WEDNESDAY 26TH MAY 2021

Drop Your Arms, Embrace Anchor Borrowers’Programme, Emefiele Tells Bandits CBN raises COVID-19 targeted credit facility to N400bn Mulls introduction of digital currency James Emejo in Abuja The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, yesterday appealed to bandits and

others involved in unlawful activities to drop their arms and embrace the central bank’s Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP).

He also announced that

the central bank has been encouraged to increase its COVID-19 Targeted Credit Facility to N400 billion from N300 billion.

Emefiele, while addressing

journalists after a two-day meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) in Abuja, also reiterated that cyptocurrency currently has no place in the Nigerian financial

system.

At the end of the meeting, the MPC resolved to retain the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) otherwise known as interest rate at 11.5 per cent.

The MPC also voted to maintain the asymmetric corridor of +100/-700 basis points around the MPR and Continued on page 10

NNPC, Shell, Others Seal Deal to Unlock $10bn Investments... Page 6 Wednesday 26 May, 2021 Vol 26. No 9544. Price: N250

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Elumelu Urges Leaders to Prioritise Youth Empowerment, Job Creation... Page 5

Buhari Not in Support of Open Grazing, Presidency Clarifies Southern govs insist no land for invaders ACF maintains position on cattle restriction Buhari’s opposition to southern govs, ill-advised, says Clark SANs allege ethnic bias Alex Enumah, Emma Addeh in Abuja, John Shiklam in Kaduna, George Okoh in Makurdi and James Sowole in Akure President Muhammadu Buhari is opposed to open grazing of cattle, the presidency said yesterday in an apparent effort to douse the rising critique of its statement on Monday, quoting the president as querying the legality of

Southern governors' ban on open grazing.

Presidential spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, while fielding questions on ARISE NEWS CHANNEL, the broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers, said many people misconstrued Buhari’s views on the Southern governors' resolutions at their May 11 meeting in Asaba, Delta State Continued on page 8

Air Force Raises Committee to Audit Aircraft's Safety Panel gets June 18 deadline to submit report Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) yesterday set up a committee to conduct a safety audit of its operational and engineering units.

The committee is coming

three days after the crash of one of its aircraft in Kaduna that killed the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru, and 10 military officers and personnel.

Continued on page 10

CLARK @ 94 ON ARISE NEWS...

Former Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, during an interview on the state of the nation with ARISE NEWS Channel in Abuja…yesterday

Delta Yet to Receive £4.2m Recovered Loot, Says Official... Page 5

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NEWS

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

Delta Yet to Receive £4.2m Recovered Loot, Says Official Fund returned to state govt, FG claims

Adedayo Akinwale, Udora Orizu in Abuja and OmonJulius Onabu in Asaba Despite the claim by the federal government that it has returned to the Delta State Government the money recovered from associates of a former Governor of the state, Chief James Ibori, the state government said yesterday that it was yet to receive the £4.2 million recently returned by the British government.

Earlier yesterday, the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Ahmed Idris, had said that the government had returned the £4.2 million to the state.

Idris spoke when he appeared in Abuja before the House of Representatives’ Ad-hoc Committee on Assessment and Status of All Recovered Loots Movable and Immovable Assets from 2002 to 2020 by Agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria for Effective, Efficient Management and Utilisation.

When asked where the Ibori loot was paid into, Idris said it was paid to Delta State Government.

However, his assertion was contrary to the explanation by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), who said the agreement the federal government had with the British government was to use the repatriated funds

to complete some specific ongoing projects.

However, when reminded that his position was contrary to the information that it was meant for specified projects, Idris added: "No, no, any recovery that is arising from looted funds from a particular state goes to the state. The state governors will not even

allow this to fly. They will take the federal government to court for holding their money. We don't joke and we don't play with that, we pay them their money."

But an official of the Delta State Government, who spoke to THISDAY yesterday on condition of anonymity, said the state government was yet

to receive the money.

"I think it would be premature for government to talk about a claim made by the federal accountant-general on air or while speaking with a committee of the House of Representatives.

When Delta is duly credited with such payment, then it would be proper for the

government to make an official pronouncement on the matter.

"You'd observe that His Excellency, the governor, didn't say a word or joined issues with anyone when the media were awash with reports that the AttorneyGeneral and Minister for Justice, Malami, had

bluntly said that the federal had received the returned funds but that the federal government would not release the money to Delta.

"In the same way, I think we should all wait until the state government certified that it has indeed received the said money into its treasury,” the source said.

OIL MAGNATES...

L-R: Managing Director, AGIP/ENI, Mr. Roberto Daniele; Managing Director, SNEPCO, Mr. Bayo Ojulari; Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Malam Mele Kyari; Managing Director, Total, Mr. Mike Sangster; and Chairman/Managing Director, Exxon Mobil, Mr. Richard Laing, during the execution of the OML 118 Agreement in Abuja…yesterday

Elumelu Urges Africa’s Leaders to Prioritise Youth Empowerment, Job Creation Okonjo-Iweala reiterates calls for debt restructuring in Africa Nume Ekeghe and Dike Onwuamaeze The Chairman of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), Mr. Tony Elumelu, yesterday urged governments and business leaders in Africa to prioritise youth empowerment and job creation.

He stated that by priotising youth empowerment and job creation, they will be able to improve standard of living in the continent and address the challenge of unemployment.

Also, the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala, reiterated her call for the restructuring of debts owed

by African countries to enable them to provide economic stimulus for their economies and accelerate recovery from COVID-19 devastitations.

They both spoke at the UBA Africa Day Conversation 2021, which held via a virtual platform.

The forum also featured President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, the DirectorGeneral of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus and

the Managing Director of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Mr. Makhtar Diop.

The conversation was moderated by Elumelu.

Elumelu, who is also the Chairman of Heirs Holdings, said the third UBA Africa Conversations was dedicated to discuss pressing issues facing the continent, its people and young population.

He said: “The priority for Africa is the empowerment of its youths and ensuring the creation of jobs and economic opportunities even during very difficult times.

“We have seen how our young ones despite COVID-19 leveraged their talents, expertise and technology to create wealth and support the communities they live in.

“We must, therefore, ensure that these young ones are made and not erased. We must create an enabling environment for our young entrepreneurs to succeed and empower them to create the jobs that would lift the continent to prosperity.”

In her presentation, OkonjoIweala said Africa’s economies required short-term policies that would enable them to get more fiscal stimulus.

She said: “So, if we want to recover, it is important to discuss about restructuring debt and giving African economies fiscal space to breathe so that they can invest not only on the health side but also on the economic side.

This is how we are going to recover.

“The good news is that all our presidents like President Kagame have been pushing for this issuance of new Special Drawing Rights (SDR) at the International Monetary Fund, which agreed to provide $650 billion. Africa would get $34 billion but more may be allocated. We can use this to help implement more fiscal stimulus so that our economies can have the ability to recover.

“Moreover, some liquidity should go to the private sector. You know that in rich countries, private sector has gotten access to credit and liquidities that enabled their Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to recover."

She added: “Our youth is what we have; youth is gold to us and we can mobilise our youth productively to try to recover from this pandemic.

I’m very proud the continent has done so far in coming

together, especially our leaders who are trying to build a one Africa approach by building the vaccine acquisition group, by building a medical supply platform, bring together the COVID-19 envoys, which I was privileged to be part of and also by supporting CDC. “If we are to recover sustainably, from this crisis, we have to correct the vaccine inequity that is so evident in the world today. The fact that we have vaccinated so little of our population is not acceptable. And the fact that we import 99 per cent of our vaccines and 90 per cent of our pharmaceuticals is not acceptable.

“The IMF just did an interesting study where they showed that if we spent $50 billion additional to vaccinate 40 per cent of the world’s population by 2021 and another up to 60 per cent in 2022, we would be able to reverse this vaccine inequity and the world can actually gain $9 trillion by 2025. I mean the numbers are staggering when you compare $50 billion to $9 trillion, we can make if we did this right.

“It is important for the world that we reverse this

vaccine inequity and Africa benefits from it. We cannot recover sustainably without it.”

In his contribution, Ghebreyesus stated that Africa should, with the participation of its private sector, build capacity to produce its own vaccines rather than relying on foreign countries.

“The poor and the vulnerable are hit the hardest

by COVID-19 and we cannot let down our guard. What that is happening in many parts of the world can also happen in our continent. Forty seven countries in the continent have started vaccinating.

“However, the volumes of the vaccines are nowhere near enough. So far Africa has administered somewhere over 25 million doses. This is very tragic. The WHO is working hard to bring about equitable distributions of vaccine doses.

“But it is clear that Africa cannot rely solely on import of vaccines from the rest of the world. We must build capacity not only for COVID-19 but for other vaccines and medicals. The corporation of the private sector will be essential in this endeavour,” the WHO boss added.

On his part, Kagame urged African leaders to develop the political will to make free movement of people within the continent a reality in order to facilitate African trade.

He also called for investment that would enable the continent to be part of the fourth industrial revolution that has been changing how people's lives and work.

“The social and economic effects of the pandemic are very clear. We are counting on our continents resilience to see us through this crisis.

"Fortunately, we are working together as a continent with our partners to build Africa’s vaccine manufacture capacity.

“The private sector has a big role to play in this.

The next health crisis will not catch Africa unprepared again. When we talk about the emergence of the new Africa that means a continent that is confident in our ability to meet the needs of our people,” the Rwandan president added.

Diop, in his contribution, called for investment in infrastructure that would encourage intra-African trade and strengthened the continent’s SMEs.

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NEWS

NNPC, Shell, Others Seal Deal to Unlock $10bn Investments Corporation seeks upstream investments

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its Production Sharing Contract (PSC) partners yesterday executed joint agreements to renew Oil Mining Lease (OML) 118 for another 20 years.

The corporation also urged investors to take interest in opportunities in its frontier basins, gas fields, pipeline networks as well as its integrated power supply assets.

The NNPC listed its PSC partners as Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited (TEPNG), Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited (EEPNL) and Nigerian Agip Exploration (NAE).

The five deals signed were the dispute settlement agreement, settlement agreement, historical gas agreement, escrow agreement and the renewed PSC agreement.

A statement by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the NNPC, Dr. Kennie Obateru, quoted the Group Managing Director of the Corporation, Mallam Mele Kyari, as saying that over $10 billion of investment would be unlocked as a result of the agreements.

He said the deal signalled the end of the long-standing disputes over the interpretation of the fiscal terms of the PSC and the emplacement of a clear and fair framework for the development of the huge deepwater assets in Nigeria.

Kyari stated that the move was an indication of “a renewed confidence between NNPC and her partners; between the government and the investing communities which include NNPC".

“It produces value for all

of us by providing a clear line of sight for investment in the Bonga bloc of around $10 billion,” he added.

He said the deal would yield over $780 million in immediate revenues to the federal government while it would also free the parties from over $9 billion in contingent liabilities.

“Ultimately, these agreements will engender growth in our country where investment will come in for other assets, not just in the deepwater, but even for new investors. It is an opportunity for them to see that this country is ready for business,” he added.

Kyari lauded President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timpre Sylva, and the NNPC board of directors for enabling the corporation to achieve the feat.

In his remarks, the Country Chair of Shell Companies in Nigeria, Mr. Osagie Osunbor, said the OML 118 renewal agreement would remain a watershed in the history of deepwater investments in Nigeria.

He added that the giant stride will further bolster investors' confidence in the country.

Also, the Managing Director of SNEPCo, Mr. Bayo Ojulari, stated that the agreements marked the end of a 12-year dispute that had marred business relationship and affected trust and investment.

“Today, we have signed agreements that define the future of deepwater for Nigeria. This is the first deepwater block that was developed in Nigeria and it is also the first one that we are resolving all the disputes that will lay the foundation for the resolution of other PSCs,” he stated.

Managing Directors of Total, Mike Sangster; ExxonMobil’s,

Richard Laing and NAOC's, Roberto Danielle, praised the NNPC for providing leadership, which engendered the resolution of the disputes.

They assured the corporation that the agreements would attract more investments to the industry

Corporation Seeks Upstream Investments Meanwhile, the NNPC yesterday urged investors to take advantage of investment opportunities in Nigeria’s frontier basins, gas fields, pipeline networks as well as its integrated power supply

assets.

Speaking at this year’s virtual Nigerian Oil & Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF 2021) themed ‘’Leveraging Opportunities and Synergies for Post Pandemic Recovery of the Nigerian Oil & Gas Industry," Kyari stated that having been ravaged and disrupted by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry was in dire need of fresh investments.

Kyari said at the two-day event organised by Nigerian Content Development Monitor Board (NCDMB), that there was the need to foster institutional collaborations, maximise participation of

Nigerians in oil and gas activities, and link oil and gas sector to other areas of the economy.

Kyari spoke even as the NCDMB Executive Secretary, Mr. Simbi Wabote, said the board was eyeing at least $3.7 billion in investments and commercial partnership and had committed a total of $332 million under its commercial ventures partnership programme to achieve the goal.

According to the NNPC boss, the oil and gas industry in Nigeria is replete with opportunities from the upstream, midstream to the downstream and even to the services sectors.

He stated that opportunities abound for potential investors to come into the sector, adding that synergies could be created between the NNPC and potential investors, towards assured value creation and a guaranteed fair share of Return on Investment (RoI).

Wabote, in his remarks, listed some of the partnerships undertaken by the board to include the 5,000 barrels per day Waltersmith modular refinery in Ibigwe, Imo State, NEDO gas processing company in Kwale, Delta State and a 300mmscfd Kwale gas gathering hub.

REPORTING PROGRESS...

L-R: Non-Executive Director, WEMA Bank, Mr. Abubakar Lawal; Company Secretary, Mr. Johnson Lebile; and Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Mr.Ademola Adebise, during the bank’s annual general meeting in Lagos…yesterday

Media Leaders Seek Urgent Actions to Secure Nigeria Back power devolution, restructuring, petrol subsidy removal Ejiofor Alike The Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), comprising the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), has urged the federal government to take urgent steps to restructure the country by devolving powers to other tiers of government to secure Nigeria and restore peace in the country.

The organisation, in a communiqué yesterday after a meeting held last Friday, also called for the reduction of the high cost of governance, removal of petrol subsidy, and the avoidance of

accumulation of foreign debt.

The communiqué titled, "Newspaper Proprietors, Guild of Editors, Union of Journalists, Issue Statement on State of The Nation" was jointly signed by the President of NPAN and NPO, Mr. Kabiru A. Yusuf; his NGE counterpart, Mr. Mustapha Isa, and the NUJ President, Mr. Chris Isiguzo.

The communiqué said Nigeria had been embroiled in profound socio-economic, political and security challenges that threatened “its very existence as reflected in ethnic divisions and separatist agitations in the country, with growing fears that an implosion is imminent."

"Today, criminality kidnapping for ransom,

banditry, arson, killings defines the everyday reality for a good number of our citizens,” the group added.

Citing the responsibility imposed on its members

by Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the group reaffirmed its belief in the oneness of Nigeria.

It stated that if resources are well-managed, Nigeria with a population of 200 million people, has innumerable advantages - both in economic and soft power, warning that this should not be sacrificed on the altar of ethnic or tribal chauvinism.

The group identified one of the triggers for the current socio-political, economic and security challenges in the country as high cost

of governance, reflected in the outrageous allowances and flamboyant lifestyles of political leaders.

It said: “These leaders, rather erroneously, misconstrue public service for primitive accumulation of wealth, instead of its being a platform for galvanising development and satisfying the collective aspiration of the people for quality life in a safe and secure environment. One of the consequences of this ostentatious lifestyle is the new craze among a growing number of youths that the end justifies the means in their quest for easy wealth”.

"That in a federal system of government, particularly in a country like Nigeria, which is diverse in ethnicity, culture,

and religion, an overbearing centre is counter-productive to the development of the centre itself and the component units.

“To leave the federal government with 68 items under the Exclusive Legislative List, including policing, is a recipe for unending destructive tension in the struggle for advantage among the federating units.

“It explains why our country is seemingly overwhelmed by non-state actors engaged in criminality and separatist agitations."

The media leaders called on the federal government to devolve powers to the component units by implementing the el-Rufai Committee Report.

“We hold that its implementation will curb the galloping rate of criminality, reduce tension across the country, and reset the botton of development,” it said.

It also urged the federal government to implement the Orosanye Report, “which provides a veritable road map for arresting the unsustainable high cost of governance.”

NPAN, NGE and NUJ also called for the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill, (PIB).

It stressed the need to avoid the debt overhang inherent in excessive borrowing, while appealing to “politicians and state actors to minimise their inflammatory rhetoric in order to reduce tension and ease the growing sense of fear among the people.”

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Clark: Buhari’s Opposition to Southern Govs' Ban on Open Grazing, Ill-advised Seeks return to 1963 Constitution Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja A former Federal Commissioner for Information, Chief Edwin Clark, yesterday expressed sadness over President Muhammadu Buhari’s statement criticising Southern governors’ decision to ban open cattle grazing, describing it as illadvised and unfortunate.

He stated that Buhari’s public opposition to the halt on open grazing by the 17 governors appeared to be giving the impression that he is only the president of Northern Nigeria.

Clark, whose 94th birthday anniversary coincided yesterday with his appearance on ARISE NEWS Channel, THISDAY’s broadcast arm, said part of the

blame should go to the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, for allegedly giving the president wrong legal advice.

He stated that having been a lawyer for 55 years himself, there’s no ground for equating cattle with humans.

He said that even when he

was far younger, the herders were around at the time, but wondered why many of them have become gun-wielding criminals, who now kill at will.

“People are being maimed, raped, killed, humiliated and dehumanised, yet the president swore an oath to protect the Nigerian citizens and their properties,” he stated.

He said the president’s order for gun-totting herdsmen to be shot on sight had even become confusing, questioning whether since the order was given, none of the herders had been found with deadly weapons.

“What I want to advise Mr. President is that he’s the president of Nigeria, including me who voted against him. He’s the

president of both his friends and enemies. He has to accommodate everybody, “ he said.

Clark urged the president to stop behaving like he’s the leader of only a section of the country, as that runs contrary to the quality a Nigerian president should possess.

raising objections. Nobody or society can accept that.”

Afenifere said the presidential statement opposing the ban on open grazing showed that Buhari's government was not organised.

The Secretary-General of Afenifere, Chief Sola Ebiseni, said reacting to Shehu's statement again would amount to dignifying him.

He said: "Having reacted to the statement of the AttorneyGeneral, I consider it infra dignitatem to still countenance Garba Shehu whose statement, claiming the president's authority, on the same ban on open grazing does not only show how unorganised the Buhari government is, but also a vote of no confidence on the AGF, who should save the honour of his office and the legal profession by resigning pronto."

the ambit of the law.

He added: "I do not agree with him for the simple reason that it is not in tandem with my previously expressed view that the governors were right in their decision to ban open grazing.

"In a constitutional setting as ours, the issue may have to be referred to the judicial arm of government for resolution. Until that is done, the governors are at liberty to stick to their position."

Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), also faulted the presidency and advised the government to study the Grazing Reserves Act of 1964, which provides for the establishment and operation of grazing reserves in the North.

He said since there was a popular demand for the proscription of open grazing, efforts should be made to immediately establish ranches.

“It smacks of brazen official impunity on the part of the presidency to have said that the ban on open grazing is of doubtful legality. Last Friday, the Federal High Court ruled that state governments have the power to enact anti-grazing laws,” he stated.

Constitutional lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), accused Malami of ill-advising the president against the stance of the Southern governors.

He challenged the federal government to sue the governors if it is convinced that their position is legally flawed He said: “President Buhari has obviously been ill-advised on the well thought out Southern governors' stance against open grazing by the attorney-general whose views were made known only two days ago. Buhari, with all humility, is quite wrong to say the Southern governors' stance is an act of questionable legality.

“If the federal government feels strongly and sure about its puritanical, but legally flawed stance, I challenge the federal government to challenge the governors' resolutions by suing all the state governors of Nigeria, through the invocation of the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court under section 232(1) of the 1999 Constitution."

Continued on page 10

BUHARI NOT IN SUPPORT OF OPEN GRAZING, PRESIDENCY CLARIFIES as an endorsement of open grazing.

Hours before the clarification from the presidency, the Monday statement had drawn flaks from the Southern governors; the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere; and some senior lawyers.

The presidency statement by Shehu had questioned the legality of the Southern governors' resolutions, in which they, among others, banned open grazing of cattle in the South.

The statement quoted Buhari as dismissing the ban, while accusing the 17 Southern governors of not proffering any solution to the intractable farmer-herder conflicts, largely driven by open grazing of cattle.

The presidency announced Buhari's approval for ranching and revival of grazing reserves nationwide.

But the Chairman of the Southern Governors' Forum and Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, yesterday fired back at the presidency, warning that no land in the South will be ceded to those he described "as a band of invaders masquerading as herdsmen under any guise."

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) also maintained its earlier stance that the ban on open grazing was in the best interest of all Nigerians.

But Benue State Governor, Dr. Samuel Ortom, yesterday kicked against the presidential decision to revive grazing reserves, saying that the reserves, created when Nigeria had a population of 50 million have since been taken over by airports, schools, roads, hospitals and other infrastructure.

Some senior lawyers also faulted Buhari’s opposition to the open grazing ban, alleging ethnic bias.

However, in an effort to douse tension generated by his statement, Shehu told ARISE NEWS Channel that Buhari would want to see an end to the archaic practice of open grazing of cattle.

He added that the objective of the president and that of the governors fully align.

However, he stated that the only difference between the positions of both parties is the approach to achieving the aim, adding that the president is insistent that it should be done in an organised manner.

He said: "The president wants to see an end to open grazing; he wants to see ranching; but he wants it in a way that's organised and he has a plan for it and the plan will take off in June."

According to him, all the ongoing attacks on the president are from people who are in the mood for a public fight.

He said states that were able to meet the minimum requirements would be encouraged to embark on ranching, and expressed optimism that those opposed to ranching will change their minds when it becomes fully functional.

Shehu said the president viewed open grazing as oldfashioned and was looking forward to a replacement for the medieval practice.

But he reiterated that banning open grazing without an

alternative is not a good approach to the issue.

He said the president was worried about the crisis generated by the matter, adding that the generalisation of every herder as criminals is not the right thing to do.

While admitting that the ranks of the nomads had been infiltrated with people now bearing AK-47 rifles to kill and maim, Shehu called for calm as the issue won't be solved by public show of strength.

"Let us stop this shadow boxing. You just brought one or two people here who said things that nobody said from our own end. Did the president say he didn't support...? He's opposed to the way the governors have chosen to do it," he said.

On state policing, Shehu said the president was initially concerned that governors who are unable to pay salaries to their workers want to give guns to police set up by them, adding that if it is what Nigerians want, the president would have no option but to support it.

"You hire a policeman. Give him a gun and for one year, you don't pay salaries, like you are doing to your teachers, that’s a problem," Shehu stated.

Besides, he added that to implement state policing will require amending the 1999 Constitution, and Buhari has never rejected constitution amendments.

On restructuring, he stated that the All Progressives Congress (APC) wasn't against devolution of power, as that is the work of the legislature to do.

He also dismissed speculations that Buhari was interested in extending his tenure, saying that those raising doubts over whether or not elections will hold in 2023 are doing so because they are unelectable.

Shehu also said he was not aware of any shoot-on-sight order against Igbo, adding that the rumour is meant to provoke unnecessary public anger.

Southern Govs Insist No Land for Invaders The Chairman of the Southern Governors' Forum and Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, yesterday faulted Monday's presidential statement querying the legality of the governors' ban on open grazing.

Akeredolu, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant, Special Duties and Strategies, Dr. Doyin Odebowale, said Shehu could not be representing the presidency with his positions on issues of national concern.

He said: "Anyone who has been following the utterances of this man (Shehu), as well as his fellow travellers on the self-deluding, mendacious but potentially dangerous itinerary to anarchy cannot but conclude that he works, assiduously, for extraneous interests whose game plan stands at variance with the expectations of genuine lovers of peaceful coexistence among all the peoples whose ethnic extractions are indigenous to Nigeria."

He added: “Shehu cannot continue to hide under some

opaque, omnibus and dubious directives to create confusion in the polity.

"The declaration that the recommendations of the Minister of Agriculture, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, a mere political appointee like Garba Shehu, are now the ‘lasting solutions,’ which eluded all the elected representatives of the people of the Southern part of the country, exposes this man as a pitiable messenger who does not seem to understand the limits of his relevance and charge.

"Mr. Garba contends that ‘their announcement is of questionable legality’, referring to the 17 governors of the Southern states, but the decision of certain elements to take the ancestral lands of other people to settle their kinsmen, including the ‘gun-wielding ‘killer herdsmen’ and their families, and provide ‘veterinary clinics, water points for animals, and facilities for herders and their families, including schooling through these rehabilitated reserves’ for which ‘the federal government is making far-reaching and practical changes allowing for different communities to co-exist side-by-side’, does not appear to him as a comprehensive plan for land grabbing, a precursor to internal colonialism.”

Akeredolu said Shehu wanted to revive forest reserves “but seems particularly uninterested in the current position of the same law that he and his cohorts often misinterpret to serve parochialism and greed."

"Governors no longer have powers over the lands in their territories. They must take instructions from appointees of the federal government on such matters,” he stated.

While noting the rights of all Nigerians to move freely in all parts of the country as guaranteed by the constitution, Akeredolu said it was clear that Shehu seemed to have issues understanding the difference between licentious criminality and qualified rights under the law.

He said: "It is our duty to continually nudge him off his current state of cognitive dissonance. His pronouncement betrays dubiousness and mischief.

"Most traditional families in Nigeria have occupations.

Pastoralism is not an exception.

Any ethnic group still trapped in anachronism may be assisted to embrace modernity.

"Dispossessing communities of their ancestral lands, encouraging denizens of the forests to overrun lands belonging to other people and forcing alien bands of migrants on the local populace to live ‘side-by-side’ with other communities cannot be for the purpose of animal husbandry.

“It raises suspicion on a grand, deliberate, persistent and insidious design to use naked force to subjugate the real owners of the land. Mr. Garba Shehu is a major supporter of the current pervasive anarchy in the land.

"May, we warn Mr. Garba Shehu and his cohorts to desist from hurling insults at the elected representatives of the people.

He lacks the authority to make policy statements for the federal

government, unless directed, expressly. His acts are clearly those of an agent provocateur.

"No inch of the space delineated and known, currently, as South-west, and indeed the whole South, will be ceded to a band of invaders masquerading as herdsmen under any guise.”

Ortom Condemns Moves to Reopen Grazing Reserves Benue State Governor, Dr. Samuel Ortom, has condemned the moves by the presidency to reopen grazing reserves.

The governor said in a statement by his Press Secretary, Mr. Terver Akase, that he read with concern a statement issued

by Shehu in which he said the federal government would commence rehabilitation work on grazing reserves in the country next month.

"It is now clear that there is a hidden agenda, which only the presidency knows. Otherwise, all the regions of the country have accepted the fact that open grazing of animals is no longer fashionable and should be banned to pave the way for ranching, yet, the government at the centre is insistent that grazing reserves/cattle routes must be created across the country," he stated.

Ortom added that the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) had on February 9 agreed that open grazing was no longer sustainable, in view of growing urbanisation and population of the country.

He accused the presidency of pushing for the continuation of open grazing and the return of cattle routes of the 1950s and 60s, adding that the presidency’s endorsement of open grazing has emboldened armed herders who lay claim to all land in Nigeria as belonging to Fulani, hence their invasion of farming communities and killing of original landowners.

“At present, the routes have been taken over by airports, roads, schools, hospitals, as well as markets, houses and other human activities,” he added.

ACF Maintains Stand on Open Grazing Ban Also reacting to the presidency’s rejection of the ban on open grazing by the Southern governors, spokesman of the ACF, Mr. Emmanuel Yawe, said the Chairman of the forum, Chief Audu Ogbe, had earlier made the position of the forum known.

“Our stand on the issue was already made known by our Chairman, Audu Ogbe, in a statement he issued on May 17, 2021,” he said while responding to THISDAY’s inquiry.

Ogbe, in the statement, had said that the decision to ban open grazing was in the best interest of all Nigerians.

He said: “ACF does not see any reason to object to a decision taken in the best interest of all.

“The fact of the matter is that the crisis emanates from the belief by most herdsmen that they are free to enter any farm, eat up the crops, and rape or kill anyone

SANs Knock Presidency, Allege Ethnic Bias Some senior lawyers have faulted the position of the presidency on the open grazing ban in the South.

Some of them described the president's statement as parochial, sectional and one that is capable of further tearing the country apart.

Mr. John Baiyesea (SAN), who described the statement as part of the bizarre situation the country is dealing with, wondered if such could ever emanate from Buhari.

According to him, such statements are often made under the cover of the presidency.

He said: "It is doubtful if the president knows about such annoying statements, which seem to suggest that he has narrowed his office to the North. I don't believe that the president will personally support one ethnic group against another or wilfully diminish the scope of his authority. I don't think he will make himself so irrelevant as president of Nigeria."

He, however, stated that if the president's silence to such tribalistic and ethnic posturing of his appointees means acquiescence or approval, then the country is endangered.

"How many times are they to be told (for them to understand), that freedom of movement guaranteed by the constitution is for human beings and not for cows, or animals?

"As long as Fulani herdsmen stay within the law, their freedom of movement is guaranteed.

But their cows do not enjoy the same constitutional rights or protections.

"Except for the mischievous intentions of these government officials who are bent on dividing this country, it is too elementary that the constitutional system does not give the rights of people to animals," he said.

He, however, advised the federal government to be careful not to allow the horrors experienced in Rwanda and Burundi to happen in Nigeria.

Also speaking, Mr. Dayo Akinlaja (SAN), faulted the presidency, saying that the Southern governors acted within

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NEWS AIR FORCE RAISES COMMITTEE TO AUDIT AIRCRAFT'S SAFETY The Kaduna aircraft crash, the third of such incident in the last three months involving NAF fleet, has raised concerns about the airworthiness of the aircraft the NAF has.

Three NAF aircraft were involved in fatal crashes in Abuja, Borno and in Kaduna in the last three months, claiming the lives of a total of 21 personnel of the air force and the army.

However, the air force, last week, inducted three newly procured JF-17 thunder aircraft into its inventory as part of activities to mark its 57th anniversary celebration and

is expecting 12 Super Tucano fighter jets from the United State, which delivery is due by 2022.

There were also claims that of the four major Beechcraft planes in the force, notably, NAF 201, NAF 202, NAF 203 and NAF 204, two, NAF 201and NAF 203 had crashed in Abuja and Kaduna, remaining NAF 202 and NAF 204.

There have also been trending calls on the social media for the air force to ground the remaining two.

