principle as the Bedrock of ChinaNigeria Relations, in Abuja.

Songbo explained that under the one-China principle, which asserts that there is only one China in the world, Taiwan was an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the government of the People’s Republic of China was the only legitimate government representing all of China.

Songbo added that the application of the one-China principle was universal, unconditional, and unquestionable, stressing that all countries that have diplomatic relations with China and all member states of the United Nations must unconditionally adhere to the one-China principle.

On how Nigeria was handling the Taiwan issue, Songbo said China appreciated the country’s commitment to the one-China principle, citing Nigeria’s actions, including the relocation of the Taiwan Trade Office out of Abuja.

He said, “Nigeria has been adhering to the one-China principle, which has been appreciated by China.

“We hope that Nigeria will continue to uphold this principle and support China’s efforts to achieve national reunification.”

Songbo cautioned media practitioners against using language that implied Taiwan’s independence or sovereignty, urging them to adhere to the principles of objectivity, fairness, and truthfulness when reporting on China and the Taiwan question.

He stated, “We hope that all of you will have a better understanding of China’s position on the Taiwan question and will continue adhering to the principles of objectivity, fairness, and truthfulness when writing reports about China.”

Songbo further expressed concern over attempts by some forces to promote Taiwan independence, describing such efforts as a serious threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

He said, “The Taiwan independence separatist activities and external forces are a threat to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. We firmly oppose any attempts to create a ‘two Chinas’ or ‘one China, one Taiwan’ scenario.”

Songbo reaffirmed China’s commitment to peaceful reunification, while also emphasising the importance of maintaining stability and security in the region.

The Chinese envoy said, “We are committed to peaceful reunification, but we will not tolerate any attempts to undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We hope that all parties will work together to promote peace and stability in the region.”

Earlier, in a presentation, Director of Centre for China Studies, Charles Onunaiju, said the Chinese and Taiwanese were, in fact, one people sharing a common history and cultural heritage.

Onunaiju said Nigeria’s position on the one-China principle was sacrosanct, as evidenced by its commitment to recognising the People’s Republic of China as the sole legitimate government representing all of China.

According to him, “The Taiwan Trade Office in Lagos operates merely as a trade facilitation entity, and not as an embassy, with its primary purpose being to promote economic and

commercial ties between Taiwan and Nigeria.”

Onunaiju, however, said the activities of the Taipei Trade Office had been known to undermine Nigeria’s adherence to the One-China principle, which could potentially strain bilateral relations between Nigeria and China.

He stated, “Ultimately, Taiwan’s eventual return to China is an inseparable part of history, as the island has been an integral part of Chinese territory since ancient times, and reunification is seen as a necessary step towards realizing the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Head of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Abuja, Professor Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim, in his presentation said no country will allow secessionist groups to undermine its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and China was no exception in its stance against Taiwan independence.

Loan Dispute: Court Grants Time for Settlement in EFCC’s Case against Otudeko , Others Wale Igbintade Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi has adjourned proceedings to June 11, 2025, to allow parties in the ongoing loan dispute involving the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Chairman of Honeywell Group, Oba Otudeko, and three others to continue settlement talks.

The adjournment followed a request by lead defence counsel, Mr. Bode Olanipekun (SAN), who informed the court that negotiations were still ongoing.

The settlement efforts are being facilitated by the Attorney General of the Federation, who had previ-

ously met with the parties before the March 17 court session and encouraged an amicable resolution.

The EFCC had filed a 13-count charge in suit number FHC/L/20C/2025 against Otudeko, former First Bank Managing Director Olabisi Onasanya, former Honeywell board member Soji Akintayo, and Anchorage Leisure Ltd. The charges relate to the alleged fraudulent acquisition of N12.3 billion from First Bank under false pretenses.

Olanipekun informed the court that the settlement process was still active, having been initiated following a meeting with the Attorney General of the Federation, who had urged the parties to seek an

amicable resolution.

EFCC counsel, Mrs. Bilikisu Buhari-Bala, confirmed the status of negotiations and supported a short adjournment for either a settlement report or to proceed with the trial.

Other defence counsel present included Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN) for Onasanya, Tunde Afe Babalola (SAN) for Akintayo, and Dr. Charles Adeogun-Phillips (SAN) for Anchorage Leisure Ltd. Babajide Koku (SAN) held a watching brief for First Bank, the nominal complainant.

Justice Aneke adjourned the case to June 11, 2025, for either arraignment or a report on the outcome of settlement discussions.

raw materials to deal with that challenge.

Muonso stated, “So, it is a challenge on its own because of the epidemic nature of the problem. If you leave that untreated, over time, if you do not solve that problem, over time we are going to have degenerations and things like, we also have epidemics in terms of skin cancer and other associated problems.

“So, yes, that is the reason we convened this training program, which is to train our staff on how to collect samples of skins to be able to identify the nature, the characteristics, the forms of skin

problems that we have in Nigeria.”

A medical aesthetician, Dr. Edith Gibson, said one of the reasons Africans bleached was to have an even skin tone.

Gibson said, “The majority of women, African women, black women, just want even skin tone.

They don’t want to be able to take off their clothes and have different complexions all over their bodies.

“They want their face, their stomachs, their feet, whatever it is, to be uniform.”

She also said, “only about 15 to 20 per cent of women would want lighter skin at any cost, that is at the cost of their health.”

Salt Not Harmful If Taken in Good Measure, Says Health Ministry Urges intake of 5 grams of salt daily Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare dismissed erroneous views about salt consumption, saying it supports vital body functions when eaten properly.

A statement, signed by Deputy Director at the ministry, Alaba Balogun, said government had observed a widely circulated video in which a respected religious leader discouraged Nigerians from heeding medical advice on salt consumption.

The statement said, “While we deeply respect the important role of faith and religious leaders in our society, it is crucial to correct misinformation that poses a risk to public health.

“Salt is not the enemy. Salt contains sodium, an essential mineral that supports vital body functions such as nerve activity, muscle movement, and fluid balance. However, the concern lies in excessive consumption, not in salt itself.”

The ministry said in line with global best practices, the World Health Organisation (WHO)’ and the Nigerian government recommend a maximum of five grams of salt per day (about one teaspoonful). Going beyond this threshold increased the risk of preventable disease and death, .

According to the ministry, research shows most Nigerians consume more than double the recommended daily sodium intake.

She stated, “This excessive intake is a major contributor to high blood pressure, stroke, heart failure, and kidney disease - non-communicable

conditions that continue to claim thousands of lives annually.

“To address this growing health crisis, the ministry is implementing a comprehensive national sodium reduction strategy. This includes the launch of the National Sodium Reduction Guidelines, which aim to reduce sodium content across all food categories - from processed and packaged foods to meals prepared at home or sold in restaurants and by street vendors.

“This initiative mandates food manufacturers, regulators, and the public in lowering sodium intake without compromising quality and nutrition.

“We wish to state clearly: Doctors do not lie. Nigeria’s health professionals are trained to offer evidence-based guidance rooted in decades of scientific research and patient care.

It added, “The presence of regulated sodium compounds in certain medications is not equivalent to dietary salt (sodium chloride) and is safe when prescribed appropriately.

“We reaffirm that faith and science are not at odds - they can and should work together for the well-being of our people. We therefore urge Nigerians to seek accurate health advice from qualified medical professionals and to join hands with the Ministry in reducing the burden of preventable diseases.

“The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare remains committed to promoting healthier lives through accurate information, preventive action, and respectful collaboration with all segments of society - including our valued faith communities.”

33

THISDAY ˾ ˜ ΁˜ ͺ͸ͺͽ

NEWS

2025 WORLD RED CROSS DAY CELEBRATION...

L-R: Secretary General, Nigerian Red Cross Society, Abubakar Ahmed Kende; Director, Protection Gender Inclusion and Education, Nigerian Red Cross, Fatimah Nasiru; Children Accident Prevention Institute, Red Cross, Elder Steve Akujobi; Head of Delegation, Country Cluster Delegation to Nigeria, Mr Bhupindu Tomar; and National President, Nigerian Red Cross Society, Prince Oluyemisi Adeaga, PHOTO: KINGSLEY ADEBOYE during the 2025 World Red Cross Day celebration in Abuja, yesterday

Tinubu Demands Stiff Enforcement of Child Protection Laws

Launches national action plan on violence against children Mulls creation of child protection and development agency

Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Bola Tinubu on Thursday launched the National Action Plan on Ending Violence Against Children in Nigeria with a call for stiff enforcement of the Child Rights Act and other child protection laws that guarantee the safety, dignity, and future of children.

He outlined practical steps being taken by his administration to achieve this, including the establishment of a dedicated Child Protection and Development Agency, launch of the Universal Child Grant to reduce household poverty and children’s vulnerability; creation of a National Child Protection Database and a Child Well-being Index, to track government’s progress and uphold accountability.

The president spoke during the first regional meeting of the Africa Pathfinder Countries of the Global Alliance on Ending Violence Against Children at the State House, Abuja.

Tinubu, represented at the event

by Vice President Kashim Shettima, declared his administration’s commitment to “establishing a dedicated Child Protection and Development Agency to ensure coherent coordination of all issues relating to the Nigerian child.”

The president stated that while each day came with a reminder of the dreams of Nigerian children, the conditions into which they were

born, and whether these conditions protect or betray them, were also critical issues to ponder.

According to him, “Our legal frameworks reflect our conviction.

From the Child Rights Act to the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, Nigeria has laid down the statutory foundation for the protection of children. But legislation alone does not shield the vulnerable - it is the will behind those laws, and the systems that enforce them, that make the difference.

“That is why our national strategy also embraces prevention and early intervention. We are strengthening families and communities through programmes that promote positive parenting, challenge harmful social norms, and provide targeted support to vulnerable households.”

Tinubu assured that relevant government institutions, including the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, were armed with the required training and resources to spearhead the protection of the Nigerian child across all levels of government.

He maintained that it was a crusade for which sincerity and honesty are required.

“But we must be honest with ourselves. We cannot protect the child by merely reciting the anthems of their struggles or romanticising their vulnerability.

“The real hope lies in action -

concrete, deliberate action. Our commitment must run deep, reaching into the very architecture of our education and health systems.

This is the soul of our human capital development strategy.”

To ensure stiff enforcement of child protection laws in Nigeria, the president said his administration was “strengthening existing institutions and laws, and launching national campaigns to promote awareness and drive behavioural change.”

Tinubu underlined the impor-

The federal government has initiated a strategy to tackle contamination of food materials sold in our markets by unveiling a manual that will help in controlling, regulating, and monitoring food safety practices nationwide.