But the air force has insisted that the planes are in good conditions.

The air force, in a statement by

its spokesman, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, said the committee, comprising serving and retired officers, would, among other terms of reference, analyse safety reports from operational and engineering units, conduct safety evaluation of NAF units and recommend measures to enhance safety of operations.

The committee is also to interact with unit operational and technical personnel for views, observations and contributions on safety measures.

The committee, chaired by the Deputy Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, Air Vice

Marshal Abraham Adole, is expected to submit its report latest June 18.

The statement reads: "The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, has constituted a committee of serving and retired senior officers to conduct a safety audit of all Nigerian Air Force (NAF) operational and engineering units.

"The committee is to, among other terms of reference, analyse safety reports from operational and engineering units, conduct safety evaluation of NAF units and recommend measures to enhance safety of operations

in the units.

"The committee is also to interact with unit operational and technical personnel for views, observations and contributions on safety measures.

Chaired by Air Vice Marshal Abraham Adole, the Deputy Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, the committee is to submit its report not later than 18 June 2021."

The Kaduna air crash killed the army chief and officers from the army and the air force.

Besides Attahiru, other senior officers who died in the crash were Brig General Idris Abdulkadir, Brig Gen

Olatunji Olayinka, Brigadier General Abdulrahman Kuliya, ADC to the late COAS, Major LA Hayat, Major Hamza and Sergeant Umar Saidu.

The list of the crew members are Flight. Lt. T.O Asaniyi; Flt. Lt. AA Olufade; Sgt Adesina Isaiah and ACM Matthew Oyedepo.

The remains of the fallen officers were buried at the National Military Cemetery, Abuja last weekend.

The federal government had also ordered that the national flag be flown at half-mast in honour of the late officers and others.

DROP YOUR ARMS, EMBRACE ANCHOR BORROWERS’ PROGRAMME, EMEFIELE TELLS BANDITS left the Cash Reserve Ratio at 27.5 per cent and Liquidity Ratio at 30 per cent.

The MPR is the rate at which the CBN lends to commercial banks and often determines the cost of borrowing in the economy.

According to Emefiele, his appeal to criminals to embrace family is because there is a linkage between security and economic growth.

Responding to a question, he said: “If you want an economy to grow, the level of insecurity must be low because if there is a high level of insecurity like what we see today, the economy will suffer.”

He added that security agencies are doing their best to tackle insecurity.

“Efforts are now targeted at the south-eastern and north-eastern parts of the country. About three years ago, the federal government and the United States signed a pact that resulted in a government-to-government acquisition of military equipment.

“Out of which, we are expecting 12 fighter planes that would help us solve our insecurity. I am aware that six of them are coming to the country in the month of July and August.

“I, therefore, would like to appeal to our brothers, who decide that they want to live in bushes and forests, that they should please, begin to retreat, drop their arms and come and embrace the anchor borrowers’ programme.

“If they do so, it will help them; if they choose not to do so, they will be confronted by the security as this battle continues.

“I am optimistic before the end of the year that the security challenges confronting the country will substantially abate,” he stated.

Emefiele said the current targeted facility, which was unveiled to provide succour to households and SMEs amidst the harsh impact of the pandemic, "almost the whole of N300 billion has now been disbursed."

He said the proposed increase would make more available to households and small businesses for them, "to go back to business which will ultimately yield employment and also grow our economy."

Emefiele stated that the idea of operating a digital currency will soon become a reality in the country, adding that the central bank has already set up its committee, which is working

on the concept.

Emefiele, who read the committee's communiqué, said although the economy had successfully exited recession, the recovery was fragile given that the GDP of 0.51 per cent was still far below population growth rate.

He said the committee was therefore, of the view that, there was a need for monetary authorities to consolidate on all administrative measures taken not only to rein in inflation, but also on the actions so far taken to grow output.

He said in the committee’s view, such measures should include boosting consumption and investments, as well as diversifying the base of the economy through FX restrictions for the importation of goods and food products that can be produced in Nigeria.

The MPC also urged the bank to continue to put in place measures that will boost export earnings.

Responding to a question on the recent Q1 GDP figures, Emefiele said: “I think it is important to say at the CBN we were not surprised. We were not surprised because Nigeria is one country that is peculiar for what I call a situation that is out of the ordinary. That is because Nigeria is one country among several others challenged by stagflation.

“Stagflation is a situation where inflation is running high and prices are running high and at same time output growth is contracting. If you understand how this works, you will understand that as MPC, your core responsibility is to rein inflation by ensuring that you keep supreme your price stability mandate. And to do so means you have to tighten to rein inflation.

“On the other hand, government is confronted with contracting output and the normal way to recover from such is to stimulate the economy by injecting liquidity into the system.”

Emefiele said on consumption and investment, the committee noted that the intervention facilities under the anchor borrowers programme was N631.4 billion granted to 3,107,949 small holder farmers cultivating 3.8 million of land hectares; for the AGSMEIS, N111.7 billion to 29,026 beneficiaries; and for the Targeted Credit Facility, N253.4

billion to 548,345 beneficiaries comprising 470,969 households and 77,376 SMEs. The committee, according to him, noted that notwithstanding that all these have helped in boosting output, the CBN should continue to aggressively increase its interventions in these subsectors, including agricultural processing and manufacturing.

He said under the National Youth Investment Fund, N2.04 billion was disbursed to 7,057 beneficiaries, of which 4,411 were individuals and 2,646 were SMEs. Also, under the Creative Industry Financing Initiative, the CBN has disbursed N3.19 billion to 341 beneficiaries across movie production, movie distribution, music and software development.

Also commenting on the recent controversy regarding state governments repaying their loan obligations to banks as well as those under the CBN intervention facilities, Emefiele said the state governors must honour their loan agreements to parties involved.

He added: "There are two aspects to these. There are intervention facilities granted by the CBN and there are bilateral facilities granted by the deposit money banks to them.

"They went to deposit money banks, they asked for loans, they signed the offer letters with those banks.

"They gave their ISPOs to the federal ministry of finance that on a monthly basis, the minister of finance should deduct from their money and pay the banks for the loans they have taken.

"And I am aware that the banks have written to finance and they have copied me that they want their money.

"If it was a bilateral loan agreement, in fact, there is privacy

of contract, yes, I am not part of it, they should pay their loans.

"On the CBN intervention facility to the state governments, we are engaging the National Economic Council (NEC) and CBN is also insisting on its loan to be paid.

"But depending on the outcome of the engagement between CBN, finance and NEC, we will begin to take the monies but in any case it's good for you to be a good debtor - when you take a loan you pay so that when you go back to the bank, you can get. But if refuse to pay, you will never smell the doorstep of the banker again."

He said while the CBN had extended repayment on its loan interventions till next year as part of the forbearances to cushion the impact of the pandemic, banks deserved the right to demand repayment of their loan disbursements following the rebound in economic activities.

He said: "In any case, the banks I must admit are seeking that there are some improvements in the economy, fragile as it may be- there are some improvements - crude prices have gone up and business activities are beginning to regain energy and life again.

"And if the banks ask for the repayment of their facilities, it will be justified.

"You raised the issue of interest rates, that the banks are charging high interest rates. If we admit at CBN that we are controlling money supply and the banks raise interest rates in what I can call non-employment generating sectors or non-output generating sectors of the economy, we can't fault them.

"Because we have our own intervention facility that are meant to target agriculture, SMEs and targeted households, which are

400 300 150 50

meant to stimulate employment and also stimulate output for the country."

On whether the CBN had been vindicated following the crash of cryptocurrency market after the apex bank had opposed its operations in the country, Emefiele said it was not about CBN being vindicated.

He added that the CBN investigated and found out that a substantial percentage of Nigerians are involved in cryptocurrency which is "not the best."

He said: "Don't get me wrong, some may be legitimate but I dare say most are illegitimate and I will corroborate that.

Under cryptocurrency and bitcoin, Nigeria comes second right? But in the global size of the economy, Nigeria comes 27th.

"So do you think that there is some correlation? You think those countries whose economies are second and 26th will allow you to grow your cryptocurrency business to second position, if what is inside is a big deal that is going to profit everybody?"

Emefiele added: "Of course, we saw it that the market collapsed...

Elon Musk twitted sometime about the time the CBN said our banking and payment infrastructure will no longer be available for cryptocurrency transactions - he twitted, that he was going to invest about $1.5 billion in crypto and the rates went to the highest roof.

"And he then twitted again and raised a fee concerns and the thing plunged. Elon Musk had himself decided that he will no longer deal in cryptos.

"And so if a man who felt it was good suddenly decides to say it's no longer good and then you...don't forget, those who invented crypto said it is encrypted.

"When they say it's encrypted, it means that whatever is happening between me and you is only know to the two of us. And you know what? In case I defraud you because it is encrypted,y ou can't even disclose my name and you can't even get your money back."

However, the CBN, while commending government’s efforts in combating the headwinds imposed by the pandemic, advised against another nationwide lockdown as was experienced in 2020, adding that this will reverse the gains jointly achieved between

the government and the apex bank in response to the outbreak of COVID-19.

He said the MPC assessed the options on direction of policy in the short to medium term and re-appraised current measures by the government to purchase COVID-19 vaccines and the general preparedness of relevant public health agencies to guard against the spread of the mutating strains of the virus.

According to him, the committee noted the appropriate steps taken by the government to ensure that up to 70 per cent of the population get vaccinated to drastically drive down the infection rate in the country and hence, sustain economic activities.

He said:"The committee noted the persisting security crisis, especially in major food producing regions of the country and the severe toll on food supply and prices. It noted that inflation had moderated marginally due to the unrelenting effort of the bank in supporting agriculture to boost food supply and prices.

"The committee, thus, reiterated its call to the government to intensify effort towards addressing the security situation in the country to ease supply bottlenecks and bring down food prices.

"The MPC further noted government’s commitment towards investing in public infrastructure despite constrained fiscal position and urged a continued focus on this objective, while exploring the option of effective partnership with the private sector, as improved road networks, telecommunications and power supply will greatly and proactively impact the supply chain and moderate price increments."

Emefiele also stressed the need for collaboration with Nigeria’s huge population living abroad, through the issuance of diaspora bonds targeted at specific infrastructure projects.

This is even as the committee noted that the public debt stock was currently high, it was of the view that project specific diaspora bond issues could conveniently pay itself back without imposing a burden on government finances.

The committee also noted the complementary role this would play in boosting foreign exchange supply, accretion to reserves and easing of the current exchange rate pressure.

CLARK: BUHARI’S OPPOSITION TO SOUTHERN GOVS' BAN ON OPEN GRAZING, ILL-ADVISED “That statement is very unfortunate and I will advise him to retract it because the constitution is very clear,” he said.

According to him, while Buhari was voted the president of the country, the 36 governors were also elected to govern their states and therefore not slaves to the central government.

He urged the president to halt any attempt to dictate to elected representatives, adding that this is not a military regime where hierarchy must be obeyed.

Clark stated that although the president has enormous powers in the constitution,

boundaries must be maintained, just like it is done in places like America, where Nigeria copied its democracy from.

"The president of America does not go about dictating to states. So, all I will advise in order not to cause confusion or create crisis is to let those who oppose the governors’ statement to go to court,” he added.

He said that even if for once the president had not considered it necessary to invite himself and his likes who have been in government at all levels, he should not undermine the role of elders in the country.

He also said that Nigerians were now more aware of their rights and woulf defend themselves if necessary.

He said with the Governor of Benue State, Mr Samuel Ortom, out of frustration, asking his people to protect themselves, there would be anarchy soon if the situation was not halted.

Clark expressed his support for the ban on open grazing, stressing that it is not just an environmental issue, but a serious national security matter.

He said: “We all support what the 17 governors have stated. I am surprised because even the Vice

President (Prof. Yemi Osinbajo) presided over an economic council meeting where they stated that open grazing is dangerous.

“Even the Northern governors, particularly the governor of Kano, condemned it. At the governors' forum presided over by Kayode Fayemi, my son, they condemned it. Or is it because 17 Southern governors issued that statement?

“Is that why it is a crime and a questionable issue? When the 19 Northern governors meet, they have never issued any statement against them. It is very unfortunate.”

He stated that what the

president should have done was to invite the governors to the presidential villa and have a frank discussion with them.

“At this juncture, let me say this: Mr President is not an emperor. He’s not a king. He’s not a dictator. He’s a politician and I know during the oil subsidy protest in 2012, the role he played with Ahmed Tinubu, which nearly brought Goodluck Jonathan’s government down.

“But today, subsidy is being operated in secrecy. We don’t know what’s happening. He should listen to Nigerians. We are his citizens,” he said.

Clark also called for the replacement of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, with the 1963 Constitution.

According to him, the 1963 Constitution is a wholly-made Nigerian document and it operated effectively until during the civil war when the military government suspended it.

He described some parts of the country as having been reduced to “crumb eaters” due to some of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

He also rejected calls for secession by some separatist groups.

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Gunmen Kill Four Officers in Attack on Enugu Police Station Explosives kill policeman in Ebonyi

Christopher Isiguzo, Gideon Arinze in Enugu and Benjamin Nworie in Abakaliki Four policemen were killed in the early hours of yesterday when unknown gunmen attacked a police station at Iwollo, Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State.

This is coming as a police officer, Idi Aminu, member of 32 PMF (Police Mobile Force) attached to Afikpo Police Division in Ebonyi State has been killed by explosive device suspected to be hand grenade.

The attack on the police station took place less than two weeks after the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, launched Operation Restore Peace in Enugu for the South-east zone.

The unknown gunmen had earlier attacked a police station at Adani in Uzo Uwani LGA of the state where two policemen lost their lives.

Confirming the attack, the Enugu State Command Public Relations Officer, ASP Daniel Ndukwe, said four police officers, who sustained injuries during the attack, were later confirmed dead.

Ndukwe disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Ndatsu Aliyu, had already led members of

his management team and Operational/Tactical Commanders to Iwollo Police Division for an on-the-spot assessment “The hoodlums, who came to the station in their numbers, opened fire on Police operatives on duty, but were gallantly resisted and in the ensuing gun duel, several of the assailants escaped with bullet injuries.

“Unfortunately, four of the operatives, who sustained severe gunshot injuries, were later confirmed dead in the hospital, while parts of the station were set ablaze by the assailants.

“Meanwhile, the Commissioner, while condoling family members and close friends of the Policemen, who unfortunately paid the ultimate price in the line of duty; has ordered the intensification of already launched discreet investigation to fish out the assailants and their cohorts.

“He further appeal to lawabiding citizens of the State to promptly volunteer useful information that will assist the Command in the ongoing investigation. He also call on them, especially operators of medical facilities in the State, to promptly report to the Police any person(s) found with gunshot injuries,” he stated.

Worried by the unfortunate

development, both Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and his Deputy, Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo have also visited the scene of the incident, expressing sadness at the level of destruction.

The governor who condoled with the families of the deceased policemen, also ordered the immediate reconstruction of damaged police buildings, replacement of Innoson patrol van stolen by the yet-to-be identified hoodlums as well as the construction of barricades before the police post

The yet-to-be identified gunmen attacked the police division in the early hours of Tuesday.

According to the people of the area, the attack started around midnight and lasted for more than one hour, throwing the entire community into panic.

The attackers also freed suspects in police custody before setting the entire police station ablaze.

The current attack is the second being witnessed in the state in recent time.

The first attack on a police station in the state occurred on

April 21 at Divisional Police Headquarters, Adani, in UzoUwani local government area with two policemen killed.

In another development, a police officer, Idi Aminu, member 32 PMF attached to Afikpo Police Division in Ebonyi State has been killed by an explosive device suspected to be hand grenade.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ebonyi State Police Command, DSP Loveth Odah explained that the police officer mistakenly hit the device and it exploded and killed him.

She stressed that there was no bomb explosion in Ebonyi State, adding that the incident was an accident and that the public should not be thrown into unnecessary panic.

However, the residents of Afikpo in Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi state are confused and panicking President General of Afikpo community, Mr. Jasper Okoro, told journalists that a number of residents of the area suspected that it was a bomb explosion.

ON TRANSPARENCY WE STAND…

L-R: Managing Director, ARISE NEWS Channel, Ms. Ijeoma Nwogwugwu; Executive Secretary, Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji; and Managing Director, THISDAY, Mr. Eniola Bello, during a courtesy visit by NEITI’s management to THISDAY/ARISE NEWS office in Lagos...yesterday

APC, PDP inVerbal War over Attacks on INEC Offices Orji Promises to Consolidate on Predecessors’ Giant Strides at NEITI Chuks Okocha and Adedayo AkinwaleinAbuja The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday engaged in war of words over the spate of attacks on the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) In a statement issued earlier yesterday, the PDP said it stood by its earlier assertion that the APC was behind the burning of offices of INEC in various parts of the country.

The PDP in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan , accused APC of promoting acts of violence, including burning of INEC offices in other to build up an emergency situation and frustrate the smooth conduct of the 2023 general election.

“It is despicable that having realised that it has no place in the 2023 election, given its abysmal failure in governance, APC leaders are seeking to set our country ablaze and truncate our hard-earned democracy.”

“Our party wants the APC to

know that May 29, 2023 date is sacrosanct for it to leave office, free our nation from its stranglehold and fizzle out from our political firmament,” the PDP stated.

It also accused the APC of destroying the country and opening it to bandits and terrorists, and also turning it to a killing field.

It called on the Inspector General of Police to immediately invite and question APC leaders over the burning of INEC offices.

But in a swift response, the ruling party described the PDP’s accusation as senseless and reckless.

The National Secretary of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the party, Senator John Akpanudoedehe stated this in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja.

He said by using lies and sponsored media attacks on the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government, the PDP has inadvertently shown its hands as sponsors behind the politicallymotivated attacks on some public and democratic institutions in the country, in its desperate bid to destabilise this government.

INEC Meets Security Agencies Tomorrow Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will tomorrow meet the leaders of the various security agencies to discuss how to curb the continued burning and destruction of the commission’s offices across the country.

The meeting earlier scheduled for Monday May 24 was postponed in honour of the deceased Chief of Army Staff,

Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru who died in a plane crash last Friday.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of Voter Education, Mr. Festus Okoye told THISDAY that the postponement of the Monday security meeting was in honour of the late army chief.

Okoye said in a statement yesterday that the meeting would hold tomorrow at the commission’s office.

Peter Uzoho The Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, has pledged to continue and consolidate the great achievements recorded by his predecessors in order to give Nigeria and Nigerians the deserved value from the nation’s extractive sector.

Orji was recently appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as the executive secretary of the nation’s transparency agency after the expiration of the five-year tenure of Mr. Waziri Adio.

The NEITI new henchman, who was until his new appointment, the agency’s director of communication,

said part of his agenda was to expand the frontiers of his predecessor’s good works, while bringing his personal ingenuity and creativity to bear in the course of steering the ship of the agency.

Orji stated this yesterday when he paid THISDAY and ARISE NEWS Channel a courtesy visit in Lagos where he thanked the management of the two sister media outfits for their continuous support to NEITI and particularly, for their celebration of his appointment as the executive secretary of the agency.

Accompanied by some of his top management team, Orji was received by the Managing Director of THISDAY

Newspapers, Mr. Eniola Bello; the Managing Director of ARISE NEWS Channel, Ms Ijeoma Nwogwugwu; and the Group Business Editor of THISDAY, Mr. Obinna Chima.

He said: “For NEITI that I work with, I told my colleagues that my own is continuity and consolidation. Continuity on the good job that has been done by Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, current Minister of Finance and Waziri Adio, our immediate past Executive Secretary, and expanding the frontiers of their achievements from where they have stopped.

“I have the capacity to continue, I ‘m one of the

institutional memories of the organisation. And then, somewhere along the line, my own perspective, my own ingenuity and initiatives will also have to come to play.

“I think it’s so fair that when predecessors have laboured to put something in line, the minimum you can do is to build on it and then if there are lapses, you don’t waste time to begin to castigate, you take that time to fix it. That’s why you are appointed. So, I will fix whatever may have been the lapses in the past and then we take it up from there.”

Daniel, Amosun Traumatised Me for 16Years, Says Osoba Former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Segun Osoba, yesterday described the first 16 years after he left office as governor of the state as traumatic.

Speaking at the inauguration of a press centre built in the premises of the Governor’s Office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, and named after him, the former governor Osoba disclosed that his successors, Mr. Gbenga Daniel, and Senator Ibikunle Amosun, made the state “hell” for him after leaving office in 2003.

The former governor recounted his experience.

He said immediately he handed over to Daniel in 2003, he was declared persona non grata by the administration of Daniel.

He accused Daniel of preventing him from entering the state after his tenure.

“When I left office, I was so harassed to the point that all the plaques and the symbols of all the projects I did were the first to be removed throughout the state.

“The first 16 years of my leaving

this office have been very, very traumatic. I never came back; I became a snake that doesn’t go back to where it has turned over its skin. These premises (Governor’s office) became a no-go area for me. To imagine that in my life, my return to these premises will be this glorious is something of emotion.

“My name was sent to EFCC so many times. The EFCC investigated, because everything was documented in files, they found nothing.

“I couldn’t come to Abeokuta not to talk of visiting the office of the Governor. The other eight years, that one, also became problematic.”

Osoba however expressed his joy for coming back to the Oke-Mosan Governor’s office after 16 years of leaving office.

Osoba said, “Mr. Governor, you will not know how many hours you have added to my life with this action today. It may be hours, weeks, days, or years, but you have added something very great to my life today.”

20 Killed in Zamfara as Bandits Clash with Police No fewer than 20 people died yesterday when the Police in Zamfara State clashed with bandits.

The residents of five villages of the Bungudu Local Government Area of the state fled when bandits, who had on Monday killed 10 persons and abducted many others, returned to the

area while the victims were being buried.

The bandits who were on motorcycles had earlier invaded Dandamji, Gidan Runji, Doka, Yanmadanga and Yarkatsina villages on Monday and killed the 10 people and abducted many.

The gunmen also stole a large

number of domestic animals after operating for several hours without any resistance.

The spokesperson for the state police command, SP Mohammed Shehu, confirmed the killing of the 10 people, adding that 10 bandits were also killed.

Shehu said, “At about 11pm in the night on Monday, the police

responded to a distress call from Mada District of Gusau LGA that bandits stormed the area.

“The bandits were engaged in a gun duel by the joint police, vigilante operatives.

Ten bandits were neutralised while others escaped.

Normalcy was restored in the area.

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T H I S D AY • WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 2021

COMMENT

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

TAIWAN’S EXCLUSION FROM WHA UNDERMINES GLOBAL HEALTH Mary Beth Leonard writes that the world has much to learn from Taiwan at the World Health Assembly

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aiwan was incredibly effective at managing the COVID-19 pandemic and the world has an opportunity to learn from that experience at the May 25-June 1 World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva. If only inviting Taiwan were that easy. Taiwan unfortunately has been blocked from participating in critical international efforts to control the spread of diseases, denied access to important platforms to share its knowledge and expertise, and the 24 million people living on the island are cut off from global health security initiatives. This undermines public health in Nigeria, just as it does in the United States, Taiwan, and around the world. We can all do the right thing and support Taiwan’s participation in international organizations where their contributions would help solve pressing issues, such as alleviating the COVID pandemic.

The WHA convenes senior health officials and leading health experts from around the world. It is instrumental to coordinating international efforts to improve the health of all people. Indeed, the motto of the WHO is “Health for All.” Taiwan participated in the WHA as an observer between 2009 and 2016, but today finds itself shut out due to political pressure from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Beijing’s actions to prevent Taiwan’s participation in the WHA leave the world, the World Health Organization, and Nigeria worse off.

The world has much to learn from Taiwan at the World Health Assembly. Taiwan’s response to the recent pandemic, led by President Tsai Ing-wen, is rightly lauded as among the world’s most coordinated, transparent, and effective. Even before registering the first confirmed COVID-19 case on January 21, 2020, Taiwan activated its Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) to facilitate

AS LONG AS TAIWAN REMAINS EXCLUDED FROM MEANINGFULLY PARTICIPATING IN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THE WHO, THE WORLD CANNOT LEVERAGE TAIWAN’S CONSIDERABLE STRENGTHS IN MEDICINE, MANUFACTURING, AND TECHNOLOGY FOR THE GREATER GOOD

inter-ministerial cooperation in prevention and monitoring measures. By late February, the CECC had published a list of 124 action items, which included ramping up mask production through public-private partnerships.

Taiwan managed to avoid an outbreak by relying on transparency and implementing testing, strict border controls, mandatory quarantine guidelines, and advanced digital technologies for tracking potential infections.

Taiwan threaded the needle between protecting public health and promoting a healthy economy, becoming Asia’s fastest-growing economy in 2020.

Taiwan not only successfully protected its population, it also sought to support the global population hit hard by the pandemic. In March 2020, President Tsai announced that Taiwan was “willing to contribute capabilities to better protect human health around the world.” Soon after, the island committed to providing 10 million masks to more than a dozen nations, including the United States.

Nigeria has received over 100,000 masks from this effort.

Taiwan continues to pursue innovative avenues of pandemic support. In April, it launched a “travel bubble” with diplomatic partner Palau. As a result, Taiwanese travelers are arriving in droves and providing muchneeded revenue to the tourism-dependent Pacific Island nation.

As long as Taiwan remains excluded from meaningfully participating in international organizations such as the WHO, the world cannot leverage Taiwan’s considerable strengths in medicine, manufacturing, and technology for the greater good.

Taiwan is ready to help us defeat this terrible pandemic. We should let Taiwan help.

Leonard is U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria

ON NPA CHANNEL MANAGEMENT CONTRACT The allegations against the suspended managing director of NPA are unfortunate, argues Edozie Onwuachu

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he administrative panel set up to probe the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on the watch of its suspended Managing Director, Hadiza Bala-Usman, has begun sitting. One of the issues that will be raised at the hearing is channel management. A number of questions will be asked: what is the state of the channels? What is the status of the contract for the Joint Venture Partnership for channel management (capital/maintenance and wreck removal)? Has the contract been awarded after the ministerial directive in August 2020 that further contract award in respect of the channel management should be put on hold?

The Ministry of Transportation, under the superintendence of the Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, had in the heat of the claims and counter claims bordering on some wrongdoings allegedly perpetrated by the suspended NPA MD, issued a statement to explain its directive to the NPA to procure equipment for dredging/clearing of the channels instead of awarding the job as contract to outsiders.

The Ministry of Transportation had explained that it objected to the award of contracts for the management of channels by the NPA because it is more cost-effective for the NPA to procure necessary equipment and execute the contracts in-house. But from available records, the NPA under Hadiza’s administration had yet to award any contract before the current feud, contrary to insinuations that the NPA ignored a ministerial directive on the issue.

The ministry had, in a statement by its Permanent Secretary, Dr Magdalene Ajani, disclosed that while channel management contracts had been routinely awarded over the years by the NPA at a cost of between N50 billion and N60 billion on an annual basis, Amaechi had adopted a firm position that the NPA should undertake the job of channel management on an in-house basis through the acquisition of the necessary machinery and professional capacity to stop the humongous annual sums paid out to dredging contractors by the agency.

The ministry, in the statement, had noted that the channel management contracts for the Lagos, Bonny and Port Harcourt Channels expired in 2020, while the contractual process for the renewal of the said contracts commenced early in 2021. According to the statement, Amaechi, had while responding to a request for the NPA to provide requisite details related to the proposed transactions, directed on January 22, 2021 thus: “There is the need for NPA to know that NPA should purchase their own equipment and not award any contract.

“The letter requested the NPA to provide the following information for the ministry’s records and

further necessary action: The current status of the managing agent contract and the measures put in place to cover the vacuum created as a result of the expiration of the contract to prevent revenue loss to the government; “The current status of the Lagos and Bonny/ Port Harcourt Channel management companies and the measures put in place to cover the gap created by the expired contracts to ensure the channels are maintained for safe navigation and efficient service delivery; the volume dredged annually from the channels and the depths achieved from inception management contracts to date and the amount expended; the number of wrecks removed annually by the Channel Management Companies from inception of the contracts and amount spent; and the total number of buoys replaced or maintained during the life span of the contract and the amount spent. I am to also convey the directives on the need for the Authority to procure its equipment for the service and cease from awarding any such contract.”

The ministry had claimed in the statement that the NPA did not deem it necessary till date to respond to the ministerial directives, despite the fact that the above letter was duly received by the NPA on February 2, 2021.

But there are claims, strengthened by some facts and figures, on which a critical mind could make some logical inferences. The first is that the contract for the Joint Venture Partnership for channel management has not been awarded as it is still undergoing procurement. This is verifiable and if discovered to be otherwise, subject to rebuttal. In line with due process, the award of the contract must go to the Ministerial Tenders’ Board and thereafter to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval.

This process has not been circumvented, according to available information.

The alternative narrative is that the minister had requested that the NPA should extend the existing JV partners (in respect of the Channels contract) for one year at the expiration of their 15-year contract in August 2020, and that, however, in line with the Public Procurement Act (PPA), the NPA had in line with the minister’s directive, sought the “no-Objection” of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) to extend the contract for one year; but the BPP declined the request and directed the NPA to proceed and conduct a public tenders for the Joint Venture Partner.

Furthering the narrative, it was sufficiently established that following the decline by the BPP to grant the extension directed by the minister, he (the minister) then sent a letter to the NPA that it (NPA) should procure the dredgers and not proceed

with the tender and also to provide information about costs in wreck removal. It was at this point, as learnt, that critical issues of budgetary provisions and due process reared their heads. It was germane to consider the financial capability of the NPA to procure the dredgers as directed by the minister in the context of budgetary provisions. It was confirmed that the procurement of dredgers was not provided for in the 2020 supplementary budget and 2021 main budget. So, it was impossible to activate the ministerial directive to procure.

Some had argued that the money could be vired from some subheads in the budget, but they failed to appreciate the length of time it would take the NPA to procure the dredgers even it if had obtained budgetary virement. Again, the entire gamut of the process of procurement and maintenance is also critical. The more significant question to address between procurement and maintenance weighs on the side of maintenance, to wit: does the NPA have the manpower resources and the requisite skill set to do the maintenance and wreck removals? It is clear on the face of the question that since in the meantime the NPA does not have the manpower resources to handle the equipment, the JV contractors should have subsisted but for the BPP’s objection.

It is obvious that since the directive that the NPA should procure dredgers was not as simple as the directive came, the claim and contention over sidestepping the ministerial directive should be resolved in favour of the NPA and its suspended managing director. But then the implication of the “delay” was that the extension of one year that the minister wanted would be got through the back door. So, what exactly is the minister’s beef against the backdrop of the fact that he had earlier directed the extension of the contract for the JVP for another one year, if not that the BPP raised the objection that has created the Elephant in the room?