The safety manual is to serve as a guide to Food Safety Desk Officers in monitoring sell of food items in the market and street shops, kiosks, restaurants, bakeries, and other places.

While launching the food safety manual produced by the Nigerian Council of Food Science and Technology (NICoST) in Abuja on Thursday, Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Geoffrey Nnaji described

loses being borne by Nigeria as a result of food contamination as enormous.

Apart from losses of life, the minister said the country loses a lot due to medical treatment, and trade limitations and productivity loss.

“The disturbing reality is that unsafe food is a silent epidemic.

According to the World Health Organization, over 600 million people globally fall ill each year due to food contamination, with Africa bearing the highest per capita burden. In Nigeria alone, an estimated 200,000 people - many of them children - lose their lives annually from food-related diseases.

“The costs are not only human but also economic, with Nigeria losing an estimated $3.6 billion

concrete actions to protect children from violence and exploitation.

M’jid also charged participants to focus on peer learning, effective strategy sharing, and collective actions in addressing common obstacles to ensure child protection efforts are sustainable in Africa.

Minister of Women Affairs, Hon. Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, highlighted Nigeria’s commitment and the progress made since the Ministerial Conference in Bogotá, Colombia, in November 2024.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim stated that

the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu government was strengthening legal frameworks, scaling up the Safe Schools Programme, expanding parenting interventions, and increasing budgetary allocations to child protection systems.

She said, “Through our renewed national child policy framework now under review, and our adopted National Strategy and Costed Action Plan to End Child Marriage in Nigeria, we are laying the foundation for more accountable, inclusive, and data-driven action.”

Ministry of Police Affairs Strengthens Partnership with PSC to Enhance Transparency in Police Recruitment, Others Linus Aleke in Abuja The Ministry of Police Affairs has reiterated the need to strengthen its partnership with the Police Service Commission (PSC) to improve transparency in the recruitment, discipline, promotion, and training of personnel of the Nigerian Police Force.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Anuma Nlia, restated this commitment when he led the management team of the Ministry on a courtesy visit to the Chairman of the Police Service Commission

FG Moves to Address Food Contamination, Launch Safety Manual Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

tance of the first regional meeting of Africa’s Pathfinder Countries under the Global Alliance on Ending Violence Against Children.

He pointed out, “it breathes new life into the bold declarations made at the First Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children held in Bogotá.”

Earlier, United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence Against Children, Dr. Najat Maalla M’jid, urged African leaders to move beyond commitments and implement

annually to food-borne illnesses through productivity loss, medical treatment, and trade limitations,” he said.

The minister, represented by the Director General of the Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute, Prof. Samson Duna, said with the unveiling of the operational manual, actual enforcement against every unwholesome practice affecting food safety and distribution will begin nationwide.

He said that such acts ranging from the unethical use of paracetamol to tenderize meat, to cassava fermentation with detergents, and adulteration of red oil and pepper with industrial dyes like Sudan IV amount to breach of Section 244 of Nigeria’s Criminal Code Act.

at its headquarters in Jabi, Abuja.

He also stated it is paramount that the recruitment and training process for enlisting capable and ethical individuals into the police force is seamless and aligned with the needs of modern policing.

According to a statement by the Director of Information and Public Relations, Bolaji Kazeem, “We must work together to establish transparent and merit-based systems for career progression and to address issues of misconduct fairly and effectively.”

The Permanent Secretary added that collaborating on the development of policies and guidelines that enhance the operational efficiency, accountability, and human rights compliance of the Nigeria Police Force, as well as jointly exploring

avenues to improve the welfare, morale, and working conditions of police officers, is crucial to maintaining law and order.

Nlia pointed out that the primary objective of their visit was to foster a stronger working relationship and open channels of communication between the Ministry and the Police Service Commission.

“We recognise that our mandates are intrinsically linked, and effective collaboration is paramount to achieving our shared goals within the security architecture of Nigeria,” he stressed.

According to him, “The Ministry of Police Affairs is fully committed to working hand-in-hand with the Police Service Commission in a spirit of mutual respect and under-

standing. We are eager to engage in open dialogue, share perspectives, and collectively address the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. We believe that through regular consultations and a unified approach, we can strengthen the Nigeria Police Force and enhance its capacity to serve and protect all citizens.”

He further stated that the ministry appreciates the significant role the commission plays in overseeing the recruitment, promotion, discipline, and overall welfare of members of the Nigeria Police Force, adding, “Your independence and commitment to upholding standards of professionalism and integrity are vital to building public trust and ensuring the effectiveness of our police.”

Buhari’s Ally, Buba Galadima, Urges Atiku to Stand Down 2027 Presidential Ambition PDP rejigs security architecture at secretariat Chuks Okocha in Abuja Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Buba Galadima, has joined those pressuring former Vice-President Atiku Abubukar not to contest the 2027 presidential election.

Speaking in a BBC Hausa interview, Galadima, who urged Atiku to step down from his perceived presidential ambition ahead of 2027, said it was time for him to rest after decades of political ambition.

“My advice is borne out of concern and love. Atiku has spent 33 years seeking the presidency. History will remember that he tried. But now, he should support and mentor a younger candidate,” he said.

He noted that Atiku, who would be 82 by the next election cycle, should consider the effects of age on leadership capacity.

According to him, “When Buhari won in 2015, he was 72. Atiku will be 82 by 2027. Most leadership crises are linked to age-related decline in

thinking and reasoning.

Galadima added that even Atiku’s closest allies were now urging him to step aside and help promote a new face for the presidency, a new generation of Nigerians who can carry the nation forward with fresh energy and ideas.

He added that Atiku’s generation has done its bit in nation-building, pointing out that it would be a masterstroke if the former vice president and PDP yielded to new voices and new lead

34

FRIDAY, M ΁˜ ͺ͸ͺͽ ˾ THISDAY

NEWS

VISIT OF THE MULTI-AGENCY ANTICIPATORY ACTION FOR FLOOD TASK TEAM TO NEMA HEADQUARTERS...

L–R: Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), Mrs. Awoibi Joe-Ukairo; Director, Planning, Research and Forecasting, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Dr. Onimode Abdullahi Bandele; Anticipatory Action Lead, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Mr. Yakoubu Moukara; Director General, NEMA, Mrs. Zubaida Umar; Special Assistant to the President on Humanitarian Affairs and Development Partners, Mrs. Inna Binta Audu; Deputy Director, Planning, NEMA, Mr. Fred Anusim; and Director, Disaster Risk Reduction, NEMA, Dr. Idris Abubakar Mohammed, during the visit of the Multi-Agency Anticipatory Action for Flood Task Team to NEMA Headquarters in Abuja… Wednesday

At Inauguration of Projects in Anambra, Tinubu Says Soludo is a Brilliant, Close Ally Says professor of economics knows the way Promises to work with state and zone Pleads for land to build retirement home President and I are progressives, it’s time to come together, declares gov Deji Elumoye in Abuja and DavidChyddy Eleke in Awka President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, inaugurated some projects constructed by the Anambra State Governor, Prof.

Chukwuma Soludo, and described them as iconic and monumental.

Tinubu, who was in Anambra for a one-day working visit, and described Soludo as a brilliant man and close ally, inaugurated the new Anambra State Government House, which also has governor and presidential lodges.

The president equally inaugurated the Solution Funcity, the refurbished Dr. Alex Ekwueme Square and the Dr. Emeka Anyaoku Institute for International Studies and Diplomacy, and the iconic Light of the Nation Tower.

Tinubu further inaugurated

an imposing edifice constructed

by Dutum Construction Limited, which is seen not just as a significant tourism and beautification project, but designed to enhance the aesthetics of the Government House area and symbolise the state’s progressive identity.

During the tour, the president noted Soludo’s ability to lead the way for any state, a statement viewed as a significant boost for Soludo’s reelection bid.

This was as Soludo, too, noted that he and Tinubu were both leaders of progressive minded parties, saying it was high time all progressives came together to salvage Nigeria.

Tinubu who was hosted to a townhall meeting at Dr Alex Ekwueme Square said, “Two years ago, I stood here as a presidential candidate of my party to seek for

your votes. I’m thankful for your support and I am happy to be here to commission some legacy projects.

“I salute the enterprise of the South east and her people, and your unwavering commitment to success, not just to the South east but to Nigeria as a whole.

“Soludo, your son, is my friend and still remains my friend. He is a brilliant man, he has the brain and knows the way and we will work together. We will work together to bring prosperity back and put Anambra on the rise.

“I have just commissioned several landmark projects today.

These are bold statements and they point to his ability as a leader. I remember when he (Soludo) wanted to consolidate banks and many people said it was impossible, but he did it and today we are benefiting

from that action.

“We will continue to partner the state and the South east to protect our people. I have taken note of the appeals, especially about Anambra being the gully erosion capital of the South east. We will assist through the ecological funds and that will be rectified.”

The president, who acknowledged the persistence of abandoned federal road projects in the region, emphasised the strategic importance of completing roads linking Anambra to Kogi State to facilitate easier access to the South-South and Abuja.

“Abandoned federal road projects that link Anambra to Kogi then can become the fastest gateway between Abuja and Anambra South and South-South. I agree,” he said.

Tinubu addressed the state’s exclusion from the National Rail

INEC: We’re Yet to Take Decision on LP Crisis Says status on its website not updated yet

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),has said it was yet to take a decision concerning the crisis rocking the Labour Party.

The Supreme Court recently sacked the National Chairman of the party, Julius Abure and affirmed that his tenure had expired. But Abure had refused to admit and.

Abide by the ruling, creating more crisis in the party.

However, the Chief Press

Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, in a statement, noted that media reports indicating that the commission had taken a decision were false “Our attention has been drawn to some media reports claiming that the Commission has recognised certain persons as the National Chairman and National Secretary of the Labour Party (LP).

“The reports also inferred that the Commission has restored a particular individual as the

National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), referring to the listings on the Commission’s official website.

“The names of the National Officers of the LP had previously been uploaded to our website following a court order, not related in any way to the latest judgement of the Supreme Court.

“In the same manner, the name of the National Secretary of the PDP on the same website was neither deleted nor reinstated.”

FCTA to Demolish 10 Buildings in 48 Hours for Green Area Encroachment Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has mobilized to demolish in the next 48 hours, about 10 marked structures in different stages of development in Wumba for building on area designated as Green Zone.

Officials of Development Control, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) and Abuja Environment Protection Board (AEPB) were on ground Thursday for the exercise.

Director Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, told reporters

the affected structures had no approval and the developers were invited to stop work but chose to defy constituted authority.