Looking at the position of the minister on the procurement of equipment by the NPA to execute the job of channel management in-house dispassionately, one should also consider the amount of damage procurement of the equipment would do to the coffers of the NPA/Federal Government. The current market prices according to some industry sources are staggering. For instance, they say that the current market price (at an exchange rate of one Euro to N464) of the Jumbo Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger is Euro 200 million (N92.8bn) while the Medium Trailing Suction Hopper dredger is Euro 100 million (N46.4bn). Others are the Cutter Suction Dredger at Euro 150 million (N69.6bn); Grab Dredger at €150,000,000.00 (N 69.6bn); Heavy Lift Wreck Salvage Vessel at €60,000,000.00 (N 27.84bn);

Multicart (for Bouys Maintenance) at €10,000,000.00 (N4.64bn); and Tug Boat at €15,000,000.00 (N 6.96bn).

These are the equipment that JV companies use globally for management of channels. The costs of purchase of these machines are quite staggering. It is the reason channels management is done globally through third party contractors with track record of performance and financial capacity to absorb the possible shocks that arise during job execution. They could afford these equipment which they deploy in various project sites globally. And, it beggars belief to consider that the minister would expect these behemoth of equipment to be procured at the snap of the fingers or at his mere directive.

Therefore, one wonders why the minister was beside himself with rage, splitting hairs and creating much ado for nothing. It is possible that his grouse about Hadiza and her management of the NPA had other triggers whether political or pecuniary.

Whatever it is, the minister has always been a man of courage; he should call out Hadiza such that it would be impracticable for her to put up a defence that would exculpate her, instead of the minister hiding behind a finger to make outlandish insinuations and claims, and pretending to be embarking on some voyage of a self-appointed puritan who is out to clean purported Augean stables as exemplified by the management of the NPA. The scenario presented supra approximates a significant stanza in the Amaechi-Hadiza Bala Usman saga. It vitiates the salad of falsehood being fed the reading publics. Nothing comes close to “The many sins of Hadiza Bala” in the apocryphal documents doing the rounds, which intendment is to sully the reputation of the suspended MD of the NPA. If anything at all, what is being witnessed is the “outpouring of bile against a woman who dared to do the right thing by following the due process.”

For instance, in one of the laughable claims in one of their numerous documents arrayed against Hadiza Bala Usman, they alleged about failure by the NPA under her to remit N165 billion into the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) account of the federation. The claim is untenable. The truth is that those making this allegation do not understand the guiding principle for remittance of operating surpluses. According to the laws guiding the remittance, such amount to be remitted into the CRF are arrived at upon the audit of the accounts of the government agency concerned.

What these rumour mongers are talking about are calculations arrived at from budget provisions rather than the audited financial statements of the NPA. Onwuachu, a lawyer, wrote from Yaba, Lagos

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T H I S D AY • WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 2021

EDITORIAL BUHARI AND THE ASABA DECLARATION…1 The southern governors ban on open grazing is a legal decision informed by security threats

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mong the many resolutions passed by the Southern Governors Forum (SGF) which met recently at Asaba, Delta State, the presidency has deemed it fit to react only to the item dealing with the ban on open grazing. Although Forum Chairman, Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has dismissed Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu as a rogue official who works for other interests rather than that of his principal, it needs to be underlined that the unanimous resolve by southern governors to ban open cattle grazing is a direct response to the increasing widespread security threats posed by armed and criminal herdsmen in all their states.

However, in an undiluted regurgitation of the earlier contention of the Attorney General and Justice Minister, Abubakar Malami, the presidency is questioning the very legality and constitutionality of the governors’ position on this matter. Meanwhile, in an earlier statement couched in ethnic baiting, Malami not only declared the resolution a THE CURRENT SITUATION IN constitutional breach, WHICH SOME HERDSMEN he likened it to a ban HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO on sale of motor spare TRAVERSE THE LENGTH parts by northern governors.

AND BREADTH OF THE OrdinarCOUNTRY WITH THEIR HERDS TO CAUSE MULTIPLE ily, the constitution DISCOMFORT TO FARMERS guarantees every Nigerian the right to AND OTHER INNOCENT travel around, live in CITIZENS CANNOT BE and ply their trade in EXCUSED UNDER ANY any and every part of KNOWN LAW OF THE LAND the federation. This provision is of course subject to the corollary assumption that every Nigerian will exercise the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the constitution in a manner that neither abridges the rights and freedoms of other citizens nor flouts the laws of the states in which they chose to reside.

But there is no section of the constitution that confers the same rights of freedom of movement and residence

Letters to the Editor

on animals, be they cattle, goats, or dogs. As articles of trade or plain merchandise, animals accompanying persons or accompanied by persons do not automatically have the same citizen rights conferred on them.

The matter of open grazing pertains to cattle, not their herders, as the latter do not graze!

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

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

he current situation in which some herdsmen (mostly identified as non-Nigerians) have been known to traverse the length and breadth of the country with their herds to cause multiple discomfort to farmers and other innocent citizens cannot be excused under any known law of the land. Even in a normal life situation, the rights which the law confers on human beings are not transferable to animals like cattle, dogs, or even other ordinary pets. A man who in the exercise of his rights of freedom of movement and domicile allows his animals to breach the safety, freedom and security of other citizens becomes liable for such transgressions.

A situation in which herdsmen under the guise of escorting their cattle through state territories endanger the lives and livelihood of farmers, road users or innocent people in playgrounds cannot be tolerated by any responsible set of governors. Similarly, a situation in which the purported escort of cattle in search of grazing grounds leads herdsmen to destroy farms, invade local communities, and take up residence in forest reserves without any titles of occupancy from the relevant state authorities can only breed confusion and free-for-all armed confrontations. We are already seeing the worst episodes in states like Benue, Plateau, Enugu and parts of Oyo and Delta.

From police documented incidents of multiple crimes like kidnapping, armed robbery, invasions of farms, rape and armed illegal occupation of forests and farmlands in most southern states in the last six years, most of these cases have been linked to a new type of armed herdsmen. Therefore, the Asaba declaration on the intention of the southern governors to ban open grazing is a perfectly legal decision informed by a desperate security threat in their respective states.

To be concluded tomorrow

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

IKIMI’S SUSPENSION: A JOKE TAKEN TOO FAR “It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one”_ George Washington hen the news of the purported suspension of a chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in Edo State, Chief Tom Ikimi, by a group who claimed to be members of the Executive Committee of the party in the Edo Central chapter of the state got to me, l knew it was done by political ignoramuses. To me, the so-called suspension of Chief Ikimi, a father figure, a national political juggernaut and but a rallying point in Edo Central, is a joke taken too far.

By suspending Chief Ikimi in the Edo Central locality, the two arrow-heads who signed the said press release have presented themselves as political Lilliputians. I know that Hon. Tony Aziegbemi, the Edo State Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), is a well-schooled political lieutenant, who will never point his left fingers to his father’s compound. Aziegbemi, a two-time member of the House of Representatives, is a man who controls his impulses, with known record of political maturity, should be wary of a busy body political “Bishop” who co-signed the said press release.

Edo Central political stalwarts should not forget in a hurry the negative role played by this same flock in the political suicide committed by Prof. Osariemen Osunbor, the former Governor of Edo State. They equally beat the drum of unnecessary war, and castigated the dynamic godfather, now late, a sad development that eventually led to the sweeping away of Esan glory during the civilian administration of Prof. Osariemen Osunbor.

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It is interesting to state however that the purported suspension of Chief Ikimi, has been duly countered via an enlarged meeting chaired by the leader in Igueben Local Government Area of the PDP. This reminds me of the late sensational musician, Ras Kimono, who sang the intoxicating lyrics:” Oh Jah, see them coming political jobbers”.

Hon. Aziegbemi, as the bonafide State Chairman of the PDP should be guided, and not lured into dancing to the drum of war being beaten by this same group of persons, because they will likely abandon him midway. It is very clear that those who tried to suspend Chief Ikimi are living in a fool’s paradise, as a vote of confidence has been massively passed by those that matter, where it was stated unequivocally that it was only the people in the ward and local government of Chief Ikimi that have the statutory political prerogative to suspend him.

Moving forward, my candid advise for Tony Aziegbemi is to be very tactical and go ahead to dialogue on behalf of PDP State Executive Committee with Godwin Obaseki, Governor of Edo State. This position is being canvassed in the overall interest of the Esan Agenda, come 2023, which must never be jeopardized by any miscalculation.

Those who struck the deal that led to the emergence of Godwin Obaseki, as Governor of Edo State, knew clearly that air do not operate in a vacuum; that in a political marriage of this nature, the sitting governor inherently inherits both political liability and the structure.

Diagi Lucky, Benin City

IMAGINE GIVING BITCOIN AWAY

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he latest Bitcoin news is that you can donate Bitcoins to charity. The idea sounds good although almost no one wants to get rid of Bitcoins at the moment much less give them away so it may be an uncharitable option.

The actual reality of the use of the imaginary currency becomes more complex when taxation donations are considered.

Since the value, if there really is any, of bitcoins is very volatile, especially over the last few weeks, what are you donating and what can you claim? If you give $50,000 to a charity at the start of the financial year and it drops in value, then you are not being so generous you would have been if you used dollars. If the value rises significantly can you claim the greater value on your taxes? Hint - don’t try it!

Perhaps it’s best to use the old-fashioned approach and donate dollars. If you need an example, the Fred Hollows foundation would welcome your money and more people would be able to see.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia

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WEDNESDAY MAY 26, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY MAY 26, 2021

MIDWEEKPOLITICS

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

Anambra PDP Governorship Aspirants and How They Stand David-Chyddy Eleke considerss the chances of the different governorship aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party in Anambra State trying to clinch the party’s ticket for the November contest

Azubogu

Ezeemo

Ozigbo

Maduka

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A former member of House of Representatives, former PDP state chairman and a former student union leader. Nwoye commands a cult-like following among young people, and knows the intrigues involved in the politics of the state. He has thrice contested for the governorship seat of the state, and twice he has flown the flag of the PDP and APC, but lost. He rejoined the PDP just one week before it began the sale of forms, and immediately purchased his. He hails from Nsugbe in the northern zone of Anambra State, where the incumbent hails from. Many believe that governorship of the state going back to the northern zone after Governor Willie Obiano’s eight years is impossible, but in politics everything is possible, and with Nwoye, a never-say-die politician, everything is indeed possible.

Mr Godwin Ezeemo is a businessman, entrepreneur, farmer and newspaper publisher.

2021 would be his fourth attempt to take the Anambra State governorship seat. He attempted to run on the platform of ACN in 2010, but was edged out by now minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige. He later ran on the platform of PPA and did so again in 2014 and 2017, before leaving for PDP. Ezeemo is known to be a gentleman, and has vowed to continue to play gentleman’s politics no matter what. He has a large following, and enormous wealth and hails from Umuchu in Aguata LGA. Chief Chuma Nzeribe is a surprise entrant in the governorship race. Though a powerful politician, especially during the days of Dr Chinwoke Mbadinuju as governor, but later disappeared into quietude, only to return recently. Many believe that he has an ace up his sleeve, with his entry. He is from Ihiala, the southern zone of Anambra.

Mr Valentine Ozigbo threw in the towel as President of Transcorp PLC to join the Anambra governorship race. Young and very educated, Ozigbo believes in the power of ideas, and that is his biggest selling point. He is highly

favoured for the ticket of PDP, even though a rookie politician. He has deployed his youthfulness to cover grounds that he never had the opportunity to, while he was in the corporate sector.

Dr Obiora Okonkwo has been described as a charismatic politician. Many say his gait and carriage is what Anambra needs in the next governor of the state. He is also full of ideas, and highly educated too. Okonkwo has received endorsements from every part of Anambra state, and is touted to be very highly favoured to clinch the ticket. Owner of the new debutant in the aviation sector; United Nigeria Airline, Okonkwo is known to be a man of means, and has through his NGO, Pro-Value Humanity Foundation touched the lives of many, and that has culminated into the grassroot support he has.

Mrs Chidi Onyemelukwe, amiable daughter of the father of PDP, Dr Alex Ekwueme is in the race. Onyemelukwe ran as deputy governorship candidate of PDP in 2017, on the same ticket with Mr Oseloka Obaze. She believes that a woman will make a better governor in the state. Onyemelukwe was a special assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on SMEs, and believes that beyond the soft touch of a woman needed in the state, she has the ideas and experience needed to run a successful Anambra.

Senator Uche Ekwunife is the senator representing Anambra Central Zone. She has made several attempt to be governor of the state in the past but failed. Ekwunife has been a member of APGA, PPA, APC and PDP. She believes that the election this time is not about party but individual.

Hon Chris Azubogu has been described as noiseless, full of ideas and lots of visible projects to show for his exploits in politics.

He is a third term member of the House of Representatives, where he represents Nnewi North, Nnewi South and Ekwusigo federal

Constituency. Even though he represents just one out of the 11 federal constituencies in the state, Azubogu has projects everywhere in the state. A shrewd businessman before he joined politics, he has a large following, and tends to be loved even across party lines. Political analysts say if PDP needs a candidate that can win the election for them, then Azubogu should be favoured with the ticket. He is popularly known as ‘Mr Project’.

Senator Ugochukwu Uba is elder brother of the duo of Andy and Chris Uba. A perfect gentleman, humane and a core party man. He has remained one of the consistent politicians who have kept faith with PDP in season and out of season. A group, Anambra PDP Renaissance Group recently endorsed Uba for the ticket of the party as reward for his loyalty all the years. Besides that, Uba is known to be highly educated and has the competence needed for the governorship job.

Dr Winston Udeh is a lawyer and a businessman. He is based in the USA and can be described as a greenhorn in the area of politics.

He recently donated 21 Toyota Sienna vehicles to the 21 party chairmen of local government areas, and expressed optimism at winning the ticket of the party. He will need to do a lot of work to equal that of already established politicians who have structures deeply rooted in all parts of the state.

Barr Emeka Etiaba is a lawyer, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and son of the former deputy governor of the state, Dame Virgy Etiaba. 2021 will be his second attempt at the governorship seat of the state. His first was in 2010, when he went ahead of then incumbent governor, Mr Peter Obi to secure the blessing the leader of APGA, Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu before he (Ojukwu) withdrew and settled for Obi. He returned to his law practice afterwards, only to reappear for the contest this year. He is from Nnewi.

Walter Ubaka Okeke is a businessman and an oil magnate. He is the Managing Director and CEO of Richwood and Richland International, a company that deals in oil and gas, and energy consultancy. He hails from Nanka in Orumba North, and has given the governorship seat a shot before.

Chief Johnny Maduafokwa is a Director at Tecon Oil Services, and hails from Ihiala, Southern Anambra State. He is coming into the race with a rich resume. He recently pledged to support whoever wins the ticket in a fair contest, but begged the party not to elect drug barons or ex-convicts as candidate because of money. He is a no nonsense person, and also new in politics.

Dr Ifedi Okwenna, a former commissioner in Anambra State, former special assistant to President Jonathan and honourary adviser to the president is an experienced politician. He has held several positions in the past, and is also known to be versed in the art of leadership, but some people believe he may not possess the financial muscle to challenge other bigwig aspirants. He hails from Osumenyi in Nnewi South LGA.

ith 16 aspirants who have fully expressed interest by picking their nomination forms, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), arguably has the highest number of politicians jostling for its ticket for the November governorship election, but that is not all that makes the party tick.

What actually stands the party out is that all 16 aspirants are notable politicians, who have proven their mettle both in the state and beyond.

They have also distinguished themselves in their individual areas of calling. This may be the reason that, despite a tough and rigorous process, all aspirants were subjected to by the party’s screening committee, not even one was disqualified.

Beyond that, all the governorship aspirants in the party have, at different times, been described as billionaires. This may be true. Despite the high cost of the party’s governorship forms, all 16 aspirants purchased them. While the nomination form was sold at N20million, the expression of interest form went for N1million, with an additional N5million tagged administrative fee, which is payable to the state chapter of the party, even before one goes for the forms.

Although the PDP has been out of power in Anambra for 16 years now, it still sees itself as the dominant force in the state, believing that whoever wins the ticket of the party would surely coast home to victory in the main election.

The Aspirants Speaking with journalists recently at the state party secretariat, the state party chairman, Mr Ndubuisi Nwobu announced to all that a total of 16 aspirants bought the party’s governorship forms. He also disclosed that all the aspirants have been screened and cleared for the primary election which holds on 26th June 2021. He expressed optimism that the party which thrice; in 2010, 2014 and 2017 missed the governorship seat of the state was set to recover all that it lost in the past years.

Dr Godwin Maduka is a United States trained medical doctor and pain specialist. He owns Las Vegas Pain Institute and hails from Umuchukwu in Orumba South Local Government Area of the state. Maduka is reputed to have single handedly changed the fortunes of his once sleepy and agrarian community by building every necessary infrastructure needed to turn her to a city. He capped his achievement in the community with a 17-floor medical research institute. He is known to be very rich, and his entrance into the race was initially said to have scared other aspirants, who said he may deploy his cash to clinch victory. He is however new in politics and not known to have been previously involved in the game. He will depend on his foot soldiers for victory in order to survive the high maneuvers associated with politics.

Mrs Genevieve Ekwochi – Very little is known about Mrs Ekwochi before she picked the PDP form. She is one of the three women in the race.

Hon Tony Nwoye has been everything that one needs to be in the politics of Anambra State.

The governorship aspirants in the party have, at different times, been described as billionaires. This may be true.

Despite the high cost of the party’s governorship forms, all 16 aspirants purchased them. While the nomination form was sold at N20million, the expression of interest form went for N1million, with an additional N5million tagged administrative fee, which is payable to the state chapter of the party, even before one goes for the forms. Although the PDP has been out of power in Anambra for 16 years now, it still sees itself as the dominant force in the state, believing that whoever wins the ticket of the party would surely coast home to victory in the main election

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POLITICS

#NigeriaBleeds: Can Civil Society Force Buhari’s Hand?

GOVERNANCE IN PHOTOS

Nseobong Okon-Ekong writes that Nigerians have refused to heed the call by civil society groups to register their displeasure with the state of affairs across the country by participating a series of mass actions, participate in solemn assemblies across the country to commemorate the 4th National Day of Mourning and Remembrance of Victims of Mass Atrocities on May 28 and they are not likely to boycott all Democracy Day activities on May 29 in protest against the deplorable state of Nigeria’s democracy

Samson Itodo, Executive Director, Yiaga Africa

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couple of days ago, a seemingly innocuous gathering of a activists took after which they all spoke with one voice concerning the increasing insecurity in Nigeria, raising an alarm about its wider implications.

Arguably, a record number of 126 civil society groups have never come together in pursuit of one goal. Under the auspices of the Joint Action Civil Society Coalition/ Nigeria Mourns Secretariat, they drew attention to the sharp increase of 43 percent in mass atrocities in 2020, Nigeria has continued to experience a decline in security across the nation.

In the first quarter of 2021 (January to March), the country recorded an all-time quarterly high of almost 2000 fatalities from mass atrocities incidents across the country. Across the six geopolitical zones, there have been escalated combustions of violence resulting in even more deaths.

Surprisingly, the collective voice of the groups which should normally resonate round the country, provoking reactions was muted. While the Asaba Declaration of the Southern governors was elevated to the centrestage of public discourse, the civil society coalition communique which contained equally salient issues of national importance passed on with a whisper. The #NigeriaBleeds which the group has the capacity to shoot into the collective consciousness of the nation, barely got a passing attention. Its twin campaign #NigeriaMourns has also suffered a similar fate.

To be sure, the group had issued a statement last February. It catalogued the assortment of mass atrocities plaguing the country, in particular: The unending war in the North-east with our troops often bearing the brunt of this government’s security failures.

The latest conclave of the group took because it is convinced that nothing has changed it last expressed concern over the deterioration of the country in all spheres.

Another issue that moved it into action is the gross injustices by President Buhari’s government against the Nigerian people such that peaceful protesters are threatened and attacked by the government’s security agents while terrorists carrying out mass murder, rape, maiming and kidnapping of Nigerians including women and chil-

dren are feted, molly coddled, granted ‘amnesty’ and paid by the government.

This is tantamount to funding and supporting terrorists, encouraging murder and the decimation of the Nigeria’s gallant troops and amounts to treason against the Nigerian State and people. r 5FSSPSJTU IFSEFS BUUBDLT PO VOBSNFE farming communities and reprisal attacks in the face of government inaction and failure to bring the terrorist herdsmen and their funders to justice. r -BSHF TDBMF UFSSPSJTU BUUBDLT JO UIF North West irresponsibly tagged by the government as ‘banditry’ in a bid to downplay their criminality. r *OEVTUSJBM TDBMF LJEOBQQJOHT BMM BDSPTT the country. r&YUSBKVEJDJBM LJMMJOHT CZ TUBUF TFDVSJUZ agents in various forms, r *OUFS FUIOJD WJPMFODF BOE r .FOBDF PG QPMJUJDBM DVMU HBOHT BOE FUIOJD NJMJUJB BOE JO UIBU TUBUFNFOU XF had called on the government of General Muhammad Buhari to take immediate actions to: r 1SPWJEF QPMJUJDBM BOE NPSBM MFBEFSTIJQ for the security crisis and ensure governmental actions are humane in tandem with Section 17 (2) (C) of the Constitution. r &OE JNQVOJUZ GPS BCVTF PG QPXFS BOE sectionalism through his appointments by balancing the need for competence with the federal character principle. In this way, he will demonstrate that every part of Nigeria matters as sectional appointments appear to fuel sectional violence. r 5BLF SFTQPOTJCJMJUZ BOE FOE UIF QFSTFcution of the media and free speech both of which are foundations of a democratic state.\Mobilize our rich Nigerian assets to address the insecurity situation across the country and seek international cooperation to ramp up security assets.

We had also demanded that where the President fails to fulfill his constitutional duties as stated above, that he steps aside, or, that the National Assembly initiates impeachment proceedings against him on grounds of gross misconduct as provided for in Section 143 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

We are appalled to note that despite our strongly worded statement, President Buhari’s government has failed to heed our call to fulfil his role as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and Nigeria’s democratically elected President. We are therefore left with no other option than to take action to drive home our call to the government.

Therefore, the group is calling on all Nigerians to register their displeasure with the state of affairs across the country by participating a series of mass actions from Monday the 26th of May 2021, participate in solemn assemblies across the country to commemorate the 4th National Day of Mourning and Remembrance of Victims of Mass Atrocities on May 28th 2021 and boycott all Democracy Day activities on May 29, 2021 in protest of the deplorable state of our democracy.

The coalition of Civil Society groups has again called on Muhammadu Buhari led national government and the state governments to rise up to their constitutional duties as enshrined in S14(2)(b), to ensure the security and welfare of all Nigerians, and pull the nation back from the path of destruction.

L-R: Representatives of Ekiti State Chief Judge, Hon. Justice John Adeyeye; Guest Speaker, Prof. Akin Oyebode; Ekiti State Attorney General /Commissioner for Justice, Wale Fapounda and Deputy Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Hakeem Jamiu; during the opening session of the Public Consultation on the Review of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) in Ado-Ekiti

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and the Managing Director of the Nigeria Export Import (NEXIM) Bank at the Governor’s Lodge Aba

From left, Osun State Amotekun Corps Commander, Brig.Gen.Basheer Adewinbi (rtd); State Deputy Governor, Mr Benedict Alabi; Ogun State Amotekun Corps Commander, CP David Akinremi (rtd); Osun State Governor, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola; Ondo State Amotekun Corps Commander, Chief Adetunji Adeleye; Osun State Amotekun Board,Gen.Ademola Aderibigbe and Ekiti State Amotekun Corps Commander, Gen.Joseph Komolafe (rtd), during courtesy visit to Governor Oyetola in his office, Abeere, Osogbo

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and his Chief Press Secretary, Onyebuchi Ememanka admiring a shoe produced at the Footwear Academy in Aba

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Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi Email chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, 07010510430

Developing Maritime Security Culture in Gulf of Guinea In an effort targeted at collective synergy to curb the alarming trend of criminality in the Gulf of Guinea, the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy and the Danish Government recently organised a maritime security summit-cum-training, Chiemelie Ezeobi reports

Cross section of participants at the summit-cum-training on Developing Maritime Security Culture in Gulf of Guinea

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ying across 19 coastal and island states, the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) coastline, stretches from the waters off Senegal to the south of Angola, and is essentially an enviable treasure trove of rich resources as its waters covers 2.3 million square kilometers (888,000 square miles) and borders more than a dozen countries.

Comprising 26 countries grouped into two Regional Economic Communities (RECs) namely -Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS, 11 states with the return of Rwanda) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; 15 states), it covers a surface area of 11,755,258 square kilometers, including a coastline of over 6000 kilometres from Senegal to Angola.

Resource-wise, the GoG countries have an estimated 24 billion barrels of crude oil reserves, that is five per cent of global reserves at five million barrels of crude oil per day. Also, the GoG is also the primary conduit of international trade and is central to the economy of the associated regions. It is increasingly looked upon today as resource provider and critical contributor to national growth and prosperity of the several nations lining its coasts and even those landward and with no shared boundaries.

But despite its rich throve of resources, the GoG waters face diverse maritime threats. It's more alarming given that the maritime environment is one of the mainstays of the Nigerian economy.

It is a given that these diverse threats of insecurity has over the years been a considerable source of concern as the nation’s network of oil and gas installations as well as associated shipping have been threatened by maritime crimes such as piracy, sea robbery, Crude Oil Theft (COT), illegal oil bunkering, smuggling, Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing, militancy and kidnapping for ransom.

As part of measures to tackle these menace, the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy and

Rear Admiral Monday Kohwo Unurhiere (Chief Staff Officer, Naval Training Command)

the Danish Government recently organised a maritime security summit-cum-training at Wheatbaker Hotel in Ikoyi, Lagos.

It brought together key actors and representatives from Nigerian maritime law enforcement agencies. The participants were drawn from the ministries, department and agencies (MDA) majorly saddled with the responsibility of curbing maritime crimes and administration of justice.

Crucial Deliberation In his keynote address, Denmark Ambassador, His Excellency, Mr. Jesper Kamp, said looking at the current maritime security challenges being experienced in the region, meetings of this nature, among maritime security actors, have become very crucial, as they present the platform to deliberate on measures contributing to enhanced maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.

He said: "The number of piracy attacks

which were recorded in 2020 in the Gulf of Guinea paints a very bleak picture of the security situation in the Gulf of Guinea.

The pirates has to a great extent shifted the focus towards kidnap for ransom and the assaults are becoming more wellcoordinated with the pirates boarding the ship and even in one incident, the MV Mozart, able to breach the vessel’s citadel, a practice which is unusual in piracy attacks in the region.

"Very tragically, a crew member died during the attack and 15 other crew members were kidnapped. All 15 have since been released. The kidnap for ransom demonstrates the changing trend in the attacks on vessels, which requires enhanced and coordinated approach from the region’s maritime actors to effectively respond to these challenges.

"The piracy problem presents a serious threat to the economies of the countries along the Gulf of Guinea. It also puts the

lives of national and international seafarers at risk. This affects international trade conditions for the fishery sector, the offshore oil sector and collectively, all these affect each and every one of us present here today; the consequences include higher prices for commodities, increase in price of petroleum products, buying of clothes, toys and school books for our children.

"A further implication is the derivate effects of pirates financing illicit activities on land, which in return disturbs and fluctuates the security situation in the region even more.

"Ensuring enhanced maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea is key to enhancing economic growth for the region with the vast majority of trade going by sea.

Presently, several countries are investing comprehensively in harbours and infrastructure. Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire among others have ambitious goals of increasing capacity of sea-borne trade within the next 5-10 years.

"This is necessary to support the rapidly growing West African markets. Yet, a safe environment and the freedom of navigation through the Gulf of Guinea is fundamental to ensure these ambitious goals bring further prosperity to the region!"

Challenges in the Gulf of Guinea Noting that Nigeria is a critical partner to many security processes in the ECOWAS sub-region, KAIPTC Commandant, Major General Francis Ofori, stated that "the Gulf of Guinea sub-region is at a critical juncture in its socioeconomic and political development. On one hand it is well endowed in terms of natural resources, strategic location and large market and has great potential for development and peace. On the other hand, it is confronted with a number of challenges that render its rather fragile institutions and post-conflict societies vulnerable to political instability and peace.

"One of these threats over the last decade is maritime piracy, armed robbery and transnational organised crimes. The ECOWAS and ECCAS in a bid to stem

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...Some of the participants

the tide of these threats coalesced under the Yaoundé Architecture in efforts to coordinate their response to the insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea.

"Since 2013, the GoG processes are gradually converging to ensure a safer maritime domain together with their partners. Nonetheless piracy and other maritime crimes continues to pose a significant threat to shipping interests and stability in the sub-region. In 2020, the outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly, challenged traditional methods of state response to insecurity. It also presented opportunities for maritime actors to think outside the box in their response to maritime insecurity.

"The International Maritime Bureau in its first three months report of 2021, indicates that the Gulf of Guinea continues to be particularly dangerous for seafarers with 43 per cent of all reported piracy incidents occurring in the region. In addition, the region accounted for all 40 kidnapped crew incidents, as well as the sole crew fatality.

"They further noted, that “Pirates operating within the Gulf of Guinea are well-equipped to attack further away from shorelines and are unafraid to take violent action against innocent crews”.

On March 11, 2021, pirates kidnapped 15 crew from a Maltese flagged chemical tanker 212nm south of Cotonou, representing the furtherest recorded kidnapping.

"In another incident, a fishing vessel hijacked on 8 February 2021 was used by pirates as a mother vessel to facilitate other attacks. These and many similar attacks and especially the increasing level of violence and crew fatality indicates that maritime insecurity in the GoG is constantly fluid and response mechanisms must be very dynamic. " It is also important to note, that Coastal response agencies are increasingly able to respond to such attacks as exemplified by the rescue of the Hailefeng I1 in May of 2020. More of such coordinated responses will greatly reduce the incidence of maritime piracy and armed robbery in the sub-region.

"In all such incidents, timely reporting through the relevant channels such as the ICC and MMCs as well as improved knowledge sharing and increased collaboration between maritime response authorities greatly reduces the risk of maritime insecurity."

KAIPTC Training Essentially, the course builds on the series of trainings which are focused on developing critical skills and competencies needed to counter prevalent maritime threats that continue to plague our maritime environment and the Gulf of Guinea generally.

For five days, the participants will be exposed to current knowledge on maritime security in the GoG as the course was designed with inputs from maritime security experts in the sub-region and reflects the most current realities on the ground.

On the KAIPTC training, the ambassador noted that it was developed through

The Commandant of the KAIPTC, Major General Francis Ofori

research and dialogue conducted by the KAIPTC over the last two years, adding that they conducted field research with a broad variety of stakeholders in both ECCAS- and ECOWAS countries.

"With the findings from these missions, the experienced team of the KAIPTC engaged senior maritime officials from ICC, ECOWAS, ECCAS, UNODC, Interpol, national Maritime Authorities, MOC and MMCC’s in rotating technical meetings in discussing the specific needs for the content of this particular course. This course therefore reflects the current realities of maritime insecurities in the Gulf of Guinea.

"This training is aimed at enhancing your knowledge on the region’s maritime security challenges and the regional arrangements, which have been put in place to ensure enhanced collaboration and response to maritime security threats in the region.

"I must say your experience and in-depth knowledge will help enrich the course and I will therefore entreat all of you to share your experiences during class discussions.

I am confident that the knowledge you will acquire – and share – through the training will improve the important roles you are playing in your various capacities to support maritime security initiatives both at the regional and the national level. This, I believe, will go a long way to contribute to improved and sustainable security in the Gulf of Guinea waters.

"I acknowledge the incessant effort by the KAIPTC to contribute to the implementation of the Yaoundé Code of Conduct through training, research and policy dialogue and by so doing, support regional efforts to enhance maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea region. There is no gainsaying that the KAIPTC is a recognised ECOWAS Centre of Excellence.

"As a long-standing partner, when Denmark were to start the planning process for the first Maritime Security Program for the Gulf of Guinea in collaboration with a local partner-institution, the choice of KAIPTC was settled on easily. Time has only confirmed this choice to be the right one. I will hence like to congratulate the Commandant, the entire KAIPTC fraternity and the Nigerian (Navy) for the good work they are doing to contribute to peace and security in Africa."

He posited that earlier this year, the Government of Denmark appointed a special envoy on maritime security, adding that the current ambassador to the Netherlands, Mr. Jens-Otto Horslund, have been given the task of both convening the Danish Maritime industry, European and international partners as well as nations in West and Central Africa in the combined efforts of ensuring a safer maritime domain in the Gulf of Guinea.

Essentially, he noted that safeguarding maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea is a shared responsibility between national, regional and international maritime players.

Thus, he said the Government of Denmark is committed to supporting this agenda of enhancing maritime security in West Africa through the Danish Maritime Security for the Gulf of Guinea.

"We work through partners such as

the KAIPTC, UNODC and with capacity training of the Navies in both Ghana and Nigeria. As the problem of maritime insecurity is regional, the Embassies of Denmark in Ghana and Nigeria work in close collaboration.

"In the Danish Maritime Security Program, the Government of Denmark is supporting in areas of legislation, maritime strategies, research, training and operational planning and response including capacity development of Special Forces within the navies of Ghana and Nigeria.

"With your support and cooperation and those of other key shareholders in the region, and the international community, we will continue the efforts in Ghana, Nigeria and other countries in the region to support both national and international initiatives to further strengthen Gulf of Guinea regional and national maritime security frameworks. " Corroborating, KAIPTC Commandant said, "It is indeed very significant that we are organising the fourth training in the capacity building courses on Developing Maritime Security Culture in the Gulf of Guinea in Nigeria. This course is part of the outputs of a three year project on enhancing regional research, capacity building and convening of stakeholders towards a safer maritime domain in the Gulf of Guinea.

"This course offers the opportunity for personnel to learn from other agencies and also understand the current trends in maritime security in the GoG. It is our hope that with a shared maritime understanding of the GoG, you will be able to effectively combat maritime piracy and transnational organised crime.

"As I intimated earlier, this course is the fourth in the capacity building outputs of the project. The pilot course was held in Ghana at Takoradi and received very good feedback. The second course took place in Cotonou in Benin with the third course taken place in Accra. In all, 75 personnel have had their capacities strengthened so far. It is our hope that through such training courses, the capacities of key actors in maritime security will be strengthened so that there will be a joined up response in combating maritime insecurity in the GoG. "This course has been designed with inputs from maritime security experts in the sub-region and reflects the most current realities on the ground. It is our hope that it will provide a useful periscope through which you can view your mutual collaboration in ensuring maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea. We are also delighted to welcome you into the KAIPTC alumni fraternity. ”The KAIPTC as one of the three ECOWAS centers of excellence continues to provide globally recognised capacity for all actors on African peace and security through training, education, research, and policy dialogues to foster peace and stability in Africa.

"This project falls within our vision and mission as it seeks to promote a safer maritime domain in the Gulf of Guinea through the development of knowledge based-research products; institutionalising

a convening platform for dialogue among stakeholders and developing the capacity of maritime practitioners in the Gulf of Guinea. Once again, we are grateful to our partners, the Government of Denmark and the Inter-Regional Coordinating Centre (ICC) for their continuous support in this endeavour."

Crucial Role of Maritime Security Governance Earlier in his opening remarks, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command (WNC), Rear Admiral Jason Gbassa, noted that the platform provided by the training would strengthen law enforcement capabilities relative to the Nigerian maritime environment.

The FOC, who was represented by the Chief Staff Officer, Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC), Rear Admiral Monday Unurhiere, further noted that although human exploration and exploitation of the oceans are dated, recent international efforts to improve the security of the global commons gained renewed vigor at the turn of 21st century.

"Notable events responsible for this include the September 11 attacks in the United States and high spate of piracy off the coast of Somalia in the Gulf of Aden. While several challenges militating against the success of maritime security governance have been identified, sea blindness and poor maritime culture have special implications.

"Lack of awareness of the importance of the sea means that it can be an uphill struggle to gain political attention or resources for revising maritime security policies and capacity building. The related question of maritime culture takes a crucial dimension when the role values and beliefs play in decision making is factored in. One of the outstanding management gurus of the last century, Peter F Drucker is famed to have said “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”.

"Applied to maritime security governance, one could state that failure to give attention to the impact of culture in any maritime security policy or strategy could jeopardise the effectiveness of that strategy. It is in the light of this that I am excited about the potentials of this capacity building effort to draw attention to the seemingly innocuous but crucial role of cultural considerations to maritime security governance. " It also promises to stimulate discussions on how the cultural challenges could be overcome. I am confident that the coursework and scheduled practical demonstrations as well as experience sharing would address relevant concerns and bring about the desired outcomes.

"Consequently, I wish to sincerely appreciate the KAIPTC, United Nations Development Programme and the Government of Denmark for providing this platform to strengthen law enforcement capabilities relative to Nigeria’s maritime environment. To the esteemed resource persons who have volunteered their time to share from their experience in this training, we are grateful," he posited.

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

Ͱ ͯ ˜ Ͱ ͮ Ͱ ͯ MONEY MARKET OVERNIGHT OBB

REPO 17 16.50

CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH

S & P INDEX 16.50 18.50 20

INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY MONTH-TO-DATE

S & P INDEX 507.35 % -0.12 - 0.98%

1/4 TO DATE YEAR TO DATE

EXCHANGE RATE -9.20% -24.3%

N379/1US DOLLAR* ̩

Quick Takes GCR Upgrades Nova’s Rating

CAPACITY BUILDING

R-L: Representative of the Director-General, Energy Infrastructure, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Engabatunde Kuye; Representative of Chairman, EFCC and Head, Lagos State Zonal Office, Mohammed Ahmed Ghali; and Head, Research, Training and Strategic Planning, BPP, Mr. Adebowale Adedokun, at the opening ceremony of 2021 first batch of Public Procurement Conversion Training/Induction of officers in Federal MDAs, institutions and commissions, held at Lagos...recently ETOP UKUTT

W’Bank Advises Nigeria, Others on AfCFTA’s Implementation Dike Onwuamaeze The World Bank has urged African countries to take concrete actions in order to ensure efficient implementation and administration of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in order to enable it to flourish and yield maximum benefits to the continent.

The bank also stated that other areas of focus should be the provision of trade-related institutional support for government agencies charged with the implementation of the agreement and the introduction of specific-sector initiatives aimed at enabling domestic firms to transition to free trade.

It said that experience has shown that designing a complementary agenda to maximise

ECONOMY the potential benefits of any free trade agreement is important.

The World Bank’s advice was contained in its publication titled, “The Distributional Impacts of Trade: Empirical Innovations, Analytical Tools and Policy Reponses,” that was authored

by Jakob Engel, Deeksha Kokas, Gladys Lopez-Acevedo and Maryla Maliszewska.

It said capacity building for AfCFTA’s implementation and administration in the form of training, direct advice, and implementation support would, “benefit not only the ministries of trade but also other key ministries as well as border management agencies (especially customs) tasked with the future

implementation of an agreement that they may previously have had only exposure to during the negotiation phase.

“This is essential for compliance, administration and problem solving, economic monitoring and socialisation of the AfCFTA. “Furthermore, there is a need to strongly engage the private sector and other nongovernmental stakeholders including consumer groups and labor unions in the reform process to better understand the nature of different distortions and potential risks.

“Individuals who interact with the regulatory system daily are likely to better understand and identify what may limit the benefits from trade reforms.

Establishing such processes is also essential for maintaining

support throughout the many ups and downs of implementation. These lessons are informing the World Bank’s approach to supporting the negotiations and eventual implementation on the AfCFTA.” The World Bank noted that free trade agreements (FTAs) create significant opportunities but highlighted that experience has shown that maximising their potential benefits would not automatic.

It therefore pointed out that the key issue would be on how the AfCFTA institutions and member states would address weaknesses that have limited the impact of previous regional FTAs in Africa.

The report added: “To a Continued on page 25

Currency Dealers Urged to Adhere to Corporate Governance The Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON) has charged BDC operators to increase efforts to ensure sound corporate governance practices and improved customer service in their operations.

ABCON President, Dr. Aminu Gwadabe gave this charge in Lagos on Monday, at the opening session of 2021 Annual ABCON Nationwide Training on BDC Operations.

Gwadabe stated that the training was organised in partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigeria Financial Intelligence

ECONOMY Unit (NFIU) with the aim of improving professionalism and higher compliance level in the BDC sub sector as well as enhanced service delivery to forex end users.

BDCs, he noted, occupy a very important position and play critical roles in the nation’s foreign exchange market which are germane to achieving stable exchange rate and easy access to foreign exchange for members of the public in a conducive environment.

To effectively play this role,

Gwadabe explained that, “BDC operators must be adequately informed and effectively equipped with the right professional skills and mindset to discharge their duties as required by the laws of land and the industry “Thus the need for BDC directors and staff to be continuously exposed to quality capacity building programmes carefully designed to enhance their ability to professionally discharge their duties to forex end users and to the regulators.”

The above, according to Gwadabe, informed the decision of ABCON to partner with the CBN, NFIU and other security

agencies to organise the annual nationwide training on BDC operations.

Explaining further, he said, “The training will be executed by a team of highly experienced professionals from the CBN, NFIU and other organisations.

‘The training, which will hold from May 24th to June 30th in four locations across the country, involves a careful designed course content which includes: Daily and Monthly Report Rendition; Monthly Balance Sheet Report and Annual Audited Account; Continued on page 25

The Global Credit Rating (GCR) has upgraded Nova Merchant Bank’s Long Term Issuer Rating from BBB- to BBB, with a stable outlook.

The reasons given for the upgrade included the bank’s strong capitalisation, risk position, liquidity and evolving brand.

The upgrade in the bank’s rating comes few days after Datapro reaffirmed the “A” rating of the bank’s N10 billion 7-year subordinated unsecured bond which was oversubscribed by 300 per cent when initially issued.

The achievement also followed the recent publication of the bank’s financial results for full year 2020 in which it declared a profit after tax of N3.49 billion in 2020, compared with N1.65 billion in 2019.

The bank also achieved a 130 per cent increase in gross earnings while its cost to income ratio declined from 55 per cent in 2019 to 44 per cent in 2020.

AccordingtotheMD/CEOofthebank,Mr.NathUde,“theachievement of a ratings upgrade given the headwinds witnessed in the economy represents another positive development in the bank this year following our impressive financial performance, resilience and the reaffirmation of the “A” rating on our bond.”

The Chairman of NOVA Merchant Bank, Mr. Phillips Oduoza, further noted that, “an upgrade in the bank’s rating given the challenging macroeconomic context demonstrates the efficiency of the various governancestructuresputinplacetosecurethelongtermsustainability of the bank. It provides a strong foundation for the continuation of our growth trajectory.”

CMB Introduces Agency Banking

The Cooperative Mortgage Bank (CMB) has introduced a unique agency banking system known as the Coop One-Stop.

The bank in a statement by its Head, Communications and Public Relations, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Afolabi, explained that the initiative was designed to allow agents who would be physically present in cooperativesocietyoffices,localgovernments,universities,markets, villagesandsmallcommunitiestoprovideregularbankingservicesand perform other functions which encompass National Social Housing SavingsScheme,CooperativeSaveforShelterandThriftSavings(Ajọ).

The Head of Agency Banking, Mrs. Stella Abu, explained that agency banking has grown over the years since it was first initiated in Brazil, in 1999, due to its versatility, a method CMB is currently adopting to make banking easier for all. She revealed that Coop One-Stop project would provide employment for Nigerians who are willing to take banking to their neighborhoods and make huge profit. \While calling on interested Nigerians to embrace the opportunity, Abu disclosed that agents would benefit from adequate training and provision of necessary facilities specially designed for the project.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of CMB, Mr. Kabir Tukur, on his part, assured both existing and potential customers of exceptional service delivery and commitment to satisfaction while urging cooperators, who are the main beneficiaries of the Coop OneStop Agency Banking initiative, and Nigerians in general to key into the project for maximum benefits.

MTN Nigeria Partners LaLiga

MTN Nigeria has announced a partnership with LaLiga, the men’s top professional football division of the Spanish football league system.

A highlight of the partnership, which also grants MTN the right to use LaLiga’sbrandnameinNigeria, wasthelaunchof“LaLigaTriviaNigeria,” a digital content platform that provides MTN customers with the league’sexclusivenews,updates,videos,andgamesofferingfootball fans a unique and highly entertaining experience.The collaboration under the license of Samssons Systems and Investments Limited, a Value Added Services local partner in Nigeria would see MTN expand opportunities for sports professionals in Nigeria while providing top-tier entertainment to football fans across the country.

“We are excited about this,” said Srinivas Rao, Chief Digital Officer, MTN Nigeria. “Teaming up with LaLiga will enable us to bring fans closertotheirfootballstarsthroughexclusivenews,meetandgreets, amongstotherbenefits.ThispartnershipfurthersourGoodTogether philosophy, which advocates collaboration as a vehicle to deliver superior value to our customers.

“In this decade of gas, I am assured that the NLNG will continue to support our drive for domestic gas expansion, while playing a fundamental role in monetising the vast gas resources in the country ”

Minister of State, Petroleum Resources

Mr. Timipre Sylva

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NEWS

W’BANK ADVISES NIGERIA, OTHERS ON AFCFTA’S IMPLEMENTATION great extent, the possibility that the AfCFTA will become a milestone for development in the region will depend on: the depth and breadth of detailed commitments to remove trade barriers that are to be negotiated; the extent to which the AfCFTA commitments are effectively implemented on the ground, and complementary initiatives that ensure a smooth transition to free trade and induce greater flows of productive investment in nontraditional sectors, leading to more and better jobs.”

The bank said that its engagement with the African Union has been helping the AfCFTA’s stakeholders to gather needed evidence that would enable them to make informed decisions about the negotiation process.

Yet, the bank noted that many member states of the AfCFTA lacked a, “track record on implementing the trade agreements they have signed, will continue to need additional support.”

CURRENCY DEALERS URGED TO ADHERE TO CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Corporate Governance; Fit and Proper Check in Directors Appointment; Anti Money Laundering/Counter Financing Terrorism Policy; Obligations of Compliance Officer; Reporting on GOAML and NIL-Report Platform; ABCON Compliance Requirements by Members.”

Expressing confident that the training will lead to improved professionalism and higher compliance level in the sub sector as well as enhanced service delivery to forex end users, Gwadabe charged participants to be prompt in applying the knowledge and lessons acquired from the training to improve on their customer service and enhance their corporate governance practices so as to ensure increased public confidence in BDCs and enhance the role and importance of the subsector in the quest of the CBN for a stable exchange rate in the country.

‘Effective Mgt Key to Planning, Goal Setting in Public Sector’ Ugo Aliogo As part of efforts to improve service delivery and performance among directors, the clerk of the National Assembly, Ojo Amos, has stated that effective management is germane to planning and goal setting in public sector.

Amos, who stated this in Lagos, during a three-day workshop for Directors in the National Assembly, organised

by Periscope Consulting Limited, said daily directors make decisions that impact the short term and long term success of the NASS in achieving its goal.

He also explained that the legislature is saddled with the responsibility to make laws for the people, adding that the bureaucracy in the legislature, is a non-elective group of personnel, which plays an indispensable systemic role.

Amos further explained that as the apex body that coordinates the overall activities of legislators, top management staff must ensure that the administrative health of the lawmakers is not distressed, “therefore there is a need for the bureaucracy to always put its best in order to make a huge success of this critical arm of government.”

“Suffice to say that greater responsibility is required of a parliamentary staff as the ability of legislators who have powers to make laws, to discharge their

functions effectively depends largely on the effectiveness and efficiency of the legislative service provided by the bureaucracy as the engine room of the legislature,” he added.

He said the purpose of the bureaucracy was to render expert services to the legislators and like every organisation, the National Assembly has its vision and mis-

sion which in turn depends on a purposeful leadership which must be effective, efficient and selfless.

Continuing, he remarked that performance management involves holistic management discipline, which needs to connect many dots including development and enhancement.

He added that performance

keeps organisational business running, and potential moves the business to the next level of growth cycle.

He expressed assurance that the welfare and comfort of the directors under his watch was not negotiable, stating that he has mapped out initiatives to further expand the scope, “of taking care of your welfare, as

resources improves.”

According to him, “A coordinated relationship with the political arm of the legislature through the principal officers and members of the National Assembly Service Commission has made working in the National Assembly more focused and fruitful as we try to reform the system.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

L-R: Managing Director, Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading PLC (NBET), Dr. Nnaemeka Ewelukwa; Prof. Cajethan Nwosu of the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN); Director General, National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN), Mr. Ahmed Nagode, and Prof. T. C. Madueme of UNN, at the second International Conference on Electrical Power Engineering (ICEPENG 2021) organised by the Department of Engineering, UNN... recently

A’Ibom, OGFZA Sign MoU for Take-off of New Free Trade Zone Okon Bassey in Uyo The Liberty Oil and Gas Free Trade Zone in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State is set to take-off following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the state government and the Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (OGFZA).

Already, the first cargo components is in place, an Immigration

office established while a dedicated Customs command has been set up, in the free trade zone.

Signing the memorandum on behalf of the Akwa Ibom State government, at Uyo, the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, lauded President Muhammadu Buhari, for speedy approvals of the project.

Ekuwem thanked the management of OGFZA for the patriotism and commitment towards ensuring the timely take-off of

the project, and commended the State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, for keeping faith in the project and assiduously pursuing it to reality.

He described the project as economically viable and laden with opportunities for Nigeria as a nation and the citizens.

“Such collaborative efforts, between component states and the centre were requisite to the socio-economic development and prosperity of the nation.

This project is for the good of Nigeria. Nigeria is as strong and stable as each of the component states. Whoever wants Nigeria to be great will not play with the socioeconomic development of each of her components”, Ekuwem asserted.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority, Mr. Umana Umana, who signed on behalf of the federal

government agency, said the MoU was a confirmation of the commitments of President Buhari and Governor Emmanuel to the creation of economic opportunities.

Umana stressed that the approval and execution of the project was void of political sentiments.

He revealed that, so far, 12 firms with investment commitments of over $6 billion have come aboard the project, which he assured will be the fastest growing zone in Africa.

Govts Urged to Prioritise Innovation in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

Comms/e-Business Editor

The Vice-Chair, AigImoukhuede Foundation, Mrs. Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede, has highlighted the need for the public sector to embrace digital innovation in the wake of changes the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the way organisations are run.

She made the appeal when she delivered the keynote address

Emma Okonji Asst. Editor, Money Market Nume Ekeghe

Correspondents

Chinedu Eze (Aviation) ÜÙ×ÙÝÏÖÏ ÌÓÙÎßØ (Maritime) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Chineme Okafor (Energy) Emmanuel Addeh (Energy) Reporters

ÙÝË ÖÏÕÒßÙÑÓÏ (ICT) Peter Uzoho (Energy)

exhibiting the ability to anticipate, prepare for, respond, and adapt to implemental change and sudden disruption to survive and prosper.

According to her, a pandemic has three main phases, stressing the need for organisations to adopt different behaviours in each phase which she listed to include: the response phase, the recovery phase, and thrive phase.

While outlining key projects that the Aig-Imoukhuede Institute had embarked on with the Office

of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) to create organisational resilience and empower civil servants, she noted that public sector organisations seeking to thrive in the new normal must prioritise agility, digitalisation and partnerships.

Some of the projects include: contributing private sector expertise to the development of policies for virtual meetings at the start of the COVID-19

pandemic, the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the work of the OHCSF in order to increase efficiency and productivity, supporting ISO certification for Servicom staff members to improve service delivery and capacity building for public servants through the AIG Public Leaders Programme, run in partnership with the University of Oxford, with scholarships worth £11,500 offered to 50 high-potential public servants.

SON Harps on Improved Product Quality

Senior Correspondent

ËÒÏÏ× ÕÓØÑÌÙÖß (Advertising)

at the 2021 ASCON Online Conference with the theme: “Repositioning organisations for effective performance in the ‘new normal.’”

She explained the role the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation has been playing to support the public sector in their digitalisation and capacity-building efforts.

Aig-Imoukhuede stated that for organisations to successfully navigate the changing environment, they need to be resilient by

Dike Onwuamaeze The Director General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mr. Farouk Salim, has urged stakeholders in the healthcare delivery sector to take advantage of the offshore conformity assessment programme for SON-regulated imports (SONCAP) to improve

the quality of their products and services to Nigerians.

Salim, made the statement recently, at an occasion to mark the 2021 World Metrology Day with the theme: “Measurement for Health.” He said local manufacturing of medical equipment and machinery would gain a lot in accuracy of measurements from the calibration services offered by

SON-promoted National Metrology Institute (NMI), Enugu with outreaches across the country.

He said the services of the NMI in ensuring accuracy of measurements in industry, trade and commerce was being expanded to all parts of Nigeria starting with Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt to bring its services nearer to stakeholders across the

country and ensure great reduction in turnaround time in order to promote rapid industrialisation through standardisation in the country. Salim, disclosed that the SON has provided substantial discounts for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) to enjoy the services of the NMI in line with the federal government’s economic diversification

programme. He stated that the NMI has over the years, developed capacity in primary standards of measurement in volume, flow, pressure, length and dimension, mass, force, temperature, electrical and metrology in chemistry amongst others for traceability of all secondary standards of measurement in Nigeria and the West African region.

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Propelling Economic Growth While the recently released positive first quarter 2021 Gross Domestic Product figures have been welcomed, there is need for policymakers to ensure that the momentum is sustained, writes Obinna Chima

N

igeria recorded a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 0.51 per cent (year-on-year) in the first quarter of 2021, (Q1 2021), compared with the 0.11 per cent recorded in the fourth quarter (Q4) 2020, according to latest figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The data indicated two consecutive quarters of growth, and represented a slow, but continuous recovery of the economy.

Nevertheless, the GDP growth rate was still below the country’s population growth rate of about three per cent.

According to the Nigerian Gross Domestic Product Report (Q1 2021) released by the statistical agency, quarter-on-quarter, real GDP grew at -13.93 per cent in Q1 compared to Q4, reflecting a generally slower pace of economic activities at the start of the year.

In the quarter under review, aggregate GDP stood at N40.01 trillion in nominal terms.

However, real GDP in Q1 stood at N16.83 trillion.

According to the NBS, the nominal GDP growth rate in Q1 2021 was higher relative to 12.01 per cent growth recorded in Q1 2020 as well as the 10.07 per cent growth recorded in the preceding quarter.

The positive output was mainly driven by the non-oil sector (+0.8%), while OPEC’s production cut commitments led to a contraction in the oil sector (-2.2%).

Unfortunately, notwithstanding the positive GDP numbers reported, majority of Nigerians would not be able to feel its benefits of the growth rate because of the excruciating level of poverty in the country.

Indeed, Nigeria now has over 91 million of its population living in extreme poverty (less than $2 a day). This was up 29 per cent from 70 million in 2016, and had been projected to reach 106.6 million by 2030. The country is now regarded as the world’s poverty capital as the twin shocks of the coronavirus pandemic and the oil price collapse in 2020, had triggered another economic crisis.

Like most oil shocks in the past, it was followed by worsening external imbalances and a devaluation of the naira.

Also, Nigeria’s high unemployment at 33 per cent as well as its falling standard of living mean that the country is effectively sitting on a massive keg of gun powder, according to the Financial Derivatives Company Limited (FDC).

“The poor got poorer while inequality widened.

The poverty of today is as a result of low investment in the education sector of 10 years ago. This is evident in the number of out-of-schoolchildren (41 million according to the UNICEF),” it added.

These, coupled with the worsening state of insecurity in the country has seen life expectancy in the country continue to deteriorate.

Need for Pro-poor Policies Beyond the GDP numbers, analysts have stressed that pro-poor growth strategies and social welfare are crucial to alleviating poverty, even as the government also needs to strongly expand its anti-terror capabilities and create a strong disincentive to the perpetrators.

According to the FDC, poverty has both been a cause and consequence of insecurity in the country, noting that in times of heightened insecurity and instability, the danger to lives and property means increased uncertainty as businesses stay closed or offer skeletal services, consumer and investor confidence fall and business expansion is almost non-existent.

Furthermore, it stated that insecurity also delays the construction of critical transport infrastructure, which should, ordinarily, improve logistics and bolster economic growth.

It noted that the resolution of multidimensional poverty remains one of the biggest challenges facing Nigerian policymakers today.

“It is one that an entrenched system that promotes sharing rather than production has so far failed to tackle. Nigeria’s weak economy is a consequence of its over-reliance on oil and gas and its failure to strengthen its institutions and invest in infrastructure.

“Empirical evidence from countries with success stories in pulling millions of people out of poverty, like China, points to sustained

economic growth over extended periods as the barest minimum required.

“China achieved double-digit GDP growth rate over two decades through economic reform and policies that created jobs and alleviated poverty in rural China, and the provision of social welfare.

Additionally, the CEO of FDC, Bismarck Rewane, stressed the need for policies to continue to encourage investments in the country.

“There are a couple of things that are happening that are positive. There is exchange rate convergence happening; interest rates are beginning to climb back up and there are certain amounts of clarity and inflation came down marginally.

“But we still have the challenge of fuel subsidy and whether we like it or not, we have to do it. But the good news is that oil prices are high and our production is increasing and growth is beginning to creep back up,” he stated.

An economist, Dr. Muhammad Rislanuddeen, stated that although Nigerian economy had for the last few years been having sub-optimal growth below population growth rate, the latest GDP figures indicated that the economy was picking up, albeit in a crawling, epileptic manner, from the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic.

However, he added that more targeted interventions should be done, especially in growth enhancing policies and programme to consolidate on the recovery.

He said this would help to reverse the current economic stagflation – high inflation of 18 per cent and unemployment rate of 33.3 per cent.

He said: “In addition, policies on fuel subsidy and foreign exchange market need to be much clearer and predictable to the private sector to support more investment, more jobs and sustainable growth.”

Empirical evidence from countries with success stories in pulling millions of people out of poverty, like China, points to sustained economic growth over extended periods as the barest minimum required

On his part, the Managing Director, Karios Capital, Mr. Sam Chidoka, said: “As a nation, we need to be growing at around four to five per cent consistently. So, in my opinion, compared to where we are coming from in terms of going into a recession, it is good, but compared to where we should be as a nation, we are doing well and there is still a lot of room for improvement.”

But the Director-General, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Segun Ajayi-Kadir, noted that the reported 3.40 per cent growth rate of the manufacturing sector in Q1 2021 came as a surprise, giving the numerous challenges facing the sector.

He said: “We are currently experiencing the rising cost of manufacturing inputs, so it is surprising to see a rate higher than the rate of 0.81per cent in Q1 2019 and 0.43 per cent of Q1 2020, which were relatively stable periods.”

He, however, appealed to the “government to intensify its intervention initiatives and follow through on the cost reduction aspect of ease of doing business. There is urgent need to create a friendlier operating environment and deliberately support the productive sector in a strategic manner.”

LCCI Director-General, Dr. Muda Yusuf, also stated that the recovery of the manufacturing sector to a positive growth was a surprise.

Yusuf said: “The sector has been grappling with an unprecedented foreign exchange illiquidity crisis over the past few months. This is coupled with the structural, policy, institutional and macroeconomic challenges that have bedeviled the sector. The data does not reflect the reality of the experiences of most manufacturers.”

To the Chairman of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Economic Advisory Council, Dr. Doyin Salami, pointed out recently that embracing mechanised form of agriculture would enhance job creation, improve the security situation in the country as well as ensure human capital development. In order to achieve sustainable economic growth in the country, Salami also called for an improvement in the state of healthcare in the country, just as he lamented that 60 per cent of agricultural output is lost due to poor storage facilities in the country.

“Nigeria’s infrastructure master plan requires us to spend $3 trillion over 30 years and that is about $100 billion a year. Our total foreign direct investment and foreign portfolio monies would not be more than $20 billion.

“The biggest challenge and which I think we must overcome is that challenge of predictability.

Investors are afraid of Nigeria and very few can predict can predict what we would do next and they are unwilling to take the risks.

“For as long as we are perceived as a risky

alternative, for so long are we not going to make the progress that we desire to make,” he added.

He pointed out that between 2000 and 2012, per capita income in dollar terms in Nigeria was about 10 per cent. The challenge that such growth, even though rapid, was not inclusive and didn’t create jobs, and simply widened the inequality and income disparity gaps.

Salami, revealed that in 30 years, China went from approximately $360 in 1990, such that by 2020, the country was about $10, 700, which was a 30 fold increase.

“Nigeria requires investment, more investment and even more investment. On the fiscal side, a couple of things are required. If you ask in Nigeria how is the budget doing, you are told how much has been spent.

“But they seek to forget that the spending was supposed to achieve certain outcomes; we seldom discuss what those outcomes are,” Salami said.

The economist stressed the need for government spending to be effective and more efficient, saying it was imperative to redefine the focus of government spending.

Furthermore, Salami said there was need for government to facilitate a regulatory environment that promotes capital mobilisation.

Security, ensuring an environment that is able to mobilise capital and concentrating on human capital development are the three key imperatives that the fiscal side must focus on, he said.