He said: “No, we didn’t give them approval and when you look around, you would see it’s evident that we marked these structures at different stages of development. But the unfortunate thing and by our attitude, people don’t like to respect constituted authority and as I told my colleague that the only language Nigerians understand is the language of bring it down. The developer was invited and he

was asked to stop work but it seems the only thing that they would understand is when the structures are down.

“We are looking at about over 10 structures, some are roofed and some are not yet roofed. So, the development control will come over here with their machine and in less than 48 hours everything here should go down”.

Also, the AMMC Coordinator, Felix Obuah, said equipment and personnel had been mobilized to ensure that the illegal structures on the waterway were pulled down as promised recently.

Oyekanmi stressed that as a law abiding institution, the Commission was carefully studying the judgement of the Supreme Court on the Labour Party and would communicate its decision to the public in due course.

Master Plan, assuring residents that the Federal Ministry of Transportation would rectify the omission.

“I am standing before you to say that the Ministry of Transportation is aware and will include the connection in the Master Plan and give it attention,” he stated.

Commending the state government’s efforts in improving security, Tinubu reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to collaborating with Anambra and the Southeast to ensure peace, stability, and shared prosperity.

“With our progressive ideological alliance, we will continue to partner with your state to deliver shared prosperity in Anambra and to all Nigerians. As your President, I have always said and I am saying the same thing now: In our national anthem, we sing, ‘Though tribes are tongues may differ in brotherhood, we stand.

“We will continue to be brothers.

We are one family, a single family, diverse, living in the same house called Nigeria. We are only staying in different rooms. Our diversity must lead to prosperity. We must work together to be a united Nigeria,” he said.

Tinubu expressed deep appreciation for the chieftaincy title “Dikesimba of Anambra State”, conferred on him by traditional rulers of the state in recognition of his contributions to national

development and unity.

The Traditional Ruler of Obosi and Chairman of the Anambra State Traditional Rulers’ Council, Igwe Chidubem Iweka, conferred the title.

He also recalled a 2005 title, “Omenife of Awka,” bestowed on him by Eze Gibson Nwosu.

Earlier, the president was conferred with the chieftaincy title of Dike Si Mba Anambra, by all the traditional rulers in the state, a title, which in Igbo, means, a warrior from a distant land.

Reacting to the conferment, Tinubu said, “I feel very happy about the conferment of traditional chieftaincy title and I feel humbled. Going forward, I’m not just friends with Soludo, but I’m now one of you.

I want to ask Soludo to look for a land for me where I will build my retirement home.”

Speaking, Soludo disclosed that his party, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) had years ago taken a stand to support any government in power at the federal level, and that the decision has not changed, as his government would support the Tinubu-led administration till it concludes its tenure in 2031.

“Your visit today is historic and consequential. This visit is not just to commission projects, because we have over 500 kilometers of roads to be commissioned. We have schools, water projects, hospitals and others that await commissioning.

Education Minister Chides Director Over Questionable, Poor Knowledge of Data Kuni Tyessi in Abuja The Minister of education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, yesterday put the director in charge of Education Planning and Research Development, Mrs. Uju Anigbogu, on the spot after her presentation of a report she has little knowledge of.

The minister who sought for clarification in data surrounding digital schools kit located on the last page of her presentation was visibly annoyed and disappointed with her multiple responses and transfer of blames with emphasis that she only read it on behalf of the committee which she headed.

This happened in Abuja when the minister met with the National Education Group comprising of UNICEF, UNESCO, World Bank, GIZ, PLANE, Civil Society Organisations and other

stakeholders in the education sector.

In a swift reaction to her response, the minister in his outburst after referring to the data as questionable and referring to the director’s presentation and knowledge of the document as poor, went ahead to add a co-chair to the committee alongside other arrangements in a unanimous decision that was agreed upon by the NEG members present.

He apologized to the ministry’s partners that such will not repeat itself again, while lamenting that more worrisome to the presentation was that the mix up was on data dwelling on the aspect of finance.

The minister said: “You can’t come here and present wrong data! You present what you sent and I am sitting here? This is absolutely unacceptable.

We apologize it won’t happen again.

“Mr. Issa and the new director

of ICT will be the co-chair of this committee, going forward. NEC members, is it a yes, or a no? Let’s vote? If you want yes, let’s hear it - so yes was adopted.

“Mr. Issa, going forward, you’re part of the co- chair committee. From the look of things, you can’t even answer this question that I wanted to ask.

“Unfortunately, this data has been in the commercial side of the data, and this should not have happened. But thank God, PLANE people flagged it off, and so we will move decisively to stop that.

“That means we are weakening our country’s data. We are migrating it to our gov.ng site now. Perm Sec, I need to know when those migration will be completed. Mr. Issa, I’m going to call on you because there so many disparities”.

35

THISDAY ˾ ˜ ΁˜ ͺ͸ͺͽ

NEWS

CASH-AWARD PRESENTATION BY PARALLEX BANK TO MOST OUTSTANDING LAGOS ATHLETES...

L-R: Director General, Lagos State Sports Commission, Mr. Lekan Fatodu; Lagos Gold-winning Swimming Athlete, Akanbi Demilade; Lagos Gold-Winning Deaf Athletics Athlete, Akinwuwo Oladeji; and Managing Director/CEO, Parallex Bank, Dr. Femi Bakre, during cash-award presentation by the Parallex Bank to Most Outstanding Lagos Athletes during the last National Youth Games in Lagos ... recently

Akpabio: I Will Not Step Down over Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Allegations Says senate may summon defence minister over comments on security summit Sunday Aborisade in Abuja President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, yesterday, vowed never to succumb to pressure from people asking him to step down following allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him by the Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

He stated this at plenary after the Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, announced that despite criticisms from some quarters, the 10th Senate would not succumb to blackmail by supporting calls for the resignation of the Senate President based on frivolous allegations.

“For the fact that you said those who would have asked me to step down, who told you I was going to step down?

“You know, if you watch the colour of America, there are black people because of their skins who went to prison, in some 25 years for false allegations.

“So, I’m not one of those people who step down over false allegations.

Then when eventually it is proven that the allegation was false, they will say, oh, well, it was a mistake.

“I’m not that bad. So, if you had that in mind, please cancel it. I won’t step them. So, having said that, I must thank you for the words that you have spoken today.”

Speaking on the issue of the security summit which the Defence Minister, Mohammed Badaru, condemned during a ministerial press briefing on Wednesday, Akpabio said the minister might soon be summoned by the Senate.

Diri Tasks Media on Investigative Journalism Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has urged media practitioners in Nigeria not to shirk their responsibility as watchdogs, agenda setters and drivers of development in society.

Diri made the call while declaring open the first ever media summit organised by the Bayelsa State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), in Yenagoa, with the theme, “Media, Culture and Identity: Promoting Indigenous Perspectives”.

Diri, who was represented by his Deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, noted that journalists could contribute to development of society by speaking truth to power through effective reportage and investigative journalism.

The Bayelsa Chief Executive, who recalled with enthusiasm the critical role played by nationalists like Herbert Macaulay, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Ernest Ikoku, Dele Giwa and others, using journalism to fight for Nigeria’s independence, noted that investigative journalism has since lost its fervency in the country.

The governor identified what he calls “the carry-and-go” brand of journalism where quackery and unethical conduct looms large, as the major bane of contemporary journalism practice in the country.

He, therefore, called on all critical stakeholders to work towards achieving the goal of quality journalism that would not only be authoritative and fearless but also credible and dependable.

Diri, while commending the current leadership of the state council of the NUJ for being innovative, highlighted his administration’s supportive role in the development of journalism in the state, including the building, completion and equipping of the iconic Ernest Ikoli media complex.

In her remarks, the Commissioner for Information, Strategy and Orientation, Mrs Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai, highlighted the vision, developmental strides and programmes of the Assured Prosperity administration to achieve a better Bayelsa.

National President of the NUJ, Comrade Alhassan Yahaya, also noted that narratives shape the perception of reality, stressing that the need for media practitioners to spotlight and preserve the heritage, languages and cultures of the various societies in the country.

Delivering a keynote lecture, a professor of journalism and media studies, Anifiok Udoudo, reminded both government and media practitioners of the great expectations society the people hold about them to develop society.

Badaru had on the occasion, downplayed the importance of the proposed security summit by the Senate, stressing that renewal of strategy was far more critical in combating insecurity.

Akpabio noted that the Senate Leader did not indict the Defence Minister but reported him.

“I think the Senate will look into that issue. If the Defence Minister has any issue with any resolution of the Senate, he shouldn’t do so in the market. He should get in touch with the Senate President or the Senate Elders.

“Senator Abdul Ningi, I think I’m speaking your mind. It should get in touch with us, not to go and speak in the open. And it will amount to Executive Legislative Brouhaha.

So, we will pick that up at the appropriate time.”

Earlier, the Senate Leader said he was elected into office to be criticised but that such criticism should not be based on false allegations.

Bamidele said, “I was elected into office to be criticised. We are not opposed to that. But when people falsify things about us, when people deliberately try to call us out, I don’t

know what to do.

“We are focused as to what we are going to spend the rest of our time here doing. We are concerned about the national security of our country. And that’s why listening to the Honourable Minister of Defence yesterday (Wednesday), describing as unnecessary our resolution to hold a national security summit, I thought that was funny.

“My only message to the Honourable Minister is that it is a resolved national security summit. Some of the security summits in the past did not go any far. Because if the

Honorable Minister in charge would even think it was not necessary for us as elected representatives to want to hold this summit, then I’m concerned.

“We are concerned by the fact that we know that there is a new sheriff in town and an elected president, who understands the need to work with the parliament and who will not take for granted the rest of the parliament.

“I, therefore, say to the Honorable Minister, when it is time to hold a national security summit, you should be eager to honour our invitation.”

Likening Nigeria’s Democracy to Fascism Reckless, Irresponsible, APC Replies Utomi Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the decision by Prof. Pat Utomi to liken Nigeria’s democratic experience to “fascist conditions” in Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany as reckless.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, in a statement, described Utomi’s approximation as irresponsible and insensitive.

“Professor Pat Utomi must be an intellectual drama king of sorts. His

declaration of a ‘Big Tent Coalition Shadow Government’ of May 5, 2025, stands in direct contradiction and rebuttal of the very justification he advanced for the latest of his several ‘big bang’ things that have never materialised.

“Utomi is, and has always been, a poster child of freedom of thought, speech, conscience, association, and even freedom of intellectual aggression.

“Utomi has enjoyed and continues to enjoy his fullest constitutional right to think, say and act as he chooses. He

continues to enjoy democratic choice freely, unconstrained and unrestrained.