For the World Bank, Nigeria can pull out millions of its citizens out of poverty over the next decade through enacting bold reforms designed to boost economic productivity, according to the latest economic analysis.

The bank noted that the country’s productivity–how successfully the economy transforms land, labor, capital and other inputs into goods and services–is presently low compared to peer countries, hindering economic growth, job creation, and living standards.

Without robust productivity growth, it warned that living standards would continue to deteriorate, and the number of people living in poverty will continue to rise, increasing by more than 30 million by 2030.

“Nigeria’s population is expected to grow by as much as 35 million in the next decade, and unless the pace of growth and job creation accelerates, the country will account for a quarter of all people living in extreme poverty worldwide.

“Creating new opportunities for this rapidly increasing labor force will require a new economic model based on productivity growth.”

In addition, the federal government needs to ensure policy transparency and predictability, which would be critical to reduce investment risk and promote inclusive growth.

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Roadmap for Virile Manufacturing Sector The Nigerian Economic Summit Group in its 2021 Macro Economic Outlook points out that manufacturing has huge potential to attract foreign direct investments into the country, but highlighted reforms required to achieve this, writes Dike Onwuamaeze

W

hen the Minister of Industry,Trade and Investments, Mr. Niyi Adebayo, remarked during the cake cutting ceremony to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) earlier this month, that the manufacturing sector in the country has a positive outlook, many of his listeners might have thought that he was too optimistic.

However, few days after Adebayo’s comment, the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), report on 2021 Macroeconomic Outlook titled: “The Four Priorities for the Nigerian Economy in 2021 and Beyond,” gave credence to his assertion.

The report stated that the manufacturing sector of the Nigerian economy is one of the six sectors with the potentials to attract more private sector investments, create jobs and reduce poverty in Nigeria.

It also x-rayed how Nigeria could attract investments into the manufacturing through reforms and governmental actions that would make the sector attractive to private investments.

It argued that in terms of investment, the intersection of market opportunities and government support policies such as the Free Trade Zone’s and pioneer status incentives among others have resulted in the inflow of investments into the manufacturing sector in the past.

For instance, over the years, companies such as the Nestle Nigeria Plc, the Dangote Group, the BUA Group, the PZ, the Beloxxi Industries, to mention a few have invested in key areas of the sector, namely food processing, motor vehicle production, oil refinery, oil palm and cement due to the federal government’s private sector friendly policies like the Sugar Plan and the Automotive Industry Plan.

The NESG also cited a research conducted by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission’s (NIPC) on investment opportunities across different sub-areas in manufacturing in the country, which showed that the wheat, maize, sorghum, poultry, piggery, cassava, rice, renewable energy value chains and other sub-sectors such as pharmaceuticals and oil refining have huge investment potential for the private sector.

It buttressed its position that the manufacturing sector has a positive outlook by pointing out the volume of manufactured and agricultural goods imported into the country accounted for 72.5 per cent of total imports into the country in 2020 while the share of manufactured goods to total exports was 7.7 per cent within the same year.

Other conditions that favoured the manufacturing sector include Nigeria’s large arable land, strategic geographical location in Africa, large market on account of its population of over 200 million people and opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The NESG said: “Nigeria’s reliance on imports, its large market and the coming into effect of the AfCFTA agreement present a huge opportunity for investment in the manufacturing sector, especially in areas such as agro-processing and light manufacturing.”

It, however, argued that government’s support is required to make the inflow of private investments into the manufacturing sector a reality as Nigeria’s recent experiences have shown that significant investments in manufacturing sector were realised when there is an intersection of market opportunities and government support.

It, therefore, recommended that the federal and state governments should come up with industrial policy and sectorial plans for identified priority areas in the manufacturing sector. Besides, the government should also demonstrate commitment in implementing existing plans, provide targeted infrastructure and address the challenge of insecurity in the country.

The report described Nigeria’s manufacturing sector as an untapped gold mine that could be answer to the country’s quest for improved foreign exchange earnings apart from the sale of crude oil that is currently the mainstay of Nigeria’s foreign exchange supply.

It stated that based on nominal GDP figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s manufacturing sector was valued at N19.54 trillion in 2020 against N16.78 trillion it commanded in 2019.

Similarly, the manufacturing sector’s share of nominal GDP was below 10 per cent between 2015 and 2018 despite improving economic growth figures. But its share of the GDP increased to 11.6 per cent in 2019 and 12.8 per cent in 2020. The increase in 2020 was attributed mainly to high inflationary rate and large decline in the output of critical sectors as a result of the restrictions placed to control the spread of COVID-19 pandemic disease.

But the NESG, however, warned that opportunities are not enough to attract significant investment into the Nigerian manufacturing sector, especially given the country’s history of policy inconsistency.

It said: “To attract significant investments and narrow the gap between potential and actual investments, federal government support for the sector is of utmost importance. Drawing from the experience of the few sub-sectors in manufacturing that have attracted investments in the last few decades, government support in the form of developing sector plans and intervening to resolve specific challenges faced by investors in the sector have been instrumental in attracting investment.

“When these two conditions are available, investors are more assured to make significant investments amidst structural challenges such as inadequate power supply and infrastructure deficit. Even when issues of policy inconsistency and regulatory heavy-handedness arise, they are often resolved while investors are protected by the government.

“A clear example is the development of the National Sugar Master Plan (NSMP) in 2012 and the commitment of the federal government to ensure self-sufficiency in the sugar industry. According to the National Sugar Development Council, over N157 billion has been invested in the sugar sector through the backward integration strategy since the implementation of the plan Master Plan.

“Industries such as cement and motor vehicle have also benefitted from government’s commitments, which are often shown by import restrictions, access to foreign exchange, industry coordination and political support from the Presidency,” the NESG report said.

The report also recommended some crucial actions required from the Nigerian government to attract significant investment into the manufacturing sector, which included the development of an industrial policy and sectorial plans for identified priority areas.

It said: “As revealed earlier, the few sub-sectors in manufacturing that have attracted private investment are those that enjoyed significant government support. As a way forward, the federal and state governments need to identify priority areas in the manufacturing sector and communicate this to investors.

“This must be followed by the development of an industrial policy and sectoral master plans that set clear goals, identify linkages, and devise

strategies of attracting and maintaining investments in the sector. Not only will this create some level of certainty for potential investors, it will also highlight clear roles of stakeholders in achieving set goals.

“Cassava, rice, maize, wheat processing, pharmaceuticals, oil refining are areas that should be prioritised. It is important that the government moves beyond providing general incentives of pioneer status, tax holidays, etc. to delivering specific sectoral support – planning and coordination – for key areas in manufacturing. This is important in view of the AfCFTA and Nigeria’s foreign exchange problems.”

The NESG also argued that sectoral development plans must be backed by the government’s commitment to ensure implementation.

It also tasked the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to be at the forefront of the implementation process by working with support from the Presidency to ensure positive results.

Moreover, stakeholders in the private sector must constantly hold the government accountable, monitor implementation and show the implications of lack of government commitment on both economic and social goals of improving the GDP and reducing unemployment and poverty.

The report also urged the government to address insecurity challenges in the country, which it identified as the biggest threat to investment in Nigeria.

It noted that both the Presidency and the National Assembly must provide security agencies with adequate resources to tackle the insurgency, banditry and other forms of social vices, adding that There must be clear key performance indicators and heads of security agencies must be sanctioned when they fail to meet relevant goals.

The government should also provide targeted infrastructure as “inadequate infrastructure has consistently featured as a limiting factor facing businesses in Nigeria. In several instances, all that is required to attract investment into certain areas of the manufacturing sector is to build new ports, market access roads, port access roads and provide adequate electricity. This must be considered as a priority of the federal and state governments.”

The NESG, however, pointed out that governments should demonstrate commitment in embracing public-private partnership models in developing infrastructure in consideration of the limitations associated with government finances and Nigeria’s large infrastructure deficit.

It identified access roads to sea ports and markets, rail, dry ports, seaports and renewable energy as priority infrastructures the country need to attract investment into the manufacturing sector.

The report also highlighted that the manufacturing sector in the country is dominated by informal players that are mostly micro, small, and medium enterprises.

According to data from the NBS, the sector is

Nigeria’s third highest employer of labour with at least 5.4 million individuals in 2017, which represented seven per cent of Nigeria’s labour force.

However, only three out of 13 sub-sectors in the manufacturing segment of the economy accounted for 77 per cent of total manufacturing output in Nigeria in 2020. These three sectors were cement (17.6 per cent); food, beverage and tobacco (37.1 per cent) and textile, apparel and footwear (22.0 per cent).

This implied that the remaining 10 sub-sectors contributed a combined share of 23 per cent to manufacturing output in the year.

“Among the 13 sub-sectors, food, beverage and tobacco; chemical and pharmaceutical products and cement have been the best performing in the past four years in terms of output expansion. Average output growth in these industries were 2.2 per cent, 1.1 per cent and 2.3 per cent respectively, from 2017 to 2020.

“Growth of these sectors has been driven mainly by two factors, namely the availability demand and supportive government policy. For chemical and pharmaceutical products, higher demand for pharmaceutical products occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic played a great part in improving the sector’s output,” the report said.

At present, according to the NESG, Nigeria has been unable to satisfy its local demand for most of its manufactured goods due to the low productivity level of the sector. This has created room for some countries in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to import manufactured goods and re-export them to Nigeria.

In addition, available statistics also suggested that Nigeria is not producing enough manufactured goods for exports. Moreover, the structure of Nigeria’s manufacturing sector reflected weak diversification and the existence of untapped areas in manufacturing, thus, signifying numerous investment opportunities.

Despite the numerous opportunities in the sector, the quantum of investment in the manufacturing sector has been sub-optimal. In the last eight years, only N5.73 trillion (US$15.87 billion) has been invested in the sector. Specifically for FDI, the wide gap between announced investment and actual investment points to the low confidence level of investors in the real sector.

Between 2019 and 2020, investment announced stood at US$46.4 billion, with the manufacturing sector accounting for 25 per cent (US$11.56 billion) of these announced investments.

But actual FDI inflows into the economy in both years was US$1.96 billion (just four per cent of announced investment) with sectors such as telecoms, trade, agriculture and manufacturing accounting for the larger inflows (NIPC, 2021).

The NESG posited that the major reasons Nigerian manufacturing sector has not attracted significant investments when compared with those of other countries include policy and regulatory inconsistency.

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BUSINESSWORLD

ANALYSIS

Creating Value for Shareholders Despite the difficult operating environment, NIPCO Plc has maintained a steady growth in profit and consistently rewarded shareholders with dividends in the last five years, writes Goddy Egene

I

t is an obvious fact that the operating environment has been very challenging in recent years, leading to many companies to record lower profitability or losses.

Companies operating in the oil and gas industries are not left out of the negative impact of the inclement environment. Some leading oil and gas companies have witnessed significant decline in bottom-lines, while others cut dividends to shareholders following dwindling fortunes occasioned by the difficult operating environment.

However, NIPCO Plc, a company traded on the NASD Plc, a platform for public limited liabilities firms that are not listed on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), has remained resilient and consistently rewarding shareholders with dividends.

Despite the tough operating environment, NIPCO Plc has recorded a steady growth in revenue and profit in the last five years. It recorded a revenue of N171 billion in 2016, which jumped to N280 billion in 2019. And despite the impact of the Covid-19 in 2020, the petroleum product marketing firm still grew its revenue to N288 billion in 2020. Profit before tax followed similar growth trajectory, rising from N2.2 billion in 2016 to N2.9 billion in 2019 and further to N3.2 billion in 2020.

Profit after tax (PAT) printed at N1.6 billion in 2020, up from N1.4 billion in 2019.

In line with its determination to ensure value for shareholders, NIPCO Plc has maintained the payment of 300 kobo dividend per share each year in the past five years.

In a proactive move to improve its leadership position in the industry, NIPCO Plc acquired former Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc and change its name to 11 Plc. That acquisition has significantly impacted positively on the performance of the company.

Speaking on the company’s performance, Chairman of NIPCO Plc, Chief Bestman Anekwe, said they are happy with the progress the company had made over the years.

“We have continually retained the trust and loyalty of our customers by providing high quality products. This is no mean feat in view of the rapidly changing and challenging oil and gas business environment. In strengthening and expanding our Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) operations through the deployment of skids across the country, we have been able to penetrate into most states of the country thereby increasing our customer strength greatly. We maintained a focus on strengthening our core businesses by continually assessing areas for improvement, making relevant investments to make certain our model remains efficient, effective and relevant,” Anekwe said.

Giving insight into the operations of the company in 2020, the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, NIPCO Plc, Mr. Suresh Kumar, last year was undoubtedly one of the most difficult years for the industry worldwide in the last few decades.

According to him, the year saw the COVID -19 pandemic afflict nations across the globe, necessitating lock downs borders for considerable time, thereby preventing movement of people , goods and services for months with lots of hardships on the populace.

“The lockdowns was an immense toll on

Kumar

many sectors of the economy, but one of the worst hit was the oil and gas industry which fuels mobility of mankind and business around the world. One of the resultant effect of the restriction was the drop in movement on air and land travels to low demand for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) ,Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and Jet A1 (Aviation fuel).

“With Nigeria being largely dependent on crude oil revenue, the above negative scenarios in the industry affected her economy greatly with the nation going into recession in the third quarter of the year under review.

“Nevertheless, even with the challenges, the nation’s hydrocarbon industry recorded some milestones which if improved upon could be a catalyst for great improvement in the economy and reduce dependence on oil,” he said.

However, he said that despite the challenges, NIPCO Plc was able to proactively improve on its fortunes by raising stakes in the sector especially in the gas realm and AGO, both of which are largely deregulated.

“In the LPG sub-sector, we were able to do about 35 per cent of the nation’s supply as a depot operator and supplier to marketers while in AGO, the company remains a supplier of choice by most industrial set ups.

More of our LPG skids are at various stages of deployment to improve access to the product nationwide at a very competitive price.

“Our PMS receipt and sales are on course with a view to expanding our mission to expand our retail outlooks for dispensing white oil and LPG across the nooks and crannies of Nigeria is still on course. Hopefully when the product is fully deregulated the sector will be opened up for more investments which your company too would gladly partake in.

“As a fully integrated oil firm, we are ready to continue to invest in the sector under a clear fiscal environment that could guarantee appreciable returns on investment to our shareholders,” Kumar said.

Although the shock of the pandemic put a lot of pressure on the company’s human capital as they had to grapple on how to

cope with the virus and keeping pace with work schedules, he said management had to devise several containment measures to ensure utmost safety of the workforce by adhering strictly to all the COVID -19 protocols as enunciated by relevant government agencies.

“It is with immense pleasure that I say that all through the 2020 year, we did not have any downtime due to the fear of the virus ,a feat I commend our staff’s dedication towards their work. We are upbeat that with the standards set in, the much dreaded virus will be properly contained in the overall interest of both the employees and you the investors,” he added.

Kumar disclosed that the company’s efforts in giving back to the society in several areas of human endeavors in line with its corporate policy in making the populace feel its existence positively was not abandoned despite the impact of the pandemic on our operations.

“Our interventions were in the area of mitigating the awful effects of the pandemic through donation to the CACOVID fund, packaged

by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Department of Petroleum Resources(DPR) and others.”

“In the same vein, we facilitated in conjunction with some other companies the inauguration of 110 bed isolation centre for COVID -19 patients at Landmark Convention Centre, Oniru .We also provided of some essential facilities for the smooth running of the centre,” he said.

The CEO disclosed that in their immediate host community, hundreds of women were offered gas burners and other accessories to ease domestic cooking and alleviate poverty.

Kumar is optimistic that notwithstanding the enormous challenges in the industry, there are better prospects in 2021.

According to him, the setting up of the National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP), to deepen domestic utilisation of gas is one of the veritable tool that can enhance the performance of NIPCO Plc in the area of gas marketing .

“With the declaration of 2020 as the Year of Gas by the federal government, the sector is expected to witness more growth to the benefit of stakeholders by exuding more confidence in investors hoping that this will to channel more funds into the sector. The renewed interest of the federal government in utilisation of natural gas as vehicular fuel through NGEP is also expected to give fillip to our company at improving on our bottom lines through the plethora of investment in providing avenues for a cheaper and cleaner alternative source of energy for Nigerians,” he said.

Still looking ahead, Kumar said another major plank in improving the fortunes of NIPCO Plc is in the area of marketing of a wide range of petroleum products the firm engages in.

“We intend to broaden our marketing horizon to ensure the company continues to take sizeable portion in product sales. Our sales volume in LPG is very encouraging, a feat we hope to replicate in white products based on the foundations laid in 2020,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu,UgwuanyiNowNCRIBFellows Ebere Nwoji The Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB) has admitted the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his Enugu State counterpart, Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi into the highest professional cadre of the Council.

Sanwo-Olu and Ugwuanyi were among eminent Nigerians and insurance professionals recently decorated with Honorary Fellows status of the NCRIB at its 2021 Fellows Day/Induction ceremony.

Speaking during the ceremony, NCRIB President, Mrs. Bola Onigbogi, said their

admission was in recognition of their pivotal role in the society as well as their support for professional bodies.

In the same vein, the Council also admitted the Chairman, House Representative Committee on Insurance and Actuarial Matters, Hon Nwokocha Darlington and the Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Sunday Thomas as Honourary Fellows.

Also admitted into the Fellowship cadre of the Council were 39 other professional members of the Council.

The ceremony was held in Lagos in strict compliance with Covid-19 safety protocols. It has increased the number

of Fellows of the Council to 139.

There are over 500 insurance brokers who registered as members of the NCRIB. Speaking at the event, Onigbogi, enjoined the new Fellows to adhere to the ethical principles of the profession in order to protect the dignity of the professional body and rights of the insured publics.

Onigbogi, urged them to ensure that appropriate ethical standards are being upheld at all times and they should remain good ambassadors of the insurance industry, particularly, the insurance broking profession.

According to her, admission into the

prestigious cadre behooves on all admitted members the responsibilities to shun all vices that could bring the name of the Council in disrepute.

She also enjoined them to participate in all the Council’s activities as membership of the Fellowship cadre are subject to review in accordance with the extant law that established the Council.

Also speaking, a past president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), JK Randle, said the future of the nation’s politics and governance would be brighter if professionals are given the pride of place.

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BUSINESSWORLD

PERSPECTIVE

How Accountancy Profession Will Help Achieve Nigeria’s Digital Future Alan Johnson

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o the consumer, digital transformation might appear seamless: new services and products appear all the time, and with the push of a button we discover new levels of convenience and efficiency.

But behind every success story is hard work, careful planning, and constant adaptation. Given the complexity of this transformation, at nearly every point in the journey, professional accountants can help Nigerian businesses achieve their financial goals and grow into market-leading positions.

A strong foundation for digital growth Key components of a society-wide transformation are falling into place. Already about 104 million Nigerians access the internet and 33 million are active on social media, with WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram as the most used social media platforms.

As an increasing number of Nigerians join their peers online and connect via social media, higher expectations are likely to follow for digital services, such as e-commerce and high-speed internet access.

Democratisation of access to technology has already disrupted major industries and reshaped everyday decisions. For example, the widespread use of on-call vehicle drivers, such as Uber, has disrupted the traditional taxi industry in many countries. We are likely to see decentralisation in the financial sector, as well—with a direct connection to the accountancy profession.

Partnering for transformation As an innovator in high-tech services, Nigeria has already made an international statement.In just the past year, Nigerian fintech start-up Paystack was acquired for $200 million, while another local fintech start-up Flutterwave announced it raised US$170 million. Continued innovation and growth are certain to come as Nigeria’s sizeable and vibrant younger generationsbring their skills and passions into the workforce.

Of course, the rest of the world is transforming as well—and the global pandemic has accelerated

this trend. In a recent McKinsey survey, many corporate executives reported that their companies had responded to the pandemic by moving 20 to 25 times faster on digitalisation than they had thought was possible. Necessity has forced the pace of change, and enterprises of all sizes are adjusting to this new reality.

Most of Nigeria’s businesses are small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Like SMEs everywhere, they face a steep learning curve to manage their finances amid rapid digitalisation.

For technology-based start-ups, assessing value is crucial to raising money and earning trust.

Professional accountants are trained in assessing finances and making projections; they can help business owners to understand exactly how a firm might be struggling—for example, from a decline in in-person transactions and a rise in e-commerce—and to respond accordingly as an organisation.

As new digital-first SMEs form, they will have

questions about getting started, including things as basic as applying for a business loan. Before long, entrepreneurs with non-finance backgrounds will find that the finance function is invaluable for understanding how a business is performing in real time, how it has performed in the past, and what to expect next.

Beyond the right set of technical skills, the accountancy profession also has an international Code of Ethics, with principles-based guidance for serving the public interest around the world. Professional accountants also have an exceptionally wide view and deep understanding of how organisations create long-term value. They are natural advisors for SMEs looking for candid, well-informed and professional counsel on financial management and corporate strategy.

Taking action to build a sustainable economy Nigeria has the building blocks for continued growth and prosperity. The issue now is how Nigeria

can ensure that its digital economy advances to its full potential over the long-term. The global digital economy is measured in trillions of dollars, and it will only grow. Every country will feel these effects and look for ways to compete and capitalise.

Digital transformation is not an isolated trend. We are in a long period of disruption and uncertainty with much at stake, including human health, the health of the planet and equality. Technology can bring better healthcare, more accessible education, wider job opportunities, and remarkable economic growth to meet these challenges. The key will be prioritising sustainability and fairness in the way Nigeria’s digital economy grows—and in how its benefits are felt.

Nigeria needs to build an economy that is capable of withstanding further crises, that creates sustainable jobs, develops relevant skills and rewards innovation while protecting the environment—the ultimate source of safety and livelihoods. The ongoing crises of COVID-19 and climate change require today’s decision makers to plan not just for months or years, but for decades. This is no easy task, and countries around the world are facing similar issues.

Nigeria, as a country of SMEs and as a leader in digitalisation, can find the right advice and skills through partnership with the accountancy profession.

Processes and plans must be set today. Every organisation will need a strong strategy in placeas they ready themselves for digitalisation; everyone will be looking for trusted advisors.

Professional accountants,who are fluent in finance and guided by an ethical duty to serve the public interest, are well qualified to support companies through these changes.

The talent pool in Nigeria is vast. Building a stronger, sustainable economy—based on creating strong manufacturing and service industries—will require the skills of its young and aspiring digital entrepreneurs. r Johnson is the President, International Federation of Accountants (IFAC)

NCS, Onne Port Uncover Cartons of Tramadol Concealed with Ceramic Tiles Eromosele Abiodun The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Area ll Command, Onne Port, Rivers State, has uncovered 1,387 cartons of prohibited Tramadol tablets concealed with 1000 cartons of ceramic tiles.

Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Command, Auwal Mohammed, who displayed the seized

items to newsmen in Onne, said it was found in 1x40ft container no: MRKU0764717, that was picked as a result of intelligent gathering from international security network, and transferred to the Government Warehouse for 100 per cent physical examination.

“We are always ready to conduct 100 per cent examination. We will not be pushed to

do anything in a hurry as the clearance procedure is well explained. Hundred percent examination is one of the key aspects of the clearance procedure in Nigeria. Therefore, all importers should know that making unclear or false electronic declaration does not mean they will have an easy way out with their consignment.

“Every container that arrive

Onne Port must be subjected to 100 per cent examination after relevant duties and charges have been paid and necessary procedures followed. But no compromise to examination and all cargoes must be examined.

And this is one of the results you are seeing here.”

Mohammed added: “Ordinarily, you can see that the same carton

NALDA, Ebonyi to Engage 3,000 Youths in Agriculture James Emejo in Abuja The Executive Secretary, National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), Mr. Paul Ikonne, has said the authority is concluding plans towards signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ebonyi State government, to help provide job opportunities to over 3,000 youths in the state.

He also said the proposed partnership will enable farmers, mostly youths, to cultivate about 3,000 hectares of land located in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state. Speaking during the inspection of large expanse of land owned by the state government, Ikonne, pointed out that the authority will also engage in the clearing and preparation of the land as well as embark on the training of the beneficiaries under the federal government’s National Young Farmers Scheme(NYFS).

He further assured on the provision of infrastructure, farm mechanisation, farm inputs and

other logistics to the farmers as part of measures to create jobs, generate wealth and ensure food security in the state and the country at large. The NALDA boss was also conducted round the abandoned Akanleke Hatchery Farm in Abakaliki, which was built during the administration of former governor, Dr. Sam Egwu.

Ikonne, who had earlier paid a courtesy visit to the Governor of Ebonyi State, Mr. David Umahi in his country home in Uburu, however, assured that the abandoned hatchery would be reactivated by NALDA to boost commercial poultry production.

He said the authority would establish an Integrated Farm Estate in another 104 hectares of land provided by the state government adding that this would be completed by October.

The NALDA boss, further praised Umahi for providing enabling environment and infrastructure for the take-off of the project, pointing out that the authority would work assiduously

to turn around the fortunes of agricultural activities in the state He said: “We are in Ebonyi State to partner with the government.

We have seen that the governor has keyed in to President Muhammadu Buhari’s agenda of achieving food security in the country.

“And with what the governor has put in place infrastructure, it has made our job easier.

He added that farmers will be able to convey their produce to the markets as a result of good road networks in the state.

Ikonne said:”We are establishing an integrated farm estate in Ebonyi, like we are doing in other states. This is the mandate of Mr. President, that we should reactivate abandoned farm estates and develop new ones for food security.”

He also told the governor that the activities of the authority would be run purely as business to deliver results in no distant time and requested that the MoU be fastracked to enable the commencement of the programme in the state.

Responding, however, Umahi thanked the NALDA ES and his team for the visit as well as the intervention programmes, adding that in the history of the country, no past presidents had been able to empower the citizenry like Buhari’s administration.

The governor, further underscored the need for those in leadership positions as well as their followers to imbibe the virtue of hard work to surmount the plethora of challenges confronting the country.

He specifically requested that NALDA should consider the production of fingerlings and poultry in its proposed farm estate, adding that 90 per cent of the state’s poultry needs are imported from Abia and Cross River States.

Umahi, therefore, pledged his irrevocable commitment to the actualisation of the proposed projects in the state - and seized the opportunity to showcase to the visitors, some of the ongoing and completed projects in the state.

used to package the ceramic tiles is what was used to package the tramadol 120mg capsules. So if you are just doing ordinary surface examination, you will assume that the whole container is laden with ceramic tiles.

“But because of the meticulous way we conduct our examination, we are able to separate between the items used for concealment;

which is the ceramic tiles and the actual intent, cargo or consignment being imported.”

The drugs, he said, were packed in 120mg capsule, 20 satchet per pack, 18 packs per carton. The CAC reiterated that no consignment will be released from Onne Port without the due diligence of hundred per cent physical examination.

FirstBank Wins Global Banking Awards First Bank of Nigeria Limited yesterday announced that it has been announced winner of three awards by Global Banking and Finance magazine.

The awards are the 2021 ‘Retail Banking CEO of the Year Nigeria,’ ‘Most innovative Retail Banking App Nigeria,’ and ‘Best CSR Bank Nigeria.’

A statement explained that the respective awards conferred on the bank were in recognition of the indelible roles it plays in deepening financial inclusion in the country; advancing the digital banking eco-system as well as impacting individuals in its host communities with technology to make learning available to individuals of all ages, amongst many others.

The Global Banking and Finance Awards reflect the innovation, achievement, strategy, progressive and inspirational changes taking place within the Global Financial community. The awards were created to recognise companies

of all sizes which are prominent areas of expertise and excellence within the financial world.

“With its over 750 branches and 100,000 Firstmonie Agent banking network spread across the nook and cranny of the country, FirstBank’s robust retail banking framework has been at the forefront of bridging the financial exclusion gap, thereby empowering Nigerians to carry out their financial and business-driven activities in contributing to national growth and development.

“Also, in order to put customers ahead in enjoying state of the art digital banking services, the bank’s industry-leading banking application, FirstMobile, is configured with modern banking functionalities which are regularly upgraded and designed with self-service features to ease the navigation capability and proficiency of customers to carry out their respective transactions with no hassles,” the statement added.

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IMAGES

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Photo Editor ÌÓÙÎßØ ÔËÖË Email ËÌÓÙÎßØ˛ËÔËÖË̶ÞÒÓÝÎËãÖÓàÏ˛ÍÙ×

Former President, Goodluck Ebele Jonatham (left) and Managing Director, Sujimoto Construction Limited, Sijibomi Ogundele during the opening of Lagos Marriot Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos...recently

L-R: Board Member, European Business Chamber (EuroCham) Nigeria, Mrs. Folashade Ambrose-Medebem; Senior Assistant to the Honorable Minister of Industry, Trade & Investment, Ms. Abimbola Olufore; Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Ambassador Ketil Karlsen; President, European Business Chamber (EuroCham) Nigeria, Mr. Adefolu Majekodunmi; Special Adviser to the Governor, Sustainable Development Goals and Investment, Mrs. Solape Hammond; and Vice President, European Business Chamber (EuroCham) Nigeria, Mrs. Mary Ojulari, during activities to celebrate European day and the launch of European Business Chamber (EuroCham) Nigeria brand in Lagos…recently

L-R: Corporate Relations Director & Company Secretary Guinness Nigeria Plc, Rotimi Odusola; Commercial Legal Manager, Ms. Chinenye Okoro; former Non-Executive Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. Bismarck Rewane, and Legal Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Chinwe Odigboegwu during the send forth dinner for Rewane in Lagos....recently

L-R: Chairman of the Occasion/board Chairman Jaiz Bank Plc, Umaru Mutallab; Minister of state for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, and MD BusinessDAY Ltd, Dr Ogho Okiti during BusinessDAY excellence in Public Service Award 2020 in Abuja... recently

L-R: President of Central African Republic Faustin- Archange Touadera and President Muhammadu Buhari, during the visit of Touadera to the Presidential Villa, Abuja...recently PHOTO: GODWIN OMOIGUI

L-R: Chairman Senate Committee on Communication, Senator Oluremi Tinubu and President of the Senate, Senator Ahmed Lawan, at the opening of a one-day Public hearing by Senate Committee on Communication on the Nigerian Postal Service (Repeal and Establishment) Bill 2021 (SB 657) the Nationwide Toll-free Emergency Number (Establishnent) Bill 2021 SB (583) held in Abuja..recently PHOTO: JULIUS ATOI

L-R: Representative of Niger State Governor, Mr Mustapha Jibrim; Minister of State for Transportation, Senator Gbemisola Sariki and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr Magdalene Nwanwuche, during the Transportation Commissioners Forum Annual Retreat in Abuja...recently

L-R: Director General, National Emergency Management Agency(NEMA), AVM Muhammadu Muhammed (rtd); Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness, Hon Abdulraheem Olawuyi and Director Relief and Rehabilitation, NEMA, Mr. Kayode Fagbemi, during the visit of the House Committee Chairman to NEMA headquarters in Abuja... recently

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EDUCATION Sodiya: Why Nigeria Must Invest in Tech to Tackle Insecurity in Schools Against the backdrop of the spate of abduction of students from schools in the northern part of Nigeria, a security expert and President, Nigeria Computer Society, Prof. Adesina Sodiya explained to some journalists, including Funmi Ogundare why it is imperative for the country to invest in technology so as to tackle insecurity

T

he issue of insecurity particularly the kidnap of students from their schools in some parts of the country has become a cankerworm which needs serious attention. In the last 10 years, many students and even teachers have been abducted en masse from schools in the northern part of Nigeria highlighting a worrying development in the country’s kidnap-for-ransom crisis.

According to reports, attacks on schools in the north were carried out by bandits, a loose term for kidnappers, armed robbers, cattle rustlers, Fulani herdsmen and other armed militia operating in the area who are largely motivated by money. Many believe that the country is confronted by a weak security infrastructure and governors who have little control over security in their states. Rather than nip the situation in the bud, they have resorted to paying ransoms and have made mass abduction a lucrative source of income for perpetrators.

Rather than continue in this trend and allow kidnappers have free reign of terror in schools, a security expert and President, Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Prof. Adesina Sodiya explained why the country needs to invest in technology. He said this has become imperative considering the fact that the security agencies and even state governors are loosing the battle against mass abduction of students.

According to him, “the problem of insecurity actually started a few years ago and we have not given it the kind of attention it deserves, that is why we have found ourselves in this situation.

It has grown so wide and has become a monster that it is becoming impossible for government to handle. In handling security situation, we need to invest in technology.”

He said the NCS has written a proposal to the federal government on the use of satellite technology to curb insecurity situation in the country, and wondered why bandits will go to schools to abduct hundreds of students without being caught or tracked down.

“The proposal we sent to government has to do with the use of satellite technology and that is not difficult for any government to use. How will some people come to a school and kidnap hundreds of students? In some cases, they come in trucks and motorcycles and you cannot track them.

“It has gotten to a point where developed countries want to start referring to Nigeria as a terrorist nation.

In developed countries, you will see satellite technologies and immediate deployment of drones and helicopter.

They will follow the kidnappers to wherever they are going. We can’t handle this on the surface, we can also use the air technology which is very simple to deploy,” the president stressed.

Sodiya explained how developed countries have been able to deploy navigational satellite to monitor people especially for cases of kidnap, adding that as a member of Broadband Implementation Committee in Nigeria, he is aware that some countries have submitted proposals on how they could assist Nigeria to develop its satellite technology.

“When people are kidnapped, you can monitor them using satellite if we think our satellite is not strong enough to be able to do that.”

Prof. Sodiya

Asked how efficient Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) is to curb insecurity in the country, Sodiya said, “It is an agency of government and it is still running, but the agency is also challenged with funding. We are in talks with the Managing Director, Dr. Abimbola Alale about the need to develop our satellite.

“Apart from that, there are so many technologies that we can adopt. Government will tell you that they are doing a lot in gathering intelligence, but we are not seeing the results. It has to do with the capacity and capability of the security agencies.”

The president expressed concern that the country’s security agencies lack the capability and capacity to tackle the issue of security considering the attack in April, of students of Greenfield University, Kaduna, adding that the NCS will be having a workshop this week on crime detection and forensic investigation.

“We have come up with solutions on how we can tackle security challenges using ICT. We have put the document together and we are going to make the presentation to government. We are hoping that so many security agencies will show interest. Unfortunately, only the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is showing interest so that they can have what is adequate

for them to do their job.

“Look at what happened during the Greenfield University kidnap in Kaduna!

They killed five of the students and dumped their corpses very close to the school. Yet the security agencies will tell you they are gathering intelligence.”

Sodiya described the incessant kidnap of students for ransome in the country as having become a good business for criminals and an easy thing for them to do. Unfortunately, he said the people who are behind this kidnap are well to do, adding that the Fulani people who engage in banditry are working for some people.

“Until we sit down to strategise, the problem will continue as it has gotten to a stage where if I don’t like your face, I could kidnap your child for ransome.

Nobody wants anybody related to him or her to die, so they look for the money to pay. The perpetrators can start with any amount. I was told that once they deliver the money to the kidnappers, they don’t bother counting it again. But we need to strategise as a nation and come up with a law that prescribe death sentence for kidnappers, unfortunately, we still don’t have that kind of law.”

He opined that microchips could be put in any equipment or vehicles the kidnappers may likely go away with so that it can be easier to track them,

What schools can do is to put a smart card in the identification card of all the students. If it is within the school, they can actually monitor everything going on

adding, “there are microchips that you can put around any equipment that they might go away with, so that you can track them to know where they are.

How is that difficult for us to do? “qYou could also put some sensor on their vehicle and allow them to go.

By the time they get to their base, you would be able to track them. They come with several vehicles and motorcycles, at times, you hear that our soldiers repel the attacks, that is not the kind of thing I want to hear. So they need to move close to them with bombshell because they move in a large group. Incidentally, the kidnappers are not afraid of death.”

He said the country should have sought foreign support a long ago as it is being done by other developed nations to address the issue, adding that with the way the government is handling it, there is no solution in sight.

“We should have sought for that a long time ago. It is not because we are backward or that we don’t have the strength. Most nations, if there is any need for them to seek for foreign support, they do it. We should be able to seek for foreign support because it is very important for us. Boko Haram fighters also have foreign support. They have people who fund them and even provide technical expertise for them. It is actually important that we get support from developed nations, it might be technical or in terms of providing personnel and equipment. Kidnapping is continuing and we are not seeing solutions to it,” Sodiya stressed.

Asked how schools in the country can help themselves internally to curb insecurity and kidnap of their students, he said, “what some schools are doing is to create a sensor network. With the sensor network, what they need to do is to put a smart card in the identification card of all the students. If it is within the school, they can actually monitor everything going on.

“I was discussing the issue with a vice-chancellor and I told him that putting CCTV at the entrance into the school, ensuring face recognition and building a system that will recognise everybody coming into the university will be of great benefit. It will only require a !ot of storage. You must have information about anybody coming into the university at any point in time. If that is what we can do at this point, we need to do it.

“Having only their names and addresses will not work for security issue.

Once they are able to get the biometric information of students and visitors, it will go a long way in tackling insecurity in our schools.”

He cited an instance of a bank in Lagos, which ensured that the biometric information of visitors are taken before they are allowed entry.

“You enter through finger print or do face recognition. With that, when you go there again and show your face, the system will recognise you. With that they have gotten your identity and if you do anything with them, you cannot run to anywhere. We should start implementing that and even transform the school system into a smart environment.

I have seen an institution where they have sensors around the wall of the school and they are a!so monitoring it apart from the gate. Insecurity has become so sensitive such that we need to do whatever we have to in order to prevent kidnap of students.”

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EDUCATION

TETFund Partners France to Train Nigerian Lab Technologists Kuni Tyessi in Abuja The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has partnered the French government and other top institutions in France by signing a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate the training of Nigerian laboratory technologists.

The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro made this known while declaring open a virtual meeting on the institutionalisation of Research and Development (R&D) in Nigeria’s defence and security sector, under the Research and Development Standing Committee of TETFund.

He said top government officials, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, who are currently attending the France African Summit underscored the importance of research and development to the gross domestic product of the country.

He stated that the various partnerships with the French governments are in line

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja with the initiative already introduced by the management of TETFund to deepen research and development.

While stressing the importance of the Defence and Security Committee, Bogoro said effective security and defence could only be achieved through the application of research outcomes.

The Coordinator, Defence and Security Group, Air Vice Marshall Jomo Osahor (rtd), while presenting the report of the group, said one of the findings of the committee was the need for the establishment of centres of excellence for defence research and development based on competence and needs.

According to him, “these centres which will eventually form part of the military industrial complex would be well funded from the national Research and Development Funds. Critical important manufacturing tools at these centres such as the additive manufacturing/3D printers can be used by other institutions and research and development centres within the same zone.”

AUN Reappoints Maggie Ensign as President The American University of Nigeria (AUN) has announced the reappointment of Dr. Maggie Ensign as the President/Vice-Chancellor with effect from June 1, 2021.

Ensign, who on May 14, announced her resignation as President of Dickinson College, one of the oldest and most distinguished liberal arts colleges in the United States, had first served as President of AUN from 2010 to 2017 before departing to take up the Presidency at Dickinson.

The Chairman of AUN’s Governing Council, Senator Ben Obi, who announced the reappointment, said the board and council are fully confident that Ensign has the best credentials and experience to lead the university through this critical stage in its development and pledged their support for her success.

Welcoming Ensign back to Yola, AUN founder and Former Nigerian VicePresident, Atiku Abubakar described the decision to ask Ensign to return to the AUN presidency as “one of the easiest in recent times,” so that she could “continue the excellent work that you have started at AUN.” He charged Ensign with relaunching and achieving the bold strategic plan she developed for the university in her first seven-year tenure, which aimed at building on the American style of pedagogy using the latest technology- including a superb new digital library- to train a new generation of African leaders, and to find

Sweden, Nigeria Collaborate on Digital Education

solutions to the crucial economic and social challenges besetting Africa.

Atiku also challenged the returning president to reposition the university and intensify the recruitment of the brightest and best students from all over Nigeria and across Africa, students inspired by the call to leadership and service.

“Your return to Yola must bring back those creative community outreaches that enabled our institution to impact so greatly not only on the Yola community, but across the country and the world.

“I remember with a combination of pride and humility, how you mobilised the Yola Community and personally led the fight for the continued education of the abducted Chibok girls. You opened the AUN campus, first to those Chibok girls that escaped the onslaught of Boko Haram, and eventually to those few that were freed in 2016. You will be reuniting with some of these determined generation of young women who have continued to pursue their education dreams at AUN,’’ Atiku said.

It was under Ensign’s first tenure that AUN transformed itself into a pioneering and innovative Development University. She invested exceptional energy in promoting academic research while deepening entrepreneurship and hands-on leadership training as an essential component of AUN students’ learning experience.

As part of efforts to provide digital literacy for the youths of Nigeria, the Swedish Government has stated its determination to partner Nigeria in the development of digital education.

The Ambassador of Sweden to Nigeria, Grans Carl-Michael disclosed this in Abuja during the signing of partnership agreement between the Swedish/ Nigerian Social Development Enterprise, Global Wissen Consul and Baze University, Abuja.

The envoy stated: “I am

really fascinated to see new cooperation between Nigeria and Sweden, two countries for a way basically that joining hands in the digital field, that is the really future when it comes to digitalization of our countries.

“This is brand new of a 360 platform with new solutions within one city space and especially focusing on high level education and that is why we have a Nigeria university present.”

The Vice-Chancellor of Baze University, Prof. Tahir Mamman (SAN), described the university as one of the

strongest universities when it comes to modern learning.

According to him, Information Technology (IT) and digitalisation is one of the areas of strength of Baze University, which made it to become one of the strongest during COVID-19 pandemic.

Mamman said: “We are happy to be part of the system because we have a robust IT system and we have students who are very strong in digital capacity. So this will further strengthen them and give them a wider scope of operation because this is an international platform.”

On his part, the CEO of Global Wission Consult, Mr. Nwokesi Oscar said the partnership was aimed at promoting digital education in Nigeria which provides international opportunity for Nigerian students.

According to him, “we establish to promote literacy in Nigeria through modern way of learning, this is a big day forward today as we take a step in digitising education in Nigeria. We have in the frontline the Baze University, we are happy that we are here today that we are partnering with the Baze University.”

From Left: The Executive Director, University of Lagos Business School, Prof. Abraham Osinubi; Prof. Olusakin Mopelola; and Chairman, Advisory Board of the ULBS, Babajide Ali, at the orientation for new students of the ULBS in Lagos... recently

UNILAG Business School Restates Commitment to Economic Growth Uchechukwu Nnaike The University of Lagos Business School (ULBS) has expressed its readiness to boost the entrepreneurship base of the country’s economy, through its programmes.

The Executive Director of the school, Prof. Abraham Osinubi, who said this in Lagos during the orientation programme for the 2021 set of ULBS students, stated that the learning process of the school is more of interaction, which is largely case-based.

According to him, one of the objectives of the school is to ensure that every participant that passed through the institution must become an entrepreneur, who has been fully groomed to develop businesses and create job opportunities.

“This means that we do not expect anybody that has spent two years with us to start looking for a job after graduation.

That is the way we contribute to the economic growth of our country and Africa at large,” he said.

A total of 36 students were officially admitted into the school, as has been the tradition since its inception in 2019.

The institution was set up by the University of Lagos to advance the culture of excellence in executive education.

The participants have availed the opportunity to be mentored by business leaders and gain international experience through exchange opportunities.

They also earn real-world work experience in business and innovative development programmes.

According to Osinubi, having the proper orientation in the business school will affect how the students perceive and undertake the necessary lectures.

He said the school remains the only business school in Nigeria that has pulled to itself, three accreditations by the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Business Graduate Association (BGA) and the African Association of Business School (AABS).

According to him, the ULBS will turn out its first set of 26 graduating students in September. ‘’Today we are giving an orientation, as well as a small reception to our 2020 set of students, 36 in number, as it has been the tradition. We did not have

the right opportunity to do it last year when they came because of the high rate of the devastating effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘’And by the grace of God, our programme has been ongoing seemlessly, without break, even during the peak of the pandemic, as we migrated completely online. ‘’We are however going to start physical teaching and learning this month. We needed to observe all the laid down safety protocol.

Though now, we are not saying there is no COVID at all, but we are saying that the intensity and incidences of the pandemic which was at its peak in 2019/2020 is not as grevious as it is now and that is why we can do it today,’’ he said.

Osinubi noted that the ULBS is committed to being the top class business school, recognised globally for excellence and knowledge. ‘’Our mission too is to provide innovative business research and training that will lead to the capacity to deliver sound business and entrepreneurial success.’’

In his remarks, the ViceChancellor of the university, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe described the school as the

only one in Sub-Saharan Africa to run an Executive MBA programme that is producing management and business administrators for the public and private sectors.

Ogundipe, who was represented by the Chairman, Advisory Board of the ULBS, Professor Babajide Alo, urged the students to imbibe the core value of the school.

He assured them that they would be given the leadership that would not compromise on quality, adding that the school will raise top global business leaders, as the advisory board is poised to ensure that they get all the desired support to excel. ‘’We are taking our standard internationally.

We aim to be a centre of excellence which will be committed to raising global business leaders. ‘’We will also provide you challenging educational experience. Do not be afraid.

It is not only to push our name, but also to make you hot in the management work. ‘’We expect that the experience you will gather from us will be positioning you to be better performers,’’ he said.

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T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱʹ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

EDUCATION

7,900 Schools in Sokoto, Bauchi Benefit from USAID’s Early Grade Reading Materials Funmi Ogundare The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has distributed a total of nine million early grade reading materials to 7,900 schools in Sokoto and Bauchi States, designed to improve learning especially at the basic education level.

Speaking during the Northern Education Initiative (NEI) Plus grand national project close out ceremony in Abuja recently, the Chief of Party, USAID NEI Plus, Mr. Nurudeen Lawal highlighted its achievements over the past five years, noting that the project, implemented in collaboration with major local, state, federal and international education establishments, has also increased access to basic education for over 269,000 out-of-school children, half of whom are girls; and improved reading outcomes for close to a million children

in Bauchi and Sokoto States.

According to him, “the project was piloted in the northern states in Hausa, the materials designed for primary one to three, were expanded to include Igbo and Yoruba versions for schools in the south, as well as English. Over five years, Bauchi and Sokoto States invested more than $3.8 million (N1.6 billion) to expand the approach to all local government areas in the two states.”

He said the agency has also helped in training over 9,600 teachers in early grade reading and created a pool of Nigerian reading experts with capacity to train more teachers, adding that under the activity, 200 new community reading centres and 800 reading corners have been opened in the two states.

“These efforts have increased reading instructional time and opportunities for

about one million children and can potentially reach millions more children if sustained and scaled up across the country. “ In her remarks, USAID Education Office Director, Denise O’Toole said learning must start with reading, adding that teaching children to read in a language they understand gives them a powerful tool for lifelong learning, as it will contribute to developing a new generation of leaders equipped to help Nigeria meet the challenges ahead.

“Because of the critical role of reading in human development, USAID supported Nigeria through NEI Plus to develop and distribute more than nine million teaching and learning materials for early grade reading to 2,300 schools and 5,600 non-formal learning centres across both Bauchi and Sokoto States.”

She noted that the agency recently assisted Nigeria to

develop a national reading framework that sets common goals for reading standards and measurements to improve reading instruction.

To build on these gains, O’Toole said, “individuals and organisations with a stake in Nigeria’s education, as well as parents and local communities must ensure that improved reading outcomes remain their top priorities and focus.

The Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba commended USAID’s laudable achievements and reiterate that the federal government of Nigeria through the miinistry of education will continue to partner with USAID to provide basic education services that promote self-reliance.

“We are ready to consolidate and sustain the gains made by USAID’s NEI Plus activity beyond the two states of Bauchi and Sokoto,” he said.

KEHINDE OMORU www.kayomoru.com

YOU COULD BE WRONG Being a firm believer that post secondary education has the potential to mould the mind to be just a little bit more analytical than when you didn’t have it, I will always advice young persons who are able to, to slug it out and get it! So please aim for uni, poly, NVQ, and that certificate with all your might.

Thisofcourseisnoslightorjibeatanyonewhohasnotbeeneducatedat uni.Tertiaryeducationbyitsformaldefinitioninclude:diplomas,vocational trainings,studiesandtrainingsforContinuingProfessionalDevelopment or study (CPD) and of course degrees.

Tomymind,andaftermanyyearsofsearingandsignificantlylifechanging experiences good and bad, I have come to the conclusion that tertiary educationisanynewlearningthatsignificantlybuildsonanyknowledgeof anysortyouhaveinawaythatthenchangesyourperspective,behaviour, inclination and opinions.

What is interesting is that new learning recurs, reinvents, is or can be withoutinvitation,isborderless,isnotmediumorlocationsensitive,and is lifelong.We will learn new things as it were, again and again all our lives and for the rest of our lives. But are you open to learning?

Learning immediately conjures in my mind an imagery of a wobbly but sturdyladder-thetypemadeofstrongropes,anchoredtoastrongspot orjotandthenslungagainstamountain(life)inordertoclimbit.Myladder is perfect in itsWobbliness as this makes it malleable to the toughness and slipperiness of the surface on which it is cast. My imagined ladder is sturdy to make the wear on it have no adverse effect on its safety.

My last learning has left an indelible mark in my mind. It was taught to me quite accidentally in a situation at the end of the day where I had very inadvertentlyeavesdroppedwhilstinthetoilet,ontheentireconversation between two people I couldn’t even put a face to if I saw them again. Be careful as the saying goes - the wall has ears!This time what I heard was soon to be tested on me, and guess what I scaled the hurdle - Thanks he to God. The one told the other that she heard one of the drivers mention in passing that he thought he saw the pet scurry away with the end of DM’s gastrostomy tube. The other commented that it was not really their business as they were only non-returning domestic workers who were only booked in for that day.

Theynextday,acomplaintwasreceivedaccusingtheunitofnegligencein notpluggingDM’stube.Thistheletterstatedresultedinsomuchgastric overflow that DM had no more stomach content to give up except bile.

The unit had a couple of hours to face disciplinary actions.

Armed with information from the day before, management was duly informedandtheypushforfamilytoinitiatea‘searchwarrant’onthepet dog.True to the suspicion, the end plug was found at the bottom of DM’s pet bed along with several other bits and pieces it had been collecting!

Guess who apologised unreservedly- The complainants of course.

Hey! A lesson in the need to inquire and sift before you take a stance.

Omoru is a freelance writer, education, health and social care advocate

L-R: Deputy Chief of Party USAID NEI Plus, Lydia Onuoha; NEI Plus Chief of Party, Mr. Nurudeen Lawal; Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba; USAID Education Office Director, Denise O’Toole, with a pupil and beneficiary of the NEI Plus activity, Miss Aminatu Ammar, at the close-out ceremony held in Abuja... recently

Lagoon School Wins Conrad Contest Funmi Ogundare Lagoon School, Lekki, Lagos has won the 2020-2021 Conrad Challenge aimed at igniting and instilling innovative spirit among the youths. The school will represent Nigeria in the global Conrad challenge.

The Executive Director of the foundation, Mrs. Nancy Conrad said the challenge hinges on four thematic areas including; aerospace and aviation, cyber technology and security, energy and environment, as well as health and nutrition.

She added that education should go beyond the ability of students to read and write and should also provide various opportunities where young students can display their skills and solve world challenges.

She explained that the 2020-2021 challenge hosted

700 teams from 33 states and 49 countries, adding that over a hundred secondary schools, including those from Nigeria participated.

“Lagoon School was one of the 700 team of schools that participated in the challenge.

Their project focused on: environmental conservation, sanitation and waste management. The Conrad Challenge consists of three rounds. In round one, students researched on global and local challenges within their chosen category. Then, teams created a product or service to address this challenge.”

To support development, Conrad said registered teams and coaches were given access to the Conrad Design Method, with brainstorming processes and instructional videos, access to subject matter experts, as well as the use of NASA technology. According

to her, “during this round, teams must effectively explain the real-world solution by completing the investor pitch tab detailing their idea, while also illustrating its viability as an innovative solution on the market. Round two focused on business plan. In this round, teams developed a business plan outlining their innovation and they created a strategy to introduce their product/ service to the market.

“The fields for the business plan included marketing, finance, intellectual property management, human resources management, and operations management information, graphic conceptualisation or full prototype creation, three to seven minute sales pitch video on the business proposal and its possible problem solver. Round three focused on innovation summit.

This round is likened to an

implementation stage, wherein the business plan is put in use.”

Asked what inspired Lagoon School’s participation in the challenge, a member of the team, Miss Elochukwu Emeasoba said: “Already, since the COVID-19 pandemic was a major stressor for all, we decided to lend a hand in keeping the environment clean, despite all odds. Then came the Conrad Challenge, our parents, teachers and other relevant stakeholders aided our goodwill with a lot of financial and otherwise contribution, they encouraged us and facilitated our ideas.”

In honour of her late husband, Charles Pete Conrad (junior), an astronaut, innovator and entrepreneur, Nancy Conrad established the Conrad Foundation in 2008 and gave rise to the annual Conrad Challenge.

Mouka Rewards Best Graduating Students of Covenant University Mouka, one of Nigeria’s leading manufacturers of mattresses, pillows and other bedding products, has rewarded the best graduating students from all faculties of Covenant University, Ogun state with cash grants.

Science has proven that there is a correlation between quality sleep and smartness. Based on this premise, the Mouka brand has continued to raise awareness of the importance of quality sleep in academic excellence. The brand has also tailored some of its products to suit the needs of students across the age brackets.

A few years ago, Mouka launched the Dreamtime range of children’s mattresses based on the same insight.

For secondary schools, universities and other tertiary institutions, Mouka has a range of pocket-friendly mattresses available in bunk-bed and single-bed sizes. The most popular of the Mouka economy range is Comfy, popularly called Mouka student mattress.

In 2020, the brand flagged off the Mouka Award for Excellence, in which it set

out to reward the brightest student in each faculty in various universities around Nigeria. This is in addition to educating the students about the need to prioritise quality sleep while striving for academic distinction.

The company’s Brand Manager, Yemisi Obadina, presented cheques of N100,000 to the best graduating student in each faculty at the institution’s convocation ceremony recently.

The beneficiaries include Esonu Chisom from the College of Management and Social Studies; Williams Taiwo from Leadership and Development Studies; Ezeuduji Daniel and Umeh Emmanuel from Engineering; and James-Okoro Paula-Peace from Science and Technology.

Commending them on their achievements, the CEO of Mouka, Raymond Murphy, wished them success as they transition into the next phase of their lives. He also urged them to continue to prioritise quality sleep to perform optimally in their chosen fields of endeavour.

WEDNESDAY MAY 26, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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38

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱʹ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

CITYSTRINGS

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Community Protests Alleged Encroachment of Farmland by Property Developers Mary Nnah

A

large turnout of people from the Okun-Obadore Community in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State, recently staged a protest over the alleged wrongful takeover of their farmland by the owners of Amen Estate and founders of Redbrick Homes Limited.

The land in dispute is a large expanse of farmland of about 35 acres.

Speaking on behalf of the protesters who were carrying placards with various inscriptions, a lawyer, Dr Onweneke Williams-Joel, alleged that “sometime in March 2021, upon a routine inspection to the site, our client was accosted by heavily armed mobile policemen who dared to shoot at sight anyone found within the large portion of the property belonging to the community."

Williams-Joel reeled further that upon further investigation, it was discovered that over 35 acres of land community’s total land had been encroached upon by one Mrs Shade Gbadamosi and her husband, Mr Tunde Gbadamosi, owners of Amen Estate and founders of Redbrick Homes Limited, whom the community never entered into any form of transaction with.

“Given this situation, our client instructed us to make a report to the office of the Assistant Inspector General, Force Criminal Investigation Department, Alagbon, Ikoyi to repel the illegal invasion of their property by parties unknown. Unfortunately, the trespass continued," the lawyer noted further.

He said therefore that as result of this, Gbadamosi and the wife have denied the community access to their livelihood as most of the community people are farmers and fishermen.

The lawyer therefore appealed on behalf of the community to the office of the Director General, Lands Bureau; Attorney General of Lagos State and the Governor of Lagos State to speedily come to their aid as matters are gradually being escalated, adding “all our

Okun-Obadore Community members protesting with placards client requires is for an impartial committee to be set up to settle the disputes legally by reversion of our client’s land back to them. We shall go to any length to obtain justice in this matter and we hope that the spirit of the law is followed to the letter".

When THISDAY contacted Mrs Shade Gbadamosi, she said, “We legitimately bought the land from owners.”

She denied the allegation of encroachment, saying her company legitimately bought the land from the owners, who were properly and legally resettled to the place by the

Lagos State government and had documents to show for it.

“We are a reputable, innovative and transparent real estate development company with almost two decades of trading history in Nigeria. There are gangs of land grabbers/ omo-onile/ajagungbale, usually operating under the cover of local communities, and sometimes procured by unscrupulous land speculators masquerading as respectable real estate ‘developers’, selling fake land to unsuspecting, hard-working Lagosians at home and abroad, who usually end up

losing their savings to these flashy charlatans operating all over Lagos State for some years now.

"They have become such a serious problem to Lagosians that they necessitated the creation of the Anti-Land Grabbing Committee by the state government. We have petitioned the said committee and the hearing is still ongoing, even as the committee has already taken some steps. They defied government directives of the committee, but we prefer to operate unambiguously within the ambit of the law”, Gbadamosi noted.

A Diplomatic Partnership with Nigeria Correctional Service The U.S embassy recently partnered the Nigeria Correctional Service on how to incorporate information technology into management practices that will address prolonged pre-trial detention in pursuit of the Nigerian government’s efforts to apply and enforce the rule of law and respect for human rights, writes Chiemelie Ezeobi

T

he U.S embassy recently partnered the Correctional Information Management Systems of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS). The objective was not far-fetched- to incorporate information technology into management practices that will address prolonged pre-trial detention in pursuit of the Nigerian government’s efforts to apply and enforce the rule of law and respect for human rights.

The donation, which came from the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Office of the U.S. Embassy in February this year, was to support the Correctional Information Management Systems of the NCS. Acting Controller General of Nigeria Correctional Services, John Mmrabure, received the equipment presented

by Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard.

Noting that the equipment donation was the first step in this partnership, Ambassador Leonard stated, “We are proud to partner the Nigeria Correctional Service to incorporate information technology into the management practices which will address prolonged pretrial detention in pursuit of the Nigerian government’s efforts to apply and enforce the rule of law and respect for human rights.

These are tenets of a strong democracy and I am proud that the United States stands as your partner.”

According to the embassy, the equipment

Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard and personnel of the NCS and during the donation donated includes satellite broadband VSAT dishes, desktop computers, printers, internet routers, servers, and furniture. A U.S. government grant worth $3.9 million dollars will follow to train NCS officials in the use of the CIMS modules.

Better information management will provide inmates in pre-trial detention improved access

to lawyers, who will now be able to track detainees’ location easily. The program will work closely with Law Clinics in Nigerian Universities to provide pro-bono service to inmates awaiting trial.

The support to the NCS, which began in 2017 with a pilot program at Kuje Prison, has evolved into the Correctional Information

Management Systems (CIMS).

This donation will equip CIMS in three locations in Nasarawa State, specifically Keffi New, Keffi Old, and Lafia Custodial Centers.

The new equipment will enable the NCS to capture inmates’ biographical data at correctional facilities, thereby facilitating legal assistance and family contact.

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T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱʹ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

CRIME&SECURITY

Tackling the Menace of Human Trafficking Becky Uba-Umenyili reports on the need to tackle the burgeoning menace of human trafficking and its attendant effect on victims and the society at large

S

ome young teenage girls were recently saved the agony of human trafficking when policemen of the Ogun State Police Command stormed KOLAB hotel in Itele ota, at about 8pm on Friday, May 7, 2021. They rescued the 22 teenage girls who were brought to the state from Akwa Ibom state for prostitution, under the pretext of employing them as sales representatives for different businesses.

Acting on a tip off, the police found the girls, who were all between 10 and 14years, in a brothel where they were used as commercial sex workers. Upon further interrogation, it was revealed that the victims were denied the use of phone or any communication devices, therefore, making it impossible for them to reach out to their parents or relations.

The manager of the hotel, 33 year-old Mr. Isaac Ogbaji and 10 other male suspects were arrested during the operation while the state Commissioner of Police, CP Edward Awolowo Ajogun, ordered that the family support unit of the Area Command Ota should take over the investigation of the case to identify the recruiting cartel and bring them to justice as soon as possible.

As the world gets more computerised and modernised in bids to become a global village, other facets of human living are not left behind but ‘bandwagoned’ in the drive for greener pasture by good or bad means, notwithstanding its effect on human lives.

Among these facet is a hideous but yet thriving trade which affects mostly persons from underdeveloped world- trafficking in human persons, which cut across various age, sex, race and social class in defiance of both national and international laws prohibiting such practices.

It’s no longer news that Nigeria has over the decades had its fair share in this monstrous trade, characterised by stark ignorance on the part of victims and sometimes, by the mediators in the business who usually are unaware of the implications of the masked initial phase of the trade until a later time.

Recently in the Lagos State office of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), situated at GRA, Ikeja, a brief commotion with display of aggression by some disgruntled persons was observed. Further inquiries by this correspondent revealed that some were victims of human trafficking who resorted to aggressive means to register their dissatisfaction with the management.