“He has gained global recognition as a serial promoter of ‘mega parties’, mega ‘coalitions’ and ‘mega tents’, hindered only by the unrealism of his contraptions.”

Morka stressed that the suggestion that President Bola Tinubu’s administration was suppressing opposing views was simply preposterous.

He explained that Utomi’s unilateral declaration of a “shadow government”, in a presidential democracy,

was, in and of itself, an exercise of democratic freedom and free speech, in the extreme.

“It is deeply disturbing and desperately dramatic for Utomi to liken Nigeria’s democratic experience to ‘fascist conditions’ in Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany.

“That approximation is reckless, irresponsible and insensitive and should be beneath a man of Utomi’s standing but has clearly cast reason and rationality aside for sensational and virulent discourse.”

No Transfer of Kogi Govt’s Funds to Abuja American School, EFCC’s Witness Admits Alex Enumah in Abuja

A witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nicholas Ojehomon, has admitted before a Federal High Court in Abuja, that there was no wired transfer of fees from the Kogi State Government or any of the local Governments in the state to the account of the American International School, Abuja.

Ojehomon, who is an internal auditor at the American International School, Abuja, also admitted that there was no transfer bearing the name Yahaya Bello in the records of parents who paid school fees for their wards.

Ojehomon, who testified as third

prosecution witness (PW3), stated this under cross examination in the alleged money laundering trial of the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Mr Yahaya Bello.

During cross-examination by Bello’s counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, the witness told the court that there was no transfer bearing the name, Yahaya Bello in the documents.

When he was given Exhibit 19 (the FCT Court judgment), and asked to read out parts of the judgment, the prosecution counsel, Olukayode Enitan, SAN, objected.

“But it has been tendered and admitted by the court. I should be allowed to conduct my case the way I like. My lord, what I am saying is that I should be allowed to conduct my

case because it may be devastating to my case if I am not allowed to,” the defendant’s counsel stated.

After the judge overruled the objection, witness thereafter read out the part of the judgment that there was no court order for the school to return the money to EFCC or any judgment declaring the money as proceeds of money laundering.

The judgment also said AISA ought not to have paid the money to EFCC, that AISA could not pay the EFCC or any other person monies paid under the future fee agreement without an order of the court.

In addition, the judgment held that AISA had a binding contract with the Bello family on future fee payments of school fees of children in

the school and they cannot derogate therefrom.

The witness also admitted that the name of Yahaya Bello was not on the letter for the payment of the $760,910 to American International School.

On the source of the payment of school fees to the school, the EFCC witness insisted that there was no wired transfer from the Kogi State Government or any of the local Governments in the state.

“If you check the entire statement, is there any wired transfer coming from the Kogi State government?

Any column?” The Defendant’s lawyer asked.

“No, there is no such name,” the witness responded.

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FRIDAY, M ΁˜ ͺ͸ͺͽ ˾ THISDAY

NEWS

NEWLY INSTALLED 3D SIGNAGE AT MMA2 OPERATED BY BI-COURTNEY...

Cross section of management and staff of Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, at the unveiling ceremony of the newly installed 3D signage at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2, MMA2 operated by Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited in celebration of the terminal’s 18th Anniversary on Wednesday

Ribadu: Why We Established Centre for Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons Terrorists exploit social media for propaganda to instil fear, military discloses Sani says Nigeria needs improved action against terrorists, not talks CSOs ask Tinubu to end killings in Middle Belt Chuks Okocha, Linus Aleke in Abuja, John Shiklam in Kaduna and Laleye Dipo in Minna The National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, has said the National Center for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons was established to serve as avenue to curb all methods of getting dangerous arms into the country as well as to curtail all forms of illicit circulation of weapons.

Malam Nuhu Ribadu made this known in a message to the inauguration of the permanent office of the North Central Zone centre of the organisation in Minna, Niger State on Wednesday.

Also, the Nigerian military, has said Boko Haram, the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) terrorists and the new terror groups, Lakurawa and Mahmuda, were exploiting social media for propaganda to instil maximum fear in the minds

of citizens.

This was as a former senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has called on the federal government to step up the fight against terrorists in different parts of the country rather than focusing on a security summit.

At the same time, 22 civil society organisations under the aegis of Coalition Against Mass Atrocities in the Middle Belt had asked President Bola Tinubu to end the attacks and mass killings by bandits in the region.

Represented by the Director General National Center for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the North Central Zone, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Johnson Babatunde, Ribadu said the center had become important to also ensure sustainable development.

He described the establishment of the centre in the North Central Zone of the country “as a critical step in the operational strategy to

bring the fight against illicit arms closer to the people.

“The Zonal office will serve as a hub for strategic operations in the region, a centre for intelligence gathering and analysis, a platform for enhanced inter-agency collaboration and a base for community engagement and awareness programmes.”

He solicited the support and cooperation of governors across the country in the fight against banditry and other non-state actors, adding that achieving peace and stability in the country was critical to the socio-economic development of the nation.

The governors of Benue, Kwara, Nasarawa, Plateau and Kogi States in their goodwill messages commended the efforts of the office of the National Security Adviser in the enforcement of peace in their states and called for more synergy to ensure peace and stability in the country.

Niger State Governor, Alhaji

Mohammed Umar Bago, appreciated the office of the National Security Adviser and pledged to champion the creation of state offices of the agency in states in the North Central Zone of the country.

Military: Terrorists Exploit Social Media for Propaganda to Instil Fear The Nigerian military has said Boko Haram, the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) terrorists and the new terror groups, Lakurawa and Mahmuda, were exploiting social media for propaganda to instil maximum fear in the minds of citizens.

The military noted that the social media ecosystem in Nigeria was very porous and the criminal syndicates were using it to their own advantage to spread fear.

Director of Defence, Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, stated this while responding to questions during the bi-weekly briefing at the Defence Headquarters

Assembly Crisis: House C’ttee Gives Benue, Zamfara Governors One More Week Grace Suspended lawmakers, CSOs, lawyers appear before panel Conference of speakers faults reps’ invitations

Chuks Okocha and Juliet Akoje in Abuja The House of Representatives has granted Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State, along with the leadership of their respective state Houses of Assembly, an additional one week grace period to appear before its panel.

The officials were expected at a hearing on yesterday before the House Committee on Public Petitions, held at the National Assembly in Abuja, but they failed to attend.

The hearing stemmed from a petition regarding the suspension of 13 lawmakers from the Benue State Assembly and 10 from the Zamfara Assembly, which has been ongoing since February 2024.

The petition, submitted by a group of lawyers under the platform Guardians of Democracy, was presented to the House on March 27, 2025, by Deputy Spokesperson Hon. Philip Agbese.

At the panel’s inaugural sitting on thursday, Hon. Douglas Akya (Makurdi South) led the suspended lawmakers from Benue, while Hon. Aliyu Ango Kagara (Talata Mafara South), the Minority Leader,

represented the suspended members from Zamfara.

Notable activist and legal expert, Ihensekhien Samuel Junior, who led a team of 12 lawyers representing the petitioners, urged the House to give the case accelerated attention.

He clarified that the matter was not in any court and emphasised that, even if it were, the House still had jurisdiction unless a court had issued an order stopping the panel.

He explained the core of the petition, stating that 11 lawmakers in Zamfara were suspended allegedly under directives from the executive arm of the state government, and this had lasted 16 months, adding that 13 lawmakers in Benue were also suspended without legal grounds.

These suspensions, he argued, had rendered both legislative chambers unable to form a quorum necessary for lawmaking.

He questioned the legality of any decisions made by the remaining few lawmakers and appealed for the immediate reinstatement of the suspended members.

He also asked the House to consider taking over the legislative functions of both Assemblies, invoking the constitutional powers

available to it.

Additionally, he recommended the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) methods to resolve the issue but stressed that reinstatement should occur without delay.

Following the session, Hon. Laori Kwamoti, the newly appointed Chairman of the Public Petitions Committee, appealed for calm and assured all parties of fairness and due process.

He emphasised that the committee would diligently pursue the matter and protect everyone’s rights.

The Committee’s Vice Chairman, Hon. Nwogu Mathew, who presided over the sitting, explained that recent leadership changes within the Committee had led to a restructuring.

Meanwhile, the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, has faulted the summons issued by the House Committee on Public Petitions to the speakers of the Benue and Zamfara States houses of assembly.

Chairman of the conference of speakers, Adebo Ogundoyin, described the summons as an “overreach of constitutional powers” and a “direct challenge” to Nigeria’s federal structure and the autonomy of state legislatures.

He said the investigative and oversight powers of the National Assembly under sections 88 and 89 of the constitution were “limited to federal matters.”

in Abuja.

He also lamented that some unpatriotic Nigerians were colluding with foreigners to terrorise communities across the country.

Affirming that some of the arrested terrorists were foreigners, General Kangye stated that there were Nigerians who colluded with them to destabilise the nation.

“Terrorists, by their nature, aim to impose maximum impact on what they do in order to make the public fearful. They always want to put the public in a state of perpetual fear. Social media, as you all know, is currently unrestricted in Nigeria - one can post anything they want on social media.

“Now, some of those videos have no location, and the identities of the people are also unknown. They also use military uniforms to perpetrate these crimes on social media.

Sometimes it is very difficult to distinguish between the terrorists and regular soldiers.

“Some of that footage, as real as we see it, could be old footage, and they are just recirculating it as fresh footage and using propaganda to take credit for the atrocities contained in the footage. They are never specific about their location; they just upload disturbing footage on social media.

“They do these things to instil fear in the minds of the people, but the armed forces of Nigeria remain undaunted in the face of all this propaganda and adversity.

We remain focused; we cannot block them from posting anything on social

media, but we will continue to take them down on the battlefield,” he said.

Responding to questions on whether the herders and invaders terrorising Benue and Plateau were foreigners or Nigerians, Kangye explained that, “When you hear them talk, you can easily decipher whether they are Nigerians or not.

I am from the North.

“For instance, if I speak Hausa and my brother from the South-east speaks the same language, you can easily notice the difference and conclude that the second speaker is not as fluent in the language. There are variations in the Hausa spoken in Nigeria and the one spoken in Niger, Mali, or Ghana.

“When we arrest these foreigners, we can identify them based on their accents and other factors. When we acknowledge that many of those terrorising our people are foreigners, truth be told, some of them are also Nigerians. Let us not deceive ourselves.

“Note that most of the violent and incessant killings we are witnessing in some parts of this country are perpetrated mostly by those who find their way into the porous borders of our country.

“But we must, as a nation, rise up to stop these things through collaboration with all relevant government institutions tasked with the responsibility of securing the country. That is why we work in a joint environment to end insecurity in the country.”