When contacted for clarifications on this issue, the Commander of the Lagos Zonal Command of NAPTIP, Mr. Aganran, Ganiu Alao, readily explained that the victims are not detained but rather “sheltered for profiling and counselling in order to facilitate their rehabilitation and reintegration process” into the society.

He further explained that the aggressive tendencies displayed by the victims "stem from their reaction to the times they have spent in the camps in countries of transit or destination and that their traumas are due to the dehumanising experience and the dire need to recapture freedom at all cost.

However, after some sessions of counselling, they settle down and work towards a future".

One may rightly call this experience a modern version of the old slave trade where the dignity of the human persons was mortgaged on the platter of commercial profit as the perpetrators of this offence rob their victims of their basic rights, civil and otherwise and subject them to stooge form of survival.

Thus, fear of this has contributed to why there is lesser number of persons living with extended relatives of humble background who render them domestic service as house-helps while they in turn, train them in basic academic and vocational works; a system commonly prevalent in Nigeria in the twentieth century.

Towards the end of the last century, this practice of house-helps metamorphosed into persons from other cultures, tribes, languages and religion venturing into novel grounds– thus it was acceptable for someone of an

Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Edward Ajogun

Igbo descent to serve as a house-help in the home of a native of Yoruba or Hausa or any other tribe (through private introductions), previously unknown to such persons without fear or suspicion.

However, the story became different soon, following abuses of all sorts by offenders who thrive in the business of ‘marketing’ house-helps from rural to urban areas and soon digressed abroad with their felonious act.

By the beginning of the twenty-first century, NAPTIP was created (July 14, 2003) by the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2003.

The agency is the Federal Government of Nigeria’s response to addressing the scourge of trafficking in persons.

It is a fulfilment of the country’s international obligation under the Trafficking in Persons Protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children, supplementing the United Nations Transnational Organized Crime Convention (UNTOC).

Yet, the menace continued and increased in strength with all sorts of criminal tactics; children and women and even babies becoming the easy prey, both within and outside the country for fiscal gains. Although legal adoption issues is not under the purview of the NAPTIP TIPPEA Act 2015, but that of the state government and courts, NAPTIP is concerned with cases of baby sales or irregular adoption and apprehend offenders in this regards as well.

As a result of the new trends in this crime and the need to further strengthen the institutional framework, the 2003 Act went through an amendment in 2005, in a bid to further strengthen the agency; the Act was repealed and the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition), Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015 was enacted and is still in force.

According to Mr. Alao, statics report of victims presently in their custody shows that there are more female than male in this category within the age range of 0-28

years of age.

Most of these victims are repatriated from abroad, mostly Libya – which presently has the highest number of returnees and this stems from the fact that, it is a major transit country where many people travel to by road, hoping to get into Europe but unfortunately, get trapped and stranded as border security there is very tight, especially with the country’s war-torn state.

However upon arrival in Nigeria, these abused persons (and even the offenders) are placed on a reformative scheme in a conducive environment for recuperation, with medical attention accorded them. NAPTIP further works in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the safe-return project sponsored by the EU as well as ensures proper observance of COVID-19 protocols for travellers/returnees (testing and quarantine).

Using this rehabilitative model, the victims are assisted with profiling, training and reintegration process especially economically to ensure they become productive members of the society. Considering how much time and resources some of these victims must have wasted before being apprehended, it is only reasonable and advisable that they co-operate with this scheme by investing their time and be committed to making it work for their own good.

Meanwhile, notable organisations both within and outside the country collaborate with NAPTIP to ensure delivery of appropriate services to the victims in line with the call by the Director General, Mrs. Beatrice JedyAgba for law enforcement agencies to team up for this goal as it ‘remains the panacea for effective crime prevention in Nigeria’.

Presently, NAPTIP on behalf of the country has over the years signed MoUs and bilateral agreements with countries like Italy, Spain amongst others. Within Africa, the ECOWAS-ECCASS anti-human trafficking provisions and projects address the issues of these violations of human rights through

acts of human trafficking. Thence, the body calls on the private sector and the public to partner the agency because anti-human trafficking activities are generally capitalintensive.

In view of all these efforts, it is hoped that this monstrous issue would soon be effaced with a view to a positive stance with promising future especially for the under-aged victims whose psyche must be negatively affected by the grave impact of this modern craze and abuse of their fundamental natural and civil rights.

It is no longer news that within the country, there are pockets of such abuses in different degrees and magnitudes, both in rural and urban areas. For instance, recently in Ogun State, the police command arrested women associated with baby factory home located at Lagos Street Adesan, in Mowe area of Obafemi Owode Local Government of the state.

Following suspicious activities around the affected building used to accommodate women and young girls as well as new born babies for trafficking purposes, residents of the area alerted the police and further investigations revealed that pregnant women who put to bed there left without their babies while it was noticed that babies were allegedly sold by the operator of the business, Mrs Florence Ogbonna who had earlier been arrested for similar offence and has a case pending in court.

Although the state Commissioner of Police, CP Edward Ajogun Awolowo ordered a massive manhunt for Mrs Ogbonna while the case is transferred to anti-human trafficking and child labour unit of the State Criminal investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) for indepth investigation, the fact still remains that the Nigerian masses need proper sensitisation and dissemination of information on the issues of human trafficking so that both innocent victims and even offenders would understand the negative impact of this crime and cautiously avoid it.

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T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱʹ˜ 2021

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

JTB Urges Amendment to Conflicting Provisions inFIRS,FCT-IRSActs Olawale Ajimotokan iØ ÌßÔË The Chairman, Joint Tax Board and Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), Muhammad Nami, has appealed to the National Assembly and all key stakeholders to identify, review and amend some of the conflicting provisions in the FIRS (Establishment) Act of 2007 and the FCT Internal Revenue (Establishment) Act. This, he said was necessary in order to address incidence of multiple taxations which has continued to be a thorny issue in the country’s domestic tax environment.

He made the call yesterday during a retreat on how to resolve conflicting issues on tax collection in the FCT in line with statutory provisions which was organised by the FCT Administration.

Nami, said resolving the conflicts would educate stake-

holders on the requirements and obligations of prevailing tax regimes and clarify the statutory collections open to the various tiers of government.

He urged participants to consider complaints raised by the taxpayers in the organised private sector regarding the demand by Area Council officials for payments that are not backed by any legislation.

The Director-General Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Dr. Timothy Olawale and the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, were some of the speakers that voiced concern about challenges of double taxation, exorbitant demands for payments, which do not align with bye-laws and passage of bye-laws without consultation with businesses as some of the grey areas in tax administration in FCT. They noted that the anomaly was undermining authority of the

FCTA on tax matters, leading to loss of revenue to government through use of tax consultants and closure of businesses.

The NECA DG called for the abolishment of use of consultants, the inclusion of NECA representative on decision-making processes on tax and harmonisation of taxes within the ambit of by law.

Aliyu, who lamented the alleged outrageous demands and notices vowed that the FCTA would put an end to multiple taxation for the benefit of Abuja residents.

She acknowledged the acrimony between the FCTA and the Area Council authorities as it related to the collection of levies, rates, charges and other demands.

The minister affirmed that the administration was not unmindful of the position of the constitution as the supreme law of the country in the discharge of this essential function of government.

L-R: Kuda CEO, Babs Ogundeyi; Kuda Microfinance Bank’s one-millionth customer, Abiola Jewoola, and Kuda CTO, Musty Mustapha, during the presentation of cheque of N1 million naira to the bank’s one-millionth customer, Jewoola at Kuda’s office in Lagos...recently

MARKET INDICATORS

‘AfDB Invested $96m in Higher Education’ James Emejo ÓØ ÌßÔË The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, said the bank has invested $96 million in its Higher Education and Science and Technology (HEST) Project.

The AfDB president disclosed this while delivering his acceptance speech after receiving the Honorary Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) conferred on him by the Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.

The award was in recognition of his contributions to science, research and academic leadership; reforms and thought leadership as well as significant contributions to Africa’s social and economic development.

The HEST project focused on three major areas: supporting centers of excellence; ensuring infrastructure and training in

specific areas – agriculture and livestock Other areas of focus include, health sciences and health delivery support services, engineering, business enterprise, training teachers and educational management – and strengthening links with the labour market so that trained students can use their knowledge and skills productively.

He said the bank had also supported the construction of modern diagnostic laboratory equipment, a biotechnology laboratory worth a $1 million, a Geographic Information Systems laboratory and a computer laboratory.

According to him: “The African Development Bank is proud to have invested $96 million in the Higher Education and Science and Technology (HEST) project which ended in 2019.

“Our support of $26 million

to Makerere University helped to construct two central teaching facilities, a four-story building with fully equipped lecture and seminar rooms and a five-story building with an auditorium with capacity for 1,000 seats at a time.

He said for Africa to make significant progress, there should be equal opportunities for both men and women, adding that, “No bird flies with one wing.

Africa will progress faster when there is equality between men and women”.

Also addressing the congregation, the Chancellor Makerere University, Prof. Ezra Suruma, commended the AfDB president for his excellent leadership in piloting the affairs of the financial institution.

Suruma said:“We thank Dr. Adesina for the excellent work he is doing to uplift the African people and for honoring us with his presence today.

Kuda Bank Surpasses One Million Customer Base Kuda Technologies, a digital-led bank, recently revealed that its Nigeria subsidiary - Kuda Microfinance Bank - has acquired over one million customers.

To mark the milestone, Kuda CEO Babs Ogundeyi and CTO Musty Mustapha presented the bank’s one millionth customer, Mr. Abiola Jewoola, a gift of N1 million at its Lagos office.

According to a statement, the London-headquartered startup, which launched in Nigeria in 2019, and operates under a microfinance banking licence from

the Central Bank of Nigeria, has witnessed significant growth since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic having firmly positioned itself as a safe alternative to brick-and-mortar banks at a time when the significant risk of infection has made visiting banking halls a challenging experience. Not only is Kuda’s strong digital offering appealing to Nigerian millennials, many of whom are inseparable from their connected smartphones, the bank’s proposition of zero fees on cards, account maintenance

and transfers has helped it make headway in Nigeria’s highly competitive retail banking market which is dominated by traditional incumbents.

“Kuda is set on reaching all Africans on the planet, the core target of its mission to make banking services affordable, accessible and rewarding.

“Our growth in Nigeria is remarkable no doubt but more importantly, it is an indication of what we can achieve in other markets across the world,” Ogundeyi added.

Firm to Launch New Real Estate Project A fast-rising real estate entrepreneur and Chairman of Prince Luxury Group, Nduka John Omoha, said his firm is set to launch a master plan which would disrupt ‘architectural imagination’ and set a new standard in the real estate sector in Nigeria.

Omoha, who revealed this at a media parley recently, promised surprise in the sector, adding that he is armed with a strategic playbook that would distinguish him from the crowd.

According to him, “My new project is coming to disrupt

architectural imagination and introduce a new trend with features and facilities that cannot be found anywhere in Nigeria.

“In bringing this project to life, the company scrutinised projects around Lagos, Abuja and other parts of the country, studying the best estate projects in Lagos. Armed with this information, Prince Luxury Group has created exclusive features and facilities that give would give it a competitive edge over others.

“After the completion of this new project, I believe it will not only compete with the best estates

in Nigeria but with other notable luxury condominiums around the world.”

Omoha stated that the project would change the definition of luxury as far as residential estates are concerned, promising that it will have at its heart luxury as well as affordability without compromising standard.

He said: “A holistic warfare game plan that uses the elements of surprise and speed in the execution of innovative ideas to achieve the impossible is in the offing.”

MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

JANUARY 2021 Money Supply (M3)

38,779,455.43

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

1,039,129.55

Money Supply (M2)

37,740,325.88

-- Quasi Money

21,779,302.69

-- Narrow Money (M1)

15,961,023.19

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,364,871.13

---- Demand Deposits

13,596,152.06

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

7,414,275.50

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

31,365,179.93

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

42,916,586.63

---- Credit to Government (Net)

12,304,773.44

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

0.00

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

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

30,611,813.19

--Other Assets Net

3,892,112.74

Reserve Money (Base Money

13,264,585.14

--Currency in Circulation

2,831,167.19

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

10,433,417.96 317,234.17

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

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

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ ͯͱϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT MONDAY, 24 MAY 2021

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $66.93 a barrel on Monday, compared with $64.18 the previous Friday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

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

SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

41

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱʹ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

FBNQuest Advises Investors on Inheritance Planning Goddy Egene FBNQuest Trustees, a subsidiary of FBN Holdings Plc has offered expert guidance on inheritance planning as an important requirement for successful wealth transfer. This is in line with its commitment to equip individuals with effective tools for generational wealth transfer.

According to the company, through its Legacy Series, it aims to help individuals understand

how to plan for the protection and seamless transfer of their assets during their lifetime and after.

The Legacy Series is delivered in line with the organisation’s commitment to educate individuals and improve the understanding of the concepts of estate planning, so individuals are empowered to identify opportunities, protect their investments, and efficiently transfer their assets to their loved ones.

To educate the public on the

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

principles of inheritance planning, the firm hosted a webinar themed: ‘How to protect your own: Inheritance planning explained,’ where experts offered insights on the benefits of Inheritance Planning, Estate Planning, Wills and Trust.

They also emphasized the fact that young adults should start thinking of setting up a Trustto protect their loved ones.

Commenting on the importance of inheritance planning, the Managing Director of FBNQuest

S E C U R I T I E S MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

Trustees, Adekunle Awojobi said: “The legacy series remains our contribution to broader efforts to demystify Estate Planning.

We believe there are several opportunities individuals and investors are simply unaware they can take advantage of through FBNQuest Trustees, and we are committed to driving that awareness and providing strong support. Through the legacy series we have continued to drive this message, as Inheritance planning

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

must be an integral part of everyone’s plan – even if it’s one’s first property or major asset.”

FBNQuest Trustees is a subsidiary of FBN Holdings Plc. From estate planning to government bond issuance, it holds a solid market position as a leading Trust services provider.

“We assess your needs and provide tailored solutions for seamless transfer of assets.

Our distinct heritage allows us to leverage specialisation of

O F

the subsidiaries of our parent company to enhance our delivery and provide world-class client solutions,” the company said.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) AllShare Index (ASI) fell 0.08 per cent to close lower at 38,256.76 as the stock market extended its negative performance. Consequently, year-to-date (YTD) decline worsened to 5.0 per cent while market capitalisation shed N16.1 billion to be at N19.9 trillion.

2 5 / 0 5 / 2 0 2 1 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

42

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 24May-2021, 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 152.06 153.29 -6.09% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 3.82% Nigeria International Debt Fund 300.68 300.68 -24.29% Afrinvest Dollar Fund 110.67 110.67 -1.26% ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund N/A N/A N/A ACAP Income Funds N/A N/A N/A 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 5.16% AIICO Balanced Fund 3.21 3.27 -10.79% ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED info@anchoriaam.com Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 100.00 100.00 1.88% Anchoria Equity Fund 126.92 128.36 -4.58% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.05 1.05 -21.26% 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 18.83 19.40 3.85% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 412.42 424.85 3.01% ARM Ethical Fund 36.89 38.00 9.44% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.08 1.09 -11.37% ARM Fixed Income Fund 0.96 0.96 -14.41% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 3.16% AVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGERS LIMITED info@avacapitalgroup.com Web: www.avacapitalgroup.com Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Fund 104.26 104.26 2.51% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) N/A N/A N/A mutualfunds@cardinalstone.com CARDINALSTONE ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web: www.cardinalstoneassetmanagement.com ; Tel: +234 (1) 710 0433 4 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CardinalStone Fixed Income Alpha Fund 1.01 1.01 1.06% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 3.73% Paramount Equity Fund 15.63 15.91 -2.29% Women's Investment Fund 130.71 132.08 -1.83% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 4.12% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 113.84 114.59 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 N/A N/A Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 106.52 106.52 CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 2.80% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.15 1.16 -4.23% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.34 1.34 -15.25% EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 2.80% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 2.91% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,154.91 1,162.13 -3.58% FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A FBN Balanced Fund 183.87 185.00 -2.03% FBN Halal Fund 109.48 109.48 5.68% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 6.64% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail FBN Smart Beta Equity Fund FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Legacy Money Market Fund Legacy Debt Fund Legacy Equity Fund Legacy USD Bond Fund FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Coral Growth Fund Coral Income Fund FSDH Treasury Bills Fund

124.82 151.35

124.82 3.34% 153.47 0.11% fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com

Bid Price N/A N/A N/A N/A

Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com

Bid Price N/A N/A N/A

Offer Price N/A N/A N/A

Yield / T-Rtn N/A N/A N/A

GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria Entertainment Fund N/A N/A N/A GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gdl.com.ng Web: www.gdl.com.ng ; Tel: +234 9055691122 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn GDL Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 4.82% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.75 2.81 19.71% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 4.50% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 148.47 148.89 -4.47% Vantage Equity Income Fund (VEIF) - June Year End 1.20 1.24 27.52% Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End 1.09 1.09 6.95% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.36 1.38 0.00% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,138.64 1,138.64 3.10% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 10.64 10.7171 1.75% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 5.67% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.63 1.65 7.33% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.42 12.48 2.42% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 3.65% PACAM Equity Fund 1.57 1.58 -1.02% PACAM EuroBond Fund 110.52 112.09 0.50% SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 129.34 131.67 7.53% 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 1.01 1.01 2.80% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 3,127.09 3,151.73 -2.77% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 229.53 229.53 2.08% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.18 1.19 0.42% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 300.92 300.92 2.12% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 214.74 217.42 -1.72% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 6.10% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 10,117.94 10,243.57 -3.67% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.25 1.25 2.20% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 113.65 113.65 2.31% Stanbic IBTC Enhanced Short-Term Fixed Income Fund 101.04 101.04 UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.33 1.36 -2.33% United Capital Bond Fund 1.94 1.94 2.51% United Capital Equity Fund 0.88 0.90 1.85% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 6.95% United Capital Eurobond Fund 120.49 120.49 2.91% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.08 1.09 -0.46% United capital Sukuk Fund 1.05 1.05 4.94% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 12.01 12.11 1.18% Zenith Ethical Fund 13.38 13.50 9.56% Zenith Income Fund 24.06 24.06 0.39% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 3.53%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

123.38 51.39

2.19% -1.93%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

12.22 123.10 96.16

12.32 123.10 97.89

-7.54% 1.12% -3.27%

Fund Name SFS REIT Union Homes REIT

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund SIAML Pension ETF 40 Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Money Market Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

3.71 5.62 16.78 1.00 18.59 159.14

3.75 5.70 16.88 1.00 18.79 161.14

-1.69% -1.16% 2.65% 3.66% -9.38% -27.20%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.52

13.11%

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

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

WEDNESDAY MAY 26, 2021 • T H I S D AY

43

WEDNESDAY MAY 26, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

44

NEWSXTRA

20 Killed, 322 Hospitalised as Cholera Outbreak Hits Bauchi Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi No fewer than 20 people have died while 322 others have been infected with cholera following the recent outbreak of the disease in Bauchi State, the state Ministry

of Health has confirmed.

The state Commissioner of Health, Dr. Aliyu Mohammed Maigoro, who disclosed this yesterday at a press conference in Bauchi, said 322 cases of gastroenteritis were reported in

Buhari Rallies Global Support for Chad’s Transition Govt Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has urged the international community to support Chad to conclude the transition from military to democratic government in a peaceful manner within the set time of 18 months.

Buhari spoke yesterday at the opening of the Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) convened to discuss the recent developments in Chad after President Idris Deby Itno died on the frontline in April while defending the territorial integrity of his country.

The President, who declared the one-day summit open in Abuja in his capacity as the Chair of leaders of LCBC member-countries, called

on development partners and countries particularly France, the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia; the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union, as well as other friendly and partner nations to support the transition framework put in place by Chad’s Transition Military Council led by General Mahamat Idris Deby.

According to him, ‘‘The need to support the Chadian government to effectively carry out its planned 18-month transition is sacrosanct. ‘‘However, it must be stated that the sanctity of the Chadian constitution as the supreme guiding document defining the social contract in t h e c o u n try must be respected.

nine local government areas of Bauchi, Darazo, Ganjuwa, Giade, Misau, Ningi, Shira, Toro and Warji.

He said the Bauchi LGA recorded 149 cases with nine deaths; Darazo LGA recorded one case; Ganjuwa recorded seven cases; Giade recorded 10 cases with one death; Misau recorded 31 cases with four deaths, Ningi recorded 51 cases with three deaths; Shira recorded one case, Toro recorded 58 cases with three deaths while Warji recorded 16 cases.

Maigoro noted that the first index case was that of a 37-yearold housewife who was presented at Burra General Hospital on April 24, 2021, adding that the index case complained of abdominal pains, watery diarrhea and vomiting, which she and others affected were successfully managed and discharged.

According to him, “The ministry, through the state Primary Health Care Development Agency, responded immediately to prevent the

spread to other communities. It was discovered that there was an ongoing outbreak of similar disease in neighboring Sumaila and other local government areas of Kano State.

“Following intensified surveillance as a result of the report from Bura, four local government areas-Warji, Bauchi, Giade, Toro-detected and reported cases of gastroenteritis.

No fewer than 21 samples have so far been collected and tested out of which 19 were positive by Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) and

culture, confirmed the presence of Cholera.”

The commissioner said some of the response activities so far conducted included activation of the state Public Health Emergency Operation Centre, development of an incident action plan; surveillance activities heightened to detect and report cases promptly, and setting up of isolation centres in all the general hospitals of the affected local government area.

WE SHARE YOUR GRIEF…

L-R: President Muhammadu Buhari; former Ogun State Governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba; National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu; former Interim National Chairman of APC, Chief Bisi Akande; former APC National Vice Chairman, Southwest, Chief Pius Akinyelure, and former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Alani Akinrinade (rtd), when the South-west leaders paid condolence visit to Buhari over the death of Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, and 10 other officers, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja… recently

Okowa, House Minority Caucus Hail Clark at 94 Tinubu, Akande in Aso Rock to Condole with Buhari Udora Orizu in Abuja

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State and the Minority caucus in the House of Representatives have congratulated elder statesman and former Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark as he celebrated his 94th birthday yesterday.

Okowa described the elder statesman as a “lifetime achiever”.

The governor, through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Olisa Ifeajika, in Asaba, said in a statement yesterday that the people of Niger Delta would remain grateful to “the legendary leader” who has been “a respected and consistent voice on national issues”.

He noted that the outstanding contributions of Clark to the Niger Delta struggle was truly legendary and worthy of commendation.

He remarked that Clark remained a dogged, fearless and patriotic leader, always passionate about the interests of his people

and the peaceful co-existence of Nigerians.

Okowa said, “As leader of Pan Niger Delta Forum, (PANDEF), Clark coordinated the resolution of the militancy crisis in the Niger Delta which culminated in unhindered oil production with its attendant positive effect on national revenue.

“His regular wise counseling and leadership acumen contributed immensely to the stability, growth and development of the Niger Delta in particular and the entire country in general.

On its part, the Minority Caucus in a statement by its leader, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, described Clark as a fearless democrat and forthright leader, who has continued to demonstrate an undiminished commitment towards the entrenchment of good governance elements of fairness, justice and equity in the national polity.

Six Fighter Jets to Arrive in August, Says Emefiele James Emejo in Abuja Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has disclosed that Nigeria will get 12 fighter planes from the United States of America to help fight insecurity in Nigeria.

He disclosed this while answering questions at the end of a two-day monetary policy committee meeting in Abuja yesterday.

Emefiele, who lamented how the economy is being crippled by insecurity, stated that the arrival of the planes is in line with a pact made between the Nigerian government and the US government three years ago.

He said, “If you want an

economy to grow, the level of insecurity must be low because if there is a high level of insecurity like what we see today, the economy will suffer.

“Efforts are now targeted at South Eastern and North Eastern parts of the country.

About three years ago, the federal government and the United States signed a pact that resulted in a governmentto-government acquisition of military equipment “Out of which, we are expecting 12 fighter planes that would help us solve our insecurity. I am aware that six of them are coming to the country in the month of July and August.”

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday night, received National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, and pioneer Interim Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The visit, which was at the president’s official residence inside the Presidential Villa, was to pay

condolences to the President over the air crash last Friday, which claimed the lives of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, and 10 other officers and men in Kaduna.

Tinubu and Akande were accompanied on the visit by former governor of Ogun State, Chief Segun Osoba; former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Alani

Akinrinade (rtd.); and Chief Pius Akinyelure.

Speaking to the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) after the meeting, Tinubu re-emphasised his position on recent activities of secessionist groups in the country, saying he stood for a united Nigeria.

According to him, Nigeria is a nation and in his opinion it should be preserved that way;

as a productive, peaceful and united nation.

Speaking on his reason for visiting the president, Tinubu said himself and his company (those with him) had visited to commiserate with President Buhari over the air crash, which claimed the lives of Lt. Gen. Attahiru and the other ten officers and men last Friday.

Uncertainty over Supply of Next Batch of COVID-19Vaccine Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, yesterday said it was not clear yet when the federal government would take delivery of next batch of COVID-19 vaccines.

Shuaib said this in Abuja during a press conference organised to update

the public on the status of COVID-19 vaccination.

Shuaib had while giving an update on the vaccination exercise, at a recent media briefing by Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 in Abuja, said that the country was expecting deliveriesofvaccinesthroughtheCovax facility by the end of May or early June He, however, told health reporters yesterday at a press conference in

Abuja that the date was no longer feasible.

He said,“Whilewehaveinformation that we may get the next consignment of vaccines by end of July or August, this has not been officially confirmed.

“When we are able to, we will provide an update regarding timelines and updates of the next shipment.

At present, we do not have that information available due to the

wider context we are in.”

Speaking further, Shuaib said, “The International Monetary Fund is now advocating a $50billion fund to be spent on ensuring a faster rollout of COVID-19 vaccines globally and is calling for at least, 40 per cent of the global population to be vaccinated by the end of this year, and at least 60 per cent by June 2022.”

Igbo Group Blames Insecurity on Injustice, Bad Governance Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Nzuko Umuna, an Igbo thinktank, has stated that Nigeria is witnessing worsening insecurity due to injustice, inequalities and lack of good governance.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja, the Chairman of the legal committee of the Igbo think- tank, Mr. Sam Amadi, said unfair and

unequal treatment of citizens have helped to compound the already compounded insecurity crisis in the country.

Amadi lamented that the South-east region, which used to be the “safest region in Nigeria,” has now become “a theatre of organised criminality.

“Nzuko Umuna recognises that Nigeria has descended

into a depth of insecurity partly because of the failure of governance across the country and particularly because of inequities and injustices of political leadership in Nigeria.

“We acknowledge that the perception of unfair and unequal treatment of the citizens has compounded the insecurity crisis,” the former chairman of

the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) said.

Amadi further said the reported order by the Inspector-General of Police (IG), Alkali Usman Baba, to police officers to ignore human rights while dealing with insecurity in the Southeast region would only escalate the crisis in the region.

ICPC to Enforce Implementation of Ports’ Manual Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, (ICPC) yesterday vowed to enforce the implementation of the Nigerian Ports Process Manual (NPPM).

It said it would enforce the law by arresting and prosecuting

violators of the process manual.

This comes as the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Mr. Hassan Bello, said 4,000 containers were trapped in the terminals owing to lack of digitisation of the port operations and corruption which impacted negatively on the nation’s economy.

Speaking yesterday at a joint media briefing by the ICPC and Shippers’ Council in Abuja, Chairman of the commission, Prof.

Bolaji Owasanonye, said the ICPC was committed to enforcing the Nigerian Ports Process Manual in collaboration with stakeholder agencies and other security agencies.

“This whole process started with the ICPC. We have a robust anti-corruption mandate which calls for study of and review of system with a view identifying loopholes when they are detected and when they detected and closed then corruption will have less chances of taking place.

WEDNESDAY MAY 26, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

45

NEWS

Northern Elders Urge Buhari to Arrest Nigeria’s Drift to Disaster Say North won’t bow to intimidation Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) yesterday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to halt Nigeria’s gradual descent into disaster.

The forum, in a statement by its Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, also

accused Southern governors of building ethnic monsters.

It warned that other political leaders who take advantage of the limitations of the president to light fires should know that they would get burnt too.

It said majority of Nigerians did not want war or a breakup of the country, adding that what

Nigerians wanted is an end to insecurity, escalating cost of living and the hate and the fear which the leaders are triggering.

It stated that it has held back on taking issue with persons and groups intent on provoking crises that would escalate beyond control or mitigation by leaders who are collectively showing signs that

Nigeria’s Economy May Suffer as IYC Plans Protest Nseobong Okon-Ekong Nigeria’s economy may suffer a serious setback following a threat by the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide to shut down oil production in the Niger Delta region from today to protest the refusal of the federal government to constitute the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

As the deadline of the ultimatum narrowed to a few hours yesterday, there were fears that the President of the IYC, Mr. Peter Igbifa had been kidnapped.

The Spokesperson of IYC, Mr. Ebilade Ekerefe stated that his group would not recant on their original plan Replying to a message from THISDAY, he wrote: “The only reason that will stop the IYC from carrying out its threat is the immediate constitution of the substantive board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) that has become long overdue.”

He said, “The decision was a difficult one, but it’s inevitable as

Buhari to Launch Made-in-Nigeria Helicopter Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja

The Executive Vice Chairman of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Prof. Maiwalima Haruna has disclosed that the dream of President Muhammadu Buhari to launch made-in- Nigeria helicopter before the end of his tenure is gradually coming to fulfillment as the project has entered an assessment stage by the aviation authorities.

Haruna disclosed this when officers from the Ministry of Aviation and its agencies visited the NASENI Solar Energy Limited where the NASENI Helicopter Hangar and in Abuja for on-site assessment and evaluation of the NASENI Helicopter.

The NASENI chief executive, who was represented by Dr. Mahmoud Jaffaru in his opening remarks said that the agency was ready to accept any suggestions and support from the aviation ministry that would lead to the successful completion of the project within the time frame given to the agency by the president.

He noted that it was the desire of the Agency to manufacture made-in- Nigeria Helicopter that is of international standards and help in boosting the nation’s economy.

all efforts to draw the attention of the federal government to getting the board constituted has proved abortive. The shutdown will be in phases and we are determined to inconvenience ourselves for the greater good of the region.”

IYC had last month issued a one-month ultimatum to the federal government to constitute the Board of the NDDC, failing which it threatened to shut down oil production activities in the Niger Delta region.

they unwilling to steer the country away from the dangerous threats which are crippling it.

It stated: “It is now clear that elected people sworn to protect the constitution and protect the unity and integrity of Nigeria have decided to surrender to deeply divisive or outright irredentist and secessionist tendencies and movements.