CUPP: Tinubu Can Only Offer More Pain Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), has slammed President Bola Tinubu for allegedly foisting hardship on the country through his economic policies.

In a press release by the coalition of Parties spokesperson, Comrade Mark Adebayo, the CUPP criticised the APC administration for being “wickedly inhumane, crudely unjust, horrifically destabilising and egocentrically unpatriotic.”

The party argued that there was nothing new that Tinubu could offer Nigeria in the present circumstance except worsening socioeconomic conditions aggravated by dangerous insecurity.”

It said the president had neither the time nor the answer to Nigeria’s problem and advised the citizens

to “deliberately vote out the APC in 2027.”

According to the group, the country now operated like a leaderless society and a rudderless ship, thanks to the “wickedly inhumane, crudely unjust, horrifically destabilising, and egocentrically unpatriotic administration.”

The statement said insecurity has reached an unbearable level with hundreds of Nigerians being killed every week “while entire towns and villages are being ravaged, marauded, and forcefully occupied by both bandits and killer herders while the federal government under Tinubu slumbers.”

The president, CUPP noted, paid more attention to his personal health than the collective well-being of Nigerians whom he vowed under oath to secure and protect.

“Apart from abandoning Nigerians to the escalated vagaries of insurgency, terrorism, banditry, and all other elements of insecurity, President Tinubu has also abandoned governance. It is a shame that under this incompetent government, Nigeria does not have Ambassadors anywhere in the world today.

“Many government parastatals and agencies, even crucial ones like the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Federal Inland Revenue Services, FIRS, and many others have not had their boards inaugurated after being constituted almost two years ago or thereabouts.

“The heads of those organisations are just running one-man shows while only doing the President’s personal bidding to the detriment of proper and efficient functioning of those agencies.

FRIDAY MAY 9, 2025 ˾ T H I S D AY

37

NEWSXTRA

VFD GROUP HOLDS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING…

L-R: Executive Director, Finance, Risk Management and Compliance, VFD Group Plc, John Okonkwo; Company Secretary, Gbeminiyi Shoda; Chairman, Olatunde Busari (SAN); Group Managing Director/CEO, Nonso Okpala, and Executive Director, Operations, Morenike Ominike, Plc, at the company’s 9th annual general meeting held in Lagos…yesterday

PDP: APC’s Celebration of Speaker Agbebaku’s Defection Comical, Misleading Adibe Emenyonu in Benin-city The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said it finds it laughable and indeed comical that the All Progressives Congress (APC) rolled out drums to celebrate the defection of the state House of Assembly Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku, from PDP to APC, when in truth, he has long operated as a covert APC loyalist.

Addressing journalists yesterday in Benin-city,

Chairman, Edo PDP Caretaker Committee, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, described the Tuesday outing as a stage-managed fanfare without news but merely the official coronation of what had become a public secret.

He said: “For months, Agbebaku has served the interests of the APC in both conduct and allegiance,” adding that what played out last Tuesday was nothing more than a desperate spectacle, designed to impress the President Bola Tinubu and APC national

Sani Lauds Dangote on Fight against Hunger John Shiklam inKaduna

Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna state has commended Aliko Dangote Foundation for unrelenting commitment to the fight against hunger and poverty in Nigeria.

Sani made the commendation yesterday while flagging off the distribution of 35,000 of 10kg bags of rice to the 23 Local Government Areas of Kaduna state by the foundation.

The governor, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Sani Liman Kila, said each local government will get 1,522 bags, noting that interventions by the foundation have been well targeted and impactful.

According to the governor, the foundation’s social protection initiatives aligns with the policies and programmes of the Kaduna

state government on social investment.

The governor said: “Since the inception of our administration, we have impacted on the lives of our citizens through the delivery of basic services with a focus on health, education and social protection.” ‘’We have been supporting economic recovery through inclusive growth and development, financial inclusion and literacy for the poor and vulnerable, humanitarian response focusing on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and improving peace, safety and security.”

The governor said his administration will continue to partner with people-focused foundations like the Aliko Dangote Foundation to improve the living conditions of the poor and vulnerable in the state.

leadership, and an illusion worthy of a David Copperfield performance.

“Let it be remembered that under Agbebaku’s leadership, and in collaboration with Governor Monday Okpebholo and the state APC, duly

elected local government council chairmen who are overwhelmingly PDP members—were illegally suspended.

Despite the expiration of that unconstitutional suspension, Agbebaku refused to reinstate them, acting with

clear partisan bias. If ever there was evidence of his real political affiliation, this was it,” Aziegbemi alluded He further described Agbebaku’s formal alignment with the APC as a textbook

case of political opportunism— motivated not by ideology or conviction, but by personal ambition and self-preservation, adding that it is even more laughable the claim by APC that 17 council chairmen defected to their party.

Nine Babcock University Graduates Earn First Class Honours in 2024 Bar Exams

Funmi Ogundare

Nine law graduates from Babcock University have earned first class honours in the November 2024 Bar Part II final examinations, marking a significant achievement in the results released by the Nigerian Law School.

Prof. Dorcas Odunaike, Dean of the School of Law and Security Studies, who disclosed this

yesterday, explained that the results recently released by the Council of Legal Education, continue the university’s impressive streak of top-tier performance in legal education.

“Early reports suggest that a Babcock graduate may also emerge as the third overall third best candidate nationwide,” she said.

The latest achievement, she noted,

underscores Babcock University’s rigorous legal training, dynamic curriculum, and the unwavering commitment of the faculty at the School of Law and Security Studies.

“We are proud of our students and confident they will contribute meaningfully to the legal profession both nationally and globally.

“These continued successes reflect our commitment to academic excellence and nurturing

professionals who lead with integrity and competence,” the dean stated.

Odunaike described Babcock’s legacy at the Nigerian Law School as long-standing and distinguished, saying: “In 2013, the university produced the best student in Law and Practice, followed by a string of first class achievers in subsequent years, including a record-breaking 20 first class graduates in 2023.”

EFCC Nabs 47 Suspected Internet Fraudsters in Kwara The arrests were carried out suspects were apprehended to be proceeds of cybercrime Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ilorin Zonal Directorate, yesterday arrested 47 suspected internet fraudsters during coordinated sting operations at different locations in Kwara State.

following actionable intelligence gathered on the suspects’ alleged involvement in various forms of cybercrime.

A statement issued in Ilorin and signed by the Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Dele Oyewale, stated that: “The

at strategic locations, including Awolowo Road, Tanke, and Harmony Estate in Ilorin, as well as Ganmo and Amoyo in the Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state.”

The statement said: “Upon arrest, a cache of items believed

were recovered from the suspects.

These include 10 luxury vehicles, 74 assorted mobile phones, 18 laptops, and a motorcycle.”

The statement, however, said that the suspects will be charged to court upon the conclusion of ongoing investigations.

Imo Partners Global Health Firms for Comprehensive Service Delivery

Tony Icheku in Owerri

The Imo State Government has entered into a historic partnership with two key global health solution providers, including JNC International Limited; Sepat Medical Investment, and Heartland Hospital Management Corporation, to play supervisory role for the

state in the implementation of comprehensive health care delivery under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) among JNC International Limited; Sepat Medical Investment, and Heartland Hospital Management Company provided for the provision of comprehensive

solution for equipping and management of the state medical facilities.

They are to provide the medical equipment, technical know-how (manpower) and funding as well as work with the Imo State Health Insurance Scheme to increase access to quality healthcare.

Sepat Medical Investment and Management Company

have relationships globally with over 20 years of experience in the health sector, just as JNC’s global acclaim includes but not limited to: Canon Medical System (Japan), Olympus (Japan), Metronic ( USA), Abbott ( USA), Paxeramd (USA), Elekta Radiotherapy (Sweden), Getinge (Sweden), Arjo (Sweden), B.Brown (Germany ) and Aesculap (Germany).

As the Nigerian Air Force celebrates its 61st anniversary, the Air Officer Commanding Special Operations Command, Air Vice Marshall(AVM) Usman Kandi Abdullahi, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his commitment to the development

Nigerian Armed Forces.

AVM Abdullahi was speaking in his welcome address on the occasion of the Command’s Open Day Visit, held in Bauchi as part of the activities lined up to celebrate the 61st anniversary of the Nigerian Air Force.

He said that the Nigerian Air Force has continued to

support of the president, who according to him, has consistently demonstrated his commitment to the development and transformation of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

He also acknowledged the efforts of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal HB Abubakar, saying that he has

the operational capacity of the Nigerian Air Force.

According to him, “Under his visionary leadership, the NAF has witnessed significant advancements, including the induction of modern platforms that have boosted our capabilities and improved our responses to emerging security threats.”

Badagry West LCDA: Damilola Tinubu Commended for Commitment to Transformation of Nigerian Armed Forces Promises Sustainable Devt Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi and transformation of the benefit from the unwavering been instrumental in enhancing Sunday Ehigiator In a significant stride towards grassroots development, Badagry West LCDA is set to witness a transformative shift under the visionary leadership of Hon. Princess Damilola Sonayon James, a native of the royal family of Kweme Kingdom.

Damilola’s impressive credentials and dedication to community empowerment are poised to redefine leadership in her community.

As the Supervisory Councillor for Agriculture and Social Services in Badagry West LCDA, Damilola has initiated impactful projects that resonate deeply with the community. She spearheaded the ‘Light Up Project’, donating solar lights to four communities,

enhancing safety and extending productive hours for residents.

Damilola’s vision for Badagry West is encapsulated in her campaign slogan: ‘New Vision, New Plan, New Direction’.

According to her, she envisions a community where sustainable development is not just a goal but a lived reality, emphasising environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles in public sector governance.

Noteworthy, Damilola’s academic foundation was established at the Administrative Staff College in Badagry and Lagos State Model College Kankon, after which she went on to pursue higher education in the United Kingdom, earning a degree in Business Management and Human Resources from the University of Hull.

NASCON Links 100% Growth in Dividend Payout, Higher Profitability to Expansion The Management of NASCON Allied Industries Plc yesterday attributed significant growth in the dividend payout by 100 per cent to N2 per share and the company’s impressive run during the year, ended December 31, 2024, to the successful expansion of its market base.

The aggressive expansion,

according to the management, led to a significant increase in the company’s sales, with an attendant rise in revenue and profitability.

During the annual general meeting, (AGM), held in Lagos yesterday , shareholders approved the proposed dividend payout of N2 per share just as the Chairman of the company, Olakunle Alake

identified operational efficiency and strategic initiatives as core elements behind the company’s impressive run during the year.

Alake, while addressing shareholders said: “Our performance has been commendable, a testament to our strategic initiatives, operational efficiencies, and the

dedication of our workforce. We have successfully expanded our market presence, which has been instrumental in driving sales. Our continued focus on customer satisfaction and our commitment to delivering high-quality products have allowed us to gain new customers while retaining the loyalty of existing ones.”

FRIDAY MAY 9, 2025 ˾ T H I S D AY

38

NEWS XTRA

Ondo Monarch, Two WORLD OF ISLAM Chiefs Remanded for Getting Ready for Hajj: Alleged Impersonation Physically, Mentally and

Edited by: MJO Mustapha Email deji.mustapha@thisdaylive.com

Fidelis DavidinAkure

Chief Magistrate Court in Akure, Ondo State, has remanded a selfacclaimed monarch, Adekolajo Aladeseyi, for allegedly parading himself as the traditional ruler of Ijare community in Ifedore Local Government Area of the state.

Aladeseyi was arraigned alongside two ‘chiefs’ of the community, Fasore Lawrence and Adegbenro Akanle, over the illegal installation of Aladeseyi as the Olujare of Ijare without the approval of the Ondo State Government.

The three accused were, however, ordered to be remanded in custody on the order of the Chief Magistrate Jaiyeola Solomon Ogungade for

instigating crisis in Ijare over the vacant stool Olujare of Ijare.

The Police Prosecutor, Babatunde Ajiboye, told the court that the suspects exhibited a conduct likely to cause breach of peace and deliberately flouting the chief law of the state.

The charge read: “That you Adekolajo Aladeseyi, Fasore Lawrence and Adegbenro Akanle and others at large on April 15, 2025, at about 1 a.m. at Ijare town within the Jurisdiction of the Honourable Court did conspire together to commit misdemeanor to wit conduct likely to cause breach of public peace and thereby committed an offense contrary to and punishable under Section 517

(A) of the Criminal Code Cap 37 Vol. 1 Laws of Ondo State, Nigeria, 2006.”

“That you Adekolajo Aladeseyi, Fasore Lawrence, Adegbenro Akanle and others at large on the same date, time and place at about the aforementioned Magisterial District did conduct yourselves in a manner likely to cause breach public peace by illegally and purport to install one Adekolajo Aladese as the Olujare of Ijare without the approval of the Ondo State Executive Council of Chief and thereby committed an offense contrary to punishable under Section 249 (d) of the Criminal Code Cap 37 Vol Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria, 2006.”

Don’t Derail Lagos APC Primaries, Aspirant Urges Opponents As the primaries of the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Local Government Council election come up tomorrow, aspirants have been enjoined to desist from the blackmail and threats aimed at derailing the process.

A chairmanship aspirant in Lagos Island, Biodun Coker, made the appeal yesterday following reports that Chairman of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) in the state condemned the involvements of children of politicians in the primaries.

Coker wondered when it became a sin for scion of prominent political leaders to aspire to political positions.

“When did it become a sin for a child to look up to their parent? In business, religion, sports, and every other walk of life, we celebrate children who CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly known and addressed as GOODNESS TAMUNOIGEINBIA, now wish to be known and addressed as GOODNESS CHIWENDU CHIMEZIE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note I, MATTHEW HOLY MONDAY, wish to correct that my name was wrongly written on my BVN,and bank details as MATHEW HOLY MONDAY instead of MATTHEW HOLY MONDAY. That my correct name is MATTHEW HOLY MONDAY. The general public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as FOLARIN MAYOWA, now wish to be known and addressed as JEGEDE NIRAN MAYOWA. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

I, formally known, called and addressed as OBAYAN SAMUEL ARIYO, now wish to be known, called and addressed as SAMUEL EZIOKWUBUNDU ABUA OBI. Former documents remain valid.

General public, and whom it may concern to please take note.

I, formally known, called and addressed as OBAYAN VICTOR ADURAGBEMI, now wish to be known, called, and addressed as VICTOR EBUBECHUKWU ABUA OBI. Former documents remain valid. General public, and whom it may concern to please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as WINIFRED NELSON UTIP, now wish to be known and addressed as WINIFRED ESANGUBONG OKON. All documents bearing my former name remains valid. NYSC and general public please note.

follow in the footsteps of their parents. Why then should politics be treated differently? There is no shame in legacy when it is rooted in service, values, and impact. I am proud of my father’s record in public service, just as I am committed to forging my own through integrity and hard work.

“In any case, let it be known that my father, Yemisi Coker, has not held any political office since the start of the Fourth Republic in 1999. So the question must be asked: how then is Biodun Coker “feeling entitled”? There is no automatic pathway, no inheritance, and certainly no shortcut. What I bring to the table is not legacy—it is preparation,

hard work, and a commitment to serve.

“Let me be clear: I am not running because of my name—I am running because I believe in public service, and because I have prepared for this role through community engagement, leadership development, and transformative, innovative empowerment initiatives that speak directly to the needs of our people. This campaign is not about entitlement; it is about impact, capacity, and integrity. We will continue to campaign with dignity, focus, and truth—and leave the politics of fear, distortion, and desperation to those bereft of ideas or the courage to lead.”

Mainland Oil Provides Motorists with High Quality Lubricants Mainland Oil has assured Nigerians that its product can be trusted by motorists, providing top-quality lubricants designed to withstand the country’s challenging terrain and climate.

In a statement released yesterday, the management noted that the company has produced range of engine oils tailored to meet the needs of various vehicles.

The statement added that the engine oils were perfectly made to empower drivers to power their engines and make transportation industry more profitable.

The management reiterate that Mainland Oil’s lubricants were specially formulated to tackle the extreme conditions faced

by Nigerian drivers, including scorching heat, congested traffic, and long hours on the road.

The products include:

Mainland Super Plus 20W50 and Mainland Super, both designed to provide superior engine protection, reduce wear and tear, and enhance fuel efficiency.

According to the makers of the engine oils, Nigerian drivers are guaranteed to have an oil with high-performance formulation for superior engine protection, engine oil that protects against wear and engine breakdown, oil that boosts fuel economy and engine life, and oils that are affordable, accessible, and proudly Nigerian.

“With a reliable network of depots and distributors, Mainland Oil’s products are readily available across Nigeria, from Lagos to Abia, Akwa Ibom to Enugu, and beyond. Motorists can easily find their products and partner with the company for their lubrication needs,” the statement added.

Spiritually (I) By: Hajja Saira/Virtual Mosque/IslamiCity Welcome, prospective Hajji, to a unique journey.

This journey is an invitation from your Lord to visit His House and engage in one of the most illustrious acts of worship. He picked you out of millions of people to travel across the world and ask for forgiveness in the best place on Earth.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to work on making your Hajj accepted by Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala (exalted is He). This means that you fulfill all the requirements and avoid all the actions that nullify Hajj such that you come back home purified from all sins.

You’ve heard it before: Hajj is a beautiful journey. But this journey is a struggle. It is said the greatest physical struggle for a woman is to complete Hajj. Like any journey, being prepared in advance will help to maximize the experience and to deal with challenges. I compiled advice from different friends and experienced hajj veterans to help future Hajjis prepare physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Hajj stories are very diverse - some have scary stories (don’t ask too much about the bathroom situation) while others have some hilarious moments or a few depressing encounters. Understand that every Hajj experience is different, but the goal is the same. Please keep in mind that you will get advice from different people who have different goals and values. Take what you feel matches your own values. For instance: I like to prepare for things as much as I can in advance - therefore I will buy all the things I need in my home country instead of hunting down things last minute in Makkah/Madina. I also dislike waste and like to economize - so I prefer taking a few used items from family/friends instead of buying everything new. I also like to give away non-essential items to needy people in Mina. I prefer to use natural medicines before going to regular meds, however I made an exception during Hajj in order to minimize risks and because Hajj requires a lot of energy.

Overall, a balanced approach and positive attitude will be your best friends during this trip. The ingredients of a successful Hajj are preparation before the journey, extra patience during the trip, and sincere effort towards improving yourself after the journey. As you keep the following steps in mind, remember to continuously ask Allah (swt) to help you in the journey. He can make the difficult easy and without His help we are lost.

Step 1: Physical Prep Get in shape. You will walk, walk, and walk some more. Some people recommend walking regularly in the weeks before Hajj to build endurance.

Boost your immunity. Travelling from your country could takes a huge toll: long plane rides, layovers, and a wait anywhere from 2 – 12 hrs at the Jeddah airport. So, indulge in fruits and veggies while in the country, especially those rich in antioxidants. Stay away from sick people as best as you can during the trip. One friend started taking a teaspoon of honey regularly in her tea. A few people wore a surgeon’s mask throughout the trip. Although it may seem mean, don’t share your water bottles or share prayer mats. You might still get sick but take whatever precautions you can.

Pace yourself upon arrival. Try to balance between resting and making the most of your time in Makkah and Madina. You don’t want to wear yourself out before going to Mina, but at the same time you want to earn good deeds in the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah.

Preventive care. Take medicine as soon as you feel sick but avoid taking antibiotics unless or until you have been diagnosed with a bacterial infection. Ricola cough drops are excellent. It is a good idea to take several packs because people will ask you for some. Everyone gets the ‘Hajj cough’.

Use lemon, honey, orange juice, etc. Take Vitamin C supplements regularly during the trip - don’t wait till you get sick to start this!

Gather your supplies. Make a list before travelling so that you don’t forget anything.

Make a specific list for the days of Hajj before you leave for Mina (i.e., stuff you will pack in your backpack) Take your ‘worship tools’ to use during the waiting time. A lot of times people find

themselves without anything to do during the long stretches. Come prepared with a Quran, seerah (biography of the Prophet (pbuh), peace be upon him) book, or dhikr (remembrance/prayer) beads.

Write down a few dua (supplications) for yourself that you can memorize or repeat frequently. Sometimes you will be too tired to remember so keep a small notebook on hand. Also, you can write down some notes or reflections that will help preserve the experience.

Stay energized. You need to keep hydrated drink Zamzam (water from the well of Zamzam in Mecca) but also take snacks and energy bars.

Some programs do not serve lunch so healthy snacks will help hold you till dinner. If you don’t like the food at the hotel, don’t complain. There are plenty of places to eat at the malls and hotels. Avoid anything that doesn’t seem clean and anything that you know makes your stomach upset.

Step 2: Mental Prep Know the requirements of performing Hajj.

You don’t want to waste this trip by missing something important. Attend the workshops in your area and/or read a book. Then review the information before you get to Mina. As a first time Hajji it’s natural to be unfamiliar with the rites, so ask scholars in the group.