“In the South-east, governors are yielding their political turf and mandates to secessionists, criminals and subversives who think they can exterminate federal presence and Northerners from the region, and achieve dubious political goals related to 2023, or break away from the country.

“In the South-west, elected leaders and pampered ethnic bullies are closing ranks to provide a front that apes the do-whatwe-want-or-we-leave-the-country

strategy of the marginalised leaders of the South-east. Governors are building ethnic monsters and hiding behind them to whip up sentiments in a crude attempt to extract concessions no one is in a position to give or guarantee.”

The forum added that the South-south is squeezed between fear and uncertainty, as its leaders are gambling that they can benefit from further weakening the federal administration and the North if they support the rest of the South.

It stated that a plastic unity was being contrived to create the impression that the South is united behind shared grievances against the presidency and Fulani herders and all Northerners who are cast as fair game in responding to all of Buhari’s multiple failures.

The forum alleged that

desperate but futile attempt is being made to split the North along lines that suit people who ignore its complexities and plurality when it is convenient to lump all Northerners and submit them to humiliation or attacks.

NEF said most of these provocations fed from the widespread perception of a weak national leadership and a broken political process.

It restated its support for a programmed transition to eliminate open grazing and the establishment of productive, safe and sustainable options in managing the huge national assets in animal husbandry.

According to the NEF, this cannot be achieved with threats and harassment, but with commitment and collaboration involving all governments and stakeholders.

46

WEDNESDAY MAY 26, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

24 HOURS...

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Nigeria’s 1999 Military Constitution Defective, Says Fayemi Victor OgunjeinAdoEkiti The Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has declared that the proposed constitutional review by the National Assembly would

enable Nigeria to get an acceptable constitution that could resolve the country’s crises.

Fayemi also said that a review committee set up by the state government would recommend

Mohammed Urges Media to Create Fact-checking Desks against Fake News Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has advised media organisations to set up special desks for factchecking in order to guard against being misled by fake news and misinformation.

He gave the advice in Abuja yesterday when he hosted the editorial board of the Guardian Newspaper on a courtesy visit.

The minister urged media organisations in Nigeria to take his suggestion seriously, noting that establishment of a special desk for fact-checking will curb the problem of fake news and enable the citizens to separate fact from fiction.

He said in the era of fake news

and misinformation, the media has a duty to get its facts right and ensure that charlatans and hackers do not dominate the media space, as it is increasingly becoming the case in the country.

Mohammed said: “It is said that for the media to be able to play its role, which is to inform, criticise and stimulate debate, it must take responsibility for whatever it sends out. In other words, it must get its facts right. But can we say today that most of what we read, hear and watch in the news are factual?”

The minister said in the past few days, his office had received appeals from concerned Nigerians asking the federal government to do something to stem the rising wave of fake news and misinformation.

Emmanuel Not Nursing Ambition to Defect to APC, PDP Insists Okon Bassey in Uyo The Akwa Ibom State Chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), has dismissed speculations that the State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, would soon defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) like his counterpart in Cross River State that defected recently.

The state chapter of the PDP in a statement it issued yesterday described Emmanuel as a leader with towering record of integrity and performance, who is very committed and dutiful leader of the party in Akwa Ibom State.

The statement, which was signed by the State Chapter’s Publicity Secretary, Mr. Borono Bassey, also insisted that Emmanuel’s support base

across all strata of the party is unshakeable.

It said: “We cannot conceive the faintest of reasons Governor Emmanuel would contemplate any form of movement from the PDP whose values and ideological leaning resonates with his total development and leadership agenda; let alone to a party like the APC, a party synonymous with retrogression.

“What is clear, however, from these rumours is that the APC is desirous of having the focused, visionary and performing Chief Executive of Akwa Ibom State to cross over to their sinking boat, perhaps in the hope that his arrival could be the salvation that has for so long eluded them.

‘Why Twon-Brass Kingdom Protested against NAOC’ Sunday Okobi Prominent stakeholders in Twon Brass, the headquarter of Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, have given reasons why some youths and women protested against the rationing of electricity power supply to the oil-and-gas-rich community recently.

This is coming on the heels of the alleged decision of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) to shut down power supply to some communities in the area.

The people had alleged that NAOC had been rationing power supply between TwonBrass Kingdom and Okpo-ama Kingdom, which the stated did not go down well with the people

on the island considering the fact that the communities have been patiently waiting for NAOC to rectify the situation.

Twon-Brass Kingdom comprises Ada-Ama, Cameroun Ama, Sambo-Ama, Shidi-Ama, Kemmer Town, Imbikiri as well as Brass Gate, which hosts NOAC and Okpo-ama Kingdom.

Surprisingly, as early as 7am May 14, 2021, women and youths of Twon-Brass stormed the gate of NAOC in protest against the decision of the oil firm to shut down power supply to the area.

It was reported that the NAOC finally shut down power supply on May 7, 2021, after a week the women and youths protested, insisting that the multinational firm should restore electricity power supply in the area.

the parts of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) that should be reviewed.

He made these comments when he spoke in Ado Ekiti yesterday during a public consultation on the Review of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Fayemi said that the review of the constitution became expedient because its “defects are many, particularly those affecting the

smooth running and development of the country as a federation.”

“This will help us to concentrate more effort on issues that are fundamental. Our country deserves to have a constitution that will be largely acceptable by Nigerians.

“The ongoing process is a paradigm shift of sort. This is being spearheaded by the National Assembly, the true and genuine

representatives of Nigerians. It is, therefore, in our best interest to make the best of the golden opportunity by coming up with recommendations for amendment that will address some of the noticeable lapses.

“There is no better time to exhibit and bring to bear your statesmanlike maturity, patriotic considerations and vision to help bring hope and

dreams of the public to reality than now.”

The governor urged the members of the committee to bear in mind the challenges of the past, the present and the projection for our future as they consult widely with the members of the public and ensuring that every opinion and ideas brought forward must be meticulously considered.

SIXTY-TWO HEARTY CHEERS…

L-R: Independent Non-Executive Director, Lafarge Africa Plc, Mrs. Oyinkan Adewale; Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Lolu Alade-Akinyemi; Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Khaled El Dokani; Chairman, Mr. Adebode Adefioye; Company Secretary, Mrs. Adewunmi Alode; and Independent Non-Executive Director, Mrs. Adenike Ogunlesi, during the 62nd Annual General Meeting of the company in Lagos...yesterday ABIODUN AJALA

Kano Girl Kept in Room By Parents for 10 Years Freed Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano The Kano State Police Command has rescued a 15-year-old girl who was allegedly confined to a room for 10 years by her parents.

The spokesman of the police in Kano, DSP Abdullahi Haruna, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

He said, “On April 10, 2021, around 11am, a report was

received from a good Samaritan that one A’isha Jibrin, aged 15 of Darerawa Quarters, Fagge Local Government Area of Kano, was confined for 10 years in a room by her biological parents: Mohammed Jibrin and Rabi Mohammed, all of the same address, without proper feeding and healthcare.

“On receipt of the report, team of policemen along with medical personnel moved to the scene.

Victim was rescued and taken to Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital for treatment, while the mother, aged 35, was arrested.

“Effort is on to arrest the father now at large, while the case is under investigation,” Haruna said.

Haruna added that no fewer than 297 suspected criminals were apprehended in continuation of efforts to rid the state of crimes According to him, the arrests

were made between April 10 and May 23.

Haruna also said different criminal hideouts and black spots were raided during the period.

He said suspects included 187 suspected thugs, 80 suspected fraudsters, armed robbers, five suspected drug dealers and seven suspected livestock and phone thieves.

Tension Rocks Anambra APC over Mode of Primaries Peter Uzoho There is palpable apprehension and uncertainty among governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State over the mode of primary election the party’s hierarchy would use to choose its flag bearer today.

The Anambra State’s wing

of the APC Patriots raised this concern in a letter it addressed to the Chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee and Governor of Yobe State, Mr. Mai Mala Buni.

The APC Patriots said the situation has started to breed mutual distrust within the

ranks of the aspirants who have alleged that the process was being skewed in favour of a particular aspirant.

The steering committee of the APC Patriots, Anambra State, whose membership is made up of the party’s deputy gubernatorial candidate in 2019 governorship election, House of Representatives

members and other top politicians, said it would assist the party to win the strategic Anambra State in the November election in the state.

It said that securing victory in Anambra State would act as a veritable gateway to an enduring presence of the party within the South-east geo-political zone.

Ebonyi Policeman ‘Mistakenly’ Shoots Colleague Benjamin Nworie in Abakaliki The Ebonyi State Police Command has attributed the shooting of a policeman in the state by his colleague to accidental discharge.

There was pandemic in the Abakaliki, the state capital when a policeman fired three gunshots at his colleague as staff and visitors were entering the old Ebonyi State

Government House in the state capital.

The Ebonyi State Police Command confirmed the incident.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Aliyu Garba, said an officer accidentally shot one of his colleagues.

Garba said the wounded officer was responding to treatment in an undisclosed hospital.

He said, “The officer who accidentally shot his colleague was servicing his gun, but accidentally released bullets from its chambers which hit the victim.”

The officer was immediately demobilised by other officers and taken into custody.

The Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr. Francis Nwaze,

in a statement, urged the citizens not to panic.

“The incident occurred when some police officers were effecting maintenance services on the Armoured Personnel Carrier stationed in front of the old government house and the wounded officer is currently receiving treatment,” he added.

Police Foil Kidnap Attempt, Recover Pump Action Rifle in Delta Sylvester Idowu in Warri Operatives of Delta State Police Command and local vigilance team have foiled a kidnap attempt by suspected hoodlums that specialised in taking their victims to the riverine communities.

The suspected hoodlums, THISDAY learnt, had on Sunday arrived in a speed boat to Oghara in Ethiope West Local Government Area on a kidnap mission that was thwarted by the police and

the local vigilance team.

Sources disclosed that the police and the vigilance team had received an information about the plan of the hoodlums and lay siege for them at the riverine jetty.

Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Edafe Bright, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) told journalists yesterday that the hoodlums specialised in kidnapping people from upland and ferry them to the riverine

communities before opening negotiations with relatives.

“Yes, on the 23/5/2021 at about 2030hrs, when the suspected kidnappers came with a speed boat as usual with the intention of causing mayhem and kidnapping unsuspecting victims. Officers and men of Oghara Division in conjunction with local vigilante who had already put proactive measures in place were on ground strategically positioned.

“The Police Operatives resisted

fervently, engaged them in a gun duel. The suspected kidnappers, who could not withstand the fire power of the police jumped into the river and escaped with possible bullet injuries,” he disclosed.

Edafe said one pump action gun with live cartridge was recovered at the end of the operation, while serious effort to arrest and bring the fleeing suspects to book is ongoing.

47

WEDNESDAY MAY 26, ͺ͸ͺ͹˾ T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor ßÜÙ ÕÒËäßËÑÌÏ Email ÎßÜÙ˛ÓÕÒËäßËÑÌÏ̶ÞÒÓÝÎËãÖÓàÏ˛ÍÙ× ͸΀͹͹ ͹΀͹ ͻ͸΀ͻ

Iheanacho Salutes Leicester City’s Fans, Relives Wonder Goal of the Season

Femi Solaja with agency report

Kelechi Iheanacho has appreciated Leicester City’s fans for choosing his breathtaking strike against Crystal Palace as the Goal of the Season.

The centre-forward fired home a first-time effort after

he was set up by Jonny Evans, who made a great tackle to win the ball earlier.

Iheanacho has applauded the fans for voting the strike as the best from any Leicester player in the 2020-21 season and also praised Evans for his assist.

“It feels good! It was a great

EUROPA LEAGUE FINAL

Fit-Again Chukwueze Seeks Villarreal Glory Live on StarTime Samuel Chukwueze and his Villarreal teammates will be seeking to make history tonight as they take on Manchester United in Gdansk, Poland in the Europa League final.

The match will air exclusively, live and in HD on StarTimes World Football channel at 8pm.

The match is one of the peak in European football until UEFA Euro 2020 begins in June live on StarTimes.

All matches will air on StarTimes basic bouquet at N1700 monthly (antenna users) or smart bouquet at N2200 (dish users).

Chukwueze returned to training last week after picking up an injury in the semi-final second leg clash against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

The 22-year-old was omitted from the matchday squad in Villarreal’s 2-1 home loss to Real Madrid last week but he is expected to make the bench for this game.

Emery, however, confirmed Chukwueze could feature against United today. The

Nigerian international has registered five assists and scored one goal in the Europa League this season.

The match could very well be the Red Devils biggest game since Solskjaer became the manager in late 2018 and one that they would want to win.

Of course, the Norwegian will have some tough decisions on his hands going into the game.

StarTimes Nigeria PR Manager, Lazarus Ibeabuchi, said: “Football lovers in Nigeria can look forward to this exciting showpiece on StarTimes. Active subscribers can watch on the go by downloading StarTimes ON mobile app and linking it to their decoders, at no extra cost, to access the same content on up to three mobile devices.

Also, non-subscribers can also watch live sports, sought-after TV channels and over 2000 video-on-demand content for as low as N400 weekly, with an option to subscribe with their MTN airtime, via our StarTimes ON mobile app,” Mr Lazarus said.

goal and a great ball from Jonny. That goal is really a great goal and I’m happy that the fans chose that as the best goal this season,” Iheanacho told LCFC TVyesterday.

“I’m really, really happy.

When the ball got played in from Jonny, I got it down inside and took it back. The only thing on my mind was to shoot, and that’s what I did.

It went in the back of the net, so it was really a great pass from Jonny.

“As you can see, everybody was so happy, the staff as well.

It meant a lot for the team because we really worked hard in that game to come from behind.

“Jonny made a great, great tackle as well, and that helped us as well because that was like a half-goal for me. He

ran from the halfway line to make that tackle. It was a great moment and of course, making the assist as well for me to score, was fantastic.”

The centre-forward also scored other spectacular goals, including his match-winning strike in their FA Cup semifinal against Southampton at Wembley Stadium.

The Super Eagles attacker has picked his effort against the Saints as his best moment of the season as it afforded the club to reach the final of the competition for the first time in decades.

“There are a lot of great moments so I can’t really pick one, but I think the goal against Southampton… that got us to the final of the FA Cup. It’s not the best goal, but it had so much emotion with it so

that will be the moment for me,” he continued.

“It’s the moment that Leicester City Football Club had a chance to get to the FA Cup Final. It’s been a long time and they’ve been waiting for that.

“It was a great ball from Jamie (Vardy) down the line.

The ball fell kindly for me and it was really emotional that day. It was a great day, and to win the trophy was one of the best moments. That moment was great for me.”

Iheaancho ended the campaign with 19 goals and seven assists across all competitions and described his goal against Burnley at Turf Moor as ‘fantastic’.

“That one was fantastic. It was great awareness from Wilf [Ndidi] and a great run from Vards to take the defender away. I saw the

space and ran into it,” he added.

“I looked at the goal and concentrated on the ball, and looked at the ball all the way until it got to my feet. I got a good contact, and it was a really fantastic goal as well.”

Kelechi Iheanacho has thanked Leicester City fans for voting one of his goals as the club’s best for the season

Adegoke, Others Cruise to CBN Senior Tennis Second Round Former CBN women’s singles champion and Edo 2020 National Sports Festival winner, Sarah Adegoke was off to a fine start yesterday when she defeated Blessing Anuna 6-1, 6-0 in one of the first round matches of the women’s singles events of the on-going 43rd edition of the Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Open Tennis Championship in Abuja.

The competition is holding at the tennis courts of the Package ‘B’ of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.

In other events, Muhammed Musa stopped Badmus Kareem 6-3, 6-3 to advance to the second round of the Men’s singles category while Godgift Temibra, eased past Emmanuel Michael, with a 6-4,6-3 win to book a ticket to the next round as well.

Due to the late commencement of today’s games, other Men and Women’s singles matches were still in progress as at the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, the Secretary General of the Nigerian Tennis Federation, Mr Dayo Abulude, has commended the management of the Central Bank of Nigeria for the sponsorship of the annual CBN Senior Tennis championship which provides the needed platform for Nigerian youths to excel in sports especially tennis and called on other cooperate organization to emulate the good gestures of central bank by sponsoring sports.

Abunude equally advised Nigerian youths to take good lessons in the opportunity being provided by Central Bank by participating actively in sports.

Samuel Chukwueze (second right) and his Villarreal teammates at the club’s last training session ahead of tonight’s clash with Manchester United in Thebes Europa League final in Poland

Lagos to Host 22nd African Athletics Championships Thirty-two years after hosting the sixth edition of the African Senior Athletics Championships, Lagos has been confirmed as the host of the 22nd edition billed to hold between June 23and 27, 2021 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere.

In a statement issued in Cairo, Egypt yesterday, Kalkaba Malboum, President of the Confederation of African Athletics and Sunday Dare, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development of Nigeria, the Centre of Excellence was affirmed to host the crème de la crème of African athletics

in an event that will serve as the last qualifying event for African athletes for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. ‘’Following the meeting between the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development of Nigeria, Sunday Dare and the President of the Confederation of African Athletics, Kalkaba Malboum, in Cairo on 24 May, 2021, issues relating to the hosting of the 21st African Athletics Championships in Nigeria, were fully deliberated upon and modalities for a successful hosting of the Championships

were carefully mapped out. ‘’Nigeria is poised to host the Championships in the megacity of Lagos from 23 June to 27 June, 2021, at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, with auxiliary support to be provided at the National Stadium, Surulere and the Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, both in Lagos. ‘’The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and the Confederation of African Athletics, are fully committed and working in synergy towards the delivery of a world-class Championships.

‘’In the coming days, more comprehensive details regarding the successful hosting of the Championships in Lagos, Nigeria, will be made public,’’ read the statement.

This will be the third time Nigeria will be hosting the Championship after Lagos (1989) and Asaba (2018) hosted the sixth and the 21st editions respectively.

Nigeria has now tied with Egypt as the two African countries to host the championships three times since the inaugural edition in 1979 in Dakar, Senegal.

Trademarks Registry Restates PACE Sports as Owners of HiFL Brand The Trademarks Registry, at a sitting in Abuja, has ruled that Pace Sports and Entertainment Marketing Limited is the bonafide owner of the Higher Institutions Football League (HiFL) trademark.

By the ruling, GreenWhite-Green Sports Centre Limited (GWG) has been barred from laying claims to the HiFL Trademark and any other HiFL proprietaries.

PACE, a sports and entertainment marketing

company in 2018 incorporated the Higher Institutions Football League. Since then, the Company has completed two league seasons and one e-invitational season of HiFL. The HiFL is presently in its third active season.

In a ruling delivered on Monday, May 24, 2021, after listening to the counsel for both parties, the Acting Registrar, Barrister Anne Titi Adeleye ruled that “by the combined effects of Section

11, 13 and 18 of the Trade Mark Act, the Petitioner’s (Pace Sports) application is the first in time while that of the Respondent (GWG) is subsequent especially given the fact that the said Petitioner’s application has fulfilled the requisite precondition for registration”.

Regarding the certification given to GWG, Adeleye stated that “it is my conclusion that the acceptance letter NG/T/2018/7190 dated

2nd of September and certificate of registration RTM 110975 dated 10th of February, 2021 have been issued on a defective proprietary claim” and that they “are hereby revoked and all steps leading to the issuance invalidated”.

Reacting to the ruling, the Director, PACE Sports, Mr Sola Fijabi expressed his satisfaction and restated the commitment of the company to provide a great opportunity for

Nigerian youths to express themselves and excel in sports as a career equal to their academic pursuits.

“The Registry has made it clear that anyone or organisation that wishes to identify with HiFL should deal with Pace Sports as the rightful owners of HiFL. “We are very pleased with the ruling and we salute the diligence of the Registry in investigating and delivering a verdict on this matter.

“When we incorporated

the Higher Institutions Football League in 2018, our goals were very clear and the goals are still intact.

“We will not be distracted.

We also wish to express our profound appreciation to our partner, the Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA) for their support. We also thank our sponsors for believing in the HiFL values and appreciate their unflinching support,” Fijabi concluded.

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“As it stands, the presidency is the lone hand pushing for the continuation of open grazing and the return of cattle routes of 1950s and 60s. The Presidency has, by its endorsement of open grazing, emboldened armed herders who lay claim to all lands in Nigeria as belonging to Fulani” – Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom saying the federal government’s insistence on open grazing suggests it has a hidden agenda.

KAYODEKOMOLAFE Buhari’s Policy Disarticulation T THE HORIZON

he invasion of the residence of Nobelist Wole Soyinka in Abeokuta three months ago by some herdsmen and their cattle expectedly generated a widespread outrage.

Although Soyinka was not attacked and neither did he attack the herdsmen or their cattle, yet his property was attacked by the cows on open grazing within his premises famously called Ijegba.

On that occasion Soyinka said: “Cattle imperialism under any guise is an obscenity to humanity.”

Cattle imperialism? Perhaps some might have thought then that the playwright was being dramatic in the campaign against the anachronism of open grazing.

However, the reality of Soyinka’s characterisation of open grazing as the imperialism of cows was demonstrated on Monday by the egregious attack

by President Muhammadu Buhari on the resolution of the 17 southern governors to ban open grazing in their states. By the statement which shouldn’t have been made, open grazing seemingly received a presidential imprimatur.

By so doing, the President has in a way disrupted whatever logic has been proffered since 2015 in the livestock production policy of his administration. The President is seemingly disarticulating the policies of his government.

This is self-defeating in many respects.

In the most unfortunate statement, the President questioned the “legality” of governors moving to put an end to open grazing. He accused them of “power show.”

To put it in the mildest form, not a few of Buhari’s compatriots would be grossly disappointed at the president’s statement. Questioning the legality of ending open grazing is unwittingly a defence of cattle imperialism! The situation is akin to giving cattle the power to colonise the farms and premises of other people. It is not clear if those who advise Buhari realise this conundrum.

This fouled policy atmosphere already created could have been avoided if the President had limited his pronouncement to the commencement of the reactivation of grazing reserves (a synonym for ranches) next month. This, of course, could have been consistent with the government’s approach of solving the problem with ranching.

In fact, elder statesmen Chief Edwin Clark said yesterday morning on Arise Television that the President’s statement was “inappropriate.” Speaking on the occasion of his 94th birthday, Clark advised the President to withdraw the politically offensive statement. In the alternative, Clark asked Buhari to go court to contest the legality of the ban on open grazing. The implications of the statement are doubtless negative in the present circumstance of Nigeria. Buhari should, therefore, take Clark’s advice.

In decent terms, it ought to be assumed that there is a consensus among the government and the people that the idea of open grazing is a national embarrassment. It is an indication that livestock production in Nigeria is still at level it was centuries ago. It is certainly unacceptable that the legality of open grazing is still a matter of debate in 2021 Nigeria.

As a matter of fact, Buhari only affirmed the opinion of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, who earlier argued for the “freedom” of herders and their cattle to graze on other people’s farms. Other lawyers have faulted the Malami’s reading of the constitution on the freedom of movement and residence. The lawyers have argued that the human freedom envisaged in the constitution could not be transferred to animals to destroy the farms of other persons. That’s why Buhari’s statement has been unsettling in many patriotic quarters.

Clearly, policy disarticulation is a baneful effect of the dysfunctionality prevalent in the Buhari administration. This is, perhaps, the most dysfunctional administration in the history of Nigeria. The administration is bereft policy articulation and

kayode.komolafe@thisdaylive.com

Buhari coordination. It abysmally lacks coherence of purpose.

You look in vain for its organising principle. It’s difficult to locate its philosophy of governance. A good number of the ministries, departments and agencies act as if they are micro republics on their own. Some executive departments operate without due regards to other arms of government. Others flagrantly violate rules and procedures of governance.

Government’s departments make contradictory statements on policy issues. Even conflicting statements are issued on the same subject from the presidential villa. At times, heads of government departments agencies fight openly for turfs. At times, the war is even over office accommodation. Indeed, the real “power show’ is in Abuja. One ministry could take a policy step that clearly undermines the policy being implemented by another ministry.

There is no authority there to impose sanctions.

Sometimes the government takes a step that’s in direct opposition to its proclaimed policy.

More often than not, the government gets away with the policy flipflops because of the affliction of collective amnesia bedevilling the public sphere.

Events occur at a dizzying rate such that the public could hardly follow the trends accurately.

However, with 24 months to the end of his tenure, the President should be in the legacy mode by now.

Buhari should, therefore, consciously make efforts to reverse this trend so that the positive things about administration would not be impaired by the dysfunctionality in the system.

Nothing, perhaps, illustrates the dysfunctionality in the Buhari administration more than the inexplicable rationalisation of the obsolete practice of open grazing.

As Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, reminded us as a guest columnist on this page last week, before the resolution of the 17 southern

Beyond bricks and mortar, the legacy of Buhari would be assessed on the basis of the leadership he gives or fails to give in the matter of security and the intangible question of national unity

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governors in Asaba, open grazing had been declared as “outdated’, “unsustainable” and “inappropriate’ by other fora. To replace open grazing, ranching has been broadly agreed upon as the modern form practice of animal husbandry. Falana said the policy essence of the resolution of the southern governors was coterminous with earlier resolutions of the constitutionally established National Executive Council (NEC) chaired by the Vice President; the Governors’ Forum of Nigeria comprising the 36 state governors and federal some appointees ; the Northern Governors’ Forum and the forum of the People Democratic Party (PDP) governors.

Ranching has been adopted as the appropriate policy by these bodies and others in order to put an end to open grazing. Even the President’s statement on Monday contained hints about ranching as indicated above.

To imagine that the same administration questioning the legality of open grazing on Monday had come up earlier with the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP)! In July last year, there was a statement from the presidency on the matter: “The federal government is planning … to curb open grazing of animals that continue to pose security threats to farmers and herders. The overall benefit to the nation includes a drastic reduction of conflicts between herders and farmers.” Essentially, the plan was to modernise livestock production by developing ranches and humanising the condition of those who work in that important sector of the economy. About 24 states had already submitted applications to the federal government to embrace the plan. While the policy was being put together in the presidency, the rhythm of things was suddenly interrupted when from the same presidency the idea of Rural Grazing Area (RUGA) was introduced.

Meanwhile, “ruga” is also a Fulani word for human settlement. As a result, the essence of the policy was drowned in a huge controversy generated by the poor articulation of policies. Officialdom was not sufficiently mindful of socio- political sensibilities amid diversity in its pronouncements.

It was reminiscent of the use of the extremely offensive phrase, “cattle colonies,” by former agriculture minister, Chief Audu Ogbe, during the first term of Buhari. Some members of the public found the phrase repulsive. They rejected the idea of being colonised by cattle in order to have beef at the dinner table. Who would permit the establishment of a “colony” on his land? The whole problem arose because of mere phrasing of the policy. Prejudice was reinforced. The government was not trusted. In the process, hardly was the content of the policy judiciously examined. At that time, Ogbe said some lands had been designated for the implementation of the policy.

The consequences of the lack of policy coherence on the problem of open grazing are grave enough to rankle any sensitive government.

First, farmers all over the country have been bearing the brunt of the lawlessness of the herdsmen. It is important to stress that farmers have actually been groaning under the cattle imperialism in the north and south, east and west. The economic implications of this negative trend have been obvious for years.

Crop production is undermined by an archaic method of livestock production. Cows invade cultivated lands and graze on produce of farmers with impunity. Meanwhile, it is beyond debate that open grazing is a highly unproductive method of animal husbandry. The herders and their cattle are overstressed and the output is low compared with the products of ranching.

The threat of food insecurity has been heightened by the cumulative effects of the activities of the herders who are accustomed to open crazing. Rural poverty has been worsened by the dislocation of framers from their farmlands.

Secondly, the resultant violence from the invasion of farmlands by herders has exacerbated insecurity in the land. The matter is made worse by the fact that some of the herders are reportedly from other

West African countries. Even more dangerously, pure terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other armed criminals pose as herders in the various forests in the country. Many lives have been lost in the violence attributed to open grazing. Many people have been displaced from their farmlands and villages. Livestock production has virtually turned from being agricultural practice into warfare in all parts of the country. There is no evidence that the gravity of the situation is grasped in the President’s statement. Neither is the import of the tragedy captured by the constitutional references earlier made by the attorney-general.

The political outcome of this trend is even more toxic. The economically destructive and socially dangerous activities of some herdsmen have taken a toll on the diversity management. The whole of the Fulani ethnic group has been unjustly and irrationally demonised for the crimes of some herdsmen. Instead of mounting pressures on the government to tackle decisively the criminality of the those wreaking havoc around the country, sections of the elite have been indulging in ethnic profiling and peddling of prejudice. It is as if an ethnic label must be put on a crime before it could be dealt with according to the law. Invariably, the mismanagement of the nation’s diversity is again symptomatic in the seeming defence of the herdsmen by government. More than any other thing, this makes the President’s statement worrisome. Come to think of it. Buhari is a Fulani and he is from the north of Nigeria. The whole of the Fulani ethnic group is being wrongly profiled for the activities of some herders who happen to be Fulani. The President, in response to governors in the southern part of the country, is seen to be defending the offending herdsmen. To be sure, statements such as the one made on Monday by the President do not serve the cause of national integration.

By the way, it is important to point out a class-based hidden falsehood in the story. It is fundamentally wrong to imagine that Buhari is protecting the Fulani poor by rationalising open grazing in the 21st Century. After all, the President owns some cows. But his cows are not on the street of Daura, much less being roamed to Abuja, Abakaliki or Akure. The cows are orderly restricted to a place for rearing.

The genuine way to protect the interests of the poor fellows consigned to lives in the forest and exposed to the elements 24 hours of the day is to integrate them into modern way of rearing cattle.

The true interest of the herders of the Fulani or any other ethnic stock is to organise cattle rearing in way that the families of the herders would live decent lives.

The children of the herders should have access to quality education and healthcare like the children of Buhari and Malami. That’s the way to protect their interests genuinely.

The freedom of open grazing that Buhari and Malami are seeking for the herders cannot bring about the welfare and security of the herders as specified in the constitution.

Open grazing has implications for the worsening insecurity and inter-ethnic conflicts in the country.

This fact alone should have informed the articulation of policy on the problem. Besides, a statement from the presidency in response to governors from the southern part of the country should have been imbued with greater geo-political sensibility. Rather than accuse the governors of “power show,” the President should realise that they are only ventilating the grievances of their people.

The publicists of the government will soon point to tangible achievements in infrastructure, welfare programmes and diplomacy as part of the observance of May 29.

At the risk of sounding repetitive on this score, however, beyond bricks and mortar the legacy of Buhari would be assessed on the basis of the leadership he gives or fails to give in the matter of security and the intangible question of national unity.

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