Know what to expect and set the expectations. Hajj is the journey of a lifetime; but at the same time you might face things that are upsetting. Sadly, I encountered a lot of trash and garbage thrown all over the place in Mina.

The bathroom situation is another story. Expect squatter toilets and learn to use them. If used correctly it can be sanitary and easier to use than regular toilets.

Strategize. A few tricks will help you maximize your time. For example, when going to pray at the rawdah in the Prophet’s masjid there are designated times for women. Head towards the rawdah area towards the end of the time allotted and try to be in the last group praying. You won’t feel as hassled because there is nobody coming behind you. Also, there are air-conditioned areas in the Haram (area around the Kabah) in Makkah on the first and second floor (enter through King Fahd entrance and stay on the left). Plan on praying/ sitting there during the hottest part of the day.

Since the time between Maghrib (post-sunset prayer) and Isha (night prayer) is short, it’s a good idea to stay at the Haram between those prayers. That way you won’t struggle for a spot inside. One local student gave us this awesome tip: Make sa’i (the walk between the hills of Safa and Marwa) on the 4th floor roof extension area, which is usually empty and has a wonderful view during Fajr (pre-dawn prayer) time.

Don’t be cheap. You will see a lot of the poor and the elderly. Help them as much as you can and be generous. Don’t haggle with store keepers over small amounts. At the same time be cautious of theft and being ripped off by taxi drivers. As in any big city there are opportunists, so be cautious of your money and personal items. Keep your shoes in a plastic bag with you at all times. Side point: don’t take a camera or camera phone into the Prophet’s masjid (for women, there are female guards who will frisk you before letting you in).

Get in the right mindset by surrendering yourself to Allah (swt). You are going on Hajj, which is not a vacation in a 4-star hotel. You will be tested in different ways so remind yourself to be patient and not to complain. You are invited as Allah’s guests so use the correct manners that a guest should have. As a bonus, try to catch yourself before reacting negatively to a test by acknowledging that that what is making you upset is the test.

Remember why you are here: to complete Hajj and go back home. You are not here to change the Saudi government or fix the ignorance of the ummah (community). You are not here to argue with different people about who is right and wrong. You might need to develop a mantra or phrase to remind yourself. A few people would remind themselves saying, “La jidaal,” or “No arguing,” if they started to get annoyed with a spouse, family member, or random uncle in the group.

To Be Continued

39

THISDAY ˾ FRIDAY, MAY 9, 2025

FRIDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor: Duro Ikhazuagbe Email: duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Osimhen “Too Big” for the Turkish Super Lig, Says Fenerbahce President Duro Ikhazuagbe with agency report President of Fenerbahce, Ali Koc, has insisted that Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen, “is too big” to play in the

Turkish Super Lig. Fenerbahce and Galatasaray are bitter rivals in Istanbul, the Turkish capital city where Osimhen is on season-long loan deal with the later.

Victor Boniface Linked With Real Madrid Switch Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface has been linked with a dream transfer to Real Madrid.

This season, Victor Boniface has scored 11 goals and provided 2 assists in 27 matches, but it could well be that he is playing his last matches in the Bundesliga.

His coach Xabi Alonso is linked to

Real Madrid, where Carlo Ancelotti would not complete the last year of his contract. The Italian would lead the Brazilian national team.

According toTélé Madrid, Alonso is considering taking Victor Boniface to Real Madrid, which would allow the former Union player to make a dream transfer.

But the Fenerbahce boss who refuted yesterday that his team was chasing Osimhen’s signature, insisted that the Napoli player was “a special player”, saying it was providence that got Galatasaray to sign the striker on loan.

“Osimhen is a special player and a player above Turkey,” Ali Koc told TRT Spor. “That player (Osimhen) is in a different category. He also comes once in 40 years.

“There is talk about whether he will stay or not. Accounts, books, taxes,

agreements… If it is done according to the rules, there will be no room for a spending limit!”

The Fenerbache President was abused by the club fans for not signing Osimhen ahead of Galatasaray.

His defence was that the player was never offered to Fenerbache and also some circumstances around that time allowed Galatasaray to sign the player.

“For those who don’t know about Osimhen’s transfer, let me tell you; luck was on Galatasaray’s side,” he

began.

“It was very good for them because Mauro Icardi was injured. It was a windfall. If it had been both, it could have been a problem.

“Osimhen was going to Saudi Arabia. They agreed, they shook hands. At the last minute, the Napoli President increased the price and the Saudis gave up. Europe was closed and there was only Turkey.

“In the meantime, Galatasaray had the chance. Osimhen was never offered to us.”

He continued: “He was never offered to us. I landed in London from New York at 6 in the morning that day. Around 12-1 o’clock, I was tired and decided to sleep for 2 hours.

I woke up and abusive messages were pouring in from my phone. I said, ‘What happened?’ Galatasaray bought Osimhen.

“For those who don’t know about Osimhen’s transfer, let me tell you; luck was on Galatasaray’s side,” concludes Ali Koc to the Turkish medium yesterday.

Ikorodu Agog for Spires 5-Aside Tourney Divisional Qualifiers After a highly successful tournament in Ikeja which produced Wasola FC, Blood and Sand, and Amsterdam FA as the qualified teams from the division, the Spires 5-Aside Naija Street Soccer Tournament Season 2 divisional qualifying train is set for its next stop in Ikorodu.

With Eight accredited teams set to battle for the three available slots in the division, hostilities will get on the way by 12:PM on Saturday May 10th at Deeonis Football Court, Ota-Ona, Ikorodu.

In the fixtures slated for Match-day 1, Better Tomorrow ISA will lock-horns against Marine Boyz in the opening match, while Diamond FC will file out against New Generation FC in

the second game.

Action resumes again on Sunday May 11th. Orion & Leon FC will square up against Opopo Ona-Iwa Mimo FC, while Evagrine FC will hope to secure a win against Oladunjoye FC in the second match of the day.

The Programme Manager, of the Spires 5-Aside Tournament, Mr. Akin Odunsi, said all arrangements have been completed to ensure an hitch-free tournament in Ikorodu.

Aside securing a spot in the 16- team tournament, the first placed winner in each of the divisional qualifiers will receive the sum of N500,000, the first runner-up will pocket N300,000, while the third placed side will get the sum of N100,000 as prize money.

Flying Eagles in Tough Maguire (left) celebrating with two goals hero Mason Mount while other players join in the revelries as Manchester Q’final Clash with Defending Harry United hit Athletic Bilbao aggregate 7-1 to reach the Europa League final...last night Champions Senegal Seven-time champions, Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have been handed a tough assignment in the quarterfinal stage of the U20 AFCON in Egypt as they were yesterday paired against defending champions Senegal for a place in the semi final.

Senegal, who won the U20 AFCON in style two years ago also in Egypt, beat DR Congo 2-0 to advance to the quarterfinal.

The Aliyu Zubair wards forced Kenya’s Rising Stars to a 2-2 draw in the last match of Group B for Nigeria to finish second on the table with five points, two behind group leaders

UNDER-20 AFCON Morocco.

They will therefore be seeking revenge against their fellow West Africans after the Cub Teranga Lions defeated them 1-0 in the opening match of the 2023 U20 AFCON. The quarterfinal in Ismailia Monday afternoon will kick-off 3pm Nigerian time.

All four semi-finalists at the tournament will qualify to fly Africa’s flag at this year’s FIFA U20 World Cup finals in Chile, from 27th September to 19th October.

Man Utd Set up All-English Europa League Final with Tottenham Hammer Bilbao aggregate 7-1 Chelsea also through to Conference Final Mason Mount ended 20 months of torment with a brilliant second half double as Manchester United booked an all-English Europa League final with Tottenham in Bilbao on 21 May.

On an anxious, nervy, mistakeridden night at Old Trafford, fingernails were starting to get chewed at the sight of the home side making it so hard for themselves despite starting the second-leg of

their semi-final with Athletic Bilbao holding a three-goal advantage.

But Mount chose exactly the right time to step up.

Beset by a succession of injuries that have limited the England man

Team MVP Steals the Spotlights on Day 3 of MTN CHAMPS Grand Final Team MVP delivered a powerful performance on Day 3 of the ongoing MTN CHAMPS Grand Finals at the Goldwill Akpabio Stadium, with many of their athletes asserting their dominance and securing podium finishes that validated their selection for the event.

Ebimoboere Christopher led a dominant 1-2-3 finish for Team MVP in the Cadet (U-14) girls’ 100m, racing to gold with a new personal best of 12.61s, while teammates Ella Udumubrai (12.97s) and Jolaade Adesanya (12.98s) claimed Silver and Bronze respectively.

In the Cadet Boys’ 100m, Abdulaleem Abdulsalam emerged as the standout performer, clinching gold with a new personal best of 11.88s.

Team MVP’s Aaron Usifo secured the Bronze, while Saviour Nnokama of Secondary Grammar School Ibeno claimed Silver.

There was more Team MVP dominance in the Youth (U-17) Girls’ 100m, with Bernice Onoriode (12.40s), Goodnews Saturday (12.46s), and

Rebecca Enilolobo (12.63s) completing another 1-2-3 sweep.

In the Youth Boys’ 100m, Mu-

hammed Jimoh stormed to gold in 11.09s, just ahead of teammate Destiny Reuben (11.11s) who took

silver. Onyemech Peter Onoriode of Osadenis Mixed Secondary School clocked 11.13s for bronze.

Team MVP dominating the Youth Boys 100m event of the MTN CHAMPS Grand Final in Uyo... on Thursday evening

Ejiro Peter maintained her winning streak in the Junior (U-20) Women’s 100m, clocking a new PB of 11.81s for gold. Teammate Tejiri Ugoh followed closely in 11.92s (PB), with Faith Chukwuma of Osadenis rounding out the podium in 11.94s (PB).

In the Junior Men’s 100m, Obiano’s Stanley Willam took the title in a personal best of 10.68s, ahead of Team MTN’s Alvin Onyeama (10.72s) and Righteous Olerirume of Favoured Stars.

Kate Odumosu delivered a commanding performance in the Senior Women’s 100m, sprinting to a new PB of 11.36s. Chioma Cynthia (11.62s) and Chika Bakwanye (11.74s) followed for Silver and Bronze.

Representing MoC, Paris 2024 semifinalist Favour Ashe secured his second consecutive MTN CHAMPS title, winning the Senior Men’s 100m in a Season’s Best (SB) of 10.20s. Bayelsa’s Augustine Ezuruike (10.48s, PB) and Amreremenore Edesiri of Global Track & Field (10.56s, PB) completed the podium.

to just 10 Premier League starts since his £55m move from Chelsea in 2023, Mount had only been on the pitch 10 minutes when he turned onto Leny Yoro’s short pass inside the Bilbao penalty area.

Mount’s strike was true and arrowed into the far corner.

It was his third United goal but it was by far the most important and ended lingering fears the visitors might become the first side in 134 attempts in UEFA competitions to overturn a three-goal first leg deficit away from home.

But there was more to come.

After Casemiro and Rasmus Hojlund had steered United into a winning lead, Mount pounced on a loose ball 45 yards out and floated a superb shot into an empty net.

The goal capped a memorable Old Trafford night and maintained United’s unbeaten record in the competition.

Elsewhere, Chelsea booked their place in the Conference League final after sealing a comfortable 1-0 semi-final triumph against Djurgarden at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues won the first leg 4-1 earlier.

Despite 10 changes from Sunday’s win over Premier League champions Liverpool and handing a first senior start for 16-year-old Reggie Walsh, the Blues hardly broke a sweat to complete a 5-1 aggregate victory against the Swedish visitors.

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TINUBU IN AWKA...

L-R: National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun; President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, and his Wife Dr. Nonye Soludo, during the inauguration of Government House Mini-city, Awka, Anambra state, ... yesterday

ONYIBE Restoring the Judiciary’s Dignity O GUEST COLUMNIST

n April 30, 2025, Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, made a significant move toward fulfilling the promise she made during her swearing-in on August 23, 2024: to restore integrity to Nigeria’s judiciary, which has long been tainted by corruption.

In 2017, a joint report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) ranked the judiciary as the second most corrupt public institution in Nigeria, trailing only the Nigeria Police Force. That damaging verdict has haunted the judicial system ever since, with repeated but largely unsuccessful efforts to cleanse its image.

When Justice Kekere-Ekun became Nigeria’s 23rd CJN—and the 18th Indigenous one—she made a solemn pledge: “A better judiciary benefits the entire nation.

Whatever shortcomings we observe today, we must remember that we are all part of this society. If we desire improvement, it must start with each of us and our approach to justice.”

True to her word, last week, the National Judicial Council (NJC), which oversees discipline in the judiciary, took decisive action by sanctioning several judicial officers.

Though some believe the penalties were too lenient, the move signals a meaningful step toward reform.

Critics, including myself, have often advocated for harsh penalties to deter misconduct in public institutions—just as I have recently suggested severe punishment for universities and officials engaged in fraudulent practices in the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), as revealed in a recent ICPC investigation.

That said, determining what level of punishment is appropriate for erring judicial officers remains a matter of perspective.

How much is enough or too much?

Justice Kekere-Ekun’s recent disciplinary measures are widely seen as a necessary “housecleaning,” aiming to restore public trust in a judiciary that had become so discredited, that many Nigerians no longer saw it as the proverbial last hope for the common man.

In an ideal democracy, citizens who feel wronged should be able to seek justice in the courts. But that system only works when the public believes in the fairness and independence of the judiciary. Sadly, in recent years, Nigerians have grown skeptical, often viewing court rulings as bizarre, politically influenced, or outright compromised.

By taking action against judges found guilty of misconduct—based on public petitions—Justice Kekere-Ekun has effectively acknowledged that corruption exists within the judiciary. More importantly, her bold stance is a much-needed step in rehabilitating its damaged reputation.

Allow me to illustrate how deeply public confidence in the judiciary has eroded—and how Justice KekereEkun’s recent action may begin to change that.

Take, for example, the recent controversy involving Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu. In two separate incidents, he has faced both defamation allegations and accusations of physical assault against Atiku Abubakar Isah, the president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).

Ideally, both parties should have resolved their grievances through legal channels. Instead, they took to social media, allowing public opinion to shape the narrative—fueling tensions and deepening mistrust

CJN, Justice Kekere-Ekun in institutions by conscious and concerned members of society.

Would Nigerians have accepted a court ruling in Seyi Tinubu’s favor, given that he’s the president’s son? Probably not, at least until now. But with the CJN’s recent efforts to clean up the judiciary, there’s hope that the public might begin to view the courts as impartial once again.

Meanwhile, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) for its failure to lift what it called the “arbitrary, illegal, and unconstitutional” ban on Eedris Abdulkareem’s song “Tell Your Papa.”

SERAP argues—rightly—that freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democracy, and that this right includes the ability to voice opinions that may shock, offend, or challenge authority, especially in political discourse.

In my view, Seyi Tinubu—who appears to be the target of defamation and online attacks on the song—should have been the one to take legal action against Abdulkarim. Instead, it’s the other way around.

In other words, while Seyi Tinubu is sitting on his rights, SERAP has picked up the gauntlet by fulfilling all righteousness whether it feels it can get a judgment or not is another kettle of fish.

Predictably, the song has stirred up a whirlwind of controversy, but that may well have been the artist’s intention—to provoke debate, generate buzz, and gain massive attention, all without spending a kobo on publicity.

From experience, it’s clear that radical hip-hop artist Eedris Abdulkarim thrives on controversy. Like many performers who crave the spotlight, he deliberately stirs public discourse to remain relevant and keep his music trending across social media and mainstream platforms.

In media theory, this is known as a “pull” strategy—where a message is so provocative or engaging that it naturally attracts media attention, much like butterflies are drawn to flowers. This is the opposite of a “push” strategy, where publicists aggressively promote a brand, idea, or product through advertising, PR, or other marketing tactics.

Eedris Abdulkarim’s latest track, “Seyi, Tell Your

Papa”, appears to be a classic pull move. His history supports this view—he once released the controversial “Nigeria Jaga Jaga” during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure, calling out Nigeria’s chaotic state and poor leadership. In response, Obasanjo mocked him rather than taking legal action, joking that Eedris’s father must be “Jaga Jaga” himself.

Perhaps if Obasanjo had taken legal steps then, we’d now have a judicial precedent applicable to the current situation, where Eedris is once again in the spotlight—this time for a song that some interpret as defamation against Seyi Tinubu, the President’s son.

If a lawsuit had been filed, and a court had ruled against Eedris, it could have set an example for other artists to consult legal professionals and steer clear of defamatory content in their creative works.

That brings me to the decision by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to ban “Seyi, Tell Your Papa” from the airwaves. I believe NBC’s action was hasty and misguided. Rather than evaluate the potential implications carefully, the Commission took the path of executive fiat—a move that undermines due process and violates the principles of a democratic society.

A more appropriate course of action would have been for Seyi Tinubu himself to file a defamation lawsuit, especially if he believed the song infringed on his rights or amounted to cyberbullying or hate speech. These claims are protected under the 1999 Nigerian Constitution and international human rights charters. If a court had agreed, the music could have been suspended legally pending the outcome—not through censorship.

NBC’s unilateral decision to ban the song, without any known petition from Seyi Tinubu, makes it appear that proper legal channels were bypassed. This raises concerns about abuse of power, as civil society group SERAP has rightly pointed out in their lawsuit against NBC. We’ve seen similar overreactions from government agencies in the recent past. When citizens nicknamed President Tinubu “T-Pain” as a reflection of the hardship caused by his economic policies, some presidential aides were quick to condemn the nickname. I responded with an article defending the right of Nigerians to express their frustrations, however unflattering, as a legitimate form of free speech enshrined in Section 39(1) of the Constitution and the UN Human Rights Charter.

Similarly, when a young woman serving in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) posted a viral video describing the president as “terrible,” the agency’s response was unprofessional. She was reportedly threatened and harassed by NYSC officials and a presidential spokesperson. It was later suggested that she was simply participating in a social media challenge to gain followers—a claim that is now irrelevant.

The larger issue remains: our legal framework is designed to balance individual freedoms with protection from harm. One person’s right to free speech should not infringe on another’s right to dignity or safety.

If Seyi Tinubu’s legal team can demonstrate that the song constitutes hate speech or defamation, then Abdulkarim could be held accountable. Otherwise, the public will continue to enjoy the song for its entertainment value.

In my view, the actions taken by NBC and NYSC are doing more harm than good for the Tinubu administration. Their attempts to silence critics—whether

an artist or a youth corps member—come across as overzealous and undemocratic. These agencies appear to be “doing eye service,” acting out of fear or loyalty rather than principle.

President Tinubu himself has demonstrated tolerance in the past. As an opposition figure, he was highly critical of government leaders and, during his presidential campaign, endured fierce insults and ridicule. Yet he remained undeterred and eventually emerged victorious.

That resilience showed he understands the democratic process and the importance of free expression.

Therefore, it is disappointing to see regulatory bodies now acting in ways that contradict the very democratic ideals the President once championed. The rule of law—not arbitrary power—should guide our responses to criticism, controversy, or satire.

Just as the controversy surrounding the “Seyi, Tell Your Papa” song appeared to be fading from the public space even though the hearing in court is pending, another scandal involving Seyi Tinubu has emerged.

This time, Atiku Abubakar Isah, the newly elected president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has accused Seyi of orchestrating his abduction and assault during the NANS leadership transition.

Isah made the claims during a press conference last Wednesday, asserting that Seyi Tinubu not only tried to bribe him with N100 million to step down but also directed thugs to beat and strip him naked in a bid to force his resignation—an ordeal he says was recorded and saved on his phone.

These are grave allegations that Seyi Tinubu must defend himself against if untrue. Otherwise, unsubstantiated and undebunked narratives such as these could seriously damage not only Seyi Tinubu’s image but also President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election prospects, especially if they fuel the narrative of executive overreach and abuse of power. Therefore, these claims must be treated with the seriousness they deserve by which Seyi Tinubu should approach the court to absolve himself if he has been lied against.

However, under the law, “he who alleges must prove.” The NANS president must provide concrete evidence—messages, videos, or witnesses—that support his claims of bribery, assault, and media manipulation. In my assessment, there appear to be some inconsistencies in the narrative of the presumed victim.

For instance, if the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) was indeed involved, its Director-General (not Managing Director, as mistakenly stated) and the Minister of Youth Development—alleged accomplices—must either confirm or deny the charges without further delay. Additionally, the victim must disclose how the alleged abduction took place, where he was taken to, how long he was held, and whether the incident was reported to the police as well as which police station.

It is also plausible that Isah may have been attacked by political rivals within NANS, with Seyi Tinubu’s name falsely invoked to intimidate him. Until proven otherwise, these remain allegations, and if unfounded, Seyi Tinubu has every right to pursue legal redress for defamation and character assassination. Like the “Seyi, Tell Your Papa” he should not allow another civil society to sue him or petition the police by only refuting the allegations in the social media which is a mere metaphorical court of public opinion and not a court of law.

Continues online

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